Pacing the Play (TCG)

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The ideal adventure game session plays like a good book reads. There are times when it moves slowly while the players soak up the rich atmosphere of the DM's world of wonder. Suddenly the action builds to a furious climax as swords swing and spells zing in pulse-pounding excitement with little time for complicated planning. Then the rate of play relaxes and once again, the players can take their time to plot and plan and prepare. As a storyteller, the DM must actively control the pace at which events and actions take place in his game. Pace of play is an intangible sort of thing that partakes of the speed, variety, intensity, and continuity of game play in an adventure. Speed refers to how fast the action in a game takes place. Variety suggests a selection of play styles and encounters, including combat, puzzle solving, and roleplay. Intensity has to do with the level of suspense the DM has created in the game-from a peaceful or even silly "none at all II level to the "nail biting fear and frenzy" often associated with movies where undefeatable alien monsters eat everyone but the heroine and the kid. Continuity then, is the way that events logically and believably fall together in an acceptable or at least reasonable manner.
Controlling the pace of play may well be one of the most important steps toward becoming a master DM. In the same way that he designs his world and scenarios for maximum enjoyment, he must learn to orchestrate the components of game pacing. He must know when to speed up or slow down the play, throw out the rules for more enjoyment, or call a break for his fatigued players. Just as importantly, he must know when NOT to interrupt play. The DM must learn to be aware of nonverbal feedback from his players and be able to understand what they are telling him. Such feedback might come in the form of yawns, interplayer chatter, or shortened tempers.
While the goal of a game may be to have the players on the edge of their seats, when the tension seems too high, or the sighs of frustration become too great, it might be time for a break.
When examining his own style of play, the DM may wish to consider the following scenarios:
Scenario One
: Imagine listening to a speaker who drones on and on in a monotone voice, never varying the pitch of his voice or the rate at which he speaks. Though the content of his speech may be of great importance, one by one, his audience drops off into slumber.
Scenario Two
: Picture a fast-action horror movie. Bodies gruesomely splatter left and right faster than the watcher can keep track. The level of terror builds relentlessly with no relief; until finally, the movie ends. Yet somewhere, back in the middle, the audience lapsed into a stunned overload mode where they could no longer be shocked by what they saw and could feel no relief when it ended.
Scenario Three
: Visualize an artsy foreign film with constant and visually confusing changes of scenery, point of view, pace of the action and such. Things change so rapidly, that its hard to get a handle on what's going on. The action speeds up and slows down in what seems an almost random manner, leaving the viewer lost and confused.
Although these scenarios initially appear to have nothing to do with game playing, each can be directly related to the way a DM manages his game sessions. In each one, the audience, or in the case of a game, the players, are lost because the pace of the presentation falls apart.
The DM who consistently maintains a single style of play or type of activity in his game is like the boring speaker. He becomes predictable and regardless of his world or adventure design skills, his games extend on in boring sameness. If the DM catches his few remaining players reading the labels on the potato chip bags for excitement, he is probably suffering from monotony malady. The cure in this case is simple: add variety.
The DM who diligently (and with good intentions) works to maintain the level and rate of game play at a fever pitch, demanding that his players not only think on their feet, but that those feet be running at top speed, is just as guilty. His players can't stop to think or plan during a game. They either respond by blasting everything they see before it has a chance to hit them first or between game sessions, they concoct devious schemes to buy themselves a little breathing room. The cure is the same as for monotony malady: try variety.
At the other end of the spectrum is the DM who throws nothing but change-up pitches at his players. Every game it's the same old thing, variety! Just as the players become comfortable with one style of play, the DM interrupts it and radically changes what's going on in the game. The players are not certain whether they are even involved in campaign play. Like the disjointed film, the game suffers from a lack of continuity. The players become jumpy, even unwilling to try new things. This DM needs to slow things down until his players tell him to change the pace. In general, learning to read a group and altering the pace of play to accommodate both the interests of the players and the needs of the adventure story line comes with experience. These few rules can be helpful until the DM knows his own play style better:
==Get the players moving==
If the players discussion about their next move has deteriorated to a petty quarrel, or has gotten off the subject onto idle chatter, make something happen. Sometimes, it may be enough to cast a couple dice and make a quick (meaningless) note on paper. This is especially useful if, at least once in a while, a wandering monster or other event actually occurs. Another way is to ask for immediate action. Turn to one of your players and ask It What is your character doing right now?"
==Create Unusual Puzzles==
Counterbalance a hack-and-slash tendency, by setting up situations devoid of monsters that require innovative solutions.
