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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6486663" data-attributes="member: 4937">Thanks for all the responses.  I very much see the sense in Manbearcat's comment: "Regardless of how you handle it, I've always found that the best way to engage each player is to have a broad exposition of the scene, framing the whole in the conflict. Then, isolate each PC and put specific trouble right in their face NOW that they have to deal with."  I'm just struggling with make this work as a group activity with PCs really not optimized for running a boat, and making it exciting.   The last time I ran something like this - "Fleeing from a Tsunami (on foot)", I thought I had adequate scene preparation but found I ran out of ideas for "things that happen that making running away existing" a lot quicker than I realized I would, so that some of the mini-scenarios I'd imagined got a bit redundant faster than I imagined.Maybe let's try this from a different perspective.  In addition to novel events - cargo breaking lose in the hold, waves rocking the ship, lightning striking a mast, and so forth, I need inspiration regarding getting PC's involved in the scene instead of just huddling in the hold waiting for it to play out.   At one time, one of the PC's was a pirate, so I thought this ocean voyage would be a perfect time to spotlight the PC's.  However, the PC is now dead and none of the existing PC's is particularly skilled at the obvious skills - craft, navigation or boating.  So, brain storm seasons that suggest uses for the following skills:Use Rope: Part of rigging comes lose?  It would seem this ought to be really useful.Leadership: This homebrew skill among other things is used to reduce fear and panic.  I have a very good scene for inducing mass panic in mind which is too spoilerific to describe here, but any minor scenes would be greatBalance: Rocking boat, obviously, but what is going on that makes you need to run across deck?Climb: Up the mast or rigging obviously, but why?  Sail breaks loose and comes unfurled?  Endurance: The only thing I can think of hear is manning the pumps.  Maybe "lighten the ship"?   I'm not actually convinced this is a really good idea unless the ship is taking water.  But then again, I'm not much of a sailor.  Is this done to improve stability, or is it done to try to run ahead of a storm, or is it simply a matter of needing more speed to climb a big wave and maintain steerageway?  I've at least one sailor in the group with real world experience, so I hate to introduce a problem by way of an NPC giving an order where I don't know if the order is a good one or not.Appraisal: Among other things, this lets you assess an object's quality as well as value, so I'm thinking using it to test detecting some impending danger, but what?  And how can I use this in a way that isn't redundant or anti-climatically scene shortening?Survival: A big deal if you are a cast away or in a life boat without supplies, but is there a way to use this to keep the ship going?  Early warning perhaps?  Helping prepare the ship for the storm ("batten the hatches!", sort of thing)?Intimidate/Diplomacy: What could you get skilled ship crew to do that the ship crew would perceive as being against their interests, and not just because they are panicking?  I have an idea regarding what you can get them to not do, that involves a Jonah scenario, however, arguably resisting the Jonah solution is a failure rather than a success with respect to saving the boat...What???</blockquote>

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