Triggered flashbacks

[Sir Robilar]

I had this idea about triggered flashbacks that I´d like to pitch to you.

At the beginning of the campaign, each player gets a note with 5 key words and/or phrases. For example:

- blind wolf
- the morning´s embrace
- It cries forever
- a golden shimmering sphere
- nothing short of a Disintegrate spell

These are the trigger words and phrases. The player can keep the note but he is not allowed to show it the other players. Then the campaign starts. From time to time, maybe just once each session, the DM will use one of the words or phrases while mastering the game. He will not point it out though, instead weaving the trigger word into a description, dialogue or whatever.

Example 1: The DM describes a room and says „above the fire hangs the painting of a proud barbarian. In one hand he grips his spear, in the other he is holding a golden shimmering sphere...„

Example 2: While they are trading with a random shop keeper, the DM says „Ah yes my sir, a beautiful sword! And also, nothing short of a Disintegrate spell will destroy it as it´s steel is as hard as...“.

Should the player notice that the DM used the trigger, he may, if he wishes, trigger a flashback, which is basically a memory that his character has in that moment. To trigger the flashback, the player says (in-game) „That reminds me of something“.

Then the Flashback is played out. This character is in the spotlight for a few minutes of game time. The flashback is short and something that happened to the character years in the past.

The flashback should present some sort of challenge for the character. He may for example have to befriend an NPC, kill a monster, escape an ambush or solve a riddle. If the character succeeds, he gets a reward that is still useful for the character in the present. For example, if he manages to kill the monster, he remembers that he kept something in the creature´s possession up to this day. Possible rewards:

- an information about an artifact, a monster, an NPC, that the character had previously forgotten. The information helps in the current quest
- The command word for a magic item in the possession of the character
- a small item which the character had previously forgotten about ("ah look, I just remembered this rusty old amulet I´ve had in my backpack for years. Wonder what it does...")
- the fact that an NPC is now a friend of the character, which comes handy as the goup may need his help just now

If the player fails to succeed in the challenge, we cut back to the present and there is no change.


What do you think?

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Sounds interesting as long as they do not take too long and dont result in everyone else sitting and doing nothing for half an hour.

Also need to make sure no one if forgotten and the idea is continued unless everyone decides they hate it. Forgetting is the biggest risk. Was in a Pathfinder game where every module started with a tarot card reading. This gave the party special bonuses and everyone had a possible encounter that was linked to them where they gained a unique bonus.

Unfortunately the DM never remembered this part and we always found out after the fact "oh sorry you should have had a +2 with all attacks in this battle Fred, and you earned an extra 500 xp".

 

[howandwhy99]

Not bad, but I'd ask the players first. Negatives? It sounds like solo play right in the middle of a group adventure. Positives? It keeps the players concentrating on what you are saying, at least until the trigger is spoken. Plus each get their own time to shine.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

That's a really creative idea! If I were running it I would probably make sure the target player is paying attention so they pick up on the phrase. It would be a shame to miss the opportunity to use these because the player just happened to miss the trigger.

 

[kitsune9]

Marcq, pretty awesome stuff man!

For me, I did it a little different. I wanted one of my players to have a foretelling or a Deja-vu moment so I wrote up a handout of him having a dream. In the dream I inserted the scene and indicated what happened to his character. It was in fair detail, about a whole page long.

Then the adventure's climax happens at another game session and I read the scene 99% word-for-word as to what the player got in his handout. It immediately dons on him that he's seen this before and then realizes that there is a terrible decision to make.

Overall, it made for an interesting game session.

 

[Nagol]

I like it more conceptually than I would in play.

In addition to the possible time sink aspect previously discused, there is the potential to sideline the current situation when the DM uses the words but doesn't mean to trigger a flashback.

"The lich attcks with the glowing orb!"

"Hey That reminds me of something!"

"OK we'll pause the critical battle while we play out this flashback."

As a player, it would be wasted on me. When I'm listening to the DM, I'm paying attention to the information in the communication and updating my mental model of events. There is no way I would be able to keep "tuned" to parsing verbal exchanges for key words while trying to determine what was relevant for my character in the DM descriptions. This is exacerbated by the dictum to not share your set of key words with others so I can't take advantage of how others process information to pick up on a cue I miss.

I may remember the first session but would never refer to the sheet again.

 

[Rune]

I like it more conceptually than I would in play.

In addition to the possible time sink aspect previously discused, there is the potential to sideline the current situation when the DM uses the words but doesn't mean to trigger a flashback.

"The lich attcks with the glowing orb!"

"Hey That reminds me of something!"

"OK we'll pause the critical battle while we play out this flashback."

Shouldn't be a problem if the phrases are specific and obscure enough.

As a player, it would be wasted on me. When I'm listening to the DM, I'm paying attention to the information in the communication and updating my mental model of events. There is no way I would be able to keep "tuned" to parsing verbal exchanges for key words while trying to determine what was relevant for my character in the DM descriptions. This is exacerbated by the dictum to not share your set of key words with others so I can't take advantage of how others process information to pick up on a cue I miss.

I may remember the first session but would never refer to the sheet again.

Exactly why I think this is a great idea for the right group. If the players are the kind to immerse themselves in the setting, this kind of thing would be fun and, as an added bonus, rewards them for listening to the DM!

All in all, I think this would be a great idea for a homebrew campaign, but might be slightly more difficult to implement well into pre-published adventures.

As I prefer homebrew games, I may just have to yoink this idea!

 

[Nagol]

<snip>


Exactly why I think this is a great idea for the right group. If the players are the kind to immerse themselves in the setting, this kind of thing would be fun and, as an added bonus, rewards them for listening to the DM!

All in all, I think this would be a great idea for a homebrew campaign, but might be slightly more difficult to implement well into pre-published adventures.

As I prefer homebrew games, I may just have to yoink this idea!

I am the sort that immerses myself in the setting which is why it won't work for me. Trying to parse every comment for one of many possible keywords will keep me out of the immersion. Of course YMMV and all.

 

[Rune]

I am the sort that immerses myself in the setting which is why it won't work for me. Trying to parse every comment for one of many possible keywords will keep me out of the immersion. Of course YMMV and all.

Again, if the phrase is unusual and specific enough, I doubt that would be a problem. Some of the examples in the OP would work better than others, perhaps. "Blind wolf" is pretty short, but are you really going to forget that your trigger is a blind wolf? What if you refreshed your memory at the beginning of each session?

In contrast, "the morning's embrace" might be vague enough to be forgettable. Perhaps it would be helpful if the trigger wasn't just a phrase in the DM's description, but something that can be interacted with, as well.

 

[Nagol]

Again, if the phrase is unusual and specific enough, I doubt that would be a problem. Some of the examples in the OP would work better than others, perhaps. "Blind wolf" is pretty short, but are you really going to forget that your trigger is a blind wolf? What if you refreshed your memory at the beginning of each session?

In contrast, "the morning's embrace" might be vague enough to be forgettable. Perhaps it would be helpful if the trigger wasn't just a phrase in the DM's description, but something that can be interacted with, as well.

I probably won't forget what the triggers are, I simply won't notice when they're said. If I'm listening to someone for content, I don't necessarily pay attention to the individual words -- particulalry if the individual words only have meaning occasionlly on a different layer of thought -- it's sort of similar to the "Pass the ball" illusion.