Episode 14

Metagaming and Martyrs

I tend to sway on the side of letting a player try anything. The only bound I put is to do your best to keep from metagaming.

Metagaming has been thought to be any strategy, action or method used in a game which transcends a prescribed ruleset, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game. (copied from wikipedia LOL, but it makes sense)

That being said, in an RPG you as a game master set the limits and environment of the game. This means you are the one who puts metagaming in motion or puts a stop to it. Which in itself is metagaming. woah right !!! hahahaha

Whether it be a very small or very large part of your campaign, metagaming is happening and it's not always a bad thing.

• Have you ever handed out inspiration?
• Gave advantage on a roll because it made sense to you?
• Been asked by a player to adjust an interaction and you said let's try it?

All of these aspects are part of the game and you are doing it right! Don't let anyone tell you that your fun is wrong 😜.

We stream our adventures online and we have viewer interaction from time to time. We don't have a specific set of rules for viewer involvement, yet we went with it during this session. With the introduction of live RPGs streaming online many channels have allowed viewers to affect the game. This is PURE metagaming. We hope to put more of this in our adventure since it brings a bit more craziness and unpredictability to our fun.

It can also move your story along in ways that you may want/need it to. The direction the players take can be a bit off the beaten path, but some key elements still exist.

• Who's the hero?
• Who's the anti-hero?
• Who's the bad guy?
• Who is to be the martyr?

Finding a common direction to find loot may be the drive of the party, but that can only be done so many times in a row. A more difficult path is to find a "Giving Tree moment" (Shel Silverstein) or what I have used lately is an "Agent Coulson moment" (Marvel's Avengers). These moments can be tough to administer and sometimes they don't work out as planned.

I found a way to create that moment through some reoccurring NPCs, the metagaming of a viewer, and the relationship between some player characters. Hopefully this will pull at some heart strings and help them find some common goals. If not, well we had a good time and enjoyed our type of fun. You should too!

-Scooter

@discopreacha

Episode 13

Who Needs Maps?

As you tell the players the size of the building, the possible entrances, and the possible dangers you get a list of questions regarding what you felt you had just described quite well.
Is this a communication disconnect?
Are you not describing it well?
Does the player really give a crap about what you just said?
ANSWER: Yes, no, maybe so 😁

Different players have different needs and styles as I have mentioned before. This means that there will be times that a player will NOT be hanging on every word you spew out.
SHOCKING, but so very true. 😉

In the New Trippers we have decided as a group to not have a traditional map on the table. This does allow for the imagination to run free as the players all interpret what is presenting itself more personally. It also presents some challenges in gameplay.
How big is the facility?
How far are they from me?
How come they can see me I was supposed to be hidden?
These types of questions can be answered quite easily if you have a drawn out map or a prebuilt terrain in front of them. Especially if it is built to scale and has a grid on the map. I have run many games with this type of map. This just happens to be one that we don't.

We are actually using Maps!

We set up a Discord server just for us so that I can communicate certain information to individuals and as a group. Especially if they have acquired a physical map of an area. This makes moving around the area so much easier.

Sometimes I draw them out myself and sometimes I use some of the great resources already online. http://davesmapper.com is one of my favorites since it is quick and you can build an area that may even surprise the game master.

Transmission Station 0624

Make sure to use tools that work for you and your group. Either put out a grid map, terrain, a digital map, etc. I have been known to use everything from a full scaled building all the way down to absolutely nothing, but words. Use what works for the group and ALWAYS be willing to adjust!

-Scooter
@discopreacha

Episode 12

Who's Leading Who? Yes!

You feel like you have prepared an amazing story arc with many side plots and a key plot twist. Certain NPCs have important information that the player characters will NEED to know. You placed each piece of information and plot in all the "right" places so that it will seem like just enough of a challenge.

Players show up and the session starts ... Nothing is going as YOU planned it !!!

When guiding an adventure you may sometimes feel like you are losing control of the plot. That feeling may be what's actually happening. This is a great opportunity! This is where you can find a balance between you and the players leading the game content. You get the chance to interact through the characters you built. Remember that the player characters are changing the world you created so allowing them to drive the story line should be encouraged!

