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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ilbranteloth" data-source="post: 7404291" data-attributes="member: 6778044">So to answer the first part of your question:Notes can serve as many different things. The most basic is something like a "typical orc patrol" with stats, etc. that are ready to drop in whenever needed. This could be something like a map of a tomb, perhaps with some traps and areas of interests detailed, and even could include some history regarding the interred. In the moment, a tomb is needed, pull out one or another, and use as is if it works, or modify on the fly for whatever's appropriate. Others can be NPCs with a few notes about their personality and motivations, etc. Really, just about any bit of content can be recorded as thought about.For example, a brief set of notes about what I didn't like about the published descriptions of cloakers, and some ideas of what I thought would make sense. I might have scribbled those down a decade ago, when reading through a book, and said, "this is stupid." If/when I used cloakers, it gives me a starting point for developing something I would like. Later on, when coming across the note, I might flesh it out a bit with more ideas. How about this? OK, more ideas. Years later I find it again, with different inspiration, and knowledge of where the current campaign is heading, and how I can utilize them in this current circumstance. I don't know for a fact that it will actually come into play, but it gives me a lot more to work with should that happen. How they might be encounted, how the cloakers will act/react, the nature of what other local denizens know/think, etc. I don't do this sort of thing just to prep for the game. It's sort of a hobby in itself. Read a book, find something you like, and you don't want to forget it. I do the same thing when writing music - record what I've got so I don't forget it. When I come back to it later (many years sometimes) it goes in a different direction. If I bring it out in a jam, the interaction with other musicians takes it in a different direction. A few years later, I might do something entirely different again.During the course of play, the players might make a decision to go down a chute or shaft deep into the Underdark that leads to...what? If I've had a long week, not enough sleep, or a tough day, I might not have a good answer. The notes can be used to spark ideas, or in their entirety if needed.--As far as the standard narrative mode, we're not playing a game with that general style. I think that as I examine our games, we certainly use a lot of those techniques. But to start with, we don't start with such declarations or motivations such as "I'm going to collect the seven swords of the seven heroes." Most of the characters are just people. We have farmers, coopers, a bouncer, lots of normal people. As part of their responsibility in the town, everybody serves in the town guard a certain number of weeks of the year. So things might happen. In addition, they live in a secluded village, which leads to more possibilities due to dangers in the wilderness. There's a political situation going on, regarding a larger town that is over a week's ride away, (re)establishing a trade route through the village. Wealthy individuals like to come to the village during the summer to hunt monsters, and are looking to hire local guides.Sometimes the people choose to do something adventurous, other times characters have "opportunities" thrust upon them. They do have goals and motivations, but they tend to be the mundane type, hoping to gain their own farm, raise a family, etc. It's a classic ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances type of campaign. We work hard to provide lots of depth to the characters, including their bigger motivations, but the general thrust of everything is exploration. Exploring the setting. Exploring the characters. Exploring the politics, the dangers, dungeons, and such. Learning what makes these characters tick. Dramatic conflict is a part of what we do, but only part of it. Not every moment, or every scene, or even every session, has to be a DRAMATIC moment. Many times they are smaller dramatic moments. A great many of the dramatic moments are between the characters. There are often major dramatic moments that can be "life-changing" moments for a character or characters. But it's the smaller moments that develop the character, help define them in a way that makes those more dramatic moments even more so. It's not just about the big moments, but of a great many of moments that help define the character. I don't see my job as being here to help set up the circumstances that allow the characters to accomplish their motivations. That's up to them. If one of the characters declares that they intend to become a famous dragonslayer, then they need to go do it. Not rely on me to set that up for them. They have to acquire the skills they think they'll need. Assemble the party that will help them do so, research the weaknesses, possible locations, etc. They'll track down spells or magic items that they think will help, and drive toward that goal. It might be years (real time) before they track down and make their first assault on an adult dragon, and it may initially end in failure. In the meantime, there will be many challenges, close calls, potential tough decisions, and sacrifices on the way. But they'll get there (assuming they do) through their actions and decisions, not because they said "I want to accomplish this" and I frame things in a way for them to reach that accomplishment.This relates to the discussion regarding railroading as well. In my mind, the campaign is as far from a railroad as possible. There certainly may be things that I introduce that make their life more difficult. A rival group attempting to slay the dragon first, and using unsavory approaches, including sabotaging their attempts. Political interference, whatever. We do what we can do ground them in the world as much as possible (another aspect of worldbuilding), and those can interfere with their plans. Romantic entanglements, perhaps the loss of a loved one, etc. Success is often not just about the process of achieving it, but overcoming all of the unrelated aspects of life that often prevent people from reaching their goals. Perhaps they've discovered and retrieved the dragonslayer. A legendary sword that can kill a dragon with a single blow. That is recovered by a rival just as they discover its resting place. Leaving them to decide if the sword is really needed or not, and if so, how to get it back. For us, it's about layers and layers of plots. Many of them directly tied to an individual's motivations, some speaking to several of them, others that apply to all of them (usually on a more temporary basis), and some that aren't directly related to any of these things, but are important or compelling at a given point in time for whatever reason. Such as serving guard duty for a week.Despite loads of notes, the use of published materials, and all of the rest of that, it's about as far as a "choose your own adventure," "setting tourism," or "playing to learn what's in the GM's notes" as it can be. It's all about exploring the characters and their place in the world, and everything I do is to support that. I just choose not to discard many of the tools that Story Now games seem to eschew. I happily embrace many of the Story Now specific techniques and tools, often unconsciously. Part of the problem that I think I continue to have in discussing any of these tools and techniques is that they are not exclusive of each other. My use of all of them is very fluid, hopefully finding the best process and content for the moment, from moment to moment, so at the end of the night everybody goes home with the same assessment, "that was a great session." When we try to discuss them here, we have the tendency to idealize them, and discuss them in isolation. To me they aren't necessarily separate, nor does one approach preclude the use of another, even in the course of a few minutes.</blockquote>

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