Putting the Magic Back in the Game – 2 of 3

 

Like a magician's trick, a good gaming session is all about creating a shared experience that leaves the audience mystified – it challenges preconceptions, overturns expectations, and reinforces faith. But tricks don't work if they are hidden. Making a rabbit appear from a hat only works if you show the empty hat at the beginning. At the end of the trick you need to show the rabbit too. One trick means showing the audience two points in time. Magic is the inability of the audience to connect what is shown with what is hidden.

I believe it is the job of the GM to surprise the players with what they want. Create the kind of experience that they are looking for, use your GM magic to save them from themselves in times of despair, allow them to control the direction and flow of your game – do these things and you will not diminish the world you have created, but will enhance it. Don't try to control how they respond to the story. Respond to their response.

Behind the GM's screen - Putting the Magic back in the Game

In the first part of the series we began to look at the role of the GM and the mechanism of the gaming screen. The screen, like the curtain in the Wizard of Oz, holds the power of the GM. The screen preserves secret rules and allows the GM to manipulate the outcome of the game.

My theory is that in order to sustain a long and interesting campaign the successful GM will not let the screen separate them from the players. A good GM's screen is not an impervious wall – like a novice GM is apt to make – but a magician's cloak that reveals both truth and mystification. A magician's trick always appears to be spontaneous, but is actually the result of preparation and study.

So that is where we left off. I espoused my views on what makes good preparation for a gaming session. Game table transparency can't happen without preparation; otherwise, you reveal inaccuracies, problems, and inconsistencies. So if you struggle with Part II – go back to Part I and do some more work. The section that follows is all about how to cheat and play fair at the same time. It is an art, and, like all good art, is about a problem. It is my GM's pledge to always seem more fair and open than any GM they have ever played with and to never get caught cheating.

Part II – Transparency and Obfuscation

The players must feel that they are in control of the environment around them and that their actions and dice rolls determine the fate of their characters. Too often the GM's screen is used to cloak the manipulation of events. Most players can do basic math and will so recognize when the laws of probability are turned on their head to suit the whim of a decadently controlling GM. They will recognize when they are being steered towards a solution because the GM has only one interesting scenario mapped out. If you have done your job in preparing the world for play then you are ready to enhance the gaming experience by putting the players in charge of the events – you are only in charge of the rules.

Pre-game Dialogue

Before you begin the game, explain to the players that they are in a world where they need to participate. Find out the kinds of things that they like to do and make suggestions for adventure. If they express interest in treasure and power, make a couple of suggestions out of game as to what their characters may choose to do. Opening this dialogue will increase your credibility with the players.

As some players may be used to an adversarial relationship with the GM it is important to instil this concept in prospective players. I had the frustration of GM'ing for a "gun shy" player who was so afraid of doing something wrong that his character would hide from everything, run from everything, and avoid everything. This warrior would hide in the bushes if he saw travellers on the road, or villagers on the street. He was expecting that I would bombard him with the adventure and he was entirely defensive in his style of play.

The pre-game dialogue works well with players who you have played with for a long time too. I still ask the players in my 20-year campaign where they are planning to go and what they are planning to do next. It gives me the opportunity to prepare. Sometimes they will have surprises for me – as they may conference call before a session to prepare a clever plan or work something through, but they know that I like to have things ready. There is, of course, another reason. This dialogue helps them to feel like they are in complete control.

If you have characters, clues, and locations ready you get to put them wherever you want the first time. This power of first placement is the hidden prerogative of the GM's screen. In essence you are subtly encouraging them to go to unexplored areas – areas where you can place your characters and locations to the best advantage of the story (all the while making the players feel more in control). It is a win-win scenario.

The Open Dice Roll

Don't try to control the dice. Your story should be well enough put together to handle the unforeseen. The threat of death to characters should be palpable. When lives hang in the balance, stop and look up at the players. In a sombre GM voice let them know that this spell/event/attack could finish the target player's character off. Calculate the odds carefully, announce the threshold result required and roll the dice in open view.

