Power to the players!
- Thread starter Tehnai
- Start date
strumbleduck
First Post
It might help if you described the fate point system from SOTC.
Tehnai
First Post
Actually, I messed up in my description XD
I was thinking more of something along the plot points from the CORTEX system (From anything Margaret Weiss)
Basically, you could spend them to either augment your chance of success at an action (not really the point here) or use them to modify a scene to your liking (that is what I need, example coming).
Say we're playing Star Wars
Luke's player, having just lost a hand to Vader, is trying to figure out how to get out of that one.
Luke : "Euhm... damn, I can't fight this guy... *looks at plot points, he has a bunch* Maybe I could..."
Han Solo : "Dude, didn't you say he killed your father before? You should totally make him BE your father."
Luke : "God yes! *spends a bunch of points* Well, Vader's my dad!"
DM (Lucas) : "The hell?!"
You got points whenever you were awesome, basically.
Basically, I want to find a way to give a little more narrative power to the players. I was wondering if any of you did something similar and either wanted to share or help me create a simple and effective system.
I was thinking more of something along the plot points from the CORTEX system (From anything Margaret Weiss)
Basically, you could spend them to either augment your chance of success at an action (not really the point here) or use them to modify a scene to your liking (that is what I need, example coming).
Say we're playing Star Wars
Luke's player, having just lost a hand to Vader, is trying to figure out how to get out of that one.
Luke : "Euhm... damn, I can't fight this guy... *looks at plot points, he has a bunch* Maybe I could..."
Han Solo : "Dude, didn't you say he killed your father before? You should totally make him BE your father."
Luke : "God yes! *spends a bunch of points* Well, Vader's my dad!"
DM (Lucas) : "The hell?!"
You got points whenever you were awesome, basically.
Basically, I want to find a way to give a little more narrative power to the players. I was wondering if any of you did something similar and either wanted to share or help me create a simple and effective system.
Paul Strack
First Post
My experience with using plot points in "crunchy" games like D&D is that if you let the players use them for both an action-boost and plot-changing, they will never use them for plot-changing. They will only use them as a supplement to 4E's action points. That's because inventing new story elements in the middle of the game is hard, and most players don't have much experience doing it.
I would suggest you create a mechanic where players can only use the points to modify the plot. Award the points regularly. I might also give them some bonus when they *spend* the points (minor XP boost), to encourage the players to use them. I'd make the bonus small though, because I have had players react negatively to being "forced" to contribute to the plot. Players that want to use the points will, and get a bit of sugar for contributing, but players who just want to smack monsters won't be excessively penalized.
Tehnai
First Post
I don't have any old school ass-kickers and dungeon crawlers in my crew (much to my dismay, sometimes 
) but it wasn't my intention to give them mechanical benefits for points (although I sometime give +2s for actions that make everyone on the table go "OMG HAWT!")
I sadely can't accept giving bonus XP. I'm pretty strict when it comes to XP, and one thing I really don't want is the PCs being of different levels at any point (makes things confusing for some, and others will be jealous and sad, and happiness is mandatory at my table).
So here's what I've come up with yet.
--------------------------------------------------
Basic system.
Every session, you give every players up to 5 free "plot points". They can use this to change the gameworld to their advantage by going "Well, DM, you didn't say there WASN'T a ladder!"
Use one point : Change a minor detail in a RP scene (Example : "The guy now has a sweet mustache!")
Use 2 points : Change a minor detail in a fight scene, as long as it makes sense (Ex : "Well, we're in a library, there should be some ladders around those giant bookcases!")
Use 3 points : Add a piece of plausible and useful(for the PCs) to a NPC's background (Ex : "Well yeah I know him! I saved is life in the Last War!")
Use 4 points : Add a defining feature to the battlefield, as long as it's logical. This should be defined at the begining of the combat. (EX : "This church could have a pool in the middle for ceremonies and whatnot. And it's most likely holy water!")
Use 5 points : Call a defining feature about a NPC. ("Yeah... He's the only one who witnessed my wife's death.")
Special variant : The super plot point.
Every character recieves one super-plot point (of doom) every (Long time, I'm thinking every tier). They can use that to create something completely and utterly far-fetched, ridiculously continuity-breaking and random. For example : "Euhm... He's my father! And you! You're my sister now!"
The number of points granted per/game would vary depending on the type of game you play. Less for gritty games, and more for beer and pretzel games. The super-plot point (of doom) should only be used at your own risks.
Basically, the mechanic allows player to put their background into action themselves, giving us less preparation! Isn't it wonderful?
Comments? Ideas? Insults? Hamsters?
P.S. Yes, I'm so totally a commie gamer FROM QUEBEC! The commie invasion will come directly from the north... the french north... fear...
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) but it wasn't my intention to give them mechanical benefits for points (although I sometime give +2s for actions that make everyone on the table go "OMG HAWT!")I sadely can't accept giving bonus XP. I'm pretty strict when it comes to XP, and one thing I really don't want is the PCs being of different levels at any point (makes things confusing for some, and others will be jealous and sad, and happiness is mandatory at my table).
