It’s nice to be again from trip! Thanks to your persistence as I took a few weeks off from the e-newsletter. We went tenting close to a spot known as Rocky Mountain Home the place it’s not rocky and there are not any mountains.

The image beneath was every wonderful morning for me. This would possibly depart you scratching your head, however my excellent trip is getting up early earlier than everybody else, brewing some recent espresso, and writing no matter I like about RPGs till I’m performed. Then I learn or play video games with Alana.

It was throughout one in every of these writing classes that I penned immediately’s brief tip. I recalled a reminiscence from an outdated marketing campaign and thought you is likely to be excited by utilizing the identical tactic – however hopefully with a greater outcome. 🙂

Let’s dive in!

– Johnn

Tricking Gamers With Immediate Gratification

You would possibly put this participant trick within the evil class. I belief you’ll use this minor energy properly. 🙂

Even earlier than TV, cell telephones, and social media disintegrated our consideration and skill to focus, we nonetheless struggled with managing instantaneous gratification. The temptation to succeed in for short-term achieve has at all times reigned us.

We are able to use this truth of human nature to trick our gamers:

Provide them one thing now inside simple attain versus one thing they’ll solely get later after some wrestle.

The factor is, the straightforward choice is trapped. Sensible gamers will understand this. They usually’ll be rewarded when taking the exhausting fork absolutely. And people who attain into the sweet bowl….

Properly that’s as much as you. 🙂

I’ll provide you with a humorous but tragic instance.

A few campaigns in the past, the PCs had been in a ship hanging excessive up through crane and chains. The get together climbed atop the ship and encountered baddies. It appeared just like the PCs would win, however solely after extra grinding.

However then I provided one participant a tasty diversion: a flight of stairs taking place ending in a mysterious door. I knew this participant beloved closed doorways – he couldn’t resist opening them. He simply needed to know what was behind such issues, particularly if I described them as mysterious….

He took the bait, cut up from the get together, and opened the door….

That launched one other wave of terrifying monsters!

Now the characters had been out-gunned, nearly out of spell slots, and about to die. The gamers held a fast vote – flee and sure die from free enemy hacks, or go down with the ship. They voted to remain and battle, maybe hoping luck would save them.

Properly, the characters began falling till the final PC stood. He was the one who opened the door. And he fled! And received away!

The man who triggered the TPK was the one survivor, lol. Put up-game, the participant mentioned his character would journey far and extensive, telling the land of his heroism and nice deeds. Wonderful.

While you attempt tricking gamers this fashion by dangling one thing tasty however trapped in entrance of their noses, the stakes needn’t be so excessive. A small penalty for chosing instantaneous gratification over the longer path. It’s a great trick that usually works.

Have you ever pulled this evil GM trick earlier than? I’d love to listen to about it on our Discord or Marketing campaign Neighborhood discussion board.