 Keeping the Game Challenging, Without it feeling like D&D |
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 Jan 10 2006, 07:38 PM
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#51
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Target  Group: Members Posts: 50 Joined: 4-November 04 Member No.: 6,807  |
Funny, my group calls that Plan B ;-) |
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Jan 10 2006, 08:10 PM
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#52
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,651 Joined: 23-September 05 From: Marietta, GA Member No.: 7,773 |
Heh. :) |
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Jan 10 2006, 09:39 PM
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#53
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 371 Joined: 10-January 06 From: Regina Member No.: 8,145 |
I agree the best way to make it challenging is to take the characters out of their element. Try to set up a situation where the town they usually work in gets "too hot" and they have to temporary re-locate to another city or country. Suddenly all of their contacts and street knowledge skills aren't valid. Have runs take place outside the sprawl if you normally have urban-based runners. If your guys are used to "smash and grab" then design stealth-heavy runs. Have them do intel runs where it is *ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL* that there be *NO* trace that anyone was ever there.
As a final note, there is an older adventure book called Corporate Punishment. In it is a run on Proteus AG's underwater Aquadome facility. Proteus AG has a reputation for paranoia and that run had some of the most craziest security I've ever seen. Try there for some ideas. |
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Jan 10 2006, 11:12 PM
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#54
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Great, I'm a Dragon... Group: Retired Admins Posts: 6,699 Joined: 8-October 03 From: North Germany Member No.: 5,698 |
Most groups i met only have Plan A and Plan Z. Maybe those players use a special form of the alphabet ;) |
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Jan 11 2006, 01:11 AM
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#55
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Resident Legionnaire Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,136 Joined: 8-August 04 From: Usually Work Member No.: 6,550 |
Having or not having PTSD should be up to the player, and how they want to play the character, not the GM. |
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Jan 11 2006, 01:59 AM
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#56
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
yeah. that's flaws (or negative qualities, or whatever), right there. not something the GM should be determining, normally. and even if it were, there's no way in hell anyone could come up with a realistic, accurate mechanic for it--and if you're not being realistic and accurate about it, there's no need for such realistic, accurate details as PTSD, is there?
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Jan 11 2006, 02:13 AM
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#57
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Target Group: Members Posts: 32 Joined: 8-January 06 From: Tuscaloosa, AL Member No.: 8,142 |
Very true for those that only want game mechanics for everything. So do you think that having or not having a wound should be up to the player as well? I choose to have no effects from that round hitting me GM, sorry. Some are not comfortable having more realistic games and that is fine.
See I think that is the different view we have on the role of the GM. I did not say give them this and they are now -2 dice in this situation. You can definitely be realistic and accurate about the psychological stress just as you can accurately describe physical damage and not simply say mark off those boxes. If that does not fit your style of play, okay don't do it. The initial question was how to challenge a group and this will do that. |
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Jan 11 2006, 06:14 AM
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#58
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Resident Legionnaire Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,136 Joined: 8-August 04 From: Usually Work Member No.: 6,550 |
Actually if you read my post you'd see I feel quite to the contrary. I wouldn't want to see a game mechanic for something that can't be quantified like PTSD. If a player wants to incorporate something like that into their character, they can role-play it as they wish. The point is, a disorder like that doesn't affect all people the same. One man's traumatic experience might effect him in a totally different way than it affects another guy who went through the same thing. I am not going to introduce arbitrary mechanics to facilitate, or just plain tell, my players how their characters act in a given situation. If I do that, I may as well just quit the game and write myself a short story.
Totally different situation. Not sure how you extrapolated that from what I said.
I've had quite enough realism in my day, so I'm not too worried about letting things slide now and then. It is, afterall a game. |
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Jan 11 2006, 07:20 AM
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#59
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Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456 |
Insanity mechanics are a mater of taste. In some ways, the point of Call of Cthulhu is to have your character go insane and die and the most spectacular fashion possible. Good investigators can rack up insanities like a prime runner racks up karma.
Now, if the CLUE files are any indication, some people consider going insane and dying in the most spectacular way possible to be the point of Shadowrun. There is nothing wrong with that if that's the way you like to play. An insanity mechanic can give some more randomness and fun to the journey that inevitably ends a deadly hail of police gunfire. However, some people consider going insane and dying to be rather pointless and unfun. |
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Jan 11 2006, 03:31 PM
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#60
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Incertum est quo loco te mors expectet; Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,548 Joined: 24-October 03 From: DeeCee, U.S. Member No.: 5,760 |
I would tend to agree this is something you should touch base with the players about first. It could make the game more challenging, but if the players hate it, why implement it? It could be fun (and imagine if the PCs are now actively trying NOT to look at stuff and get all the information beforehand. A real twist on how you play.) So could the 'CSI is going to get DNA from where you sneezed and forgot to wash your hands, so now they'll track you down' sort of thing, but if it's not cool with your group, don't touch it.
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