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General Tabletop Discussion
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The Best Thing from 4E
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6594933" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>I didn't have anything like that in mind. I was assuming that the PCs were coming to the town for the first time, let's say having finished an encounter and now coming to town (to sell loot, find new adventure leads, whatever) as part of a transition between dramatic events.</p><p></p><p>Obviously if the GM frames scenes regardless of the outcome of previous action resolution (eg a skill challenge) that is railroading. But what makes you think that that is what I am describing?</p><p></p><p>If you want more imaginary context to my three scenarios, that locates in an ongoing context of action resolution rather than in a transition context, here is some:</p><p></p><p>The players have had their PCs investigating rumours of a pending tax revolt. They have interrogated prisoners, noticed the decrease in the output of ploughshares and horseshoes from local village smithies, etc. And they are now heading to town to find out what is happening at the locus of events. This whole episode is being resoled as a skill challenge (perhaps with little sub-challenges - interrogations, investigations, perhaps even some fisticuffs - taking place within it to contribute successes/failures to the over-arching one.)</p><p></p><p>Let's suppose that the skill challenge is ongoing, but the Nature check (or Streetwise check, or however it was resolved) to get to town expeditiously was a fail - so the GM wants to narrate a complication in relation to that failure that will both (i) reflect the fact that it was a failure and not a success - so the PCs haven't arrived as expeditiously as they would like, and (ii) will leave the overall resolution of the challenge open, given that there are more checks still to be declared and resolved.</p><p></p><p>In the situation I've described, it seems to me that Scenario 1 would be poor GMing: narrating the Garden Gate is per the GM's setting notes doesn't seem to give any narrative weight to the failed check.</p><p></p><p>If the GM has adopted Scenario 2, perhaps s/he narrates Day 3 of the timeline - the PCs were delayed in their journey, and so by the time they arrive at the town the insurrection is underway.</p><p></p><p>Alternatively, the GM - who had prepped up the freeze-frame in anticipation of some sort of eventuality like this - narrates that. Why would that be railroady?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 6594933, member: 42582"] I didn't have anything like that in mind. I was assuming that the PCs were coming to the town for the first time, let's say having finished an encounter and now coming to town (to sell loot, find new adventure leads, whatever) as part of a transition between dramatic events. Obviously if the GM frames scenes regardless of the outcome of previous action resolution (eg a skill challenge) that is railroading. But what makes you think that that is what I am describing? If you want more imaginary context to my three scenarios, that locates in an ongoing context of action resolution rather than in a transition context, here is some: The players have had their PCs investigating rumours of a pending tax revolt. They have interrogated prisoners, noticed the decrease in the output of ploughshares and horseshoes from local village smithies, etc. And they are now heading to town to find out what is happening at the locus of events. This whole episode is being resoled as a skill challenge (perhaps with little sub-challenges - interrogations, investigations, perhaps even some fisticuffs - taking place within it to contribute successes/failures to the over-arching one.) Let's suppose that the skill challenge is ongoing, but the Nature check (or Streetwise check, or however it was resolved) to get to town expeditiously was a fail - so the GM wants to narrate a complication in relation to that failure that will both (i) reflect the fact that it was a failure and not a success - so the PCs haven't arrived as expeditiously as they would like, and (ii) will leave the overall resolution of the challenge open, given that there are more checks still to be declared and resolved. In the situation I've described, it seems to me that Scenario 1 would be poor GMing: narrating the Garden Gate is per the GM's setting notes doesn't seem to give any narrative weight to the failed check. If the GM has adopted Scenario 2, perhaps s/he narrates Day 3 of the timeline - the PCs were delayed in their journey, and so by the time they arrive at the town the insurrection is underway. Alternatively, the GM - who had prepped up the freeze-frame in anticipation of some sort of eventuality like this - narrates that. Why would that be railroady? [/QUOTE]
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