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General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Introducing Complications Without Forcing Players to Play the "Mother May I?" Game
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<blockquote data-quote="Sadras" data-source="post: 7555783" data-attributes="member: 6688277"><p>My advice is a combination of what others have said on a single cheat sheet.</p><p></p><p>1. <em>Define Obstacles and Opposition</em> (goals/motives, relationships, influence, might, history if you have time)</p><p>2. <em>Establish </em>possible <em>Avenues of Success</em> with <em>Identified Checks Points</em> as well as <em>Risks/Degrees of Failure</em> (gang war, coerced into partnership or ongoing extortion, loss of influence, supplier sabotaged, customer base threatened, exposure and arrest...etc). Some will be known others not, whatever makes sense in the narrative. </p><p>3. <em>List Possible Complications</em> that might realistically arise (new threat, shortage of inventory, betrayal, child/ward...etc)</p><p>4. <em>Draft</em> a <em>Loose Timeline</em> (how many levels, how much downtime required) </p><p>5. <em>Use</em> the above as a <em>Guideline and Inspiration only</em>.</p><p></p><p>EDIT: As the character climbs the checkpoints of Success and the rewards of those successes start delivering so should the possible result of the Complications, Risks and Degrees of Failure increase.</p><p></p><p>So at checkpoint 1 say, a Gang War is contained and the loss is some street muscle (minor setback). </p><p>At checkpoint 2, the Gang War escalates in duration and violence resulting in innocents being injured and killed in the crossfire, resulting in a severe loss in street muscle (major setback) as well as a Complication (the party is called to investigate, not knowing one of their own is responsible for the event).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sadras, post: 7555783, member: 6688277"] My advice is a combination of what others have said on a single cheat sheet. 1. [I]Define Obstacles and Opposition[/I] (goals/motives, relationships, influence, might, history if you have time) 2. [I]Establish [/I]possible [I]Avenues of Success[/I] with [I]Identified Checks Points[/I] as well as [I]Risks/Degrees of Failure[/I] (gang war, coerced into partnership or ongoing extortion, loss of influence, supplier sabotaged, customer base threatened, exposure and arrest...etc). Some will be known others not, whatever makes sense in the narrative. 3. [I]List Possible Complications[/I] that might realistically arise (new threat, shortage of inventory, betrayal, child/ward...etc) 4. [I]Draft[/I] a [I]Loose Timeline[/I] (how many levels, how much downtime required) 5. [I]Use[/I] the above as a [I]Guideline and Inspiration only[/I]. EDIT: As the character climbs the checkpoints of Success and the rewards of those successes start delivering so should the possible result of the Complications, Risks and Degrees of Failure increase. So at checkpoint 1 say, a Gang War is contained and the loss is some street muscle (minor setback). At checkpoint 2, the Gang War escalates in duration and violence resulting in innocents being injured and killed in the crossfire, resulting in a severe loss in street muscle (major setback) as well as a Complication (the party is called to investigate, not knowing one of their own is responsible for the event). [/QUOTE]
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