Since AW seems to be much more open with what they players can see that would normally only be for MC eyes… are the players supposed to see the Fronts? I am making up a sheet for them so that they can better keep track of the NPC’s we have in the game and I didn’t know how much information was too much information. If they can see the Fronts however, well then its pretty much all fair game.
Since AW seems to be much more open with what they players can see that would normally only be for MC eyes… are the…
Since AW seems to be much more open with what they players can see that would normally only be for MC eyes… are the…
I’m not sure.
Regardless of what the book says, I would not show my players my Fronts. It’s up to them to decide what the current dangers are. And they might not be what I intended.
I figure no. Fronts are, specifically, something you do outside of play, between session so that you have time and space to think. Their purpose is just to give you things to talk about, nothing more. There’s really no reason for them to read your prep.
The structure of fronts with their drives and moves should be for you. The narrative elements (names of NPCs, that big storm coming, the lack of gasoline) are what you share with your players, as they learn them naturally in the story.
Other than setting the ground work for the kind of game you and the players want, and establishing that they are ready for the general kind of NPCs and threats you have in mind, you are not obligated to share anything beyond what the PCs learn in their story.
Does that make sense?
Ok then. I am making this NPC list for myself as well… because it will be easier to put them in to fronts after I finish.
I will make a version for the players as well but I will not include all of the information on ti that I will include for myself.
Thanks guys, I didn’t really want to show them everything, but I was not sure if that was my traditional game thinking kicking in again or not.
To add to what Aaron Griffin said, I am really reluctant to advise MCs who have prepared threats in advance of the first session of play. Almost all your threats should emerge from that first session, and thus will be tied in to your PCs stories and motivations. Their knowledge of your threats should build on that. If you are pre-gaming your Threats, that deserves a discussion of what the game’s going to be about. But really, the players should not just be more informed in AW, but an integral part of creating the story of your shared world.
/bloviating
Fronts are for you to use to advance the plot. But players’ actions can move the story in a different direction, so you don’t want to disclose some information that may disrupt the “play to see what happens”
I put a big relationship map with all the PCs/NPCs and notes in the middle of the table. If I’m being fancy I provide headshots for the all NPCs. That is my NPC list and provides the players with the context I think you are looking for.
Bry Hitchcock I am not pre-making the treats. We already had our first session and I asked questions, they game answers and we came up with a lot of material, maybe too much. I am just trying to organize it now.
Rob Brennan I made a relation map… but it’s so messy that I am going to make a chart to go with it. Head shots is a cool idea, I think I will do that as well at some point.
Hey Ryan, I usually keep the fronts per se from the players, but do have a relationship map worth the group contributing to. I also have the countdown clocks visible on the world map margins (I use a stamp), this adds palpable tension.
Named npcs get an index card, with look, body part and drive, oh and a headshot 😊. These can be moved around on the map as needed, since locations and mac guffins also get cards.
I might not show them the clock, but use the show future badness move to show them the fronts moving forward
Bry Hitchcock has it right, and the rest of this whole thread has solid advice.
Ryan Good don’t worry about it. They’ll be able to remember just fine for the most part. If you’re worried, you can give them a little reminder. Like: ‘So then Mouse shows up. You remember her from that whole fiasco with the gasoline and the canned peaches? Anyway, she shows up and says…’ or whatever.
There’s a thread on the forum with a bunch of head shots. I printed out a bunch and tried that for one of our games. It worked fine, but it was struggle digging through to find new ones when I wanted to introduce a new NPC and I have it up after a short while.
I guess I’m a bit late to the party but my suggestion is to run fronts so that the players have a good idea of what most of the fronts are without ever seeing the sheet.
My simplified take on this (others have given excellent, more detailed looks) is that Fronts are a great way to keep track of the gears turning behind the scenes and to remind yourself of the cool things you thought of previously and what effects should be becoming apparent to your players in the coming session(s). You don’t need/want to show the players the Front sheet, they will see the rich, world fleshed-out goodness in play that is the result of these sheets keeping your good ideas fresh in your mind and you thinking about them and tweaking them as play and your players dictate.