|
6 years ago ::
Jul 25, 2007 - 7:56PM
#271
|
Date Joined:
Dec 11, 2003
|
Hi Tristan,
However, recently, I have been getting negative feedback on my performance, and the players are starting to assume that I am setting them up to fall, and they are losing interest in the game. I have no intentions on them losing, and am willing to bend some rolls behind the screen to see them get on top, but I don't want to take away their fear, while still leaving their will to fight.
Their probably unhappy at your attempts to manipulate them into feeling fear when really there's nothing to fear. You've just noted you'll bend rolls to stop them dieing, but you'll keep the illusion that they can die.
The can probably detect this and resent the manipulation. Think about if it happened to you - you start to figure out all the time you've played the GM wouldn't kill you. You feel an absolute idiot for feeling afraid all that time, realising it was a complete fabrication. And it looks like the GM wants to do more.
You've got to regain that trust. If you agree, I can only recommend complete openess for an extended period of sessions - make ALL your rolls out in the open, on the table. Don't do ANY monster ambushes - the players always have the option to just avoid it. Always say the DC before the roll AND let the player opt to take another action after hearing the DC.
If that sounds like it cramps your style, that's the fallout of manipulation.
|
|
|
|
6 years ago ::
Jul 26, 2007 - 10:04AM
#272
|
|
|
Save My Game question:
I'm starting a new campaign soon. The group of players includes a few old-timers, a few people that have only played a little, and a first-timer. What should I do to make sure everyone's happy? How can I help the newer players make and play their characters without railroading them into what I want to do? For that matter, should I start at level 1, given than the experienced players probably won't be very happy with it?
|
|
|
|
6 years ago ::
Jul 26, 2007 - 11:37AM
#273
|
Date Joined:
Oct 16, 2006
|
Save My Game question:
I have made it a point with the games I run to act more like I'm rooting for the villain in my games, but only by words. I talk to them like they are going to lose the fight, but then play out the encounters expecting them to win. I send them against their CR or less, and they always come out with minor scratches, at best.
However, recently, I have been getting negative feedback on my performance, and the players are starting to assume that I am setting them up to fall, and they are losing interest in the game. I have no intentions on them losing, and am willing to bend some rolls behind the screen to see them get on top, but I don't want to take away their fear, while still leaving their will to fight.
Should I refrain from my villainous persona and keep with the feeling that this is a game and we're all friends playing it together, should I try to just lighten up my approach, or change my attitude to better work with what I have for players?
-Tristan
I do that in my games too - root for the bad guys, groan when the players roll criticals, get ticked when I roll crappy attack rolls, give the players a hard time when I've got them on the ropes. :P
Are you acting differently than your players? Do they cheer for each other, brag about how bad they beat down the encounter and generally talk smack? My group does, so I'm not acting any differently than they are. But if your group is a bit more polite and refined, then your actions might be a little out of their comfort zone.
I would say you need to have a little talk time with your players, in person or by email, and ask them about their feelings on this. Explain that part of your role is to make the encounters challenging for them, otherwise they could just go play Doom or Quake if they just want to mow things down. Ask them if what you do bugs them or seems rude. Let them know that it's OK for them to get into the swing of things by giving you some smack talk back. Point out that if the monster/villain didn't think he could win (and thus lord it over them), he'd be running for the hills. Anybody seen 'The Incredibles?' You're just giving them an old fashioned evil monologue.
If they ask you to tone it down, do so, but hopefully you can get them more engaged.
TMan
|
|
|
|
6 years ago ::
Jul 26, 2007 - 12:05PM
#274
|
Date Joined:
Mar 21, 2001
|
I think I've boxed myself in.
A few notes:
What do your players want to do? Do they want a courtroom drama?
Forget the allure of interacting with powerful people. Most people hate Elminster, in fact one of the summing statements of Eberron was “no Elminster” (greeted with cheers btw).
Most players would rather meet a cool baron or an awesome bartender than a king or queen.
Does anyone have suggestions on how to keep the characters at the forefront of the campaign?
chances are they are the only ones who possibly could complete the quest. Re read your GM advice in your Eberron Books.
I'm starting a new campaign soon. The group of players includes a few old-timers, a few people that have only played a little, and a first-timer. What should I do to make sure everyone's happy? How can I help the newer players make and play their characters without railroading them into what I want to do? For that matter, should I start at level 1, given than the experienced players probably won't be very happy with it?
Don't railroad. GM well. The part missing from the question is that this is your first game you have GMed. This forum has tons of advice for new GMs.
|
|
|
|
6 years ago ::
Aug 03, 2007 - 9:02PM
#275
|
Date Joined:
Aug 18, 2004
|
I just read the most recent article (Save My Game: Time Management Aug 3/07) and one of the suggestions within the article was to keep a journal/log of each session and start each game with a summary of what went before. It was suggested that perhaps a player would take care of the journal/log but it's just as possible the DM would end up doing it.
