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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tinner" data-source="post: 2663615" data-attributes="member: 19667">The only thing I've found that really creates moments of genuine emotion is making the players really care about their characters.Not just care whether they live or die, but actually care about the little details of their life.IMO doing this requires more time invested in a character than a once-a-week game session can give. The only games I've ever seen this in were those rare games where the players schedules all synched up and we were able to get 3-7 sessions in each week.The next key component to making players care IMO is detail. Nonbody is going to have a moment of genuine emotion for Bob the 14th level Fighter.They might have some genuine emotion for Robert the Black, Champion of Eldemoor, consort to Empress Licentia.The more detail you give a character, the more emotion a player will invest in it.Note that I'm not just talking about better gear and some titles. These things need to actually mean something. IN the above example, Robert should have a story reason to be known as "The Black" he should have been involved in an egaging story that rewarded him with the titles of Champion and Consort.Which brings me to my next point. The final, and IMO most crucial element that helps imbue emotion into a game is suffering.If Robert from our example above never really faced any challenges in his quest to become the Black Champion and Consort, why should the player have any real emotion about it?If on the other hand, Robert is known as the Black because he slew his own father rather than suffer a great dishonor, and he became champion by fighting his way through the gladitorial areans after his imprisonment for that crime, and his role as consort is more akin to "Imperial Whipping Boy" then we can see how the player would be emotionally invested in these things.C'mon, the best, most memorable stories aren't the happy ones where good and justice always prevail, and the land is full of sunshine, puppies and ice cream. No, the stories we remember and become emotionally involved in are those where the heroes triumph only after great hardship and personal sacrifice.Some examples: (YMMV)Most Emotional Moments of LotR - Sam carrying Frodo up the slopes of Mount Doom, When we realize just what a piteous wretch Gollum is, Frodo says goodbye to his friends for the last time.Most Emotion Moments of the Original SW trilogy - Han frozen in carbonite, Luke learns Vader is his father, Vader dies to stop the Emperor from killing/turning Luke.None of these are happy moments, and yet they all resonate with emotion. These are the kinds of moments you have to include to make your games have serious emotional content.I'm not saying there's a sure-fire formula to develop great emotional games, but these are the elements that I've found to be consistently present when my games DO become emotionally charged.Hope this helps.</blockquote>

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