Seperate Scenarios

[jburneko]

This is the second thread I'm starting that spun off from Backstory Revisited.  In that thread Ron phrased the issue like so:

"How do I run several different player-characters in different locales at the same time?"

Now my more specific qualifiers:  Running several PCs in different locales all by itself isn't really the problem.  Starting the PCs physically seperated individually or in small groups is now a staple of my games.  I vastly prefer it when PCs are operating on their own because once they bunch up old habits and social issues kick in and some great character stuff that was happening a minute before, suddenly goes away in favor of just following the strongest lead player of the group.

The more specific problem I'm talking about seems like a GREAT likelyhood in Trollbabe and probably is likely to crop up in the long run in a Sorcerer & Sword campaign.  The problem I'm talking about arrises when due to choice of Stakes or Location in Tollbabe or Kicker in Sorcerer it simply becomes impractical, impossible or too improbable to hook the characters up to the same scenario.

What I mean by "the same scenario": The PCs, while opperating independently and with differing goals and motivations, are still entangled in the same cast of NPCs and a unified backstory.

When the PCs are no longer dealing with the same cast of characters several neat tricks to keep things feeling "unified" go away.  No longer can one NPC be involved in one scene and then show up in another PCs scene a moment latter.  No longer can "points of revelation" concerning information be shared across scenes.  And that wonderful ping-pong effect where PC A's decision has consequences that ripple through the NPC cast and impact the situation facting PC B, goes completely away.

When this happens, and as I said, it feels VERY likely in Trollbabe, what other things do you focus on/utilize to prevent things from feeling like you've really just got three or four solo-rpgs being run simultaneously?

Jesse

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Jesse,

Seems like a non-problem to me. In Trollbabe in particular, why do the separate adventures have to share NPCs and a back-story? I never worry about that. I've run up to four separate adventures at once, scene-cutting back and forth across them, for four players, without trouble. Four places, four protagonists, four sets of Stakes.

Outcome #1: No connection emerges. No problem, you have four happy players and four neat stories.

Outcome #2: Player input creates connections across them, just as in the Spider-God example I put into the rulebook. Also no problem, you have four neat stories with some implied or newly-clarified underlying content.

Since it's totally up to the players to decide whether their characters share the same geographic spot, for every single adventure, no player-dissatisfaction seems possible regarding this issue.

I gotta say, you seem to insist on making Trollbabe much harder than it is.

Best,
Ron

[jburneko]

Hmmm, I might very well be making a mountain out of a mole hill.  I'm prone to that kind of thing.  Okay, so this isn't an issue or concern.  Interesting.

This one's easier for me to see than the obvious vs. meaningful choices discussion so, I'm willing to just shrug and go, "okay."

Jesse