Win, lose, or draw these events solidify the players faith in the integrity of the game. The laws of averages tell you that life and death rolls will eventually catch up with the players. Sure, wiping out some characters in a pick up game of your favourite RPG isn't going to ruin the fun of the evening. However, you can't sustain a long term campaign with a 5% mortality rate per session. At this rate the story and character development is jeopardized by your "realism."

One of the tricks of a good GM is to make the players believe that they have rolled more of these than they have. The characters legitimately feel like they have cheated death in many situations – not because of GM intervention, but because of fate and good play. Here is where the clever art of deception comes in.

Depending on the kind of game that you are running, you may wish to plan escape routes. If you want to be able to scare the players, but don't want a procession of characters to the Halls of Valhalla, put some preparation into creative escapes. A note here – I don't play with Raise Dead/Resurrection abilities as I feel that they take away from the game (another topic though).

Here's what I mean: have the character come across a single-use item of magic that is all but useless, say a magical broach of protection from feathers. Whatever player ends up with this trinket you mark carefully. After many gaming sessions and many years you should have a couple of aces for every character – really stupid and improbable defences or exceptions that will certainly be forgotten by the players on a day-to-day basis.

When it comes time for the coup de grace roll in the life or death situation, make sure that you set up the out. "The mighty chieftain spins around with his war-spear and cries a mighty battle cry to Aarok of the sky. His face a half-mockery of man and bird as he plunges his bird-spear into [your character's] chest."

Then you turn to the open dice roll to determine if the character lives or "dies". If the result is death, be immediate in announcing that the mighty war-spear of the chieftain – a strangely fashioned weapon – pierces the chest of the character and that the character of 10 years of play has been unequivocally killed. The group will be silent, and after a few moments of reflection you know that one of the players in the group may ask the inevitable question "what is it made of?" If they don't, continue to resolve the battle as normal. Organically, and in stages let the revelation occur that the spear is made from the feathers of a Roc or giant eagle and let the winds blow where they may. You now have many options. The players could call you on the construction of the weapon and declare that the character is immune to the blow –trumping your determination and giving the players no end of satisfaction. The rest of the party could be defeated and taken captive in an "impossible" situation where the "dead" character could remarkably recover to save them. Whatever the outcome – you have planted an ace in the hole and can heighten the gaming experience through manipulation of a situation that on the surface appears beyond prejudice.

I am anxious in sharing this trick of the trade as I know that it could be horribly over-used and abused. Characters should play the game and the dice should be left to their job in many cases. After a few years of experience a GM should be able to bend the story where appropriate. Like any magician's trick it takes slight of hand and practice to execute. Doing this kind of thing poorly will quickly ruin your campaign.

Constant Target

Many GM's will hide too much information from their players. I feel that it is better to give them information on the game mechanic as soon as it is needed. As soon as players attack one of my monsters I tell them the Armor Class and I announce saving throws that are required before hand. I assume that many people do the same thing and include this tip not as something original, but to espouse a consistent approach to game table transparency.

Open Table Riddles

If your preparation is done correctly then you will be able to lay the answer to a riddle or a puzzle upside-down on the table in front of the players. When they take action to solve the riddle, or do so, have them flip over the card. This also works for any kind of multiple path scenario. Don't have certain doom as the result behind many options because players will always make choices that seem strange to the GM.

If I have to tell you how you can manipulate this kind of methodology, then you weren't paying attention during the section on open dice rolls, aren't a good student of human behaviour, and shouldn't be trying to manipulate these events until you improve.

Handouts

Handouts are a useful tool in the game transparency toolbox. It gives the players a document that can confirm the legitimacy of a solution or idea. As a GM you should be able to hide enough ambiguous information within a handout that whatever action the players take you can reveal something that will decode part of the handout to predict that eventuality. Because they only ever decode part of the handout they will never realize that all scenarios were ambiguously predicted by the same handout – and what looks like fore-knowledge is an age old gypsy trick.

Tricks aside, the sheer act of giving a handout implies that you don't need to hide your plot from the players. It gives the sense that your story is accessible with their diligence – and it should be, but the secret of a great game is that the story is a much the player's as it is yours.

