The Joys of Investigation

One thing that took me a long time to get the hang of in rpgs is a well-planned and well-conducted investigation.  Early on in my gaming career, Investigation wasn’t all that big a deal.  Someone hands you a mission, you go out and do it.  As I grew older and (hopefully) wiser, it began to dawn on me that a lot of sessions could have ended in much better terms if we’d been more thorough in our investigations.

That said, let’s take a look at the standard tricks, and avenues that an investigator can take assuming a modern or future era game:

[Exalted, 2nd Ed.] Quick and Easy Organizations

SoullesS by Hellstern, click for his Deviant art page! (this tiny pic doesn't do it justice!)

I’m currently in the process of doing some planning for my upcoming Exalted 2nd Edition campaign, and I’m already working on hammering out the various factions that exist in the setting, which the player characters may interact with at any given point of the game.  I know it seems strange to some, given that the scope of Exalted is often rarely constrained to a single Elemental Pole, much less a single city, but I figured I might as well start very, very small.

Besides, it’s an experiment of sorts, and I feel that perhaps if I can work on making Chiaroscuro a diverse, interesting and lively location, there won’t be a need for the players to go out of the city and start conquering kingdoms just yet.  It’s all in the pacing after all.

That said, I’m focusing on Organizations today.  Organizations are a fundamental building block of a city.  Whether they’re interest groups, secret societies, crime syndicates, mercantile guilds or the government, they represent a unified group of individuals pursuing a common agenda.  This agenda can be pretty much anything, from “survival of the shoemaking industry.”  to “Kill the Tri-Khan.”

Pacing your Game

A few posts back Purityingaming requested on an article on Pacing in a roleplaying game.  I begged off on tackling this sort of topic while I was sick, seeing as it was certainly not an easy thing to discuss.

But I’m no longer sick (yay!) and hopefully I’ll be able to give this topic the kind of attention and depth it deserves.

[Exalted, 2nd Ed.] What Constitutes a Motivation?

The first and foremost concern of any and all Exalted players have during character creation should be their character’s Motivation.  While this might sound easy enough, it’s actually pretty tricky to come up with one that resonates with a character personally… without ending up with something far too generic.

What’s My Motivation?

According to the Exalted corebook: “Motivation is a short description of your character’s primary goal.  It’s what drives your character to go out and be a hero, and it is part of the reason the Unconquered Sun chose her for Exaltation.”

Of course this is with regards to Solars.  The other Exalts have other patrons that grant them an Exaltation under their own criteria.  As mentioned, a Motivation pushes characters from being a passive inhabitant of Creation, into a Pro-active force of change (and hopefully, good.)

Beyond the Mundane

“Become Wealthy”, “Marry someone nice and have a happy family.”  or “Live a quiet life on a tropical Island.”  These are normal Motivations that are insufficient for Exalts.  This is primarily because they’re not the stuff that would make good stories.  A good way look at building a Motivation is to ask yourself, “Is this something that a Hero should be doing?”

Supersize Me

Motivations for the Exalted need to be Epic.  These surpass normal concerns and scale… and require many sessions of play to accomplish.  Saving a village is one thing, saving a Nation is another.  Motivations necessitate a considerable investment of time, effort and emotion.

Hopes and Dreams

Idealism is key.  Exalts redefine the world according to their hopes and dreams, pushing further and further into the realm of making their wishes come true with their bare hands.  To quote a line from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann’s Kamina, “Go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb!”

Make it Personal

One very important thing about Motivations is that it has to mean something personally to the character.  Things like “Flip the Imperial Isle upside down” or “Punch a Behemoth so far that it breaks the dome of stars and out into the great beyond.” fulfill the requirement of it being something that no mortal person could hope to accomplish, but are poor motivations since they don’t mean anything to the character.

By sticking to personally significant goals, there’s a greater emotional impact and gravitas to the character.

Evolution

People’s hearts change.  So do their Motivations.  Mechanically if a Motivation is met, then the character gets to pick a new motivation.  However, it is always a good thing to consider evolving a prior motivation to a next logical (if more improbable step.)

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People naturally find ways to restrict their dreams and ambitions.  “I’ll never earn enough money to go to GenCon.”  “I’d never be able to climb Mt. Everest, that’s just crazy!”  “She’d never give me the time of day, I’m a loser!”  These are all the things that Exalted aspires to trump.  Certainly these are mundane examples, but to a denizen of Creation, an Exaltation allows them to override these little mental “brakes” that we all have.

Putting It All Together

Wayward Falling Star, a Tribal Chieftain from the West is taken captive by slavers who come to his island home to kill and capture his tribe.  However, thanks to the grace of the Unconquered Sun, is Exalted, and breaks free.  He finds himself leagues away from his home, trapped in a land he has never seen, and surrounded with the remaining survivors of a dozen disparate tribes and barbarian cultures, all of which were taken like him to become slaves.

