d20 ComStar Games Instant GM - A Bag of Tricks.pdf - ComStar Games - R5700

Ramsey “Tome Wyrm” Lundock

Instant GM

A Bag of Tricks

by Ramsey “Tome Wyrm” Lundock

Edited by Wayne Tonjes

Instant GM

A Bag of Tricks

by Ramsey “Tome Wyrm” Lundock

Edited by Wayne Tonjes

Contents

Introduction 1

1) Plot Seeds 1

Writing with Plot Seeds 1

Using Plot Seeds to Prepare for a Game 2

GMing with Plot Seeds 2

Example Plot Seeds 3

2) Stock Characters 7

Stock Character Library 7

3) Rakugo Props 15

Windbreaker 15

Baseball Cap 16

Pen 17

4) Conclusion 17

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Ramsey “Tome Wyrm” Lundock

Introduction

The players have to constantly adlib and adapt to

plot developments. If they become overwhelmed, it

is “in character” to stop and discuss the situation with

each other. The Game Master on the other hand has

no conidants. He is expected to react instantly to what

the players describe their characters doing.

The typical GM spends hours preparing before a game;

planning for everything the characters might try. But

no matter how much you prepare, the only sure bet is

that the players will think of something you didn’t. In

fact the more material you prepare, the more likely it

is that one of the players will latch on to an incidental

detail and take of in an unexpected direction faster

than you can say “Red Herring.”

Every Game Master has his own style. But all of them

need to be able to think on their feet. Improvising during

a game is easier if you are ready to step away from the

written game and go in the direction the players want

to try. Remember the player characters are the main

characters in the story you are telling. By deinition the

plot is what they do, not what you planned for them.

You want to gently guide the group ‘back on track’

without letting them realize that they ever deviated

from the script.

There are three techniques which can improve your

improvisation behind the GM screen: Plot Seeds, Stock

Characters, and Rakugo Props. (On a personal note:

Some of the best games I’ve ever run, I’ve shown up

at the table armed only with this bag of tricks and no

fore planning to get in the way.)

1) Plot Seeds

Plot seeds are generic plots, suitable for any genre. They’re

no more than a single sentence, often only a phrase, that sums up

the goal of the adventure and the type of obstacles separating

the heroes from that goal.

Plot seeds are helpful for writing, preparing for, or running

a game. They give you an easy way to remind yourself how the

adventure is supposed to develop. Keeping the Plot Seed in mind

while you write creates an adventure more consistent in tone and

pace. Behind the GM screen, the Plot Seed reminds you not only

what track to aim the players, but what are the appropriate ways to

guide them, so that they make the right decision on their own.

Writing with Plot Seeds

When writing with Plot Seeds, choose one you think

your group will enjoy. Next decide how it will work in

the genre in which your game is set. The Plot Seed “Kill

the Monster” probably means an alien-nasty in a SF

game, a bear, alligator, or big cat in a realistic modern

setting, and some form of ghoul or ghost for a horror

game.

Once you have this in place, think of reasons why the

characters would become involved in this type of plot.

This gives you a chance to customize to your group if

you know them very well: a rogue who would never

lift a inger to save a princess from the space pirates,

might leap into action if it’s his girlfriend or younger

sister who was taken to the secret asteroid base. Both

scenarios are still the Plot Seed of “Save the Princess.”

I cannot emphasis enough the importance of making

the Plot Seed relevant to the player characters. The

standard way to get the characters involved is to have

someone hire them. Since this one is practically fool

proof, it has been overused to the point of comedy.

You don’t have to write a generic plot. You know your

players and their characters. Think of someway to get

them involved. Even something as simple as having

one of the characters inherit a haunted house that

needs exorcising can make the players interested in

an otherwise “standard” adventure.

The next step is to determine what type of challenges

keeps the heroes from achieving their goal from the

onset. Do they have to hurry? investigate? ight? deceive?

