Just a quick post, to follow up this AP account: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=18758.0

I implemented Bill's (dunlaing) recommendation about formating. His design-fu is strong, as you'll see from the results below. Though there's a  post from the game I'm listing here...it's actually another topic entirely. I just didn't know what to do with it, as GM, except to ratify what the player had done (there seemed to be no real opening for outside creative input)

Okay, the players are confronted by a wall of thorns and (correctly) believe they have been surrounded by it, so they go to cut their way out. They make their posts, which again contain alot of colour (vibro blades sliding out, humming, etc).

Snake Eyes wrote: Moving forward with the rest of them, Jesse draws a silver-plated machete from where it is strapped to his pack.  Ed, looks like we're gonna have to cut our way out of here.  He hops down from his mount and moves forward to begin assisting in cutting through the wall.
But, Ed has a different idea.  Look out, Wilbur-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r, he says in his nickering voice.  Jesse steps aside just as twin beams of red lance from the horse's eyes at the vine wall.
It is by a mere inch or two that Jesse sidesteps the lasers that would have hit him had he not been augmented.  Dammit, Ed!  Watchit wit' them dang things!

OOC:  Ed got a natural 1 to hit the wall, but a 20 to hit Jesse.  Lucky he got a 22 on the dodge.LOL  Whatever the beams hit takes 17 MD.....

That's the post I just didn't get, in terms of where I give input in any way except to ratify it. I mean, I could force something in there - but I don't see the player leaving open a gap for me - all the loose ends are tied up, unless I do something Iike forcefully introduce him being shot by his horse. That's my only solid question for this thread...what was going on there and what was I supposed to add?

Okay, regardless I implement the formating, in a slightly casual manner (I only made risk the explicit blank).

Me wrote: Okay, so the goal is to get through the thorn wall to the other side.

What's the risk your worried about? That you'll piss off the tree's? Or wont be able to hack through? Or get stuck in the thorn wall? Or something else entirely? You must be worried something will go wrong.

So...

RISK: ________

Once the blank is filled in, the game goes on. :)

Bang, straight away...

Breach wrote: Risk: That the plants or some other guardian of the forest will move to attack us should we attempt to cut our way through.  Breach is not an experianced explorer, but he knows that magic has caused the world to be a place where anything is possible, including sentient trees and forest demons.

Eilu'nid wrote: Eilu'nid Continues choping her thought that the walls of thorns will grow faster then they can clear a path threw and they end up trapped within since Vine are generally not apart of a tree but a seperate being the trees might even be glad to be rid of them for a time.

Although with the last character, notice the player trying to avoid an out and out risk statement, by hopefully saying it might be the right thing to do. I get why, but I think it crosses wires a bit. It really needs to be a seperate bet "I bet this actually makes the tree's happy, even as it could seem like something that would piss them off.". Regardless, the first part of her post had the goods (And I presume the player is female - female players tend to like having high attractiveness scores from what I've seen).

Side note: I responded that day with XP  and results. There might not have been enough time for the player of snake eyes to post. In other words, that's why there's no risk statement from him. I probably shouldn't have rushed like that (though he didn't seem perturbed by it, by the looks of his next posts), but I guess I was a bit pumped up by the responce and wanted to post quickly. Yay!

Hi Callan,

Callan wrote:
That's the post I just didn't get, in terms of where I give input in any way except to ratify it. I mean, I could force something in there - but I don't see the player leaving open a gap for me - all the loose ends are tied up, unless I do something Iike forcefully introduce him being shot by his horse. That's my only solid question for this thread...what was going on there and what was I supposed to add?

I think he's handicapping himself. Apparently he sees the horse as not being particularly thoughtful and he wants that disad out in the game. I know several several players who, when playing muscle-bound warriors, will roll int-checks to see whether their character thinks of the clever tactic they just thought of. I think this is similar. If it is, you're not supposed to do anything with it, except ratify, optionally with an evil smirk on your face...

The response looks cool!

Could you elaborate a little on how the stated risks influence the rest of the game, because I'm not completely clear on that yet?

SR
--

Almost sounds like a form of 'turnin, in that he's turning on himself for challenge.

Could you elaborate a little on how the stated risks influence the rest of the game, because I'm not completely clear on that yet?

In this case, the risks they thought they were taking didn't end up occuring. I'm not sure they effect the game at all, mechanically. But from the previous threads minefield example - imagine the player walked through it all without a scratch. In that case there isn't any ongoing effect from the event, mechanically.

But I think the play group is told something by the player stating they are taking on that risk. And that's what's important.

Though I feel kind of odd saying that. I'm so used to making sure all mechanical occurances have an ongoing effect, normally. But here I'm saying nothing happened mechanically, but it was good. Wierd!