Those that have Rped with me over the last year have run across my use of Randomization, World Narratives, and LLA. I have received so much positive feed back because of it. That combined with a slew of pm's over how to actually use it has pushed me to write up this latest tutorial. I hope you enjoy! Oh and to all of you that end up tagged in this because I am copying and pasting stuff from Darker Than Black - Yeah, I was too damn lazy to remove the tags. :P
Randomization: The practice of using chance methods (random number tables, flipping a coin, etc.) to assign subjects to treatments. In this way, the potential effects of lurking variables are distributed at chance levels (hopefully roughly evenly) across treatment conditions.
Now, randomization in and of itself is not a new tactic. Gm's for decades have used it in one form or fashion to drive their Rp's forward. Many Table-Top Rps have Random Encounter Charts that a Dungeon Master is familiar with. For myself, I have taken this a small step forward and utilize my own technique here on the forum to help drive my Rp's forward. I love this technique, it allows me even as a Gm to enjoy the Rp on the same level as my Rpers. I get to be surprised with what comes up while still being able to keep control over the speed of how the story flows and the over all end game.
World Narrative: A post made IC by a Gm/Co-Gm that is not in character but as if the world itself is speaking to the individual characters. It can contain things such as weather, time, location information, clues that are being dropped, passing NPC information, time jumps, and more.
These little updates that I like to call World Narratives(WN) are everything to me and my most prized tool as a GM. (You know, beyond my ridiculously detailed CS templates) They allow me to take a step back out of my characters and just look at things from the POV of the RP World. For me, these are the easiest things to type up and dish out to my Rpers since I don't have to center myself and find my characters mind set. It is flat out information and I can put it in there no matter how I feel; If I am in a sarcastic mood, the world is sarcastic - Happy, so is the world. Because my attitude in the WN doesn't effect the outcome of the WN. It is just information for my Rpers to have access to.
LLA: Better known as Lady Luck, she is the bane and the savior of Rp characters in an RP. She is the dice itself, the numbers that come up to either character alive or send them to the character grave yard. She is ever unpredictable and will toss a monkey wrench into your RP at any given moment.
Okay, Lady Luck or better known to my Rpers as LLA is... ~inserts a slew of curse words~ Yeah, she is a pain but she is also a pleasure. She is that last bit of "extra" in my Rp's that keeps things fresh and well rather over the top. When a Randomization comes up that there is the possibility of death, LLA is the one that decides this. Why do I love this? Because then... IT AIN'T MY FAULT! SO DON'T YELL AT ME! - It is really as simple as that. It takes the blame off me and also keeps everything a fair and level playing field for all. Keeps me from lashing out at problem Rpers in an un-Gm like manner. I leave it to LLA, she will give you the decision. (Oh and why LLA instead of LL for Lady Luck? Simple typo in a chat room with my rpers that auto corrected Lady Luck to Lady Lick Ass - I really typoed that one apparently. But because of the slew of deaths, the nickname stuck.)
So, want to know how to do this? Okay, before we begin a little word of warning - This is a time consuming practice if you want to fully utilize it into your Rp's and can be frustrating at times. It take a lot of effort as a Gm to put all of this into play. You will want to keep notes, pm's to yourself, and more to ensure it keeps working for you. Having said that, once you get used to the practice it can make your job as a Gm so much easier and more enjoyable. Seriously, once I found my groove with it I was able to up the number of Rp's I Gm from 2/3 to 7 and I don't take up any more time than I did before. Why? Cause I am not sitting an racking my brain constantly. I let the techniques do the work for me.
Shall we begin? Let's.
Randomization
Now, let's begin with how you are going to set up your randomization. The over all way to carry this out is simple enough. You come up with a list of outcomes for a Rpers post, assign a number for each possibility, and roll for which one happens. It isn't complication but it can become as such rather quickly depending on how many characters are in an RP and what all is happening in your RP. The good thing about this is that you can make it really as complicated or simple as you wish, and can customize it for every Rp - for every character - and for every post, if you would like. We will start off with a simple example.
Rper Jane has just made a post for character Doe. The post is as follows: Doe slowly opened the door to the small hut. Peeking her head inside to see what is around and wondering to herself if she really should go inside or if she turn and run.
Now, as the GM you set up your randomizations from this small post. Let us give her 5 possible outcomes shall we? (Why five? Cause I like five. You could do 3, you could do 30. Up to you.)
Possible Outcomes:
The hut is too dark inside to see anything, Doe will have to find a light source or open up the door more to see what is inside.
While she is peaking her head into the door a swarm of bats suddenly fly out.
