Setting Stakes: (From this Forge thread)
– Stakes setting is most successful when it doesn’t become bogged down and when it is a collaborative activity with everyone at the table.
– It needs to be addressed in rule books clearly.
– The stakes need to lead to good game no matter which way the conflict rolls. Success = fun. Failure = fun. (The word, discommode from Trollbabe is ringing in my ears, here.)
– Stakes need to be set before the dice are rolled or cards are played.
– Stakes should be linked to what the player has indicated is important about their PC on their character sheet (issues, Beliefs, etc.).
– When stakes are flat the conflict is flat.
– Stakes setting should also be a back and forth so that the participants buy-in to the conflict and are excited about the outcome.
– Following stakes setting should be a change in the table’s status quo leading to further excitement.
The companion thread ( Before Stakes: What is your intent) is also excellent.
Dramatic fight advice from an RPG Net Thread
To quickly summarize, different ways to make a fight dramatic:
– Roll dice in the open.
– Focus on the threat of danger rather than the danger itself.
– Fast pace.
– Uncertainty. The outcome is always in question.
– Location, location, location!
– Special effects: explosions
– Location circumstances: take a boring location, lock the players in it and light it on fire, no longer boring
– Stakes the players actually care about. Stakes beyond your character’s life.
– Rely on skills other than traditional combat skills (melee, dodge).
– Achieving victory other than killing your opponent.
– Real consequences. The results greatly affect the direction of the story. Win or lose.
– Encountering the unexpected.
– Don’t hold back. Drama is weakened when the players know the GM won’t enforce consequences.
– Opponents the players feel connected to.
– Threaten the players’ goals, ideals, loyalties, relationships, assets, affiliations, family, etc.
– Difficulty level incrementally increases. Success is barely within reach.
– Context. The players should never have to say “why are we fighting this guy again?”
– Rules that do not hinder any of the above.