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Author: Ken Vinson (---.wisc.edu) Date: 05-16-2003 12:53 A very good article. I've found that my GM'ing style has evolved, over the last few years, into something very much like what you describe in your article. The part about thinking of what would drive an NPC to desperate measures resonated with me in particular. The identities of several of the antagonists in my current game have been unknown to the PC's until some action of theirs forces the PC's to investigate who is behind some event(s). The problem I've had with those particular antagonists was that they had no motivation to lash out at the PC's directly if their positions were kept more secure by keeping a lower profile. In the past I've had to construct elaborate trails of clues to lead the PC's to the identity of their antagonist. While this route has it's charm and rewards, it can lead to frustration if the player's don't connect the right dots in a timely fashion, or connect them far too quickly. Reading your article immediately inspired me to think about what would drive the current secret antagonist in my game to desperate measures. Obviously this tactic wouldn't be appropriate for all antagonists or other NPC's, but now that idea is articulated in my mind such that I can make use of it when it seems appropriate. Enough effusive praise. ;) I believe that you can run a character driven game and still include a grand plot arc. A differing/additional technique that I use in my game is to lay out a variety of specific plot hooks related to the PC's background and that of major NPC's. Interspersed among those plot threads are ones relating to, and building up towards the culmination of, the grand story arc. This way you guide the player's gently towards your goals by giving them the freedom to choose from a large number of plots to pursue and then using the techniques you described in your article to guide the individual stories/sessions. An added bonus, IMHO, is that the player's will likely not be able to tell exactly what the "Main" plotline is until many sessions into the campaign. Anyway, this is long enough already that most people won't read it. Thanks again for an insightful article. -Ken Vinson

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