Playing an Episode

So, you’ve assembled a group of the right players, and you’ve created an outstanding Episode for them to enjoy; it’s time to sit down and play. By now, you’ve read through the rest of this book and understand the basics (if not every detail) of the rules as they pertain to players. You know how players create their characters, make task attempts, resist and recover from harm, and grow and develop. But what about the other side of gameplay?

This section will explain the GM side of gameplay in My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic, from character creation through to awarding experience points. This section should serve as a reference for GM’s and their players, to answer questions concerning the rules of gameplay from the GM’s side, but it is important to keep in mind that a GM is granted considerable freedom to amend these rules to serve the purpose of making the story better.

So, saddle up and let’s dive right in!

Character Creation

The precise mechanical rules and numerical values pertaining to character creation are covered in great detail earlier in this book, but there are a few concepts it is important for a GM to keep in mind. These concepts should inform the process by which a GM handles running character creation.

First, that they are a part of character creation just as much as the players are; the GM should be involved in each character’s genesis, if for no other reason than to ensure that the rules are being followed and that the GM knows the character’s strengths and weaknesses.

Second, that the focus of character creation is on the narrative inception of a character within the mind of the player; this forming of a concept in the mind of the player is more important than the mechanics of their abilities, as it is this concept which will inform those choices.

Third and finally, that the GM’s role is not to dictate, but to assist, explore, and suggest. For example, instead of saying something like “Your character is physically strong and athletic; (s)he should be an ex-Canterlot Royal Guard,” it is better to ask questions which will lead your players to explore their own characters’ concepts; in this situation, it would be better to ask “Your character is physically strong and athletic; how did they get that way?”

Asking exploratory questions such as these is the key to running character creation well. While every session of character creation will be different, and thus different questions should be posed to the players, there is a small set of exploratory question ‘tracks’ which can form a somewhat universal basis. These are listed below:

1. Why is your character named the way they are named? What is the meaning of their name?
2. Who are your character’s parents? Are they around? Does your character have any siblings or relatives?
3. What is your character like, in conversation? Why are they the way they are?
4. What has your character been doing up until the Episode begins? How do they feel about their past?
5. How did your character meet the others (or have they yet)? Have they met before then?
6. What are your character’s goals and ambitions? What are they willing to do to accomplish them?
7. What emotion is your character primarily motivated by? What do they ask themselves first in every situation?
8. What does your character fear? Is there anything they are sensitive about or ashamed of?
9. What is your character proud of themselves for? What do they like about themselves?
10. What would your character change, if they could change one thing about the world?

Getting Started

In each episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, there is a ‘pre-opening credits scene,’ which serves to introduce (or re-introduce) the show to the viewer, as well as establish a few baselines for the episode itself, creating a frame of reference for the viewer to know what is coming. For example, from an episode’s opening, the viewer might come to understand that an episode is going to be a Fluttershy-focused episode, and that it will deal with her timidity (in the case of “Putting Your Hoof Down”).

It is a good idea to mirror this kind of approach to the beginning of running an Episode of My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic. The opening of an Episode should serve not as a sudden jump into the story, but rather a lighthearted easing-in for the players. The point is to ‘break the ice’ for the group.

Establishing Tone

The opening scene should first set the tone of the Episode; almost certainly the game will begin with the GM establishing the basics of the setting and world, and the tone of the Episode should be made clear from the very first line. It is as simple as any old storybook opening to do; for a scary Episode, you might go with the good old-fashioned, “It is a dark and stormy night…” whereas for something more lighthearted you might use, “It’s a beautiful day; the perfect day for the annual Running of the Leaves…”

Getting to Know You

Right from the start, the players should understand where their characters are and what they are doing—and more importantly, why they are doing what they are doing. It is important that players have the chance to begin defining their characters’ roles within the group. For example, a character might be pulling a wagon-load of wooden planks to a friend’s farm to help rebuild the barn—but are they bringing the materials because they are affluent enough to donate the wood, or are they pulling the wagon because they’re the strongest one in the group?

A Scheduled Sprinkle

It is a good idea to present some kind of small but personally important task for the group to complete, during the opening scene. This provides a low-stress situation in which the players can get their first taste of how their characters will work together to solve problems and overcome challenges. This preview of the group dynamic is important, because it is better for the group to know each other somewhat, instead of discovering how they work together during a critical event—unless that is the point of the story or scene.

Once this ‘scheduled sprinkle’ is complete, and the group is going to proceed from the opening scene into the main plot of the Episode itself, it is a good idea to take a short break. Have everyone get a snack, or lounge for a few minutes, and see how they react to each other. If they have started to talk about how their characters work together, or about the group in general, things are going well and you’ve accomplished the goal of the opening scene: breaking the ice.

