GM to players and back - Talking

Skarg · September 16, 2016, 11:29:59 AM

Quote from: Bren;919592Just as long as the players know better than to hold up their note to the rest of the table and say "Look my note is blank."

Which is why it's even more effective if you write them a note they are interested and/or may likely reply to, but may not really concern the other players, or not have much to do with the current situation.

I like to have enough notes and hidden rolls going all the time, that the players know stuff is going on all the time that they don't know about. It tends to get them curious/interested and conveys that the world/situation is full of stuff and possibilities, and also means when something IS going down, they won't get artificially alerted by the messages their PCs don't know about.

It also tends to get them generating behind-the-scenes stuff of their own, gets them keeping an eye on and even pranking each other, etc.

cranebump · September 16, 2016, 07:26:56 PM

At first, I thought this thread was about dealing with backtalking ("An iron fist in a velvet glove!").:-)

Tried using FB PMs once. People weren't on their phones, though. So unlike real life...

darthfozzywig · September 16, 2016, 07:43:17 PM

Quote from: cranebump;919917At first, I thought this thread was about dealing with backtalking

That is dealt with via ethereal mummy ambushes.

In any game/setting, mind you.

cranebump · September 16, 2016, 08:26:44 PM

Quote from: darthfozzywig;919928That is dealt with via ethereal mummy ambushes.

In any game/setting, mind you.

Ahhhhhh, thank you. See, I've been throwing martini glasses at them.:-)

darthfozzywig · September 17, 2016, 12:03:48 AM

Quote from: cranebump;919939Ahhhhhh, thank you. See, I've been throwing martini glasses at them.:-)

One-percenter! Best I could afford in that case would be Dixie Cups.

Kyle Aaron · September 17, 2016, 12:16:18 AM

Intraparty politics, sigh. Work together, kiddies. As my son said once while wrestling another kid for a toy, "SHARING CARING!!!"

Rincewind1 · September 17, 2016, 03:23:19 AM

Depends how important the message is. Usually just a note, or take them to another room for a moment. Sharing openly if it's not that important that it remains secret. Text messages would be only in heavily PvP games, although I've used them successfully in a LARP for players to send me assassination targets.

Exploderwizard · September 17, 2016, 07:51:42 AM

Quote from: Bren;919592Just as long as the players know better than to hold up their note to the rest of the table and say "Look my note is blank."

Don't use blank notes. Notes that contain nothing of importance to the game should read " This is my note. There are many others like it but this one is mine."

Bren · September 17, 2016, 09:07:00 AM

Quote from: Exploderwizard;920024Don't use blank notes. Notes that contain nothing of importance to the game should read " This is my note. There are many others like it but this one is mine."

Cute.

I don't use blank notes. There is always some bit of data I can give to any player based on what their PC knows, likes, or fears.

Shemek hiTankolel · September 17, 2016, 10:37:27 AM

I hadn't used notes for years, but recently a new PC joined the group and he happens to be a local whereas the rest of the characters are foreigners. Kind of have to keep some things secret until the rest of the group is up to speed. Tried texting and even emailing once but everyone's phones are usually not at the game table, which I forgot

, so that didn't work out too well.

Shemek

LordVreeg · September 17, 2016, 11:15:52 AM

I actually run my live games with Roll20 as the map, since even my live stuff often has a skype needed, and that way we have a die roller for the online players, as well as a mapping system everyone can see at once. Obviously, this allows for PMs as well.
It works surprisingly well.

Omega · September 17, 2016, 10:46:26 PM

Quote from: Bren;920031Cute. I don't use blank notes. There is always some bit of data I can give to any player based on what their PC knows, likes, or fears.

If someone had blurted out "Mines blank?" that has some potential humour too as sure enough someone else would find that declaration suspicious.

Rincewind1 · September 18, 2016, 07:56:44 AM

Regarding blank notes - the concept was used in Trail of Cthulhu as also creating the "ooc/ic" perspective for a player whose character suffers from paranoia (giving out a lot of them to all the players except him, of course), and I can tell you from personal experience, it succeeds very much so.

darthfozzywig · September 18, 2016, 11:56:11 PM

Putting it in reverse, the PCs were once surrounded by some hostile Elves and I pulled a "telepathic Galadriel" where everyone was forced to answer "mentally" (i.e. 'no table-talk, just write your answer on a paper and give it to me') who in their group they pick to sacrifice so the others would be spared.

The answers I received were quite amusing.

Thondor · September 20, 2016, 09:07:28 AM

I've never used notes much.

More often I'll take players aside for private chats. I haven't done this for a long time actually. I run a lot of convention games and don't find it useful there.
But I started a new home campaign a few weeks ago, and gave each player a private interlude (ok 2 were done in pairs) to start bringing everything together. I liked it and will probably continue to use it on occaision.
Some of the GMs who ran games for me when I was first introduced to RPGs used this, and I alwas liked it as a player.