The lights are on but no one is home; there is a stew boiling on the stove though.
A donkey that was just minding his own business kicks the door back shut in her face.
The owner is home and wants to know why you didn't knock.
Okay, we have our possible outcomes. Where did these come from? Right off the top of my head but they are all possible. Depending on how your story is moving and what you are wanting to accomplish in the RP will guide what comes to mind for you but you get the idea.
Now, roll. ~rolls a die in her chat room and comes up with a 3~ Outcome? The lights are on but no one is home; there is a stew boiling on the stove though.
You have your outcome now. What you do with it will be explained below in the World Narrative Section. In the Hider is an example of a more complicated Randomization; one that I used for Day 2 Opening in the Rp Darker Than Black. To give you an idea just how long these things can be lol
Day Two Initial Randomizations -
If going out for the day, there is a chance of death (Unless would not be fitting or better is determined) - Justice is just like that. If staying at home for the day, no worries of LLA roll for death roll but something else can occur to make their day hell
Morose (Cecily) - Is heading to the office to work on the case 1) No one is in for the day - It's Saturday 2) Wallace is in but was in all night and is just leaving - Has declared it a suicide 3) Wallace was in but already gone when Cecily arrives - Report is not done but open on desk 4) Gregory is there rummaging through Wallace's office (Searching for the gun) 5) Proserpine is there - LLA Roll (1 denotes death - 2-10 denotes Cecily is hit by a bullet - 11-20 denotes bullet hits something near by her)
Pundii & Lady A (Lucas & Risa) - Risa wakes early because she is still on Geneva time, heads out to grab something to make for breakfast. (Two sets of Rolls Set Up - First set to determine how her outing goes - second set prepped for if she comes back fine) Risa's solo part 1) Walks down to corner store - everything is fine, finds what she needs 2) Walks to corner store but is still closed, heads down to main market, everything is fine, gets what she needs 3) Market is crowded, produce seller is a bit of a problem but after finally giving in she gets what she needs 4) Customer behind her at the butcher is an ass and tries to cop a feel but Wadsworth stops him - he is there getting something for Titaness. Recognizes Risa but says nothing - time to talk to his "Boss" 5) Risa gets mugged on the way back. -
If Risa makes it back to the apartment 1) Couple heads out to UN for Risa to make a quick appearance 2) Couple goes to H.S. so Lucas can show Risa where he works 3) Get a call from "a friend" to check out somewhere they think would be interesting 4) Opt to take a walk in the park to the north after breakfast - run into a homeless man with a Lunillud Aleae, it's a small one hung on a chain and offering to sell it to Lucas for Risa 5) Couple heads over to storage to get some of their things, find someone breaking into it - LLA Roll for each character (1 denotes death - 2-10 denotes injury needing medical attention - 11-20 robber runs off)
Dragoknighte (Mali) - Heading to gym, working out, going home to unpack, go to store for food, unpack more, veg 1) Has to deal with harassing but harmless construction workers taking out their frustration for working on a Saturday on way to gym 2) Everything is hunky dory, nothing special, booooooring uneventful day 3) Run into someone from the Black party at the Gym, (If another character goes to gym will turn out to be that PC, if not random guy that was there when Peyton died, won't shut up about it, talks in 3rd person) 4) Uneventful until grocery store - runs into kid she saved from the alleyway the night before 5) Runs into a "friend" of the assholes from the night before - LLA Roll for character (1 denotes death - 2-10 denotes injury needing medical attention - 11-20 friend runs off after initial beatdown by Mali)
Nallore (Riley) - Nearly the same thing as Mali 1) Has to deal with harassing but harmless construction workers taking out their frustration for working on a Saturday on way to gym 2) Everything is hunky dory, nothing special, booooooring uneventful day 3) Run into someone from the Black party at the Gym, (If another character goes to gym will turn out to be that PC, if not random guy that was there when Peyton died, won't shut up about it, talks in 3rd person) 4) Gets surprised by a paparazzi in the locker room, questioning her about the night before 5) While at gym, news cast on the TV shows Riley getting patched up by EMT - fans suddenly recognize her and mob her. - Revised LLA Roll - (1 denotes an unknown stalker breaks it up without issue and befriends her - 2-10 denotes injury needing medical attention, stalker takes her to Justice Memorial - 11-20 Small injury, Stalker takes her to locker room to patch her up)
