Hi everyone, I have a question that probably stems from never having DM/GM’d before: do you have any advice for smoothly moving the clock forward? I don’t mean the countdown per se, but deciding when to make time jumps, skip boring stuff like unnecessary meals, etc. I’m working on a mystery where the monster feeds at night, and the clues I’ve prepared could easily be found the first day they arrive (hunters arrive after first attack to look for missing person). Is that okay? Maybe I should ask the hunters what they want to do, and they can help decide what scene to play out next, e.g., do we skip a dinner scene or have all the chars come together share what they learned? Maybe it will be easy to decide in the moment, but I’ve never played a tabletop RPG before and I’m not sure how much narrative control I should share with the hunters 😀 Any advice is welcome!
Hi everyone, I have a question that probably stems from never having DM/GM’d before: do you have any advice for…
Hi everyone, I have a question that probably stems from never having DM/GM’d before: do you have any advice for…
To quote Hitchcock “cut out the boring parts!” If your players can’t decide what to do have “something” decide for them. The monster can always eat another “red shirt”(providing more evidence), the cops (or a journalist) could decide a player is guilty or crazy(and ask questions to goose them with ideas) or a evil minion could dose them with LSD (complications)! The countdown is a great guide for this…Also never expect the players to do what you plan…never happens!
Mark Tygart Thanks, Mark! I guess what I’m most concerned with is managing the passage of time in the fiction. Obviously fiction time passes differently than irl, and I’m probably overthinking it but struggling with how much in-fiction time the hunters’ actions (e.g., talking to witnesses) should take up. Since the monster’s actions are linked to the day/night cycle, I’m wondering if I should make days be shorter or longer depending on how fast or slow the hunters are catching on, rather than being closely tied with the actions themselves. For example, maybe talking to witnesses could take most of a day if the hunters get a lot of information (to make the monster attack sooner), whereas if the hunters need more clues I’d want to give them more daylight to find them?
Lisa Whittington another way to manage this is to set it up as you ask them what they do, e.g.: “okay, what are you all doing this afternoon?” I find this tends to make them think about activities that fit the whole time suggested, rather than just the next thing on their minds.
Lisa Whittington What Michael said.:) Also, I think this may be less a problem than you expect—like a television show set the scene for maximum effect rather than asking the players. Rob a grave—better do it at night. Think how a television show like Supernatural handles time—it just cuts out anything the wouldn’t advance the drama…
Lisa Whittington Remember that there are two opportunities for you to move time: when the players aren’t and look to you to advance the story (either through inactivity or by choice “we will leave in the morning”); and when they fail rolls. If they decide to have a planning dinner (if they are travelling far from home base they may want to reach out to local support or fill the van with the stuff they believe they need) … cool let em… Might review/research local news and social media… If they don’t, jump it, have the night time events happen… Could even have a cut scene showing the new vic getting taken by surprise and screaming as the blood drips down the wall… Fade to black, next scene team at the van getting ready to leave (whenever they chose to)… MotW is meant to feel very TV. As others have said, think about TV shows and how much folks usually get done in a day… A few fruitless interviews and one meaty one is usually all you will see in a day… Or one meaty one and some reaction to it… Lots of options, the faster the days go, the more people die and the more pressure on the team. (and more clues).
Thanks so much for all the helpful suggestions! My first run is going to be next Saturday and I can’t wait, def feeling less worried about this now. Hoping to post the mystery sheet this weekend for feedback.