This is another excellent opportunity to customize the

adventure to your group. If one of the characters is a

computer expert, throw him a computerized lock or

Instant GM: A Bag of Tricks

encrypted treasure map once or twice an adventure

to keep him interested and let him show of.

It is important to keep the encounters true to the

spirit of the Plot Seed. If the characters are trying to

uncover a smuggler operation, they won’t want to spend

much time with a shady merchant, who turns out to

know nothing except how to pass of defective goods.

An occasional red herring is ine, but if used too often,

the players will learn not to take encounters seriously

until near the end of the gaming session. Keeping

everything plot related will force your players to pay

attention.

action movie, don’t waste game time on it. If your

players are the type who after killing the evil wizard,

strip his lab of everything of value and go through his

laundry looking for loose change, you’re going to need

to develop your games in greater detail.

GMing with Plot Seeds

When behind the GM screen , keep the Plot Seed in

mind, and maybe even on a sticky note on the back of

the screen. Try not to let the adventure stray too far

from the Plot Seed. Unless the goal of the adventure

is to interview everyone in a city, once the characters

have learned the relevant information from members

of the populace, give them a reason to move on. If

the heroes do go of on a tangent, either rope them

back in, or better yet , have the tangent lead back to

the plot. This way your players think that you had a

detailed scenario planned, and that they worked their

way through it. They get a feeling of accomplishment,

and think you must be genius to have ‘anticipated’ their

moves.

Example: The characters are convinced the town

watchmaker is suspicious because he is constantly

cleaning his glasses (hmm? magic glasses?) Actually you

know the watchmaker is developing an eye stigmatism,

and so is trying to wipe away the spots he always sees.

Rather than let the players follow the watchmaker

around until they’re convinced he’s harmless, have

him be attacked by the vampire the party should be

looking for.

When adlibbing during a game, a Plot Seed gives

you an idea what kind of challenges it with the theme.

If a Plot Seed requires parley and political maneuvering,

throwing muggers and monsters at the characters when

they stray from the plot is not a good idea. Perhaps the

commoner they are wasting time with is actually the

mother of one of the domestic servants at the palace

and has heard some juicy morsels of gossip. Or if the

player characters insist on wandering back allies, have the

thug they encounter be part of a criminal organization

with political clout. He’ll still rob the heroes, but having

the stolen jewelry turn up in someone else’s possession,

could give the party insight into the underground

network.

Finally, the Plot Seed reminds you what climax the

adventure is building towards. You can adjust the pacing

of the game to make sure the characters reach it without

Using Plot Seeds to Prepare for a Game

If a plot springs fully formed into your mind, or you

are using a professional module, you’ll need to reverse

engineer the Plot Seed. Reduce the core concept to

as few words as possible. Use generic words, to help

simplify the idea further. When you get down to one

sentence or less, that could be used in any setting,

you’ve found the Plot Seed.

Example: The characters need to go to a neighboring

village and bring back a healer to help a sick friend.

The essential elements of this plot are that the

characters must travel, retrieve something and return

with it. Time is probably of the essence since a healer

is involved, so this plot simpliies to the Plot Seed: The

Race. The characters must move as quickly as possible.

Obstacles and encounters which slow the characters

will be the focus of the game. A broken wagon wheel

could be just as distressing as a bandit attack.

If speed is a secondary concern but for some reason

the healer is diicult to handle, or doesn’t want to come,

“The Delivery” would be a more appropriate Plot Seed.

If the primary diiculty is supposed to be dealing with

the peculiarities of the other town, the adventure might

become a “Quest.”

Once you have determined the seed of your plot,

consider each encounter, scene and character, and ask

“Does this it well with the Plot Seed?” If the answer is

`no , cut it or gloss over it. This encourages cinematic

play. It is safe to assume that an evil wizard must have

places to sleep, prepare food, and dispose of bodily

waste, but unless there is something interesting about

them, there’s no reason to develop or dwell on them.

