This came up in a couple different threads, so i wanted to address it separately.
When you are running a game, maybe using existing adventures and maybe creating adventures, or running off the cuff, or whatever in between, how much do you curate those adventures to fit the specific mechanical capabilities of the PCs?
I want to start by making the clear distinction here between making the adventure for and about the PCs in general, and specifically making sure the mechanics involved are related to the PCs capabilities. Whether the "story" overall is centered around the PCs is a different question worthy of its own thread.
So, to illustrate what I mean, I will make up a Shadowrun example.
The "job" is to break into a corporate safe house being used to hold a corporate spy; the PCs are hired by the "aggressor" to get in and extract the spy, or eliminate him, before he can be moved and interrogated by the "victim" corporation. In the non-existent module, the magical and technological defenses, countermeasures, and agent capabilities are spelled out and designed for a "typical" distribution of hackers, samurai, mages and whatever.
But let's pretend that your group decided they wanted to play an all girl elf punk band called Pixie Riot that attacks an disrupts corporate activity on the side to make cash to get to their next gig. There is no samurai, but there is a bouncer, and the "rigger" is more into the band van and the sound system than combat drones, while the mage is an illusionist bard type that creates the light shows. Assuming you create a good hook for the PCs from a story involvement perspective, what do you do about the mechanical specifics.
Do you:
A. Play the module as written. it is up to the players to figure out how to make use of their PCs' abilities to get the job done.
2. Rework the defenses etc to make sure they generally align with the PCs skill sets.
iii. Make adjustments on the fly and/or be loose with rules interpretations to allow the PCs abilities to work even when they probably shouldn't.
d) Something else.
For my part, assuming session 0 included the fact that I would sometimes be running pre-written scenarios made for shadowrunners, and the players still went with Pixi Riot, I would run the module as written. The players chose their character types, and should be expected to make them work in the campaign. If, however, the premise started with the band, I would rewrite the adventure as much as necessary to make it work for the band.
Just briefly, to use a D&D example, I don't usually change the challenges present in a published scenario based on the class etc choices the players make. If the all bard party wants to go ona dungeon delve, that is on them; if the all barbarian party wants to infiltrate a royal ball, good luck, etc..
What do you do when the PC mechanical abilities do not match the module you have prepared?
When you are running a game, maybe using existing adventures and maybe creating adventures, or running off the cuff, or whatever in between, how much do you curate those adventures to fit the specific mechanical capabilities of the PCs?
I want to start by making the clear distinction here between making the adventure for and about the PCs in general, and specifically making sure the mechanics involved are related to the PCs capabilities. Whether the "story" overall is centered around the PCs is a different question worthy of its own thread.
So, to illustrate what I mean, I will make up a Shadowrun example.
The "job" is to break into a corporate safe house being used to hold a corporate spy; the PCs are hired by the "aggressor" to get in and extract the spy, or eliminate him, before he can be moved and interrogated by the "victim" corporation. In the non-existent module, the magical and technological defenses, countermeasures, and agent capabilities are spelled out and designed for a "typical" distribution of hackers, samurai, mages and whatever.
But let's pretend that your group decided they wanted to play an all girl elf punk band called Pixie Riot that attacks an disrupts corporate activity on the side to make cash to get to their next gig. There is no samurai, but there is a bouncer, and the "rigger" is more into the band van and the sound system than combat drones, while the mage is an illusionist bard type that creates the light shows. Assuming you create a good hook for the PCs from a story involvement perspective, what do you do about the mechanical specifics.
Do you:
A. Play the module as written. it is up to the players to figure out how to make use of their PCs' abilities to get the job done.
2. Rework the defenses etc to make sure they generally align with the PCs skill sets.
iii. Make adjustments on the fly and/or be loose with rules interpretations to allow the PCs abilities to work even when they probably shouldn't.
d) Something else.
For my part, assuming session 0 included the fact that I would sometimes be running pre-written scenarios made for shadowrunners, and the players still went with Pixi Riot, I would run the module as written. The players chose their character types, and should be expected to make them work in the campaign. If, however, the premise started with the band, I would rewrite the adventure as much as necessary to make it work for the band.
Just briefly, to use a D&D example, I don't usually change the challenges present in a published scenario based on the class etc choices the players make. If the all bard party wants to go ona dungeon delve, that is on them; if the all barbarian party wants to infiltrate a royal ball, good luck, etc..
What do you do when the PC mechanical abilities do not match the module you have prepared?
