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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kenada" data-source="post: 9286208" data-attributes="member: 70468">What I’m considering a “plot” is when the GM has events they want to happen and uses techniques to make sure they happen (or it’s highly likely they do). In node-based design, these events are the funnel points. There is a good <a href="https://www.thealexandrian.net/creations/misc/node-design/node-design14.jpg" target="_blank">diagram</a> in the essay I linked (“<a href="https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/8015/roleplaying-games/node-based-scenario-design-part-6-alternative-node-design" target="_blank">Node-Based Scenario Design — Alternative Node Design</a>”). You start at the red node, then various things happen to take you to node D, then more things happen to take you to the (final) blue node. The red node would be the hook. It’s where you have to be to start the adventure. D is one beat, and the red node is another. The rest will play out depending on how the players proceed through the scenario.Where things start to lose the plot is with some other techniques like layer cake design and including loops. I’ve not used those techniques. I’m curious how well they actually work in practice for people, and if they have any examples of play using them. It seems like a lot of work to prep something with a wide scope like that (versus relying on techniques to defer until when you actually need to say something). Scope of prep is one of the other issues I had with Justin’s <a href="https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/17308/roleplaying-games/hexcrawl" target="_blank">hexcrawl procedure</a>. Try as hard as I might, I just could not fully key a hex map. That is one of the things that motivated me to do my homebrew system and approach it the way I am.I haven’t mentioned fronts. I don’t particularly like them (or Dungeon World). I have a global event mechanic and ways to track progress towards them. The global event has to be something the PCs can observe, but it doesn’t have to be related to them directly. If one group in the raiders tries to seize control, that would be handled as a global event, but the affect on the PCs is indirect (in how the raiders’ behavior changes in the world). The difference would be that I won’t be using a technique like the three clue rule to ensure any particular things happen, and it would probably be a misplay to do so. I feel like this is getting too far afield of the discussion though.I think where we’re differing is the extent to which it matters how the clues are obtained. I (and Justin) think it matters quite a bit. Others seemingly do too. Look at how people react when it’s suggested to use mechanics to generate clues or even the nature of the mystery (like Gumshoe or Brindlewood Bay do). Also, in a way, many common adventure structures are effectively mysteries (e.g., the PCs are sent to investigate some problem and deal with it).</blockquote>

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