Wandering Characters

[rgrove0172]

We just started our first Conan campaign and are having a ball but as the GM Im having a bit of trouble in one area. This is something I foresaw as a hindrance as Ive experienced it in other games but its really accentuated in Conan as the player are familiar with the entire world. The problem of Player-character Wonderlust.

I spent about a month fleshing out the details and region for a Shadizar campaign. Reading through and noting lots of the boxed material of course, adding in tons of my own stuff. Fleshing out the surrounding area, a few villages, tribal activity in the Kezankians, caravan routes and the like. Worked up the military a bit, underworld figures, expanded on businesses trade and general color within the city. I then ordered and painted about $200 worth of miniatures including a variety of thieves, watchmen, soldiers, hillmen, and various NPCs (including some cute dancing girls whoohoo!)

Guess what? After our first session - IM talking 6 hours of play only - the players agree they have sufficiently stirred up Shadizar to the point that staying there is probably dangerous (Duh!) and they plan to leave in our next game. "HUH!" Im thinking. "LEAVE?" - yeah, they say, Khauran looks good, they think they'll head south.

Im left holding the bag in this kind of play and it makes GMing extremely difficult. Granted Conan was a wanderer but even in the stories it appears he spends a few months here and there before moving on. Time at least for a handful of adventures, even if only one found Howard's typewriter. Players moving around like this is going to prove a nightmare, not to mention expensive as the miniatures normally wont last past a cultural boundry and still fit the bill, you know?

I mentioned this to the players and suggested they stay in one place for a while and they rebuffed me a bit (politely of course) thinking Im trying to turn them into puppets and stealing thier free will. (Vincent will find this amusing Im sure!)

So Im reduced to perhaps not puting as much effort into future games. No miniatures, markers and chess pieces instead. No cool table top dioramas and such but dry erase only. No detailed environments, instead just get a basic notion of the culture and wing the details on the fly etc.

Seems like a step down in game quality but whats a guy to do?

 

[Clovenhoof]

Dude, I'm really sorry to hear that.

So Im reduced to perhaps not puting as much effort into future games. No miniatures, markers and chess pieces instead. No cool table top dioramas and such but dry erase only. No detailed environments, instead just get a basic notion of the culture and wing the details on the fly etc.

Yup, that's quite the thing to do. I'm with you there. The players should be willing to meet the GM somewhere in the middle when he makes a reasonable request. You've shown a great deal of committment there with the minis and all -- your players apparently don't appreciate that. They can't expect you to spend hundreds of bucks for every other gaming night, not even counting the hours spent for preparations. You're a person, not a computer game.

However, I also have to say that I would have discussed the matter with my players _before_ going through all that prepping trouble. Either they'd have agreed to stay in the area for a few months, or they'd have said they want to explore the world, in which case I'd have gotten generic minis at best, and not put that much effort into detail.

Seems like a step down in game quality but whats a guy to do?

Next time have _them_ buy and paint the minis.

 

[rgrove0172]

Next time have _them_ buy and paint the minis.

Sadly, that would be a kiss of death to our campaign. These guys are great players and pretty committed but I think Im expected to provide the materials to play. Passing the buck to them would probably delay our sessions considerably and in one case, probably cost us a player. They would try to work with me Im sure, they really are great guys - but I dont think your suggestion would work in our case.

Good idea though - I do think your right in that I should let them know up front the expectations of the game and limitations therein. Make sure they know the consequences of moving around so much and let them choose. Stay a while and enjoy a richer and more entertaining game or stay on the move and things will have to be simplified a bit.

 

[slaughterj]

A couple of comments:
1. If you are running a campaign in any game and intend for it to be a "city game" or a "wandering game" or whatnot, this should be clearly conveyed to the PCs from the start, so they will take that into account. It should be clear that in a city campaign, even if the PCs stir up trouble, that they won't simply be outright hunted by the guard (and the events should be such that they don't lead to such), else they will feel pressured to leave.
2. Conan is especially more oriented toward wanderlust, but the particulars of that wanderlust can be controlled as well, depending on how you set up your campaign. I told my PCs that the game would run like the Conan stories, i.e., fairly episodic, and jumping periods of time from one adventure to another, and in the process, they can end up with total changes in possessions (or none at all) and total changes in locations. They are forewarned and are fine with that. Thus far, they started in Koth, went into the SE mountains of Koth, up through those mountains to Zamora and to Arenjun therein, then down into the desert and into Zamboula. Next they head deeper into Turan, to the Vilayet, back through Shem, and on from there (still working up the adventure ideas). You can run it like this, or you can leave it wide open, letting the PCs decide their direction totally (I have given them motivations at various times to go various directions, e.g., talking to others and finding about someone from their past or trouble in their homeland, etc.). But you should let the PCs know all this in advance.