So here's what I've come up with yet.
--------------------------------------------------
Basic system.
Every session, you give every players up to 5 free "plot points". They can use this to change the gameworld to their advantage by going "Well, DM, you didn't say there WASN'T a ladder!"
Use one point : Change a minor detail in a RP scene (Example : "The guy now has a sweet mustache!")
Use 2 points : Change a minor detail in a fight scene, as long as it makes sense (Ex : "Well, we're in a library, there should be some ladders around those giant bookcases!")
Use 3 points : Add a piece of plausible and useful(for the PCs) to a NPC's background (Ex : "Well yeah I know him! I saved is life in the Last War!")
Use 4 points : Add a defining feature to the battlefield, as long as it's logical. This should be defined at the begining of the combat. (EX : "This church could have a pool in the middle for ceremonies and whatnot. And it's most likely holy water!")
Use 5 points : Call a defining feature about a NPC. ("Yeah... He's the only one who witnessed my wife's death.")
Special variant : The super plot point.
Every character recieves one super-plot point (of doom) every (Long time, I'm thinking every tier). They can use that to create something completely and utterly far-fetched, ridiculously continuity-breaking and random. For example : "Euhm... He's my father! And you! You're my sister now!"
The number of points granted per/game would vary depending on the type of game you play. Less for gritty games, and more for beer and pretzel games. The super-plot point (of doom) should only be used at your own risks.
Basically, the mechanic allows player to put their background into action themselves, giving us less preparation! Isn't it wonderful?
Comments? Ideas? Insults? Hamsters?
P.S. Yes, I'm so totally a commie gamer
FROM QUEBEC! The commie invasion will come directly from the north... the french north... fear...-----------------------------------------------
Cwheeler
First Post
Wow. cool system. I could see this working really well in the right kind of game.
I know that it's not a mechanic in the traditional D&D sense, but I could see a luck-based character getting additional points, either through feats or, in the case of 3.x, a prestige class (I never quite bought into luck based re-rolls, it just seemed a little bland).
For really interesting villains, you could give them some points to modify the battlefield as well, possibly in response to the PC's doing so... Allows for a villain to make a daring escape, but also makes sure that this is a limited resource.
Also, for this system, I'd probably rule that it refreshed per session, rather than per extended rest. Which you where probably planning on doing anyway.
Keep up the good work
.
Afterthought:
(it almost reminds me of a sequence from Sandman, with Dream playing a game with a Demon, battling one another with concepts...)
I know that the above quote is a bit of an extreme stretch, but you could see the villain and the PCs trumping each other by modifying the environment around them..
As an extreme extrapolation of the mechanic, it'd even be interesting to use it for a dreamscape, inside a computer system, or even a matrix-type world, where people can modify their environment with some regularity. In this instance, you could have 'awakened' and 'unawakened' characters and monsters. only awakened creatures can influence the world around them...
I bit of a deviation from your original intent, but I still think it would be interesting. Mind if I use the idea to write up a mechanic?
I know that it's not a mechanic in the traditional D&D sense, but I could see a luck-based character getting additional points, either through feats or, in the case of 3.x, a prestige class (I never quite bought into luck based re-rolls, it just seemed a little bland).
For really interesting villains, you could give them some points to modify the battlefield as well, possibly in response to the PC's doing so... Allows for a villain to make a daring escape, but also makes sure that this is a limited resource.
Also, for this system, I'd probably rule that it refreshed per session, rather than per extended rest. Which you where probably planning on doing anyway.
Keep up the good work
.Afterthought:
(it almost reminds me of a sequence from Sandman, with Dream playing a game with a Demon, battling one another with concepts...)
I know that the above quote is a bit of an extreme stretch, but you could see the villain and the PCs trumping each other by modifying the environment around them..
As an extreme extrapolation of the mechanic, it'd even be interesting to use it for a dreamscape, inside a computer system, or even a matrix-type world, where people can modify their environment with some regularity. In this instance, you could have 'awakened' and 'unawakened' characters and monsters. only awakened creatures can influence the world around them...
I bit of a deviation from your original intent, but I still think it would be interesting. Mind if I use the idea to write up a mechanic?
Storminator
First Post
Giving out points means its a resource to be managed. You're implicitly saying there's a good time to seize control, and a bad time. You're telling the players to be frugal with their narrative control.
Dispense with the points, and have your players just manipulate scenes when it's appropriate. I imagine you'll get a flurry of ridiculous editing in the beginning, but soon they'll settle down and use it appropriately. Check out Feng Shui. There's no "narrative points," because players are expected to edit the narrative.
PS
Dispense with the points, and have your players just manipulate scenes when it's appropriate. I imagine you'll get a flurry of ridiculous editing in the beginning, but soon they'll settle down and use it appropriately. Check out Feng Shui. There's no "narrative points," because players are expected to edit the narrative.
PS
Very cool system. I'd consider adding in some small mechanical benefit to players that choose not to use the points. I have no real idea what this could be, but it should be something crunchy for players that ARE more dungeon crawlery and don't pay much heed to their character's backstory and/or other things of that nature.
