What do you do to subtly put stress on the PCs? I don't just mean making the stakes higher, but I mean a gradual ratcheting up of personal and game tension:>Time-limited objectives where long rests aren't available>Enemies who get stronger over time>Mutually-exclusive treasures i.e. "Either the bad guy gets this or you push really hard and get this.">PCs being pushed to use their specialty, forcing players into the spotlight. On a more personal level, things I like to use are:>Unnerfed male elves who display their competence.>'Harsh' attractive female NPCs who have really high standards and encourage competition>Public speaking>Duels>Ample chances to fuck up and a denouncement for that>Lots of 'the lesser of two evils' choices.I really want their blood pressure to rise by the end of the session, basically.
>>96773292>implying any of these situations qre stressful Literally every scenario listed can be solved with liberal applications of rape.God zoomers are so fucking soft, your whole generation should just be gatekept out of traditional games entirely.
>>96773336>Literally every scenario listed can be solved with liberal applications of rape.Okay, solve them all with applications of rape then.I wanna see how public speaking is solved with rape.
>>96773292>Catching players in slip of the tongue moments>Timed treasure like you said>Forks in the road that have obvious "This way sucks but I dont trust that way either" vibes>Any group stealth rolls. Non-stealth being forced to stealth will always make a group rethink their strategy to avoid low rolls>Stating obvious consequences ahead of time such as local laws, customs or "Today I fucked up by..." situations>Racism. Some PCs that roleplay heavy into their races get uncomfortable when I tell them outright the locals are giving them dirty looks>Making scenarios that single out the worst player in the group. Not a specialty as you said, but calling the murder hobo to the stand in a trial kind of thing.Another thing is fake outs for smarter players. I've tricked a guy into unironically calling me after a session because the group was helping a local village deal with a Tarrasque. He told me he was making extra characters for him and his gf who was newer. Footprints, sightings, everything was leading him to believe I was going to teamwipe them only for next session to have a T rex that was injured, disfigured and attacking the towns livestock because it could no longer hunt larger prey. I dont know about your games, but there's always one guy who does nothing but read the monster manual and wants to flex it in front of the party. But I would say it depends on the group. Newer groups get stressed just from the idea of losing a character. They usually treat it like a video game with no revives and stay cautious. Veteran groups can pick up on missed opportunities or situations where they will need to throw out all the stops to survive. Each personality also comes into play as well.
>>96773292By asking yourself first the following questions:For what purpose?How is this even stressful at all?
>>96773371>xhe doesn't know Lmao, rapelet
>>96773292Why would I want to put stress on my players?
>>96773292Switching things up.I had a player who obviously read the module in advance. He was badly upset when it was clear that nothing was playing out the way he wanted, since I had modified the module before running it.
>>96773292Aversa > Tharja
>>96778751To force them to engage their brains
>>96773292>See how you add Stress to the PCsLOL
>>96780163Stress makes brain disengage, you dumb twat, but it's not like you care in this aimless, pointless thread
>>96773292the best way to stress out a player is to ask "Are you sure?"then take a note behind your GM screen with a deep breath.>>96780663it's fun to make players overthink things and dig themselves into a hole.
>>96773719This. Why would I want to constantly stress out my friends?
>>96780663Not everyone has TikTok-brain.
>>96773292>>96778874Plegian whores unworthy of Robin's seed
>>96773292bring a girl to the gaming table
Not too many come to mind that haven't been stated already, but I do have a few.Fatigue. Whether by extending the session's length or by a series of exhaustive creativity and problem solving, existing stress not only compounds but multiplies when the players are unable to vent or deflate it.Class and majesty norms. Local laws and customs were mentioned, but I think people underestimate how much tension and stress can be built up by prepping players directly preceding in meetings with nobility, high-royalty, or other positions of influence. Etiquette is lame and not to be overused, but having a steward NPC rush to explain what titles to use and what gesticulations are expected and then plopping the PC in front of someone of importance such that they not only have to juggle their objectives but must articulate and interact within strict and sudden bounds of convention can really ramp up tension if utilized well.Obligation. Giving the players a general party-goal and then having one or more of the PC's receive word from an ally or relative that help is required, forcing them to either delay their important mission or fall through on their personal duties can, again, make a tense situation more stressful. Generally best if a solution or compromise exists so that it doesn't feel like a punishment, but it can work.Theft. Not so much petty theft, though that has its place and can be done similarly, any assets or estates a player or party owns or is invested in being threatened with destruction or theft will, if it doesn't cause a pattern of miserly or paranoid behavior, split attention in a way that can add tension and guide direction.In retrospect, I think I primarily create tension through overwhelming players with conflicting and independent sources of threat, allowing smaller stressors to multiply in value rather than independent stressors of higher frequency. It tends to help party cohesion as it forces PCs cover for each other to diffuse the tension.
>>96773292play metal music as the background soundtrack
>>96788643>FatigueNot enough people track this. It's the equivalent of video game characters never sleeping.>Class and MajestyI'm going to do more of this now that I think of it.>ObligationSmart way to stretch out a campaign.>TheftPlayers are too reliant on magic items anyway. I add durability to most items too, even if they're magic.
