How do you use the "Trivia" ability?

[RenleyRenfield]

So, whatever game system you use... consider that there is a non-superpower , a mundane "You are excellent at knowing Trivial Information in this setting" ability or skill or such...

Players, how would you use that?

What situations is it useful for?

Can it ever be used for more than 'trivial' benefit? Can it be highly effective?

For GM's how would it help you for players to use it?

 

[payn]

I find it an excellent way to give the players some context. Maybe they didnt do their homework, but a quick trivial recall informs them about a noble/place/cult that happens to point them in the right direction. Not the full picture, but a useful puzzle piece.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I'm in 2 minds about this.

A general knowledge skill can be handy for letting players know stuff their characters should know.

But if the characters should know it, why not just tell them? Why roll? Especially if all the PCs have the skill, because then there's a good chance that one of them will make the skill roll.

There is one reason to make it a dice roll - players love rolling them bones. That they are doing something proactive (rolling them bones) might also make them pay more attention to the knowledge gathered.

 

[RenleyRenfield]

I'm in 2 minds about this.

A general knowledge skill can be handy for letting players know stuff their characters should know.

But if the characters should know it, why not just tell them? Why roll? Especially if all the PCs have the skill, because then there's a good chance that one of them will make the skill roll.

There is one reason to make it a dice roll - players love rolling them bones. That they are doing something proactive (rolling them bones) might also make them pay more attention to the knowledge gathered.

A "roll" is not required here, though it can be.

The general idea is "this isn't general knowledge = its "trivia" like a trivia challenge, its relevant, useful, but often obscure or highly related to one thing in deep detail.

Trivia = "What was the name of one of Marjorie Dursley's twelve bulldogs?"

Why would someone need to spout this in the middle of a harry potter game? Maybe the character is trying to call one of the bulldogs over? or identify if that is a real bulldog or a polymorph due to that one dog's unique personality? Or to simply gain house points for knowing which specific bulldog was missing?

 

[aco175]

Problem is that anything could be trivia and some could/would use it to push too far. Is trivia tied to intelligence? If yes, make it a check or even give out a trivia coin each night of gaming to use for something to automatically pass the check.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

A "roll" is not required here, though it can be.

The general idea is "this isn't general knowledge = its "trivia" like a trivia challenge, its relevant, useful, but often obscure or highly related to one thing in deep detail.

Trivia = "What was the name of one of Marjorie Dursley's twelve bulldogs?"

Why would someone need to spout this in the middle of a harry potter game? Maybe the character is trying to call one of the bulldogs over? or identify if that is a real bulldog or a polymorph due to that one dog's unique personality? Or to simply gain house points for knowing which specific bulldog was missing?

So it's linked to what a character may or may not have encountered in thier life?

 

[MGibster]

But if the characters should know it, why not just tell them? Why roll? Especially if all the PCs have the skill, because then there's a good chance that one of them will make the skill roll.

This is pretty much where I am on this. If I'm running a Call of Cthulhu game set in the 1920s, my players probably have limited knowledge of the era. Hell, so do I. But I will tell them things I think their character would know. For example, one of my players wanted his character make a phone call and talk about something extremely sensitive. Before the character made the call, I let the player know the phone on this house was on a party line, meaning anyone else living on this street could potentially listen to the phone call. This is just something the player character would know about phones in the 1920s.

It's my personal philosophy to avoid making unnecessary rolls in every game I play. Will something interesting happen if they fail or make the roll? If the answer is no, then why bother rolling?

 

[RenleyRenfield]

So it's linked to what a character may or may not have encountered in thier life?

I dunno... good question.

as only one example... If you were playing/running a game and it had a thing that was mostly "Trivia: the character can recall interesting facts useful to the situation at hand which are not actually part of the plot or mystery or clues." = how would you use it?

There are certainly many other ideas and ways to write up a Trivia ability or skill, I am hoping to explore what everyone thinks of when it comes to "Trivia" as a useful thing for a character to do.

And I will be honest, I have no idea or requirement on it, just wondering stuff

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I'm in 2 minds about this.

Really?

For the trivia ability, I’m of three minds about this!



Yeah, that’s a deep cut. Shout out to my fellow etymology nerds.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

It's my personal philosophy to avoid making unnecessary rolls in every game I play. Will something interesting happen if they fail or make the roll? If the answer is no, then why bother rolling?

I agree. I've been thinking about when to and when not to make rolls a lot lately. All for my homebrew HERO System that I'm muddling out. Fewer rolls is better. It's faster. It stops parts of the adventure being gated behind rolls.

Really?

For the trivia ability, I’m of three minds about this!

Yeah, but one of those minds is Derek.