Category: Gaming

Today’s question is “How can the GM make the stakes important?” — which initially struck me as an odd question to ask.

The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that it’s one of those things which is perfectly obvious to somebody who has been GMing for a long time (nearly– JESUS CHRIST — four decades at this point for me), but might not be evident to somebody just starting out.

The simplest answer I can give is this: The GM can make the stakes (whether of an encounter, or an adventure, or an entire campaign) important by listening to the players. Players will tell you, in any number of ways, what’s important to them, both as players, and also as their characters. Use that knowledge, and have the stakes relate to those things that they’ve told you about. If a player is obviously really into deep roleplaying of relationships, have an encounter revolve around the potential of damaging their relationship with an important NPC. If a character is really invested in their personal magical item, have an adventure involving the search for an ancient text which describes the history of that item, including potential clues to hidden additional powers, and prophesies of its future.

(This is another reason why it’s good to have the players collaboratively involved in the creation of the campaign, as I mentioned yesterday. The conversations you have during that process will give you a wealth of information on what the player values, and is hoping will be important in the game.)

Simple: Make the stakes involve things the players care about, and they’ll be important.

 
 

This week, we move on to some “How” questions. I’ll try to keep these responses brief, though, as these are the sorts of questions where I could (and have) certainly go on at length (and also, I have a shit-ton of work to do this week, so I need to keep all of these non-work writings brief, as a result).

Today’s question: How can players make a world seem real?

Shortest possible answer: By being encouraged to contribute details.

Unpacking a bit: World building should not be the exclusive purview of the game master. Whenever possible, I make it a point for players in my games to contribute details of the campaign world. The fullest example can be seen in the Universe Creation Rules for ICONS (originally seen in the supplement ICONS TEAM-UP, and reprinted in the ICONS: ASSEMBLED EDITION rulebook), which had the players not only rolling up their characters, but also villains, guest heroes, and elements of the setting, so that when the game began, the world was already being fleshed out in their heads, and collaboratively constructed.

But even in a game without rules support for such things, I always try to have players give me brief details on elements they want to see in the game, and providing those details truly flesh out a world and make it seem real.

 
 

Today’s question: Favorite Recurring NPC?

I was wondering how I was going to answer this one without repeating the NPC from yesterday’s question, and suddenly I remembered an NPC from an old Star Frontiers game that I played in 1982-1983 with my friend Brian Quigley.

I lifted him entirely from a short story (and TRAVELLER write-up) that appeared in Dragon Magazine Issue 59 (thanks to the kind soul who uploaded that PDF — a real blast to see it again). His name was Gent Jackson, and, as the picture at right demonstrates, they were kinda going for a “Captain Dallas from ALIEN” kinda vibe.

That is not how I played him.

I made him a rival to Brian’s character, and I played him as the most annoying guy you could imagine: Basically the sort of “Midwestern Insurance Salesman of the 1950s” archetype. Glad-handing, enthusiastic, everybody is “buddy” or “pal” or “friend”, and OH SO HELPFUL. So damn cheerful, in fact, you just want to kill him.

Which Brian tried to do. Repeatedly.

Good times.