Scallop (Lyle) --- Nothing needed since removed from RP - Was a Lawyer - X gets to kill him off
Sigil (Caesar) - Staying in for the day checking over the video footage he took of the scene 1) Nothing big that he wouldn't have remembered from the night before is found 2) Catches March leaving the building on film (50/50 chance of Caesar noting the man was not at the party) 3) Gets a call from "The Stone" informing him his flight will be delayed by half a day 4) Gets a call from his Ex-Wife 5) Wakes up to the pipe under his sink busted and the apartment flooded - Modified LLA Roll (1 - Camera footage ruined! 2-10 - electric surge cut the power for the entire building 11-20 - Just started, gets it under control)
Char and Lady A (Lorna and Alicia) - Heading to start a new contract for Machete Security Services 1) Everything is fine, boring day for the girls, all runs smoothly 2) Place was hacked the night before - personnel records stolen 3) Place was broken into the night before - Safe in CEO office was emptied (Had a relic in it, listed as family heirloom) 4) Former security lead officer shows up drunk - is disarmed before hurting anyone 5) Former security lead shows up with second, sober, starts a fight. LLA Roll for both characters (1 denotes death - 2-10 denotes injury needing medical attention - 11-20 pair taken care of and handed over to cops after questioning)
Poo (Tank) - Heading back to Greek place to see girl, then going for a drive 1) Chick is there, on break - invites him to the roller derby that evening 2) Chick isn't there, is off until Monday - is told he can find her at the roller derby that evening 3) Chick isn't there, can't get info - rest of day is boring 4) Chick isn't there, can't get info - get a call from Gregory to get his ass up to the department 5) Chick is there but gets interrupted as Gregory calls him into work to go over what he found
Lady A (Lawson) - Returning the Smoker, heading to "work" 1) Nothing big, boring day, plays cards with Lance Clemens 2) At work Lance makes off handed comment about another poor girl not being able to cut it in the city, must be in the DNA 3) Over hears Lance making a deal over the phone to set up an arms trade with someone by the name Proserpine 4) Wallace comes in and goes behind closed doors with Lance (Evidence bag sticking out from his pocket) 5) Arms trade goes bad - LLA roll - (1 denotes death - 2-10 denotes injury needing medical attention - 11-20 Saves Lances life, becomes his second in command)
Char (Lana) - Heading to coffee shop 1) Nothing, blah - boring! 2) Gets hit on by some random guy, a bit pushy but nothing she can't handle 3) See's Lawson heading into known front 4) Unknown number showing up on cell phone as it rings - "Get rid of file SGJFE-1432" is all the voice says before breaking news story of Lawyer getting killed (will need to know ho you off Lyle for this one) 5) Random Justice Drive By - LLA Roll - (1 denotes death - 2-10 denotes someone is hit by a bullet - 11-20 denotes bullet hits something near by)
Roll Results -
Morose (Cecily) - Outcome 5, LLA roll 17 Pundii and Lady A (Lucas and Risa)- Risa Outcome 1, Risa and Lucas Outcome 1 Dragoknighte (Mali) - Outcome 5, LLA roll 14 Nallore (Riley) - Outcome 2 Sigil (Caesar) - Outcome 1 Char and Lady A (Lorna and Alicia) - Outcome 4 Poohead (Tank) - Outcome 1 Lady A (Lawson) - Outcome 2 Char (Lana) - Outcome 4
Now as you can see from those, I type up everything before I roll and make sure to have not only the characters name but the Rpers as well. This helps keeps things organized for me and make things run a lot smoother once I get the results. I can move quickly from rolls to outcomes to typing. Now, onto how to add these into your posts; more specifically on how to add them to your WN.
World Narrative
Ahh, the World Narrative, the Gm's Update, the everything! How I love this little bit of Gming practice. To start you will want to make sure that your WN is set apart from the rest of your posts. I normally have it have a special little title in the beginning of the post - Usually simply titling it World Narrative and below that tagging every player in the RP. It makes it simple for references purposes and draws your Rpers attention to crucial information packed posts.
You can break these down into different layouts and honestly it will depend on the RP on how you want to do this. Remember though, no WN has to look like another and you can flip between different layouts even within a single RP if it works better for the time. Make these work for you and not against you. Some examples are as follows....
Simple Layout: This design lets you put in just the basics in a very straight forward manner; no frills about it. Under Setting you would put in the rest of the information that you want to include beyond what is already there.
