[Solar System/World of Near] Using Key Elements
d.anderson:
I'm posting over at Story Games, as it seems to have higher traffic for casual opinion-collecting, but I wanted to cross-post here, just in case.
I'm running World of Near on Sunday. It'll be in Maldor; we'll be making the characters then and there, so my prep needs to focus on what I'm interested in and what I can predict of my friends' interests. I'm interested in using Key Elements, since they expand on my usual prep method (touchstone inspirations jotted down, and a lot of names names names). My issue is, I haven't been able to track down much AP specifically addressing their use.
So, I want to know what experiences others have had using this method or something similar. Any notes are great, but I'm wondering about how you reconcile your scene-framing rights with the introduction of Key Elements - if you aren't telling the players what they're looking for then is it a matter of them stumbling upon it?
Courage75:
I've yet to use Key Elements in a Solar System game, so I am not sure if they are meant to remain secret from, but "discoverable" by, the players. If they are, then my advice isn't much help. However, if it is okay for the players to know what the Key Elements are, then I strongly recommend a collaborative approach to creating them.
One really nifty method to generate Key Elements in this way is to get players to create them themselves. Ask each player to come up with a Key Element, or perhaps a concept that you can turn into a Key Element. That way you know what the players are interested in because they have created the Key Elements for you. Also, they have "bought-into" the game more as they know they created these elements.
A quick way of doing this is to give each player a slip of paper and ask them to write down one detail of a concept for a Key Element - it could be a place, a character, a piece of equipment, etc. Then, they pass the slip on to the next player and add another detail. Continue until each player has added a detail to each slip. Then, collect all the slips and voila, you have the basis for Key Elements!
Paul T:
I've had fun making a list of things I'd like to see characters get involved with or interact with in a game, and then putting it out in the middle of the table. I had some things like (I'm making up the numbers right now, though):
* The marriage of X and Y. 3 XPs
* A Tchegaran sets foot in the Church for the first time. 2 XPs
* A challenge of honour. 2 XPs
...
The players knew they would get the XPs if they were in a scene where one of these elements was featured, whether it was by interacting with it, by making it happen, or any other variation. So, if X and Y decided to get married, there was 3 XPs in it for any character who would show up at the wedding. But maybe the characters would rather prevent the wedding? Or perhaps even orchestrate it themselves, if one of those NPCs decided they weren't interested in the marriage after all.
That worked pretty well, although many of the elements were ignored altogether (as expected).
I'm sure Eero will chime in soon: I think his approach is much more like a "GM award", where he prepares set pieces, like cool scenes or NPCs he wants to feature in play, and when he brings them in, the players get the XPs.
Eero Tuovinen:
I wrote my piece in the SG thread, pretty much - good stuff there, do check it out. Paul's right in that I prepare the Key Elements alone without player input, mostly because I'm a boring stickler for character advocation; having the players "order" content that I then scurry to execute as the SG seems like it robs me of much of my own creative input into the game while requiring the players to take charge of backstory in a way I'd find confusing as a player. The most input I'd take from the players would be generalities like "My character goes to Khale, what do I see?".
Simon JB:
I've mostly used Key Elements in the beginning of our Solar playing, and when new players have entered the group. After the players have learned how to use ordinary keys to effect I usually feel them to be redundant.
Quote from: Courage75 on April 22, 2010, 08:33:27 PM
One really nifty method to generate Key Elements in this way is to get players to create them themselves. Ask each player to come up with a Key Element, or perhaps a concept that you can turn into a Key Element. That way you know what the players are interested in because they have created the Key Elements for you. Also, they have "bought-into" the game more as they know they created these elements.
A quick way of doing this is to give each player a slip of paper and ask them to write down one detail of a concept for a Key Element - it could be a place, a character, a piece of equipment, etc. Then, they pass the slip on to the next player and add another detail. Continue until each player has added a detail to each slip. Then, collect all the slips and voila, you have the basis for Key Elements!
Very nice suggestions, that would suit my group very well, I think. Will put them on the table next time we get into something. But then, we play very collaboratively in any case (collectively storyguiding every session, and so on).
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