• If they find something funny, use it
• If they want to call something by a different name, use it
• If they want to make a lobster out of floor tiles, let them at least try it!

During this episode a player said, "You just made that up."
I replied with, "Yes, yes I did."

In truth I make up all of it except for what's in the rule book. The players do the same.

Now that we are in our 12th session I prep in more of an outline form than in a written story form. I find this to be my style of guiding a campaign. Early sessions a few scripted chapters to establish a world and a story foundation. Now that the story is underway I find myself creating characters with certain personalities, locations with certain issues or opportunities, and adapt them to the overlying story arc. The organic story arc that has been established in the previous sessions.
Then it's game on!
This leaves each session adaptable and fluid. This is only my style and it does not fit everyone. I enjoy being challenged through creativity and quick thinking.

The creativity and imagination is limitless!

I find that some moments are lead by the game master and some are lead by the players.
Being open to ideas and story content lead by others is key!
Find the balance that works for your group.

-Scooter
@discopreacha

Episode 11

Recap, NPCs, and Impromptu Battle

We took a couple weeks off as I was out of town so coming back to the game can be quite a bit of pressure as a game master.

• What if you forget some key parts of the adventure?
• What if the recap takes FOREVER and people get bored?

Relax!

If you watch the sessions or read these blogs you know that I take some of the pressure off of myself by having the players do recaps along with myself. This helps me know what they each find important and relevant. My part of the recap this session was listing out some NPCs. Some of them I personally found important and some of them not so much! I mentioned them in no specific order. While discussing some of the characters, some players showed interested in some NPCs that I did not find very relevant.

Add this stuff to your notes! It's good future content!

We had battle!
I had a few different ideas that would lead them in to battle.

• An reoccurring NPC is in immediate danger
• A group they have already confronted is in town
• An old 'friend' has come to collect
• Even a Battle Royale was in the mix

The only concrete idea was that I was going to lead them in to a battle.
The players are getting more comfortable with their characters so I wanted to give them a chance to express themselves through using the Open Legend RPG system for combat. It also helps me. I mean this is the first continuing adventure I have run with this system. The players were very creative in what they wanted to do. This challenged me as a game master since they expressed actions and attacks that I needed to find out how to make the system work for them. I know that I made mistakes along the way. Mistakes not at the cost of enjoyment.

It's okay to make mistakes!

Making mistakes and being self reflective helps everyone in the adventure grow as individuals and ultimately as a group. I am over the top thankful for our "New Trippers" group.

My thoughts are to have a recap expressed by players lead by the game master, bring up NPCs to see who has interest/disinterest, and expose yourself to mistakes. Bringing everyone in to the loop through open conversation promotes success in having fun!

-Scooter
@discopreacha

Episode 10

Game More and Side Quests

We are a group of RPG players that are really liking the hang out time with one another. Like an escape from work, politics, traffic, adulting, etc. Even though our youngest player is 15, they have to do quite a bit of "adulting". I mean 5 essays in one week is NO JOKE! Chatting around the table about the week over a snack and a drink is important to this group of players.

I asked the group if the format (tablet setup, length of show, time slot, etc.) was in need of adjustments. The day and time we play will be staying the same for now. It was mentioned that some may want us to get in to the gaming part of the night a little sooner. This is what I love about having an honest and open group. I am now committed to reeling in the players and starting the game play aspect of the night sooner. Still the same amount of silliness, but let's mix it right inside the gaming part!

As I feel like I have mentioned before, different players have different needs in an RPG. This is where side quests can be established by either you as a Travel Guide (Game Master) or even by the players themselves. I try and lay out multiple options for the players to take. In the beginning sessions they will want to try and visit them all. After a while you may have those that create their own. Embrace all of it! If they end up splitting the party for side quests then find a common thread in the story to bring them back together.

What if one player is really wanting to do a certain quest and the others are just 'meh' about it?
- Put a character or interest the others may be interested in the same path

What if they all want to do separate quests?
- Combine a couple of quests together. You can always change the location of a person, city, continent, or even a planet. Be creative!