World Narrative
Season: Lets people know the general time of year. This can help in many ways because if you leave out things like weather what the temp would be on a general day or what holidays might be celebrated soon that people are preparing for. Time Of Day: Lets people know if the sun would just be rising or setting, if the moon is out, and more. Weather: Helps people determine how their characters will dress and react. Gives them more to post for. Like do they need an umbrella, is it so hot they are sweating just standing around, is there a wind blowing they makes their hair whip around in their face. General Ambiance: Did something happen or are you wanting to hint that something might. Think of this as a written sound track for your RP. You know, when you are watching a movie and suddenly you hear that ominous music start? Yeah, you know something is about to go down. Use this to your advantage. Location: Name of where you are posting this WN for. Some WN will have nothing to do with what is happening just right by them but at the next town; giving them a glimpse into what they could be getting into later on. Or you can break this down to different locations if you have characters that are split up into groups.
Personal Layout: This one is less about the straight up information but works better for me when using Randomizaion. It simply tags everyone and I add in below the tags what I need to....
Date: Saturday May 13th, 2017
The date so they know where in a time jump they are
Okay, now you have your layout, or you can create something new. Whichever works. Let's get back to Doe. You have her roll and you know her outcome. Now how do you put that in your WN so that your Rper has access to the information? There are several ways to do this... We will talk about 2 right now.
The first is simple tag and information dump...
[@Jane] - Doe peaks her head in and no one is home in the hut. The smell of a stew fills the air and if she looks over to the stove she can see it is cooking there. If Doe is hungry she might be tempted to grab a bowl but would it be safe? The owner of the hut must be close or at least planning to be back soon. Does she want to risk it?
See, you just took a small outcome and have given your Rper a few things to think about in the same quick post without having to worry about being in character... Is her character hungry? Will she try some? Will she shut the door and wait? Will she start looking around in the hut or look for the owner? It gives her several possible paths to take and depending on what she posts next will help you determine what the next set of randomization will be.
The second way to go about this is in a character post; either a Gm's main or a NPC. We will wing it since we don't have a huge set up for this example RP. Say Jane had received a roll of 5, the owner would have been there in the hut and be speaking to her directly. Now you could have just done the information dump and added in a little speech text to it for a slew of questions he asked and what he did or you can turn the roll into an NPC post such as follows....
The owner of the hut looked up from his rickety chair to see the door open and cocked a brow as he watched Doe peek her head inside. Furious that someone would dare just try to waltz right into his home he stood up, slamming his palms against his table. "Who are you! What are you doing here! Didn't your mother teach you any manners?" he bellowed as he came out from behind the table and picked up his wood axe, gripping it tightly in his hand as he stalked towards her.
Small but you get the gist. If a character is interacting with one of your own of course you could do more since you have that character more fully worked up than a generl NPC. But yeah, there you have it. Now below is a WN that I have posted in Darker Than Black - This is an Information Dump
Welcome to Day 2. You have made it this far and that is saying something. Randomizations have been being made for various characters over the course of day one, which lead to rolls for Lady Luck to see who lived and who died. Danica was the first to go. So who will be next? Day 2, we begin with everyone in their place and planning out their days but what happens is not always what is planned now is it? Each one of you sent in a PM telling what you were wanting to have your character do for the day. With what was sent each character (or character pair) was given a specific set of possible outcomes for the first part of their day and put to the dice to see what could happen. Rolls were logged and below you will find what happens for your characters first part of the day. Use the information below to plan out your post and what you will do next. Cross your fingers folks and repeat after me; "Luck be a Lady Tonight, Luck if you've been a lady to begin with, Luck be a lady tonight!"
@Morose - You head into work that morning, wanting to go over what you took pictures of personally and wanting to check out what the rest of the team found. As you get there you hear rummaging going on in Wallace's Office and the door is cracked opened. This does not sit right with you, he usually isn't in on Saturdays but he was acting more off than usual last night. Maybe he came into work, or maybe he pulled one of his sporadic all nighters. You go to check, just in case. Peaking your head into the office you catch a sight of what appears to be a middle aged woman with a blond pony tail pocketing an evidence bag. She looks at you with steely blue eyes and looks half crazed; she is wearing black combat boots, cargo pants and a tank top, thin but cut to hell and back. Within a flash she has a weapon drawn and fires it at your head, the bullet whizzes passed your head and splinters the door jam next to you. She jumps the desk, body checks you sending you hitting the ground hard before darting down the hall and out the door. She is gone by the time you or anyone else can get to the alleyway.
@Pundii & @Lady Amalthea - Risa wakes up long before Lucas, still being on Geneva time and all that. She gets up quietly and heads out for a quick trip down to a corner store without waking her boyfriend or roommate. No problems until she gets home and the door jams a little bit. Shouldering it she finally gets the damn thing open and bam, it opens loudly. The rest of the apartment is awake now. After breakfast you two head out to the U.N. Risa got a text saying she needs to stop in this morning so she can get her ID made and finish up some paper work.
