[RPG] How to improve the fast-paced scene

game-designgm-techniques

I recently got myself into short forms RPG as a GM and I really love the potential! I tried a short game (3 hours) and it went OK, but I am not quite satisfied yet. I need more practice, that's for sure, but there are parts where I don't know how to improve, and that's where I need your help.

The system I'm using is a personal design by myself and my group, not an established system. It has quick rules, a d20 for actions (with a consistent but not fixed outcome), and a lot of improvisation and flexibility from the GM. World is realist, but not too much: quite like an action movie, so if jumping though a window adds to the scene, only a bit of damage will be done.

A specific problem: a fast paced pursuit (20-25 min)

In one of the scenes of my game the PCs met a enemy NPC with valuable information. The NPC managed to get away and fled into the city.

I wanted this scene to be as great as pursuit scenes from action movies—fast paced, intense, challenging, leaving them short on breath in real life.

My approach: 1 minute hourglass, 1d20 for actions

I give a brief description of the scene to the group, turn the hourglass, let them decide what they do, and when the minute is over I move game time forward (e.g., make the NPC run, or attack them while fleeing).

Outcome: The feeling of being in a hurry worked well at the beginning, but they adapted by giving really short actions ("I run", "I jump", "I attack").

Reaction: As it was boring I decided to let them describe their actions more ("How?")

Outcome #2: More creative answers, less boring, but we totally lost the rhythm and it became a turn-by-turn RPG scene, definitely not what I intended.

I feel the group can manage to be creative while being stressed but as a GM I wasn't able to obtain the scene I wanted. How can I get the best of both worlds: fast paced action scenes and creative actions from the group? Props (a clock, time-tokens?), techniques (words, tone?) or just more practice?

Best Answer

Lose the battleboard, abstract, shortcut and improvise

TLDR: This answer focuses on downplaying the importance of rules, making them a more abstract guide for capacities in order to speed things up.

Mechanics can really slow down a scene, if you've ever played a battleboard system (like D&D 3.5/4.0) then you know players can spend ages just working out where they're going to step, onto which square, what attack they're going to use with with feat and yawwwwwwn I'm already bored - this is meant to be exciting. Rules and feats and skills restrict what the players think they can do, restrict them.

I ran Rolemaster for many years (a pretty heavy rules system) and I kept the details down to a minimum and described everything I could; if I really had to I drew a rough sketch with a pencil on a piece of throwaway paper but everything else was description, the rolls were frequently abstract checks, but checks to keep things going.

Important: The players need to get on-board with this idea, that the rules are there to assist, but are not the be-all and end all - rules lawyer characters who start quoting pages are going to kill this sort of game flow and won't like this sort of game.

How do you do this?

  • Ignore initiative; go round in order of seating. You make one check; the players win or the monsters win; you play the monsters, then the players go in turn. If you want a bit more leeway then the player at the left or right of you who gets the highest roll goes next.
  • Keep it rolling; time is abstract for this; use verbal cues in the game to indicate the impending problems and time-critical nature and it will spur them on "You see the escaping thief is just one roof away from diving into the river!"
  • "Yes you can"; let players try almost anything improvise what skills, feats and spells can do, be adaptable - that magic missile can blast a rope or blow out a window, that cleave feat can chop through a door quicker, you get the idea - the sooner players realise that they can abstract their abilities the more creative they'll be. If they ask if they can try something tell them they can try! However beware that it doesn't lead into sillyness, you want a serious chase, right?
  • Lead by example; anything the players can do, the NPCs can do too; show them what sort of thing is possible, get a lightning bolt to bounce off a mirror, etc.
  • Keep it short; use character names, when a player finishes their go immediately switch to the next "Sir Bob, what are you doing?" get them to answer quickly; it keeps them in thread, if they take too long, tell them they are dithering and come back to them after you've asked the next player along.
  • Ignore/shortcut the rules that bog stuff down, facing, distance, etc; don't use a board; use "about 20 feet away" if they want to hit, let them, if it's reasonable; but keep it dramatic; give them bonuses for other stuff; if they want a flanking bonus, if there's a couple of people fighting the same guy, give them the bonus, if they've swung over and kicked someone in the head from a chandelier give them a bonus for that.
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