Enraged by the nature of the Slave trade, and the loss of his people, the Tribal Chieftain rallies the survivors, using his charisma and strength and the bonds of suffering they’ve suffered to unite them as one people to eke out a new life in this unknown land.

Wayward Falling Star’s Primary Motivation is:

“To Establish a Nation State of Free Men, who will serve as a Sanctuary for those Enslaved.”

This is not an easy task, as they must content with the elements, establish trade, and forge a new cultural identity in a land that isn’t theirs.  Once his fledgling band of ex-slaves manage to settle and find a place to call their own, and construct some semblance of society and defend it from those who would destroy them, his Motivation then moves on to:

“Destroy Slavery as an Economic Artifice and replace it with something Better without Demeaning Human Life.”

Wayward turns his attention then to dismantling the practice of Slavery, based on his first-hand knowledge of being taken as a Slave against his will, and the deaths and suffering of his people.  This is yet another massive goal, as Slavery is an important economic mechanism that provides income and goods and services to many nations.

[Exalted, 2nd Ed] Social Mechanics and Meaningful Interaction

A Game of Sincerity by GENZOMAN

A discussion last night with Rvelasco, one of my players for the upcoming Exalted: Dawn of Sorrows campaign, aired his fears for Exalted 2e’s Social Combat mechanics.  To put things simply, the social combat mechanics allow for anyone who is subject to a “social attack” (which could be anything from a persuasion attempt to intimidation and even seduction,) to spend a Willpower Point and negate all effects of the attack.

Making Memorable Villains

One of the most important roles undertaken by a GM is to be the villain in a game.  More than a setting, or the NPC allies, the Villains help define the player characters as Heroes, by being their antithesis.  In the campaigns that I’ve run, and in almost any setting, I find the the more memorable the Villains are, the more likely the game will be fondly remembered as well.

That said, some of the most memorable villains don’t have to be the ones with overwhelming stats, or builds that can dish out XdY damage per turn, or has Z amount of attacks (though that can put the fear of them in player’s hearts.)  Instead, the most memorable villains are the ones who manage to strike a chord with the heroes.  They’re the ones that suddenly remind us that they’re not some random cardboard cutout with targets painted on them… but characters in their own right.

Here are some tricks to use to make your next villain memorable:

• Show, Don’t Tell - Villains need to have a good image.  His mannerisms, dress, speech and behavior should be considered to make him stand out.  Players need to be able to identify him immediately after the first encounter from his description alone.  Scars, jewelry, disfigurements and other memory shortcuts come in handy here.
• Have a Goal, Evil is never Evil for Evil’s Sake - That way lies lazy thinking, and subpar villains.  Every villain, from an evil Land-Grabbing Oil Baron to a Fanatical Religious Manipulator has a Goal.  Whether its money, love, pride, his country or revenge, every villain becomes more interesting the moment they’re spurred on to do more.
• Have a Plan - A goal is one half of the equation, the other is to have a plan to reach that goal.  Unless the Villain is designed to be a monster with the most rudimentary of goals (sate hunger, find mate, crush puny humans), they usually have some measure of planning capabilities.  Having a plan B or C or some form of failsafe will at least keep your Players on their toes.
• Interact – and I don’t mean “Gloat in front of PCs.”  GM techniques such as Cutscenes, or second hand stories from witnesses will go a long way to show the players what kind of person they’re up against.  Have them see the aftermath of his or her work.
• Groups Are Good - If you’ve got the hang of the system, feel free to team your villains up.  A party of villains with different personality types and methodologies make for a dynamic and interesting opposition to the player characters.  Adding a helping of Teamwork would be great too, just to underline that the bad guys are not above using the same tricks that Player Characters do.

With some time, you should be able to generate memorable villains that immediately inspire an emotional reaction from your players in your next session.

Character Submission Formats for Any Game

I’ve been thinking about it, and yesterday’s sample character format seems to work well for any sort of character submission for any Game.  By breaking down the character to both its backstory and description (fluff) and its actual capabilities and plot hooks, you give a quick rundown as to what any GM can (or should) expect from your character.  Hopefully cutting down on the amount of fumbling in the dark that GMs often end up having to do at the start of most campaigns.