@Dragoknighte - You head out to the gym for your morning work out and all seems fine. That is until you are leaving the gym to head home and you run into a "friend" of one of the assholes butts you kicked last night. He's been looking for you. Revenge apparently is a dish best served hot in his mind. He looks as strung out as the other two and has the same tattoo. He gets the jump on your to start but in the end after a few quick exchanges he runs off into the crowd and you are okay minus a few minor injuries
@Nallore - You are off to the gym to work out, not the same one that Mali went to though. You're a rock star, you need more privacy, especially after last night. Things at the gym seem pretty calm, a few people talking about the news story that aired last night but luckily enough, when they show your image on the TV no one makes the connection between you on TV and you in the gym, or at least if they did, they are not saying anything.
@Sigil - Well, after completely getting the girls to say NO to Taco Tattoo's they opted to head out early and ditch you for the day. So you are home with your camera footage from the night before. The images are clear and such, but doesn't seem to matter how many times you go over said footage, just nothing is popping at you anymore than it did last night. Nothing knew. Maybe you need a fresh set of eyes to look at it, was that girl last night at the scene. The one that you set up the blockade for. Might be time for a phone call because right now you ain't got shit.
@Charnobylisk & @Lady Amalthea - You two are headed for Queensguard Industries newest development in the Diamond District. This is a chance to really get your foot in the door for the company that runs so much around. This is their research division and was previously being handled internally but the former Lead Security Guard allowed a break in to happen and was fired. It was decided to bring in outside help for this facility. As you are setting up for your first day the former employee shows up drunk as hell and causing some real issues - waiving a gun around and threatening everyone. Neutralize the situation.
@POOHEAD189 - You head over to Juno's Greek again, Sarah is there working behind the counter. She is a little more receptive to you today than she was yesterday and since it is Saturday morning the place isn't near as crowded as it was the day before. She tells you about the Roller Derby going on tonight where she is trying out for the restaurants team. It's being held at the Juno Baller Rink in the Deadlight District over by the docks. Rough part of town. Tells you to be there at 7 p.m. sharp. Sounds interesting, though you might want to check in with the Gregory after last night to give him what your team found since he was gone before you could tell him the night before.
@Lady Amalthea - Lawson is headed into work with Lance Clemens. Things are pretty calm at work today and the boss invite you in on a game of poker for now. The group is of the usual high end low life's and mob bosses. They are interested to know why a former Marine would come to the dark side since their cookies suck. Comments are made, one that strikes you as odd - What on earth are they talking about; that the reason the girl took a nose dive off a building was because of her DNA?
@Charnobylisk - Lana went for coffee this morning in the Russian part of town. Things seem calm until you receive a call from an unknown number as you answer it you hear a voice on the other end that you cannot place as male or female but they say the following- "Get rid of file number SGJFE-1432 of your former roommates" - before hanging up. Soon as the call is over there is a breaking news story popping up on the cafe's flat screen - "This just in! Lyle Marleston, a local attorney, was found dead in the fountain at McKenna park. Cause of death unknown but we will keep you posted as the story unfolds. Now back to your regularly scheduled program."
As you can see with that one, I took the roll results, gave my Rpers a little bit of an opening, and then just dumped the information right in their laps to see what they would do. Now, what if you are playing a character in the RP and you need to place them in the WN? No problem, just add that to the Post - Example below....
@Dragoknighte - As Mali is unpacking she will start to notice that some of the boxes look as if they have been rummaged through. Doesn't seem anything that is missing and there was no sign that anyone had messed with the door when she entered. The more she looks in the boxes the more obvious it is becoming. If she looks around the apartment she is going to probably notice a few more things. The window in her bedroom is cracked open and it looks like someone used a crow bar on the outside of the window to get it open. (Mali's bedroom being on the backside of the apartment building and shielded partway by a tree. Maybe why the cops didn't notice anything; or maybe they did and didn't care.)
@Nallore - The man nods and follows Riley inside. Once they are in he takes the gun out and holds it up before ejecting the clip and popping the chambered shell out of it. He keeps the single bullet and the clip, sliding them into his back pocket before handing the gun over to her. "Figure it is safer for both of us if neither of us can shot the other," he said with a goofy grin before sitting down. "I actually met her on accident. I was hanging out on a roof top, high as a kite. She came out of no where, running from some blonde chick in a baseball cap. I drew on the woman, scared out of my mind because she looked like she had just broken out of crazy house. Woman took off. Danica was scared I was about to put a bullet in her until I put it up and went back to smoking," he said laughing a bit remembering the look of relief that washed over Danica's face. "She ended up having a seat, helping me finish off my little butt and then we grabbed a bite to eat. Kind of been hanging out ever since down in my end of town."
