Should I add Action Points to my game?

[Morte]

I've been running FATE, in which the "FATE points" are effectively action points and the "aspects" give extra FATE points in line with roleplay. They've been enormously useful to me because the game has one or two characters, and the FATE points smooth over the slings and arrows of outragoeus dice rolls. Teamwork + the law of averages should/would do the same in a larger party.

I think in a group of about eight the players will horde action points, and use them to stay alive rather than do anything new or exciting. I'd prefer to see the players/characters using teamwork to cover each other, and using weight of numbers to recover from the occasional extreme bad luck (e.g. 2 failed saves against death spells leave 6 standing). I'd be more inclined to go for some sort of "use it or lose it" scheme, e.g. one per session.

 

[Li Shenron]

Most often I do have some issues with AP and prefer not to use them:

I don't like AP to be usable after a roll is made, because in my opinion they often end up neutralizing the effect of bad luck, at least if the AP system allows the bonus to be very high after a certain level. I just don't like this, I like luck to be an important part of the game, for good or bad. I wouldn't like luck to be dominating but I think that with the current 3ed rules it isn't, players most of the time manage to do what they want, and if I want to increase this even more I'd rather boost the PC some other way. However, I do understand that many players want even more control over bad luck.

I also don't like how often AP are abstract from the characters. At least I much prefer if there's an in-game explanation, whatever clumsy that may be...

Overall I think AP are redundant. In a way, you have two "forces" which determine events: your player's decision, and the luck of the dice. AP work like "letting you control the luck of the dice", however you would be doing that anyway with your decisions. By converse, there could be an opposite system of rolling dice for a chance to force you to change your player's decision against your will, but that would be just as redundant (and much more hated) since the dice already do that.

So my conclusion is that in general AP serve the purpose of reducing the importance of luck, by changing luck directly. I personally prefer to reduce the importance of luck by directly give the PC more features, or at least not to allow that after you've seen the outcome of luck itself.

That said, I am quite ok to use certain systems akin to AP. For example, in Rokugan there are Void points. They are more or less the same but at leat IMHO the benefit from these facts:

- they are optional: since you need to spend feats to be able to use them in different ways, a player who doesn't want to use them can just spend feats for different benefits

- for the same reason, each player controls how complicated is to use void point, and doesn't have to remember too many uses (because new uses require new feats or class abilities under your choice)

- they have an in-game explanation related to self-attunement with the Void (5th element)

 

[The_Gunslinger658]

Hi-

I hated action points, the players would burn a few minutes of game time trying thimk if they wanted to use an AP or not. That adds up to possibly 30 or so minutes of game time wasted. Also, players tend to use them only fot to hits and saves and the odd skill modifier.

Anyway, I think add another issue of complexity to the game which is really not needed.


Scott

 

[Deadguy]

Li, I think the main purpose of Action Points (or equivalent) is to reduce the effect of luck when the dice roll really matters (to the character). I've seen them well used on occasions like the lookout just catching the sound of a weapon being drawn just before the party is ambushed, etc. Until characters are pretty high level, the outcome on a d20+bonus roll is pretty broad, and Action Points serve to give the player some influence over the outcome, at the cost of a resource that is gone for good when spent.

I describe the effects of Action Points as either receiving unusual good fortune, or of them reaching deep within themselves for reserves of strength they didn't realise they have.

Either way, I add my voice to those advising Piratecat to give it a try. One thing I am going to do for my group is buy some glass beads. Then each of them will be given a bag containing beads equal to their current Action Points. When they use them they will hand them to me, and I will replenish the bags when they level. This way they have something physical to remind them to use their Action Points. It also makes it easy to reward a bonus Action Point if someone attempts something truly heroic.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

zzzzzzzzzz

Action Points are boring. Before my current campaign began I thought back fondly to the TORG drama deck and wanted something similar.

My web search turned up a product called "Adventure Deck." Once per session each player is allowed to play a card drawn randomly at the beginning of the session (at higher levels you get to draw more cards, but are usually limited to still only playing one). Some are small boosts, some save your bacon, and some trigger a plot device.

My players and I love them. Especially some of the plot twist cards as they force me to think on the fly and give the players a feeling of story control that they don't always have.

 

[Rolzup]

A lot depends upon the players.

For my own Eberron game, I used action points...but bumped them up to 1d20, instead of 1d6. I was hoping for a lot of fun, over-the-top actions. What I got, generally, was players who made every single saving throw....

One guy used his AP to do neat stunts, and I tried to encourage the others to do that sort of thing. But...well, that's not the way these guys play. Which is a little disapointing, but that's the way things go.

My own preference is for things like Whimsy Cards, which allow for a lot of player creativity. But, again, that's not the kind of thing that will fly with my current group. So, for my next campaign I think that I'm going to use the Dork 20 cards from Atlas games. Purely mechanical benefits, and -- while slightly sillier in presentation than I'd like -- something that my players will actually use.

 

[Shade]

I absolutely love them. The characters are willing to take more risks (which is what I was hoping for when adding them in the first place), and since we are playing at epic levels, the rampant "save or die" effects have claimed less lives (which is a good thing, IMHO).

I also give them to my BBEG's, which lessens the random first-round deaths of said villains, and improves the drama.

I'd highly recommend them.

 

[iwatt]

I also give them to my BBEG's, which lessens the random first-round deaths of said villains, and improves the drama.

I'd highly recommend them.

Agree. Nothing worse than when your big bad guy fails a couple of rolls in a row and is taken down without even scratching the PCs. I hate it when PCs go into a supposedly dramatic fight and end up saying:

"So why were we scared of this dude again?"

 

[KB9JMQ]

I use them in my Eberron game and when the players remember to use them it has never hurt the game. I have found the players are willing to be riskier and more heroic with them.

If a character wants to try something nearly impossible I say use an action point and roll the apropriate skill. Using an AP will make the action more cinematic whether it succeeds or not. I have learned that flamboyant failures are just as fun as great accomplishments. My players expect a fantastic result when they use an AP.

 

[Psychic Warrior]

I don't use action points but I am bringing in Fate Points (or at least a version of them from the old Warhammer RPG). They can be used only to save your characters life (ie - you are dropped to -10 or lower hp and are dead) and it still means that something bad happened to you but you didn't die. Teh example I gave my players was if a PC was killed by a fireball and used a Fate Point he would be alive (but unconcious) and may find he had been badly burned (-1 to CHA), had all his carried wealth destroyed (coins, gems, jewelry and the like) or even lost a spellbook. Tough things to overcome but hardly as bad a dying (and losing a level in being raised).

Action points look interesting but I haven't tried them out yet.