Every GM must ind her own level of realism. My

rule of thumb is: if it wouldn’t get screen time in an

Ramsey “Tome Wyrm” Lundock

having large amounts of dénouement. When you reach

the climax make sure to convey the importance to your

players though your descriptions, mannerisms and

tone of voice.

They must track down leads and try to prevent any

plots of which they learn. Paranoia runs high in these

situations and the heroes might be manipulated into

unknowingly helping their enemies. The most eicient

way to deal with the situation may be to lay a trap for

the assailant.

Defend the Fort : This is another type of reactive

adventure. The characters are given a position to

protect. It could be a town, a derelict starship, or an

actual castle. Much of the adventure time is spent

planning for an attack. A map is usually necessary so

the players can identify weak points and try to bolster

them. Once the party is dug in, the climax is when the

enemy arrives. Usually the enemy comes en mass but

a few very powerful opponents such as dragons or

giants could also pose a threat to the fortiication. The

situation may be complicated with non-combatants

that the heroes need to protect.

Delivery : The party needs to get an object from

point A to point B, but for some reason either the area

between the start and inish is inhospitable, or the

delivery itself is diicult to handle. The terrain could be

badlands, or not very well mapped. The object could

be large and/or fragile requiring extra care. A common

variant is for the delivery to be alive. Delivering a cattle

rustler to trial or a not-quite-willing princess to charm

school can make an otherwise simple journey quite a

headache. The climax is not when the object is delivered,

it is actually when heroes overcome the largest obstacle.

(If the characters have fought of wolves and bandits

and jury-rigged gliders to ly across a chasm, don’t make

them deal with a washed out road just before the end.

It’s anticlimactic.)

Diplomacy : The player characters want something

and they have to negotiate for it. Regardless of whether

they want to make peace between warring star systems,

close a corporate deal, or one of them just wants a

date with the girl in the front row, they have to make

other people do what they want. Few people will give

something for nothing, and there might even be those

who want the same thing as player characters, or simply

don’t want the PCs to get it.

T hese are role-playing intensive adventures, with

little or no need for combat or even most skill checks.

Lies, manipulation, bribery, and limited violence can be

used, but there will be repercussions if the party doesn’t

cover their tracks well enough. On the other hand being

Example Plot Seeds

Here is a list of Plot Seeds for use in your campaign.

This isn’t an exhaustive list of all possible Plot Seeds.

You may think of some that aren’t covered here.

Body Snatchers : Through magic, brainwashing,

or cybernetic implants the villain takes control of a

large number of innocent people. The victims act semi-

normal, but are working to advance some diabolical

plot. What makes these adventures challenging is that

the heroes don’t know who they can trust. Authority

igures who have been compromised can legally make

the characters lives very diicult, and it is in the party’s

best interest not to hurt the people who have been

possessed. The climax occurs when the heroes confront

the mastermind, or as they try to administer the cure

(for example: putting trace amounts of copper into

the water supply to kill the neuro-parasites).

The Chase : The heroes are chasing something.

Usually whatever it is doesn’t want to be caught. The

heroes must track their prey, and try to gain ground

on it. Typical challenges include places where the trail

becomes hard follow, such as at crossroads or interstellar

dust clouds. Anything which slows the party down

such as border guards and mechanical failures must

also be dealt with quickly. The climax occurs when the

characters catch up to their quarry.

Chase Variant: Hot Potato : In this variant of the

Chase the heroes are after an object such as a crystal

statue of a falcon or a briefcase of national secrets.

They track down the person with the item only to ind

that it has already been lost/stolen/sold. This process

is repeated several times until the characters inally

catch up with their objective. Hot Potato can be an

extremely frustrating adventure if mishandled. Ideally

the heroes should never feel completely defeated, but

should be reduced to “if this last lead doesn’t turn up

anything we’re inished.”

Counter Ops : The heroes are spy catchers. They are

defending either a project or a person from covert attack.

Sabotage, assassination, and terrorism are common

plots to be foiled. Counter Ops adventures are reactive,

in that the characters never get to make the irst move.

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