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<blockquote data-quote="Ranes" data-source="post: 5776718" data-attributes="member: 4826">Forgive me for not having read all of this thread but the thing I like about DMing an occasional brush with the guards at the gate (or similarly ostensibly mundane encounter) is that it presents an opportunity to set up a variation on the 'Lewton Bus' device.For those unfamiliar with the Lewton Bus, allow me to paste the paragraph from Wikipedia's entry on the 1942 film, Cat People:&quot;Lewton and his production are credited for inventing or popularising the&nbsp; horror film technique called the 'Lewton Bus'. The term derives from&nbsp; the scene in which Irena is following Alice. The audience expects Irena&nbsp; to turn into a panther at any moment and attack. At the most tense&nbsp; point, when the camera focuses on Alice's confused and terrified face,&nbsp; the silence is shattered by what sounds like a hissing panther—but is&nbsp; just a bus pulling up. This technique has been used many times since.&nbsp; Any scene in which tension is dissipated by a mere moment of&nbsp; startlement, a boo!, is a 'Lewton Bus'.&quot;Startlement? Okay... Anyway, I'm using the term 'Lewton Bus' loosely here, because I'm not talking about startling the players necessarily but, if I start playing out a scene with the guards at the gate, it's usually so unexpected as to engender some unease or trepidation on the part of the players, who reflect this through the actions of their PCs. Thus, it serves to distract them just enough for me to stage the dramatic encounter or event I really want to deliver without them seeing it coming.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ranes, post: 5776718, member: 4826"] Forgive me for not having read all of this thread but the thing I like about DMing an occasional brush with the guards at the gate (or similarly ostensibly mundane encounter) is that it presents an opportunity to set up a variation on the 'Lewton Bus' device. For those unfamiliar with the Lewton Bus, allow me to paste the paragraph from Wikipedia's entry on the 1942 film, Cat People: "Lewton and his production are credited for inventing or popularising the horror film technique called the 'Lewton Bus'. The term derives from the scene in which Irena is following Alice. The audience expects Irena to turn into a panther at any moment and attack. At the most tense point, when the camera focuses on Alice's confused and terrified face, the silence is shattered by what sounds like a hissing panther—but is just a bus pulling up. This technique has been used many times since. Any scene in which tension is dissipated by a mere moment of startlement, a [I]boo![/I], is a 'Lewton Bus'." [I]Startlement[/I]? Okay... Anyway, I'm using the term 'Lewton Bus' loosely here, because I'm not talking about startling the players necessarily but, if I start playing out a scene with the guards at the gate, it's usually so unexpected as to engender some unease or trepidation on the part of the players, who reflect this through the actions of their PCs. Thus, it serves to distract them just enough for me to stage the dramatic encounter or event I really want to deliver without them seeing it coming. [/QUOTE]

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