Scene

Scenes are specific settings within an Episode that drive toward one or more Arcs and fill the Episodes. Scenes often swing back and forth between Players preparing, training, or revealing elements of the world to uncover the Arc or larger Campaign, or Game Masters presenting singular elements directly tied to the Arc or Campaign. The specifics of the game’s mechanics often come to life during the Scene, and is the bulk of where the execution of the game exists when Players come together for an Episode.

Who Creates the Scene

In a session, the Game Master isn’t the only one who gets to put together a Scene. The Game Master's largest goal is to unveil the story to the players through a progression of Scenes, but the responsibility of storytelling is shared among all players at the table. As a session progresses,the responsibility of creating and playing through Scenes will change between the Game Master and the Players each telling and revealing a story to all other players at the table. The Game Master always starts the first Scene of the session. The Players then each decide what Scene takes place after. The responsibility of Creating the Scene transitions between Players and Game Master alternating every other Scene.

Player Scenes

Scenes that are created by the Players are their chance in the campaign to prepare for the adventure before them and unlock secrets from leads that spring from the quest line story. Player Scenes are more limited than Game Master Scenes and are often completed much faster, but may provide critical advantages to surviving the adventure trail revealed in the quest line story.

When Players create a Scene they may perform one of the following:

Information and Resource Gathering‍

A Scene in which the Player(s) attempt to dig up more information about a person, place, thing or prepare for the next leg of their adventure by obtaining or disposing themselves of supplies, equipment and gear

Rest and Relaxation

A Scene in which the Player(s) relieve themselves of the horrors endured on the adventure trail and may call upon their Allies to enact portions of their plan

Consorting and Connecting

A Scene in which the Player(s) lean on establish connections, or attempt to establish a new connection to an NPC or organization

Training and Studying

A Scene in which the Player(s) perform training or studying tasks in exchange for experience.Characters may also take this Scene to perform Character Advancements like purchasing abilities, spells, and Class Tiers.

Game Master Scenes

When the Game Master creates a scene they aren’t limited in the way that Players are. This is because the Scene that is established by the Game Master are the major elements of the larger quest line story, are milestones in a character’s story, or are the immediate consequence of a player(s)’s actions. Game Masters still make the same considerations as players when they Establish the Scene and the focal point of the Scene is still a Goal to be achieved. Though, when a Game Master is creating the Scene, you can expect there to be more complications that come up in playing through a Scene.

What are Scenes for

Scenes are centered around a Goal that drives a story forward. The Player Characters are always core to what happens in the Scene and are essential to what drives the story forward. Echelon prefers Scenes because it gets our characters into the moments of conflict faster, placing the goal within reach and forcing them to issue challenges bringing more weight to the consequences borne by conflict. There is no requirement or suggestion on how long a Scene should run. The most important factor on if a Scene is finished or not is based upon if the Players have reached the Goal of the Scene. If a Scene takes fifteen minutes to complete where you projected thirty, good on you, let's spend that extra time creating the next Scene.

The Scene is made up of three major components:

Establishing the Scene

In this step the major elements, characters, and goal are established before characters play the scene.

Playing the Scene

Where the players enter the world based on the established parameters and attempt to achieve a goal.

Transitioning from the Scene

When the players bring the Scene to a narrative close by reflecting on milestones in the story.

Establishing the Scene

There are three major components in Establishing the Scene. Once elements of a Scene have been established, they are considered the framework, or stage props, with which the Players use or interact with as they play through the Scene. Any details established in this step are permanent to the backdrop the Scene takes place in.

Establish the Setting

The setting is the backdrop with which our Scene takes place in. It's details like time of day, location, volume of people in the space, types of people in the space. It's also establishing factors like what did you do to set you on this path, what's involved, or how did you get here. These elements help inform all Players what they might expect, and how much of the environment they can control or influence.

Some examples to help Establish the Setting:

·        What time of day?

·        What location and what are you close to?

·        What are major details in the environment?

·        How busy is the area?

·        How did you arrive?

·        Where do you start?

Establish the Characters

Another important factor to a Scene is determining who's included in it.Do all players have a role to play in this Scene? Do any Players want to be excluded from the Scene? Will the Scene take place following two or more different groups?

Examples to help Establish the Characters:

·        Who are we contacting?

·        Are Allies or Adversaries involved?

·        Do all players need or want to be included in this Scene

Establish the Goal

Each Scene is centered around a Goal. The Goal tells us, either as Players or Game Masters who are Establishing the Scene, what is to be accomplished in the Scene and how close the Scene is to its end. When Players are Establishing the Scene, the parameters of the Goal are prescribed by the types of Scenes available to the Players. When Game Masters Establish the Scene, they are not required to share the Goal of the scene with the Players but will use the knowledge of the Goal as an indicator what direction to push the Scene.

Examples of Player Goals:

1.     Complete training

2.    Make connections

3.    Acquire items

Examples of Game Master Goals:

1.     Advance the quest line story

2.    Impose an adversary's actions against a character

3.    Observe shifts in the environment

In general, once a Goal has been attempted, we are ready to move to a Scene transition. Regardless of if the result is a success or failure.

Playing the Scene

When a Scene has been established, the Players are ready to apprise their character roles and set off to achieve the Goal of the Scene. The Goal often being the climax of Playing the Scene.

While a Scene is in play,anything that has not yet been established within the Scene does not mean that it does not exist there. While the players impose Challenge rolls against the environment or NPCs within the Scene, the Challenge Mechanic allows the Player to shape the situation based on the effect of their Challenge Results.

When a player performs a Challenge Roll, the dice tell us if the result is a success or a failure, the Player that succeeds tell us how that success happens in the Scene. When a Player describes a success, they have available to them all of the elements established within the scene, and the opportunity to build new elements that shape the success.

Transitioning the Scene

When the owner of a Scene identifies that an attempt at the Goal has been made, regardless of the outcome, it is their responsibility to Transition the Scene to a new one. This can often take place immediately after the Players encounter the Goal of the Scene. The Scene Transition serves as a wrap up to the events that had just happened and lead into the conversation about what Scene will go next. A good transition will have one or more of the following three elements:

Recall previous learnings

As more Scenes reveal more of the quest line story, the players will have to put the pieces together to find the next lead

Establish new findings

The Players may have either learned something new, or confirmed or disproved something they have suspected to be true

Focus on larger goals

Having encountered the goal of this Scene, the players may now have more information, skill, or access to take on what's next in the story.

The Scene Transition should help to keep the characters focused on advancing the story, quest line or character.

Failing the Scene

An important aspect to remember is that a Scene is not over until either the Players or the Game Master have deemed that an attempt to achieve the Goal of the Scene has been made. However, any Player may choose to abandon a Scene at any time. When a Character Abandons the Scene, they retreat from the current situation and are inaccessible until a new Scene begins. If all players Abandon the Scene or collectively agree to retreat from the situation the Players fail the Scene and may face future consequences to their actions. In Combat Scenes,when a player chooses to Abandon the Scene they cannot do so unless they are currently conscious and must successfully navigate themselves away from any immediate threat of danger. When a Scene is Failed, the players still enact a Scene Transition.

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