Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 9418237" data-attributes="member: 42582">I don't think it's as close as some people do. But in the version that I play - MHRP, plus a hacked fantasy derivative - if you use a Distinction as a "disadvantage" (putting d4 into your pool rather than d8) or if you activate a Limit against yourself (generally this means either shutting down an ability temporarily, or stepping up a penalty you've suffered) then you get a "plot point", which is a type of meta-token that can be spent to manipulate/enhance your dice pool, or to activate some abilities.In Torchbearer 2e, "camp checks" are a necessary meta-resource, that can only be earned by using a trait against yourself (and thus taking a penalty on a roll) rather than to benefit you. As an example, instead of "I'm so avaricious that nothing can stop me swiping that necklace" (and thus getting a buff to the check to swipe the necklace) the player can declare "Blinded by my avarice, I lunge out recklessly to swipe the necklace" (and thus suffer a debuff to the roll, but gaining a "camp check).There's a broad resemblance in between the two mechanics described above (Cortex+ Heroic and Torchbearer 2e).But Torchbearer has another mechanic - its advancement mechanic - which is also relevant. And can be compared to a 4e D&D mechanic.In TB2e, level gain depends upon (i) earning and then (ii) spending Fate and Persona points, which are meta-tokens that buff checks in various ways. You earn these by acting on Beliefs, pursuing and achieving Goals, and/or playing out in-character conflicts between Beliefs and Goals. Players write a Goal at the start of each session, and can also change their Belief at the start of each session if they wish.This system pushes players towards action declarations that are oriented towards their Beliefs and Goals in various ways. (In terms of the OP, this is player-generated fiction in respect of the focus of play.) And even though the player is not self-consciously choosing to disadvantage their PC (so it's not like the earlier examples in this post), part of what is involved in GMing this system is establishing situations which put risks/costs/obstacles in the way of those orientations, so that players put their PCs into harm's way, or take risks, or act "irrationally" in pursuit of what they want. Personally, I find this is a more powerful driver of strong roleplay and character development/discovery than the more light and frothy "use a trait/distinction against yourself" mechanic.In 4e D&D, the counterpart to Beliefs and Goals is the player-authored Quest. The DMG (p 103) says the following, under the heading "Conflicting Quests":You can present quests that conflict with each other, or with the characters’ alignments or goals. The players have the freedom to make choices about which quests to accept, and these can be great opportunities for roleplaying and character development.Letting the players generate the fiction of what is the focus of play, and then (as GM) using your authority over framing to put these various things in tension with one another and thereby prompting invested choices by the players in declaring actions for their PCs, is (in my experience) what drives character development/discovery.</blockquote>

Verification