Travellers as Passengers

[boggo2300]

Strange. That is when I find the GM creativity gets to soar.

wait, players following the planned plot is a thing? I have never experienced such a unicorn moment!

 

[MasterGwydion]

That is why I run a lot of sandbox games. There is no plot. There is only the setting and the how the setting reacts to the PCs' actions.

 

[Arkathan]

My Traveller games have always been sandboxes, for the most part. I wanted to make a colonization campaign in a non-3I setting. My players wanted to be Sword Worlder ex-investigators investigating stuff and part-time merc work.
So that went off the rails quickly... fortunately before I had started generating star systems.

The only real railroading that occurred was the initial adventures: Flatlined/Death Station. Session Zero, they got retirement benefits and pooled their resources to build an upgrade. From there they had to get back to Sword World space, where they were supposed to be getting their ship, at which point they flashed back six months before being kidnapped. Then they had to find out how they got kidnapped (made for a HIGH degree of paranoia and the players felt any moment the hammer could drop, but were trying to play as if their characters didn't.
Once that arc resolved, they've been wandering around picking from sets of odd jobs that they'd expressed interest in during the previous game.

 

[boggo2300]

My Traveller games have always been sandboxes, for the most part. I wanted to make a colonization campaign in a non-3I setting. My players wanted to be Sword Worlder ex-investigators investigating stuff and part-time merc work.
So that went off the rails quickly... fortunately before I had started generating star systems.

The only real railroading that occurred was the initial adventures: Flatlined/Death Station. Session Zero, they got retirement benefits and pooled their resources to build an upgrade. From there they had to get back to Sword World space, where they were supposed to be getting their ship, at which point they flashed back six months before being kidnapped. Then they had to find out how they got kidnapped (made for a HIGH degree of paranoia and the players felt any moment the hammer could drop, but were trying to play as if their characters didn't.
Once that arc resolved, they've been wandering around picking from sets of odd jobs that they'd expressed interest in during the previous game.

I've found the best way to get my players to do roughly what I've plotted is to offer them money (the characters not the players!) then they KIND of go where I want

 

[Arkathan]

I've found the best way to get my players to do roughly what I've plotted is to offer them money (the characters not the players!) then they KIND of go where I want

The ticket or bounty I am most ready for usually pays best... but occasionally, money is not everything and I end up winging it.

 

[Condottiere]

For roleplaying games, you need to hint that there are (worse) consequences to actions, in order to lead the players down the primrose path.

 

[MasterGwydion]

In My games players lead themselves. They tell Me what they want the group to do going forward and I make sure there are things in their path that may make those things happen for them. My players can do whatever they want, they just need to let Me know in advance so that I can be better prepared so they can have more fun.

 

[rinku]

It's usually best as a negotiation. Sometimes player led, sometime Referee led. During play both will come up.

 

[MasterGwydion]

It's usually best as a negotiation. Sometimes player led, sometime Referee led. During play both will come up.

(sarcarsm) Last I checked, Referees referee and Leaders lead.

 

[boggo2300]

you don't tell your players where to go and what to do, you incentivize them to go where the plot is (penalising them for doing otherwise will get you accusations of railroading (fully justified) and disgruntled players.

 

[rinku]

(sarcarsm) Last I checked, Referees referee and Leaders lead.

I guess you don't dance much, huh?

 

[Condottiere]

 

[Sigtrygg]

The one on the left represents the PCs