No investigations? II (split)
Alfryd:
Quote from: stefoid on April 03, 2011, 06:34:34 PM
But how to proceed from that realisation to which particular nazis are behind the reanimation? Do I continue to drop 'clue scenes' on the PCs and resolve them in a low drama fashion, as above, leading them by the nose to to the villains? where do my challenging , dramatic scenes come from when the players are involved essentially in an 'investigation' process?
Well, if you don't want to waste time on the players' having to guess what you're thinking (or earn it via forensics/interrogation/sleuthing rolls,) then the solution is simple- tell them what's actually happening OOC, so that the mystery is strictly from the characters' perspective, not the players. Then simply allow the possible paths of investigation to go in different directions and tie that in with the characters' motives- e.g, the leading expert on the Lance of Longinus is one the PC's old flames, the Ark of the Covenant can only be gazed upon by the faithful, etc. etc. As long as the players have choices the reflect on different moral/ethical problems- particularly those tied to the PCs' personality- you should be getting a certain amount of drama.
The question then isn't 'can you figger out 'dem clues?' but 'do you have the balls to collect them, and deal with the implications'? What you're doing sounds more similar to Indiana Jones than Agatha Christie, so maybe the former would be a good point of reference.
stefoid:
Im starting to think that there isnt really any way to make the 'investigation' a high drama process. It can still happen, the players can still choose to go places, check shit out, talk to people etc... but its the circumstances surrounding the investigation activity that has the tension. What is at stake if the investigation isnt resolved?
As for the challenging situations, I dont see how they can be integral to the investigation process either. Play must proceed towards confrontation with the nazi antagonists, and that progress cant hinge on dice rolls. I guess the progress must move more smoothly if characters are winning the challenging situations and with a lot of collateral damage if they arent.
Alfryd:
Quote from: stefoid on April 04, 2011, 04:11:40 AM
Im starting to think that there isnt really any way to make the 'investigation' a high drama process. It can still happen, the players can still choose to go places, check shit out, talk to people etc... but its the circumstances surrounding the investigation activity that has the tension. What is at stake if the investigation isnt resolved?
Again, failing an investigation-related skill-test doesn't have to mean 'dead end'. It can, for example, simply mean that the protagonists took too long to figure out the clue, and in the meantime, the antagonists have moved ahead a step or two in their plans. e.g, you flubbed your Archaeology roll, so you failed to find the Tablets of Collectability fast enough to prevent the Nazis from seizing the Artifact of Plot, but you do have some idea where they're headed.
So now you'll have to try to battle through/sneak into their encampment in order to capture it back, or scale the mountain in order to interrupt the ritual, or call in for backup from an erstwhile rival, or whatever. The point is, the PCs' lives become more complicated as a result of the investigative failure, but the story doesn't just grind to a halt. And because that 'something' is at stake during the investigation, that can be a legitimate source of drama.
NN:
What if: the point of the "investigation" isnt to discover that the Nazis are using the occult - the characters are already "believers" - the aim is to collect enough evidence to persuade Allied VIPs of the occult danger.
stefoid:
Quote from: NN on April 04, 2011, 01:22:48 PM
What if: the point of the "investigation" isnt to discover that the Nazis are using the occult - the characters are already "believers" - the aim is to collect enough evidence to persuade Allied VIPs of the occult danger.
Thats some good ammunition to have.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page