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Message: <blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 4480369" data-attributes="member: 386">Quests.  That's what they should be directed at.  If you are inclined to story, make the Quests about what the protagonists (i.e. the PCs) want.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Quests are what the PCs want.  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The things to kill are their opposition.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You do it because you're a protagonist in a story and there's something in your way.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You get rid of the opposition in whatever way your character chooses.  Fighting, sneaking, talking, magic.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">How you do it matters.  There's a difference between removing opposition with carefully placed words (Diplomacy), cowing someone (Intimidate), and stabbing him in the face (any number of attack options).  How you resolve the conflict should change the situation.  If it resolves the situation, your story is over.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Killing someone with violence is probably the same no matter what method of violence you choose (except maybe for Clerics and Paladins).  But it's not the only way to remove obstacles in your path.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The consequences are based in the situation that's unfolding in the game.  How do other NPCs react?</li> </ul>Use Quests.  Have the players make driven characters.  Use the rules for conflict generation to make sure the PCs face opposition that's not too hard or too easy.  Use the rules for conflict resolution to determine if the PCs are successful and how they succeed or fail.  What 4e is missing is a "And this is how much I want to succeed" mechanic in combat.  (Not so in Skill Challenges.)  Healing surges could have done this somehow, but they don't.So you want a hard-coded theme in the game?D&D kinda has that: if you work together, you're more likely to get what you want than if you go it alone.Why do you think it doesn't matter?For example, I'm running a PbP game.  The backstory is:  NPC and PC love each other.  NPC kills PC.  PC comes back from the dead with a hate-on for NPC.  The current situation is: NPC and PC go through a round or two of fighting.  NPC calls PC a traitor.PC2 then steps up and reams out the NPC with words.  He calls NPC a traitor for killing the one he loved.PC2 has to make a roll.How NPC reacts to the PC's words are important.  The die roll will determine that.  The situation will change based on the die roll.  The story is affected by the die roll.</blockquote>

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