Day 15 of #RPGaDay2020 graces us with "Frame" and first words in my head were "Framing... with friends!"
Whether it's an open-ended one-shot just introducing characters, or a full-blown long-term campaign, the gamemaster is constantly setting up scenes for the players, and a smart one knows that it's not a solo endeavor.
The one thing I've learned for modern indy games is that not only is a collaboration with the players okay, but it's absolutely necessary for game sustainability and GM sanity.
Forcing a player to respond to campaign minutiae, such a model of car in a car chase, the type of liquor the villain is drinking, or what aisle in the supermarket the gunfight starts in, don't have an immediate effect on the game, in most cases, but it does allow the player(s) to immerse themselves further into the campaign world, a world they're lending bricks to build.
The more I listen to other games/actual plays, the smartest thing that even neophyte GMs can do is mine their players for ideas. You CAN say no if the player is being ridiculous (high trust on both sides creates high results), and you can always say YES, but with complications later on to curtail a much too-sweet a plot hook/situation.
You could consider all of this a GM cop-out, but I'd rather build upon my players' ideas then rely on the rote list of ideas I have left. While a table full of improv professionals would be great, most don't have the numbers of the cast of Whose Line is it, Anyway, but I guarantee you, after a few tries, your current slate of players will do just fine.
In my current Star Wars d6 Campaign, we're in an interlude between action-driven storylines. Yes, certain things are set to happen, certain characters introduced, and a certain objective will be achieved to move to the next storyline, but I'll be constantly mining the characters for those details that to me are inconsequential, but with a little collaboration, might result in something important... or at least memorable.
My players trust each other to frame out a scene, or flesh out some backstory, so "Why does the Wookie not like this cantina?" or "What happened last time you guys hunted a Volturnan cave bear?" are open-ended questions with a lot of potential put into their hands.
SPOILER: Sometime in the next few sessions I'll be introducing a Y-Wing pilot to the group, who knows the group's pilot. I have her stats and a few pieces of information about her, but I will rely on another player who's not playing the pilot to work out the actual relationship. Friend, rival, sister, ex-wfie, former bounty hunter who once tried to/succeeded in hunting him down. The possibilities are endless, and the players trust each other make some hard plot twists and enjoy the ride.
Whether it's an open-ended one-shot just introducing characters, or a full-blown long-term campaign, the gamemaster is constantly setting up scenes for the players, and a smart one knows that it's not a solo endeavor.
The one thing I've learned for modern indy games is that not only is a collaboration with the players okay, but it's absolutely necessary for game sustainability and GM sanity.
Forcing a player to respond to campaign minutiae, such a model of car in a car chase, the type of liquor the villain is drinking, or what aisle in the supermarket the gunfight starts in, don't have an immediate effect on the game, in most cases, but it does allow the player(s) to immerse themselves further into the campaign world, a world they're lending bricks to build.
The more I listen to other games/actual plays, the smartest thing that even neophyte GMs can do is mine their players for ideas. You CAN say no if the player is being ridiculous (high trust on both sides creates high results), and you can always say YES, but with complications later on to curtail a much too-sweet a plot hook/situation.
You could consider all of this a GM cop-out, but I'd rather build upon my players' ideas then rely on the rote list of ideas I have left. While a table full of improv professionals would be great, most don't have the numbers of the cast of Whose Line is it, Anyway, but I guarantee you, after a few tries, your current slate of players will do just fine.
In my current Star Wars d6 Campaign, we're in an interlude between action-driven storylines. Yes, certain things are set to happen, certain characters introduced, and a certain objective will be achieved to move to the next storyline, but I'll be constantly mining the characters for those details that to me are inconsequential, but with a little collaboration, might result in something important... or at least memorable.
My players trust each other to frame out a scene, or flesh out some backstory, so "Why does the Wookie not like this cantina?" or "What happened last time you guys hunted a Volturnan cave bear?" are open-ended questions with a lot of potential put into their hands.
SPOILER: Sometime in the next few sessions I'll be introducing a Y-Wing pilot to the group, who knows the group's pilot. I have her stats and a few pieces of information about her, but I will rely on another player who's not playing the pilot to work out the actual relationship. Friend, rival, sister, ex-wfie, former bounty hunter who once tried to/succeeded in hunting him down. The possibilities are endless, and the players trust each other make some hard plot twists and enjoy the ride.
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