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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AtomicPope" data-source="post: 8462770" data-attributes="member: 64790">Not to get off topic but this was my biggest complaint about the "Clash of the Titans" remake from 2010.  In the original story, Perseus only knew that Medusa could kill anything with a glance.  He needed help.  It was his task to come up with a plan and execute it.  In the 2010 remake he was trained to defeat her.  That takes away all of the suspense, and removes all of the heroism from the hero where he ventures into the unknown facing certain death.Years ago I played in a game with a very smart DM who came up with an idea to have a rival adventurer group on the same adventure.  He gave them classes we didn't have, and therefore some advantages we didn't have.  They had a Ranger that helped them move quickly through the jungles and get a head start.  They placed traps along the way to slow us down.  Like Rene Belloc, they were on good terms with a local tribe and used them against us.  I've stolen this for my own campaigns many, many times.  In my last campaign it turned into the creation of a long term super villain I hadn't even planned on using except as a comparable rival for the first few levels.  At the same time, two of the adventurers from the rival group became close friends and helped the PCs along the way.  I highly recommend using this as it adds another layer your campaign.  This isn't exactly like Squid Game but it has some elements of Running Man or Hemingway.In a Mage game I had the PCs stuck in the Bedlam of a Mad Mage and trying to escape.  Each scenario was autobiographical.  So like Squid Game it may involve a children's game but deadly.  Since the Mage in question was old the settings were emblematic of the 50's.  The campaign was set in our city so I was careful to choose locations that existed in the city for the past 75 years and were still relevant today.  The PCs had to relive certain moments of the Mage's life.  They had to navigate the living dreams, and nightmares, of an old wizard's past.  As a necromancer, he unconsciously conjured actual ghosts from the Underworld to relive the past as scenes of his life played over and over again.   The PCs were in an abandoned delinquency center that still exists today.  There were the ghosts of bullies and teachers occupying classrooms, swimming, and games.  They had to go through all of it one by one, in no particular order.  Sometimes they would be noticed, like in the classroom where they left into the hall without a pass.  This lead to a particularly hilarious scene where the ghost of a security guard scared the PCs and chased them around.  They all failed their contested roll against a powerful Fear Numina.  The PCs scrambled down the hallway and hid under a bed like scared children.  It was too perfect.  When the PCs would fail the Ghosts would drain their Willpower.  Once their Willpower was gone the Ghosts would drain their life.  Losing a game of Jacks had nearly killed the combat monster PC.Normally I don't do this as I find RPGs do not make good Board Games.  However, there are times when you can construct a really good narrative like in the Mage game.  My advice for doing this:1. Never Force the Narrative: have a story to tell but leave enough room for the players to maneuver.  You should allow for more than one way to win.  Also you need to ask yourself: What if the PCs don't want to play?  What if they cheat?  What if they don't get caught?  What if they just get up and leave?2. Leave Room for Roleplaying: there should be dialog between the NPCs and PCs that transcends the game.  That means between rounds the NPCs should have things they can say both commenting on the game and speaking personally.  I will write 3 to 5 things I want the NPCs to say.  That way when the moment comes up I can say it, allowing the story to progress naturally.3. Use Props: In the Jacks game I gave the player 6 clear crystals.  He didn't realize that was his Willpower until he lost them and it drained him.</blockquote>

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