Rali wrote: I'm hoping that some of you can help me out by sharing how you crank out an entertaining scenario that can be completed in a 5-6 hour session.
Hey Rali,
I know exactly what you mean. I also tend to create mini-campaigns instead of one-shotters. After reading the posts from Brandon and Kevin post on Monday about how Palladium needs new blood and new fans, I hope it really puts Palladium GMs in a "let's go get'em!" mode because convention demos are a great way to make new fans. Sure, a formalized Ambassador program would be nice, but all we need now are GMs going to cons who run fun stuff while being mellow enough to teach newbies.
SO how to make a short game that is still wicked cool? I recommend you rely on the three act structure set down by the ancient Greeks that is still used in every novel and movie today.
Act One
1 - The Introduction / Gathering of Heroes
Act Two
2 - Travel and Learn
3 - Travel and Learn
Act Three
4 - The Climax / Big Fight vs. the Bad Guy
Here's how it works.
In Act One, we have a big intro scene where the heroes gather together and learn about the Bad Guys and they are sent on the Road to Adventure! It is here we learn why were are going on the quest and what we hope to accomplish. There are many questions raised in Act One that spur the heroes to learn more.
In Act Two, we have two scenes where the heroes travel and learn more information about the plot and the plans of the Bad Guys. It is here that they meet an important NPC or hunt down an important artifact or seek out some great secret.
In Act Three, we have the big showdown where it's Good Guys vs. Bad Guys and all the poopie hits the fan. All the questions raised in Act One must be answered before Act Three can finish.
Game Scene Breakdown
In games, your scenes break down to Combat, Roleplay, Tricks, Traps and Decisions.
Combat scenes are pure battle and quick battles will take 1 hour and big battles will take 2 hours. Remember these are Newbies and they will need extra time to adjust to the system. I recommend no more than two combat scenes (1 big and 1 small).
Roleplay scenes are mostly talking and maybe some skill rolls. Remember to create a few very intesting NPCs with personality so the heroes can do some verbal jousting.
Tricks and Traps are actually quite different. Tricks are not dangerous, but threaten to give the heroes false information or divert them away from their quest. Tricks try to fool the players into making future mistakes. Traps are puzzles that will hurt the heroes if they are not figured out.
Decisions are scenes where the heroes must choose a course of action that will deeply affect the game. Do we ally with the Elves vs. the Dwarves or the Dwarves vs. the Elves? Do we take the very long road or the quick trip over the monster filled sea? These are fun scenes, especially if you foreshadow the "right" decision with a Trick scene beforehand.
I hope this helps somewhat. I am sure Plato is rolling in his grave, but all you really need for a 4 to 6 hour demo are 4 cool scenes laid out in such a way that you tell a quick, but fun story.