0
How do you balance compelling storytelling with player agency when your plot involves kidnapping the PCs?
In response to my tips, To Boldly Go Where NPCs Should Not, RPT GM Duane asks:
Hi Johnn.
I hope you’re well and thanks for your ongoing support of the TTRPG community, especially game masters.
Your email triggered a question I have that arose from an email conversation I had with one of my players (years ago now!). One of your suggestions is: Hostages.
The NPCs might’ve been brought here against their will. They’re now being used as bargaining chips, or perhaps the kidnappers need them for some other purpose.
What about when the PCs are the captives?
The conversation was about player agency being removed by such an event. I would only ever use a character’s imprisonment or such as a means for them to heroically escape or win their freedom and continue their adventuring career but my player indicated that they would rather their character die resisting arrest or capture than to submit to captivity.
There are innumerable captures and escapes in fiction (and reality, for that matter) and – to me at least – making a heroic escape could be a lot of fun. But clearly not for this player.
How would you deal with this sort of thing? Is it a Session 0 discussion topic?
Great question Duane! Thank you.
Your instinct is good. Definitely a Session 0 topic. And if Session 0 is in the rearview mirror, then a GM can make it a group discussion anytime.
Player agency is at the heart of our beloved hobby. If players have no choice (and that includes the GM, too), then we’re no longer playing a game. We’ve become mere audience members.
However, choice is not a yes/no type thing, as your example demonstrates. Our hobby allows so many options, approaches, ideas, and configurations, that agency is a group-level thing, not an absolute.
In addition, I decided long ago that I’d embrace my emerging GM style and lean into it. Those are code words for we’ll play my way. I’m always experimenting, learning, changing, and improving. But I’ve got my way of doing things, with the goal of everyone at the table having more fun at every game.
Likewise, I’d rather you pursue your Zone of Genius as a GM instead of trying to appease some absolute rule of order.
That’s the first point I wanted to get out there.
Second, I think player agency involves three things:
- Game System
- Communication
- Consistency
1. Game System
The rules bound our choices and set many player expectations. For simplicity, I’ve lumped genre and tropes in here with rules.
For example, if we’re playing Traveller, a player cannot expect to cast a Teleport spell to get out of a jam. The character will need to use the game’s physics and technology instead.
This means players do not, by default, have 100% agency. There are rules dictating a lot of our choices.
In your example, Duane, does your game system set player expectations that they can be kidnapped as part of a GM’s narrative? Or do the rules suggest that situation should be played out?
For example, if your game has a detailed combat system, and the character sheets have a lot of combat features, then players would expect to defend themselves against a kidnapping attempt.
Note that I’m talking about expectations here. We need to understand these so when we defy them, we move on to the next step….
2. Communication
Session 0 offers the best time to establish group expectations on what kinds of choices they might be presented with, and your approach to setting those choices up.
The second best time to do this is right now. If any kind of group conflict related to GM style, game procedures, behavior, and so on rears up, have an immediate chat to settle things so everyone can get on with having fun.
For example, how do you deal with tardy players? Does it bother you? If so, what’s the protocol?
We’re playing a team game here, so player feedback and adjusting where possible to suit their needs and preferences is crucial.
For this kidnapping scenario, I would talk with your group about this before triggering such a situation. There are many reasons players might balk, including:
- “My guy is too tough to ever be taken prisoner.”
- “But I want to game out all scenarios like this because I enjoy it.”
- “This means my character is controlled by me and you? I don’t like that.”
Again, these are examples of player thinking. It’s not that the kidnapping scenario is right or wrong. It’s about whether it will upset players, subvert their expectations, and catch them off-guard in a bad way.
Communicate with your group about your approach to GMing and how you’ll handle Player Agency ongoing. If expectations are set, and players agree (showing up next session means agreement), then the handwaved kidnapping scenario could be a lot of fun for all.
3. Consistency
Do it a certain way once and the second time won’t be a surprise. Do it that way again, and it will be expected.
If you’ve run previous kidnap attempts on the PCs and played it out to see if the attempts succeeded, chances are your group will expect to play that way each time.
Then, if you suddenly switch the gameplay approach up and players can’t defend themselves against a new kidnap attempt, you’ll have an upset table on your hands.
This means we should be intentional with our GMing. Because every ruling becomes a precedent, or supports one.
You can try a handwaved kidnap attempt, don’t get me wrong. But if this presents inconsistency, you’ll want to return to point #1 Game System and then perform #2 Communication before the event.
With Game System, if you’re breaking the rules or exposing a gap in them, you’ll want to establish house rules so you can support Communication and Consistency.
My Take
My default GM style involves letting players control their PCs 99% of the time.
Situations will arise in-game where a player could temporarily lose agency over their PC. Their character might be charmed or knocked out, for instance. This is consistent with the rules and settings I establish.
However, if I want “set piece” type scenes where something’s happened to the party or PCs as part of a GM-controlled narrative, then I’ll establish this immediately and let players know. I’ll usually do this during the campaign pitch or Session 0 stages.
Alternatively, RPGs like Blades in the Dark support this in their core rules. So then we’ll explore those situations as a group and I’ll be careful to check in with players during and after the first couple of times to ensure they understand what’s happening and solicit feedback.
To sum up, if I’ve been giving players control over their characters’ lives and actions, then I would not handwave a kidnap scene and start the scenario with the party in cuffs.
Cheers,
Johnn
roleplayingtips.com
https://discord.gg/6MxTRAqQ76
Have more fun at every game!
P.S. When you are ready, here are +4 vorpal ways I can help you with your campaign:
+1 Use Campaign Logger to Make Prep & GMing Easier
For GMs of any system looking to run deep, detailed, and immersive games, Campaign Logger lets you take session notes at the speed of thought in your unique GMing style while improving your preparation experience so you can focus on the parts of the game you enjoy the most.
Get your free Campaign Logger account here.
+2 Take the Free GM Organization Challenge
Stop the confusion and frustration of not having what you need to prep and run games at your finger tips. Become an organized GM in just one week:
Enroll at no charge here and start getting organized.
+3 Get the Demonplague (with 62 5-Star Ratings so far)
A complete level 1-20 campaign D&D 5E adventure path that offers intense roleplay, sandbox and hexcrawl play, cunning combats, and fiendish monsters.
Click here to see more details and to order.
+4 Get More GM Loot
Visit the Roleplaying Tips DriveThruRPG store, or browse books and courses to level up your GMing at the RoleplayingTips.com store.
