Leg Work, Behind the Scenes Options

[Paul]

So Jonathan C's post in this thread got me thinking. So I am taking the opportunity to A. Show off my big brain a little but more seriously B. Discuss the Leg Work involved in our games, in hopes that it will spark discussion that may aid someone one who needs it. (Maybe even me!)

Leg Work plays a serious role in our games. I tend to like what I call TV show pacing-the set up is immensely important. Players discover information to flesh out the plot in a number of ways in our games:

• Surveillance: Nothing beats eyes on target, or actually walking the terrain. It's not always physically possible, so sometimes the next best thing is map recon, or drone recon. Or Astral Recon.
• Contacts: People know things. Sometimes even useful things. Sometimes sorting the useful out from the not so useful is a pain in the ass but often as not it's who you know chummer.
• Google: Or the modern In Game equivalent. Sometimes just looking crap up is overlooked. It's a lot like kicking in a door that's unlocked. Why not try the handle first? Especially if it doesn't hurt you. Sometimes what you don't find can be just as enlightening as what you can find.
• First Hand Knowledge: Some characters have been there and done that a couple of times. It's easier to take a vacation if you once knew a guy who took a a vacation. Knowledge skills and back ground skills combined with actual background can be helpful

One last thing I have at my own table is a house rule called Stroke of Genius/Luck". If a player rolls, unaided by Karma or Edge a six on every die in their poll I reward them with a "Stroke of Genius" (Or Luck.) This is the Eureka moment we all sometimes have when staring at the facts and for some reason we just connect the dots. It's pretty rare-in twenty plus years it's only happened a few times at my table, but ti's kind of a fun twist.

In the end part of what makes this all work is I am not looking to keep secrets from the players. I want them to discover what's going on. I want them to see the plot hooks, and bite!