Deck of Many Things: Your experiences and advice?

[Twowolves]

I just picked up Green Ronin's new Deck of Many Things over the weekend, and am happy enough with the purchase that I'm thinking about dropping the deck into my ongoing campaign. The party is just now hitting 10th level, where I think they could handle recovering from some of the negative consequences of the bad cards. I was wondering what kinds of advice or tales of weal and woe other ENWorlders have had with the deck in the past. How about it then?

 

[Crothian]

I love this thing. If things in the campaign are not going all that well or as a DM I'm a little befuddled: out it comes!!! It can totally screw over a character or make them a bit more powerful. It is odd that the bad cards and good cards do not balance out in what they do.

 

[DaveMage]

I've always liked it (as DM), but I've had chicken players.

They always refuse to pick a card....

 

[Piratecat]

I've seen the traditional deck of many things used in campaigns five times. Four of those times, it ruined the campaign.

 

[Graf]

People hate to pull cards. Good luck with that.

I had a modified (less sucky) deck of cards (I think it was from SKR’s site) in one of my games and they squirmed and squirmed.

It had some sort of weird game effect curse type thing that somehow forced people to pick (I forget exactly how it was structured) and they got a few minor irrations and a few neat powers.

DMs see it as a neat way to spice up a session, players see it as a threat to hours and hours of work that they’ve put into the game.

 

[WhimsyTheFae]

The only time that a deck has worked has been in a one-on-one campaign, because the campaign is more flexible and there is only one player that may become overpowered (or hosed).

The few times it has been used in a group campaign, it has had less than positive results.

 

[Crothian]

People hate to pull cards. Good luck with that.

DMs see it as a neat way to spice up a session, players see it as a threat to hours and hours of work that they’ve put into the game.

I think I've seen one player refuse to draw cards in all my time gaming. If players see it as such a threat what must thewy think abouyt every adventure they ever go on?

 

[WhimsyTheFae]

My guess is that players believe that they have more control over their fates when on an adventure than they do when drawing a card. I'd rather trust my "skills" and such over a purely random draw, so I wouldn't blame a player for refusing to have his character draw a card.

 

[shilsen]

I think I've seen one player refuse to draw cards in all my time gaming. If players see it as such a threat what must thewy think abouyt every adventure they ever go on?

Perhaps they think that on adventures they will be using their skills and abilities and judgement to deal with the situations they encounter, many of which they will be able to prepare appropriately for, based on information and tactical thinking. As opposed to the sheer randomness of the Deck, which rewards or hurts you based purely on luck and nothing else.

As you might guess from the above, I'm seriously not a fan of the Deck. I'd have to be playing a character who's incredibly greedy, reckless or dumb, and probably all three, for me to justify drawing from the Deck.

 

[Crothian]

which rewards or hurts you based purely on luck and nothing else.

While it can be a little more random then dice, we have countless stories on these boards of characters and games that were ruined by dice.