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5 months ago ::
Jan 02, 2013 - 6:21AM
#1
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PC's will sometimes have time where they aren't doing anything for a while, while another PC is doing research, or haggling with a merchant for goods or neogotiating for a trip down the river. They could be resting in town for a week, before getting thier next scent of trouble. Sure you could pass that week as 'nothing unusual happens'. But I think having some minor events for role-playing would be more fun.
A chart of sorts with some random common events, that can be rolled for. Something like 'a friend gets into trouble', or 'a peasant starts following you, imitating you', 'you are the vicitim of a crime', 'You receive a proposal of marriage'. Things like that.
Something with a percentile roll for the events. Lower #'s represent bad things, and higher events represent good things. The roll could possibly be altered by Charisma modifiers, or a good Streetwise roll.
Anyone got anything like that they'd be willing to share? Or perhaps as a colloaborative effort we could come up with something together?
Thoughts? Suggesstions? I'm open to them all.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 02, 2013 - 7:11AM
#2
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Date Joined:
Jun 19, 2004
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Rather than doing a random roll I'd ask the players to think of interesting things and go from there. Basically just toss out ideas and see if it would be interesting if XYZ happened to a player. The player could bring ideas for their own character, or ideas for someone else at table.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 02, 2013 - 7:25AM
#3
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I've tried that, and we didn't get far. A list of ideas to throw thier way would go a long way.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 02, 2013 - 10:23AM
#4
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I have to say Matyr that is where me and many other people on this forum differ. Most people on this forum are "Hippy DMs". They hate PC death and wan't to constantly have the players choosing what happens within the game world. I would prefer to present my own ideas to my own players. The idea of making the players run the game for themselves gets under my skin. I don't know about your players but mine come to play in a world that I present to them, not to make a world and all of its events. It just seems extra lazy to ask for player help when coming up with interesting things. But anyways check this out. It may be of some help.
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear.” - H. P. Lovecraft Games I Play: - D&D 4e - D&D 3.5 - AD&D 2e - Pathfinder - Call of Cthulhu
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5 months ago ::
Jan 02, 2013 - 10:27AM
#5
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I've tried that, and we didn't get far. A list of ideas to throw thier way would go a long way.
I'd recommend trying again, at least once. There's a pretty good chance that the random-roll chart will result in a lot of apathetic responses. Heck, just having a good background story for a PC could give you plenty of RP fodder for stuff like this. The players should have an idea what kind of plotlines would draw in their characters, and in an ideal world, they would be happy to provide you with some starting points.
Another day, another three or four entries to my Ignore List.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 02, 2013 - 10:30AM
#6
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I've tried that, and we didn't get far. A list of ideas to throw thier way would go a long way.
I'd recommend trying again, at least once. There's a pretty good chance that the random-roll chart will result in a lot of apathetic responses. Heck, just having a good background story for a PC could give you plenty of RP fodder for stuff like this. The players should have an idea what kind of plotlines would draw in their characters, and in an ideal world, they would be happy to provide you with some starting points.
Backgrounds do indeed help with everything. But straight up asking your players what next, is stupid.
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear.” - H. P. Lovecraft Games I Play: - D&D 4e - D&D 3.5 - AD&D 2e - Pathfinder - Call of Cthulhu
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5 months ago ::
Jan 02, 2013 - 10:33AM
#7
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I've tried that, and we didn't get far. A list of ideas to throw thier way would go a long way.
I'd recommend trying again, at least once. There's a pretty good chance that the random-roll chart will result in a lot of apathetic responses. Heck, just having a good background story for a PC could give you plenty of RP fodder for stuff like this. The players should have an idea what kind of plotlines would draw in their characters, and in an ideal world, they would be happy to provide you with some starting points.
Backgrounds do indeed help with everything. But straight up asking your players what next, is stupid.
Ah, no. It's a shared world and a shared story; it's a cooperative game not only between players, but between players and DMs. I have gotten some of the best ideas and RP when I ask my players "Okay, so what happens now?" Back off the control freaking.
Another day, another three or four entries to my Ignore List.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 02, 2013 - 2:21PM
#8
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I've tried that, and we didn't get far. A list of ideas to throw thier way would go a long way.
I'd recommend trying again, at least once. There's a pretty good chance that the random-roll chart will result in a lot of apathetic responses. Heck, just having a good background story for a PC could give you plenty of RP fodder for stuff like this. The players should have an idea what kind of plotlines would draw in their characters, and in an ideal world, they would be happy to provide you with some starting points.
Backgrounds do indeed help with everything. But straight up asking your players what next, is stupid.
Ah, no. It's a shared world and a shared story; it's a cooperative game not only between players, but between players and DMs. I have gotten some of the best ideas and RP when I ask my players "Okay, so what happens now?" Back off the control freaking.
No "control freaking involved" I just don't need advice from players to make the game run smoothly. To put it bluntly, if you really need that much help to get RP out of your players maybe your not ready to be a DM. I've never known a single person that said "Gee I can't wait to play again so I can tell you how to run the game!" And form how you are describing it you don't have any ideas and you ask your players "Well what happens next?" That sounds incredibly lazy. I would rather have a DM with poor improv skills than one that must ask their players what happens next. Here is how I see it going down: DM asks the players what happens next, Player comes up with an absurd answer or something completely random and not at all related to the location, DM goes with what the player said and the balance of the entire local area is now turned on its side.
I think in games you must have some form of consistency. Consistency is key to having a believable game. If something out of whack happens then you just messed with that area in your world. In some places some things just don't happen. And when players are naming things off willy nilly trying to be cool/interesting/etc then it just becomes unbelievable. Certain things happen in certain places.
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear.” - H. P. Lovecraft Games I Play: - D&D 4e - D&D 3.5 - AD&D 2e - Pathfinder - Call of Cthulhu
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5 months ago ::
Jan 02, 2013 - 6:14PM
#9
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Wow Felorn, you went from implying that Wizzzard is not as talented as you, while offering a little bit of help, to being outright insulting.
Personally, I like being given a chance to help shape the world. I'll flesh out my character's corner of the world, rather than try to guess and keep up with my GM's version as he goes along. Collaborative.
Wizzzard, rather than asking them what they would like to do or see happen, ask them to flesh out their backgrounds. If you can find out what motivates the characters, it should be easier to come up with things that happen to them. I understand you're not asking for major plot lines, since very often one or more of the PCs is occupied during this downtime, but if when you learn someone's quirks or motivations, you can make your little events play into them. Or set up little events that draw the characters into bigger ones for the uptime.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 02, 2013 - 6:27PM
#10
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Date Joined:
Nov 11, 2011
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I like floating_stump's suggestion very much, I would add you to the mix, flesh out a little of the background of the Neim Less village, present them with a scenery, random farmers working, horses carrying goods, traders selling on the streets, maybe some street performance by bards or some such? Maybe the Margrave's herald shouts the raise of price for all grains, maybe some people are having trouble hangin a sing in front of a building, maybe some strange looking group of people in hooded robes are passing by the other side of town, maybe there's a drunk yelling nonsense on top of a soap box... you get the idea, I hope.
It's easier to decide what to do if you have context of where you are, IMHO of course.
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