The post on the diminishing returns of randomness yesterday got me thinking: Do any of you have mechanics in your solo play for putting a stopper in the flow of random elements when there are too many plot elements/characters on the table, or do you just feel the freedom to intercede when things get too crazy as there's nobody to please but yourself to begin with?
Just imagining a mechanic broadly for a moment, one could record major characters and plot elements on a numbered list, and roll 2d6 (2d10, a d20, whatever...) against it when the game triggers the addition of random content. Rolled above the number of elements? Add a new one as triggered. Equal to or less than the number? Ignore the trigger, or even dedicate to resolving/retiring an active element in the next 3 scenes or so.
Does anyone do something like this?
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
The post on the diminishing returns of randomness yesterday got me thinking: Do any of you have mechanics in your solo play for putting a stopper in the flow of random elements when there are too many plot elements/characters on the table, or do you just feel the freedom to intercede when things get too crazy as there's nobody to please but yourself to begin with?
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I've sort of had some thoughts towards using Kanban ideas for limiting the things that are going on, but nothing concrete:
ReplyDeleteplus.google.com - Alex Yari - Google+
I like to seed a scene with some random elements up front and that's a finite list. The oracle might toss in an additional item or two, but that keeps it manageable and offers a small challenge to integrate all those elements.
ReplyDeleteTodd Zircher
ReplyDeleteThat's very close to how I play. I incorporate one random element during scene setup by default. I'm usually interpreting random prompts when "and/but" results present themselves from an oracle; often I leave out mid-scene twists altogether.
I'm only trying to deal with controlled chaos...
I've thought about adding a weighting factor to my NPC lists in Mythic but that's about it. I use Excel extensively. Excel can easily roll for which PC or NPC is the target of the Event. It would be trivial to add in a weight to each roll so that there's more chance to pick the barkeep you always deal with versus the merchant you met that one time on the road to Dink Vale.
ReplyDeleteI've used something similar (I think) to what you're describing. I make a d66 list, fill it in with events, people, images that interest me as they happen. Then I roll against the list when I need a "callback"; if it's empty, no callback, otherwise, that element reoccurs.
ReplyDeleteIn the thing I'm working on right now, you establish a resource similar to threads early on and then can revisit them later, and once you have a certain number, the game goes to the last scene of the arc.
In Pythia, when you add an actor or a thread, you can "tag" them things like current, major, minor, past, dead. The random grabber picks one from the "not dead" list iirc.
My "standard" method is to use a handful of random element charts -- specific stuff to the genre, plus a generic keyword chart to set the scene -- at the beginning of each scene, then use Mythic style complex answers if I need more than yes/no/and/but.
Mostly I just go with my instinct, though. If I have as many NPCs as I want to work with, I stop asking for new NPCs unless I get a random event to add one, and then I look at my existing NPCs first. I word stuff like "a new NPC or an old one makes a move!" to allow for that.
Tam H I like your methods. Thanks for sharing them!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm kind of obsessed with the d66 list so I try to use it whenever I can! And it's great that you asked; I've been tinkering with "controlling chaos" for a week or two and it's fun to see these threads pop up about it so I can discuss it, haha.
ReplyDeleteHow to avoid too much randomness: no more than 2 questions to the oracle on the same subject
ReplyDeleteI usually just intervene and stop rolling when something cool presents itself.
ReplyDeleteI just go by feel & stop referencing "outside" random elements (sticking to just the core ones like the GME & UNE) once things start rolling, unless I hit a dead end or need a nudge.
ReplyDelete