What details do I need for an assassination target?

[Rel]

Here's a rusty-to-the-point-of-being-a-newbie-GM question; if the game is going to be about six hours long, how many assassinations should I plan for? It seems like maybe three would suit. Or possibly more if I threw in Rel's suggestion of having to hit two simultaneously. But right now I'd be blindly guessing an estimate. (And maybe I should caveat that the gaming groups that I'd run this for are friends, so I'd be given more leeway for imperfection than say at a Con with strangers.)

I'd say two or three. Remember, you can always throw more complications in their way as you go.

But my bigger concern is that I've never seen a Dread game go six hours and that seems like it could be a problem. Consider that the only method of conflict resolution is pulling from the tower. Even if you move at a very slow pace, your tower should be getting VERY unstable by 2 hours into the game. Assuming that somebody knocks the tower over around that time then they are effectively out of the game for the next four hours. Even if they aren't killed and they are Dead Man Walking, they can't make any pulls for the rest of a four hour session.

I'd be wary of dragging things out too long with Dread.

 

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

I like all the ideas so far that the others have given. I would probably not give any information about the routines for the targets though. What I'd do is a series of skill challenges where the PCs have to actually spy on targets after finding their locations and figure out their routines. Then after passing the skill challenges (or not) they attempt to take out the target(s). Could make it very interesting if they did or did not pass the skill challenges where if they passed they have a better shot at the assassination and if they failed they could hit the wrong target at the location or get spotted easier leading to a chase where they have to get away.

Kind of like the Bourne Identity books/movies. I'd go for as cinematic/climatic as possible.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

So this gave me a good laugh and let me simply voice my word of caution:

The image I have in my mind is of you tucking this unmarked manila folder in somebody's mailbox and driving away. Moments later the mail truck pulls up and the mailperson sees this unstamped mail having been placed in there (a federal offense!) and removes it. But as they do some papers fall out...and they see a picture of a person with crosshairs over their face and the word "Target" along with a list of facts about how to locate and assassinate them!

This sounds like it would make a fantastic game of Fiasco...

I had a similar daydream of me racing from my friend's house with his dog nipping at my heels after sliding a manila envelope under his door. I'll definitely have to think some of these through if I try them...

(That reminds me, I need to listen to that example podcast of Fiasco. It sounds interesting...)

 

[Wednesday Boy]

I'd say two or three. Remember, you can always throw more complications in their way as you go.

But my bigger concern is that I've never seen a Dread game go six hours and that seems like it could be a problem. Consider that the only method of conflict resolution is pulling from the tower. Even if you move at a very slow pace, your tower should be getting VERY unstable by 2 hours into the game. Assuming that somebody knocks the tower over around that time then they are effectively out of the game for the next four hours. Even if they aren't killed and they are Dead Man Walking, they can't make any pulls for the rest of a four hour session.

I'd be wary of dragging things out too long with Dread.

Ah, I should clarify that 6 hours is the maximum time we have for our gaming nights. So if it was less than that, it'd be fine too.

I should also clarify that none of us have played Dread, so it'll be a new experience for everyone.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

I like all the ideas so far that the others have given. I would probably not give any information about the routines for the targets though. What I'd do is a series of skill challenges where the PCs have to actually spy on targets after finding their locations and figure out their routines. Then after passing the skill challenges (or not) they attempt to take out the target(s). Could make it very interesting if they did or did not pass the skill challenges where if they passed they have a better shot at the assassination and if they failed they could hit the wrong target at the location or get spotted easier leading to a chase where they have to get away.

Assuming that you mean skill challenges in the 4E sense, I'm going to use the Dread (aka "Jenga") system so there won't be an exact counterpart between the systems. But I hope that the successes and failures of the players' reconn attempts will have a similar result--an easier or harder assassination attempt. (Although even flawless reconn won't stop exciting SNAFUs from happening!)

 

[Rel]

What this thread needs is more [MENTION=2]Piratecat[/MENTION]