Re: Re: where's the Scenario?

From: donald_at_...
Date: Tue, 09 Oct 2007 16:00:28 GMT

In message <fefuii+7ii4_at_...> "sinisterecho" writes:
>Mike Holmes wrote:
>> The point being that I personally find traditional scene-based
>>scenario design to be very problematic. It's giving you a structure
>>that you will almost automatically have to discard, potentially right
>>off in play in the first scene. So I feel that it behooves us to have
>>scenarios written up more like Prof. Edwards' offering in
>>question, "Last Days at Skullpoint." Or, as another good HQ example
>>that anyone can take a gander at, the Well of Souls scenario by Peter
>>Nordstrand and Chris Chinn:
>>http://www.geocities.com/doctorpeace/well.html
>
>I hate those scenarios as they focus on what the NCPs do and take the
>focus away from the PCs. The PCs are reduced to small cogs and
>continue to get less and less important.
>
>To me the PCs should be the centre of the game play, not side notes to
>what is happening with the NPCs.

I can see how you might reach that conclusion with Skullpoint as there is little in the scenario as published to suggest it should be treated differently to any other. The key thing is for the GM to keep giving the players choices based on that background. When they meet an NPC the PC should have to react to them. And that should be an individual PCs reaction not a party one. Get them to take sides, support one faction or try and resolve the conflict. The storyline as written only happens if the PCs do nothing which is a choice in itself. If they do that what are they going to say to Orngerin Thunderscape when they come back without the clan's support for the rebellion? "We got there, talked to various people but the clan fell apart around us. So we did nothing and left them to it"?

Well of Souls is better in that way because there's a fair bit of guidance in how to run it. If you follow the suggestions about PCs the players will be advising and influencing the NPCs about what action to take. And the narrator should have the NPCs follow that advice. Use a contest between players to determine the result if the advice is contradictory.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/