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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nytmare" data-source="post: 5129055" data-attributes="member: 55178">Although I like the idea of a set of mechanics or a mini-game that players could use as a framework to hang character development off of, I don't know what kind of meaningful benefit (/penalty?) system could be attached to it.On top of that, I've never managed to play in or run a game that cycled through periods of "adventuring/sitting at home waiting for the next adventure to start" so a system married to that kind of campaign style is something I'd want to avoid.The two things that I've disliked about most of the games I played in where character-shtuff was a focus was that it 1) usually felt like a homework assignment, and 2) was usually ignored by everyone but the person writing it.  I don't want to force the other players to read through and memorize everybody else's back stories and fluff, but it would be great to trick everybody into experiencing and dealing with it as a part of the game.  In addition to that, I love the idea of character ties being a way for the players to tell the DM, "This is something that I want to be important, please work it into the game."  But, anyways, launching off the idea of a person, place, or thing...Let's pretend that a player, at each level, is asked to come up with one building block tied either to what they recently did, or where they want things to go in the near future.Let's say for example that the players have all just leveled up and the DM says, "You've vanquished the evil prince and have returned the king to his rightful throne.  You've discovered however that the assassins were not hired by the prince.  What few clues you have point a steady finger to the neighboring kingdom of Dembritz."The players then could come up with: "Over the past month, the princess and I have grown close, and the king has made it known that he wouldn't stand in the way of her being courted by a Knight of the Dawn.  However, she does not want me to go to Dembritz, and insists that my place is here, guarding the throne and protecting her and her father." "Bjorn Stonevald, our intrepid barbarian comrade, fell to an assassin's blade while we were protecting the king.  His grave sits, in a place of honor, amidst the graves of the King's royal guard.  I spend our last day in the city at the side of his grave, swearing vengance, and promising to return here with his father's hammer, stolen from him by the same assassin who took his life." "My closest childhood friend became a man who became a forger who fled the King's justice not even a year ago.  Can we pretend that among the personal affects of the assassins were forged credentials that I know could have only been made by him?" "Knowing that Sir Johnathan's sense of duty will undoubtedly lead him on to Dembritz, the princess came to me and made me swear an oath to the Nine Saints to protect him, with my life if need be, and see that he returns safely to her."  "With our new found influence in the city, I want to try to parlay that into securing the now vacant monastery overlooking the pass.  I'll offer it, temporarily mind you, to be used as a sentry tower for the city militia." Nothing flies without the DM's approval, and as a general rule, the players understand that they can't use it like genie's lamp.  Players also realize that everything they introduce in this manner is something that they want to be put in jeopardy.  If you invent a wife and kids, and then pass them over to the DM saying "It's really important to my character that these people stay safe", it's because you want their safety to be threatened.The princess wants you to stay and protect her?  When you get to the other city, you find out that a second group of assassins were sitting and waiting for you to leave.You want vengeance for your friend's death and to find his father's weapon?  You track down the assassin and find out that he sold the hammer, but they're on two different boats on either sides of the city, and they're both scheduled to leave within the hour.The forger and con artist that you considered a brother for the better part of your life holds a key piece of information.  Can you convince him to trust you, does he sell you out to save his own neck?Etc, etc, etc...Players don't have to participate if they don't want to, but I can't imagine anyone really being opposed to having the chance to steer things a little.  There's no real  need for prizes or penalties beyond what unfurls over the course of the story.  "You wanted a story about X?  Congratulations, you got a story about X!" As a side note, my personal answer to this problem is to smack my players whenever they try to mark gold off of their character sheets for stuff like ale, whores, or apple trees.  If it's something mechanical, keep track of it.   If it's for the benefit of story and is nothing more than window dressing, it's a simple matter of "yes you can/no you can't."</blockquote>

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