Picking Up Steam

Now that the ice has been broken and the group is starting to come together, the next step is to set up the central conflict of the Episode, and build momentum into action toward confronting and solving it. The point of this section of gameplay is—now that the players have taken their first steps toward coming together as a group—to give the group direction, and a goal to work toward.

The Hook

A good central conflict hooks the players into not only needing to solve it, but also wanting to solve it. To this end, it is important to design the ‘hook’ for the conflict in such a way as to make it personal or personally impact the group of characters; a distant or disconnected conflict will quickly fade in importance for players. For example, instead of a burglar stealing valuables from some of the residents of the characters’ town, the burglar should steal from the characters’ house directly. This makes the conflict—the existence of a burglar—personally important, and hooks the characters in.

To Do List

You should have a list of the objectives of the Episode, both in terms of plot and narrative, and incorporate some of them into the initial conflict to establish them in the minds of the players. For example, if one of the objectives is to unmask the burglar, you might have the characters get a glimpse of the burglar before they vanish, but they can’t recognize them because of a mask or disguise they are wearing. As another example, if one of the objectives is to recover the stolen items, make it clear what the burglar has stolen so far, so the players know what to have their characters look for.

By the End of the Day

Part of establishing the objectives of the Episode, however, is identifying and presenting any limitations which affect the accomplishment of those objectives. That is, completing an objective may be more involved than simply going out and doing it. For example, to find and unmask the burglar, the characters can’t simply go around and barge into every home until they find the stolen items—there is a social restriction in that that is not how pony society functions. The characters will have to devise a different way to accomplish their goal.

All Over Equestria

The final part of setting up the central conflict is framing it within the scope of the world. Is this a global conflict, or specific to one character or town? For example, is the burglar the characters are trying to find and unmask a lone thief, or part of a larger network of larceny? Having a pre-decided knowledge of the scope of the conflict allows you to convey a sense of importance to the players, and potentially even surprise them; the scope of a conflict could be much greater than it seems.

Keep on Trottin’

Following the establishment of the central conflict (or the “inciting incident”) is the Rising Action, where most of the group’s gameplay will take place. Because it is the portion of the story in which they will spend the most time, players primarily run the risk of becoming idle or losing focus or energy while approaching the Episode’s Climax. There are a number of ways to combat this as the GM, explained in this section.

The Carrot

Positive reinforcement is the first tool in the GM’s toolbox for keeping things moving. Incentives and rewards can be a powerful motivating force for those who have some ambition or whose goals involve advancement. The most basic incentive is experience points; by accomplishing the goal of the Episode, the characters may gain experience. However, there are other, more creative ways to give positive reinforcement. For example, the prospect of seeing the Wonderbolts’ live show in the town the characters are headed to; or the possibility of meeting a big-wig fashion mogul while taking care of business in Canterlot.

The Stick

Danger, and negative consequences, is another major tool in the GM’s toolbox for motivation. Consequences can motivate those who seek to avoid misfortune, for themselves or for others. For example, if the characters can’t figure out how to stop the seemingly unending winter, the town will be buried and everyone will have to leave. Or, if the characters can’t stop the crops from being stolen, they and others will be forced to go hungry.

The Right Thing to do

Appealing to a character’s morality and desire to do the right thing can be a strong motivator, but only if the character’s desire to do good is strong enough. Be wary of making this kind of moral appeal for important things such as the goal of an Episode itself; it is best used for smaller, individual scenes and challenges, as the moral conviction is most motivating when its outcome is right in front of the character.

Just Over This Hill

Perhaps the most powerful motivating force to keep players interested, however, is the consistent affirmation that they are getting steadily closer to accomplishing their goal and confronting the central conflict of the Episode. Perhaps you can give them glimpses of their goal ‘on the horizon’ so to speak, when the group overcomes a challenge or completes an objective. Maybe the goal is to accumulate a set number of things, giving reinforcement of the goal with each step of progress. However it is done, motivation through showing progress is extremely important.

Tasks and Challenges

Motivation is the key to keeping the characters moving and keeping the players interested, but motivation must be matched with challenge and fulfilment to be meaningful and memorable to players. In simple terms, the forward momentum and enjoyment of a game or story is based on “setup and payoff.” Players must feel that there is a good reason to do something, they must encounter some kind of challenge accomplishing it, and they must derive satisfaction from its completion. As the GM, this is primarily your job; players will provide much of their own direction, but it is up to the GM to think about the “setup and payoff” of a story and/or situation.

