Player knowledge (was followers)

From: Mike Dawson <mdawson_at_...>
Date: Sat, 08 Sep 2001 02:23:48 -0000

" The problem is, too few players and too many followers still leaves you stuck if you want to tell some players details and keep them secret from others - our current problem!:

Two ways to handle this--proactive and reactive.

Proactive: Write notes to those who discover the info.

Reactive: Punish those who act on things they don't know with fewer HP awards. Also, as narrator, ask "..and how do you know about that?"

This reminds me to mention a theory of game play originally explained to me by Greg Maples. There are two ways to control a game.

1. You control the power level. (You must defeat a dangerous foe to gain a dangerous magic.) Your characters constantly ask "Can we be victorious?"
2. You control the information. (Dangerous magics are available without risk to those who know how to get them.) Your characters constantly ask "What should we do?"

I do the latter. Asking politely in the right circumstances has gotten player characters in my game magics that required their own character sheet. My current batch of players bemoan the lack of "+2 swords." The things they've gotten a hold of are so big, frightening and dangerous that they dare not use them, or even talk about them. And they worry about what's really going on in the world, seeing conspiracies all around. As they should.

Mike