@Charnobylisk - Lawson gives Lorna a quick message back - Well I sure do appreciate that little lady. Saving it now. Care to join a redneck for dinner and a show? Know this place, a little rough and tumble but lots of fun. Pick ya up at the apartments around 6? - It is a few more seconds after Lorna gets the message that Alicia comes back into the security room grumbling under her breath in Spanish before heading over to Lorna when she sees her. "Fucking dumbasses. Anywho, yeah, I was figuring we would have to do that. I was hoping we wouldn't since the place is new but the former security team seemed to not know anything. Oh and Papi is pulling up..."
@Sigil - As Caesar drives up he sees a couple of things. One is a rather drunken man who has been mucked up a little bit being drug out of the front gate. The other is a security guard cussing out another before storming off and getting into his car and tearing off down the street away from the complex, tire tracks being left on the asphalt. The remaining security man at the gate looks Caesar over as he lowers his radio, Alicia's voice ringing in clear over it telling him to let "The Mexican in" and that he is her boss. The man gulps a bit and steps over to Caesar. "Okay, last guy who didn't search got fired. I gotta figure this is a test. Mind stepping off the bike so I can search you?" he asks nervously.
Risa Couri
Location: The U.N.
Risa let out a sigh of relief as she heard Lucas call out her name, she had been so afraid that he been in the middle of the explosion that had ripped through the building. Rushing down as quickly as she could without causing herself more injury she flung her arms around him as he hugged her and rested her head on his chest. "I've been worse," she said, looking up at him as he examined her head and gave him a bit of a knowing wink. She had been and right then, other than the gash in her head she felt fine. Well maybe not fine, she was broken out in a bit of a cold sweat and her heart was racing but that was to be expected.
"Never know, they might want me to get a broom," she said before rolling her eyes a bit. Lacing her fingers with his, she followed his lead as they made their way down the the damaged stairwell; figuring since he had gotten up there the path should be pretty clear. She grunted a bit, rubble under her bare feet but she kept moving. It wasn't exactly the time to bitch about a few cuts and scrapes.
As they reached the broken landing she was about to climb down when she felt his arms suddenly pick her up, her arms wrapping over his shoulder in reflex. Feeling her breath catch as he leapt down with her in his arms and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before running out of the building with him. The dust was still kicked up from the explosion all around but the emergency rescue, along with the police and firefighters, was there and setting up. Risa looked back at the building as they ran down the remains of the front steps, not feeling too well suddenly. On the back of her silk shirt was a large rip and it was wet with blood beneath her hair as the wind picked up and moved it. Slowly Risa start sinking to her knees, and her grip on Lucas's began to loosen. She felt woozy and very tired suddenly.
"No, get your asses over there, those three are tagged for the morgue, that one needs air lift out to Justice Memorial Trauma One. Those others can fucking wait for their mothers to kiss their boo-boo," a woman in scrubs yelled out before rubbing her temples. "I'm surrounded by morons..."
Now, are you can see, in that post I not only gave the Rpers a general information dump that came from the results of various rolls but I was also able to post for one of my characters in the RP. My character was interacting with another Rpers, so instead of posting an information dump I took the rolls my character received into a post as well as the other Rper's roll results. this let's it flow a bit more organically and allows me to enjoy time as an Rper on top of being a GM. Keep an eye on this post because that roll that made my character Risa is an example of an LLA moment and the results will be posted below as we delve into the world known as LLA...
LLA
Lady A is standing there with a slew of sacrifices befitting that of a god, singing as she lays out said blood rites on an alter. "Luck be a Lady Tonight, Luck if you've been a lady to begin with, Luck be a lady tonight!"
Oh, sorry about that. Just placing a little bit on the alter since I have rolls to make later today concerning some of my Rpers. It's always good practice to leave a little bit for LLA. Anyways, back to what we have been discussing. We have gone over Randomization and World Narratives. On to the last little bit of this tutorial... LLA, Lady Luck or Lady Lick Ass; depending on how you look at it.
Now, LLA is a fickle creature. She has slaughtered so many characters in my Rp's I now have to place a character death counter at the top of my original OOC's and keep it updated there through out the RP. I personally have lost more than any of my Rpers, so I know the pain she can cause. While LLA might be a harsh mistress, she is fair. All characters are equal in her eyes. It does not matter how loved or hated they are by the characters or the Rpers, she always dishes out her wrath equally and without bias.
