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    The Campfire Chat

    Chris
    Chris
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    Join date : 2009-11-20
    Posts : 290

    The Waste Character
    Name: Rūk
    Race: Minotaur
    Class: Warden

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    Post by Chris 2010-02-15, 03:40

    Here's my idea for killing two birds with one stone: I've found that in my current home game, travel time either gets glossed over or bogged down. I want travel to seem like it takes a while, without resorting to random encounter system (which doesn't really fit the feel of my game).

    Here's what I'm thinking (and, session events permitting, I'll try it out this week): Each night, when the PCs bed down on the road, one player picks something to talk about. This can be either a myth or legend for the campaign setting, or a personal anecdote about the character. The player kicks off the story, then, when they hit a wall, or when I feel the timing is good, another player takes over the story.

    In this way, we can explore the character's backstory, or the mythology of the campaign setting. Win/win.

    Tell me what you think.
    Tom.Liles
    Tom.Liles
    Founding Member
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    Join date : 2009-11-26
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    Post by Tom.Liles 2010-02-22, 20:19

    Did you end up using it? I think this sounds like a good idea that I would be interested in exploring.
    Chris
    Chris
    Administrator


    Join date : 2009-11-20
    Posts : 290

    The Waste Character
    Name: Rūk
    Race: Minotaur
    Class: Warden

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    Post by Chris 2010-02-27, 14:10

    Tom,
    I didn't end up using it last week, in-game circumstance didn't permit, but I plan to try it next week, so you can see how it works first hand.
    Sardoodledum
    Sardoodledum
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    Join date : 2011-02-06
    Posts : 10

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    Post by Sardoodledum 2011-02-06, 23:41

    It sounds like it could work well for the right kind of players. It'd have to be the type who do improvisational monologues well. And that's a pretty rare type, at least in most of the table-top circles I run in. They'd also have to like that kind of exposition, and not everyone does.


    What if some starts talking too long, or can't speak at all, or as no ideas? Or thinks they're telling awesome stories, but everyone else is bored? Just some thoughts, and please tell me how it works in your group!
    ib
    ib
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    Join date : 2011-07-30
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    The Waste Character
    Name: Mhult
    Race: Human
    Class: Warlock

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    Post by ib 2011-08-16, 22:25

    I think this is actually a common trope in GM-ing: You make up a sandbox-style free roleplaying area or scene, which you interrupt with the next plot point in your adventure. For instance, you create something like a dinner party, with something like champagne and cocktail weenies, and let your players mingle, when suddenly...!

    The problem, though, is creating a convincing reward system for players to engage in this free play -- something better than just enjoying the jokes of their friends. So I would imagine that there has to be some kind of NPC there at least doing the job of recording and reporting what the characters do, and to make this presence not obvious, but reasonably apparent, to the players.

    At any rate, just to toss something out there (even if I'm a year and a half late): Why not try coming up with stories and descriptions of your own, or improvising such stories and descriptions? If you've made up a world that is sufficiently vivid for you, even if you're not so good at description or storytelling, your own engrossment in the journey will often come across to your listeners. Or, barring that, you could just do fake random encounter rolls. Or you could do an interesting combination of fake rolls and location description.

    Example:

    DM: You pass the first turn in the road.

    (Rolls dice.)

    DM: No encounter. Now you reach the coastline.

    (Rolls dice.)

    DM: No encounter again. Now...

    And so on.

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