Please Just Play the Adventure (One Shots)

[thom_likes_gaming]

It's perfectly reasonable for the players to assume the journey is the adventure, and engaging with the NPC is purely optional.

Not at a con one-shot it isn't...

 

[thom_likes_gaming]

For what it's worth, the rider screams "adventure this way" to me. Then again, I've been DMing most of my gaming life, so I may well be "overqualified", see things too much from the GM seat perspective.

I mean, no sane GM plants a " optional distraction " in a con game.

 

[MarkB]

For what it's worth, the rider screams "adventure this way" to me. Then again, I've been DMing most of my gaming life, so I may well be "overqualified", see things too much from the GM seat perspective.

I mean, no sane GM plants a " optional distraction " in a con game.

Sure, but convention games get all sorts of players, from old hands to newbies to people who've only ever played in one group. You can't assume that they'll be familiar with the conventions of convention games.

 

[aramis erak]

Tournaments are really fun, but typically framed appropriately. Also, this doesn't work in non-fantasy RPGs where dungeon delving isn't part of the game.

Tournament mode works great for military/paramilitary mission scenarios...
Such as in Prime Directive.
It could work well in Hollowpoint, Delta Force, Crime Fighter (the old TFG police one), Star Trek, Star Wars, or Blade Runner¹.

¹: Yeah, been reading my copy.

 

[Jd Smith1]

But how do you know the designated path? Look to the GM to give you signs if you are playing correct or doing something wrong?

If you are crossing a desert and find a stranded traveler (in a one-shot), that's a plot hook.

It doesn't get any more obvious than that. If an entire group missed that glaring plot hook, you've got a table full of duds.

 

[Colgrevance]

Problem is, as far as I understand the OP's tale: The players correctly identified the hook (they went over to the rider, spoke to him and gave him water; they even assumed someone might be out for him) and thus 'got caught'; and then happened what? The rider went to sleep, vaguely suggesting to post a guard, and nothing else was to be done - the group even had ample time to discuss what to do next.

For me, that's a like the fish had bitten the hook and expected to be roped in, but the fisher just let the line dangle. Especially in a convention game, when time is tight, I'd expect the gm to pace the game much more tightly, quickly coming to the adventure proper and keeping the introduction as short as possible. And if he doesn't, it looks like what seemed to be the hook might only have been a diversion, or some scenic element to set the tone, or whatever. The OP complained that the payers didn't "go with the flow", but at this time there simply was no "flow" to speak of, and I don't see why a violation of the gm's expectation (stick to the hook and wait for the adventure to start properly) should be worse than a violation of the players' expectation (getting to the action as quickly as possible).

 

[Lanefan]

If you are crossing a desert and find a stranded traveler (in a one-shot), that's a plot hook.

It doesn't get any more obvious than that. If an entire group missed that glaring plot hook, you've got a table full of duds.

Unfortunately, getting the bolded is a very real possibility when running a convention game, meaning the GM has to be prepared for such and to have in some ways written the adventure with that possibility firmly in mind.

 

[Bilharzia]

I sympathise as I have run a one-shot Call of Cthulhu scenario where the players did not want to investigate, turning the adventure into Call of Call the Police. On the other hand the adventure itself sounds like a bit of a damp squib. I do think the "goal" of the journey being going to the city mixed in with the "hook" of an encounter is confusing, especially in a one-shot with unknown players. The actual point of the adventure also puzzles me - was it the ultimate combat encounter with the pursuers? Trying to plot out the intended stages, it seems to me to be:

Meet The Rider at Location A --> Journey to Location B --> Hole up Location B --> Combat Encounter at Location B

I don't know if that's it?

The very first thing I would change would be to get rid of The Rider and simply make the PCs the ones who are being pursued. This resolves any problems with motivation, talking to the NPC, arguing with the NPC, and so on. The PCs and the players now have a very clear problem they need to solve. You can also add personal objectives or knowledge that each PC has about their pursuers, giving them some knowledge and investment in what is to follow.

If you want some NPC interaction you can include that but then leave the decisions the players/PCs make about that NPC entirely up to them - perhaps they do meet a wealthy rider, do they offer him help? will the rider help them? do they risk taking them with them? If they leave him will he inform the pursuing gang or even join them instead? Whatever the players decide will not derail the scenario, but that decision will have some impact. If The Rider is an enthusiastic youngster who joins them, helps out in the final encounter, but ends up getting killed it will add some pathos to the PCs victory, etc.

 

[Jd Smith1]

Unfortunately, getting the bolded is a very real possibility when running a convention game, meaning the GM has to be prepared for such and to have in some ways written the adventure with that possibility firmly in mind.

Huh.

Good point. Personally, I've never done the 'table of strangers for a one-off' thing.

 

[MGibster]

Good point. Personally, I've never done the 'table of strangers for a one-off' thing.

I used to do it a lot more in my younger days. It's a good way to meet new people and try out new games. My group of 10+ years has more or less dissolved recently, and if I want to keep playing I'm going to have to find new people. I'm hoping to find more people around my age though.