Attention to Detail? How Much is Enough?

[Rockwolf66]

Me I try to do as much detail as possible.

1)I do ask my players to describe their characters and where they put all their gear.

2) as far as combat maps I do use an atlas of the area and I do occationally print out a more detailed topographic map. As far as running speed goes it does get iffy at times as combat sometimes ends up being "Are they within range of our JA-9's yet."

3)Usually just the stats for "cannon fodder". a Re-occuring villan will have a full character sheet.

4) I pre-plan encounters at least a couple days in advance and prepare for when my players go Y when I expected X.

5)I'm a bit lax about that as a GM as most of my players can't keep track of that sort of thing on their own. As a player I can tell you where all of my character's gear is. I write for fun and I do make very detailed characters Sometimes to the point where it gets into intimate details.

6) I photocopy the pages out of the book so that the characters can learn the city on their own and I can move things around.

[lather]

The simpler the better, but so long as it makes sense for the story.

If it requires detail, then give it. NPCs are usually a brief list of stats. What the characters are carrying where they are positioned, however, is usually fully detailed.

[Nekira Sudacne]

Hello, I am a rather inexperienced GM. I have recently started a new campaign with some PCs new to Rifts. They so far are great players who are very into the challenge of the game. However I have some questions on how much detail to put in the game. The players agreed that more detail wouldnt hurt them. However I am having a difficulty finding balance of detail, while at the some time making things run very smoothly. Here are some of my questions.

1. How much detail do you put into your environments? Do you lay out how everyone looks, where everything is? Do you wait for the player to ask if something is there?

I'm a pretty detail-light GM. I don't have the voice or typing skills to be detailed on everything. I tend to go with broad, sweepign discriptions of people and places and let the party imagine in the rest.

I also happen to have a professional artist as one of my gaming buddies who I can count on to litterally draw a picture for characters I like highly detailed.

2. How much do you put into combat environments? Do you draw out everything nicely on grid paper? Do you simply sribble dots and names? How do you handle movement and speed (hex, block, ruler? guesstimate?)

Broad only. Honestly, I DISPISE maps with a passion adn play in any game that uses them only with great trepidation.

Genearlly speaking fights will begin with everyone within range of each-other, if distance is a factor than I say how long it takes based on your Speed attribute without actually defining distance.

3. How far do you go for bad guys? Simple stats? Skills? Full character sheet?

Relevant statistics only

4. How much pre planning do you do? Is everything filled out in advance? Is it normal to spend a few seconds on improvised bad guys?

The latter. I only put any real effort into Big Bad Mega Bosses, of which I rarely have more than 5 the entire campaign.

5. How do you handle personal equipment? Especially for combat? Do you have to have holsters, bandoleers with available ammo? Do you just assume the character has all his e-clips on him etc? How do you determine what is on the PCs? Do you include items such ass vests, ammo pouches? Etc

Uh...you just ask the PC's to discribe what they're carryign and how they're carrying it at the begining of each adventure.

Then use that. it's THEIR characters, THEY decide, and if they decide to not bring any spares, it's their own damn fault

6.How do you handle cities in the books? Do you photocopy the maps? Show them the book? Alot of the cities have ALOT of stuff, I have yet to find a real smooth way to implement cities such as Arzno, the Baronies, Los Alamos etc.

I utterly ignore every map ever published and make it up to suit my needs.

Seriously. Rifts would be far better if they never published a single map.

[lather]

wow. That's really anti-map.

[Vrykolas2k]

Hello, I am a rather inexperienced GM. I have recently started a new campaign with some PCs new to Rifts. They so far are great players who are very into the challenge of the game. However I have some questions on how much detail to put in the game. The players agreed that more detail wouldnt hurt them. However I am having a difficulty finding balance of detail, while at the some time making things run very smoothly. Here are some of my questions.

1. How much detail do you put into your environments? Do you lay out how everyone looks, where everything is? Do you wait for the player to ask if something is there?

2. How much do you put into combat environments? Do you draw out everything nicely on grid paper? Do you simply sribble dots and names? How do you handle movement and speed (hex, block, ruler? guesstimate?)

3. How far do you go for bad guys? Simple stats? Skills? Full character sheet?

4. How much pre planning do you do? Is everything filled out in advance? Is it normal to spend a few seconds on improvised bad guys?

