Rules Encouraging Teamwork or Soloing

[GMMichael]

I've seen video games claim that they encourage teamwork, and in many cases the encouragement is little more than a nod in the right direction, while the bulk of the game's systems/mechanisms actually reward individual play. For example, the team leader-spawn system is supposed to promote team cohesiveness by placing respawning players near the same place: where their team leader is. However, there is no requirement to stay near a team leader after respawning, which makes the team leader little more than a shortcut to the objective.

It occurs to me that RPG rules can have the same effect of encouraging teamwork or encouraging going solo. The ubiquitous hit point is perhaps a less-than-obvious cause of solo play. Ostensibly, hit points/health are what keep a PC alive. However, with a low hit point total, a PC might choose to stay near her healing companion, or at least near (or behind) allies. With a high hit point total, a PC can safely venture away from allies, relying on that mass of hit points to keep her alive instead of assistance from her friends. The ability to heal herself has a similar effect on a PC's teamwork as high hit points.

Take magic usage, and/or flexible spell selection. What is the party rogue, besides a meat shield, when the party magic-user can just spontaneously use a spell slot or magic points to unlock any door or detect any trap? Nevermind how some magic items can make specialists obsolete.

In the other direction, gear that degrades encourages teamwork. When the ranger's axe-head breaks from the haft, sure, his dagger will continue to threaten the gobl-ent to some degree. But a nearby ally could forfeit a weapon or hand over a secondary weapon to keep the ranger in the fight. A solo ranger would have a harder time asking the creature to please wait while he digs through his saddlebags.

Assisting actions promote teamwork also. If you know you'll get better resolution rolls when a teammate also rolls, or when both players contribute to the same success pool, it's objectively better to have a teammate around.

What are some more examples of teamwork or solo-play encouraging rules?

Which rules are supposed to promote teamwork, but aren't much more than window dressing?

Which rules seem ambivalent, but actually encourage one type of play or the other?

 

[overgeeked]

What are some more examples of teamwork or solo-play encouraging rules?

Almost every D&D 4E power had synergies with other powers. Greatly encouraged teamwork.

Momentum from 2d20. Fate points in Fate. Plot points in MHR.

Which rules are supposed to promote teamwork, but aren't much more than window dressing?

5E’s help action.

MHR has affiliations. It’s solo, buddy, or team. You get a different die type based on if you’re alone, partnered up with one person, or working with a team. It’s window dressing because in play everyone would just game the system and argue for their best die regardless of the situation.

 

[Blue]

1. Marking rules encourage teamwork.
2. Auras and other by-range buffing.
3. Buffs that affect multiple allies (or aren't particularly useful on self).
4. Debuffs that are more effective with more attacks at/hitting an opponent. (Example: grants advantages. Not example: action denial.)
5. Transfering your action to another (such as actions that grant allies actions).
6. Adding to ally pools (both in combat and out of combat).
7. Defensive reactions for protect others.

 

[aco175]

Flanking. I know a lot of people do not like it, but it encourages PCs to move where they can help others kill things faster. I see in my games where it moves the rogue from a hide and snipe archer to a get in melee and backstab flanker.

I was also thinking 4e warlord class with a lot of 30ft give your attack powers.

 

[billd91]

Encouraging teamwork:
Group checks for stealth checks

Encouraging solo work:
Refusing to use group checks for stealth checks

 

[Blue]

Encouraging teamwork:
Group checks for stealth checks

Encouraging solo work:
Refusing to use group checks for stealth checks

Love this example. D&D only assume that every character can contribute in combat. Other pillars of play have no assumption that everyone will be able to contribute to every scene. And a lot of rules seem to have practical aspects that actively discourage a character with not-advanced rating (skill, whatever) from participating as they will bring down the average or worse, be the failure that invalidates everyone else's successes like in stealth checks.

