Ideas for Improving Inspiration

[Aldarc]

I have had this debate regarding Inspiration elsewhere. It's telling that there is an undercurrent tone of "Inspiration is fine, but here is how to fix it" that runs here and in the original thread that spawned this one. There seems to be a consensus that it needs revision to work properly.

It still boggles my mind to hear that players forget about this mechanic in other groups. It's advantage in your back pocket whenever you need it for almost no real cost. That's pretty darn good in my view for mitigating risk on that attack roll, saving throw, or ability check you absolutely have to make in the moment. And in groups that use it as a salty re-roll, it's arguably even better.

If someone has a theory as to why players in other groups are forgetting about this mechanic, I'd love to hear it.

Money is advantage in my pocket, but my laundry demonstrates to me that sometimes you perpetually forget what advantages you had in your pockets. Sometimes when things are out-of-sight and lack significant weight or bulk, they are easily forgotten in your pockets.

IME, groups forget about Inspiration because it is tangential to the core gameplay experience of 5e.

I have played a number of Fate games with my players, and I have played numerous games of D&D 5e with the same group. They can effortlessly remember Fate points and Aspect mechanics, but Inspiration is plumb forgetable. The principle difference lies in how the players engage those mechanics. Inspiration is literally a "background" mechanic, while Fate points are fundamentally a "foreground" mechanic that involve the player constantly engaging their character concept and the narrative via Aspects. You can easily play 5e D&D without engaging the Inspiration mechanic. It is far more difficult to do the same with Fate and its Fate point economy.

Except that it’s a mechanic that isn’t under their control.

This is important. There are numerous means for players to gain Advantage, including through GM fiat. This sidelines the uniqueness of the benefits that Inspiration confers. If there are more reliable methods of gaining advantage than through Inspiration, especially if they fall into the realm of player-agency, then players will favor those methods over others (i.e., Inspiration).

 

[iserith]

For me it's important to make suffering disadvantage (not necessarily in form of a roll, but let's call it... a "suboptimal move") a requirement. You're right that it's a disincentive to trying to earn it - but that's what I want to accomplish in the first place. If all my players are min-maxers that always do optimal decisions, then they just don't earn Inspiration. No losses here.

The gain comes when now a player joins who doesn't care about min-maxing, he has a very specific character in mind that he wants to role-play out to his best abilities. Now he won't be doing optimal decisions but rather think what his character would do and act him accordingly. And sometimes this may put the group (or just him) at a disadvantage. And now I can reward HIM Inspiration, so despite him not min-maxing, he gains something to compensate, so his PC isn't necessarily less effective than the other PCs.

In short, for me, Inspiration shouldn't be something that players want to earn. Instead, it should be something that motivates players to role-play their characters according to their personalities, even if that means doing suboptimal decisions.

"Min/maxers" are roleplaying though and what a character "would do" is whatever a player says he or she will do. Inspiration just rewards a player for portraying the character in 5 specific ways. If one wants to see more of that, taking away the requirement for disadvantaging oneself or one's party should see an uptick in portraying the character as established.

 

[iserith]

This is important. There are numerous means for players to gain Advantage, including through GM fiat. This sidelines the uniqueness of the benefits that Inspiration confers. If there are more reliable methods of gaining advantage than through Inspiration, especially if they fall into the realm of player-agency, then players will favor those methods over others (i.e., Inspiration).

It seems to me the optimal choice as a player at a table where the DM rewards Inspiration (as opposed to at mine where the player claims it) is to set about the "more reliable methods of gaining advantage" as you say plus do things the DM is known to reward for Inspiration. When I join a game with a new DM, it's one of the first questions I ask: "What do I have to do to earn Inspiration?"

 

[Aldarc]

It seems to me the optimal choice as a player at a table where the DM rewards Inspiration...is to set about the "more reliable methods of gaining advantage" as you say plus do things the DM is known to reward for Inspiration. When I join a game with a new DM, it's one of the first questions I ask: "What do I have to do to earn Inspiration?"

This feels more like playing the DM and less like playing the character.

 

[iserith]

This feels more like playing the DM and less like playing the character.

I would say it's "playing the character" in the context of a game where the DM rewards playing the character in certain ways. Which is what Inspiration is.

 

[Aldarc]

I would say it's "playing the character" in the context of a game where the DM rewards playing the character in certain ways. Which is what Inspiration is.

And if you don't get your reward from the DM for playing in that certain way?

 

[iserith]

And if you don't get your reward from the DM for playing in that certain way?

Discuss it with the DM. He or she told you how to get it, you did it, and didn't get it. That's a reasonable discussion to have in my view to get back on the same page.

 

[Aldarc]

Discuss it with the DM. He or she told you how to get it, you did it, and didn't get it. That's a reasonable discussion to have in my view to get back on the same page.

You did it. You got it. You spent it. You did it again. You await for the DM to provide you the reward. They do not give it to you. You may be doing it too much, and the DM may not want to keep giving you Inspiration for doing the thing, as you fish the DM for more Advantage.

IMO, this is why I view Inspiration as a poorly designed Skinner Box mechanic.

 

[Guest 6801328]

And if you don't get your reward from the DM for playing in that certain way?

Real roleplayers refuse experience points and magic items because they're just in it for the roleplaying experience.

Amirite?

 

[iserith]

You did it. You got it. You spent it. You did it again. You await for the DM to provide you the reward. They do not give it to you. You may be doing it too much, and the DM may not want to keep giving you Inspiration for doing the thing, as you fish the DM for more Advantage.

You're still just describing a player and a DM who are not on the same page which isn't unique to the Inspiration mechanic.

In any case, this thread is "Ideas for Improving Inspiration," which I've already provided upthread. What's your idea?