The Post Mortem

After a gaming session take time to re-hash what happened and find out what resonated with the players. Review the events of the gaming session and take notes for next time. As you talk about the gaming sessions, prior session will come up as well. This gives you the opportunity to put a slant on the actions and motivations of key players to re-interpret what happened with new direction and insight. What appears to be a transparent re-telling of past deeds is an opportunity for the conniving GM to go back and re-engineer the story to prepare for upcoming events or provide perspective on current events.

The Tell-back

The tell-back is the in-game version of the Post Mortem that allows you to re-tell the deeds of the characters. Players love hearing about their actions and the effects they have had on the people of the land. Again, you can re-interpret the past with present knowledge. Within a session or two the players have accepted that a concept that was first introduced in your campaign two weeks ago has been a theme for the last four years. The human mind is surprisingly ill-equipped to perceive time correctly. That is why we talk about time in spatial terms – length and distance. Telling someone that they are going to die in two weeks or two years elicits the same response. Understand this weakness of the players and exploit it.


Like a magician's trick, a good gaming session is all about creating a shared experience that leaves the audience mystified – it challenges preconceptions, overturns expectations, and reinforces faith. But tricks don't work if they are hidden. Making a rabbit appear from a hat only works if you show the empty hat at the beginning. At the end of the trick you need to show the rabbit too. One trick means showing the audience two points in time. Magic is the inability of the audience to connect what is shown with what is hidden.

I believe it is the job of the GM to surprise the players with what they want. Create the kind of experience that they are looking for, use your GM magic to save them from themselves in times of despair, allow them to control the direction and flow of your game – do these things and you will not diminish the world you have created, but will enhance it. Don't try to control how they respond to the story. Respond to their response.

In the last part of the series I would like to examine the structure of the story that is told and how to avoid the clichés of fantasy while drawing on the rich archetypes. At times I feel that these articles are too vague to be useful in providing insight and I hope that the concepts are not too wrapped up in metaphor to be usable.

A useful article. I have seldom used a screennad always made my rolls in the open. I tend to sit on the floor when running games becasue a table never seems large enough and a result of that is a screen doesnt hide anything. I don't run a lot of dungeon delving, so the huge elaborate map isn't really needed, and the plot is the key.

I do think an example of the tremendously ambigious handout would have been useful.

Whut

Great article, Gil.

I'll try and take these lessons to heart.
I do have maps that need to be hidden from the players, but the screen blocks my view of the table (which is, as Whutaguy said, always too small) hence causing some of my rolls to be behind the screen.

Thanks. Personally, I wouldn't want to have to make too many rolls in front of the screen as I there is a sense of mystery in the hidden clatter of dice. To keep things moving I will often use simplified dice rolls that are less accurate but far less distracting. As Whataguy says, the story is key. I don't want to get bogged down in dice and lose the descriptive flow. A GM should be consistent enough to be able to make all of their rolls in the open (as per Whataguy). If you do though, clever players will dissect the meta-game and watch the dice for clues. For instance, when players are searching for something and they see the GM roll poorly they may continue to search. Using the hidden knowledge that belonged behind the screen the players are drawn out of the story and into the world of the dice. My opinion is that rolling everything in the open is too distracting and too revealing.

It comes down to style I guess -- especially during a narrative segment where characters are exploring or negotiating, a couple of hidden dice rolls are actually able to heighten the tension.

I don't know if other games do this, but in Epic Fantasy Roleplaying adversarial rolls take a challenge format. I roll two dice on an attack and you roll two dice on a defence. As a GM/Storyteller I can reveal the level of difficulty of the attack without revealling the power of the foe. It functions as an "open" roll because the defence is in the players hand. In fact the determining roll could always be put in the hands of the player by rolling/revealling NPC defences first.

Epic Fantasy also removes dice from the sequencing of action which cuts down on unecessary rolls. Some of the challenges that I have in other games (most often D&D) are solved by Epic's structure. Most of what I wrote in these two articles is based on my experiences with D&D but should pertain in some way to other systems like GURPS, Warhammer, HARP, etc.

Gilgamesh posted:

If you do though, clever players will dissect the meta-game and watch the dice for clues. For instance, when players are searching for something and they see the GM roll poorly they may continue to search.

