Teamwork & Tension

[Kyle Aaron]

Teamwork and tension are things which I find fun to have in a game session. It's why I prefer the old Mission Impossible tv series to the modern movie series - in the old series, each specialist contributed a bit to the mission as a whole. What was impossible for one was possible for them as a group.

That sort of teamwork, driven by or done under some external threat, I think that's great fun in a game session.

But I find that many gamers create real individuals. I've been quite successful as a GM at getting them to connect their characters together, but they still don't act as a team. Some of you may be familiar with the basic infantry tactic of "fire and movement" or "mobile overwatch" - one group stops and gives covering fire while the other moves forward, then the second group stops and gives cover while the first moves forward. That's about the most basic kind of teamwork you can have.

But many game groups can't even manage that - players get impatient and have their characters all rush forwards at once. Obviously you can have them just get wiped out or captured, but I find that sort of thing isn't good for encouraging teamwork. It just pisses them off.

I've tried to help things out with game mechanics. Whatever the system, I say that there are "complementary traits" - your Maths helps your Physics, Jim's Strength can help Bob's Agility as he's trying to wriggle out of his bonds, that sort of thing. This is meant to encourage players to think "how can my guy help the other guy?" which is basically all teamwork is.

But I find I have to prompt players a lot. Everyone wants to be a one-person party.

Any thoughts? I'd love to be running military, police and espionage games, or games with elements of that in there - but they fall on their arse without teamwork.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

To true...

I totally agree. And I wish I could find games in those genres, hell, I eat them with a spoon and ask for seconds, but then I did go to school for it a bit....

So any chance of PbP? :devil: I got this character.....

 

[CosmicGamer]

Teamwork and forcing it

Starting off a little off topic but I'll get back on track.

Roleplaying,

Often it's a concept that seams lost in roleplaying games. People play their characters with knowledge, abilities or advanced tactics that they know of but their character would not. The opposite can be even worse, how can you roleplay realistically a character that has skills you know nothing about.

It is up to the GM to keep the players "in line". But if they are having fun, what the heck.... isn't that the point?

Do the characters have the skills (tactics, leadership) or background for a well coordinated fight. A military career in itself may not be enough: the combat medic, the technician, and the tank driver may not know the right procedures when in a gun battle nor would most Navy characters know what to do in a ground fight, but if they know how to use a weapon, military folks surely have learned to follow orders - they must be orders that are simple though. Telling them to leapfrog could result in something quite hilarious on a battlefield.

Does the group have a clear command structure and roles that they are comfortable with and have practiced so that in battle they know who is giving the orders and what their responsibilities are?

Is everyone within range of voice commands or equipped with unjammed communication gear?

Would you let someone without medic skill reattach a severed limb? If not, make sure in other aspects of the game the players are not roleplaying their characters beyond whats on the character sheets.

If you determine that a player is not living up to their potential you can give them bigger challenges and guide them along.

From my limited experience, adventurers are, well, adventurous. Typically out for fame glory and riches, not a typical grunt who does things by the book and is content to just follow orders. So if a group does not have good rank structure and teamwork it's almost good roleplaying. If you are running a game that requires a tight cohesive military unit make them well aware of it going in, have them all roll characters that are in the same career and roleplay their character creation with them being in the same unit when character creation is completed. The game could start with them in training and you run the NPC that is in charge of their training. You keep running drills over and over and giving them tips until they are ready for their mission.

These are just my thoughts. The good ones are rare. I hope you find one here today.

 

[robject]

Of course, RPG rules are all about "Player does this, player does that", and don't have a lot of rules for "group" actions. Each player decides what to do. It would be interesting if the Rules had some actions that the group could fire as a single "move".

Seems to me that if you can set a couple of parameters then you can fit a group into a mode or role for a round...

 

[Tysis]

Back in college we had teamwork galore. These days, it really needs encouragement.

The biggest factor is that we just do not have the time that we did, so we do not get to know each other's characters.

 

[pendragonman]

Back in college we had teamwork galore. These days, it really needs encouragement.

The biggest factor is that we just do not have the time that we did, so we do not get to know each other's characters.

Is it that you don't have the time to get to know the other characters any more, or that in college you had a player or two who were good at giving direction without offending anyone AND you all agreed to follow those directions?

What I have found that the players with more console game experience tend to not lend themselves to good teamwork. Not in every case, but certainly the majority.

 

[jawillroy]

What I have found that the players with more console game experience tend to not lend themselves to good teamwork.

cf Leeroy Jenkins?

 

[BlackBat242]

The first 8 years I gamed, most of my gaming group(s) were military, like me... so teamwork was an automatic habit.

This was never more evident as when 3 of us were in the same session of a Traveller con tournament in 1985.

In the middle of the dramatic, game-ending chase scene, the ref had everyone pause and write our actions down for when we stopped our air car... without discussion or consulting each other.

He then had us read them out loud, and we had each chosen a different thing to do... all of which meshed together to get us all (uninjured) out of a situation that most session groups failed to get anyone out of.

The ref was so impressed he scored a bonus for us.

 

[casquilho]

I believe that the true team work some of you are talking about can only come when a few key elements are present in the group.

