[UA] Charge gathering

[Royal Minister of Stuff]

--- Chris Milne <khris at clara.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> On Monday, July 23, 2001 12:29 PM, Gaston Phillips 
> [SMTP:gaston at math.sunysb.edu] wrote:
> > [SNIP]
> > So, please - stories/advice from game masters or
> > designers - how have you handled dipsomancers in
> teh past?  he 
> wants the
> > first session to revolve around him getting a
> vessel of some kind, 
> but is
> > leaving details up to me.  I'm worried that, once
> he /has/ a 
> vessel, he'll
> > be charging himself full of sig charges, instead
> of minor ones.

I have this game a run at cons with a Dipsomancer
character (Kevin Elmore even played him once.)  I
usually hint that the vessel that the player is
looking for is nearby but increadibly hard to get. 
(In this case, it was in a museum which had just been
robbed and therefore a lot more security conscious.)

That's not saying that a determined dipso won't try
and rob the museum.  But you can prepare for that sort
of thing, working events, hints and even plot hooks
for your next game into the robbery.  The dipso could
discover what the earlier robbers were REALLY after or
even run into a security guard who just bought lunch
from Mack Attax.

If a player wants to become more powerful, I don't
mind giving them what they want, but I like to discuss
it with them, first.  Why not try and guage how much
challenge your friend would really like in obtaining
this vessel.  If your friend just wants to spend a
session and have that be the "reward" at the end, ask
what he'd like to do AFTER he becomes really powerful.
 Your friend might think about and decide that leaving
the siggie vessel on the back burner might work out
better. Then again, maybe he'll drool and caper like a
chimp, which will, of course, be entertainment in and
of itself.

One last note:  The movie FISCHER KING by Terry
Gilliam is all about a quest for a significant vessel.
 Encourage the Dipsomancer to get the other players
involved in getting ahold of the holy grail ("Let's
check out the caves in Languedoc, guys!") or make the
vessel a sort of possible side bene on some other
group-enticing event, like maybe a chance to lift one
of Alex Abel's forbidden chalices.  What about trying
to get a drink from the Aztec Smoking Mirror?  If the
guy wants it badly enough, use him to lead the players
into dangerous situations and interesting events.

=====
-- Rp Bowman, Royal Minister of Stuff
The Electronic Nation of Yokeltania:
http://www.geocities.com/yokeltania/

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