How to give Players their "Great Responsabilities"?

[Roy_The_Ruthles]

Re: How to give Players their "Great Responsabilities"?

 

I think this is a genre problem. You need to talk to the players about what genre you are playing. They seem to think it is a conspiracy/horror genre (which I can see, since they are the only supers because of some tampering on them 20 years ago by some mystery organization). There is also the astronomical event but they might be focused more on the "someone messed around with us and we need to not be found and made lab subjects again" aspect of their back story.

 

When you suggested this game, how did you pitch it? Did you make it clear that they were supposed to be heroic? Suggest they take psych disads related to being heroic. I feel this is probably just a huge disconnect where they are playing an urban fantasy instead of champions.

 

Also, I want to say I would avoid using in game actions to fix this, it will only reinforce the paranoia, while an out of game solution should cut it off at the source. I also really hate the kitchen timer idea and advise against it. I played in a timed game exactly once, and will never do so again. That's a easy way to get an adversarial effect. Remember PCs are penalized time when the GM explains things, goes over rules, uses the bathroom etc. That can make it easy to feel like the GM is purposefully running down the clock.

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: How to give Players their "Great Responsabilities"?

 

mmmhhh it's not they play amoral thugs

is like they are too much paranoid and less prone to go in the adventure;

they act very realistic, in doing this, but really no much help for GM :\

 

"

 

Okay, I said "amoral thugs" just as an extreme example. Really the point it that they are supposed to be playing heroes, so whatever other idiosyncrasies the characters may have they need to be heroes first and foremost.

 

One problem you might be facing is one unique to storytelling. You say the players act realistically, but consider that you are their only window into the world you have created. This very often means that anything you say or mention is somehow important and so no matter how you describe stuff red flags are always going up for them, because you wouldn't mention it if it didn't have some significance. In real life you encounter thousands of tidbits of info every day, most of which fades into the background because it isn't all that important. In a role-playing game you can't go into all that detail or you would spend the whole time describing the colors of passing cars and what direction the breeze was blowing and whatnot. It is tricky to give enough detail to camoflage the vital details in the description of the scene without confusing and boring players with insignificant minutia.

[dmjalund]

Re: How to give Players their "Great Responsabilities"?

 

If they call the cops, and they leave it for the cops, just have the cops come out worse off (perhaps terminally)

[Peregrine]

Re: How to give Players their "Great Responsabilities"?

 

Okay, I said "amoral thugs" just as an extreme example. Really the point it that they are supposed to be playing heroes, so whatever other idiosyncrasies the characters may have they need to be heroes first and foremost.

 

One problem you might be facing is one unique to storytelling. You say the players act realistically, but consider that you are their only window into the world you have created. This very often means that anything you say or mention is somehow important and so no matter how you describe stuff red flags are always going up for them, because you wouldn't mention it if it didn't have some significance. In real life you encounter thousands of tidbits of info every day, most of which fades into the background because it isn't all that important. In a role-playing game you can't go into all that detail or you would spend the whole time describing the colors of passing cars and what direction the breeze was blowing and whatnot. It is tricky to give enough detail to camoflage the vital details in the description of the scene without confusing and boring players with insignificant minutia.

 

Tricky enough that I would recommend not bothering all that often. And keep this in mind: as a storytelling medium, RPGs are a thing unto themselves. If you try to tell a story via an RPG as if it were some other medium, you will fail far more often than you will succeed (anecdotal exceptions to the contrary notwithstanding). [/tangent]

[Utech]

Re: How to give Players their "Great Responsabilities"?

 

Don't forget the power of positive reinforcement. It may help a great deal to have NPCs thank the PCs profusely for even the smallest amount of help. It feels good to be thanked, have people want your autograph, have newspaper reporters snap a flattering picture and write up a glowing piece about what a good person you are. So give your players those things. Then raise NPC expectations a little. If the players want their PCs to continue to be considered wonderful people, they'll have to act more and more as though they are. And eventually . . . they will be.

[Dr Divago]

Re: How to give Players their "Great Responsabilities"?

 

And keep this in mind: as a storytelling medium' date=' RPGs are a thing unto themselves. If you try to tell a story via an RPG as if it were some other medium, you will fail far more often than you will succeed (anecdotal exceptions to the contrary notwithstanding).[/quote']Oh yea yeah

i know the problem of railroading; and this is not what i'm trying to

my main concern is never the story, i create it just to make things more "live"; i focus on fun and characthers

 

problem is someone act more heroic, someone less, and someone act too much individualistic; and this one bring to some... unhappiness... to some player.

This is the problem

[Dr Divago]

Re: How to give Players their "Great Responsabilities"?

 

I think this is a genre problem.

[snip and snap]

When you suggested this game, how did you pitch it? Did you make it clear that they were supposed to be heroic? Suggest they take psych disads related to being heroic. I feel this is probably just a huge disconnect where they are playing an urban fantasy instead of champions.

It was clear since start they will be superheroes

the initial hint was "like Heroes, but better". This was bringing a little... misunderstanding... 'cause someone thought on something more like a "modern day cyberpunk wiith super power instead cybernetics" but we all talked about it and decided for a "low level superpower"...

maybe someone still thinking about cospiracy and mad scientist and like... :\

 

Also, I want to say I would avoid using in game actions to fix this, it will only reinforce the paranoia, while an out of game solution should cut it off at the source. I also really hate the kitchen timer idea and advise against it. I played in a timed game exactly once, and will never do so again. That's a easy way to get an adversarial effect. Remember PCs are penalized time when the GM explains things, goes over rules, uses the bathroom etc. That can make it easy to feel like the GM is purposefully running down the clock.

"kitchen timer" is meant to be metaphorical

just to put in the "you need to rush and don't waste time" thing...

[kahuna's bro]

Re: How to give Players their "Great Responsabilities"?

 

i just thpought of something do your players equate low powered champions with DARK CHAMPIONS that could be wy they don't act like 4 color heroes

[bigbywolfe]

Re: How to give Players their "Great Responsabilities"?

 

"kitchen timer" is meant to be metaphorical

just to put in the "you need to rush and don't waste time" thing...

Um, no it isn't. Someone up thread actually suggested using a kitchen timer or some other such device, which is the post Roy was directly responding too...

[Dr Divago]

Re: How to give Players their "Great Responsabilities"?

 

Um, no it isn't. Someone up thread actually suggested using a kitchen timer or some other such device, which is the post Roy was directly responding too...

ok

_for me_ is meant metaphorical, even 'cause i'm the one who lose time the most

 

(sorry for bad quoting, Chrome does'nt quote right...)

[kahuna's bro]

Re: How to give Players their "Great Responsabilities"?

 

could the real world tenet of" leave police work to the police" be coloring the PCS perceptions of the game,and whats expected of them?