Flying Swords

Hey guys, I thought I would put this article up here, but it is kind of long. So I thought I would break it up. So here's the into and part one of eight. Enjoy

8 TIPS FOR IMPROVING RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

By Johnn Four

I'm biased. No doubt about it. I love random and wandering
monster encounters and have been using them since I started
GMing in 19. I run very few sessions without them.
Below are a few tips for game masters who want to improve
their random encounters.


1. Divide Game Content Into Two Layers
======================================
I tend to classify my planning, gaming notes, and gaming
content into two groups:

1) Flesh (In-Character)
2) Skeleton (Meta Game)

The Flesh content includes tangible things, such as:

* NPC statistics and personalities
* Maps
* Treasure
* Location descriptions and rules effects

It's the stuff the PCs interact with and the things the
players can visually imagine. If the content could be
perceived in-character by a PC using any of his senses then
I'd lump it in the Flesh category.


The Skeleton content is the invisible stuff that forms the
structure of a game session or encounter. It's the glue that
puts it all together, the puppet strings, or the trail of
bread crumbs, depending on your GMing style. Some examples
are:

* Plot lines
* Player typing (deciding what types of players you have and
tweaking your games to suit)
* Character typing
* Pacing
* Description techniques
* Techniques for steering, guiding, influencing, or
manipulating the PCs

It's the secret reasons and purposes you have for choosing
and involving Flesh content and how that content manifests
itself in-game. It's the stuff you do as a GM either through
planning or in-game decision making. The players might be
able to perceive this content if they're experienced or if
you have a poor poker face, but the characters can't until
it morphs into some form of Flesh content.

For example, let's say your plot involves saving the
campaign region from a powerful demon who's been mistakenly
released by the PCs. You plan an encounter where the PCs
save a visiting gnomish ambassador from an attack in a rough
neighbourhood. After the encounter, regardless of whether
the ambassador survives, the PCs should find her satchel of
notes that focus on demonic information. You want to provide
the players with this info to further drive the plot, plant
a few clues, and educate the PCs about battling demons.

Here's how I'd break down the content of above encounter:

Flesh:
* Gnomish ambassador, guards, related NPCs (names, stats,
personality, etc.)
* Foes who attack (names, stats, personality, etc.)
* Notes about demons (as read-aloud text, or perhaps as
player handouts or props)
* Rough neighbourhood location, encounter location,
description, and game effects
* A set-up description, lead-in, or hook

Skeleton:
* Why do we want to provide the PCs with notes?
* Why do we have a gnomish ambassador who needs saving? Is
there a different NPC who would be a better choice?
* Why have we placed the encounter in a rough neighbourhood?
Is there a spot that's more useful or meaningful?
* When does this encounter take place in terms of plot line?
Should the PCs already know they've unleashed a demon or
should we set things up by giving them this info ahead of
time?
* What should we use as a lead-in or hook and why?

The gnomish ambassador is a tangible thing the PCs can
interact with and the players can visualize, so it's Flesh.
The reason why we've chosen a gnomish ambassador should not
be apparent to the players or their characters, so it's
Skeleton.

Thinking of all your game content in this way can take
practice but it's worthwhile. It's a useful GM technique and
the Skeleton stuff should usually be dissected and tweaked
first.

For example, if you choose a gnomish ambassador for the
encounter, spend an hour on her game stats and bio, and
*then* ask yourself why you've chosen that NPC and if
there's not a better non-player character for the job, you
risk losing valuable planning time and planning momentum.

Also, when you're in the middle of planning or in mid-game,
asking the Skeleton question itself might never occur to you
and you lose an opportunity to tweak your encounter for the
better. For example, perhaps a minor villain or rival of the
PCs ends up being the best choice as that NPC hasn't made an
appearance recently and will hook the PCs in immediately.