 

[rgrove0172]

fairly episodic, and jumping periods of time from one adventure to another, and in the process, they can end up with total changes in possessions (or none at all) and total changes in locations

I had originally planned to approach our game this way as well but after some discussion (unfortunately after the first session instead of before) it appeared my players had some trouble with the concept of long periods of time and experience passing without thier input. The idea of "waking up in a Zingaran brothel, hungover, drunk and wanted by the local militia - when they ended the last game setting on a pile of Nemedian gold- simply did not go over well. We agreed that short, mundane intervals could pass without player influence but its assumed nothing of note occurs there. Perhaps a planned trip can occur between games, if nothing untoward occured during the travel etc. But simply to start them off somewhere new in entirely unfamiliar circumstances - that was just too much of a jolt I think.

This actually may help my problem a bit though, as it slows thier travel plans, even if they are committed to them - but the only way I see to keep the players corraled is to manipulate them with the plot. (ie. You cant leave as the gates are being watched by scores of the city watch or No, Im sorry, there are no horses for sale today!) such measures will no doubt rankle a player who is bent on a direction conflicting with the GM's plans and there will be some who think this kind of manipulation goes contrary to what a RPG is all about.

 

[Clovenhoof]

"waking up in a Zingaran brothel, hungover, drunk and wanted by the local militia - when they ended the last game setting on a pile of Nemedian gold-

Hee hee ^_^ well that's pretty harsh, I'll also yet have to see how my players would react to that. Maybe always plan in some time to describe how the party squanders their hard-earned gold.

but the only way I see to keep the players corraled is to manipulate them with the plot.

Oh well, that goes into the direction of railroading, so while it is not totally out of the question, I would be careful with that.

Possible reasons why they might be barred from leaving the city:
- there is a big market held in the city, and for the duration of it noboby may leave; this is to discourage shoplifters who want to get away with their loot
However, this will only be good for a couple of days.
- a plague broke out and the king of the city, while having relocated to his summer residence in the mountains, as issued a total quarantine so as not to spread the plage. This can be good for weeks.

Or: the nation currently hosting the party is at war with the neighbour which the party wants to travel to next. Neither side will want them to cross the border. In the neighbouring nation they might be considered spies.

All that still leaves it pretty obvious that you as a GM don't want them to leave. But I think it's better and fairer than "no horses today".

 

[rgrove0172]

Isnt it all "railroading" really, regardless of the logic?

 

[VincentDarlage]

Im left holding the bag in this kind of play and it makes GMing extremely difficult.

This is the best kind of play for me, where my strength lies. I enjoy fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants GMing. I do horrible with modules. I do much better with adventure seeds. All I need is an idea and I can run with it.

I mentioned this to the players and suggested they stay in one place for a while and they rebuffed me a bit (politely of course) thinking Im trying to turn them into puppets and stealing thier free will. (Vincent will find this amusing Im sure!)

Yep. I never steer my players in any direction. I find out from them where they would like to go from here and run the adventure accordingly. I also never over-prepare like that. Wow. Your games must be impressive as hell when the players do as you want them to as they respond to your direction. My games are more impressive when my players do as they please and I respond to their direction.

I can see their point. They are there to experience their own stories, not to act out the GMs stories. Each player and the GM have their stories to tell. To act as though the GMs story has priority seems diminishing to the players. I let the various stories and the priorities rise and fall as a matter of natural course. There is a rhythm to it, and it is kind of neat.

So Im reduced to perhaps not puting as much effort into future games. No miniatures, markers and chess pieces instead. No cool table top dioramas and such but dry erase only. No detailed environments, instead just get a basic notion of the culture and wing the details on the fly etc.

That is what I have always done. Well, except for the markers and chess pieces. I don't use miniatures unless I have to. A bit old-school, I guess, but when I was growing up I didn't have the money for miniatures or mats, so it was all done with the imagination (AD&D, 1st edition). I still play that way.

