Thanks for encouragement, and for the criticism. I think you are absolutely right about my kicker. It being something that can’t be ignored, is right. Until recently I didn’t understand what was meant about bangs either. I’ll be getting that cleared up with one of my interviews at Gen Con.

Hope you don’t mind the thread necromancy, here. I just listened to a few of your podcasts (starting with 008, the interview with Ron Edwards), and they’re great!

However, while you’ve got the hang of bangs, it seems, I think you’re barking up the wrong tree in this show with regards to kickers. A kicker is basically a player-created bang that starts the game off. So, your example of a guy getting locked away for a crime he didn’t commit, and then lying to get out on parole isn’t really a kicker; there’s no choice to be made. It’s just a good backstory. To make it into a kicker, try appending this:

“Later that evening, I arrived at my brother’s house, where I was to spend the night. He wasn’t home. I dropped my bags, turned on the tv, and sat down heavily on the couch. A news report told me that another murder had occurred. Prime suspect? Yours truly. I could hear sirens already. Now I’m looking out the window. Two squad cars sit outside the building. I hear footsteps in the stairwell just outside the living room door. They’re coming.

“So much for freedom.”

Now THAT’S a kicker. Just as with a bang, no matter what, the player can’t ignore the situation, and anything he does will tell you something about the character. Does he submit to the cops? Fight them? Run away? Something else?

Anyway, good work on the show — keep it up. Hope this helps you or someone else!

-Will