Tinkering with some Jump Points. I’m not happy with this one. The core idea – staring at a room full of guns – is good, and you can just imagine how it would work in Firefly for example. But the last two questions don’t add much. Any suggestions on how to fix it?
Tinkering with some Jump Points.
Tinkering with some Jump Points.
I have no problem with the trigger-finger but I don’t know if you need to ask the escape route question per sé because it presumes they want to escape. What if they want to negotiate? What if they are holding a grenade or vial of dangerous toxins that could help them talk their way out?
I’d leave the question out entirely and just see what plan develops during play.
What is the one advantage on your side you see? Who’s the one person on the other side that might listen to reason?
When writing prompts for a Jump Point, I tend to try to introduce at least one Faction, if not two. Factions are driving forces and motivators, and provide both opportunities and long-term complications to any scenario.
– “Who are these people, and which Faction do they represent?” (This choice will give the GM a very solid foundation for how they’re dressed, what weapons they’re using, their mannerisms, their tactics and goals, etc)
– “Obviously, the Faction that sent you didn’t want to risk their own agents. Who are you representing in this deal? What was this exchange supposed to be about, before it went south?” (Again, thinking about which Faction they’re currently working for and how it would interact with the previously introduced Faction will inform what kind of deal it was. Also, now the characters are stuck between two very large grindstones)
Who just walked in at the wrong time?
Sean Gomes Hmmm… in #RustbucketTales the characters tried to avoid the Factions, and generally dealt on a lower level, so I’m not in the habit of looking to them. And I guess “negotiating with a Faction” is a very different feel from the lowlife I was imagining for this one. OTTH, if I’m trying to write generic Jump Points, then I need to be more generic, and ditch those preconceptions (which might not come across anyway).
And OTTH, there’s interesting question lines in which Faction they’re allied to, or which Faction you ripped off to get what you’re selling, which would potentially introduce a Faction as an initial secondary threat.
(Meanwhile, tweaks another 3 or 4 Jump Points to replace generic “who are you working for” style statements with “which Faction…”)
Also, have factions that operate on that lower level, if that is where the PCs operate. Factions should get underfoot.
“Which Faction’s attention are you trying to avoid here, and why?” might be a good addition. Fairly open, but introduces a Faction as a threat.