10 by 10 room

A recent RPGNet thread discussed how to tie up loose ends in an in-genre way. In a Buffy game, there was a nasty villain who was defeated, but the players were stumped about how to deal with him. Killing him felt “out of genre” at this point, but there was no other convenient way to stop this villain from becoming a threat again. John Kim observed>

There are many possibilities which have been suggested. Strangely, though no one seems to have asked about who the characters are. Who are your characters, and what are they like?

It’s interesting how often we’re willing to address a situation in a game without looking at its most fundamental elements: the players and their characters. I find that the most useful Actual Play accounts always begin with who the players are, and what characters they’re playing, before describing any kind of setting or events.

“A simple suggestion – draw a sheet with all the Main Cast and their related Supporting Cast members on it. When you need a character for the plot, try to pick someone from the chart. For example, if you want someone transformed into a slime monster, or someone be the long-lost cousin of Afghan royalty, or someone transformed into a – pick someone known.”—John Kim on Buffy RPG Adventure Design, first draft