The most recent RPG sessions I've GMed have been Torchbearer, and I'm hoping to GM another one soon.
I've got a general idea for the next session: the PCs have learned that the Elven Ranger one of them wants to rescue is in their enemy's house, in the same town where the PCs are staying. So I anticipate some sort of assault on, or investigation of, the house. Of course that opens up the possibility of a direct confrontation with the enemy.
I also have another idea for the session: one of the PCs is under the influence of a cursed, dream-haunted Elfstone. In mechanical terms, this means that the character's Belief slot is filled by a Belief about protecting the gem from being stolen etc. In my imagination - I don't know how far the other players share this image - the character, a somewhat dark Elf called Fea-bella (who is rather fiery, like Feanor) sits at night brooding over her gem, going over in her mind the dreams and hopes of the petty-Dwarf Mim that flow from the stone into her.
Now the information about the kidnapped Ranger came to the PCs from a new friend, a bitter Dwarven bandit named Gerda, who was working for their enemy but whom they tricked into coming over to their side. They tricked her by, in part, playing on the ancient rivalry between the Dwarves and the Elves. (The enemy is an Elf.) And so my other idea is that Gerda will try and take the Elfstone from the PC, on the grounds that a jewel like that should be in the hands of a Dwarf, not an Elf.
This has led me to think about how, exactly, I want to frame these conflicts.
Some of the best advice I know on this comes from Vincent Baker's In A Wicked Age (p 11 of the rulebook):
This advice rests on assumptions about how scenes are framed (p 10):
Torchbearer isn't quite as flexible in its approach to scene-framing, but there are certain moments of play when the GM does get to significantly reframe the situation: when a player fails their dice roll for a declared action, the GM can introduce a "twist" - which I'm thinking, if the PCs are exploring/assaulting the house, may include the enemy turning up. In Baker's language, I'm thinking of this in terms of circling a conflict, although I'm not 100% sure how to do this yet - I think playing on the fact that it's in town, and the PCs are burglars, but the enemy a kidnapper, might be the way to go.
With the gem, I'm envisaging rushing up to the conflict - an attempt by Gerda to take the gem in the night, while Fea-bella is sleeping - but in terms of the game's rules I'm not sure yet how I will frame this. It will likely depend on what actions the Elven PC's player declares during town phase, in the lead up to the house adventure.
How do other ENworld GMs think about framing into conflict in their RPGing?
I've got a general idea for the next session: the PCs have learned that the Elven Ranger one of them wants to rescue is in their enemy's house, in the same town where the PCs are staying. So I anticipate some sort of assault on, or investigation of, the house. Of course that opens up the possibility of a direct confrontation with the enemy.
I also have another idea for the session: one of the PCs is under the influence of a cursed, dream-haunted Elfstone. In mechanical terms, this means that the character's Belief slot is filled by a Belief about protecting the gem from being stolen etc. In my imagination - I don't know how far the other players share this image - the character, a somewhat dark Elf called Fea-bella (who is rather fiery, like Feanor) sits at night brooding over her gem, going over in her mind the dreams and hopes of the petty-Dwarf Mim that flow from the stone into her.
Now the information about the kidnapped Ranger came to the PCs from a new friend, a bitter Dwarven bandit named Gerda, who was working for their enemy but whom they tricked into coming over to their side. They tricked her by, in part, playing on the ancient rivalry between the Dwarves and the Elves. (The enemy is an Elf.) And so my other idea is that Gerda will try and take the Elfstone from the PC, on the grounds that a jewel like that should be in the hands of a Dwarf, not an Elf.
This has led me to think about how, exactly, I want to frame these conflicts.
Some of the best advice I know on this comes from Vincent Baker's In A Wicked Age (p 11 of the rulebook):
Playing with conflict
Like a movie with only action sequences, it’s a poor game – a one-tone game – that drives relentlessly from one conflict to the next.
To rush up to a conflict: Choose two characters who want to do harm to one another. Arrange circumstances so that one of the characters has a sudden, momentary, immediate advantage – act now and seize it, or hesitate and lose; and furthermore that if she should leave her enemy capable, the advantage will dramatically reverse. . . .
To circle a conflict: Choose two characters who want to do harm to one another. Arrange circumstances so that they have to interact, but so that neither of them have any upper hand, and in fact so that if one should attack the other, she will do so at a significant disadvantage. . . .
To draw a conflict out: Choose two characters who want to do no harm to one another at all, but whose interests don’t mesh well or overlap. Arrange circumstances so that one has the opportunity to pursue her interests, but only by threatening the interests of the other. Also arrange it so that the other will see her do it, or have evidence that she’s done it, or have some reason to blame her for doing it – so that the offense is unignorable.
Like a movie with only action sequences, it’s a poor game – a one-tone game – that drives relentlessly from one conflict to the next.
To rush up to a conflict: Choose two characters who want to do harm to one another. Arrange circumstances so that one of the characters has a sudden, momentary, immediate advantage – act now and seize it, or hesitate and lose; and furthermore that if she should leave her enemy capable, the advantage will dramatically reverse. . . .
To circle a conflict: Choose two characters who want to do harm to one another. Arrange circumstances so that they have to interact, but so that neither of them have any upper hand, and in fact so that if one should attack the other, she will do so at a significant disadvantage. . . .
To draw a conflict out: Choose two characters who want to do no harm to one another at all, but whose interests don’t mesh well or overlap. Arrange circumstances so that one has the opportunity to pursue her interests, but only by threatening the interests of the other. Also arrange it so that the other will see her do it, or have evidence that she’s done it, or have some reason to blame her for doing it – so that the offense is unignorable.
This advice rests on assumptions about how scenes are framed (p 10):
GM, it’ll mostly fall to you to open and organize scenes. . . . However you start, once you’ve established who is there with whom, and where, and what’s up, turn it over to the players. “What do you do?”
Torchbearer isn't quite as flexible in its approach to scene-framing, but there are certain moments of play when the GM does get to significantly reframe the situation: when a player fails their dice roll for a declared action, the GM can introduce a "twist" - which I'm thinking, if the PCs are exploring/assaulting the house, may include the enemy turning up. In Baker's language, I'm thinking of this in terms of circling a conflict, although I'm not 100% sure how to do this yet - I think playing on the fact that it's in town, and the PCs are burglars, but the enemy a kidnapper, might be the way to go.
With the gem, I'm envisaging rushing up to the conflict - an attempt by Gerda to take the gem in the night, while Fea-bella is sleeping - but in terms of the game's rules I'm not sure yet how I will frame this. It will likely depend on what actions the Elven PC's player declares during town phase, in the lead up to the house adventure.
How do other ENworld GMs think about framing into conflict in their RPGing?