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<blockquote data-quote="Pielorinho" data-source="post: 212031" data-attributes="member: 259">Tar, you may have just been summarizing when you described the game as:Player:&nbsp; We offer to buy the ship.DM:&nbsp; He isn't interested in selling.but if you're not, I think I can see where part of the problem comes from.&nbsp; Here's how I'd handle it:Player:&nbsp; We offer to buy the ship.DM:&nbsp; Well, you know he's probably down in the lounge right now -- he likes to hang out there when there's not a crisis.&nbsp; What do you do?Player:&nbsp; We offer to buy the ship, I said!DM:&nbsp; Right now, you're in your quarters.&nbsp; Are you planning on talking with him by intercom?Player:&nbsp; (Sigh) No.&nbsp; We go down to the lounge.DM:&nbsp; Okay.&nbsp; The place is pretty dull now -- you see some of the crew that you know, over in a corner playing IceChess.&nbsp; And that creepy Yuan-Ti chick is drinking one of her egg-drinks.&nbsp; Her tongue flicks out in your direction as you enter, and then she turns back to her drink, but as usual it's hard to tell whether she's looking at you.&nbsp; The captain is standing behind the ice-Chest players.&nbsp; He looks up at you, and you can tell that his smile is forced, but he doesn't say anything.Player:&nbsp; I offer to buy his ship.DM:&nbsp; What do you say?Player: Err...Hey, Cap!&nbsp; I wanted to talk with you about buying your ship!DM:&nbsp; (in a grizzled voice) &quot;What?! You want to buy the HMS Pinafive?!&nbsp; Haw Haw Haw!&nbsp; You're crazy!&quot;I think that if you actually play through such scenes, it won't seem like railroading.&nbsp; If you just summarize them, though, it can definitely come across as a no-choice plot.Furthermore, summaries aren't nearly as much fun, when there's something high-stakes on the line.&nbsp; If you RP through the scene, then strange possibilities may crop up:&nbsp; perhaps you'll find yourself, in the voice of the captain, offering to put in a word for the crew with his Pilot's Guild if they'll escort his no-good bookworm son to a military academy, and you'll have a whole new plot thread opening up.Just an idea.&nbsp; As for the OP, consider giving a +2 circumstance bonus to attacks and skill checks that are described interestingly.&nbsp; That is, a PC who says, &quot;I hit him with my mace!&quot; doesn't get a bonus, but one who says, &quot;I watch him carefully, and as soon as he strikes out at me, I step in, pushing his shield wide with my own shield and striking hard at his jaw,&quot; gets the bonus.Alternatively, award experience points in private, and tell players ahead of time that you'll be giving out nonspecific bonuses to folks that describe their actions dramatically.&nbsp; This is actually what I'm doing in my own campaign now; we'll see how effective it is.Good luck!Daniel</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Pielorinho, post: 212031, member: 259"] Tar, you may have just been summarizing when you described the game as: Player: We offer to buy the ship. DM: He isn't interested in selling. but if you're not, I think I can see where part of the problem comes from. Here's how I'd handle it: Player: We offer to buy the ship. DM: Well, you know he's probably down in the lounge right now -- he likes to hang out there when there's not a crisis. What do you do? Player: We offer to buy the ship, I said! DM: Right now, you're in your quarters. Are you planning on talking with him by intercom? Player: (Sigh) No. We go down to the lounge. DM: Okay. The place is pretty dull now -- you see some of the crew that you know, over in a corner playing IceChess. And that creepy Yuan-Ti chick is drinking one of her egg-drinks. Her tongue flicks out in your direction as you enter, and then she turns back to her drink, but as usual it's hard to tell whether she's looking at you. The captain is standing behind the ice-Chest players. He looks up at you, and you can tell that his smile is forced, but he doesn't say anything. Player: I offer to buy his ship. DM: What do you say? Player: Err...Hey, Cap! I wanted to talk with you about buying your ship! DM: (in a grizzled voice) "What?! You want to buy the HMS Pinafive?! Haw Haw Haw! You're crazy!" I think that if you actually play through such scenes, it won't seem like railroading. If you just summarize them, though, it can definitely come across as a no-choice plot. Furthermore, summaries aren't nearly as much fun, when there's something high-stakes on the line. If you RP through the scene, then strange possibilities may crop up: perhaps you'll find yourself, in the voice of the captain, offering to put in a word for the crew with his Pilot's Guild if they'll escort his no-good bookworm son to a military academy, and you'll have a whole new plot thread opening up. Just an idea. As for the OP, consider giving a +2 circumstance bonus to attacks and skill checks that are described interestingly. That is, a PC who says, "I hit him with my mace!" doesn't get a bonus, but one who says, "I watch him carefully, and as soon as he strikes out at me, I step in, pushing his shield wide with my own shield and striking hard at his jaw," gets the bonus. Alternatively, award experience points in private, and tell players ahead of time that you'll be giving out nonspecific bonuses to folks that describe their actions dramatically. This is actually what I'm doing in my own campaign now; we'll see how effective it is. Good luck! Daniel [/QUOTE]

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