|
|
Post by dmzinthos on May 27, 2015 4:52:09 GMT
And yet...
Did my first session 0. Things went great if you don't count the fact that I have to now retcon a bunch of stuff, including the over arching villains name. I was using notes and had everything organized via Evernote (thanks lightbulb!) and I had to look 1 thing up, just one tiny (and now in hind site meaningless) thing, and it threw off a bunch of my other notes, and in a valiant effort to keep the game moving I just kept saying things... Things I knew were wrong, but couldn't think of the actual right things so I just sort of went with it. So here's the question: when to retcon, SHOULD you retcon, and how to retcon (and conversely how NOT to retcon)
I think because it was only a session 0 and none of my players are too temperamental at this point I'm just going to come out and say "btw... I bungled some info, here's the skinny" and tell them the right names. But a part of me is thinking "I don't even remember what I said, do my players? Couldn't I just nudge in the correct terms here and there and hope no one notices?" But if they do remember and they do notice, I lose cred as a DM and puts me at risk for having run away players ("this joker can't even remember his own story, why should I care about this path he's taking me down... It's probably wrong anyway"). But if they wouldn't have noticed and I flat out tell them, I could run into the same issue.
Help me dm-mates, you're my only hope!
|
|
|
|
Post by dmzinthos on May 27, 2015 4:53:45 GMT
Tldr; how do you correct story errors?
|
|
|
|
Post by joatmoniac on May 27, 2015 6:29:29 GMT
I think that being open and honest will get you the farthest. Obviously some things need to remain hidden for the sake of story, but errors will happen. You are human here in the real world, but can easily crush them all in the game! I mean, everyone is friends, haha. I have made mistakes before, and I try and own up to them as quickly as possible to shed the proper light on whatever the situation is. Granted I say all of that, but will also say only make the concession to things that you know can't be fixed. If a name comes out wrong think about just rolling with it. It helps to take good notes while playing for these very reasons. I know I have to write down the name of Random NPC #5 or there is no chance that their name will ever be the same.
Lots of text for my simple rule of: don't retcon unless you really have to, and if you needed do it at the first chance you get.
|
|
|
|
Post by friartook on May 27, 2015 13:57:25 GMT
I think I've made it clear that I am a lazy DM. I don't do much prep, because I have had too many experiences similar to what you are describing: I had a bunch of notes, a bunch of prepped NPCs and encounters, then realized within 10 minutes at the table that everything I had was useless and had to make up everything on the fly for the whole session anyway. I don't have time in my life for wasted prep, so I don't do much at all. I pretty much make sure I have the stat blocks I need handy, and maybe a map.
That being said, I also don't take any notes at the table beyond HP values of opponents. Ever. I find that it distracts from the table time, much like taking a bunch of time to look up rules can. I want my table time to be engaged with, and engaging for, my players. Instead, I record my session using my iPhone, then make sure to give at least the previous session a listen a couple days before meeting. That way, everything is fresh in my mind.
I am getting around to answering your actual question: Because of the factors above (meaning, my laziness) I retcon all the time! But my players rarely know it unless I tell them. Retconning something that actually happened to them, or retconning player actions is a big no-no. But retcon your own internal plans as much as you need to. Remember, the players only see a tiny slice of your full plan (especially at session 0). If you act like the retcon was just the plan all along, you're golden. (A note to joatmoniac: that direct message I sent you with a campaign outline was all retcon.)
As to changing names, that depends how important the name is for you and for the story. If you messed up the name of an NPC and you feel their true name is important, feel free to just say, "Hey guys, I got confused in my notes. The NPC Bingleboof's name is actually Dinglehoof. Sorry about that." They're pretty unlikely to care, especially considering that you are on session 0.
On a side note, I am totally going to use the name Dinglehoof for an NPC.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 27, 2015 19:44:38 GMT
First, I wouldn't worry about losing your credibility as a DM. It's mostly improv, not novel writing, and any player who expects to sit down and have a narrative experience as coherent and compelling as our beloved fiction writers can create is only joking himself. That stuff takes months/years to create, and since we DMs are inevitably forced to improvise, mistakes will be made.
Is there a reason you can't shuffle the names around? A BBEG by any other name smells just as foul. Also, if just one tiny little thing threw off the rest of your notes, why not adjust the tiny thing to fit in with the rest, rather than adjust the rest to suit the tiny thing? Your description is vague, so I don't understand the exact nature of the problem.
Speaking more generally about the retcon... Think of it as a physical injury, and the retcon is a doctor. No one I know really likes going to see the doctor. Like your body, a story is a living thing that is quite resilient, self-healing, and smells funny. It's true that sometimes an injury is so severe that you need medical attention, but it's hard to qualify exactly what requires the healing hand of a retcon. Here are a few thoughts:
First and foremost, don't retcon unless your players point out the discontinuity.
Don't retcon if the PCs would have reacted differently in the proposed alternate timeline.
Don't retcon because the revision makes more sense, when the original version makes enough sense.
Don't retcon anything already resolved by system mechanics.
Do retcon if you've created a logical impossibility (but only if the players bring it up!)
Do retcon if you've created a situation that makes progress in the story impossible.
Do retcon if you cannot introduce story elements moving forward that reconcile the discontinuity in the past. It's not really a retcon if you're just filling in the blanks, provided that filling does not create circumstances to which the PCs could react.
|
|