I usually let the players make theyre own rolls, but don't always reveal target numbers or penalties, and don't always reveal what I'm rolling for.

Example a party of kobolds is sneaking up on the party in their camp. I roll for the kobolds to sneak and note their margin of success. I have each guard shift roll verses perception and tell me their margin of success for hearing and for sight. Because everyone rolls, theres no "I take this special action" for the shift unles the people on the shift hear/see something. The ranger may have made his roll by 15, but if the attack isnt his shift, its moot.

This also refers a bit to the shodowrant topic of maturity. f the players want to KNOW the stats of the bad guys, they can get them. (I game with mostly engineers and other science types, they'll find their answers). But in large part, they don't care, beyond how much damage was inflicted this round.

Whut

Myself, I roll everything NPC or monster related behind my screen to keep the suspense high. I have my players character sheets in Excel on my laptop, and so when it's time for a passive Listen or Spot roll (or anything else that can be used passively) I just ask them to make a d20 roll and add their modifiers for them on my side so they never really know what kind of roll they are making unless they are actively attempting something.

To make it more interesting, I ask for d20 rolls and make lots of rolls of my own that mean absolutely nothing at all. I would say that only about 50-60% of dice rolled at the table are actually for something. This way no one ever really knows what's going on outside their line of sight as it were, and my players have gotten so used to this over time that they've stopped wondering about metagame issues and just lose themselves in the character. I've been blessed with actors-turned-roleplayers though, so it's never really been an issue anyways.

Great article! I like where this series is going.

Thanks for the feedback.

All of us are going to have our own styles and ways of running a game. My feeling is that you will have a better game the more you are able to vary your style. This usually means stepping outside what is natural and comfortable - a well practiced paradigm - into something that suits the situation. I suspect that the GM's here value their ability to march their players through the gamut of human experience, humour, tragedy, despair, joy, frustration, exultation, relief etc. I think that these task can be enhanced by changing your toolkit and method of approach.

My humble suggestion is that those who make open rolls a habit take a page from Scott Free's book and use false rolls (rolling the dice for no reason -- don't cheat) and hidden rolls. While those who keep everything behind the screen follow Whataguy's example on occasion and step in front of the screen, sit down, and conduct a session.

Vary your method of combat with the situation. I believe that a good GM will be able to run a battle anywhere on the scale between an entirely narrative session and a detailed wargaming style with figures, counters, facing rules, and morale. In a single session if they are involved in more than one combat encounter you can change it up slightly. For the D&D types that can include rule variations like group initiative, single initiative, and no initiative. Varying the rules that you play with could be confusing for beginner players, but most of the people here seem to have some long-cultivated players.

I guess my theory is to take some time to pick up different styles. I haven't done that in a while as I haven't been to a gaming convention in over 15 years. Playing with different people in short sessions allows you to see some varied approaches. Hmmm ... I think that would be a good opportunity to hone my skills and keep them fresh.

What do you guys think of the quality of the games at conventions nowadays? Is there a high level of game table management out there? Has anyone been to one recently?

You know what, I've never actually been to a single convention. Never really been my cup of tea. Are they really as much fun as some people say?

I prefer convention gaming in general, to my (semi)regular group for the following reasons:

1) Referring to Knight of the Dinner Table, you don't get the same people playing the same characters. Variety stretches the imagination.

2) Shorter and limited game sessions. After about 4 hours, I need to stretch and change topics. My attention span isn't what it was in High School and I don't care for the marathon events, anymore.

3) Genre Variety. In the course of a weekend, I can play fantasy, horror, space, supers, and espionage games, or of course, I can play all the same, but its more of a resturant than a soup kitchen.

4) Mechanics. I am a fan of game mechanics. I like to see how different game systems work and what they are good for and what they aren't suited for. Frex, I played Mutants and Masterminds at a con this past weekend and found that d20 play is well suited for that variant. Gurps is not well suited to that genre. I can play it wothout buying it. Also it allows play without learning the character generation rules (generally).

5) Networking. I get to meet people. Sometimes famous, sometimes infamous, and some who put the eek in freak, but new people. Related to Clamar's Shadowrant, a chance to meet different and different styles of gamers.

