Art of Roleplaying - Pacing and Plot

[barsoomcore]

While I like to think I'm a pretty good DM, and people always show for my games, I know where I could use improvement.

First things first:

People always show for your games. This is good. This means they're having fun. Take satisfaction in the knowledge you're providing entertainment -- even if it isn't the sort of entertainment you want to be providing. Most people aren't very good at providing ANY, so props to you.

You know where you could use improvement. This also is good. Most people aren't very good at knowing what they aren't very good at.

Best bet? Tell your players about the sort of campaign you want to run. Try it just as a limited-run sort of things -- five sessions with all-new characters and an all-new story and see if they'll give it a whirl. If they'll at least try it, you're probably on your way. If they won't, find folks who will (not easy, I know, but at least you're not wasting your time trying to get these people to do something they don't want to do in the first place).

One thing to keep in mind about "character-oriented" games is that if their characters are getting killed off with significant frequency, the motivation to create detailed characters is hard to generate. I'm not going to invest much energy in a character I'm only going to place twice. If you know what I mean.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Contrast this to your typical RPG session. IME, things rarely go this smoothly. First, you wait for the table talk to die down and everyone to start playing. Then there's some rough plot hook, and old man approaches with a treasure map or a rich merchant hires the PCs to guard his caravan. The PCs follow this hook not because it's compelling, but because that's the nights' adventure. So they go off and find some bad guys doing bad things but generally don't worry too much about what they are up to exactly. A few dead bodies later they consider the problem solved.

To comment on the original thesis, I think that Buffy is an excellent model for inspiration. However, I think it's important to remember that we're watching the recap of multiple gaming sessions afterward. That's why it looks good in an hour long show because we're not seeing the week of filming behind it. If you think of your gaming table as the set of the show, I think that's a more accurate representation of what's going on.

However, the subsequent posts were more illuminating on the issue behind the proposal. One method that you might try to draw out some character info is asking a series of short questions with a reward, a carrot. Give them XP. Hit 'em where it matters.

1. Who's your best friend?
2. What's your favorite color?
3. What's the dumbest thing you've ever done?
4. What's the smartest thing you've ever done?
5. Who do you hate? Why?
6. Who do you love? Why?

Etc, etc. You're trying to make them think as their characters to get answers.

I would also recommend reading Robin Laws. It sounds like you have a bunch of Butt Kickers. You're doing all the right things, but they are just not interested in responding the way you'd like. Stick with it. You can draw them out. You just have to do it slowly.

 

[Knightcrawler]

However, the subsequent posts were more illuminating on the issue behind the proposal. One method that you might try to draw out some character info is asking a series of short questions with a reward, a carrot. Give them XP. Hit 'em where it matters.

1. Who's your best friend?
2. What's your favorite color?
3. What's the dumbest thing you've ever done?
4. What's the smartest thing you've ever done?
5. Who do you hate? Why?
6. Who do you love? Why?

Etc, etc. You're trying to make them think as their characters to get answers.

While I think this is a good start it might be a little too vague. I would have at least 10-15 questions.

7. What's your favorite weapon? Why?
8. Do you have a family? What is your relationship with them?
9. Do you have friends? How good or bad are they?
10. Was your childhood good or bad?

Etc, etc, etc. Expanding on them as you see fit. Maybe you can do a little surfing on the net to find other systems of filling in a characters background.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

11. Who was your mentor? Briefly describe your apprenticeship.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

One thing I did in my last game was to request that each player write up 3 NPC's - just a name, and a couple of sentences. Each NPC had to be someone who was important to that PC, and at least one had to be a rival, though the rivalry could be friendly or deadly.

The long questionnaires sound great, but in my experience, they don't get filled out.

 

[maddman75]

I have been taking a break, really. The other DM has taken over for now, but he's confided in me that in a few months he'll probably be ready to hand the reins back over. So I've got to get ready for them .

I like the three NPCs idea. I need something simple and to the point. A long questionnaire will never get filled out. Maybe one NPC ally/friend and one rival, plus 'what does your character care about'. That's really the most relevent question.

This, along with paying more attention to pacing and plot, could really make for some great games.

 

[Knightcrawler]

The long questionnaires sound great, but in my experience, they don't get filled out.

Thats why I like to use the tables from the Hero Builder Guide. They can just roll on those and you have a ready to use framework background. And if they don't want to roll you can always do it for them.