5. How do you handle personal equipment? Especially for combat? Do you have to have holsters, bandoleers with available ammo? Do you just assume the character has all his e-clips on him etc? How do you determine what is on the PCs? Do you include items such ass vests, ammo pouches? Etc

6.How do you handle cities in the books? Do you photocopy the maps? Show them the book? Alot of the cities have ALOT of stuff, I have yet to find a real smooth way to implement cities such as Arzno, the Baronies, Los Alamos etc.

Thanks. I am trying to find a level that makes the game not as shallow, and gets the characters thinking more, and feel more involved in the environment.

Thanks

1. I give relatively detailed descriptions, then more detail if it's asked for.

2. It depends on the environment... I have a few things mapped, use the books for maps, or... don't bother sometimes. As for move speeds, I either remember it or ask.

3. Some bad guys/ encounters are just a collection of pre-made stats. Others get a character sheet, if I'm nae expecting them to die anytime soon.

4. I plan most of it, have quick-and-dirty expendables for non-planned stuff.

5. Most character sheets have places for equipment. If it isn't written there, they don't have it.

6. I usually photcopy any maps I need. Or draw them on graph paper if they haven't been invented yet.

[Shorty Lickens]

If you have a big enough group, making one player a "GM's assistant" can be nice. They can keep track of misc. info and sometimes play out the actions of hostile NPC's. If you are having a hard time keeping track of all your details, consider doing it. Just dont give them too much of the plot or the antagonists secret plans.

[Lenwen]

I do ...

As much as needed ..

but

As little as possible ..




-Lenwen.

[lostsoul336]

i am very detailed on combat and very loose on everything else. i find that if i try and detail everything i tend to "burn out" quicker...you know brain turns to mush and you forget what you were going to have them do. for combat i try and either use grid mats or a whiteboard and detail where everything is the group could use like cover streetlamps, cars, etc. i make them detail how they strike an opponent and how they dodge that way it make a more fun and exciting combat sequence. my group has a pretty good imagination and when i describe a city or countryside i try and use real life places they can imagine. i use descriptions like think old west town but the roads are paved and the horses are robotic... you know something their imaginations can go wild with. then if something comes up that needs clarification i give more detail. Its worked for me pretty good so far but sometimes i get bit in the butt...it happens

[Cinos]

First off, finding the right balance of speed and detail is some thing which will only come with time and experence as a GM, and getting used to your players;

1. The books give a great start to most environments if you're running in a similar area. With my group, I can describe it in a few words to breeze over the average area, but I'm pretty detailed about notable areas. Mostly though, I leave the important details for when a person gets the clue to start looking (and making perception checks).

2. For the average fight, I leave it free form, and don't bother to put anything physical down, and just leave it in players heads. For important fights, I use MS Paint (As we always have a computer handy when gaming) to make a swift drawing of the area, and use colored dots for characters (using Pixels as a rough distance Measuring), but still keep most rules on distancing fairly loose. Now and then, I do very large scale army battles (with the players typically leading one side and planning the strategy), which I reluctantly lock myself away for a few weeks to draw out highly detailed maps on several sheets of graph paper, and cut out small shapes to use as the army units / naval ships / etc.

3. Anything I plan on having more then one fight with, or plan to have it a rather large boss encounter with, I create a full character sheet for. Mooks get quick stats with simple "They have 16 P.S, 50 S.D.C, and +6 to Combat Rolls, etc."

4. I pre-plan the major arch in a loose fashion, and don't set my heart on any one out come. If I need to make a bad guy on the spot for some reason (i.e players starting a fight I didn't really expect), I spend about 3-5 Minutes to quickly figure out rough bonuses as needed. In general though I try to keep options open, as players are unpredictable things which will take a sledge hammer to every well laid plan placed.

5. I do have my players have their ammo belts and similar accessories (I assume pistols have a holster, rifles have a strap, etc, unless a player is looking for some thing else, or the item was attained in the field, then they're just using whatever they can come up with to carry it). I have players buy out what they want before setting out (within the limits of their funds, and if they didn't think to bring it, well just the more reason for them to remember next time).

6. I just show them the book, my players know well enough what they know and what their character knows are two different things about the city that I don't need to worry about them meta-gaming any of the plot ideas without at least making checks and working to find out about the information in game. The smoothest way is just take from the book what you plan to use, and ignore the rest for the time being, trying to shove all of it out at once is just gonna be messy.