Ideas for the Sci Fi adventure at hand...
Right, so...
Just a few things I've thought of and used in the past to make things better for everyone, just putting them out there to be considered.
1- Don't Play Every Bloody Week. I once DM'd a D&D campaign that went 2.5 years straight. We found that every other week worked best, with very long and enjoyable sessions. On the weeks between, we'd just sit and talk about how the game was going, or just enjoy each other's company, and it made us a stronger group as a result. I got to hear their thoughts as a DM, get to know their personalities, and they got to hear my perspective as to why I did/do things the way I did, and it simply made it a better thing overall. I think we should consider this. We're all busy in RL, we're all human beings. Perhaps consider playing every other week, or two on, one off. Whatever works and helps people to feel relaxed, and feel the real point of it all: good fun, good times, good memories. Another booster to this: we did not have absenses so much. When people could take the occasional game night off with family, friends, whatever, it made them more inclined to show up on the regular times, and they did not feel 'locked in' to that same thing on the same night every week.
2- Push Pause. Every once in a while, it's a damned fine idea, when things look like they are fraying out, pause the whole damned thing, hehe. You can. Stop the cut before it becomes a bloody lost limb. Perhaps have a channel that every single player in the theater is in, and have an overriding ability for one or several people to just type '<
>' or something the like, and we take a break. To relax during tense moments, resolve things between people, or to just give the DM a moment to tell everyone 'we need to get directed back THIS way'. There's no reason why we can't.
3- Emergency Fill-In Plot. Every once in a while, you have a situation where not enough people show, or sometimes the players just don't want to continue with the ongoing story that particular night. So, you create a plot you can drop in every once in a while. Usually, a nemisis. The party could be about to board a ship as part of the ongoing story, and suddenly a drop pod lands, and out pops some collossal enemy bot, or a huge alien that is a persistant threat to the party, and they spend a rather enjoyable session fighting him off, getting their butts kicked by him, whatever. A feasible, re-usable, insertable plot, or *collection* of such, so you never have to worry about the fun factor. There's always an alternative. Now imagine: the Rangers come to deliver the Aurean alien to the space station, and things start not going well. Players are getting perterbed for one reason or another, and suddenly, BLAM! Some great biomass impacts on the deck of the space station, out pops a singular or maybe a few horrific-looking huge aliens that start immediately charging at all the fleshy things present, and the Rangers and the bad guys end up in a huge, fun firefight/conflict- not against each other, but against the drop-in alien threat. A handful of unhappy players now have to join together to fight a bigger, badder threat, or risk elimination, and the regular plot resumes full force on another night, likely in a much friendlier manner. This has worked for me on many occassions. Furthermore, with the number of brilliant and creative minds involved (such as we currently have), some *incredible* nemisis/bad guy threats could be created, and enjoyed completely. I know if I were a scriptor/programmer, I'd simply love the chance to create something like this!
4- Have Drama Nights. Have nights where the characters get to explore their own quirks/goals/happening, and just generally interact with each other. Of course these things will happen along the way, but often when they occur during regular play, they are 'seeds', so to speak. Seeds that can be used later for the 'drama nights', where the characters simply react to (or explore further), their characters' issues. This requires very little of the GM, except to kind of guide it along so that everyone can be involved. I.E.- The Captain sits brooding and suddenly the XO decides to ask why she wears that bloody visor all the time. This is one of the Captain's character flaws, a deep-rooted one, and suddenly, conflict is fired up between the XO and the Captain. It starts to go on for a bit until the Magistrate steps aboard needing something and notices, puts an end to it. The XO storms off and starts gossiping with a battle buddy. The Captain winds up in her quarters with her personal assistant who is also her confidant. The ship's janitor and another crew member try to figure out what all the upset is about. On and on and on, interrupted or guided along as the DM/GM sees fit. Fun is had by all in the name of character development. The reason I had designated nights for this? Sometimes as a DM I was just all-in, tired, or maybe I needed time. Or a break. More often than not, it was not even remotely about the DM. I could just sense the players were not for what I was intending to put them through on that particular night, so I dropped in the drama night. Sometimes we were short people, and I did not want to drop a nemisis in because combat seemed not the flavor of the evening. Whatever the case, drama nights were fun, and useful. Sometimes the players would outright ask for it. Splendid. No problem.
