BW PDF - Midnight Campaign

There are a variety of ways to do this, but the importantthing is to get the characters to stop fiddling with thecharacter sheets and to focus on the opening of the story.There are several methods for this, which can be usedindividually or can be combined.One method is to have the players introduce their owncharacters, so that you know what might interest eachof them. Ask them to share their character’s reasonsfor adventuring, and if possible, get them to drawconnections between one another.The second method is to lay out a scene. Describethe place that the characters are starting in, briefly,and focus on what is most interesting or unique aboutthat scenario. What might bring them together here?This description should be brief, and it should tie to thethe first method, hopefully laying out some connectionto the characters themselves.The third method is to start with a bang, which is thereal hook. Something spectacular, dangerous, incredible,or impressive should happen. The promise of treasure,intrigue and danger, gathered into a single event.Somebody dies, a fire is lit, creating a panic, somethingis stolen, a king is enraged, or a mammoth demon crashesits way through an otherwise quiet village, these are allexamples of something fantastic, and hopefully engaging,that can impact the players in their new environment.It helps to play as much as possible to the character’smotivation, which ultimately, is derived from the player’sidea of fun. Watch your players, see what they enjoy orwhat impacts them. Put the hook in their mouth, and setit hard.Once the scene is set and events begin rolling, theplayers should start to take initiative in driving the story,the actions and motivations of their characters takingcenter-stage. When done right, it is not the storyteller’sjob to force the story along, but to let the players pullthem along, feeding them line as the game progresses.A storyteller should pay attention to the level ofattention each player is giving, and try to engage everyoneearly and equally, to prevent a single enthusiastic playerfrom dominating the group, and to prevent a wall-flowerfrom disengaging entirely.If at any point a storyteller finds that it is difficult to getthe players engaged, then they should re-consider whatbait they are using, switching up the motivations andplot elements in favor of those that are more appealingto their specific group. Each group will be drawn todifferent devices and styles of play.Combat and encounters at this stage of the storyshould be light and fast, emphasize danger, but doingso through mostly foreshadowing and suggestion.Players can meet villains, but at this point they should befighting minions.EXPLORATION: Once the game is rolling and the players areengaged, it is the storyteller’s responsibility to provide aworld to explore. This does not necessarily mean givingthem a single, linear plot that they are forced to follow,as would be done in more rigid fiction, but in tryingto anticipate some of the directions a group of playersmight take and preparing some of the characters andencounters they might face.Depending on the setting, this could mean mapsof locations, detailed lists of potential non-playercharacters they might meet, shops they might want tovisit, traps and monsters they might run up against,and any relevant story and character details that theymay need.This stage of the plot is mostly information gathering,about both the setting and the direct story involved.They should start to get an idea about what kinds ofplots and intrigues are happening, and who is involved.Combat and encounters at this stage of the plot shouldbe dangerous enough to imply the seriousness of events,but not dangerous enough to entirely dissuade playersfrom pursuing the story at hand or pursuing easier goals.RAISING THE STAKES: Once the players have found a hook andstarted exploring their world a little bit, the storytellershould keep careful watch on the level of excitementinvolved, and be prepared to turn up the heat. If thecharacters are pursuing a specific villain, that villain canget more dangerous. If they are defending a town frominvading monsters, the monsters can get stronger.If they are trying to investigate a mysterious occurrence,the intrigue can develop so that it becomes personal.The point of this part of the game is to build a sense ofsuspense and a certain structure into the story. As thecharacters investigate the plot and learn more aboutthe world, their lives should get progressively moredangerous. Some games go so far as to add a time-limit,or other conditional events in order to pressure theplayers to move forward more quickly and give the storya sense of urgency. With reward or failure built into thedays months, or even hours that they have to completetheir quest.However, there is a pitfall to avoid here. Many peopleplay these games for a sense of escapism and theillusion of empowerment, and although danger andexcitement should be exploited, care should be takennot to take the control and excitement away from theplayers. Although dangers abound and risk should bepresented large in the player’s minds, it is important to186