[UA] Re: Story-Centered or Player-Centered

[Glenda Kenyon]

The thing is any good GM I've dealt with in any game setting will let the
characters do what they want to do, but still are able to keep a story in
tact.  whether or not the PCs catch up with the story now is of course the
question, but it should be easy to have them meet up with the story later.

There should be a story, or the PCs won't have anything to entice them to
play for the long run.  I can see the relation to D&D, which is easy to just
have a straight line arc, especially if you're only focused on
Kick-in-the-door type of gameplay.  DMs sometimes do just have a linear
track, and railroad (even if ever so slightly) to their own track.  I find
players don't appreciate that in the long run.

I'm running a D&D game where the characters do have their own agendas and
opinions that surprise me.  One time I gave them about a day or two of down
time in the game, thinking they would use it to investigate going ons or
socialize with the nobels.  Nope, out of nowhere they decided to rob a
merchant family!  So what do you do as a DM with your players seriously
considering this?

You make up a merchant family to rob and let them do it.

Now, does that mean there's no story happening in the background?  No!  I
think there should be a story that is the main focus of the campaign,
whether or not the characters want to partake in it.  As a GM you have to
bring the story to the characters, because there has to be something big for
them to react to.  But let their reaction to have the whole scope of
possibilities, not just the ones you think up as the GM.  PCs have more fun
with, as I can tell you being on either end.

In fact, going back to my D&D campaign there is a whole story going on that
is affecting the PCs, but their actions are causing the affect to be less
direct.  They're not right in the thick of the politics and intrigue that's
going on.   But I'm bringing the story back to them soon enough, and that's
one of the challenges of being a good GM.  I've had the same experience with
the UA campaign I'm running this summer.

So I guess to answer the question, it's a balance.  You have to have a story
that's going on whether or not the characters wish to react to it.  The
characters want something to react to (the story) but they also want to
react to it in their own way without too much interference.

I hope that long rant helps.  :D

-- 
Today is a day, but tomorrow is everything.
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