Questions tagged [narrative-balance]
For questions about characters having equal value in, and contribution to, a narrative - separate from any mechanical effectiveness. This concept is especially relevant to freeform games, or those games or systems which place great focus on the narrative as a driving force.
19
questions
11
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How to incorporate characters’ backstories into campaign’s storyline in a way that’s meaningful but without making them dominate the plot?
My players have recently expressed a desire to have more of their backstories incorporated into the plot but also they have brought up in their request a different game by another DM that we were all ...
- 11.3k
5
votes
2
answers
187
views
How can I balance deadly world with things happening?
My world setting is based on the movie “A quiet place”. Background is fantasy based on Pathfinder for Savage Worlds.
The main plot is as follows: some time ago the Raan appeared, creatures (alien like)...
- 3,493
19
votes
4
answers
5k
views
How powerful are mass mind control spells?
I'm DMing a game where I want the BBEG to feel almost dreamlike: it can physically do little to nothing, but uses mind control and illusions.
Until now, it mind-controlled the mayor of a small town, ...
- 434
24
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How to make conflicts in Fate Core less boring?
The group in my current Fate Core game tends to get into a lot of combat and conflict situations that I don't really know how to run in a dramatic way that feels narratively satisfying without getting ...
- 1,675
1
vote
0
answers
63
views
What's a good resource to learn about advanced character and narrative development? [closed]
I've seen the "50 questions to ask yourself about your character" lists. Those are very helpful early on and I still use them after 10 years of roleplay.
I think I'd like to move into more advanced ...
- 121
1
vote
0
answers
86
views
Character development question for a god of Knowledge and Machines: How to make a god an interesting character? [closed]
System
We are playing a custom system, and in the system we are all gods that create a universe, having mortals with a primary planet. The mortals are in the early iron age.
There is a rotating GM, ...
- 121
6
votes
1
answer
280
views
What should I do about a character's magic items when their player leaves? [duplicate]
I have a group of three adventurers and one member of the party is leaving the group permanently. No worries, it's all on good terms and we're getting someone else to replace them. My concern is that ...
- 63
26
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Handling a player (unintentionally) stealing the spotlight
Quite recently, I replaced a friend as DM for a D&D game.
During that game, I came across something I did not expect: One of the players was just too good.
When I am saying "too good" I am not ...
- 873
18
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Up to which point does narrative/roleplaying affect mechanics?
I want to share something that happened a few weeks ago, which I am still wondering about.
There were two events:
In the first time, in a dungeon, we found several imp-like creatures on a room with ...
- 2,989
4
votes
3
answers
179
views
How to keep players on the plot? [closed]
I'm a new GM and am having problems with a particular character in my campaign. The character is very impulsive. I really like the character and tried building the world around the way they play. I ...
- 49
3
votes
3
answers
241
views
How to quantify importance of a decision to a player, and more tangibly maintain narrative balance thereof?
In accordance with the suggestion, I'm asking this different, broader question than my previous one, in relation to the same problem.
Situations in Which Problems Occur
Many times, a group needs to ...
6
votes
1
answer
179
views
How can a group use bidding mechanics to maintain narrative balance and quantify the importance of various choices? [closed]
Pretext
Many times, a group needs to pick one out of several contradictory or even mutually exclusive courses of events or actions. This can involve PCs deciding between multiple things to do based on ...
7
votes
1
answer
246
views
Which game mechanics have measurably higher risk of causing spotlight imbalance?
At different times, I have encountered statements that this or that game-mechanical phenomenon should be avoided because it leads to spotlight imbalance and/or narrative imbalance. To clarify the ...
3
votes
3
answers
310
views
How do I make a player feel important when their skills don't affect the campaign? [closed]
You know how sometimes a character takes Dwarvish as their second language but you have no dwarves in your campaign? Or a Cleric specializes in killing undead when your campaign revolves around ...
- 1,438
8
votes
3
answers
504
views
Running an Unstructured Narrative
What measures and pitfall should I consider when running an especially unstructured narrative in Pathfinder?
In the campaign I am running that has started recently, I am attempting to run a fairly "...
- 7,745