Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - Drama, dice-rolls and Plot

ericthered · 10-17-2018, 07:58 AM

As a GM, I find I use 3 kinds of dice rolls in order to create drama:

Pump Priming: This is done far away from the session, and possibly even before the campaign. This is used as a kind of artificial brainstorming. I roll up adventure ideas, NPC's that could be useful, and themes. I've used this to roll up the next world an infinite worlds or space-faring campaign will visit next. I've used it on adventure tables to get the framework for an adventure. I've used it in monster hunters to both generate new monsters from a list of traits and to give me an edge in surprising my players as to which foe they are hunting this time.

When Priming the pump, the dice rolls don't create drama, but they set it up. Its my job to turn the rough rolls into something interesting, spot the moral dilemmas, the unexpected twists, and character motivations. The rolls don't generate the drama, but without them, I'd probably be using the same plots and elements over and over. They aid the drama, but it requires a lot of work.

Resolving Interesting Decisions: As a GM, its my job to set up interesting decisions. Some of these decisions, the players will make on their own, agonizing between two choices. Other times, the choice isn't in the hands of the players, and both options are interesting. This is a fantastic time to bring out the dice. No one knows which way the dice will fall, not even the GM. And it matters which way they fall, but you aren't in trouble if they fall unexpectedly.

Fleshing Out on the Fly: As a GM, I don't have the ability to predict everything my players will do, or everyone they meet. People are particularly hard to predict, and I often roll up a random NPC during the game. Such NPC's are unlikely to play a strong dramatic roll. Other times, Its used to answer questions the PC's had. A player will ask if a condition exists, and if it exists, everything will work out wonderfully. I haven't thought about this before, and I admit it to the player, hand them the dice, and say: "He could have a mistress... try to roll under 8 and we'll find out." That's drama.

10-17-2018, 07:58 AM	#32
ericthered Hero of Democracy Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: far from the ocean	Re: Drama, dice-rolls and Plot As a GM, I find I use 3 kinds of dice rolls in order to create drama: Pump Priming: This is done far away from the session, and possibly even before the campaign. This is used as a kind of artificial brainstorming. I roll up adventure ideas, NPC's that could be useful, and themes. I've used this to roll up the next world an infinite worlds or space-faring campaign will visit next. I've used it on adventure tables to get the framework for an adventure. I've used it in monster hunters to both generate new monsters from a list of traits and to give me an edge in surprising my players as to which foe they are hunting this time. When Priming the pump, the dice rolls don't create drama, but they set it up. Its my job to turn the rough rolls into something interesting, spot the moral dilemmas, the unexpected twists, and character motivations. The rolls don't generate the drama, but without them, I'd probably be using the same plots and elements over and over. They aid the drama, but it requires a lot of work. Resolving Interesting Decisions: As a GM, its my job to set up interesting decisions. Some of these decisions, the players will make on their own, agonizing between two choices. Other times, the choice isn't in the hands of the players, and both options are interesting. This is a fantastic time to bring out the dice. No one knows which way the dice will fall, not even the GM. And it matters which way they fall, but you aren't in trouble if they fall unexpectedly. Fleshing Out on the Fly: As a GM, I don't have the ability to predict everything my players will do, or everyone they meet. People are particularly hard to predict, and I often roll up a random NPC during the game. Such NPC's are unlikely to play a strong dramatic roll. Other times, Its used to answer questions the PC's had. A player will ask if a condition exists, and if it exists, everything will work out wonderfully. I haven't thought about this before, and I admit it to the player, hand them the dice, and say: "He could have a mistress... try to roll under 8 and we'll find out." That's drama. __________________ Be helpful, not pedantic Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one!