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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Guest&nbsp; 85555" data-source="post: 8172648">I am not familiar with this particular term so don't know what it encompasses. In this case, the existence of background details doesn't preclude active elements like antagonistic NPCs or other things the players themselves may be pursuing. So the players are not simply finding out what happened recently in the adventure, they may also be contending with threats and forces that were involved in what happened. Now there is an objective thing that happened (or at least the GM is treating the backstory as if it really occurred and trying to honor that in all of his or her adjudication as the players go into unexpected territory). Occasionally this might mean the GM has to invent something on the spot because a player presses for a detail that would be obtainable, but was something the GM simply hadn't considered. I think the key there is making sure anything you come up with, flows as logically from the backstory and NPCs as possible, or at the very least, doesn't contradict them. So, for example players may use an autopsy to discover what the victim had for breakfast that morning. To me that doesn't seem like an outrageous expectation, so I would provide info (in fact I might even ask for a moment to quickly google autopsies just so I am getting things right----or I would make clear I know very little about autopsies and will be forming a judgment based on what little knowledge I have----also being open to thoughts from players who may know more" these kinds of conversations are actually quite common in my games). The bottom line though is, if I go this direction with the players, I need to decide what the NPC ate, and I need to not just make it some random thing (because obviously this could be a relevant clue even if it doesn't seem like it right away). This will be based on what my backstory says first and foremost, and then driven by what logic I can apply. If I have in my backstory, that he was simply walking down the street when he was accosted by the murderers, that is going to restrict me a lot more than if I don't have that kind of detail (and there is a 2 hour gap between him leaving his house in my notes and being shot). Whatever the case, I will try to think of what he hate, when, where and with who, just in case any of those details could possibly be deduced (again no expert on autopsies so some of that will depend on what is settled about how good autopsies are at determining if someone just at a big mac). On the active end, all the perpetuators involved in the event, all the suspects, are still being treated as living NPCs. Some may be taking actions against the players, some may be plotting other nefarious deeds, and some may be working to cover things up or conspire to pin the blame on someone else. Also, there is no telling what the players will do. If they just start shooting suspects (which has happened in games I've run before), that takes things in a radically different direction.</blockquote>

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