Red Dress
Proton
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2016
- Messages
- 490
- Nebulae
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GM Life: SNAFU
Your world comes to life. It bristles with NPCs, unexplored plot caverns of riches and nefarious deeds, your players go out into the unknown. Everything is going great. PCs have discovered that they are the saviors, the BBEG in rage, villages band together.
And suddenly, a giant meteor drops on one very important PC. As the dust settles all that is left is the "pancake" template now afixed to their character's lifeless body in the shape of a "1".
You sweat and shift your eyes wearily. What now? You had grand plans for this PC - very important for plot. What now?
____
Sometimes things do not go according to plan. Something goes wrong, sething unexpected that destroys everything that is based upon logic. Not only did you not expect the event, but it practically destroyes your plans of what /should/ have happened.
So, how does a GM cope with these situations?
First off, as a GM you should have already laid out some things at the beginning of the game. How lienet is Player Death? What extent do you allow randomness to,affect your PCs?
These two things are important to express to your players, but more so to understand as the end-all-be-all decision maker.
Randomness is inevitable, and sometimes it is not inherently bad to be surprised at the outcome even as the GM. It gives a feeling of danger that the Players must account for, as there will be no one there to save them with "plot armor". It also makes it feel more "fair" that the GM remains unbiased and restricted to the flow of dice. It allows you as the GM to be caught off guard and cultivate emotional attachment to the protagonists of your story.
Indeed, if you as a GM wish to play by the dice then you must ultimately express that your game will be to play to find out what happens. Yes, sometimes important things go awry, key PCs/NPCs are killed - but these things are all aspects that affect the dynamic of the world. The party are heartbroken, they feel lost, and must still move on. How does this affect the PCs? Do they become more violent using destructive tactics as they feel it is justice in place for a friend being taken from them? Do they lose hope and contemplate disbanding leave the world to plight?
The BBEG will eventually catch wind of the PC's death as well. Does this expadite their plans? Perhaps, the PC had past history no one knew about with the enemy.
How does your PCs react? How does your BBEG react? How does the world react?
After the session, you must contemplate how the death of the PC affects the motivation and means of the world. Something /changes/.
As the GM, you should be rooting for your PCs. So, how do you create these meaningful events in a natural way?
Events happen due to your PCs NOT taking action. Instead of making flowchart of what happens when they do this or that, meet him or her, go here or there. Create the plot and events based upon PC inaction. What if they choose not to intervene in the Dwarf/Elf racial wars? Maybe the Dwarves win, and a Dwarf Hilter start to eradicate the rest of the elves making them endangered race.
Maybe, they have to choose between a village being raided by goblins or retrieving the tome of ancient prophesing magics?
Instead of waiting for your players to stumble over certain event triggers which can potentially lead to nasty railroading, events happen naturally outside of PC agency. And, of course, if the players do not intervene you do not always need to press the nuclear launch button. Because, let us face it: You could wave plot with a high-visibility vest and shining red high heeled stilletos infront of them and your PCs will either not recognize it - or choose NOT to recognize it.
In this way of basing events on inaction rather than proactive behavior the consequences are real, the events occur naturally, and gives you leeway to trigger events. It lets you maintain GM agency while experiencing "unforseen consequences".
Most of all, the events that exists should connect and resonate with your PCs in someway or another. It does not have to be immediate, but in someway, somehow much emotionally stir your PCs. That Dwarven war that they did not intervene in? The Dwarven king starts attacking Human villages, one which was burned down and inhabitants enslaved. The village where two of your PCs grew up in...
Your world comes to life. It bristles with NPCs, unexplored plot caverns of riches and nefarious deeds, your players go out into the unknown. Everything is going great. PCs have discovered that they are the saviors, the BBEG in rage, villages band together.
And suddenly, a giant meteor drops on one very important PC. As the dust settles all that is left is the "pancake" template now afixed to their character's lifeless body in the shape of a "1".
You sweat and shift your eyes wearily. What now? You had grand plans for this PC - very important for plot. What now?
____
Sometimes things do not go according to plan. Something goes wrong, sething unexpected that destroys everything that is based upon logic. Not only did you not expect the event, but it practically destroyes your plans of what /should/ have happened.
So, how does a GM cope with these situations?
First off, as a GM you should have already laid out some things at the beginning of the game. How lienet is Player Death? What extent do you allow randomness to,affect your PCs?
These two things are important to express to your players, but more so to understand as the end-all-be-all decision maker.
Randomness is inevitable, and sometimes it is not inherently bad to be surprised at the outcome even as the GM. It gives a feeling of danger that the Players must account for, as there will be no one there to save them with "plot armor". It also makes it feel more "fair" that the GM remains unbiased and restricted to the flow of dice. It allows you as the GM to be caught off guard and cultivate emotional attachment to the protagonists of your story.
Indeed, if you as a GM wish to play by the dice then you must ultimately express that your game will be to play to find out what happens. Yes, sometimes important things go awry, key PCs/NPCs are killed - but these things are all aspects that affect the dynamic of the world. The party are heartbroken, they feel lost, and must still move on. How does this affect the PCs? Do they become more violent using destructive tactics as they feel it is justice in place for a friend being taken from them? Do they lose hope and contemplate disbanding leave the world to plight?
The BBEG will eventually catch wind of the PC's death as well. Does this expadite their plans? Perhaps, the PC had past history no one knew about with the enemy.
How does your PCs react? How does your BBEG react? How does the world react?
After the session, you must contemplate how the death of the PC affects the motivation and means of the world. Something /changes/.
As the GM, you should be rooting for your PCs. So, how do you create these meaningful events in a natural way?
Events happen due to your PCs NOT taking action. Instead of making flowchart of what happens when they do this or that, meet him or her, go here or there. Create the plot and events based upon PC inaction. What if they choose not to intervene in the Dwarf/Elf racial wars? Maybe the Dwarves win, and a Dwarf Hilter start to eradicate the rest of the elves making them endangered race.
Maybe, they have to choose between a village being raided by goblins or retrieving the tome of ancient prophesing magics?
Instead of waiting for your players to stumble over certain event triggers which can potentially lead to nasty railroading, events happen naturally outside of PC agency. And, of course, if the players do not intervene you do not always need to press the nuclear launch button. Because, let us face it: You could wave plot with a high-visibility vest and shining red high heeled stilletos infront of them and your PCs will either not recognize it - or choose NOT to recognize it.
In this way of basing events on inaction rather than proactive behavior the consequences are real, the events occur naturally, and gives you leeway to trigger events. It lets you maintain GM agency while experiencing "unforseen consequences".
Most of all, the events that exists should connect and resonate with your PCs in someway or another. It does not have to be immediate, but in someway, somehow much emotionally stir your PCs. That Dwarven war that they did not intervene in? The Dwarven king starts attacking Human villages, one which was burned down and inhabitants enslaved. The village where two of your PCs grew up in...
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