Inspiration Houserule - Let Your Players Do The Work!

[Morrus]

Inspiration Houserule - let your players do the work!

This is something I've been doing for a while. I saw some folks on Twitter discussing it, so thought Id share what I've been doing. I stole it from the TimeWatch game I played at Gen Con with [MENTION=2]Piratecat[/MENTION].

I don't give out inspirations. Instead, I let my players give them to each other.

That's it. That's the entire houserule! If a player feels like someone has done something cool and in character, they can give an inspiration to them. Typically, this is when a flaw, ideal, or bond is brought into play.

In my game, at least, it works better. The DM is doing less, and the players are performing for each other to an extent. The fact that you can only have one inspiration limits abuse (although if you're players are abusing it, this houserule probably isn't suitable for that group).

Ideally, use a prop that players can hand out. I use a few giant d20s which players can hand to each other. But anything will do - a token, a chip, a coin, an M&M* (which only counts if they don't eat it...)




*Idea stolen from the Monte Cook Games crew.

 

[Morrus]

(Apologies for the duplication; there's a bug in the article system!)

 

[dd.stevenson]

I always set aside a few minutes at the end of each session for players to award inspiration to each other. My only rule is that it must be awarded for bringing a flaw, ideal, or bond into play in a way that's at least somewhat disadvantageous to the party.

 

[TerraDave]

Players give inspiration is also in the DMG.

 

[Morrus]

I just got told it was in the DMG, and looked it up. So it is! Totally missed that!

Ah well. Nothing to see here!

 

[Piratecat]

Why the heck am I not doing this already? DONE.

I hate trying to remember to hand out things like inspiration. This is the great, obvious solution.

 

[TerraDave]

Pg 241. It also has the twist of the DM getting inspiration when the players do.

I am thinking about something along those lines. Not quite there on details.

 

[TerraDave]

I just got told it was in the DMG, and looked it up. So it is! Totally missed that!

Ah well. Nothing to see here!

Don't feel bad. A lot of things are in the DMG. A lot.

 

[delericho]

Inspiration was the one and only thing I was unhappy about in my first 5e session - I completely forgot to award any. I actually wasn't surprised by this, as I half expected it to play out that way.

So instead I now give each player 3 Inspiration tokens at the start of the session (our sessions run 3 hours each; for longer sessions I would give out more tokens). These can be used in exactly the same way as 'real' Inspiration, except that the don't refresh in-game. Oh, and they can't be 'banked' from one session to the next.

But having the players award it to one another is also a fine option, of course. Whether it's in the DMG or not.