MotRD DM-Player Censorship Questions

[Stygian Inquirer]

Hello again guys, I once again have a few more questions about MotRD.

I am starting a MotRD campaign (finally!) and I wanted to know what the players should or shouldn't know. Most of the players are newbs and the rest haven't played Ravenloft or Masque before. I basically wanted to know how much should be kept secret to promote the fearful feel of the setting while giving the players enough of a chance and that they don't get bored.

My thoughts were:
Red Death - They don't need to know.

Fear, Horror, Madness Saves - I will just ask the players to roll Will saves and adjust them based on race myself. However, then I don't know what to do about feats like Courage.

Powers Checks - Probably not.

Magic and Powers Checks - Dunno

Any suggestions on these and any other things the players should or shouldn't know?



On another note, the 3E MotRD Book mentions maybe changing some of the racial abilities and maybe giving adjustments based on nationality. Has anyone ever used this? If so, I would love to hear some of the changes you made. If you haven't, maybe we can brainstorm some.

Thanks in advance guys.

[Jasper]

Hello again guys, I once again have a few more questions about MotRD.

I am starting a MotRD campaign (finally!) and I wanted to know what the players should or shouldn't know. Most of the players are newbs and the rest haven't played Ravenloft or Masque before. I basically wanted to know how much should be kept secret to promote the fearful feel of the setting while giving the players enough of a chance and that they don't get bored.

My thoughts were:
Red Death - They don't need to know.

I agree. Even high level character should not know who or what the RD is, just that even big bad evils like Dracula have thier strings pulled by something greater.

Fear, Horror, Madness Saves - I will just ask the players to roll Will saves and adjust them based on race myself. However, then I don't know what to do about feats like Courage.

Only if the Pc are truly new to the whole horror feel. If they can play ther characters as genuienly scared then you realy don't need saves at all. As for the Save altering feats I would just add them as +4 to all saves vs fear inducing spells and abilities (Scare, Fear aura etc;)

Powers Checks - Probably not.

Defenetly not.

Magic and Checks - Dunno

Let them know magic is a corupted art in GE but as far as how corupting i would hold out on that.

Any suggestions on these and any other things the players should or shouldn't know?

Its realy hard for MOTRD players to not use out of character knowledge about events that are going to happen. For Ex: 9 times out of ten a PC playing in the 1890's Alaska will want his character to "discover" a gold vien he spent the last three nights googling up.

And defenetly don't let them know any more then they need to know about the world. A farm girl from 1890's OK in no way will be able to tell you the leaders of the europian countries or even where France is on a map.

On another note, the 3E MotRD Book mentions maybe changing some of the racial abilities and maybe giving adjustments based on nationality. Has anyone ever used this? If so, I would love to hear some of the changes you made. If you haven't, maybe we can brainstorm some.

Thanks in advance guys.

Not so much racial changes but I have tried to use nationalty specific first level blood feats.
I had a verson of the Redheaded feat for those with Irish blood, a speak with ancestors (speak with dead) feat for Asian blood and a Feat that gave you the abilty of a jungle animal (Fox cunning, Eagle splender etc: 1/day) for those with Aztec blood. [/quote]

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Out-of-game knowledge is tricky to deal with, but allow me to take up the other side of the argument.

First, players of spellcasters need to know something about powers checks when they create the character. These are serious counterweights to the fun of playing a spellcaster, and anyone who picks up a class without full knowledge of the drawbacks is going to feel cheated, and justifiably so. It's like neglecting to tell the barbarian player that Krusk gets tired after a rage, only much worse, because it's possible to play a barbarian who doesn't rage, if it really bothers you that much. Not so with a spellcaster who doesn't cast spells.

Regarding real-world knowledge in a MotRD game, it's really not that different from other games, when you think about it. When your players jump at the name "Van Helsing," despite the characters knowing nothing about him, just remember how many RL players jump at the name "Van Richten."

It can actually be an advantage, if you play it right. Players in the game are combination of actor and audience, and just as they are expected to separate the two, the DM can (and IMO ought to) satisfy the needs of both perspectives. While the hero of a suspense novel is often in the dark, the writer usually leaves clues for the audience to be a few steps ahead of him, so that part of our excitement is in knowing that the friend he just trusted is leading him into a trap, or whatever.

For example, I wrote a series of MotRD adventures that centered around a PC who was under a powerful curse, to the effect that people came to her with problems no one else could solve--usually problems with supernatural origins. This PC runs a 'gentleman's club' with gambling and drinks and all that, and in the midst of one fiasco she hires a young woman named Beth, but doesn't have time to catch her full name. When that adventure is over, a PC discovers her surname is "Borden"...cue the next adventure

Beth being short for Elizabeth, players suddenly realize that this is the infamous axe-murderer Lizzie Borden, presumably on the run from the law. The PC's don't know that, though, so everyone has a fun time pretending nothing is wrong while Lizzy the time-bomb counts down to her next "fit." Of course, it's not her fault, as they discover, and their knowledge doesn't spoil the adventure fighting the supernatural forces centered around Lizzy. The OOG knowledge has served its purpose: it gets people's attention and raises the level of tension.

Cut scenes serve the same purpose, of course, and work basically the same way. If you don't have the RLDMG, it's worth the expense.