This year, I’ll probably be playing more than GMing, and one of my goals is to help out the GMs in our group by playing proactive PCs who will occasionally take risks, make choices or form connections with other characters in ways that will (hopefully) create new possible directions for the story.
Do you have examples of when this has worked well in games you’ve played or run? (I’d be particularly interested in examples that offered the GM flexibility in how to use the new possibilities.)
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One option is Paizo's Plot Cards, used properly they can create a lot of neat Role-playing opportuities
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The most common type of example that I've seen is when you have a PC with a chip on their shoulder who creates enemies where there otherwise wouldn't have been any before.
Another similar example is when the party overreacted to a situation by fleeing the city. The GM wasn't expecting us to react that way, and had to completely ditch the planned adventure and make up a new one on the fly. I feel like this isn't what you're looking for, though. :)
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That pretty much generally how I play the game as a proactive player. Also how I as a GM like my players to play. So I have a ton of examples...but I am going to give you some advice.
Try to bring at least one other player(if not all) in on it. Especially if they are not being as proactive as you.
Thanks to everyone for the responses!
That pretty much generally how I play the game as a proactive player. Also how I as a GM like my players to play. So I have a ton of examples...but I am going to give you some advice.
Try to bring at least one other player(if not all) in on it. Especially if they are not being as proactive as you.
I think this is a good suggestion for me to keep in mind.
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Engage with the world the GM presents to you. Interact with the NPCs. Write up a backstory that includes tie-ins with the world. But most of all, and this is something my players do that I really find helpful, at the end of each session, let your GM know what hooks and leads you're interested in.
For instance, in my homegame, the starting town has a bit of history. The town's founder went missing, and the ruling kingdom sent an government official in to rule over the town in his stead. The founder's daughter has been put into the role of sheriff, and serves under the new magistrate. This has created some political tension within the small town which should play out further down the line.
So far the game has revolved around locating and recovering a lost dwarven mine, but during the following shopping spree around town, the PCs debriefed with several NPCs and just put these puzzle pieces altogether last session, and at the end of the session declared "We want to go looking for the missing founder!"
Now that I know this is a hook they're interested in, I'm planning the next adventure around this plotline. They won't find the founder, but they'll be at least one step closer to unraveling the mystery of his disappearance (which ties back into the main plotline in the long run).
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In the "Crypt of the Everflame" adventure, I had a PC that dropped off the game right at the beginning.
Lil Eschie Crypt of the Everflame
So I made him join another group of young adventurers, with a map; and the PC had to catch them before they could even reach the Crypt