That said, let’s go over the various sections in greater detail:

• Name – Pretty self explanatory, this tells the GM your character’s name and any aliases he might be operating under.
• Backstory – A short narrative detailing the salient details of your character, and what led him to the start of the campaign.  Early experiences, or previous adventures count here.  WoD games focus more on the nature of their transformation from human to something else… (except Promethean, where this part might not even apply)
• Description – A physical description of the character’s appearance, and maybe some notes on combat / magical style, to give the GM a better idea of how he moves, looks, sounds, acts and fights.  That way the GM can be keyed in on your expectations on what kind of combatant he is.  A Brawler will fight very differently from a technical boxer, for example.
• Roleplaying Tips – This is where you delve into the character’s psychology and personality.  Discuss motivations, attitude and his priorities.   Consider his reactions to stress, humor and what kind of people he might get along with, or dislike.
• How to use this character – This is the Mechanical aspect where we go over the character’s capabilities using game terms.  Calling out his specialties, which roles he fulfills, and which challenges he’s best suited to face.  The purpose of this is to give the GM a means to eyeball the character’s abilities without having to scrutinize your character sheet for all the little nuances.  Furthermore, this delivers the added bonus of giving your GM an idea of what kind of conflict you’d find fun and designed your character around.
• Plot Hooks – This is where you can input the kind of plot hooks that you see in the backstory and capabilities.  You know your character better than your GM does at this point, so having a few milestone plot hooks listed here can serve as a checklist for GMs, while giving them an opportunity to add their own spin on each of the hooks, keeping you on your toes.

Coming up with something like this might take a little more work than just submitting a completed character sheet to the GM, but ultimately it can deliver a much better play experience as you give the GM something to match his expectations and ideas to.  In the end, there will be much less dissonance as expectations are set based on your submission, and you’ll be surprised at how the GM finally understands what your character is all about rather than sending a social character against assassins, or a barbarian into a tense political negotiation because he didn’t “notice” it in your character sheet.

Quest? I Don’t Need No Steenking Quest!

Or, “The Joys of Proactive Play”

Sheimaruen and I were discussing something yesterday about how the Mage: the Awakening campaign I was running was progressing.  We both agreed that things were coming to quite a conclusion, but there was still room for so much more from all the player characters.

A Discussion on Trust

Today we talk about in-game Trust between characters as a “hidden” mechanic in the political/social aspect of roleplaying games.

At its very core, Roleplaying Games have been about the social maneuvering of the Player Characters, as well as their ability to kill things and take their stuff.  Social maneuvering has proven to be a solid aspect of the game, whether it’s haggling with the Mysterious Stranger who walks into the tavern with a map, or the more Byzantine social maneuverings of a local Consilium in Mage: the Awakening.

As such, it’s important to also consider the role that in-game trust plays in a game.  In-game trust is not trust between players, nor is it about the GM and the players.  In-game trust is about trust between Player Characters, as well as between PCs and NPCs.

[Scion] Return of the “Yes, but…”

Today we’ll be talking about the “Yes, but…” philosophy of gaming.  The first time I’ve heard of this was in Exalted, when people were discussing how to run a game where the players were meant to be able to deconstruct a setting the moment they hit the table.  Exalts were demigods, divinely powered humans given the means to enact sweeping changes to Creation the moment they were exalted by the gods.

Given the sheer nature of the game, it was a slight paradigm shift.  Suddenly, rather than Level 1 characters who fought rats for experience points, the basic starting character was more than able to hurl an Ox-Cart onto a group of guards, or easily dispatch of a sorceror terrorizing a village by summoning a demon to wale on them.

Many GMs didn’t exactly know how to deal with this, and were therefore forcing their tried and true methods:  throw bigger opponents.  Just to somehow even the odds, GMs were throwing lesser gods, elemental dragons, and entire armies at new characters, just to somehow reassert the older philosophy of gaming.  Same old stuff… bigger scale.

In reaction to this, a group of other GMs realized that the power level of the player characters was deliberate.  Rather than fight this sudden increase of power by slapping down even more points on the villains, these GMs figured that the game was all about the consequences.  It enabled large scale change because it was about What Happens Next.

And so the same goes for Scion.  As children of the Gods, even starting Scions can pick up a car and swat some gangbangers with it if properly motivated.  With the change in setting to a modern-day one, a whole new can of worms opens.  Religious persecution or worship, Advertising opportunities, Politics, the Military, the Media… people hoping to become children of gods too, strange secret sex cults revolving around these godlings, hoping that perhaps their children might bear the spark of greatness too.   These are the things that spring forth from the actions of the players.

The game is bigger than them not because the monsters are huge (which they are), or just because of combat.  The game is big because all of a sudden the world is watching the Scion’s every move, judging them, worshipping them, emulating them.

At it’s very core, the “Yes, but…” mentality of running is one that revolves around permission:

“I swat the guy with a backhand that twists his head around thrice and declare myself the new President of this country!”

“Sure.”  the GM answers, but then follows up with the complications of ruling a country, other ambitious scions doing the same to others, and the power struggles that happen next.  Rebel Scions might believe that it is not their place to do this, while others realize that the first was on to something… if they can hold the title.

It’s the complications that fuel these stories and games, and I feel that this is the path that would suit me best in Scion.  Given the nature of the characters, and the players, this should prove to be very interesting indeed as they struggle to push the agendas of their parents, all while balancing their personal lives, public appearances, and how they handle the mortals that stand in awe of them.