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General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
The importance to "story" of contrivance
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<blockquote data-quote="Greg Benage" data-source="post: 6963128" data-attributes="member: 93631"><p>I'm almost certain you recognize that some folks prefer not to play this way, and why. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p><p></p><p>Some GMs develop a timeline for the cultists' ritual. This timeline can be as simple or as complex as the GM likes. For example, the timeline may just assume that everything will go off without a hitch. Or, as another example, the timeline may factor in interference from NPCs the GM has planned. Then the GM adjusts the timeline as necessary if and when the PCs take actions that would impact it. Maybe the PCs manage to delay the ritual by stealing the sacrificial knife, forcing the cultists to try to get it back or acquire a new one. Or maybe the PCs actually accelerate the timeline by interfering with the NPCs the GM had expected to interfere with the ritual.</p><p></p><p>The downside of this approach is that the GM can't guarantee ahead of time the high drama of the PCs kicking in the door at the precise moment the cultists finish the ritual. The upside is that the story (or the dramatic question, or even whether there will be a dramatic question to be resolved) is driven by the players' decisions and the characters' actions, rather than by the GM ahead of time. The story (whatever it turns out to be) is therefore more unexpected; the dramatic questions with which the PCs are confronted are more unpredictable, as are the ways those dramatic questions can be resolved.</p><p></p><p>The PCs might bust in on the ritual just as it's completed. They might ID and kill the cult leader before the ritual even occurs. They might get there too late and have to deal with the aftermath. They might never get there at all (and have to deal with the aftermath).</p><p></p><p>Both are fine. Most GMs I know use both approaches to some degree. I would say that if a GM does use contrivances of this kind, just like good writers, he or she should endeavor to ground them in the narrative effectively well ahead of time, otherwise eyes will roll at the cultists' good sportsmanship in waiting for the heroes' arrival to complete the ritual.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Greg Benage, post: 6963128, member: 93631"] I'm almost certain you recognize that some folks prefer not to play this way, and why. ;) Some GMs develop a timeline for the cultists' ritual. This timeline can be as simple or as complex as the GM likes. For example, the timeline may just assume that everything will go off without a hitch. Or, as another example, the timeline may factor in interference from NPCs the GM has planned. Then the GM adjusts the timeline as necessary if and when the PCs take actions that would impact it. Maybe the PCs manage to delay the ritual by stealing the sacrificial knife, forcing the cultists to try to get it back or acquire a new one. Or maybe the PCs actually accelerate the timeline by interfering with the NPCs the GM had expected to interfere with the ritual. The downside of this approach is that the GM can't guarantee ahead of time the high drama of the PCs kicking in the door at the precise moment the cultists finish the ritual. The upside is that the story (or the dramatic question, or even whether there will be a dramatic question to be resolved) is driven by the players' decisions and the characters' actions, rather than by the GM ahead of time. The story (whatever it turns out to be) is therefore more unexpected; the dramatic questions with which the PCs are confronted are more unpredictable, as are the ways those dramatic questions can be resolved. The PCs might bust in on the ritual just as it's completed. They might ID and kill the cult leader before the ritual even occurs. They might get there too late and have to deal with the aftermath. They might never get there at all (and have to deal with the aftermath). Both are fine. Most GMs I know use both approaches to some degree. I would say that if a GM does use contrivances of this kind, just like good writers, he or she should endeavor to ground them in the narrative effectively well ahead of time, otherwise eyes will roll at the cultists' good sportsmanship in waiting for the heroes' arrival to complete the ritual. [/QUOTE]
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