RES: [UA] Group whinges

[DL]

Hello Craig,

My solution is not a easy one, but have worked for me in the last few years.
:)

Introduce the game enviroment to the players, or even let then read the
book. During this time, plan your campaign. Just think about general
guidelines, and loose events. You can create several pivotal NPCs, and can
connect then to major events, but avoid "ifs" that depends of the PC
actions. That's all just the groundwork.

The second step seen more simple, that is just to figure out and reasonable
time for all the group show up, and see if everbody (you and each of the
players) have enough time for 3-6 hours of game, besides the usual half hour
to two hours of "just chat" time, before the actual game start.

Then the third phase and heart of the solution: don't force the players into
a gruop, and even suggest the contrary. I started this with Vampire, the i
use it on Kult, and now im applying this to UA. Characters in all of this
game are very individual, for different reasons, but they are. In a single
group, sure the GM will have to deal with a lot of less thinking, NPCs, etc,
but the characters will be much more shallow, and harder to develop on their
own. So, don't force then to work togheter.

Still in the third phase, after you persuade then to create characters on
their own, introduce to them the general ideas of your campaign, and be very
loose on that. Just tell them where and when it happens, who everbody now,
and things like that. Kind of city guide if its a urban and just "one city"
game. I usually make something like that and then i tell the players that
they should create characters as they see fit, but their characters must be
at THAT place (the city) and THAT time (the starting game date) in the
beginning of the game. Then i cosely watch then creating the characters,
making mental notes of what i can use with the campaign guidelines i have
planned already. Sometimes i make one or another suggestion, ban one or
other thing, but most of the time, to keep the game balance, or to be sure,
and assure then, that their characters are more real and not too "larger
than live" characters.

Then you start the game. Remember that a campaign like that is very loose.
You have to make clear to the player that you won't toss on them a critter
every turn, they have to work on their own to create a story with you. I
have a couple but of players that coudn't work like that, they simple "don't
know what to do", and the solution was simple: create another character,
with a set of goals YOU realize is possible for it, or a character you have
at least the minimal idea how it's day to day affair is like, you can't
create a police detective and wait for the GM to just pop clues around you
every moment.

And let's daying you don't have this problem, you just keep running your
campaign. Let a few events around where the players can meet each other, but
still don't force then to work togheter, some could even liked to play
"alone", and that happens more than you think so.

Well, i don't know if that helps, but that's my formula. To have an "event
timeline" at hand helps a lot. I think the one Tim have done at Strange Days
is a very good example.

[]s,

   Dream Lord
   UIN 1504427
   www.geocities.com/hasfix/






_______________________________________________
UA mailing list
UA at lists.uchicago.edu
http://lists.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/ua