Seems like a step down in game quality but whats a guy to do?

For me, it would be a step up in quality. I am at my best in the environment you are describing. I prefer relying my instinct than relying on my memory (my memory for details is minimal at best). I am at my worst GMing with that much preparation. But if we were all the same, the world would not be as vibrant, would it?

 

[VincentDarlage]

but the only way I see to keep the players corraled is to manipulate them with the plot.

I think the best way to keep the players corraled is to keep them interested in the plot. Then they choose to hang about because of their own interest and because they have a vested interest in the outcome.

I think manipulating them in the manner you described would just irritate them because of the transparency. If the players are successfully hooked, then they will remain - without overt manipulation or railroading.

If my players are not interested in the plot or feel vested in its outcome, I discard the plot and find out what they would be interested in. I never force them to play an adventure they do not find interesting or intriguing enough to stick around for the finale.

If the players are interested enough to choose to hang about, then there are no concerns about being puppets or being railroaded. I rarely get accused of railroading (once or twice in the past 25 years - usually when running a module. Funny that).

(This is also why I almost never start adventures out with the PCs being "hired" to do something. They know there are safer ways to earn a buck, so they lose the vested interest in the outcome, since the outcome is primarily for the benefit of a third party.)

If they left, it is because they lost interest and/or because they didn't have a vested reason to remain.

 

[slaughterj]

The idea of "waking up in a Zingaran brothel, hungover, drunk and wanted by the local militia - when they ended the last game setting on a pile of Nemedian gold- simply did not go over well. We agreed that short, mundane intervals could pass without player influence but its assumed nothing of note occurs there. Perhaps a planned trip can occur between games, if nothing untoward occured during the travel etc. But simply to start them off somewhere new in entirely unfamiliar circumstances - that was just too much of a jolt I think.

While I warned my PCs of the former, in reality, it has tended to be a bit more toward the latter. I pick up with a reference to the last session, and then lead into the current session. E.g., from this weekend's game, the previous session ended with the PCs fleeing from a ruined coliseum in a ruined city in the desert with the rescued merchant's daughter, and with that reminder, the start of the session began with the PCs having been caught up in a terrible sandstorm with no protection (had nothing from the previous adventure other than a few personal possessions, and had traveled thereafter a few days by foot), nearly felled by the lashing of the sand, only to spot some edge of cloth tents and nomadic figures ahead. The main nomad revealed his face to be a bandit leader they had previously encounted and been treasonous to, who promptly ko'd the lot of them. Then the adventure began, with that background provided of the interim happenings, and the PCs awoke with naught but loincloths and chained to a pole in the middle of the nomad/kozak camp

 

[Sutek]

Isnt it all "railroading" really, regardless of the logic?

Absolutely not.

But I think Vincent touched on an important thing: Where did they lose interest?

Now you might not think they lost interest, but that's because whatever hook you had to keep them involved in Shadizar was (A) known only to you and you giant secret plot (lol) and (B) felt easier to deal with by avoidance...so they all left.

It may have seemed too insurmountable. It may have seemed uninteresting. It may have not had the right return for effort ratio that they liked. But let me ask you this: Does it all have to take place in Shadizar?

Now you may have a network of baddies, or a series of plot events that transpire, a time-table of actions that the players are supposed to fall into, or even various loosely connected plot points that can be discovered in any order but lead them down the same path. The trouble is, that because the area is dangerous and the players arent' stupid, simply going somewhere else is the best choice because they avoid all the complications in that spot.

The question you have to pose to yourself is what made them stray? Now, you can ask them flat out "Was there any one thing tyhat made you guys want to leave?" They may just tell you what it was and you can rectify it. But, there's also no reason you can't just keep rolling, sans investigation, and move elements out after them. Chasing the PCs all over the countryside (and there's lots of ways to do that) inevitably puts them in the frame of mind to return to the source and get to the bottom of things, and then you're back on track.

Assassins. Bad reputations. Merchants not wanting to do business with them or even city guards not allowing them admittance because of false stories about them can be motivators to return, but moreover, can take all the things you planned in the original location and put them on the road.

Bottom line: Never let them see you sweat.

Also, the scenario of "The mountains to the north and south are impassible and you came from the west, and the road continues east...so what do you want to do?" is always going to get you into trouble, whether it's as blatant as that or more subtle a confinement like the situation you're describing.

