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GMing Methodology: Character Motivation and Travel Encounters |  |
I recently replied to a thread on Treasure Tables’ Forum, and thought that it would make a pretty good post for my own site. So, here is my reply, modified for clarity since there’s no real context.
When I start a campaign, I usually dedicate the entire first session to character generation, before I start really making notes on the adventure, itself. I usually have a general idea of things that I want to happen, but I don’t really start coming up with the good ideas until the characters are made. The reason I do things this way is that I like to build the story around those specific characters. I like to add in places where different characters get a chance to shine, and it also allows me to build a logical framework for why the PCs are together and why they’d be going on this particular adventure. This is actually a lot easier with just one player, since you only have that character to consider when you’re coming up with ideas for your adventure, but it can be a lot more satisfying with a group. Occasionally I’ll also work with individual players to create personal goals that their characters are trying to complete, and I give some sort of incentive (money, XP, bragging rights, whatever) for completion.
As for random encounters: I don’t use them. I used to, but I found that it slowed the game down unnecessarily and many of the encounters didn’t make sense. That doesn’t mean that seemingly random things don’t happen; bandits still waylay the party in transit, and they still have to fight goblins just outside of town occasionally. However, I draw a distinction between a ‘random encounter’ and a ‘wilderness encounter’ or ’side encounter’. The former implies no planning, and no purpose. The other two terms are how I describe encounters that may or may not have something to do with the main story arc, but are still planned encounters that serve a purpose other than to give the PCs something to beat on. If your player likes story more than combat, you may want to use this approach. The thing to remember is: never include a combat for the sake of having a combat, unless the PC initiates it. If you include an encounter, make sure that it contributes to the game overall, rather than just to the PCs’ experience total. Also, I find that a random encounter is usually largely forgettable, while a planned side encounter can be made memorable in a number of ways. To make including these encounters easier for you as the GM, you can try writing up a few encounters before each session (two or three should do it), and use them whenever you think they’re necessary. A good encounter can be dropped in just about anywhere, with little modification, and if you wind up not using one then you have an extra encounter for the next session.
Finally, travel. As I said above, I do sometimes include wilderness encounters for PCs to deal with en route; this adds a sense of verisimilitude to the game, and lets the PCs know that the wilderness is a dangerous place. However, sometimes (oftentimes, actually) it’s perfectly acceptable to simply say, “You travel for six days, and finally reach the City of Splendors without incident.” Not every journey needs to include danger and excitement; sometimes you want to get to the good stuff faster, right?