6) No TV. The mother of all distractions is not there. Nor is the Playstation or Xbox or WoW or whatever screws up your gaming.

7) Vendors (Exhibitors) room. I can see what other stores have besides my FLGS. Also the gmae related retailers have some interesting things that just can't be found in stores. I know the same stuff is on-line, but I like to see/touch/etc. products Im considering dumping money into. Also many companies have free demonstrations of their games to pique my interest in their board and RPG roducts.

8) Competition. Most cons have prizes for best players (usually by peer decision) for each game. Sure it's an ego thing, but it's noce to be respected by your fellows.

9) Trial. I can test drive campaigns to see if it's as interesting as I think it is by offereing a one shot.

10) Convenient one-shot. If a GM has an idea for a campaign, but not really more than one adventure in a setting, this is the place for it.

11) Profit. If you adore a game or a company, you may be able to become one of their volunteer promoters. Steve Jackson has Men in Black, Warhammer has Outriders, Fantasy Flight has Flight Crew, and Cheapass has DemoMonkeys. There are many others, but you get the point. The upside of this labor of love, is discout or free product.

I hope this helps.
Whut

Submitted by Scott Free on Thu, 2006-11-23 11:16.
You know what, I've never actually been to a single convention. Never really been my cup of tea. Are they really as much fun as some people say?

Okay, so what are the best Cons? Do Universities still have gaming clubs?

In the US, you really cant beat Origins, or GenCon (Indy or SoCal) for volume of options.

That said, I would actually recommend local cons. They are cheaper, usually closer, you're more likely to meet people you might meet again, and the dealer room can be thoroughly in well under a day. Many colleges and Universities still have gaming clubs and some localities have them (Detroit Metro Gamers and Rochester/Oakland Boardgamers Assn around these parts). Not all have Cons, but most are open to the public.

There are several sites with con schedules. www.sjgames.com/con comes to mind, but is by no means comprehensive.

Whut

OK, I've almost-posted a half-dozen times already, it is long past time to jump in. The article just touches on too many things I want to go on about! (*laugh*)

Pre-game Dialogue
This is a good tip and challenge for me particularly because I've experienced less and less interest in this and other out-of-game discussions. It may be peculiar to certain groups but the gist is we're either playing or not and crossover subjects are distracting or boring.

Open Dice Roll
I've done this for rolls at climatic points versus nemsis NPC or other critical events mostly. Mostly I roll behind the screen for convenience although fudging results is more trouble than it is worth 95% of the time. I haven't quite reached the "Gygaxian" level of living and dying by the die.

"The players could call you on the construction of the weapon and declare that the character is immune to the blow –trumping your determination and giving the players no end of satisfaction."
Do you find that this doesn't aggravate the adversarial relationship with the GM?

Constant Target
"Many GMs will hide too much information from their players."
This applies to hinting at too big a story where all of it can't be seen in a sessions too. Although I didn't intend to hide I should've been quiet until more parts were in view.

Open Table Riddles
This looks like fun. Thanks!

Handouts
I am enamored with handouts. Pre-written notes were a great experience.

I'm fond of doing the "Post Mortem" and "Tell-back" in the following session via a handout that is filed successively so the players can go back and review their story at any time.

Thanks for all the great tips. I would really encourage articles breaking down and expanding on each tactic for posterity!

Pre-game Dialogue
This is a good idea – or perhaps simply out of game dialogue about the game. If you know your players, and you are all eggheads like us – this isn't much of problem since social conversations will sometimes end up being about gaming. Though, more often, I'm gratified when my players are the most interested in "what happens next" instead of discussions about how to play. But those discussions about how to play, once you are experienced enough to know the range of styles, or simply what engages you and what disconnects you, are immensely helpful to the health of the campaign. Just make sure you listen to what they are saying. I've seen some DMs ask the group what they think, and then disregard player comments immediately, hoping to "prove them wrong".