 

[rgrove0172]

Boy, Ive got some replying to do!

This is the best kind of play for me, where my strength lies.

Perhaps, but not all of us (admittedly damn few of us) have the wealth of Hyborian knowledge that you do Vincent. Perhaps you could fake it if a party suddenly stomped off into Argos, most of us would have to do some research and construction in advance.

They are there to experience their own stories, not to act out the GMs stories.

Thats a very insightful comment - you have hit a nerve there. Perhaps I have looked at my role as GM as one where I present the stories to which the players participate, rather than simply refereeing thier own. Ill give it some thought, but the difference lies in the emphasis on plot, as opposed to environment as far as preparation goes. In this situation the problem is the same. Sudden unexpected decisions rendering the GM's work useless.

I don't use miniatures unless I have to. A bit old-school, I guess, but when I was growing up I didn't have the money for miniatures or mats, so it was all done with the imagination

I never have either but his is a different breed of roleplayer. Gamers exposed to skirmish gaming, military miniatures, Flames of War and D&D minis. Its a natural expectation for them. Drawing out a sketch with a dry erase marker on a hex grid really comes off cheap.

I think the best way to keep the players corraled is to keep them interested in the plot.

I dont think this was a factor, they are very interested but also proudly play thier characters "realistically" and make logical decisions based on the dynamics of the game situation. Im not criticizing thier decision, its actually a pretty smart one (They have hacked off several powerful underworld influences and managed to alienate themselves from most of thier support) leaving would be the safest option, Ill admit it. It was thier choices that prompted this, not so much my doing. Interest aside, they are making a decision, anything I would do to try and change it after the fact could be called "railroading"

"Sand storm, losing everything, bandit leader, capture etc."

This is just the sort of thing that would send my players packing I think. They ahd no choice in any of it. To go a different direction, avoid the tents, kill the bandits, escape capture, trade the merchant's daughter. It was all played out for them.

Does it all have to take place in Shadizar?

Well no, as in there is no "it" in this case. I had several possible plot lines the players could fall into and allowed them to sort of wind there way into one based on thier actions - there was no grand scheme yet, it was the first session afterall - I had hoped the actions of the first game would develop into something bigger. (See Vincent, I dont script everything ) I prepared an environment for them to adventure in, not really a hard plot line, but when this freedom allows them to flee the carefully prepared environ, a lot of work is wasted.

"Was there any one thing tyhat made you guys want to leave?"

I did ask this question, subtly, and the reason they gave was one of security. They had made the city to "hot" in thier estimation and thought descretion the wiser choice. Get out of Dodge - in other words. Kind of hard to combat that with a hint or nudge.

 

[slaughterj]

This is the best kind of play for me, where my strength lies. I enjoy fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants GMing. I do horrible with modules. I do much better with adventure seeds. All I need is an idea and I can run with it.

That's been my predominant style in the past as well, and I still do it a fair amount, but find myself wanting to read up and prepare some in order to create an adventure in a particular area so it is more interesting.

I never steer my players in any direction. I find out from them where they would like to go from here and run the adventure accordingly. I also never over-prepare like that. Wow. Your games must be impressive as hell when the players do as you want them to as they respond to your direction. My games are more impressive when my players do as they please and I respond to their direction.

That's how I like to play in a game, but find many GMs are not interested or able to run something quite so loose. Perhaps because it requires the GM to be well versed in both the game system and the campaign world to keep things moving well for such games.

I also like to run games like this, but found that PCs tend to prefer to be led a bit more, either because the clues may be a bit difficult to figure out, or they lack development of their character's particular goals and so do not have enough "purpose" to do other than be led from adventure to adventure, or they are satisified with just pursuing "in-adventure" goals. It is difficult to get PCs to chase their own goals if they don't have any and don't want to invest into developing them, so often games need to be run as GM stories, at least to some extent.

 

[Sutek]

Does it all have to take place in Shadizar?

Well no, as in there is no "it" in this case. I had several possible plot lines the players could fall into and allowed them to sort of wind there way into one based on thier actions - there was no grand scheme yet, it was the first session afterall - I had hoped the actions of the first game would develop into something bigger. (See Vincent, I dont script everything ) I prepared an environment for them to adventure in, not really a hard plot line, but when this freedom allows them to flee the carefully prepared environ, a lot of work is wasted.