So group rules that assume that the people who do well can help those who do not do well are important methods of reversing the anti-teamwork mechanical reinforcement in those scenes. Characters watchign to wave others across a courtyard when the guard isn't looking and the like are staples of media and real life for this sort of thing, and are proponents of teamwork in RPGs.

 

[GMMichael]

Marking rules encourage teamwork.

Is this from D&D4? If not, an RPG example would be nice. For a CRPG, in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, you actually mark your targets, though the mark exists only in your augmented reality. Then, your allies know whom and where they're shooting.

Defensive reactions for protect others.

These are always tricky for me. Should you be able to protect an ally? Sure! Should you be able to do it once your ally's opponent has already placed himself in striking distance and found your ally's vulnerable spot (not the shield!)? Meh...

Encouraging teamwork:
Group checks for stealth checks

Encouraging solo work:
Refusing to use group checks for stealth checks

I hope it's obvious that a group check encourages teamwork while a solo check does not, and that group checks probably don't apply to all situations (depending on your game). Given this, what does a group stealth check look like?

All PCs roll stealth checks, and the GM applies the highest or lowest roll to the whole group?
All PCs roll stealth checks, and the group finds success or failure if over half of them pass?

In Modos 2, I'd do something like this:
Set a progress goal for 2 contests per PC, average 4.5 progress on a (success). Ex: 4 PCs need 36 progress to prevent alarms.
Ask each PC to choose his or her action(s) contributing to stealth. Ex: distracting guards, planning a route, guiding allies.
Let the narrative determine who rolls when. Ask the planners to roll first, or when there's a fork in the road. Roll to distract guards when they get close. Roll to guide allies when moving within earshot of others.
Roll high and you get to add progress (1d8) to the group's progress pool. Roll low and the circumstances (GM) roll progress against you. If the GM gets 36 progress first, it's time to drop your backpacks, sprint, and pray!

 

[Darth Solo]

Mutants & Masterminds 3e has Teamwork rules:

"Sometimes characters work together and help each other out. In this case, one character (usually the one with the highest bonus) is considered the leader of the effort and makes the check normally, while each helper makes the same type of check using the same trait(s) against DC 10. The helpers’ individual degrees of success (and failure!) are added together to achieve the final outcome of the assistance. Success grants the leader a +2 circumstance bonus. Three or more total degrees of success grant a +5 circumstance bonus. One degree of failure provides no modifier, but two or more impose a –2 circumstance penalty! The GM sets the limit on how many characters can help as part of a team check. Regardless of the number of helpers, the leader’s bonus cannot be more than +5 (for three or more total degrees of success) nor the penalty greater than –2 (for two or more total degrees of failure)."

 

[Voadam]

5e D&D's rule where aiding another on a skill check gives them advantage is a big mechanical rule incentive for people to buddy up for skill things like investigating a crime scene or persuading a potential ally to join in an effort. I have seen this encourage people with non-maxxed skills to join in and participate on activities that in 4e and 3e they would more likely have generally held back on due to the high chance of skill check failure and left it to the solo character with the best skill modifier.

 

[payn]

What are some more examples of teamwork or solo-play encouraging rules?

I think you got a lot of this in 4E and PF2. Moves that position the enemy, deliver riders, and encourage a bump, set, spike dynamic in combat.

Which rules are supposed to promote teamwork, but aren't much more than window dressing?

Mongoose 2E Traveller has a connections rule. During chargen two players can link together back story element to share a learned skill. Once the game starts, I have not seen any players really look back on it and bring it up in play.

Which rules seem ambivalent, but actually encourage one type of play or the other?

In PF1, they had teamwork feats that required investment by multiple characters. When each PC has the feat they can get bennies together in combat. The results were iffy because the feat system was so borked. It was often not worth giving up a feat for anything but the most optimal choices. So, an interesting idea that just didnt have the heft to promote it at the table. IME. (Some classes like Inquisitor could take the teamwork feats and use them solo, but that is a bit of an outlier to the rule).