They must trust and respect each other as players. They must trust and respect the GM. They must have voluntarily selected a player to lead them and that player must willingly lead. They must agree to not always be in the lime light as individuals. And most of all, they must want to be a team in game as well as in the real world.

Without these things the group becomes a mob of ones rather then a group of one.

Just my .02 credits worth.

Daniel

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Of course, RPG rules are all about "Player does this, player does that", and don't have a lot of rules for "group" actions. Each player decides what to do. It would be interesting if the Rules had some actions that the group could fire as a single "move".

Sounds like a little game called Striker, Rob.

 

[far-trader]

...What I have found that the players with more console game experience tend to not lend themselves to good teamwork. Not in every case, but certainly the majority.

Yep, it would depend on the game. Lots of console games, the ones played team cooperatively online at least, can be improved by (and improve a player's) leadership, teamwork, and communication.

Getting that to translate to an RPG, unless it's with the same bunch or other like minded regulars,...

...yeah, tricky

No real solution beyond reward what you like and penalize what you don't. Give the player's examples.

Maybe the rules could be adjusted to make it work. Like roll 2D if acting independently, roll 3D if acting as (part of) a group. With a DM for following Leadership. Naturally the NPCs get the same treatment, and if the players are doing badly against an organized and cooperating force when they are all trying to the last action hero maybe they'll get the message. Eventually.

 

[aramis]

Sounds like a little game called Striker, Rob.

MegaTraveller, The Fantasty Trip, GURPS, Burning Empires, King Arthur Pendragon... all have mass battle systems that allow actions as a group to lead others.

 

[Rraurgrimm]

I believe that the true team work some of you are talking about can only come when a few key elements are present in the group.

They must trust and respect each other as players. They must trust and respect the GM. They must have voluntarily selected a player to lead them and that player must willingly lead. They must agree to not always be in the lime light as individuals. And most of all, they must want to be a team in game as well as in the real world.

Without these things the group becomes a mob of ones rather then a group of one.

I fully agree.

Currently I am blissfully playing in three active campaigns with three different groups (about as much as I had during my school days!). And I am not sure if we as players and GM have become more adult, more interested in a different style of playing or whatever: our characters have strengths and weaknesses and we love to play with them. We know that the disadvantages may lead our characters into funny or even dangerous situations - just like their advantages may be not that advantageous all the time. We trust each other and the GM that everyone is able to have the personal 'moment of glory' - and we actively encourage each other to step forward when we know that the other character (and player) can play on his forté, acting on his characters' strengths and weaknesses.

It makes playing much more fun and I would call all three groups 'great teams'. I have not known all the members of each group before I started playing with them so it was not a matter of being good friends beforehand. We have established that we want to have fun on the first hand - and that we want to play the game on the other. And strangely enough no one tried to actively do her/his thing against the group or the campaign so far - regardless of the dirty little secrets some of the characters may have.

 

[Kyle Aaron]

So any chance of PbP? :devil: I got this character.....

Play-by-posts suxxorz and always die. I only do chat gaming online. IRC, etc. Those work well.

As for the other responses, I'm still listening...

 

[CosmicGamer]

Currently I am blissfully playing in three active campaigns with three different groups

Could you send me want ads and apartment listings for your area? I'm moving!

I just started getting back into Traveller because of the possibilities of playing online. I'm only aware of one other person that is into Traveller who is within a 50 mile radius of me.

I only do chat gaming online. IRC, etc. Those work well.

Tell me more! I loaded some software and went to IRC #Traveller but nothing was going on there.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Are you in Milwaukee or there abouts CG?

Pretty much what CosmicGamer said, but no IRC, didn't even know there was a Traveller online till CotI...*blowing more sunshine, somewhat facetiously, since they still haven't fixed the bloody subscriptions yet, that i know of anyway*

And is this yet another (that would make like five, well four, I don't use one, it has Microbes on it) IM systems I have to put on my machine, grrrrr.

 

[Kyle Aaron]

Well, any chat program can be used, so long as it has a "common room" where people speak and act publicly, and allows for private messages between GM and player. Though a dice bot helps...

But I didn't intend this as a recruitment thread... I just wanted some advice!

 

[jawillroy]

I'm only aware of one other person that is into Traveller who is within a 50 mile radius of me.

Same with any game, really, so even when I do get a game going, I'm the only one who knows the rules well enough to GM. The story of my gaming life.

 

[kafka47]

Teamwork certainly has its place. But, as a Referee, adversary and competition also work well. A couple of weeks ago, I ran an adventure where the party were bloodthirsty pirates and social darwinism for the fear of being executed was the rule. Every so often it is neccessary for players to shake up peoples' role playing style to liven up the game.

 

[Ishmael]

Well, any chat program can be used, so long as it has a "common room" where people speak and act publicly, and allows for private messages between GM and player. Though a dice bot helps...

irc is nice because you can make several 'rooms'
intrigue as things done and said in one room isn't shown in other rooms....make the players go to the appropriate room to do stuff
If the ref allows for 'bugs' let players listen in on other rooms..

murder mysteries and spy missions are nice that way

can't say it enhances 'teamwork' though....well...in some cases it definately does