How to make sessions/scenes stop dragging?
Dionysus:
Howdy all.
Been a while.
Our little group of players has finally taken the plunge and is enjoying the waters of new games.
We were a very strong WoD/Exalted group, but finally moved on :)
We've tried "In a Wicked age", "Primetime Adventures", "Mouse Guard" and right now are playing "Houses of the Blooded".
Now, "Houses" has been a huge hit. We went from 1 session every couple of weeks (and sometimes I as GM was having to remind people - hey, we're playing this week") to the other week the players badgering me to play multiple sessions in the same week.
They are loving the much stronger narrative control they have (also in PTA), but also having some more measure of "crunch" which was absent in PTA.
The problem (i feel) we are having though, is that we are spending a looong time on the same event/scene and it never seems to resolve.
Perfect example - the characters arrive at a castle and were introduced and told to prepare for a contest/hunt in the morning. That one scene has lasted three multi-hour sessions! Of course this may not really be a problem as the players seem to be really enjoying themselves, but there is no real progress it feel to me.
Basically asking for - how are ways to maybe limit the amount of time complicating /going into minute detail by players, and maybe more aggressively pushing the action?
Falc:
Quote
Of course this may not really be a problem as the players seem to be really enjoying themselves, but there is no real progress it feel to me.
It would seem to me that this is mostly a social issue, where you would like the game to move forward but your players are fine where they are. I would start by just talking to them. They're your friends, no? Explain that you feel a bit stuck, ask them how they feel. Try to reach a compromise.
Try, perhaps, to ask them why they find this part so interesting. Perhaps you could agree to have more such 'scenes' in the game from now on. And if you know in advance that they'll be latching on to such things, maybe you can be better prepared yourself to deal with them.
jburneko:
Quote from: Dionysus on January 11, 2010, 03:45:47 AM
The problem (i feel) we are having though, is that we are spending a looong time on the same event/scene and it never seems to resolve.
This is actually my #1 issue with Houses stated with the caveat that I have never played it. It lacks a resolution system. When you roll dice all you're doing is breaking up "who talks." The dice decide and declare nothing.
My recommendation is to make sure that Wagers actually resolve and evolve things rather than simply add details. If the roll isn't a Wisdom or Cunning risk then a Wager should be more than just a fact it should actually introduce unalterable changes.
A good place to start is with the Intent before the dice are rolled. Make sure the stated intent if achieved or failed (as the player with Privilege will decide) will actually meaningfully change the situation at hand and then make similar twists with Wagers.
Jesse
Callan S.:
You know, these days I'd actually recommend NOT talking to your friends about it.
I mean, how is pacing handled? What mechanism controls it? It's probably just been left up to the spirit of the moment at the table.
And they are using that vague spirit thing 'correctly', as much as you can use anything ill defined correctly. Having a chat with them about how they handle the pacing mechanic would be like having a chat with someone (ie, chatting to make them change their move) about making a certain chess move or having a chat with someone not to win a stake in capes.
I think you need to make pacing mechanics which do what you want, then pitch it to them that next session your using this when you GM, or your not GM'ing. Sure, they might like the laza faire method. But you don't. If you can't offer some model of doing it which is a compromise, you just have to give the ultimatum (or go with their flow and do what you don't want to do).
David Berg:
As a GM, I tend to default to dictating the pacing a bit too much. I encouraged my players to give more input on this during play, and they said they would, but then didn't. I attributed this to my game's focus (for the players) on character play instead of system play; controlling pacing was understandably off their radar. Plus, they're used to me doing a pretty decent job of it.
My solution was to put a "pacing dial" on the game table, just so they'd have a reminder of their options sitting in their field of vision. It mostly gets ignored, but every once in a while helps our group speed up or slow down to optimal effect.
As GM, I never initiate a change on the dial, but for your group, it sounds like you'd probably want to.
Hope this helps,
-David
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page