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[+]Training and Reward, not Assumed Advancement
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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 9251255" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>IME there's three types of player who have problems with downtime:</p><p></p><p>1. The impatient and-or short-attention-span player; if it ain't all go-go-go action all the time, boredom sets in.</p><p>2. The player whose only interest lies in the actual adventuring, whether action-based, mystery-based, or whatever.</p><p>3. The player who takes the in-game time pressure to heart and - in or out of character - stresses over it.</p><p></p><p>The solutions are different for each type:</p><p></p><p>1. Tell the player to cool some jets. If that fails, unless you're running a go-go-go type of game there's a bigger problem; and punting the player is a highly likely outcome.</p><p>2. This one's tougher. Downtime's important in most campaigns broader than a single adventure path, and so there might have to be some trade-offs. If the player's real interest lies in the development of the story arc (regardless if player-driven or GM-driven), note that story happens during downtime as well. If the player just doesn't like the bookkeeping - levelling up, treasury division, etc - that downtime often brings, there's not much you can do as those things are part of the game.</p><p>3. Reduce or eliminate in-game time pressure except for (sometimes) single discrete adventures or missions with hard deadlines where the time pressure comes off once the deadline passes regardless whether the PCs succeed or fail in said mission. Another way to reduce or eliminate time pressure is to make sure the players know they always have the option to decline a mission and go do something else (and you-as-GM have to be ready for if-when they do just this!).</p><p></p><p>Players tend to do what the game rewards them for doing - at least, that's what I keep hearing repeatedly in every experience-points thread that comes up - so maybe it's a question of finding the right incentives/rewards?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 9251255, member: 29398"] IME there's three types of player who have problems with downtime: 1. The impatient and-or short-attention-span player; if it ain't all go-go-go action all the time, boredom sets in. 2. The player whose only interest lies in the actual adventuring, whether action-based, mystery-based, or whatever. 3. The player who takes the in-game time pressure to heart and - in or out of character - stresses over it. The solutions are different for each type: 1. Tell the player to cool some jets. If that fails, unless you're running a go-go-go type of game there's a bigger problem; and punting the player is a highly likely outcome. 2. This one's tougher. Downtime's important in most campaigns broader than a single adventure path, and so there might have to be some trade-offs. If the player's real interest lies in the development of the story arc (regardless if player-driven or GM-driven), note that story happens during downtime as well. If the player just doesn't like the bookkeeping - levelling up, treasury division, etc - that downtime often brings, there's not much you can do as those things are part of the game. 3. Reduce or eliminate in-game time pressure except for (sometimes) single discrete adventures or missions with hard deadlines where the time pressure comes off once the deadline passes regardless whether the PCs succeed or fail in said mission. Another way to reduce or eliminate time pressure is to make sure the players know they always have the option to decline a mission and go do something else (and you-as-GM have to be ready for if-when they do just this!). Players tend to do what the game rewards them for doing - at least, that's what I keep hearing repeatedly in every experience-points thread that comes up - so maybe it's a question of finding the right incentives/rewards? [/QUOTE]
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