I read somewhere that there are some sort of cards included in
the new Star Trek game from Last Unicorn that help the GM direct the
plot. I have no idea what the truth behind this is or how it works,
but it did set me thinking.
I could see a great benefit to having a deck of 52 plot themes to
use during the course of an adventure. When I GM I tend to focus on
what is before the characters and what I have planned for them. I
need to to keep from losing track of the threads on the table. This
isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it helps form a coherent adventure.
However, constantly focusing in one direction limits the potential
scope of the story. That's where a Plot Deck would be handy.
A plot deck might be drawn from once or more per game session,
depending on the pace of the action or how much game time has
elapsed. Each card in the deck represents a plot device such as the
introduction of personal tragedy, new ally, new enemy, unforeseen
good fortune, etc. There could be 13 devices (ace through king) and
four applications (one for each suit). I'm not familiar with tarot
cards, but the purpose seems similar.
The Plot Deck would help to inspire new directions for the story
a busy GM might not otherwise consider. Has anyone encountered
something like this in the market? Does it seem a useful idea?
Brian Koppi
chikoppi@21stcentury.net
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