I’m having such fun with prep for the D&D run that I haven’t spent any time thinking about the SffS game, which is in two days. I’m not terribly motivated to return to it, right now. I’m thinking about the new spells I want to write up.
I’ve been lagging in my interest for the SftS game recently. Every two weeks I start thinking maybe I should wrap it up, I can’t think of anything new to do. But every two weeks I have so much fun, and (some) new ideas come out of the session, so I get revitalized and interested again. I really enjoy hanging with my group, so it’s not something I really want to give up. I haven’t quite hit the point where it feels like work, but if I do, we’ll have to take a break for a while. I’d really like to segue the group into a new system and setting (which I haven’t fully designed, due to time constraints), the problem is, while I do well with setting ahead of time, plot works organically for me. That has served the group well so far, but I’m not sure how well we could transition that dynamic to a new system/setting. Mostly, I think, I’m just anxious about developing plots.
We’ll probably be winging it again this weekend.
Slaintè,
Q
Tags: maundering
Sarah and James have backstories that can be mined for earth-based plots. (Also, I hope that Sarah has a chance to do some real diplomacy this coming session. Everyone else has gotten to do “their thing” more than she. Maybe social conflict can be involved.)
The war against the Thaloks could require our assistance with evacuations, negotiations (ceasefire, hostage exchange), rescues (of spies, important POWs or third parties caught in the middle), or battle (planetary defense, attacking a Thalok outpost).
And what if the Thaloks come to Earth? That’s a gold mine of plots. (Do governments ally (openly or secretly) with them? Does earth resist, a la “Independence Day”? Can the Usari be persuaded to ditch the Prime Directive?)
Yes, my inability so far to involve Sarah in a more diplomatic way, and to bring in social conflict in general, galls me. I shall try harder to bring some social conflict, but I have sensed resistance to it on the part of the players, too. Or at least, no one has pushed forward with it except in a few cases.
Unfortunately the plot hook I developed a few hours ago doesn’t leave much room for diplomacy…but social conflict might work in. We’ll see.
I think that in the near future the war zone might be a fruitful place for plots to pick up. As you probably remember, we are about to head into the front lines, and even behind the lines. I hope to use several, if not all, of your suggestions above for that region.
Bringing the Thalocks to Earth is a dangerous proposition. It’s funny, now that you mention it. Scott and I have been working more on his back story lately, with an eye toward serializing it, and one of the “problems” he keeps coming up with is how do we keep the Thalocks from finding Earth. He’s even gone so far as to suggest a planet-cloak (which I promptly quashed [shudder] ). But my answer has always been to use that tension rather than artificially damp it down with technology or dubious plot elements. So I like the idea of them finding Earth and you having to do something about it.
And the beauty of the system is that you the players can create your own storygates to get the ball rolling where you want it to go. I realize this hasn’t worked well with James’ backstorygate, but we’re still trying. At least you have the hover bike now. Maybe I should Deus ex Machina a piano fall to break the helmet?
Q