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Mr. Mask
2016-04-29, 02:45 PM
I wanted to have some tokens you can get for performing various actions in a campaign. I was figuring you'd only get a few of these, and couldn't keep many, so they could have a fairly strong effect.

So, I ask you, of the RPGs you've played and campaigns you've tried, what token or resource system have you found most interesting?

I was considering using reroll tokens, where you can reroll a failed roll. I also considered the idea of enemies sometimes having these too. I considered some way to use the tokens against enemies directly, like preventing them from rerolling, but I'm not sure that's work out.

Calen
2016-04-29, 02:56 PM
In a game that I play in we use "Personal Tokens". These are passed out at the end of a session, each person gives out 2 tokens and explains why. When spent these grant you an effect of your choice. Plus to rolls, plus to defenses for a round, having an emergency item. The cost scales with what is being bought.

In another game I DM we use something called Fate Points these are passed out 1 point at the end of the session from each person. These do an unspecified thing with the idea that "fate shines on you for a brief moment" These have ranged from hints from the DM to turning a slip on some ice into a shieldsurfing.

In both cases these are passed out as much for roleplay as rollplay, mitigating any kind of rich get richer scenario.

ImNotTrevor
2016-04-29, 06:14 PM
I like the Dark Side/Light Side points system from Age of Rebellion. It keeps a nice balance going. You can make it generic like this:

Basically, at the start of the game everyone rolls a die. (In that system its a special die, but for this I'll convert it to a d6) If it is Odd, the GM gets a "Villain Point" to add to their pool. If it is even, the players get a "Hero Point" to put into their pool. Villain Points make tasks more difficult for rhe players by giving temporary debuffs or can be used to boost bad guys. Hero points do the same thing, but for the PCs.
Spending a Villain point grants a Hero Point to the players.
Spending a Hero Point grants a Villain Point to the GM.

Hero Points and villain points are randomly rolled at the start of each session, so both sides should make sure that they spend the points while they have them.

Mr. Mask
2016-04-29, 07:53 PM
Unless of course you know the GM will mess you up if you let him get those villain points :smallwink:


Calen: General purpose points are pretty neat, to be sure.

ImNotTrevor
2016-04-29, 08:15 PM
Unless of course you know the GM will mess you up if you let him get those villain points :smallwink:


Calen: General purpose points are pretty neat, to be sure.

If the GM spends those villain points, you get hero points out if it. Still worth it.

JAL_1138
2016-04-29, 08:22 PM
5e has Inspiration, which allows for one use of Advantage (roll twice and take the higher, or cancel out Disadvantage) on any d20 roll. I've often seen it tracked by handing out poker chips, printed tokens, Post-Its, or the like. It works fairly well.

lightningcat
2016-04-29, 09:28 PM
In the Transformers game I've been working on I have Cinema points. At the start of each session each player is given a number of them based on the character's power. And the Storyteller has a number of them equal to the number of players +/-1. They can be spend on a number of effects, such as rerolls, automatic successes, activate boons, and not die (no matter how much damage you just took). Characters can gain more by pulling off stunts, generally being awesome at the table, or describing how badly their fumble screwed them over. Also they get one if the Storyteller fiats his way out of a situation, such as letting the bad guy get away ... again. They also can be traded in at the end of the session for xp, so using them is always a difficult choice.