Purple Index Cards: On-the-Fly Setting and Plot Collaboration

[Evilhalfling]

Tales of Plot Cards:

The set-up
Living in a mostly ruined city, torn by rival factions the PCs are struggling to rebuild. At 5th level, they have had several adventures focusing on collecting magic coins, all of which ended up in other peoples hands.
Last session they found out the coins could "Raise armies of the dead, each increasing five fold" At the end of that session they Saw over 100 skeletons marching down the road, accompanied by a dozen Fell Court tieflings.
"So there is 125 of them then?" asks the HS math teacher (A), instantly (yes)
"Now we know the Fell Court ended up with those coins" says the player (B) who pays attention to the politics.

The Skeletons walked past the PCs home and surrounded a Noble House's walled compound, met by arrows and closed gates. "Now we know who has the other coins." (B)
"We had better go interfere, that's either 625 or 3125 skeletons if either side takes all the coins"(A) now just showing off.

Plot Cards
"I know just the place" = there is a carrier pigeon breeder who can get a message to the nobles in the house, letting them know we are coming to help, so they can open their door into the sewers. (the noble's door to the sewers was previously established in a coin hunting adventure.)

"Send in the Cavalry" = from a rival gangs, who was on good terms with the PCs, but also responsible for passing two of the coins to the Fell court. They continues to work for both sides by sending the PCs some help (5 minions)
I added another minion for the second battle, perhaps next time I'll replace more of them.

"Xanatos Gambit" (A)= The Noble house was just pretending to have 2 of the coins, and actually haad only 1, but had set themselves up as a target. They had hired on extra clerics, specializing in killing undead, and anti-thief wards. this plot card totally reversed the situation, bringing the House from the edge of being wiped out, to a much stronger position. Instead of needing immediate Aid, they were just holed up taking a short rest and waiting to the clerics to recover.
Needing a new objective, for a set-piece battle. I decided that the Fell court had just found the coin, (in a shrine away from the main building) and the PCs would have to recover it.

I recognized his tattoo (B)= one of the tieflings was actually a plant from another faction (Tiefling order of Paladins) on a mission to recover the coins. (DM) This guy makes a dramatic entrance, diving out a window, (in platemail) falling 2 stories into a Koy pond, to Challenge the villain, holding him in place for the crucial 1st round of combat.
He was perhaps too useful on damage, but the PCs got plenty of chances to use lockdown, forced movement etc... the Villain died prone in the Koy pond. I had his stats ready for the nobles guard captain, he was not supposed to be involved in the PCs battle, but my wily players force some contingency planning.

Using just good RP the party played 3-card Monty with the coin, sending it off with the paladin, while convincing the Nobles that they had it, although not with them (submitted to search) and leaving the Fell Court survivors bewildered.

Great Game, the Plot cards added excitement and player control, and I was able to respond providing new objectives and exciting battles.
Anyone else have New stories?

 

[Kelvor Ravenstar]

Card Drawing Rules, Drink! deck, and more story game elements in cards

My game still uses a separation of Drama and Combat decks, but I've made some minor changes to the way cards are drawn and added new cards.

Since I have about half as many regular players in my current campaign as my last campaign, the players are getting cards more often, but at about the same rate as the group of players received cards last campaign.
Current rules:
1. You draw three cards from any deck when the session starts
2. You may draw a card from any deck when your character's theme song comes up during the shuffled music playlist (with the current number of players their song is in the playlist three times)
3. When the song "Roll a d6" comes up in the playlist, every player and the DM rolls a d6 for their characters. If the player rolls a 6, they may draw a card from any deck.
4. When the Adventure's theme song comes up (this defaults to the theme from Final Fantasy 1), each player may draw a card.

Drink! Deck
The biggest change in the way cards affect the game is the addition of the Drink! deck. Sometimes my group enjoys having an alcoholic drink or two while playing D&D. The Drink! deck contains cards from Critical-Hits.com's 2010 and 2011 D&D and drinking events, rewritten in MSword to fit the 3x5 card printing format.

Drink! cards can only be used when the player takes an alcoholic drink, in some circumstances a specific ingredient must be included in the drink. Drink! cards can have significant effects on combat, and are usually pretty silly, so only include them if they would fit the tone of your games already, or are interested in a change of pace.

This file for the Drink! deck has the art removed so it would fit ENworlds' file limits. View attachment D&D_Alcoholic_Deck_Artless.doc
If you like the Drink! deck and would like the format with Art, PM me an I'll attach it to an email.

Story-Games Influence on cards and my game.
After reading the 13th Age playtest, I found it was scratching my itch for more story based mechanics in my 4e. I encouraged my players to come up with the "One Unique Thing" like in 13th Age, and gave out some bonus powers and feats to their characters to fit with it.
My next step was trying to find sources for expanding the depth of my political intrigue storycrafting in my Myth Drannor game, and I found the Houses of the Blooded RPG. It really helped me with NPC developing, and its take on FATE-style Aspects was influential. So last session I introduced these new cards, based on some HotB mechanics.


“And who’s the other one?”
“I am! And this is my trusted servant Patsy”
Play to gain a hireling of your level without paying the GP wages. Your hireling is assumed to have been tagging along until now. Your hireling remains with you until they die, or leave due to your mistreatment of them. (See Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Emporium pg 137)

I Saw The Dragon
Play this card when another player does something so stylish, so moving, so memorable, that it was a thing of beauty.
Benefit: Monster XP times the number of witnesses at the table. Target player draws three cards immediately.

What do you think is going on?
Play this card when to call for a break in the current action, where all the players can discuss what they think is really going on in current adventure/campaign.
Benefit: Elite XP, and I can guarantee at least one thing you discussed in the break will now be true about the campaign.

Dramatic, Romantic, Epic
Turn this game up to 11.
Play this card to introduce an element or twist to the game to increase the drama or excitement.
Or
Make a declaration about a npc, scene, or plotline. This one new detail will be true.
Benefit: Minion, Monster, or Elite XP determined by how awesome the DM and players think your introduction is to the game.

Vrentae
Romance / Revenge
Two sides of the same coin
Play this card to give your character a new Aspect or replace one you already have. This Aspect can be invoked by exchanging cards for bonuses, or compelled by the DM; who offers you cards in exchange for following that Aspect against your interest.

Flashback
“I remember when…”
Play this card to introduce a flashback scene which introduces a new True element to describe a person, place or thing. This new element cannot contradict something that has already been stated in the game as True. Do not make the flashback scene more important than the current scene.
Benefit: Minion, Monster, or Elite XP determined by how awesome the DM and players think your introduction is to the game.

Declaration
Play this card to give add something True to an npc, place, plot or object. To place this declaration, you must roll as skill check (and explain why this skill is relevant to revealing of this information) against a hard DC of the target’s level.
Wager: You can wager additional cards on this skill roll. For each card you add to the wager, you may make an additional declaration about the target. Each card added to the wager raises the target’s DC by 1 level.

Declaration has three copies in the Drama deck.