GM's Leading Questions

[IanBruntlett]

OK, imagine this, you're running a scenario and all sorts of things are happening and you need some time to collect your wits.

Here are some leading questions that I have used while running games recently:-
1. What do you do?
2. How do you do that?
3. Who goes first?
4. Whereabouts in "location" are your characters (and then I sketch up a simple map on paper and use plastic figures to show where characters are).
5. But now its your turn
6. Are you sure that is what you want to do?
7. Do you want to do an intelligence check before continuing? (and then if they succeed the check, I tell them something obvious they're overlooking)
8. Do you want to buy anything? (between scenarios)
9. Do you want to learn anything? (between scenarios)
10. Do you stand, fight or run away?

 

[rust]

From my experience I would add the option "surrender" to Question 10,
it is surprising how often PCs and NPCs overlook the fact that it is not
always necessary to fight to the death if there is no opportunity to flee.

 

[Captain Jonah]

11 Someone make a sensor/recon/spot check. I'll take the best effect.
12 Who is looking in what direction.
13 What active emisions are you putting out. (good for wasting several minutes while everyone goes down the list of items on them)
14 Just to recap, what do you think such and such toldl you. Buys you time and also tells you if they forgot to make a note of anything important.

 

[BP]

...
13 What active emisions are you putting out. ...

Ah - questioning the bodily functions of PCs - good one! :lol:

 

[Chuckhazard]

spot check

There isn't a spot skill is there? Do you house rule a spot skill or substitute recon? I've been doing the latter but it doesn't feel quite right.

I'd also add to the list:

Who is here/doing this/with you? (My players split up a lot)

 

[rinku]

What are your goals/objectives in this situation?
How does this make you feel?

(Geez, may as well download an Eliza program...)

 

[BP]

There is always the reasonable sounding, but impossible task request...

15. Someone locate the Forgery entry in the skill tables in Book 6: Scoundrels

 

[rinku]

spot check

There isn't a spot skill is there? Do you house rule a spot skill or substitute recon? I've been doing the latter but it doesn't feel quite right.

Recon in most situations, Investigate if searching a room, Sensors for detecting things with technology. Depending on what's being spotted, almost any skill may apply (i.e. Pilot skill to notice that the ship is handling funny, Diplomacy to spot that the Aslan ambassador has made a basic breach of protocol, Advocate to spot a clause in the fine print that's going to screw the party).

 

[Mithras]

In D&D similar questions are: where do you camp? Do you want to buy anything from the village store? Tell me where you are checking for traps, and of course, what is your marching order?

Every game has them

 

[CosmicGamer]

A call on a players comm can be a simple distraction and there are innumerable possibilities. Someone was seen snooping around the ship. An error in paperwork needs to be straightened out. Port authority wants to do an inspection of the ship. Even just someone looking for passage or cargo transport - no hidden agendas.

 

[Stainless]

There is always the reasonable sounding, but impossible task request...

15. Someone locate the Forgery entry in the skill tables in Book 6: Scoundrels

LOL, I told them about that in the draft I reviewed, but they didn't listen :|

 

[Stainless]

I find

3. Who goes first?

usually wastes the most time as the players argue the point (pun intended).

 

[saundby]

This is why you let your players get beaker monkeys.

All the time in the world is yours for the asking.

 

[Bense]

You could always use out-of-game distractions:

Hey, I'm hungry. Who wants pizza?

Take five - I gotta go to the can.

I wonder who brought the most dice?
And can they stack them all?

 

[alex_greene]

You have time to talk to the characters with Tactics and Leadership. Get them to rouse the other characters into activity. Talk with them, and get them to work out a plan, then give them a few seconds in real time to tall the rest of the group what's about to happen.

Finally, allow those characters their Tactics and/or Leadership rolls to bring the benefits of their instructions to the team's Initiative, etc. and resume the temporal flow of combat rounds as before.

Need I say that a stopwatch could be pretty essential here? Telling them they have exactly seventeen seconds before the enemy regroups and begins their next assault doesn't seem to count for much, but tell them it's in real time and count the time down as they talk. It concentrates the mind most effectively ...

 

[Geesuv]

Yeah, I go and use the loo if I need time to think. Though this is sometimes a good thing, I drink water like no ones business when GMing...

Other times I get the players to talk amongst themselves about how they want to do something, ties them up for a good few minutes.

 

[alex_greene]

Outside of combat scenes, it'd be a good idea to give the characters exactly ten minutes of in-character discussion to work out what they need to do next, and for the players to thrash out a plan.

That's a good time to hand the team leader the slip of paper with your leading questions written on them, so they can work out some decent answers for themselves.

Having healthy kidneys helps when you're a Ref.