My first time using Mythic GME was last night using Dave Mitchell's The Hateful Place RPG, first time for that game as well.
Regarding encounters with monsters or bad guys or other NPCs: do I bring them into the scene when I think it would be interesting but logical? For example, on the way back to the tavern, suddenly, three thugs jump out of the darkness and demand my money!
Other than "roll for wandering monsters", how do I encounter other NPCs and monsters?
-Jeff
Set two encounter tables. One random one sequential. Put necessary events in sequence.
ReplyDeleteIntroduce NPCs, have PCs witness a crime, PC notices a foreshadowing clue.
Random encounters should be considered as narrative tools. Does a powerful enemy have the potential to bollix the story? Do unmotivated assassins break immersion?
Not every encounter needs to carry the narration but it should belong in the story.
In Technoir, it suggests keeping three banks: Characters, Objects, and Locations. Roll to randomly associate them. Decide their relationship. Make a web.
So maybe you randomly run into Yibbik, a goblin diplomat and now your future encounters will be connected. You'll wind up in his home drinking his wine, running into Glark, his rival.
Avoid Big Lipped Alligator Moments.
I usually use a mix of the techniques already listed. I also find it helpful to divide the game into scenes and make a handful of rolls right at the beginning to determine elements that will be in play.
ReplyDeleteA lot of it comes down to instinct. If things seem slow I roll up something to happen. I prefer a FU oracle with a high chance of modifiers, too.
I try to leave as much as I can open to play. I've found a d66 plot element list to be useful in the past; as I encounter interesting events, npcs, motives, foreshadowing (those pesky "complex answers" that I can't interpret on the spot) I add them to the list. Then when a random event is triggered I roll on the chart and do a callback to whatever comes up, if anything.
I use my fact and adjective gen to fish for story clues. If they indicate a possible encounter connection I ask Oracle questions. So the short answer is: 1. Clue, 2. Logic, 3. Oracle
ReplyDelete