DM Notes: Lakeshore 03

Episode 3 really sets a lot of plot in motion in Lakeshore. As we meet more and more characters and start finding more stray threads of an urgent and alarming mystery, our heroes are about to find themselves drawn together in some pretty dire circumstances.

One of the goals I set for myself as a DM was to encourage a lot more flexibility and spontaneity in this campaign. My typical style tends toward more linear storytelling--I don't like the term "railroading" for a number of reasons, but that's another post entirely. Tallow, being our first campaign, benefited from a fairly simple storyline as we began to get a feel for planning, recording, and editing.

But, being a noir story, I think Lakeshore demands a little more freedom. I want characters who can go anywhere in the city and talk to whoever they want. This puts the unraveling of the central mystery in the players' hands, for the most part; I can drop a clue when I need to, but I don't feel the need to signpost their next step all of the time.

I think this pays off in really interesting ways in later episodes (our recordings being several episodes ahead of our airing schedule), but I like that it's already starting to show itself this early in the campaign. Kitty deciding to try a dose of sunshine wasn't something I planned for, but I loved to let it take the story in a whole other direction.

This freedom also allows the cast to vocalize what it is they need in a given episode. During the recording of this episode, Jillian asked for some "more drama" as Susan, which prompted me to think on my feet and pitch the scene of Joan running in with a black eye. 

If I've learned anything in this campaign so far, it's that having someone throw a punch (on-screen or off) instantly perks everyone up at the table and gets a scene moving. That's Lakeshore, baby!