Re: [BNW] Meta-Plot vs Static world

["William Davis" <williamjdavis@hotmail.com>]

Sorry, but I don't run a static world. If I did I wouldn't have this 
problem. If I artifically held the PCs back from some 'mystery' in Metaplot 
until the book was released I wouldn't have any problems with this. Sorry, 
for me to Forecast any sort of plotline or dynamic world, I need the basic 
premise of the world filled out. Because, I will shoot any future support in 
the head if my players hit a mystery before it is 'released' to me. I don't 
need the game to make my campaigns a 'mystery'. Players surprise me often 
enough that I don't need the rule-book doing it too!

I can trumpet Underworld, because I have already adopted the 'small' portion 
of his dynamic plotting into my BNW campaign. I have written an overall 2 
year plot of what will happen in my BNW world. New laws. Presidential visit. 
Assassination attempts. Underworld wars. General Overseas events. And I use 
Gareth's plot 'importance' generator to assign NPCs to different plot lines 
as the PCs meet them. Just my little patch on his idea is working incredibly 
well for creating a more dynamic, interwoven tapestry. (so, I am certain his 
more fleshed out idea will be even better, and I plan on buying underworld 
JUST for this 'mechanic')I am certain my world will divert from the game 
standard.  I really hope it diverts from my 'planned' outline. (cause the 
players got involved in some of it). Not a big deal. The problem I have is 
that I avoided ANY definition of how the powers worked, or any revelations, 
or any plotlines that hinged on power functionality. Which is a big hole in 
a world where the powers ALL have a common base. In the four sessions we've 
run, it's already come up twice. I gave the players basic/non-commital 
information in an attempt to slide it past them. Which they pounced on. If 
you can't tell I run fairly detailed campaigns (a lot of which my players 
never see) and a 'vague' spot like this is like a giant sign saying "explore 
this mystery". I had to break suspension of disbelief and tell them WHY it 
was vague. Or they would have spent several sessions chasing down a big 
blind alley.
Right now I am on the verge of just making a decision on the 'unifying' 
principle so I can have a more complete game. Almost certainly this will 
sever my world from most of the commercial support. Not certainly, but most 
probably.
Which is disappointing.
-----cut---
.  What if some bit of history in said 'static' game contradicts
what you established, and causes your game to wildly diverge at this 
point?--------
I don't use it. Unless the book is ALL history (which I wouldn't buy) I 
could still work in the NPCs and the institutions
--------
Or if a new power is released?  ----I use it or not. Decide if it fits. A 
new package is EASY to work in for BNW. It simply hadn't occurred yet.
TRY: how about a definitive change to how ALL powers work at a basic level. 
Which is what is going to happen if I make my own decision on BNW powers. 
But otherwise, I have to tell my players NOT to look too closely into this. 
"Please ignore the man behind the curtain". Come on. Just for ME to have 
some mystery? That kind of logic is just exactly like "For your convience 
and viewing pleasure, outside food and beverages are not allowed in this 
theater." What am I? a sheep?





________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com