A Help for Maintaining Pace in an RPG Adventure

In a conversation with some game masters (GMs), we got into a discussion about some of the issues we have faced over the years. Most of the issues GMs face with in their groups are temporary ones based on the mood of the players and how people are responding to the events in their daily lives. There isn't much we can do as a GM about those issues, but provide a good game. There are different elements in a good game and part of that is the pacing of the adventure.

Every good story, game, movie, book, has good pacing—how well the story moves along from beginning to end. In the more traditional tabletop games this is done with the mechanics of the game, and some of the same basics apply to Role-playing games (RPGs). However, because RPGs are designed to give players a wider range of options the pacing of the game becomes more about the application of the mechanics and not just the mechanics being used.

Application of game mechanics is a balance between player and character wants. There is a balance needing to be struck between what the characters know, understand, and would consider acceptable, against those the players have. Players have another level of knowledge based on the mechanics the characters are playing under.

Players are not always trying to metagame or manipulate the game mechanics for their advantage, even though we have all met those players who will squeeze the rules (I believe this is the main reason rulebooks keep getting thicker). Everyone has a natural disposition to look at the situation they are in and try to make it better. The GM then has the responsibility to allow a level of manipulation without overtaking the game completely.

Curtailing some of the manipulation of the mechanics helps the game's pacing. This allows players, and thus characters, to move from the mundane events to the action-packed ones.

This doesn't require creating a new mechanics on top of your game system. And, the idea I have for you doesn't have to be applied every time. You can apply it in a general sense and then allow the circumstances in the game to direct you easily to the times you find you shouldn't apply it.

Create situational responses that allow a single check for the group.

From Spreadshirt

For example, the party is carefully making their way through the pirate's castle on the alien world to rescue the young son of the merchant prince. The long empty hall has couple dozen closed doors. The first party member steps up to the first door and declares they listen at the door to determine if there is anyone on the other side. They don't hear anything, so they step aside and the next member repeats the action. Because the second party member doesn't hear anything either, they step aside for the next member of the party. And, this continues until somebody in the party hears something, or everyone has pressed their ear near the crack of the door. Then, they move on to the next door.

This level of action becomes tedious.

Creating a situational response before the adventure begins can allow this encounter with the doors to move quickly. The players decide which character is best for listening at doors and how the rest of the party is acting during that encounter with the closed door. Everyone understands the character who has the best chance of hearing something is listening for the entire group—if they don't hear something, no one else will either.

When the party enters the hallway with this pre-planned setup the GM can have already determined at which point the "party" hears something. This allows the story to move past the mundane action and get the party to exploring the rooms, or moving down the hall, quicker and easier.

This concept of group rolls can be applied to other actions. If you find there are times where your game slows down because everyone is taking the same action to confirm a result, hold a quick chat with the players and see if that would be a good situation to apply a single roll for the group.

One of the GMs in our discussion says he allows a bonus to the party for doing these types of rolls. This gives the party an additional reason to go with a single roll. Another GM told how he applies this same idea on his own. Whatever the result of the first character attempting to do something is, it becomes the result for the rest of the party. I think that might be a little extreme for my group. However, I must admit I can see where in the past if I had taken this action, it would have been a good thing.

There are times when the group roll doesn't work. Those times are usually obvious during play. We also allow players to repeat the action if they can give a good, in-character, reason for doing so.

In preparing adventures I can use this setup to create a much faster paced game. For checks that are made by the GM, instead of waiting until the time of the action I can have predetermined some of the information the party has gained. When I have done this it has worked well and allows for a more during a game session.

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