Questions about running Pool combat

[Bob McNamee]

True enough Nathan!

That said, and being a Supers genre GM...
another thing you can do as GM, is just let people know all about an NPC prior to narrating a MOV...powers, personality etc. Even their motivation.

In Trollbabe this would be done often before a conflict.

Then let them narrate to their hearts content, fully informed about the NPC. If they find them interesting they will narrate the MOV in such a way as to not take the NPC out of play.  I love using MOV's to make successes for my characters also more complicated for them.

If they narrate a quick knockout and capture for that NPC, well then its not an NPC that interests them.

Another really important thing to talk over before Play with a game like Pool or The Questing Beast is the genre conventions.

If its 4 color supers, then they need to know that...no narrating bloody gushing gritty dark combat. No Brooding etc.
Miraculous Villain escapes should be a regular occurrance, even returning from 'apparent death'.

In a gritty modern graphic novel type...the reverse should be true.

Pool/TQB play requires that everybody be on the same page on genre expectations.

[HMT]

This is the obvious straight forward answer to my question:

... another thing you can do as GM, is just let people know all about an NPC prior to narrating a MOV...powers, personality etc. Even their motivation ...

What I really want to know is: Do you find that this is a good policy? And, are there other approaches to accomplishing this aim?

[HMT]

I now realize that I should have revived the old NPCs and GM thread instead of this one.It already contains answers to my first question. I will now proceed to move there.

[Paganini]

I now realize that I should have revived the old NPCs and GM thread instead of this one.It already contains answers to my first question. I will now proceed to move there.

Actually, as per existing Forge policy, you should post *new* threads as opposed to reviving old threads. If someone accidentally posts to an old thread and spawns a new discussion (as you have done), the moderators usually split the new discussion off into its own thread.

James is a pretty busy guy; he probably just hasn't checked the forum in a couple of days. Be patient and I'm sure he'll split us off soon.