daemonaetea
2012-11-23, 09:53 PM
My game is finally about to begin, and once again I'm turning to the Playground for advice about one of the planned aspects of my game.
This time the advice is about the function of, and time for giving, special coins and cards to the players.
Feel free to skip the spoiler'd text.
Design Notes
I like the fluff to match the crunch. I don't want to hear you describe your first level Fighter with Toughness and Improved Sunder described as one of the most feared warriors in the lands, I don't want your Druid to gleefully burn down forests, I don't you to take a class that's supposed to make you a feared warrior of the Church but really just gimps you.
Now, I have no problem with changing fluff. But I do want it changed to match the crunch.
Within that context, I began thinking about how the coins I am going to be handing out might be explained from a fluff perspective. And then I realized that I had already planned out some fluff that worked perfectly. Once I had, however, I realized that the fluff I've worked out actually had space for two game altering mechanics...
Fluff
Within my setting there are two overdeities, known by few, but feared by all who do. They are discussed hesitantly and with fear, even by the gods. These two are the Lord Fate and the Lady Luck. At the beginning, before anything else, there were the Two, and in times to come, when all will come to naught, still they will be.
Though the players do not know of these two, and may in fact never find it out, they will actually be interacting with both the Lord Fate and the Lady Luck. In fact, most everyone interacts with one of them, even if they never know it.
At the beginning of the campaign the characters will meet a wandering woman of the desert (basically Romani) who will offer to tell their fortune. She will allow them to draw a single card from her deck, take a glance at it, smile, then lose them in the crowd. This is the Lady Luck, and she will be following their actions with interest, as the events now in motions are bound up in her domain, having been about by a single action brought about by Chance.
When, or if, the characters die they will find themselves in a dark land, a desert of black sands (Hi Pratchett fans!). There, after a time, they will meet the figure commonly called Death, but properly known as the Lord Fate. By contract with the gods he will allow them to return to the mortal realms... for a price. And though this is true, the reason he even allowed the gods to make this demand was because he, too, is bound up in the events that are transpiring. For that single Chance would not have even been possible without the countless events that preceded it, as Fate decreed.
Thus, as they have for all time, the Lord Fate and the Lady Luck will watch the events that are to come, forever manipulating, though none are sure where the one's influence ends, and the other's begins...
So I've got two separate things I was thinking of handing out. The first I'm fairly certain of, the second occurred to me recently because the fluff of it seemed to fit so well.
The first are coins. These would represent Fate, and when used allow the player to add 2 to a roll for every coin used. Coins can be pulled and used on a roll, essentially modifying the dice roll. As such, you can modify something no higher than having rolled a 20. At any given time each player will likely have from 3-5 coins.
The second are cards (tarot cards, specifically). These would represent Chance, and I've not decided on their function. They would either: 1) Allow/force a single roll to be rerolled, or 2) Undo a single round, allowing things to rewind to the beginning of that round and redoing it entirely. The second option would have uses outside of combat as well. Entirely flub a conversation? No you didn't! Reveal something that you really should've have? Not anymore! Walked directly into that trap? Not this time! The characters would not remember perfectly what had happened, but will instead experience a premonition, a vague inuition.
The coins will be used freely, but the cards less so. In fact, while they'll receive the coins out of game (and might not discover that the coins are random coins they've accumulated for many, many sessions, if ever), the cards will be received in game in mysterious circumstances. That they're important will be obvious, but it may be several sessions before something goes badly enough wrong for the power of the card to "activate", at which time they'll become aware of what they can do.
So, my questions:
1) Is the second possible power of the cards too powerful? I want the effect to be powerful, possibly more powerful than the more plentiful coins, but I'm worried that introducing that strong of an ability might trivialize some encounters, or possibly lead to the players being a little less careful than they would be otherwise. (If it helps, I'd place the group at low to mid op. There are members that rise above the "clerics heal, weapon specialization is the bomb" level, but others not so much, and none of them have ever been exposed to anything like what's available from these forums or others. So while the second power is similar to the "save game" power available to Psions, I doubt they've ever heard of such a thing.)
2) The coins mirror a system in place by another DM we play under, and I like them so much I'm copying them. In his game the coins are given out for figuring things out, telling a particularly good joke, doing awesome in the game, completing quests, and the like. If I do decide to use both the coins and the cards I'd also like to separate out how I reward them based on the aspects of Fate and Chance behind them, as the concepts are embodied in my world.
Thus far, I've thought Fate coins would be handed out for great roleplaying within character, for pulling off plans particularly well, and for figuring things out along the main "path", that is, the narrative path that is most obvious.
Chance cards, in contrast, might be handed out for great roleplaying that's within character that nevertheless goes beyond the basics of the character. (For example, the Paladin deciding that, just this once, doing what's Good demands not doing what's Lawful would earn a card. A greedy character deciding to rob an Orphanage would earn a coin, but a greedy character deciding to donate most of his wealth after hearing their sad tale might instead earn a card.) A card might also be earned for deciding, not just randomly, but based on good in-character reasons, to follow a non-obvious plotline, especially if it results in the characters learning information that otherwise would not have been available.
So, that finally out of the way, the question is two fold: 2a) Does this system sound workable/good to you?, and 2b) Do you have any other ideas about how to break out which should be rewarded? Even if you just have questions about what sort of actions that should get which, that would help me clarify within my own mind how I want it to work.
3) Just, in general, any comments/suggestions/helpful advice you might have about this system.
