General How would you put together a Scene?

[Spinward Scout]

I was talking to someone on Reddit and thought about putting a Scene together. Help me out here if you can.

Basically, you have one or more of these components to a Scene that your main Character is involved in:

1.) Foreground Imagery
2.) People Encounters
3.) Creature Encounters
4.) Current Event
5.) Past Event (or Aftermath Event)
6.) Background Imagery

You can use that as a table to figure out what happens next in the Scene, right? Just roll a 1d6. These would be either Direct Encounters or Indirect Encounters.

How do YOU put together a Scene for your Players?

 

[Grav_Moped]

It'd be contextual.

What do the PCs need to do next, and what (types of) settings do they need to transit to accomplish that goal? That gives you a set of possible locations.

Is there anyone who might have a reason to interfere with this goal? They could become adversaries, if encountered.

Likewise, what random event or encounter might interfere with the objective for uttery unrelated reasons?

Is there someone (or an organization) that might have an interest in seeing the PCs achieve their immediate objective? They could manifest as patrons, allies, or contacts.

A lot of this could come out of the standard encounter tables.

 

[kilemall]

I’ve got a random mission/patron/adventure set of rolls based on the CT tables Grav mentions, including the opposition and their minions and a stakes roll. Never occurred to me to put in imagery tables.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Cool!

Thank you both. I'm wanting to expand this out a bit.

What Tables do you mean?

And I'm not sure at what point it's Foreground Imagery or Background.

 

[kilemall]

I’m referring to the patron/encounter/rumor tables in CT The Traveller Book, and I think those were duplicated in things like the starter set.

The process was use rumor or patron as the draw.

Roll actual stakes 2d6 with roll an additional die for every 6 rolled then 1 die for the zeros to add onto the end (so Cr20 to MCr2+). Roll a rumor stake so might be smaller or larger. Stake means usually what players may get, but sometimes something they are doing for others or hurt enemies.

Roll primary opponent/obstacle off the patron table, and the enemy forces the opponent may muster from the random encounter table.

Also a good idea to roll a potential ally or extra problem the same way, testing whether the players can discern who to shoot or not shoot.

The profession of both the patron and opponent should give ideas as to what the conflict or sought treasure/resource is about.

Ok looked it up, these tables are also in book 2 Charts for Starter Traveller.

Animals of course for rural adventures, they may even be the pull one way or another or the primary obstacle.

As for imagery, you definitely want to do that, if only to give the players that not in Kansas anymore moment. But so much depends on the nature of the planet and whether that adventure is happening urban or rural or space.

So rolling a table for results seems to me to not work if specifics are put in.

What I might do is have a table that has general prompts for things like a unique set of plants, herd of animals, light from the double stars glinting off the ice mountains, the unique atmosphere color, smells, an iconic building dominating the town, the sights and sounds of a holiday in the town/village or unnatural inactivity possibly because of the player showdown, etc.

Then it’s up to the ref to tie the environment to the story and flavor of the adventure.

 

[Dragoner]

Minimal description of where they are.
Usually some sort of social encounter (trav is 9 out 10 social).
Play off the player's reactions, and so on.

Players have a character story they want to play out, it is best to sit back and let them talk, esp if everyone else is on board with that.

 

[Grav_Moped]

Minimal description of where they are.
Usually some sort of social encounter (trav is 9 out 10 social).
Play off the player's reactions, and so on.

Players have a character story they want to play out, it is best to sit back and let them talk, esp if everyone else is on board with that.

Yep.

On the other hand, I think S'Scout is working toward a system for a procedurally-generated solo campaign. (A "Choose Your Own Adventure" that you roll up as you go along, so to speak.)

 

[Dragoner]

Yep.

On the other hand, I think S'Scout is working toward a system for a procedurally-generated solo campaign. (A "Choose Your Own Adventure" that you roll up as you go along, so to speak.)

I think that is great, sounds fun. Solo play for me is rolling characters, designing ships, and building worlds, I have done a game of commerce with a freighter too years ago, which was fun.

 

[Spinward Flow]

2.) People Encounters

When two characters love each other very much-

Huh?
What do you mean you aren't wanting pitch ideas for a new series on trideo?

 

[Grav_Moped]

2.) People Encounters

When two characters love each other very much-

Huh?
What do you mean you aren't wanting pitch ideas for a new series on trideo?

twopeopleencounters dot com (if this is an actual site, it likely is not consistent with forum content standards... so please, just don't, ok?)

Edit: on the other hand, it could be a vendor of two types of Peopleen counters. Doesn't explain what a Peopleen is, or why there's a competitive market for devices that count them, though.

 

[Spinward Scout]

twopeopleencounters dot com (if this is an actual site, it likely is not consistent with forum content standards... so please, just don't, ok?)

Edit: on the other hand, it could be a vendor of two types of Peopleen counters. Doesn't explain what a Peopleen is, or why there's a competitive market for devices that count them, though.

Accept only fresh Peopleen!

twopeopleencounters dot com would definitely be a great name for a Gamers Meetup website.

 

[Dragoner]

There used to be one like meetup dot com, I found a CoC group that way a while back.