The Adamantine Watchtower of Wishsong. : GUMSHOE -Trail of Clues vs Moving the Game On

GUMSHOE -Trail of Clues vs Moving the Game On

A few people have mentioned that having a predefined trail of clues might be a little restrictive. Here are a few ways you can use the investigative/interpersonal skills which don't necessarily lead along a trail of clues to a fixed solution. The basic idea is that you can think of a clue as a tiny adventure hook - perhaps a fish hook.

1. A fish hook doesn't have to lead closer to a solution - it just has to lead somewhere. It can lead to a red herring (sorry) or to trouble, or just take the PCs somewhere interesting where you can see what happens.

2. A clue doesn't have to be predefined. When a player is offering to spend points in an ability, what they are looking for is to overcome an obstacle and be offered something else which furthers their agenda. If you play this way and it's appropriate, offer them a lead in the form of a point-spend clue. Clues are a way for you to keep the momentum of the adventure going, and you should feel free to remind players of the leads they have missed. They should be encouraged to write down every clue that potentially takes them somewhere, and never give up until they have explored every possible lead.

3. There never has to be a solution, just something for the PCs to do next. They don't have to solve the mystery. The clues just give options.

4. Players can't tell the difference between core clues you make up and core clues you've written down before hand. Whilst GUMSHOE is especially well designed for creating pre-written mysteries, it doesn't have to be run that way. It works well for improvised games, too.

5. If you've prewritten an adventure and the PCs veer off, that's fine. If it's interesting, see where it takes you. If they seem to know where they are going and what they want to do, keep offering more leads. Eventually, if you want to get back to the beaten track, offer more clue bait to take them back to a pre-planned scene.

6. If you like games where the GM role is spread out a little (and GUMSHOE is not specifically designed for this), you can treat investigative spends by players as a chance for them to have narrative power, with the player offering up a suggestion, and the GM accepting it (and the player loses the points) or rejecting it (and the player doesn't). I haven't tried this, so I'd be interested in any feedback.

TRPG, GUMSHOE, RPG펌글

# by Wishsong | 2009/03/09 17:56 | RPG | 트랙백 | 덧글(0)

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