As always, thanks in advance, especially to anyone who's actually finished one of my long-winded posts.
This time the advice is about the function of, and time for giving, special coins and cards to the players.
Feel free to skip the spoiler'd text.
Design Notes
I like the fluff to match the crunch. I don't want to hear you describe your first level Fighter with Toughness and Improved Sunder described as one of the most feared warriors in the lands, I don't want your Druid to gleefully burn down forests, I don't you to take a class that's supposed to make you a feared warrior of the Church but really just gimps you.
Now, I have no problem with changing fluff. But I do want it changed to match the crunch.
Within that context, I began thinking about how the coins I am going to be handing out might be explained from a fluff perspective. And then I realized that I had already planned out some fluff that worked perfectly. Once I had, however, I realized that the fluff I've worked out actually had space for two game altering mechanics...
Fluff
Within my setting there are two overdeities, known by few, but feared by all who do. They are discussed hesitantly and with fear, even by the gods. These two are the Lord Fate and the Lady Luck. At the beginning, before anything else, there were the Two, and in times to come, when all will come to naught, still they will be.
Though the players do not know of these two, and may in fact never find it out, they will actually be interacting with both the Lord Fate and the Lady Luck. In fact, most everyone interacts with one of them, even if they never know it.
At the beginning of the campaign the characters will meet a wandering woman of the desert (basically Romani) who will offer to tell their fortune. She will allow them to draw a single card from her deck, take a glance at it, smile, then lose them in the crowd. This is the Lady Luck, and she will be following their actions with interest, as the events now in motions are bound up in her domain, having been about by a single action brought about by Chance.
When, or if, the characters die they will find themselves in a dark land, a desert of black sands (Hi Pratchett fans!). There, after a time, they will meet the figure commonly called Death, but properly known as the Lord Fate. By contract with the gods he will allow them to return to the mortal realms... for a price. And though this is true, the reason he even allowed the gods to make this demand was because he, too, is bound up in the events that are transpiring. For that single Chance would not have even been possible without the countless events that preceded it, as Fate decreed.
Thus, as they have for all time, the Lord Fate and the Lady Luck will watch the events that are to come, forever manipulating, though none are sure where the one's influence ends, and the other's begins...
So I've got two separate things I was thinking of handing out. The first I'm fairly certain of, the second occurred to me recently because the fluff of it seemed to fit so well.
The first are coins. These would represent Fate, and when used allow the player to add 2 to a roll for every coin used. Coins can be pulled and used on a roll, essentially modifying the dice roll. As such, you can modify something no higher than having rolled a 20. At any given time each player will likely have from 3-5 coins.
The second are cards (tarot cards, specifically). These would represent Chance, and I've not decided on their function. They would either: 1) Allow/force a single roll to be rerolled, or 2) Undo a single round, allowing things to rewind to the beginning of that round and redoing it entirely. The second option would have uses outside of combat as well. Entirely flub a conversation? No you didn't! Reveal something that you really should've have? Not anymore! Walked directly into that trap? Not this time! The characters would not remember perfectly what had happened, but will instead experience a premonition, a vague inuition.
The coins will be used freely, but the cards less so. In fact, while they'll receive the coins out of game (and might not discover that the coins are random coins they've accumulated for many, many sessions, if ever), the cards will be received in game in mysterious circumstances. That they're important will be obvious, but it may be several sessions before something goes badly enough wrong for the power of the card to "activate", at which time they'll become aware of what they can do.
So, my questions:
1) Is the second possible power of the cards too powerful? I want the effect to be powerful, possibly more powerful than the more plentiful coins, but I'm worried that introducing that strong of an ability might trivialize some encounters, or possibly lead to the players being a little less careful than they would be otherwise. (If it helps, I'd place the group at low to mid op. There are members that rise above the "clerics heal, weapon specialization is the bomb" level, but others not so much, and none of them have ever been exposed to anything like what's available from these forums or others. So while the second power is similar to the "save game" power available to Psions, I doubt they've ever heard of such a thing.)
2) The coins mirror a system in place by another DM we play under, and I like them so much I'm copying them. In his game the coins are given out for figuring things out, telling a particularly good joke, doing awesome in the game, completing quests, and the like. If I do decide to use both the coins and the cards I'd also like to separate out how I reward them based on the aspects of Fate and Chance behind them, as the concepts are embodied in my world.
Thus far, I've thought Fate coins would be handed out for great roleplaying within character, for pulling off plans particularly well, and for figuring things out along the main "path", that is, the narrative path that is most obvious.
Chance cards, in contrast, might be handed out for great roleplaying that's within character that nevertheless goes beyond the basics of the character. (For example, the Paladin deciding that, just this once, doing what's Good demands not doing what's Lawful would earn a card. A greedy character deciding to rob an Orphanage would earn a coin, but a greedy character deciding to donate most of his wealth after hearing their sad tale might instead earn a card.) A card might also be earned for deciding, not just randomly, but based on good in-character reasons, to follow a non-obvious plotline, especially if it results in the characters learning information that otherwise would not have been available.
So, that finally out of the way, the question is two fold: 2a) Does this system sound workable/good to you?, and 2b) Do you have any other ideas about how to break out which should be rewarded? Even if you just have questions about what sort of actions that should get which, that would help me clarify within my own mind how I want it to work.
3) Just, in general, any comments/suggestions/helpful advice you might have about this system.
As always, thanks in advance, especially to anyone who's actually finished one of my long-winded posts.