[Runequest] List description

[Steve Davies]

I haven't taken it this far -- I think it encourages
bad behaviour, but almost anything can work in the
right hands.

My approach on "set scenes":  When I write them up I
usually identify one or more ways that they can be
solved (except for ones that intend to be stoppers).  

I then present the situation to the players and let
them figure out what they want to do.  I then evaluate
what happens based on their attempts -- sometimes what
one person is doing makes others' attempts more
difficult.  On the interesting encounters they almost
always come up with something I didn't think of.

I think there should also be mixed roleplay/gaming
approach:  On most roleplaying I tell the players that
if they roleplay, the worst that can happen (if they
mess up) is the challenge stays the same.  If they
roleplay well I will give them a bonus when they do
the skill roll.

E.g. a party is trying to talk its way around a city
guard that has caught them red-handed.  The players
can take a whack at talking their way out of it, and
depending on how well they do, I will give them a
bonus on their Fast Talk when they finally do roll for
their characters.

It seems to work for us.

Steve

--- Bruce Mason <mason.bruce at gmail.com> wrote:
<snip> 
> E.g. given some sort of scene - a truculent,
> animated door may provide PCs
> with important information. The GM figures it's a
> minor but difficult task
> so secretly assigns it a 3/2 rating. Players need 3
> successful skill rolls
> out of 5 to succeed at the encounter. Each player
> describes what they're
> doing and the GM assigns a skill roll. E.g. one
> player wishes to use World
> Lore to see if they have heard of speaking doors,
> another wants to use craft
> woodworking on the basis that perhaps he can repair
> some damage and so on.
> Seems like a neat idea at first glance and I'm
> wondering if others have
> tried formalising "scenes" in this way using RQ.

Steven D. Davies
PerfectJob Software
312.560.4577 mobile