Challenges and tasks are the most common and most reliable way to do this. Tasks and challenges provide a hurdle to overcome, which serves to build up satisfaction upon ‘earning’ the completion of a goal. Players can look back and say, “Look what we did to get here; look what we overcame.” Ask any veteran gamer, and more often than not, they remember the challenges they overcame to get to a goal, more than the goal itself. It is important to remember, however, that while presenting the challenge is the GM’s responsibility, it is not the GM’s job to dictate how the challenge is to be solved. Hints are okay, but if the characters are presented with a river they need to cross, how to get across it is up to them. The GM sets up the situation and reacts to how the characters act within it.

The Difficulty Scale

Anything a character does can be classified according to its difficulty with regard to the situation they are in. This difficulty can be translated into a number which the character must meet or exceed with a check. This does not mean, however, that characters must make checks for everything they do; in fact, most things a character does will not require a check; a check is only needed when the task the character is attempting is risky or otherwise has a reasonable chance of failure. In this case, it is important for the GM to be able to quickly and relatively accurately decide upon the difficulty of the check, and thus what number the character must meet or exceed with their check. Unlike many pen and paper roleplaying games, which use calculations of various factors to decide on the difficulty of a check, this system uses context and interpretation to let the GM decide quickly and keep the game moving.

This is reflected by the Difficulty Scale. On the scale below, choose the statement which best fits how difficult the task is. Which statement is chosen corresponds to a difficulty number (or the lack of need for one), which can reasonably serve as the difficulty for the check a character is attempting. With each statement are examples of what tasks might fall under the statement. The Difficulty Scale, at lower levels, is uniform. However, at higher levels, it is further broken up into three categories in how it gives difficulty numbers, based on the kind of game being played and/or the kind of situation the characters are in.

These categories should be kept in mind as gameplay progresses, to make the decision of difficulty easier. First is Casual, for games or situations where fun is more important than challenge. Second is Standard, for games or situations where challenge is meant to be mixed in with fun, but not downplayed. And third is Hardcore, for games or situations meant to be very challenging and serious.

If using the statements on the Difficulty Scale is not natural or comfortable, you may find it easier to read through the statements and familiarize yourself with them, then during gameplay, simply rate tasks on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of their difficulty and select the corresponding statement. The Difficulty Scale is designed to accommodate either method of on-the-fly decision making when it comes to task difficulty.

That’s Impossible!

The Difficulty Scale includes options for making some tasks simply ‘Impossible.’ This gives you as the GM the option to call a halt to a particular course of action; however, it should be done sparingly. Using Impossible tasks is a narrative decision which imposes GM control over the actions of characters. If using an Impossible task, never declare it as such; simply inform the player that their character failed in their task attempt. Excessive use of Impossible tasks can erode player trust in their GM, which is the foundation of roleplaying.

Consider, when using an Impossible task, instead making it “20 Only.” This means that the character will fail the task unless they roll a 20 on the d20 roll when making their check. This allows for characters to succeed on ‘impossible’ tasks through sheer luck on occasion.

Life Lessons and Dragons’ Hoards

Once you have a handle on motivating and challenging players, it is important to understand how to reward them for accomplishing their goals; how to give them “payoff” for doing something important. There is no set formula for rewarding players, and each GM will find their own methods and style. Some GM’s use material rewards, such as gold and gems, or powerful artifacts. Some use narrative rewards, such as a grateful family being reunited, or a friend’s farm being saved. Still others use experience rewards, giving a bonus experience point or two for characters who went out of their way to do something truly extraordinary.

In time, you will find your own style of rewarding players. However, a good thing to keep in mind as a guideline is that a reward is most valuable when it is connected to the events which earned it. For example, a grateful family’s thanks is meaningful when their child is returned to them; if suddenly the characters were given a sack of gold and gems, it would feel disjointed and disconnected from the story, and would be less meaningful. Try to ensure that the reward is in line with the events which earned it in the first place.

Consequences

New GM’s, and some experienced ones, have trouble imposing negative consequences for failure. It is natural, especially in a game such as My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic, to forgive mistakes and failure. However, as a GM, it is your job to ensure that failure has consequences; this ensures that players take challenges seriously, and that danger has its proper narrative impact. If players stop fearing that the scary dragon will actually destroy Ponyville, for example, then the ‘scary dragon’ ceases to be scary. Don’t go overboard; give players and their characters a break when they truly need and deserve them, but don’t be too lenient either. After all, Equestria is not simply a land of peace and tranquility where nothing goes wrong; it has its share of very real dangers.

