Narrative Control

Narrative Control - Episode 45


Listen Later

Welcome back to Narrative Control.  This episode Eric and I talk about what do when a player Freezes up at the table.  This idea came to us from Rob Donoghue’s blog post of the same name: Freeze (http://rdonoghue.blogspot.com/2010/07/freeze.html)

Hosts: Sean Nittner and Eric Fattig

Length: 21:50

Show Notes

[00:00] My silly wanna-be cop intro. [00:28] Intro to the show. What to do at the table when someone freezes up at the table. [01:21] Our backlog of Rob topics from his blog: http://rdonoghue.blogspot.com/ [02:23] What to do at the table when someone freezes up? [02:59] Reasons people freeze up: Asked to make an important decision (analysis paralysis) or if a player is put on the spotlight to role-play when they aren’t ready for it. [04:00] A natural reaction to seeing someone freeze: Try to help, try to get the game started back up again. [05:46] Rule #1: Shut your pie hole [07:10] Rule #2: A little patience won’t kill you. [07:44] Take the time when someone freezes to reflect on what’s going on in the game.  See action and reflection in the episode about Ira Glass: http://www.narrativecontrol.com/index.php?post_id=509405 [08:22] Rule #3: Back their play. The Winner! [08:46] And here we tease you. [09:19] Back anyone’s play at any time.  It validates the other players. [10:52] Why Sean hates every planning session in the universe. [11:45] Why you would shut someone down… you’ve got a better idea… but it’s not. [13:16] An example of Actual Play where this shutdown happens: The Walking Eye  3:16 Actual Play – Session 1 http://www.thewalkingeye.com/?p=322  (Start a 2:13) [15:37] Your character is not the sum of what they’ve done before.  Find a way to make your character grow and interact with the new element. [16:15] Backing their play is especially important when someone has frozen up, as their confidence is going to be low and they need support. [17:00] What to do if the idea doesn’t fit in the game? [17:25] Rule #4: Don’t Assume. Ask.  The 4th Commandment! [18:37] Lots of reasons they might have frozen.  System, setting, situation… [18:47] An old episode of Sons of Kryos where Storm wasn’t on the same page as the others. http://sonsofkryos.livejournal.com/21712.html [20:51] You know when someone freezes. The trick is to watch your reactions.

Post Feedback Here: Comments

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Narrative ControlBy Sean Nittner, Justin Evans