Many would think that most of my Rpers hate her and in a way they do but they also adore her, even if they won't admit it. She keeps things interesting and adds that bit of character development that might not be there otherwise. On top of that, she ensures that people stay on the edge of their seat, biting their nails to see what happens. New faces come into an RP because old faces leave. Sure it means more Cs work over all for your Rpers but in the end something's can only be achieved by death and that is when LLA steps in.
How do you use her? Carefully. Before you even roll for her, please make sure that in your rules that you have posted that you will be using LLA and that character death can and will happen. Urge your Rpers to have at least 1 back up character ready to go if theirs should bite the bullet, make yourself at least 3. (LLA seems to like to really target Gm's. I know.)
When setting up for LLA remember, you will want a sliding scale. You won't want every randomization that comes into play to result in a death; well maybe you do you sick sick Gm. (I love you.) - So set up several scales for you. I use a 1 in 20 chance. This means when a randomization that is laid out pops up with an LLA roll that character will have a 5% chance of death. Now that might not seem like a lot but trust me, that little bit can cause a lot of deaths. A roll of 1... ~hangs her head and weeps for the fallen~
Adjust this as needed. I mean if your character is home and just eating a sandwich chances are they aren't going to die from it. So if LLA comes up, make it a 1 in 100 roll. If they are in the middle of battle, wounded, and surrounded by blood thirsty orcs who haven't tasted fresh meat in three months... Well make it 1 in 5.
If the 1 pops up.... STICK TO YOUR GUNS GM!!!! Otherwise the practice is pointless. If the death is rolled for, make sure it is used. It doesn't matter if it is your character or your best friends. That character is dead. End of story. Play it out and let the other Rpers react to it.
Please listen, LLA doesn't always deal out death though, sometimes she deals out life. She can be that 1 in 100 chance that your character will pull through! For example... In Darker than Black my character Risa was horribly injured with a glass shard to her spleen from a table when a bomb went off in the building she was standing in. There isn't much you can do about that, especially in an Rp that is Slice-of-Life and has no magic. 12 flights down a broken stair well and out of the building, EMT's were there but you can't remove it until you get her to the hospital. Each post that passed, Risa's chances were less and less for survival until they were 1 in 100 when she reached the OR doors. (Said characters boyfriend in RP was already preparing for the worst and the Rper controlling the boyfriend was bracing himself for one hell of a feels post.) Then this happened...
@Scallop - Googling you get a long list of names for shrinks; a long damn list. There are tons of them. There are a couple with huge ads in search; Dr. Brock - specializing in childhood trauma, address is in the Diamond District; Dr. Lyion - who deals mostly with sexual abuse cases, works at a free clinic near Justice Memorial; Dr. Crin - Who basically says she can treat anything, works out of Justice University; and finally Dr. Keller - who only sees former military and public service professionals, works out of brownstone about 10 blocks from Boston Heights.
@Sigil - Alicia saves what she can on a flash drive and pops it out of the port before handing it over to her father. When he asks what time she tells him the game starts at seven and jots down the address on a scrap of paper. It's the Rollar Derby Rink down at the docks. Looking around she excuses herself for a moment and steps to the other side of the room as her phone goes off. She pulls it out and looks at the text she receives, her face is rather blank as she reads it but her fingers fly over the keys as she shoots a text back and then shoves it back into her pocket. With that done she goes back over to her Papi and sees if he wants to find Lorna and grab a bite to eat since it is well passed lunch time now and closing closer to dinner. She wants to get some food in her before the game.
@Nallore Ronnie escorts Riley over to the door of the rink and when asked for tickets he grumbles a bit, having forgotten to grab them at the window first. Lacing his fingers with Riley's and holding on to her tight he pulls her over to the booth to grab the tickets. Riley is getting a lot of looks by some of the people there but this crowd is mostly ignoring her, for now. Tickets purchased Ronnie sticks close to Riley as they enter. Inside the place is pretty run down, rust and dirt and grim is everywhere and the smell of salt is heavy in the air. The rink itself though is in good condition and there is already a warm up game going on for some folks. Doesn't look like an official game, just a bunch of people who are taking the chance to use the high curved sided rink while they can. People are placing bets; Juno or Dragons. Odd are in favor of Juno; 10 to 1.
Dr. Amy Chang
Location: Justice Memorial
Behind the doors of the operating room lay the fate of Risa, a small battalion of surgeons and nurses were lined around the table where she rested. The pale woman lay there with her back exposed to the strong bulbs that shown overhead. The shimmering of glass could be seen, reflecting the light from above as a mask was pulled over Dr. Chang's face and gloves were slid into place. Time had already passed for the pair, a heart that stopped beating and breath that refused to be pushed passed pale lips. Beads of sweat formed on Amy's brow from the work of chest compression's; pushing Risa's bones against her heart in hopes of starting it again. Lady Luck was with the young woman who now wore a ring she did not yet know about, for now.