5- Player's Accountability. This is at least as important as the DM/GM in the long run, in my opinion. Every player that wishes to be involved in the fun within the adventure needs to think of how their actions (or reactions) are going to effect the overall fun of the group. One bad/fussy/impatient/intolerable/selfish/whatever player can put a lingering dread into a campaign or RP group. If you offer this mentality to your players right off the bat, they 'get it'. Those that don't, quite honestly, need to go (if they refuse to 'get it'). We've all heard the term 'one bad apple can ruin it for everybody'. Well, in forging a long-term campaign, you're making a PIE with these apples for heaven's sake! That flavor's going to run through. Players need to assume responsibility for the fun of their game as well, not just lump everything over on the GM/DM. Players that accept that the game isn't simply about them alone and their character and their fun, wind up being part of something truly wonderful. And I'll be honest, there were nights that I, as a DM/GM was just not with it, and the heartfelt desire of the players to see everyone have fun would pick up the ball where I bloody well dropped it. This kind of chemistry also fuels the desire for other players to DM/GM on occassion, and allow the DM/GM a chance to actually play (even if it's just sometimes). This is nice for the DM/GM because nobody every becomes a good leader, without learning to be a good follower first. Just as the GM/DM feels a kind of 'responsibility' to ensure fun for their group, the group needs to be thinking this for their GM/DM. That gets forgotten. It shouldn't.
Well, if you've read this far, I thank you. I've the tendancy to be excessively wordy, I know, but I'm grateful if everyone reading this actually considered any of it. I never think I have all the answers, but I'm hoping I provided possibly some. No roleplaying group should ever be about all seriousness and rules and guidlines, but without some agreed-upon conditions, things seem to just not go very well. I do hope I've thrown out something in the above that helps, thank you for hearing me out.
*bows gracefully and classically, smiles warmly to you, and thanks you again*
-Captain/Girl/Miss/GM/DM/ Whatever,
Lesanne Straaf
Just a few things I've thought of and used in the past to make things better for everyone, just putting them out there to be considered.
1- Don't Play Every Bloody Week. I once DM'd a D&D campaign that went 2.5 years straight. We found that every other week worked best, with very long and enjoyable sessions. On the weeks between, we'd just sit and talk about how the game was going, or just enjoy each other's company, and it made us a stronger group as a result. I got to hear their thoughts as a DM, get to know their personalities, and they got to hear my perspective as to why I did/do things the way I did, and it simply made it a better thing overall. I think we should consider this. We're all busy in RL, we're all human beings. Perhaps consider playing every other week, or two on, one off. Whatever works and helps people to feel relaxed, and feel the real point of it all: good fun, good times, good memories. Another booster to this: we did not have absenses so much. When people could take the occasional game night off with family, friends, whatever, it made them more inclined to show up on the regular times, and they did not feel 'locked in' to that same thing on the same night every week.
2- Push Pause. Every once in a while, it's a damned fine idea, when things look like they are fraying out, pause the whole damned thing, hehe. You can. Stop the cut before it becomes a bloody lost limb. Perhaps have a channel that every single player in the theater is in, and have an overriding ability for one or several people to just type '<
>' or something the like, and we take a break. To relax during tense moments, resolve things between people, or to just give the DM a moment to tell everyone 'we need to get directed back THIS way'. There's no reason why we can't.
