[UA] Stupid Newbie GM questions...

[Tim Groth]

I'm sure I've sent this to the list before, and I know I've mentioned
it on RPG.net, but I like the sound of typing.

I have players make a cohesive group of some sort.  If needs be, I
give them incentive to get inventive by saying that they get
appropriate group resources and some bonus skills to represent role in
the group.

So, for example, one group decided on a Goth band.  They really went
all out deciding who played what, did what business wise, and who was
the groupie/occult connection.  One drew up band logos and so on.
Part of it was being fired up, and another part was the feedback
between detailing something and getting it as a resource in play.
Basically, because UA doesn't really get too anal about what you have,
getting players into the mindset of "If it makes sense with what we're
doing, we can have it" while providing a tight focus can really get
them thinking about what a band or a fledgling conspiracy would
actually have.

Now, they've got themselves together, have all sorts of internal stuff
going, and have a general  agenda.  With a well thought out group of
characters, they have stuff to suggest they'd be doing instead of
dealing with what you throw at them.  This is great, it lets you slack
off a bit, and when you don't slack off you have tension as they try
to balance what they do normally with what they are doing in reaction
to events.

I then look at what the players want, as expressed on the character
sheets and what they've been saying, and mix it with whatever kick I'm
on at the time.  For that Goth band one, I was really on about myths
playing out over and over again just outside of the public eye, but
shaping wider events.  Sort of a spontaneous dramaturgy thing.  So, I
worked out some other groups of travelling performers.  Some clued in
to what was happening, and others as clueless as the players.  I
tossed in a wandering Carnival, because I love those, and made up
circuits based on mythic meanings of cities and the routes between
them.

Then, I let the players loose.  They interacted with the weird stuff
and over time noticed the parallels between what happened in the news
at large and what went on in their own tiny corner.  Having figured
out the correspondence between performance to a passionate audience
and things playing out on a larger scale, they had to decide what to
do with this now that they knew it could be done.  Their choice was to
really embrace it, taking on permanent roles and engaging in
ritualistic pageantry on stage.  They were trying to encourage a
nation-wide sacrifice of false innocence so that occult knowledge
would spread and people could control their own destiny.  Needless to
say, it got way out of hand.

So, that's how I do UA when I get the chance to run it.

On Thu, May 15, 2008 at 11:42 AM, Chris Cooper <insectking at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> --- "Anthony H." <ars.mysteriorum at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>>
>> So... is it hard to make up a story?
>
> No, not really. An hour or so is enough for me and an
> okay plot with a system I'm familiar with. Longer for
> new systems and some detail to absorb. Some games
> there's nothing, but I'm not interested in those
> games.
>
> How much time
>> do you usually spend
>> planning a session?
>
> Crikey, that's a tricky one. It depends on which route
> I take. 1) I come up with a basic plot, work out some
> history, then dump the ignorant PCs into the story.
>
> 2) get character concepts/game ideas from players
> first, make up story around them. Bit trickier in
> someways, easier in others.
>
> As a note of caution, try and not make up too much of
> the game. All you need is a rough plot line where
> events/clue are suppose to happen/be found, a handfull
> of NPCs/GMCs, notes on special events/objects. I would
> suggest that these all be seen as interchangeable
> parts and learn to adapt your story on the fly.
>
> I have found that simple, easy-to-follow,
> trail-of-breadcrumb skeleton-framed stories are best
> for RPGs, anything more complicated like in linear
> format movies or books get hopelessly bogged down,
> confusing, and abandoned. If you worry, don't; the
> right players will make the simplest story and make it
> enjoyable.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Chris.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> UA mailing list
> UA at lists.unknown-armies.com
> http://lists.unknown-armies.com/mailman/listinfo/ua
>