No more belated posts! Day 6: motive!
Two days ago I found out about and read an interesting article on Pelegrane Press – Improvising with GUMSHOE. So of course motive makes me think about the end game.
My retrospectives on coming up with adventures usually point that I like one of two things:
- An idea I want to explore; e.g. what happens when a mind archmage looses his grip on reality, something I mentioned last year.
- A particular scene I keep obsessing about; e. g. I think it’s over twenty years now but I need to figure out an adventure that is heavily inspired by local krajina. It will start with a horse galloping over a mountain. Hoofs hitting the ancient rocks in the ground. It’s breath freezing in the early morning cold. A panicked rider chased by unknown horsemen …
However I do start I quickly find myself asking the why – looking for the motive of whatever won’t leave me mind. Trying them out. Twisting the answers. Thinking about them, usually, until the very last session/moment when I can integrate our played experience, with my prepared experience into one, hopefully, satisfying revelation of the true motive.