Re: Re: Eastern Islands: jungle, monkeys, temple and Extended Contests

From: Roderick Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2006 09:38:05 -0800


> I guess I'll list your ideas, decide on a beginning AP total and let it
> ride that way. I'll determine ratings and AP bets on the fly.

Of course, you must also think narratively - it's no good to have the Jungle "win" early on, before the group even gets to the temple (after all, you're going for the "ooh, ahh" factor as much as anything!).

It's sort of like the whole temple scene at the beginning of the first Indiana Jones movie - Indy may be running for his life, but we (the movie-viewers) know that he *will* survive, because we're only 10 minutes into a 2-hour movie. So we enjoy the thrills and danger, knowing that it's setting up even *better* stuff later on.

So it goes with a set-up like your Jungle - there should be lots of perilous stuff, but eventually the heroes *will* get through. Think of it this way: The jungle isn't trying to "Stop the Characters" but "Strip the characters of all their goodies". It just becomes a question of what condition they are in when they get to the temple - on a Complete Succcess, they may have picked up additional useful stuff from the forest journey (maybe even a companion, spirit or magical doohickey). On a complete failure, they survived with the shreds fo the dignity - and clothes - and that's it. Much more fun to say "Okay, you survived the pit trap, but had to leave your weapons and armor behind" than than "Okay, you died in the pit trap". (and if the heroes want to wait around while their buddy recovers his gear, it's time to send in the Giant Rampaging Beast(tm) and make them run for their lives! (A GRB chase is nother good way to make them drop stufff - "Okay, you're running for your lives, the Giant Rampaging [Ape/Boar/Dinosaur/Fast Zombie Horde] is right behind you. You've got 'Run Fast 12w'?, well, because of the heat, humidity and so on, you're tired, and your equipment gives you a -15 penalty...")

RR
He was born with the gift of laughter and the sense that the world was mad R. Sabatini, Scaramouche

Powered by hypermail