The Climax

At the end of all of the challenges of the Rising Action is the Climax, where the characters confront the core conflict of the story. Ultimately, the story hinges on its Climax; it is the best example of the “setup and payoff” model for storytelling. The players have guided their characters on an enjoyable journey, and the Climax is what will make it all memorable--that is, the Climax is the “payoff” for all of the plot leading up to it. For this reason, it is important to spend time and effort making the Climax the best it can be, while matching it to the Rising Action. If it is too different, it will feel disjointed; if it is too subdued, it will feel anticlimactic. This section will explain a few key concepts for constructing and running a successful Climax.

Conflict as an Adversary

Returning home after finding the ancient scroll with the secret to defeating them, the characters prepare to stop the swarm of parasprites ransacking Ponyville. Everypony has a job to do, and they have to get it just right; the fate of the town is in their hooves.

This is an example of “Conflict as an Adversary,” wherein the Climax of the story hinges on the defeat or otherwise overcoming of a personified central conflict. In general terms, this ‘adversary’ does not need to be a singular ‘boss’ or ‘nemesis,’ but can be a group, whether defined well or poorly. The ‘adversary’ can even be something as amorphous as “the gathered crowd of high-society ponies.”

In dealing with Conflict as an Adversary, it is important to know a few key tactics which will work to further the overcoming of the adversary. Often, it may take a few of these tactics to fully overcome them, but it is best to have a short list--and to be prepared to judge whether or not character actions match up, or could be reasonably added to this list. ‘Defeating’ an adversary often has a few stages to it, and a progression in one way or another which leads to victory.

Facing Off

After a long and arduous search, the characters finally brave the scary cave and find the den of the panthers who kidnapped Ponyville’s missing cows. Before them, the leader of the den steps forward and refuses to give the cows back; he bares his claws and sharp teeth and prepares to fight.

This is an example of a specific subset of Conflict as an Adversary called “Facing Off.” In this variant, the ‘adversary’ is a single, well-defined character or small group of characters. While the standard Conflict as an Adversary scenario can lend itself to being impersonal with the adversary it- or themselves, Facing Off is very specific. The adversary must be established well and developed well, and must carry an air of uniqueness.

The guidelines for succeeding in a Facing Off scenario are typically similar to the standard Conflict as an Adversary situation, though the adversary is more specific and well-developed, with intelligent motives and believable reactions. More so than overcoming a herd or a swarm, overcoming a personified adversary gives players a memorable focus.

Conflict as a Situation

Upon finding the source of the earthquakes under Ponyville, the characters discover that their small town sits atop an active volcano preparing to erupt! With only minutes before it blows, the characters must find a way to save the town and everypony in it.

This is an example of “Conflict as a Situation,” wherein the Climax of the story hinges on the overcoming of a non-personified situation such as a natural disaster or an impending difficulty. The situation typically has no controlling entity to defeat, but rather is a ‘force of nature’ the characters must decide how to handle.

In dealing with Conflict as a Situation, it is important to emphasize character choice and consequence; in this type of Climax, what players do and how they handle the situation at hand will have very real repercussions. Indeed, while the situation is often (but not always) presented with a condition to prevent, the outcome is ultimately determined by the characters’ actions and how they deal with it.

Cue Theme Song, Roll Credits

Once the Climax has been resolved one way or another, it is time for the Falling Action/Resolution. The Resolution is mostly the ‘bow on top’ or the ‘icing on the cake’ of the story; it is the part of the Episode when consequences are described, and the result of the Episode’s action comes to light. Often, the Resolution becomes a sort of question-and-answer phase, where players and their characters can find out information that they may not have had time to discover during the action of the Episode.

Typically, the Resolution is the shortest sequence of the story, as the Episode has already peaked and player attention and interest will soon be waning; once they have completed the ‘quest’ (so to speak), it is best to let the players enjoy it. This section will explain some key elements and options for the Resolution which can help to make sure it is both brief and enjoyable for everyone at the table.

Everything Worked Out Just Fine

Commonly, stories will end ‘all wrapped up.’ Essentially, this means that all of the important plot threads have been resolved at the conclusion of the Episode. This is the type of Resolution which the cartoon episodes typically employ, as it brings a sense of closure to the Resolution and allows players to relax and enjoy their victory. Generally, this type of Resolution is short and sweet; without many plot threads to resolve, it means that the Episode can come to a swift and satisfying conclusion. However, it also presents the opportunity for reflection. What were the morals of the Episode? What challenges were overcome? What did the characters learn? All of these are typical questions players may ask themselves as part of an ‘all wrapped up’ Resolution.