"Let's get to work people," Amy said now that Risa was stable enough to actually perform surgery but she was not out of the woods yet. Several blood transfusions and a restarted heart did not give the seasoned doctor much hope for Miss Couri but that didn't mean she was going to give up on her. It was her job to make sure that before a time of death was called that everything that could have possibly have been done was done. Dr. Chang was never one to give up on a patient, especially not in the operating room. A painter had his pallet and canvas to create a master piece. This was Amy's domain and few were better. She may have been the Dean of Medicine now and others could have been put in her spot, leaving this in the hands of another, but to stay up to date in the world of medicine one could not always sit behind a desk and so here was Dr. Chang, out of her office and in the mix of things. Hopefully Lady Luck would be on her side as well but again only time would tell and behind the doors of the OR, time was never one your side.
It is funny what thoughts can cross the mind of one who has been deprived oxygen for too long. What comes to mind when the lights and sounds of the world are drowned out by the sound of silence. Yet, sometimes what thoughts come to a mind teetering on the edge of nonexistence are to be perfectly expected. Risa mind only saw darkness for what have could have been an eternity or the spans of a single heart beat. All she knew was the last thing her bright eyes had witnessed before the lids fell over them was Lucas.
Lucas, a man whom she never knew she was going to love until she had met him that one day and even then she wondered if she could stand to be around him for the length of time it took to bat ones eyes. He was incorrigible, always smug and pompous in many ways, far too over confidant in himself and his abilities. Yet so was she and what would have looked like to many on the outside as a budding rivalry turned into a blossoming romance in a place where many said that none should be.
Her mind flashed with that moment, when so much had gone wrong and yet they were still standing there next to each other. Breaths were heavy and a moment came, his arm wrapped around her waist as he gave her his ever charming but cocky smile. Risa could not help but smile back at him, knowing what they had been through and accomplished together. "Well we did it, how do we celebrate?" she asked Lucas. He didn't need to say a word and for the first time she witnessed just romantic and spontaneous he could truly be when his lips found hers.
That single memory was one she treasured more than most and as her body was invaded by instruments and her veins with the blood of another, she was at peace to think that if reliving that first kiss was to be her last thought, it was the most precious one she could have chosen. To remember how her heart raced and how his lips tasted; it was not a bad way to leave this world. Then the memory became brighter, as if to be enveloped by the lightning storm of emotion that came with it and everything went white...
Dr. Chang swallowed hard, the cotton from her mask drying out her mouth as she pulled it away. Letting out a long breath she looked down at the ground. One foot in front of the other as the snap of her gloves being removed could be heard. To the trash they went, the stained remains of Risa's blood caking them and soon covered by the paper gown that was ripped away and tossed on top of them.
Steps like this where never easy, those after surgery, after... She did not look up from the linoleum floor as her feet moved out of the Operating Room, out of the suite; stepping to the door that separated her from the man she knew she would have to deliver news to of his loved one. She had not been told that he loved her, something's could be left unspoken when you saw the look in ones eye as another was wheeled off behind those doors.
Resting her hand on the door she pushed it open slowly, breathing deeply the air that was not clouded so sharply with cold air and sterilizer. Though the air in a hospital was never fresh like the outdoors, it was still more comfortable than the air in the OR. Looking around her eyes fell onto Lucas and she took another deep breath; standing there as she cracked her fingers; sore from the intricate work. What would she say to him? The only thing she could say. It was better not to drag these things out.
"You may want to get into recovery so you are there when she wakes up. The ring might shock her to death if she sees it before you actually propose," Amy said as a small weary smile broke across her features and she pushed back on the door, opening it for him. Beyond the door he could see Risa being wheeled off to the recovery ward. "Go on, she should be awake soon."
See, it isn't ALWAYS bad, just a lot of the time. So work her in carefully and with caution but if you do... Roll with it and enjoy it! You never know what could happen and that is what makes it so much fun!
Well that brings us to the end of another Lady A tutorial. I hope you found this as informational and helpful as I found it fun to put together for you. As with all my tutorials, please use this as you see fit and customize it for your own needs and wants. No Gm's way is the best way, all you can do it find what works best for you. Some people will and do hate these techniques, others embrace them fully and wouldn't have it any other way. What is right for you personally is never wrong. See you in the next tutorial!