The Open Dice Roll
An immensely powerful gaming tool, in circumstances that warrant it. A lot of old school GMs, used to playing with broken systems, used to roll in secret to make it easy to fudge to save the day. Rolling attack rolls openly in systems that work is a gift to players for several reasons:

1. It adds to the tension – the encounter is "real" and they are risking their character – the GM can't fudge to intervene on the roll

2. It removes GM culpability from a character death – again, this is a variant on the first point. In a game where a GM fudges routinely, a character death happens at the GM's whim. It's his fault, and thus won't happen as much, and if it does, it's personal. But in a game where open rolls happen, the GM is more credible in sharing the same concern as the players. The GM is as much of a spectator in what happens next as the players, and thus they share the group feeling. This removes some of the us vs them antagonism with GMs.

3. The more the GM fudges, the more he influences the narrative and the outcome, which means the less real participation the players have. I've seen some games actually advise GMs to give the players the appearance that they are influencing the story, when actually they aren't. That's a lie to the players at the table, and it eventually gets found out.

If, in the rare case, you need to intervene, such as where you've miscalculated the challenge level and you are risking a total party death within a round, if you absolutely must fudge, it's better to manipulate the scenario than manipulating the dice. Perhaps the monster uses a bad tactic (players do), or perhaps a third party joins the fray, or perhaps some kind of environmental thing happens that changes the odds. Don't turn it into a victory for the players though – make it mere survival.

Glasnost (openness)
I don't often keep an AC secret unless there is a good reason. This is the interface by which players feel out an encounter. I accompany my description of AC with a description of what contributes to it (ie. the giant is surprisingly agile, jumping left and right as you swing.)

Handouts
I scan the module and in Photoshop, wipe out the encounter information, leaving the room number sometimes. This gets printed and posted on the party website, and updated between each game to correspond to the portion that they've explored. I also pre-draw the encounter areas or map on full size 1 inch grid paper, for easy playing. Some people do wipeable gaming mats, but I don't care for this, because it can take a long time to draw a room that the players glance into. If they retreat to hold the battle some place else, this just takes too long to render. Better to do it all up front.

the tell back
I do it online as a narrative. This gives me a chance to ensure that story clues that might not have resonated as loudly as I'd wanted are still included. I can also paraphrase quotes and expound on what happened in a more lyrical and epic fashion than is sometimes possible when Coke's are popping and Cheezies munching. I can also feature NPC's better here. It's a nice way to have characters talk the way they might "really" talk within the narrative, rather than the paraphrased or abbreviated version they do around the table.

Regarding maps, don't your players see the entire map if you've drawn it beforehand? and how big can your map get (or do you use seperate "patches")?

What I like in the gaming mat (nylon-coated grid paper, in my case) is that the players see only what the PCs see. The disadvantage is, indeed, the need to draw mid-game, which causes a lower-quality map (not that I can draw worth a damn) with less detail, and great annoyance if you wipe a section to draw a new one, and then the party goes back (arrgh!!).

No - at one inch=5 feet (perfect for minis), the maps are too large to see everything - so the BIG map is split into sheets of grid paper. If the players can't see everything on the map - they turn their backs and I lay books across the parts they can't see. The bonus in this method is that because the maps is broken apart, they can't deduce where the edges of a regular sheet of graph paper are.

I've played a few wipe and draw games after playing with pre-mapped 5 inch grid, and it's hard to go back. The constant drawing and wiping is really annoying in the middle of combat retreats, and if players look into a room but then decide to bypass it. Much easier simply to switch out a new sheet.

If they need the big picture - then I hand them the scan of the module, photoshopped to crop out parts they haven't seen, and encounter areas and secret doors. Easy enough to do.

I'll try it... hoping using photoshop won't take too much time.

I have my players character sheets in Excel on my laptop, and so when it's time for a passive Listen or Spot roll (or anything else that can be used passively) I just ask them to make a d20 roll and add their modifiers for them on my side so they never really know what kind of roll they are making unless they are actively attempting something.

A stellar idea!

At its best, this site is just amazing. From Nefandus, I learned about the virtues of open rolling in (d20) combat, which has increased my level of credibility with players by an order of magnitude. From someone else, I learned about blue-booking (though not about its perils...oh, dear). You guys really help improve my games.

Gil - Scott's applause gets seconds from me (8 months late, but hey). Do write more if you find the time.