1. If it's not a big deal, don't draw it out.

I figured out this one while writing up a session from some time ago. There was an interrogation that was really dragging -- PCs questioning NPCs. The NPCs were doctors, not horrible people, so certain extreme techniques were out of the question. But, there was a great deal of suspicion, and a few failed rolls. And the scene dragged out.

The thing is, there was a certain amount of info I wanted to PCs to get from this scene. The scene itself wasn't really that important or dramatic. So, what I think I should have done was say, "This is the information you guys are going to learn. You tell me how your PCs convince the doctors to tell you this."

Sure, there are other ways I could have handled things, including making finding out this information a Big Deal. But, I didn't want to, and I doubt the players did either. The rest of the session was much more fun.

2. Focus on the PCs, not the NPCs.

I had a lot of trouble planning for the last session but one that I ran for Cthulhupunk. I just couldn't figure out what various NPCs were doing at various meetings, and what the PCs might do there. I finally realized that the problem was that I was focusing too much on the NPCs and not enough on the PCs. It didn't really matter exactly what happened at NPC meetings, and if they seemed that hard to plan, well, they could happen offstage. I switched focus to the interesting things the PCs might do. A bit of a bumpy session, but better than it might have been.

3. If you have to warp things too much to make the plot work, find a better plot.

In the last session I ran, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how various PCs might fall into a convoluted trap / ambush. I came up with a lot of interesting ways to plug the gaping holes in the plan. Then, I decided that, if there were that many gaping plot holes, I was railroading. Ditch the trap / ambush for now, and focus on other plots.

While I recommend the above, I changed my mind at the last minute. Why? The player of the PC for whom the trap was primarily intended couldn't make it. I asked him if he'd mind if I got his PC into trouble, and he okayed this, so long as she was ready for action next session. All the work I'd done plugging the plot holes was useful in explaining what happened offstage, and why the absent PC wasn't a complete idiot. Onstage, the PCs of the other players did not go to the trap / ambush. They rescued the PC and the NPCs who were in it. Much better.

-Lisa Padol

Excellent advice all the way around, Lisa.

I have to say that I have fallen into both the "not that big a deal" and "focus on pcs" quagmires. I think that as a GM/Storyteller there is an unspoken desire in us to still be roleplaying, so we foist some of play talent onto the NPCs.

I also think that the cut scene technique is a good way of getting folks back on track. In Feng Shui, Robin Laws has a rule that if it advances the plot, the roll always succeeds. I use a variation on that: If it advances the plot, the second roll always succeeds (or third depending on how much tension you want to mount).

I find that sometimes the PCs focus on something that isn't that big of a deal and I don't always give myself an out of these situations. Once again, the cut scene can be used with surgical proficiency.

Thanks for sharing these, Lisa!