[UA] Compulsion and PCs

[Bob Slaughter]

> > I think it's a game contract thing -- talk it out with your players
> > beforehand.  Before the game starts, too, not right before it happens.
> > You don't want to surprise them with it, but they might well be OK with
> > it if they're forewarned that it might happen.  Despite popular wisdom,
> > people often dig the opportunity to roleplay something different for a
> > little while.

> All good, except... this is a street level campaign. The PCs know crap-all
> about magic--what it is, how it works etc. They don't know even  such people
> as adepts or avatars exist and I'd like to keep it that way for a while. I
> think you're right that good players might enjoy playing out their magical
> afflictions.

Hmm, you *might* be confusing 'players' and 'characters'. Just work with your 
players; let them know, "This is a funky modern magic campaign. I'm going to 
screw with your characters BIG TIME, just to let them know how deep the well 
goes. Is that OK with you?"

That way the player knows stuff is going to happen, but can play the character 
as ignorant.

If your players aren't good at player/character separation, and you don't have 
a level of OK to screw with them, then UA *might* not work well in your group.

> I guess it's just the fact that there's no way to resist a bunch of them
> that makes it seem kinda harsh. There's not a lot of protection from magick
> available, and adept magick is incredibly powerful for this reason--the
> lowliest adept just needs to be charged up and he can take on the biggest
> cheese and have good chance of winning if he can get the drop on him.
> 
> Saul

Play it to the advantage: As 'ordinary' streets, the characters are tough
Mo-Fo's. (maybe run a quicky adventure that shows how tough and dangerous
combat is, and how dangerous they are, with 0 weirdness). Then some *wimp* with
readily apparent levels of Wacko just mucks them over one side and down the
other. The the characters really GET it: there is something BIGGER and DEEPER
out there than they ever knew, and in the face of IT, they are *powerless*. And
the only way to keep their edge and not become disposable pawns is to dive in
and sink or swim.

Howzzat?


-- 
Bob Slaughter, rslau at mindspring.com     http://www.mindspring.com/~rslau/
North Georgia Modurail: http://www.mindspring.com/~rslau/ngm/
In which language of the world does the word 'taxi' mean "I cannot drive"?
e'osai ko sarji la lojban fo lonu pilno -- http://www.lojban.org/



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