tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post2420104259913524739..comments2024-03-28T17:49:24.311-05:00Comments on Spouting Lore: Step-by-step: how to write up a frontJeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-11172840147669341352020-01-06T20:54:27.854-06:002020-01-06T20:54:27.854-06:00@Rob... I'm pretty sure that what you've d...@Rob... I'm pretty sure that what you've described is Ray's intent; otherwise, he wouldn't indicate that each should "provide an opportunity for your players to intercede." <br /><br />@Ray: With this structure, you're largely collapsing each Front into what the DW rules would consider a single "Danger." I'm not saying this is bad--it's very similar to what I do in Stonetop. But it is *different*. <br /><br />It's also hard to see how non-sentient dangers/fronts would work in this structure. Everything about this structure implies a "villain" with a plan. That in turn implies that you can always punch out the bad guy and defeat their plans. I know its more nuanced than that, but I think it does tend to lend itself to "BBEG" thinking.<br /><br />With the standard DW front structure, you can have something like an elemental vortex as a danger, or a brewing slave revolt, or disease. Each of those could have a series of escalating grim portents and an impending doom without there being a particular "figurehead" or a "plan." It's mostly semantics, sure, but I'd feel like I was shoe-horning something like "the dam's about to burst!" into the structure you presented. <br /><br />(And yes, I realize that the example Danger types and sub-types presented in DW wouldn't really cover this type of thing anyhow. But I've long given up on thinking of the danger types as exhaustive. The *structure* of fronts--with a cast of characters, multiple dangers with their own portents/dooms, and stakes questions--handle that sort of impersonal danger just fine.)Jeremy Strandberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-4784191348655523112020-01-06T15:04:41.782-06:002020-01-06T15:04:41.782-06:00I like your version, except for "Steps happen...I like your version, except for "Steps happen regardless of player intervention". The Grim Portents of a Front definitely do change if players intervene... if the front has been perturbed by the players' actions during a session but not completely dealt with, the GM should re-visit the Grim Portents (Steps) between sessions and re-write them as appropriate, based on what happened. The antagonist is still trying to achieve their goal, but they may have to adjust their plans in the light of the setbacks.Rob Rendellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09221664395840742891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-21749674791736744602020-01-06T15:04:12.569-06:002020-01-06T15:04:12.569-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Rob Rendellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09221664395840742891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-2536053206483517032020-01-06T12:28:55.387-06:002020-01-06T12:28:55.387-06:00This is really helpful! Here's how I rewrote F...This is really helpful! Here's how I rewrote Front rules in a way that helped me understand how to use them:<br /><br />FRONT TAXONOMY <br />Here is how we organize them for [game]. Remember that Fronts are just a way of taking notes. You don’t have to follow this method, but it’s what makes sense for us:<br /><br />TITLE / SYNOPSIS: What are you naming your front? I like to think of them as pulpy episodic titles followed by a short elevator pitch. Although you should write the name at the top, it should almost be the last thing you fill in. Writing the title and synopsis will help you clarify the entire front. <br /><br />FIGUREHEAD: Who is the driving force behind the front? This is often a major antagonist or unlikely ally and should be keyed in on a nonplayer character.<br /><br />GOONS: What does the Figurehead control? Who can they call on to do their bidding?<br /><br />OPPOSITION: Who opposes the Front? Why?<br /><br />MOTIVATION: What does the figurehead want?<br /> <br />STEPS #1-4: How is the figurehead going to obtain their goal? What are the steps they must take? Think of these as things that will leave marks the world. Every time a step passes it’s a good idea to remind the players through gossip, news, or concerned parties. Think of them as act breaks for the Fronts that can be built in multiples of 3, 4, or 5. Steps happen regardless of player intervention, though each hinted should provide an opportunity for your players to intercede into the Front. <br /><br />ENDGAME: What happens as a result of the Figurehead fulfilling the Front? It’s good to leave this part broad and ominous. You can come up with it the rest if and when you get there. <br />Ray Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15045763845064990820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-19819707997005337662019-11-02T03:36:43.693-05:002019-11-02T03:36:43.693-05:00My theory about the Fronts chapter is that it'...My theory about the Fronts chapter is that it's so prescriptive because Sage and Adam anticipated getting GMs who grew up on D&D and might have bad habits around building railroad plots. By making your prep all about what happens if the PCs do nothing, you guide the GM away from anticipating the PCs' reactions, thus removing a major source of railroad-y thinking.<br /><br />It's all very well to have a principle of "play to find out what happens," but principles without a concrete procedure don't help you if you don't know how to put the principle into action. The Fronts chapter is the concrete procedure. Rob Rendellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09221664395840742891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-89104298489844093022019-10-30T02:18:08.667-05:002019-10-30T02:18:08.667-05:00"Your Front is your plan for how you would mo..."Your Front is your plan for how you would move pieces around if left to your own devices"<br /><br />I think this has been the most useful advice I have gotten about fronts.<br /><br />I've found people can confuse fronts as a checklist of what will happen in the adventure or just a list of steadily escalating calamities for the heroes.ZayZayEMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06352702391424085254noreply@blogger.com