Suggestions for RPGs or Social/Exploration rules modules to add to our 5e games?

[hawkeyefan]

Do you have suggestions for any RPGs or Social/Exploration rules modules that you think would add to our 5e games?

A quick and easy mechanic that you can "drag and drop" into 5E are Clocks from Blades in the Dark. You can set up a lot of situations with Clocks, and it's easy to track... you just jot it down on scrap paper and mark things as you go. You can use competing clocks... one indicating success and one for failure. You can use them in short individual scenes, or to mark progress toward a goal over a longer period of time.

You may need to tweak things a bit to fit the 5E system... like establishing a tiered DC. Like DC 15 mark one tick on the clock, DC 20 mark two. That kind of thing.

I've used Clocks in D&D that way in the past, and it's pretty easily and quickly handled at the table, and it's easily understood by the players.

 

[aramis erak]

I'm unfamiliar with The One Ring. Could you share what stands out about the social rules from that game for you?

In 1st Ed...
you have a budget of failed social rolls, called "tolerance" before they stop listening. You have a number of required successes to accomplish various levels of beneficial outcomes; possibly on multiple different goal tracks. Tolerance is generated from the suitable score; it is modified for racial animosities and situation.

So, let's say you want Thranduil to let you travel the Elf-road, and to let you rent elf steeds. the first shouldn't be too hard... but the second? Insane. GM also adds "without sending guards..."
Party has a leader of Valor 3, but has a dwarf, So tolerance is reduced by 1, so only two failures...
GM creates two tracks:

Successes	Road	Horses
0	No - go around	No
1-2	Yes, but with a delay and with a few Elf nannys, they keep any treasure.	Normal horses, increased cost
3-4	Sends a few warriors to report back; They take half of any treasures found	Normal horses, normal costs
5-7	Sure, guide/spy sent with, treasure share	Elf trained horses, normal costs for horses
8+	Send without guide	Elf-steeds, 2 TP each for non-wood-elves, 1 TP for each wood elf

One could separate out the supervision, or make it a counterpoint track by an opposing NPC... but with such low tolerance, the narrations better be good so the TNs get set lower. And keep the dwarf quiet...