Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Please Just Play the Adventure (One Shots)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 8675762" data-attributes="member: 6785785"><p>I have two bits to add.</p><p></p><p>The Heart RPG has a great bit of advice: don’t be coy. I think we sometimes let ourselves worry way too much about maintaining the “illusion” of an RPG. We shouldn’t do that. I think that contributed to the situation. Don’t be coy about what play is going to be or should be about. </p><p></p><p>The second is to find a reason for the characters to engage with the hook. For the players, the reason is to play through the scenario. But of there’s no reason for the characters, then some players will struggle to know why they should have their characters perform specific things. Often players will come up with goals or motivations for their characters that don’t align with the hook. And that’s a problem. </p><p></p><p>So you have to find a way to prevent (normally I’d say discourage, but for a comvention oneshot, let’s just say prevent…let’s not be coy!) the characters from simply looking at the dying rider and saying “sucks to be you” before they walk off whistling happily. </p><p></p><p>Make them merchant guards. Make them employed by the local lord to keep the roads safe. Make them hired by the dying rider’s father to find him. And so on. </p><p></p><p>Don’t shy away from treating this like the specific scenario it is. Just accept that and then do everything in service to that scenario.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hawkeyefan, post: 8675762, member: 6785785"] I have two bits to add. The Heart RPG has a great bit of advice: don’t be coy. I think we sometimes let ourselves worry way too much about maintaining the “illusion” of an RPG. We shouldn’t do that. I think that contributed to the situation. Don’t be coy about what play is going to be or should be about. The second is to find a reason for the characters to engage with the hook. For the players, the reason is to play through the scenario. But of there’s no reason for the characters, then some players will struggle to know why they should have their characters perform specific things. Often players will come up with goals or motivations for their characters that don’t align with the hook. And that’s a problem. So you have to find a way to prevent (normally I’d say discourage, but for a comvention oneshot, let’s just say prevent…let’s not be coy!) the characters from simply looking at the dying rider and saying “sucks to be you” before they walk off whistling happily. Make them merchant guards. Make them employed by the local lord to keep the roads safe. Make them hired by the dying rider’s father to find him. And so on. Don’t shy away from treating this like the specific scenario it is. Just accept that and then do everything in service to that scenario. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Please Just Play the Adventure (One Shots)
Top