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<blockquote data-quote="innerdude" data-source="post: 6797888" data-attributes="member: 85870"><p>The longer I GM, the less enamored I become with "pre-authoring." Sure, there are certain, specific (and altogether rare) situations where <em>absolutely nothing</em> the PCs do in a given scene has any real effect . . . but I've repeatedly found that more often than not, taking a hardline "pre-authoring" approach kills a game's momentum. </p><p></p><p>PC: "I look for X!" </p><p></p><p>GM: "You find nothing." </p><p></p><p>PC: "Okay, I look more closely at Item Z in Room Y....."</p><p></p><p>GM: "You find nothing." </p><p></p><p>PC: "What about--"</p><p></p><p>GM: "You find nothing."</p><p></p><p>PC: "I ask the clerk about X." </p><p></p><p>GM: "He tells you nothing you don't already know."</p><p></p><p>If I wanted to play a game that works like this, I'd cut out the middle man and just fire up a game of Zork or King's Quest and be done with it. </p><p></p><p>I regularly change what I've previously "pre-authored" in a scene based on a check a player just made, because I've found it's more interesting to give the player/character what they want . . . because THEN they have to make an interesting decision afterwards. Savage Worlds supports this as well with the concept of degree of success. "Getting a raise" on a search check, for example, opens up an opportunity as a GM to say, "Well normally you wouldn't have noticed this, but you were particularly perceptive and found this...."</p><p></p><p>One technique I've had great success with is to provide clues that reinforce a player's current line of thought/action. A search check, a persuasion/diplomacy check, or whatever, reveals a nugget that confirms or hints at something the player/PC already discovered previously. And there may have been absolutely nothing there before the player rolled the dice. </p><p></p><p>I'll also use this technique If I absolutely HAVE to use some "pre-authoring" in a particular scene. Even if the PCs don't get anything tangible out of their failure, if it's at all possible I'll try to frame it in such a way that it logically supports a conclusion that will help them move forward. Sometimes, helping PCs eliminate a course of action can be helpful in directing their focus. </p><p></p><p>I used to think that doing this sort of thing would "weaken" the "story," or "make things too easy," or somehow diminish players' sense of accomplishment, but in fact the opposite is true. My players remained far more engaged because it builds a sense of momentum.</p><p></p><p>The other thing that starts happening when the players get the right "feel" for it is they'll start doing their own pre-authoring . . . and then all I have to do is confirm it. "Oh yep, that thing you were talking about what the guards were probably doing? Well, you see X [which supports their supposition]."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="innerdude, post: 6797888, member: 85870"] The longer I GM, the less enamored I become with "pre-authoring." Sure, there are certain, specific (and altogether rare) situations where [I]absolutely nothing[/I] the PCs do in a given scene has any real effect . . . but I've repeatedly found that more often than not, taking a hardline "pre-authoring" approach kills a game's momentum. PC: "I look for X!" GM: "You find nothing." PC: "Okay, I look more closely at Item Z in Room Y....." GM: "You find nothing." PC: "What about--" GM: "You find nothing." PC: "I ask the clerk about X." GM: "He tells you nothing you don't already know." If I wanted to play a game that works like this, I'd cut out the middle man and just fire up a game of Zork or King's Quest and be done with it. I regularly change what I've previously "pre-authored" in a scene based on a check a player just made, because I've found it's more interesting to give the player/character what they want . . . because THEN they have to make an interesting decision afterwards. Savage Worlds supports this as well with the concept of degree of success. "Getting a raise" on a search check, for example, opens up an opportunity as a GM to say, "Well normally you wouldn't have noticed this, but you were particularly perceptive and found this...." One technique I've had great success with is to provide clues that reinforce a player's current line of thought/action. A search check, a persuasion/diplomacy check, or whatever, reveals a nugget that confirms or hints at something the player/PC already discovered previously. And there may have been absolutely nothing there before the player rolled the dice. I'll also use this technique If I absolutely HAVE to use some "pre-authoring" in a particular scene. Even if the PCs don't get anything tangible out of their failure, if it's at all possible I'll try to frame it in such a way that it logically supports a conclusion that will help them move forward. Sometimes, helping PCs eliminate a course of action can be helpful in directing their focus. I used to think that doing this sort of thing would "weaken" the "story," or "make things too easy," or somehow diminish players' sense of accomplishment, but in fact the opposite is true. My players remained far more engaged because it builds a sense of momentum. The other thing that starts happening when the players get the right "feel" for it is they'll start doing their own pre-authoring . . . and then all I have to do is confirm it. "Oh yep, that thing you were talking about what the guards were probably doing? Well, you see X [which supports their supposition]." [/QUOTE]
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