by Edward Thomas

 

I used to have problems with players that would start talking about work during our games, or girlfriends, or would just take for advantage that certain situations are predictable such as a sudden Perception check in a military-oriented game would be an ambush, etc.

Then one night, while playing Monopoly, I noticed something. As soon as someone landed on community chest or chance all attention was focused on whoever was holding that card. Most of us have played Monopoly hundreds of times and have a fair knowledge of what is written on those two stacks of cards, but without fail we all waited with baited breath to see what we would have to do, or what we would get. This gave me an idea.

The next day I went to the office supply store and bought a package of 4-in. x 6-in. index cards (my imagination would later dictate the use of 5-in. x 7-in. cards though). That week and weekend I spent jotting down every idea that came into my head for a random encounter. Anything at all that I could think of I wrote down, from a company of Stormtroopers to a Pirate's hidden plunder. Good or bad, helpful or hurtful, I wrote and wrote.

The next time we played, I pulled out my GM screen and set it up a little farther to the left than normal, then on the outside of my screen, I put my cards facedown on the table. My players are known for harassing me about the detail I go to in my campaigns/adventures, so I was the butt of a more than generous series of comments.

I let the game progress as usual and it didn't take long for the players to start getting sidetracked. As soon as I felt they had gone too far and were wasting time I reached for one of the cards. Just as in Monopoly, all eyes shifted to me with their attention quickly following. It turned out that I drew an encounter with a squad of Storm Commandos. Which, in and of itself isn't a hard thing to fathom, I had to come up with a way to bring them onboard an Alliance Mon Calamari cruiser though.

That is the good part about it for the GM, it rapidly builds your improvisation skills. Too many GMs I've played a game with have been too strict on what they have written for you to do. A friend and I affectionately labeled this the Plot Wagon. I am an original thinker and don't believe in going through a company of Stormtroopers when I can enter a ventilation duct and go over them. Call me smart, call me a coward, just don't call me late for supper.

From then on I just had to reach and grab a card and they'd be back on track. Just don't overuse it though, your players will get sick of the deck and you trying to control their gaming sessions. Non-game conversations are good and friends will be friends, but I had an extreme case of motormouths that ended up being the catalyst for a very handy and fun role-playing tool.

 

 

This is an original work by Edward Thomas.

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