==Dead or Alive?==
Another option for foiling the combat-crazed is to have some creatures, even evil monsters, be more valuable (or important to gameplay) alive than dead. Consider the problems caused when a specific monster is the only source for important information, and the group just killed it.
==Comic Relief==
It's only a game, right? Try telling that to the player who is just about to lose his favorite character. Break his tension and get the game back on track by playing up the foibles of one of the NPCs (or the opponents). Go for broke (try unabashed slapstick or out-and-out silliness). Have that halfling hireling drop his lunch sack and scramble around reclaiming his prizes, all the while tripping up combatants, who in tum slip on squishy fruit (hey, it works).
==Keep things lively==
Try to keep talking to the players even while searching through manuals or notes.
==Encourage Rapid Play==
Create a rich game environment with colorful descriptions and vivid NPCs. Give the players room to role-play. Don't force them to act without thinking, but on the other hand don't let them dawdle over game decisions. Try the following rapid play techniques:
* Keep the player group small, no more than six players and only six to eight characters.
* For each turn or round of combat, give the players a short time period to mutually discuss options. For combat rounds, the time should be very brief.
* Discourage unnecessary chatter during a game. Establish a what you say is what you do atmosphere. If a player says it, his character says it.
* Have a predetermined order in which players take their turns. During this time, keep discussion to a minimum.
* Make sure all needed dice are on the table. If possible, encourage players to bring their own dice.
* Be wi11ing to make rules up. No DM can know every rule. Rather than look up obscure rules, make an on the spot judgement call. Use common sense and take situational factors into account. Make sure penalties for failure are fairly balanced by the potential reward for success (and vice versa).
* Be willing to fudge a die roll or overlook an obscure rule if it would damage the pace of play.
==Avoid Splitting Up==
Unless the DM can split himself in two, he should discourage actions where one half the party goes one way and the other half another. While it can provide some interesting dramatic possibilities, such as the rescue that arrives just in the nick of time, or situations where shapechangers can impersonate one or more party members, the most common result is that one group is bored while the other plays. To keep the game moving when the party splits, separate the groups and move back and forth between them. Allow only a few rounds/turns to pass before switching. Enforce rapid play techniques. Encourage the groups to rejoin as quickly as possible.
==Plan Breaks==
After a particularly intense period of gaming, a short break helps the players recuperate. Usually a 10 or 15 minute break every two hours of play is enough. Plan breaks at natural stopping points, such as an interlude between encounters, or at a cliff-hanger, just when something exciting is about to happen (which usually involves personal peril to the player characters).
Encourage the players to get up, walk around and take care of necessities. This is also a good time for refreshments if the group is so inclined. Otherwise, let the players use the time for open chatter about recent events or to plan their next action. The DM can use this time to catch up on any bookkeeping that might be necessary or to simply catch his breathl Rolling up new characters to replace those who have passed away can also be done at this time.
==Know When To Quit==
It's generally a good idea to have an agreed-on stopping time. Like a runner, a DM needs to conserve enough energy (both emotional and physical) to make the last half-hour of game playas enjoyable as the first. Games without end are rarely enjoyable by all parties involved. As the ending time draws near, the DM needs to watch for an obvious stopping point (again, interludes and cliff-hangers are best). As a warning though, the DM who sets up a cliff-hanger ending for his game session will find himself under immediate pressure to resolve the situation. Everyone wants to know what happens next. It is better to quit while the players are still interested and excited, than to continue gaming past reasonable endurance.
==Scripting an Adventure==
It is possible to prepare (or at least attempt to prepare) the pace of the adventure in advance. If the DM can imagine his adventure as a story, then he should continue the analogy to make each play session into a chapter of that story. Before each game session, set up goals which the players could possibly accomplish during the course of the session. If the DM is running one of his predesigned adventures (see Creating the Adventure) the events of the play session should be a subset of those needed to work out the events of the DM's plot
Even if the players are just exploring part of their world, decide what events and situations the player characters might logically encounter. Guesstimate the amount of time that those encounters might reasonably take and adjust the events which might happen based on the amount of time allowed for the game session. Arrange the events, if possible, to alternate fast-paced action with slower periods of play. Remember, complicated multi-character, multiple-opponent combats can be lengthy affairs even if the DM decides to streamline the rules to resolve combat more quickly.
Strive to arrange events such that each play session accomplishes some significant part of the story. Use the same guidelines for arranging events during a play session as were used when designing the adventure.
Try to open each game session with action (remember the 'hook' that grabs the players' attention) and then close with action at the end, even leaving the characters hanging with something jus t about to happen.