Then nothing is really fouled up and you have nothing to worry about. Just port the threads into other areas that te players deem "safer" and change gears and villains as you go, incorporating thier actions and reactions to link it all together. Think of the line delivered by Qui-Gon Jinn: There's always a bigger fish. They may believe that they've left thier trouvles behind, only to find that those troubles aren't necessarily interested on meddling with them in a particular locale - they've been followed! This is of course easier if your plots aren't connected to begin with, because then, as the players speculate and come up with thier own ideas about who's behind what and so on...you just either go with thier flow, or you do the exact opposite and confound them. (lol) That's my GMing style anyway.

"Was there any one thing that made you guys want to leave?"

I did ask this question, subtly, and the reason they gave was one of security. They had made the city to "hot" in thier estimation and thought descretion the wiser choice. Get out of Dodge - in other words. Kind of hard to combat that with a hint or nudge.

Nudge = Reputation.

Ever hera the phrase "Out of the frying pan and into the fire?" Whatever they did to get folks all hot and bothered translates to Rep points and that goes with them wherever they go. Word gets out, rumors get started, and that can develop into lots of tangents from thugs just wanting to take them down a notch or two, to some high-level sorcerer from Stygia setting his eye on them as lackey's down the road.

I tend to think in terms of Star Wars every time, so here's another line from Senator Palpatine in episode 1: We'll have to watch your career very closely...

And it need not come back to haunt them right away,either. They also can't jsut run away without a plan of some sort to go on avoiding that "heat", so keep the threat up. Put patrols on the road, or, and this can be even worse by degrees, mere rumors of patrols on the road. Even if the patrols aren't about them at all and the PCs see Shadizar City Guards in a tavern somewhere...it's the paranoia that will drive them to make decisions, and that's when you're suddenly in "control" without having to force them into you "plan". Eventually, through slight manipulations and true and false info, you can get them to react, or at least be in a position to be exposed to whatever your penultimate plot was in the first place.

 

[rgrove0172]

Sutek - I really appreciate your comments and youve got good insight, but I think your missing my point. Look back at my first post.

The problem is Ive worked to flesh out and detail the "Shadizar" area. Sure, I can develop the plot line to follow them - right down the road to areas I dont even have a decent map of yet. Ive no idea whats out there except a little blurb in the core book and a page or so in the Road of Kings. Sure, give me some time to read up, do some research, brainstorm a little and I can - well flesh out Khauran or whatever but it will take a while, just as it took a while with Zamora. Its the "LEAVING" thats the problem.

Honestly Im wondering how all you guys game with any level of detail and descriptive power when your doing so on the whim of the players. I know Hyboria fairly well but to just pop up with a convincing decription of say a Corinthian town, complete with local color, history, interesting NPCs, businesses, backstories, political-religious-cultural influences etc. ALL OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD BECAUSE MY PLAYERS SUDDENLY DECIDED TO GO THAT WAY. I guess Im a little slow or something but that seems pretty incredible.

Dont mistake my tone. Im not here to badger anyone or complain. Im learning and I appreciate your all taking time to help me out.

 

[Netherek]

It sounds to me like you actually have lots of options here...

1. Since you've developed a bunch of threads for Shadizar, develope a general idea of things to come with out the players interaction. They must created enemies or they wouldn't be fleeing to begin with, so what are these enemies planning to do with the power vacuum created? What are there plans for vendetta? Regardless whether the characters want to be involved in the events or not, there are repercussions to their acts...

2. Reputation will follow them, maybe not yet, but it will eventually. So even if you don't capitalize on the Shadizar threads right away, developing a general idea will give you something in the future whether they return or encounter some one from the aftermath of their actions.

3. Don't consider what you've developed wasted, you still have use for the material later. In future planning, develop the plot in less concrete form, that way if they high tail it again you don't feel like you wasted effort.

4. Let them feel like they've put Shadizar behind them. Then hit them with some element from that adventure when they least expect it, whether an enemy comes for them, or some one or thing drives them back.

Freeform can be tough, but it's quite rewarding in the end, just use notes and form basic plots and motives that develop conflict and you'll do better than you think with a bit of practice.

