I don't see why the consequences shouldn't be clear - is the point of awarding XP for a roleplaying dilemma because of the risk to which the players expose their PCs, or because of the contribution the players make to driving the game forward? If the latter, then clear consequences can be a virtue rather than a flaw, because they give more context and meaning to the players' choices.
A 4th encounter type: role-play dilemmas?
- Thread starter Quickleaf
- Start date
delericho
Legend
Quickleaf said:
Actually, thinking on this some more, I think I was having some problems with "different types of encounter" versus "different ways to resolve encounters".
For the latter, I think I agree with the OP that there are, broadly speaking, four ways to resolve things:
- Combat, using the existing combat engine
- Skill Challenges, using the existing rules framework
- Puzzles, solved by the players without (much) reference to mechanics
- Role-playing, resolved by the players without (much) reference to mechanics
(I should, of course, note that there is something ofa false dichotomy here - it's not that role-playing can't or doesn't happen in any of the other encounter types; merely that it isn't the focus.)
Meanwhile, I think there are a huge variety of possible encounter types:
- Small-scale 'skirmish' combat (resolved using the combat engine)
- Mass combats (curiously, not currently handled - do we need mass combat rules, or will a skill challenge suffice?)
- Chases (skill challenge)
- Exploration (skill challenge, or role-play)
- Diplomacy (skill challenge, or role-play)
- Traps (skill challenge, or puzzle. Maybe even using the combat engine)
I'm sure there's a whole bunch of others that I haven't considered.
(I'm currently reading the sourcebooks for the "Serenity RPG", and they have an interesting note about "scenery encounters" - mini-encounters that don't really serve to push the plot forward much, but serve to set scenes, estabilish characters, and give players who don't usually dominate a chance to shine. Sounds like an idea that may be worth stealing. So, if the PCs spend a day buying equipment for their next quest, getting their armour repaired, seeing their families, and then get into the inevitable bar-room brawl, the DM may have them roll a single Diplomacy/Intimidate/whatever check, and use the results to narrate the full effects of the day's activities.)
Certainly I think that RP dilemmas are worthy of some sort of a reward, be it XP for good roleplay, new friends/enemies, or even just a boon or item of some sort. I do think though that quantifying a metric for these types of encounters/situations is difficult at best.
The problem is that what seems like a tough choice for one person may be a no brainer to the next. Using the paladin with the evil lord example that was given above, to my mind, this is a no brainer, the lord is evil, the paladin no longer has a duty to follow him. However, I concede that others would disagree with this assessment.
All that being said, I think that its a great idea for DMs to try to create these scenarios for their players, and to have notable rewards/consequences in place for whichever decision the party makes. The key here is that it reinforces the idea of meaningful choices. An example that is going to come up in my current campaign is one of the MacGuffins that the PCs are searching for. Currently, its in possession of the Lady of Pain. In fact, this MacGuffin is what makes it possible (in part anyway) for her to keep the gods and demon princes out of Sigil. Thing is, the party really needs the MacGuffin. When/if they retrieve the MacGuffin, Sigil will then be vulnerable to the gods/demons, and one of the major players in the campaign just so happens to be Vecna who would very much like to gain control of Sigil.
On the one hand, gaining the MacGuffin will help the PCs earlier rather than later. On the other, it will be possible to "win" without the MacGuffin. The MacGuffins are also set up to allow for their recovery in any order (so they need not necessarily grab the Lady's macguffin at the first opportunity).
Similarly, the PCs will have an opportunity to save a dwarven nation that was destroyed by Torog. Doing so; however, will require them to appease Torog -- possibly even finding a way to free him from his prison (or otherwise grant him more power). So, is saving the dwarves worth granting Torog more power? Freeing the dwarves will definitely make the long term goals easier for the PCs, but again, is not necessary (in fact, its entirely possible the PCs won't even try).
These are tough choices, but trying to put an XP amount on them is difficult at best. More to the point, either option is arguably a "correct" choice. The difference though is that they'll get different rewards/results based on their actions. In some sense, seeing that their actions really do matter is its own reward. Now the key to me though (at least for XP terms) is that IF there is some interesting RP or creative actions/"outside the box thinking" on the part of the PCs, then I will absolutely grant additional XP to them to reward that behavior above and beyond what they are already getting. It certainly wouldn't shock me for instance if the players managed to outsmart me and find a loophole somewhere, or a solution that I had not considered, though I confess that I am hard pressed to find an "easy" solution to either of these scenarios.
The problem is that what seems like a tough choice for one person may be a no brainer to the next. Using the paladin with the evil lord example that was given above, to my mind, this is a no brainer, the lord is evil, the paladin no longer has a duty to follow him. However, I concede that others would disagree with this assessment.
All that being said, I think that its a great idea for DMs to try to create these scenarios for their players, and to have notable rewards/consequences in place for whichever decision the party makes. The key here is that it reinforces the idea of meaningful choices. An example that is going to come up in my current campaign is one of the MacGuffins that the PCs are searching for. Currently, its in possession of the Lady of Pain. In fact, this MacGuffin is what makes it possible (in part anyway) for her to keep the gods and demon princes out of Sigil. Thing is, the party really needs the MacGuffin. When/if they retrieve the MacGuffin, Sigil will then be vulnerable to the gods/demons, and one of the major players in the campaign just so happens to be Vecna who would very much like to gain control of Sigil.
On the one hand, gaining the MacGuffin will help the PCs earlier rather than later. On the other, it will be possible to "win" without the MacGuffin. The MacGuffins are also set up to allow for their recovery in any order (so they need not necessarily grab the Lady's macguffin at the first opportunity).
Similarly, the PCs will have an opportunity to save a dwarven nation that was destroyed by Torog. Doing so; however, will require them to appease Torog -- possibly even finding a way to free him from his prison (or otherwise grant him more power). So, is saving the dwarves worth granting Torog more power? Freeing the dwarves will definitely make the long term goals easier for the PCs, but again, is not necessary (in fact, its entirely possible the PCs won't even try).
These are tough choices, but trying to put an XP amount on them is difficult at best. More to the point, either option is arguably a "correct" choice. The difference though is that they'll get different rewards/results based on their actions. In some sense, seeing that their actions really do matter is its own reward. Now the key to me though (at least for XP terms) is that IF there is some interesting RP or creative actions/"outside the box thinking" on the part of the PCs, then I will absolutely grant additional XP to them to reward that behavior above and beyond what they are already getting. It certainly wouldn't shock me for instance if the players managed to outsmart me and find a loophole somewhere, or a solution that I had not considered, though I confess that I am hard pressed to find an "easy" solution to either of these scenarios.
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