--- _tmp/ccsrd.md 2025-07-21 14:23:43.229363765 -0500 +++ _tmp/ccsrd.new.md 2025-07-21 14:25:34.508075295 -0500 @@ -76330,92 +76330,6 @@ some excellent advice applicable to the Cypher System. ::: -##### Encouraging Play: Unclench Your Butt\! [#](#encouraging-play){.og-h-anchor aria-hidden="true"} {#encouraging-play .og-h-small} - -[(OG-CSRD Editorial Addition)]{.og-ref .og-ref-og} - -Once you know what makes things believable within the setting, it's time to turn the players loose within it. PCs will -already bring a good amount of their own meaningfulness to the game---they are the main characters, after all. Who the -players and PCs are: their personalities, [descriptors](#chapter-7-descriptor), [abilities](#choose-abilities), and -[character arcs](#character-arcs) are certainly going to have an impact on the story. This will inevitably disturb some -parts of the setting, and when this happens, you might occasionally feel a small clench forming in your posterior. This -is normal. Take a deep breath. Let it out, and unclench your butt. The whole point of having players in the world is -precisely so that they can act upon it and bring some element of change to it. Otherwise, there's no story. There\'s -\"just a bunch of stuff that happens\". - -Before, during or after a session, players will tell you what is meaningful to them about the PCs, locations, creatures, -NPCs, and other aspects of the game in a few ways. For example, if you hear a player say things like the following, they -are expressing some measure of meaningfulness about something: - -- \"I hope...\" -- \"I want...\" -- \"I love...\" -- \"I bet...\" -- \"What if...\" -- \"Ugh, I hate...\" -- \"We have got to...\" -- \"I have a plan.\" -- \"That was cool.\" - -Take note when this happens. Sometimes, the best idea is to find a way to make something a player said---no matter how -offhandedly---become true. - -Players also express their sense of meaningfulness through Cypher System mechanics. If a player spends [Pool](#pool) -points to use [Effort](#effort), or [spends 1 XP to reroll the die](#experience-points-immediate-benefits), you have an -indicator that what happened meant something to the player---enough to spend something on it. Finding ways to honor -those expenditures players engaged with the game, even when the dice---or you---are saying no to something. - -In the Cypher System, there are two important ways the game ensures that some amount of narrative power and -meaning-making are a shared enterprise: [GM intrusions](#gm-intrusion) and [player -intrusions](#choose-player-intrusions). Intrusions allow either party to grab a hold of the narrative for a moment. The -difference between them is that players must pay 1 XP to avoid your GM intrusion, and they only gain XP if you provide -it. You can be generous here---after all, you have an infinite amount of XP to give. But don't underestimate the value -of give-and-take in *Make-Believe*. It's the original gameplay mechanic: rolling a ball back and forth, playing catch, -and learning to share. Ensuring pool points and XP are flowing in and out of the PCs at an acceptable rate is one of the -fundamental heartbeats of the Cypher System. - -It's not wrong for players to refuse a player intrusion---sometimes you must. But if you\'re on the fence, consider -throwing a little caution to the wind, and finding out what is on the other side of saying yes. Doing so can yield its -own reward, and having some narrative responsibility taken off your shoulders can be very freeing, and allow you to be -more playful. - -Here are a few other strategies to create a sense of shared meaning with players in a campaign: - -::: {.alert .ps-4 .pb-0} -- **Question Players:** Ask the players what features of adventures they enjoy---combat, exploration, social - interaction, and puzzle-solving are common answers, but they may have other good ideas for features of gameplay you - haven't thought about. When the story reaches a natural stopping point, take some time to ask again. - -- **Explore Relationships:** Involve the PCs' personal lives, NPCs they know and care about, and address their - [character arcs](#character-arcs) when you can. - -- **Choices Matter:** Ensure the PCs' choices and outcomes have a meaningful impact on the story. - -- **Tonal Variance:** Tell more than one kind of story. If every session is a dungeon-dive to retrieve one of eight - macguffins that ends in a dramatic monster battle, some players might love it. Some will get bored, seeing only - slight variations on a theme. Try to vary the length of adventures. Some might take eight sessions, some three, and - some might resolve in one. - -- **Altering Scope:** Depth and meaning in a setting should be examined from several angles. It's a good idea to - change your scope and stakes between adventures, too. Addressing some character arcs might be intimate and personal, - some are epic and decisive. Avoid threatening the world or all of existence repeatedly, or dwelling on minutiae. - -- **Make Allowances:** Sometimes the best way to subvert player expectations is to let things proceed exactly as the - PCs hoped they would. - -- **Beginner's Mind:** Embrace a spirit of not-knowing: this goes both for the players and for GMs. It\'s not - important to have all the answers all the time. The ones you really need will reveal themselves in time, but it's - good to preserve a little mystery for another day. Don't overdo this, though---players need a good amount of - information to understand and develop good traction with a story. - -- **Full Being:** Invest each NPC with as much life as you can. They should have real feelings and desires---including - a will to survive. Not all of them will survive, and it's okay to feel sad when they don\'t. GMs are players too, - so enjoy every NPC, creature, and gust of wind you become in the course of play. - -- **Reflect on Things:** When the time is right, revisit those mysteries and unconcluded stories from the past. As the - PCs' stories move through time, ask yourself: \"What is going on everywhere else that matters?\" -::: - ##### Telling Stories Together [#](#telling-stories-together){.og-h-anchor aria-hidden="true"} {#telling-stories-together .og-h-small} [(OG-CSRD Editorial Addition)]{.og-ref .og-ref-og} @@ -77902,11 +77816,11 @@ - Failure to Notice [(417)]{.og-ref} - Graduated Success [(417)]{.og-ref} - Dealing with Character Abilities [(418)]{.og-ref} -- [Encouraging Player Creativity](#encouraging-play) [(420)]{.og-ref} +- Encouraging Player Creativity [(420)]{.og-ref} - [Artifacts](#running-the-game-artifacts) [(421)]{.og-ref} - [Skills and Other Abilities](#running-the-game-skills-and-other-abilities) [(421)]{.og-ref} - Character Arcs [(421)]{.og-ref} -- [Handling NPCs](#encouraging-play) [(422)]{.og-ref} +- Handling NPCs [(422)]{.og-ref} - NPC Game Stats [(422)]{.og-ref} - [NPCs and Death](#npcs-and-death) [(424)]{.og-ref} - Interactions [(424)]{.og-ref}