3- Emergency Fill-In Plot. Every once in a while, you have a situation where not enough people show, or sometimes the players just don't want to continue with the ongoing story that particular night. So, you create a plot you can drop in every once in a while. Usually, a nemisis. The party could be about to board a ship as part of the ongoing story, and suddenly a drop pod lands, and out pops some collossal enemy bot, or a huge alien that is a persistant threat to the party, and they spend a rather enjoyable session fighting him off, getting their butts kicked by him, whatever. A feasible, re-usable, insertable plot, or *collection* of such, so you never have to worry about the fun factor. There's always an alternative. Now imagine: the Rangers come to deliver the Aurean alien to the space station, and things start not going well. Players are getting perterbed for one reason or another, and suddenly, BLAM! Some great biomass impacts on the deck of the space station, out pops a singular or maybe a few horrific-looking huge aliens that start immediately charging at all the fleshy things present, and the Rangers and the bad guys end up in a huge, fun firefight/conflict- not against each other, but against the drop-in alien threat. A handful of unhappy players now have to join together to fight a bigger, badder threat, or risk elimination, and the regular plot resumes full force on another night, likely in a much friendlier manner. This has worked for me on many occassions. Furthermore, with the number of brilliant and creative minds involved (such as we currently have), some *incredible* nemisis/bad guy threats could be created, and enjoyed completely. I know if I were a scriptor/programmer, I'd simply love the chance to create something like this!
4- Have Drama Nights. Have nights where the characters get to explore their own quirks/goals/happening, and just generally interact with each other. Of course these things will happen along the way, but often when they occur during regular play, they are 'seeds', so to speak. Seeds that can be used later for the 'drama nights', where the characters simply react to (or explore further), their characters' issues. This requires very little of the GM, except to kind of guide it along so that everyone can be involved. I.E.- The Captain sits brooding and suddenly the XO decides to ask why she wears that bloody visor all the time. This is one of the Captain's character flaws, a deep-rooted one, and suddenly, conflict is fired up between the XO and the Captain. It starts to go on for a bit until the Magistrate steps aboard needing something and notices, puts an end to it. The XO storms off and starts gossiping with a battle buddy. The Captain winds up in her quarters with her personal assistant who is also her confidant. The ship's janitor and another crew member try to figure out what all the upset is about. On and on and on, interrupted or guided along as the DM/GM sees fit. Fun is had by all in the name of character development. The reason I had designated nights for this? Sometimes as a DM I was just all-in, tired, or maybe I needed time. Or a break. More often than not, it was not even remotely about the DM. I could just sense the players were not for what I was intending to put them through on that particular night, so I dropped in the drama night. Sometimes we were short people, and I did not want to drop a nemisis in because combat seemed not the flavor of the evening. Whatever the case, drama nights were fun, and useful. Sometimes the players would outright ask for it. Splendid. No problem.
5- Player's Accountability. This is at least as important as the DM/GM in the long run, in my opinion. Every player that wishes to be involved in the fun within the adventure needs to think of how their actions (or reactions) are going to effect the overall fun of the group. One bad/fussy/impatient/intolerable/selfish/whatever player can put a lingering dread into a campaign or RP group. If you offer this mentality to your players right off the bat, they 'get it'. Those that don't, quite honestly, need to go (if they refuse to 'get it'). We've all heard the term 'one bad apple can ruin it for everybody'. Well, in forging a long-term campaign, you're making a PIE with these apples for heaven's sake! That flavor's going to run through. Players need to assume responsibility for the fun of their game as well, not just lump everything over on the GM/DM. Players that accept that the game isn't simply about them alone and their character and their fun, wind up being part of something truly wonderful. And I'll be honest, there were nights that I, as a DM/GM was just not with it, and the heartfelt desire of the players to see everyone have fun would pick up the ball where I bloody well dropped it. This kind of chemistry also fuels the desire for other players to DM/GM on occassion, and allow the DM/GM a chance to actually play (even if it's just sometimes). This is nice for the DM/GM because nobody every becomes a good leader, without learning to be a good follower first. Just as the GM/DM feels a kind of 'responsibility' to ensure fun for their group, the group needs to be thinking this for their GM/DM. That gets forgotten. It shouldn't.
Well, if you've read this far, I thank you. I've the tendancy to be excessively wordy, I know, but I'm grateful if everyone reading this actually considered any of it. I never think I have all the answers, but I'm hoping I provided possibly some. No roleplaying group should ever be about all seriousness and rules and guidlines, but without some agreed-upon conditions, things seem to just not go very well. I do hope I've thrown out something in the above that helps, thank you for hearing me out.
*bows gracefully and classically, smiles warmly to you, and thanks you again*
-Captain/Girl/Miss/GM/DM/ Whatever,
Lesanne Straaf