Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="buzz" data-source="post: 3987888" data-attributes="member: 6777">I can sympathize with this when a primary goal is immersion. What I (and I think some others) are trying to say, though, is that if you do some talking before the game gets going, all of this herding technique and OOC talking stuff should not be necessary.What it comes down to is getting away from the (unfortunately ingrained) idea that everyone involved goes off and creates PCs and adventures in total isolation from each other and then comes to the table expecting a good gaming experience to just magically happen. IME, this methodology never works to everyone's satisfaction. If anything, it leads to frustration and campaigns that die off.I've found that effective pre-game communication can make even heavily plotted published material (which I use a lot, honestly) thoroughly enjoyable for everyone. These days, I always start by giving the players the gist of the scenario, and then basically doing a &quot;casting call.&quot; I let them know what kinds of character elements will tie in best to the adventure, and I make sure that we have the core D&amp;D roles covered. If a player wants to do something unique, I find a way to work it into the adventure, or at least reach a compromise that will provide a good hook for the PC. Once play begins, I try to clearly communicate the scenario's short- and long-term goals.FWIW, my own experience and the feedback I've gotten from my players has shown that our games have gotten dramatically more enjoyable since we started doing things this way.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="buzz, post: 3987888, member: 6777"] I can sympathize with this when a primary goal is immersion. What I (and I think some others) are trying to say, though, is that if you do some talking [i]before[/i] the game gets going, all of this herding technique and OOC talking stuff should not be necessary. What it comes down to is getting away from the (unfortunately ingrained) idea that everyone involved goes off and creates PCs and adventures in total isolation from each other and then comes to the table expecting a good gaming experience to just magically happen. IME, this methodology [I]never[/I] works to everyone's satisfaction. If anything, it leads to frustration and campaigns that die off. I've found that effective pre-game communication can make even heavily plotted published material (which I use a lot, honestly) thoroughly enjoyable for everyone. These days, I always start by giving the players the gist of the scenario, and then basically doing a "casting call." I let them know what kinds of character elements will tie in best to the adventure, and I make sure that we have the core D&D roles covered. If a player wants to do something unique, I find a way to work it into the adventure, or at least reach a compromise that will provide a good hook for the PC. Once play begins, I try to clearly communicate the scenario's short- and long-term goals. FWIW, my own experience and the feedback I've gotten from my players has shown that our games have gotten dramatically more enjoyable since we started doing things this way. [/QUOTE]

Verification