Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="RenleyRenfield" data-source="post: 9840931" data-attributes="member: 7044197">This is not how milestones work in our game at all as stated by [USER=16586]@Campbell[/USER]    (I forget how much we may have changed from Marvel cortex, i'd have to go check...)This is also not correct.  None of this statement is how our milestones work as stated by [USER=16586]@Campbell[/USER]This is how our game works.  This is closer to how we make and use milestones almost word for word.  Note that players always discuss and consider milestones in regards to play, plot, and other players too.Again, this is incorrect, and makes some wrong-headed assumptions..............So let's discuss what milestones, quests, or endeavors and such actually are, because its not fair to let people here make assumptions.Firstly, for your character creation, very first milestone ^^^ This is 100% correct.   Just as backstory tells us where you came from and what brought you to this point. Your first milestone says what you are currently up to and why.So this is very well put and goes into the purpose of milestones....Firstly: Milestones are NOT dictated events.They are not orchestrated to any specific result.  They are not ever limiting or restricting on plot or play.  quite the opposite!Second: Milestones are intent or goal in broad, vague terms."I would like for my character to find a weapon of renown."  What that weapon is, how they get it, what its renown is = we don't know.  We play to find out.Third: the GM gets the list of each player's chosen milestone and makes whatever plot they want from it, along with any of their own plot goals.So this goes into, especially at the start, letting the GM know what things you are interested in, and what you as a player are excited to do.  Think of milestones more as picking themes and ideas for play.  "This sounds fun to me!"  When and how its executed is all by normal play to find out.Fourth: Milestones can change at any time.If during play you decide that building a cozy inn is now what your goal is, and you are ready to put the previous goal of a special weapon in the back burner for now - this lets the GM know how you feel and what you are prioritizing.  This helps both pacing and player interest in plots as the game organically changes. Milestones can even fail! and have to be removed and a new one chosen!Fifth: Milestones let players "buy in" to tragedy, drama, or hardship.The player chose it, it says "you get what you want but at a cost" somewhere in its milestone description. So now the player is already excited to both achieve what the milestone offers, but also roleplay the hardship that makes GMing fun and mysterious. Again, nobody defines what happens, so what the tragedy is could change!Sixth: Milestones have 3 stages to let everyone know if progress is being made.Its set up again, in "Story beat" terms - Not defined details!!  So you have...Beat 1: whatever starts/introduces this milestone into plot and gives the player a clue/hook to follow up on.Beat 2: the character faces their first challenge or risk to show what opposes them in attaining this milestone goal.Beat 3: the character gets to resolve the milestone, either to embrace the price it costs, or walk away from it forever but avoid harm/loss/suffering/"whatever your rpg has for price of power" if any...Let's use Batman as an example:Face the Mirror of your Foes!Beat 1: You find out that Joker is behind a string of crimes and/or killings. (whenever this is roleplayed out the GM picks whatever clue or hook leads this on. Since we don't define this, we won't know till we play.Beat 2: You face the Joker, and have to risk engaging with his mad schemes at the cost of revealing a bit of yourself behind the mask. (Again, we dont know what this is. A GM could make any situation and plot here.  But we do know it is very in-line with batman to risk someone seeing the man behind the mask.  But we dont even define here what that event is!  Could be a lover, could be a villian, could be batman seeing his own madness behind the mask...)Beat 3: You face the Joker for the final time, and you have to make a choice:  Kill in and end his terror forever at a cost of losing a part of your self/sanity.  Or let him go/send him to arkham, knowing you have only stalled his antics for a time.  (See, we don't even say if this scene the player is successful in stopping whatever plot joker is up to.  All we are doing is letting the player choose what emotion or hardship they want to lean into.  How it goes, and if its even possible, are all part of normal play.)Reward: Regardless of how anything turns out, the character gains whatever this milestone suggested they would gain for playing through it.  Each milestone give a suggestion.  In this case maybe it is a reward of "batman gets to upgrade his Batsuit against chemicals typical to what Joker and similar use". (whatever your RPG system has, i dunno.).........................This is ASLO tied to what I said I suffered with earlier "This seems like training wheels for plot/roleplay!"  for modern GM principles and design in other thread.... But it's not training wheels, I was just knee-jerk silly about not understanding it or seeing it enough in play (because no, that one time at a friends house or at a convention is not enough). This is magic sauce that reveals no secrets, dictates no plots, does not force anyone to do anything = but instead gets everyone of the same mind and expectations as to how the game will go, and what might happen.  This also helps other players know what is going on with your character too!  it makes threading multiple player character personal plots together easy, as they are hinted at early and everyone is playing into them from the start!  </blockquote>

Verification