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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rune" data-source="post: 6054842" data-attributes="member: 67">Lesson 17: Set the pace.This next bit of advice is closely related to the last.  In order to keep things running smoothly, and to keep player interest, you've got to set the pace!Seems simple, right?  And, really, it is.  There's no need to be dictatorial about it, and, in fact, you'll be well served by merely offering a subtle nudge once in a while.But what pace to set?Generally, I view each session, adventure, or campaign in three vague stages—the early-game, mid-game, and end-game.  Each of these stages represents a separate focus for the game and, consequently, each will want a different pace.As mentioned in the last lesson, the beginning of a campaign is generally characterized by a focus on introducing the setting (and foreshadowing of themes that the campaign is likely to explore) and finding the party dynamic.  Because this is so, much of the tension of the early-game will be arise from the party itself—whether internal (as the party tries to learn each other), or external (as the party strives to make its mark in the world).For this reason, I like to let the players generally set their own pace in the early-game, only nudging them forward when I feel that they've started to flounder.  This does mean a large amount of off-topic chatter slows things down, but I'm okay with that.I view it as an emulation of the down-time spent by the PCs in taverns or around the campfire that only occasionally gets played out.  More importantly, it helps to encourage a bonding—particularly important, as I also spend the early-game presenting racial, religious, or cultural conflicts to the party (when they, inevitably, contain such diversity).By the mid-game, though, the focus has shifted more toward accomplishing goals set by the party, so, while I still can usually get by with letting the players maintain their own momentum, I do occasionally have to remind the players what their goals are and what resources are at their disposal.  I am far more likely to interrupt off-topic table-talk in this stage of the game.By the end-game, it's an entirely different picture.  At this point, I'm doing everything I can to tighten the tension and build toward that looming climax.  When I remind the players of things at this point, it's usually about how dire their situation is, or how villainous that villain really is.  Also, especially, I'll remind them of any missteps they've made in getting here, and how awful it is that they've come back to haunt them.  This may seem like taunting, but that's okay, too, as it kind of gives the villain a vicarious voice.  More grist for the motivational mill.So, really, it's a simple matter.  Start out loose and gradually tighten things up.  You don't have to tell them when it's time to move on; all you have to do is focus their attention a little bit along the way.</blockquote>

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