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View Full Version : Handling "paranoia notes"?



Yrnes
2007-12-02, 03:49 PM
One concept the gaming group and I have passed down since our 2nd Ed days is what we call "Paranoia Notes" (I don't know if this is an official name for them or if its just something we called them on the spot, but since secret notes made other players edgy, it stuck) - essentially note passing between players and DM when the player is doing something he wishes to keep a secret from the party or simply doesn't want to interrupt whats going on at hand.

Originally, I didn't like the idea of role-playing through note passing, but I soon found it was hard to break from the action, pulling a player and some dice aside, and rolling it out and returning to the group. So the notes won out by default.

Of course, the notes have their drawbacks too. Aside from a break in the role play, sometimes a written message can be misinterpreted, and even the less than savvy player can understand when the rogue jots something down on a scratch piece of looseleaf and slides it to the DM, something rotten just happened.

So I turn it over to you: any home rules regarding paranoia notes? Ways of keeping them discreet? Or should the idea just be trashed in general?

Thanks
Yrnes

Xefas
2007-12-02, 03:56 PM
If everyone has laptops, you can always have instant messenger clients open with everybody else. Of course, turn the sound off so it doesn't make the noise you get when you have a message.

Although, since my group doesn't have that option, we just don't do it anymore. We used to, but, like you said, there were problems, and we deemed them too much in relation to the benefit.

Somebloke
2007-12-02, 03:56 PM
I am all for taking players outside and talking to them, describing a scene and then handing a player a note that details knowledge that only they will know (you know that man...he's x)...more often than not this helps to ramp up tension and allows good roleplaying. 9 times out of 10 the player will let the other players know, making some good roleplaying scenes in the process.

So I am all for this technique.

BRC
2007-12-02, 03:57 PM
One concept the gaming group and I have passed down since our 2nd Ed days is what we call "Paranoia Notes" (I don't know if this is an official name for them or if its just something we called them on the spot, but since secret notes made other players edgy, it stuck) - essentially note passing between players and DM when the player is doing something he wishes to keep a secret from the party or simply doesn't want to interrupt whats going on at hand.

Originally, I didn't like the idea of role-playing through note passing, but I soon found it was hard to break from the action, pulling a player and some dice aside, and rolling it out and returning to the group. So the notes won out by default.

Of course, the notes have their drawbacks too. Aside from a break in the role play, sometimes a written message can be misinterpreted, and even the less than savvy player can understand when the rogue jots something down on a scratch piece of looseleaf and slides it to the DM, something rotten just happened.

So I turn it over to you: any home rules regarding paranoia notes? Ways of keeping them discreet? Or should the idea just be trashed in general?

Thanks
Yrnes
I feel I should point out that the game "Paranoia" uses these notes a good deal.
That said, the best way to handle them is just to hope your players don't metagame and keep using them.

nerulean
2007-12-02, 04:10 PM
Generally, our group only uses notes during big fights where the DM is going all tactical at you and you don't want to tip her off to your next plan. It's odd to think that most of our notes are actually player to player, though we've got a big PC party vs. PC party battle coming up this week where the DM will get some little paper slips too.

Our notes have taken the form of e-mailed comments from one person to another, to typing on a laptop and showing the screen to the recipient, to the good old fashioned writing on paper and handing it over.

Narmoth
2007-12-02, 04:25 PM
I have once given players different information and made them act onit.
I will not do it agian.

Chronos
2007-12-02, 04:37 PM
Aside from a break in the role play, sometimes a written message can be misinterpreted, and even the less than savvy player can understand when the rogue jots something down on a scratch piece of looseleaf and slides it to the DM, something rotten just happened.Whenever I play a sneaky character, I'll occasionally pass the DM a meaningless note ("Nice weather we're having today", or something), mixed in with the genuinely sneaky ones, just to keep the other players on their toes. Most DMs in my experience will do the same thing, in the other direction, sometimes coupled with rolling a few dice behind the screen.

Lemur
2007-12-02, 04:37 PM
Much like a DM will roll dice for no reason other than to confuse the players, you can pass dud notes to people, with nothing of import on them, so players will have a harder time guessing if a note is important or not.

squishycube
2007-12-02, 04:42 PM
As I occasionally play characters that hide things from the other characters I sometimes have to rely on notes passed to other people. I then use the same technique as Chronos en Lemur suggested.
When lots of notes get passed around the importance people attach to individual notes becomes a lot less.

Prometheus
2007-12-02, 07:33 PM
As a DM I use notes when the players are separated for a short time (if for a long time, I just tell them to pretend that they don't know so they can still experience the story), when a players is charmed or dominated, or when only one player gets a proposition that the others might feel different about.

In addition, I actively make sure the characters are aware that they can pass notes to me for actions that they don't want the other characters/players to know about.

bugsysservant
2007-12-02, 07:55 PM
If you're feeling like a real bastard, randomly have the players role d20s that don't do anything. If they roll low, smile, but don't say anything.

Ominous
2007-12-02, 08:06 PM
If you're feeling like a real bastard, randomly have the players role d20s that don't do anything. If they roll low, smile, but don't say anything.

I do this. It's possibly the most fun I have as the DM. Just have them roll some dice and, when they roll poorly, chuckle. It scares the crap out of my players.

Chronos
2007-12-02, 09:52 PM
In addition, I actively make sure the characters are aware that they can pass notes to me for actions that they don't want the other characters/players to know about.Another option that's sometimes good for players to have available is the sealed envelope, for information to be kept secret from the DM (until the appropriate time). A friend tells of an adventure where the party had fought the BBEG to keep him from getting the McGuffin of Doom, and just barely lost the fight: When the last player was dropped into the negatives, the villain still had a handful of HP left. So he opened the player's backpack to gloat over the artifact and

Open the envelope, please.

*reads* "Fire trap cast on the backpack".

The next round, one of the players rolled lucky, stabilized, and bound all the others' wounds.

Prometheus
2007-12-02, 11:30 PM
Another option that's sometimes good for players to have available is the sealed envelope, for information to be kept secret from the DM (until the appropriate time).

Some DM's really don't like that (http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp05032002.shtml)

It's fun, but I feel like for the most part the players should be getting the surprises, after all, a DM can interact with this sort of things (huh I should have mentioned the Detect Traps spell that was cast when you entered the kingdom, of course none of you had a high enough Spellcraft check...) and is expected all the time to separate NPCs knowledge from his own.

GoldDragon
2007-12-03, 02:58 AM
My favorite type of notes passed between DM and players are ones with stuff like, "How's it goin?" and "We gonna order pizza soon?" written on them. The faces on some of my players when notes are passed are just hilarious to look at. :smallwink:

Rigon
2007-12-03, 03:24 AM
notes are good. but i can't use them... makes lots of trash.
and i roll the D20 constantly... to pass my nervousness.

Skjaldbakka
2007-12-03, 03:34 AM
I occassionally use notes, but mostly when I want to communicate something to the DM w/o interrupting the flow of the narrative. Generally something short, that can be read with a quick glance:


I pocket the the big diamond. 27 SoH.