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General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
Player vs Plot - DM responsibilities
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<blockquote data-quote="ThirdWizard" data-source="post: 6336484" data-attributes="member: 12037"><p>This quote, especially, I find quite interesting.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>For my own games, player integration in the game is of the utmost importance. And, I don't just mean fitting them into the campaign setting's metaplot. I mean, the PCs' places in the game are of central importance to actual gameplay, so it is of central importance to any session preparation, which includes world building. I also don't spend anywhere near three to six months on homebrew world backstory! I'm of the (most) bottom up approach, though.</p><p></p><p>I basically don't have a plot until I see the PCs. How will I know what to write about without that? My current game, for example, involves a wealthy gnomish aristocrat. That means lots of urban interactions, political intrigue, and family connections that alter how the PCs deal with challenges. Each PC brings something different to the table that I have to account for in ever facet of gameplay, and if I weren't to account for it, then what's the point of the players building me all of these great plot hooks? I want to encourage that as much as humanly possible.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>It was in <em>Thay</em>... it seems like it would have been trivially simple for the DM to put a spellbook in front of the PC in less than an hour of play. I cannot see the point of not doing so, and I find it somewhat surprising that a DM would just let that happen to, presumably, a person he would like to enjoy the game. Although, to be fair, the DM might not have fully comprehended the consequences of his decision as a product of a full gaming session. DMs especially sometimes put too much emphasis on the "integrity" of the game, subconsciously placing that above the "fun" of the game. I've had bad experiences as a player due to new DMs who made decisions that turned out to hinder the fun of the game, and they always had reasons for those decisions.</p><p></p><p>With a little creativity, the DM probably could have woven something together that would have been awesome. A stolen spellbook, for instance, with some kind of strange text that isn't normal spell patterns. Everything past page 10 is trapped, and he barely escaped setting it off. What's on those pages? There's a plot hook right there. The wizard he got it from stole it himself, and now two NPCs are after it. Who originally owned it? There's another plot hook. The book itself glows of magic under detect magic, but there's no obvious sign of what the book does. Yet another plot hook.</p><p></p><p>Now you've got the PC being hounded by those who want it back, who is searching for a way to bypass certain traps, and who is researching the origins of the book discreetly. DM wins. Player wins. Everybody's happy, and the game is off to a deadly and intrigue-laden start!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ThirdWizard, post: 6336484, member: 12037"] This quote, especially, I find quite interesting. For my own games, player integration in the game is of the utmost importance. And, I don't just mean fitting them into the campaign setting's metaplot. I mean, the PCs' places in the game are of central importance to actual gameplay, so it is of central importance to any session preparation, which includes world building. I also don't spend anywhere near three to six months on homebrew world backstory! I'm of the (most) bottom up approach, though. I basically don't have a plot until I see the PCs. How will I know what to write about without that? My current game, for example, involves a wealthy gnomish aristocrat. That means lots of urban interactions, political intrigue, and family connections that alter how the PCs deal with challenges. Each PC brings something different to the table that I have to account for in ever facet of gameplay, and if I weren't to account for it, then what's the point of the players building me all of these great plot hooks? I want to encourage that as much as humanly possible. It was in [I]Thay[/I]... it seems like it would have been trivially simple for the DM to put a spellbook in front of the PC in less than an hour of play. I cannot see the point of not doing so, and I find it somewhat surprising that a DM would just let that happen to, presumably, a person he would like to enjoy the game. Although, to be fair, the DM might not have fully comprehended the consequences of his decision as a product of a full gaming session. DMs especially sometimes put too much emphasis on the "integrity" of the game, subconsciously placing that above the "fun" of the game. I've had bad experiences as a player due to new DMs who made decisions that turned out to hinder the fun of the game, and they always had reasons for those decisions. With a little creativity, the DM probably could have woven something together that would have been awesome. A stolen spellbook, for instance, with some kind of strange text that isn't normal spell patterns. Everything past page 10 is trapped, and he barely escaped setting it off. What's on those pages? There's a plot hook right there. The wizard he got it from stole it himself, and now two NPCs are after it. Who originally owned it? There's another plot hook. The book itself glows of magic under detect magic, but there's no obvious sign of what the book does. Yet another plot hook. Now you've got the PC being hounded by those who want it back, who is searching for a way to bypass certain traps, and who is researching the origins of the book discreetly. DM wins. Player wins. Everybody's happy, and the game is off to a deadly and intrigue-laden start! [/QUOTE]
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