 April 2, 2014 - 1:41pm | So you've all had time to catch the end of "The Walking Dead" and (Spoiler) know our intrepid survivors have been captured. This also happens in alot of stories and some of the core modules like when the Eorna capture the party in the Volturnus adventure. As gamemaster or player what are your thoughts on using this plot device? Do you think it is forcing the players into a set pattern or is it an important part of the story such as delivering information to the players during a confrontation with their captors? Also what about times when the players actions would normally require them to be captured (ie arrested for doing player stuff) but it would derail the current adventure. What then? Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
 April 2, 2014 - 5:25pm | Well, a couple considerations: Are you or the players committed to playing the module? It could be that the referee has a burn to do a module than that will figure into whether he actually takes the PCs prisoners when the players have royally screwed the pooch. Is the group use to going off script? If so then I think it behooves the GM to roll with developments. whether a group is into or not into sand box style of play I think a GM could take the PCs prisoners as a ploy to get a game back on track if it had ground to a halt or if he was committed to a certain story line. A lot will depend on the group. Players can resent having things they percieve to be within their power stripped from them, like taking away a pirate ship that the PCs just captured lest the presence of the ship derail the adventure. (I had to take one away once but it was resented by a key player) I think making the PCs prisoners at the "You meet in a tavern" moment or rather "You meet in the hold a prison galley" so that its at the start of the adventure is more palletable to players than at the middle of the adventure where they feel like the power to control their PC has been stripped from them in what is likely to be a heavy handed manner. At the beginning of the adventure its not like you stripped them of power but like you just gave them an interesting start point and everyone gets they must meet the challenge. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 April 3, 2014 - 8:48pm | I hesitate to use that plot device. In fact, I don't think I would ever use it with experienced gamers. I've gotten away with it when playing tabletop with my kids, but I don't think it would fly otherwise. I think the closest I could get was marooning them ala the Serena Dawn. |
April 4, 2014 - 2:45am | One could make the case that its overused in Star Frontiers: Crash on Volturnus has a beginning that is heavy handed and later on in the Caves the eorna put the PCs to sleep, heal them and wipe their memories if they force open the secret door in the caves. Dramune Run uses this ploy towards the end of the module to arrange an audience with the Malthar. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
April 4, 2014 - 10:50am | Once makes the point it should not be used with experienced gamers. Since SF was designed for the younger crowd maybe that was the thinking of writers to guide the new players into the system with a heavy hand. Sorta like a tutorial in a video game. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
