What do you do beyond combat?

[Majoru Oakheart]

Beyond combat the characters live. Its like asking a person what do they do beyond eating, its seems like a silly question to me. THe characters travel, they shop, they rest, they enjoy themselves, they do what they want to. Combat is not what the game is about.

Sure it is, because eating, shopping, travelling, and enjoying themselves aren't good stories or all that exciting.

That's just my 2 cents, but you'll find these activities summarized in one or two sentances in my game unless they are important to the current storyline. I find role playing a guy on the street who was put into the game only to give the PCs the information "I saw a dark, cloaked figure pass by this way last night" boring. So, I'll say, "you find a guy who says he saw a dark, cloaked figure pass by this way last night, he doesn't really know anything else and he didn't see any more detail."

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The easiest sort of adventures to run that are more than just combat are combat-based adventures that the players can't win.

When confronted with Ye Olde Orc Army, players will suddenly discover their social skills, their strategy skills and their MacGuyver skills.

Scale as appropriate. Eight players might need to face an army to be totally outclassed in a head-on fight, but two players might just need to have to deal with one decent sized group of bandits.

When you make players use their heads, even combat is a lot more compelling: Kill the guards quick, kill them quietly, or it's all over.

 

[DMH]

Has any run one an Olympics style game? I had an idea for one run by the gods and the prizes were much more than gold or accolades.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Has any run one an Olympics style game? I had an idea for one run by the gods and the prizes were much more than gold or accolades.

I ran about two sessions a while back that was competative games. There was some tournament fighting, so it had combat, but there were also races, leaps, obsticle courses, and such that used various skills. The PCs also met several NPCs who became important contacts after the games, and we had a fun time of it. I guess not everyone would enjoy something like this, though.

 

[nato]

Thanks again for all the replies everyone.

After a group discussion we came to a consensus to not use any combat system at all. When and if combat comes up, we will just use reason and agreement to figure out how much could be defeated and so forth (I would not try this if we were not all close agreeable friends). Should be interesting. It will make all the noncombat stuff all the more vital.

I think that is going to hinge heavily on the players coming up with good motivations, goals, and background plot hooks, and the DM coming up with a good world, intrigue, and NPCs.

 

[Lela]

Seriously, I want to know how this works out. Details, when you have them, please.

 

[Crothian]

Sure it is, because eating, shopping, travelling, and enjoying themselves aren't good stories or all that exciting.

it is if you do it right. But the question was not what exicitng things are beyond combat, just what is beyond combat.

That's just my 2 cents, but you'll find these activities summarized in one or two sentances in my game unless they are important to the current storyline. I find role playing a guy on the street who was put into the game only to give the PCs the information "I saw a dark, cloaked figure pass by this way last night" boring. So, I'll say, "you find a guy who says he saw a dark, cloaked figure pass by this way last night, he doesn't really know anything else and he didn't see any more detail."

See, if you only place in things that are important it becomes to easy. So, I like to slip in things that might just be fun but are not that important to the every powerful storyline.

 

[Crothian]

Has any run one an Olympics style game? I had an idea for one run by the gods and the prizes were much more than gold or accolades.

Ya, in my campaign world each summer there are great tournments. We have spent a session or three (usually an extra long session) just on the events, the characters, and everything like that.

 

[Dougal DeKree]

Give the players additional individual goals, that are different - not different enough to start a fight, but different enough that they have to talk it out. And make clear that they all can only reach their main goal (which should be the same for them) when working together.

Inner party conflict can be the start for very interesting evenings...

About olympic games: You can also try the arena-approach. There you can pose a new challenge everytime, ranging from obstacle courses to art/music contests (which sometimes were performed in arenas in roman times). Important here is that you give the players the opportunity to work "behind the scenes" before the actual contest start, like finding out, what the contest will be about, who will be the opponent and maybe even bribing others to evade something they don't think they can do, etc.

Dougal

 

[Agback]

Or as the offical detectives.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I meant "You [the GM] can run great adventures for [players whose characters are] the official detectives."