Too Early for a Group Hug

Sometimes, stories will end ‘to be continued.’ This is when there are a few important plot threads left unresolved at the conclusion of the Episode, and is typically employed when the overarching story being told is meant to take up more time than a single Episode. Ongoing stories which require a firm continuity benefit from this kind of Resolution, but it takes more finesse to handle than an ‘all wrapped up’ Resolution; it must feel like the end of an Episode, without feeling like the end of a story. Rather than reflective questions, a ‘to be continued’ Resolution tends to inspire players to ask speculative questions. What’s coming up next? What is going to happen? What should we do now? Because of this, a ‘to be continued’ Resolution is always left on a kind of cliffhanger.

The Aesop

It is important to remember to somehow bring up the moral(s) your Episode seeks to get across during the Resolution, especially if it seems as though those morals were lost along the way over the course of the Episode itself. However, rather than stating the morals outright, it is better to present them through situations and to ask the players questions about what impact (if any) the Episode had on their characters. Characters gain experience points for lessons learned and challenges overcome, and ultimately the accumulation of experience points will make the game more fun for everyone in the group, but it is important not to overstep; it is primarily the players’ responsibility to discern what lessons their characters learned, if they learned any.

Spike, take a Letter

The final phase of running an Episode with your players is the ‘letter to the princess’ phase. In many episodes of the cartoon, one or more of the characters writes a letter to Princess Celestia, explaining what lessons they learned and what challenges they overcame over the course of the episode. To mirror this, My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic uses a ‘letter to the princess’ type discussion phase to decide how many experience points are awarded to the characters for completing an Episode.

The players come up with the lessons their characters learned and the challenges they overcame, and discuss them; afterward, you decide how many experience points to award to the characters because of this discussion. This is a reversal on the standard experience point system found in most pen and paper roleplaying games, and may take some getting used to. While the mechanics of this phase are explained earlier in this book, this section will explore the GM side of things to help you run it.

What We Learned this Week

It is important to remember that the players drive the phase forward; while you are encouraged to help them develop their ideas and lessons, it is best not to suggest them. You are there to assist them, but not to help them maximize their experience point gain; ultimately, the maximum number of experience points the characters have the potential to gain is up to the players. A guideline to keep in mind is the phrase “Be Spike.” Take notes on the lessons the players present, and help them if they are having trouble explaining themselves, but let them ‘write the letter,’ so to speak.

An Important Lesson

Something to keep in mind is that players have a natural tendency to want to gain power for their characters as quickly as possible; every player has a vision in mind for what they want their character to become, and naturally they will want to get there as quickly as possible. To this end, it is not uncommon for players to sometimes try to ‘push’ the letter system to gain extra experience points.

This can take many forms, such as splitting one lesson into several, and trying to gain points off of each; most commonly, however, it is in the form of making ‘mountains out of molehills.’ There are a few ways to watch for this, the best being to trust your instincts. If it seems like a lesson isn’t genuine, don’t accept it--unless every player (or most of them) has it listed; it may simply be that the situation had more of an impact on the players than it did on you.

Keeping notes and having a list of challenges the characters overcame in a meaningful way, serves to make the ‘letter to the princess’ phase into a fun experience for you as well as the players. Remember that it’s not a debate; if you aren’t convinced of a character’s growth through a lesson learned, you have the final say. However, also remember that because of the structure of the My Little Pony: Roleplaying is Magic system, experience points aren’t exceedingly powerful; it’s not much of an issue if extras are awarded from time to time.

Awarding Experience

Having made your own notes, as well as having your players’ list of lessons learned, deciding on an amount of experience points may seem like a difficult task. However, it is easy to do once you understand the basic guidelines for how to come up with the experience award for the Episode. With practice, or even simply a solid understanding of the process, you will be able to decide on an experience award quickly and easily.

First, total the number of challenges overcome from your own notes, total the number of unique (not repeated) lessons submitted by the players, and total the number of play sessions it has taken to complete the Episode. These three totals will form the basis for your decision.

Second, order the totals from highest to lowest. If some of them are identical, stop, and award that many experience points as the award for the Episode. This represents consistency. If you come up with three different totals, however, add them all together and divide the total by three (round up). This ‘average’ is the total you will award for the Episode. Remember that experience points awarded this way are given to each character; if the experience award is four points, for example, then each character gets four points.

Third and finally, award bonus experience to characters who are entitled to it, such as Earth Ponies, and those characters with a flaw which had a meaningful impact on the story of the Episode.