Achievements/Trophies for TTRPGs

[Retreater]

Okay, this is an idea I have that can easily be criticized as making an RPG too video-gamey. While being aware of that, I think that this could be fun from a gamist perspective and add a little spin to a beer and pretzel style game (in my group's case, Gamma World.)

To encourage a little bit of randomness to the game, I'm thinking about awarding additional points to the players whose characters who complete specific things (such as taking so many points of radiation damage). This can be something of a badge of honor amongst the players, but after having earned so many points, the player will get small boons during the course of the session.

(This is somewhat inspired by the awarding of points in D&D Encounters.)

What do you think? Would you be turned off by such an idea?

Retreater

 

[kitsune9]

In home campaigns, it's kind of unusual, but in living campaigns, I live for this stuff. I used to love playing in Living Greyhawk and get "certs" which would allow me special abilities, favors, or access to something after completing an adventure.

If you want to recreate something like that, it's quite simple and an easy system to implement.

The other thing you can do is to tell your players upfront that are "boons" to be unlocked or earned if they do certain actions or complete certain side quests. It's up to you how much hand-holding of giving out information upfront, but I'd definitely give some indication or clue as to what they could do to earn their rewards instead of flat-out guessing.

Go for it!

 

[Wik]

There was a thread about doing this exact same thing a few months back, but my google-fu is weak.

The idea was to use achievements as a way to "train" new players and ease them into RPGs. But the idea to use them as a badge of honor works well, too - just make sure you set them up in such a way that multiple PC types have an equal chance for the award - A "most damage" award is gonna go to the striker, while "Taken the most electricity damage" would go to the defender. And where's the fun in that?

 

[Dice4Hire]

You could tie it into as being gaining the favor of supernatural entities like spirits, of the good, bad, or neutral types. If you do certain actions, they will give you certain abilities.

In the right kind of game it could work.

For ideas look at the affiliations in Complete Champion. Lots of good ideas there.

 

[WHW4]

I don't know if I'd like it to tie into a point system or scoring or anything. I think it would work better as a fun little way to encourage friendly competition and maybe even creativity.

"Most Heroic Move of the Night"
"Coolest One-Liner"

That type of stuff is what I would get a kick out of. In our M&M games if someone does something that has everyone at the table going "woah," then they get a hero point. I think that's the extent of a reward system I could stand without it becoming it's own mini-game.