 

[rgrove0172]

Ok, Im recognizing a common thread here. Someone correct me if Im wrong. Plot elements and such can be easily altered, redirected, or even cut out and replaced completely if the player-character actions so deem it. I agree entirely, never should the proposed story line take prescedence over the choice of the player. Rather a good GM should use this feedback to further modify and develop the plot. I understand and couldnt agree more.

But what Im also hearing is a proposed "ease" at which new environments can be woven into the story. "So what if they take off North into the BorderKingdom, just allow your plot to evolve around this move." I can almost here you saying. But what of the nitty gritty of gameplay in the BorderKingdom. What of the descriptions of the folk there, thier dress and mannerisms, the style of fightinig they exhibit, how they react to strangers, local customs and traditions. What do they sell, hunt for, cultivate and build. What do thier homes look like, how do they harness thier horses and what do they drink in thier taverns. Some of the Conan Modules (Thanks Vincent!) are full of this stuff. Where there isnt a reference available, a GM has to come up with it on his own. IN either case though, it takes time to process this. Gather it all into a meaningful form and prepare it for the players. Maps of villages, sketches of NPCs, notes on scenes they may observe when walking through town, what tactics the locals use against invaders etc. Its this background info that really changes a "Ill go to the inn and start a fight" type D&D game into something special, which Conan certainly is. Personally In dont think its the big Barbarian at all that makes it a classic, its HYBORIA. IF you dont relate Howards world in detail, you may as well be playing something else.

Perhaps you guys are more knowledgeable than I on the Hyborian mythos and can pull all this detail up on a moment's notice. IF so, then thats where our communication is failing. It takes time for me to prepare the game and remain faithful to Howard's vision. When the players run helter skelter, alot of that time is wasted.

 

[Netherek]

Well, start by reading the available material for the locale they are planning to head in, note the strong characteristics that make the area unique.

Use short hand notes for NPCs, make some cards of basic encounters if you need them, jot down a few plot threads, and you have the start of what you need to run the next locale. Then while running the said locale, you can think of what is happening in Shadizar or previous locale to develop further plots, threads, threats, and other motivations to further involve them in your story.

Remember, you can run an adventure from anywhere on the Valusian continent using the Core book alone, there really is enough meat in the Gazeteer. While we are playing in Howard's vision, there's no reason not to make it your own.

 

[Clovenhoof]

Honestly Im wondering how all you guys game with any level of detail and descriptive power when your doing so on the whim of the players. I know Hyboria fairly well but to just pop up with a convincing decription of say a Corinthian town,

Well, since I never ever bought regional boxes for any game and am not going to start, and moreover there _are_ no boxes for ALL the regions, improv theatre is quite the way to go.

About 90% of all Hyborian cultures and regions are just cheap ripoffs of real-world ones. Of course I don't know everything about every place, but if you hum a few bars I can fake it.

Corinthia you say? Nothing simpler than that. Ancient/Classical Greek city-states. There you have good clues concerning architecture, political structure, fashion, military and culture.
Sames goes for ANY other culture, just find out their real-world equivalent, which is usually named in the Gazetteer text, then if necessary read up on that using external sources.

 

[Sutek]

Perhaps you guys are more knowledgeable than I on the Hyborian mythos and can pull all this detail up on a moment's notice. IF so, then thats where our communication is failing. It takes time for me to prepare the game and remain faithful to Howard's vision. When the players run helter skelter, alot of that time is wasted.

Playing an RPG is re-writing the mythos to a ceratin extent. It controls you, but it also obeys your commands. (LOL)

What you did was paint yourself into a corner and the players left the room you're in with all of the paint brushes. However, you have a basis already planned out, segments even - not full-bore campaign stuff. You can port some story lines over and change NPC names very easily. Cultural stuff is very easy to look up and improv, what with the Ancient Earth analogs all in place as Clovenhoof said, and anything taht doesn't transfer easily...keep, just as it is.

Let me pose this too you: Where did the PCs leave situations in Shadizar? Is everything resolved both for them and the antagonists? What will the baddies do now that the PCs ahve left? My guess is they'll develop a new plan, too, and keep right on being baddies, coming back to haunt the PCs one day very soon.

The important thing to keep in mind is that you have to make good notes and support documentation for your games, but taht doesn't mean that they have to be inflexible or static. Continue to develop unresolved or un-visited threads to thier logical conclusion and work them in as you go. It may present itself that one of you Shadizar threads will work nicely if reformatted for Stygia, but not right now...save it for later then. 8)