So, I listened to the recording of this game session over the course of a workday. From what I understand, these guys have a weekly, rotating-DM game of horror one-shots. Listening to RPG recordings can be pretty tedious, but I think there's value to be gleaned from seeing how other groups do things in-practice.
Agency
I really liked how the GM handled agency in what was a pretty tight locational adventure. He was patient. When the party wanted to flee the area, even though they were clearly leaving the defined "adventure location" he let them and he improvised. And he gave them a very good in-character reason to return to the haunted cabin--because the police didn't believe their story and they didn't want to get charged with murder.
This was a surprise to me. It just goes to show that having a plotted adventure doesn't have to mean taking away player agency, as long as the GM can improvise good, in-character incentives to stay on track.
And it was totally worth staying on track, since the whole thing turned out to be a rather smart quantum physics joke!(which, for some reason the players didn't really seem to get)
Actually, I think the entire 9-11, ambulance, trip back to town, police was improvised on the spot by the GM, so CHEERS TO YOU, DUDE!
Horror
And the game was clearly being run as a Horror Game. Besides the setting, whenever an NPC would go-off alone, they would turn-up dead(as opposed to the DM running a combat between the NPC and the monster).The game ended a bit prematurely due to time constraints, but with a presumed TPK. This demonstrated to me the value of running Horror as a one-shot, where the players aren't going to cry about their Mary Sue character getting killed-off.
Skills
At one point they needed to drive and one of the players goes "So... did anyone actually take the driving skill?" That's why I love the CP2020 system for running contemporary settings--because you have lots of skill points to use on lots of modern-day skills, yet with a very simple to use skill system.
"This was a surprise to me. It just goes to show that having a plotted adventure doesn't have to mean taking away player agency, as long as the GM can improvise good, in-character incentives to stay on track."
ReplyDeleteTo play Devil's Advocate: you *could* say this is even worse than saying, 'no'. By 'allowing' players to make choices, but doing your best to ensure that all roads lead to Rome, you negate the value of having a choice in the first place.
Not saying that I'd do any different, at least in the context of a horror one-shot (where, unlike a campaign, deviation from the planned adventure ends the game), but not sure it is a trick I'd want to pull every week - and I know I bristle when it is pulled on me as a player.
You make a good point. I think it really depends on the type of game and the assumptions that go with it.
DeleteIn an "Adventure Game", if the players are like "whoa it's way too dangerous here, let's get away and try something safer" so the DM shouldn't invent reasons to throw them back into the action.
A horror game(especially a 1-shot) is different. The assumption, the whole fun of the game, is that players are going to put their PC's at risk, playing the "Naive Victim", not running away until the danger is clear and present. Yes, characters could run away at the first sign of danger--but that would make for a boring horror movie/horror game.
A bit like the assumption of an 'Adventure Game':
Delete"You *are* an adventuring party. You are of a mind to go down dungeons and seek out treasure. I (the GM) am not going to spoon feed you/your PCs motivations - though motivations will emerge through play. If this PC doesn't want to adventure, retire him and roll an new one up!"
And of course, in an 'Adventure Game', "whoa it's way too dangerous here, let's get away and try something safer" = let's go and try to kill the Giant on the Moors rather than tackle the Barrows of the Forgotten King. In a horror game, running away from the haunted house isn't usually done so that you can investigate the rumours of strange goings on in Innsmouth (actually, that is the way I'd like to run a CoC campaign - professional occult investigators in world in which the paranormal is in overdrive).
Hmm, maybe you're right and what I argued about Horror Games can be applied to any limited-scope scenario.
DeleteI like you're point about Horror games-that if I'm a paranormal investigator so the DM can assume I want to investigate.
I want to say something a little stronger: In a horror game, my PC may want to flee, while I, as a player, want to delve deeper. Assuming that's the case, so the DM is not encroaching on player agency when he gives my character an in-character reason to return to the haunted house, etc. So really the DM needs to distinguish between when the player really wants to flee or when he's just roleplaying.
Oh and I would LOVE to run/play a Shadow Over Innsmouth type scenario :) :) :)
Delete"I want to say something a little stronger: In a horror game, my PC may want to flee, while I, as a player, want to delve deeper. Assuming that's the case, so the DM is not encroaching on player agency when he gives my character an in-character reason to return to the haunted house"
DeleteI think that this is actually a really important point.