So here's my question: How do you give a game summary without unintentionally emphasizing plot points?
Example:
Scenario: After a battle, one of the items found was an earring. That earring will turn out to be a fairly important clue as to who is behind the battle.
Problem: In a game summary, mentioning the earring might bring additional notice to it and rob the players of the opportunity to discover the importance of the earring. Not mentioning it could mean that the players forget entirely that they even have/found an earring at all!
The instinctive solution is, if you have to hide minor details, provide lots of minor details so the players can't figure out which ones are important. But doesn't that defeat the point of a game summary? Shouldn't it be short and succinct?
I'd love to hear your advice on this question. I have a campaign I'd like to revive without spoiling all the plot points.
|
|
|
|
6 years ago ::
Sep 30, 2007 - 11:21PM
#276
|
Date Joined:
Sep 19, 2007
|
Save my Game Question:
Okay, I've run into a pretty tough issue. D: (For me at least) Forgive me if this has been addressed, but I'm very tired and don't have time to read through all 10 pages of this thread/all of the Save my Game articles. I don't THINK it's been covered in the articles, based on titles.
I'm running my first large-scale campaign with a bit of assistance from a friend of mine. We have six players, which is a kind of heavy load but with the assistance I think i can manage. Before we had our first session, I told them all this was going to be a light-hearted campaign with a lot of cannon humor.
Unfortunately, the first session was a disaster. All of my players took "Humorous" as a command to not take the game seriously. It was like every one of them decided to play a bad interpretation of chaotic, the "My character is going to do whatever the hell I feel like because that's what they'd do" sort. They're doing this regardless of alignment. D:
Is there a way I can get my players to wrap their minds around the idea of playing a humorous game seriously?
|
|
|
|
6 years ago ::
Oct 01, 2007 - 12:31AM
#277
|
Date Joined:
Aug 21, 2007
|
Save My Game Question:I'm running a campaign right now and I have seven PCs (soon to be 8), all level 6. The BBEG is attempting to acquire specific items that once belonged to a lich and wants to be one himself. I have the PCs travelling to where these are located and encountering the BBEG's henchmen along the way. My problem is that I've noticed that the PCs are capable of packing a mighty punch, but they seem to have paper-mache armor when the monsters return the favor. Since I've never DMed a party this large, my biggest concern is finding baddies/confrontations that walk that fine line of "challenging" without tumbling into "piece of cake" or "TPK". Any advice regarding the juggling act that many a DM have gone through would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. 
|
|
|
|
5 years ago ::
Apr 04, 2008 - 4:45PM
#278
|
Date Joined:
Apr 23, 2005
|
Wow... I didn't realise how dead this thread was. But I have a request:
Save My Game question:
I'm noticing that in 4th edition, it's more important than ever to visibly track conditions on monsters, and even on PCs. Bloodied is the most important, but other conditions are relevant, too. What products and/or tricks are out there to help with this?
"Edison didn't succeed the first time he invented Benjamin Franklin, either." Albert the Alligator, Walt Kelly's Pogo Sunday BookThe Core Coliseum: test out your 4e builds and fight to the death.
|
|
|
|
5 years ago ::
Apr 05, 2008 - 6:15PM
#279
|
|
|
Well you're in luck, I still had a watch on this thread. Let me first go on record by saying that this is one of the key reasons I'm not planning on going 4e; they said at first a design goal was getting rid of the dozen fiddly little modifiers, and then they doubled them. I play RPGs, not tactical minis games. Having said that; 1. Someone suggested sticking pins in the plastic minis and putting little beads on them, where each color of bead means something. This has the downside of putting a hole in your mini. 2. You can use poker chips or similar stackable/interlocking round chips as mini bases and again, have each color represent something. I like this better than pins but there's no exactly 30mm poker chips I know of. 3. As kind of a compromise, you could use colored self-stick flags like http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/6 … age-Flags/ - there are smaller ones I've seen too. 4. Oh, apparently someonme also sells magnetic mini bases - the same Wizards article that mentions the pin approach has a pic: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dusg/20080227a - I'm not sure where to buy them though. Looks like if you shop around at some of the old school minis places they have all kindsa stuff - check out the smoke markers and fire markers from these guys, they look cool: http://www.litkoaero.com/Merchant2/merc … ry_Code=TS
|
|
|
|
5 years ago ::
Apr 05, 2008 - 7:21PM
#280
|
Date Joined:
Mar 21, 2001
|
Wow... I didn't realise how dead this thread was. But I have a request:
Save My Game question:
I'm noticing that in 4th edition, it's more important than ever to visibly track conditions on monsters, and even on PCs. Bloodied is the most important, but other conditions are relevant, too. What products and/or tricks are out there to help with this?
Use a whiteboard.
|
|
|