What if they are not interested in any of the quests?
- Step up your game and listen to what your players are telling you through their play style. Is one trying to figure out all the puzzles, another trying to get all the loot, and yet another wanting to just kill all enemies? Make the puzzle to figure out which one is the actual enemy and they are holding all the gold bars in a private vault. Just a very simple example, but hopefully you get the gist.

Always listen to your players and earn the players' respect by listening to them. All while snacking and having drinks!


-Scooter
@discopreacha

Episode 9

Play Outside the Game and Steal Inspiration

All five players are back for this session. Some were at work wishing they could be at the last session yet others were out of the country enjoying time with family. This is where I do my best to bring them back in to the loop.

Many players come to the table to relax and enjoy their time playing a game. This usually means they didn't have a ton of spare time to think about RPGs during the non-adventure days. So when people have missed sessions they may have some catching up to do in the story. This is yet another reason why I have the players do a recap of the last time we played. It's like a shortened version of last session and it gets them in the RPG mindset.

I like to encourage playing outside the game. One thing I like to implement is some sort of chat conversation between me and the players. I used to use https://slack.com and now I use https://discordapp.com to do this amongst other things. I use it in and out of game time to keep in touch with the players. This way if a character finds a secret door or obtains a lot of loot, they get to decide whether or not they tell the others. Using one of these tools can help players to curb their temptations to meta game. Also it can allow returning players to be reintroduced after missing a session or two. This session I used it to have a character find out how many credits they had and for another to be sitting across the room while nobody noticed. If you announce it in game then normally this is when another player says I want to roll perception!

To drive a story along and keep players within the "bumpers" I use reoccurring NPCs. They help drive the story along and gets them out of the local tavern. (we all love the local tavern in an RPG ... am I right lol) I say don't be afraid to steal the inspiration from your favorite book, movie, skit, tv show, or even a friend or family member. This session I pulled from many different places. I used character likenesses from Mass Effect, Fringe, Hitchhiker's Guide, and even the CW's version of The Flash and Arrow. Am I a huge fan of all of these? Not necessarily, but some characters and story lines can be intriguing and fit very well in to an RPG. Feel free to steal these characteristics and make them work for you!

In the end we are all geeks about something. Use it and have fun with it!

-Scooter
@discopreacha

Episode 8

Last Minute Changes

Planning ahead is essential to running a smooth game. Not knowing what is next can make it exciting since even you as the guide of the adventure doesn't know what's ahead.

We had a last minute cancellation. This could make a game master cringe.

What if the plan was to focus on that character's story arc?
What if you had a conflict planned around that character as a pivotal role?
Did you have a social situation created that depends on the character's inventory?

If you have paid attention to the character's backgrounds and what they have been up to then you have created story arcs that depend on each players involvement. Then they can't make it to the episode, what do you do? ADAPT!

When you adapt the story to who is playing then you can still reveal what you have intended. You can also concentrate on the characters that are there at the time. Have them question why is that character not around. "They were just here a second ago!"

The craziest part is that from the beginning of the episode it was said that the grown ups are not here. haha. It is true that the characters that were not present are the ones that are more of the serious ones. They are played brilliantly and with dedication to the characteristics they established. The other players stick to what their characters are also. They like to "derail" the game as they say.

I allow "derailing" in my adventures as long as the group is having fun. This doesn't work for some groups, but so far it is working for this group.

We didn't start actual gameplay again until about an hour into the episode. We did cover some thoughts on where we are as a group and how each individual does great things in their personal life.

We did get distracted by food, music, and great company. This can be a good thing.

In the end we had a great time, we progressed in the story,  and they became more interested in the culture of the setting. They either want to kill, assist, or partner with most of the NPCs. They are even concerned about the way the culture is. My favorite part of guiding a game is when the player characters get attached, frustrated, in love, or hate a society or character I created.

In conclusion:
Adapt to the situation
Include everyone
Pay attention
Build intrigue
(all in the best you can)

Ultimately ... HAVE FUN !!!