Ideas borrowed form other games.
Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 4:18 am
I've played dozens of different roleplaying games over the years. And eventually I come accross something clever or unique that I like to adapt and use in almost every game I GM. Here's a list of some neat things I've come accross that help add to the game.
-Pathfinder: I played in a campaign once where the players were offered a list of extra little talents for their characters. Each talent came with a backgroudn that tied them into the greater campaign. I thought it was brilliant. Some players don't do so well with the roleplaying aspect and it helped them add depth to their charaters. It was also a very easy way to tie the group together and keep them o nthe track of the campaign.
-L5R: Mass Battle. It is very fun and lets regular player characters influence important events. GMing or playing, mass battle was always exciting because major events in the campaign world could be altered by character. It was great fun as a climax to long adventures as well. Characters met mortal enemies in duels to the death, they could become heroes of the battle, honor and glory was theirs for the taking. It's crazy what a few lucky dice rolls can do in defining how a character develops.
-3rd edition Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Adventure group sheets. Like a character sheet, but with much less depth. It defins the adventuring group's role and major goals along with giving them a few little abilities when accomplishing them. I thought it was another great way to tie characters together. Now, it may be a little awkward in other rules systems, but it's a cool idea nonetheless.
-7th Sea: Drama dice. Several other systems have similar stuff. D20 Star Wars had force points, WFRP had fate and luck points, Cyberpunk allowed you to spend luck. They are re-rolls or extra dice that you can use at critical times. I think 7th Sea did an excellent job as you got extra dice when you did dramatic things. "Tagging" someone in a duel, a witty remark in court, things that enriched the game. It was a way to reward players for using their character well.
-Not from any particular game, but I like to keep certain numbers out of the player's hands. Such as XP. For years I have kept track of my players XP for them. It allowed many to focus on their character and what they're currently doing, rather than trying to level up through more encounters. I would simply tell them when they reached a new level, or if they were close. In Rifts I also had a record of the MDC of their equipment. I found the game better overall when istead of telling them they took 25 mega damage, I'd tell them that their cheap suit of plasticman armor is almost done and nother hit like that would probably do them in. They got into the scene and their characters better. Not everyone is an exccelent actor, and it helps them view their character as a person rather than a bunch of numbers.
This list is only a few little gimmicks I have found helpful. Anyone else do anything different that helps them run a game?
-Pathfinder: I played in a campaign once where the players were offered a list of extra little talents for their characters. Each talent came with a backgroudn that tied them into the greater campaign. I thought it was brilliant. Some players don't do so well with the roleplaying aspect and it helped them add depth to their charaters. It was also a very easy way to tie the group together and keep them o nthe track of the campaign.
-L5R: Mass Battle. It is very fun and lets regular player characters influence important events. GMing or playing, mass battle was always exciting because major events in the campaign world could be altered by character. It was great fun as a climax to long adventures as well. Characters met mortal enemies in duels to the death, they could become heroes of the battle, honor and glory was theirs for the taking. It's crazy what a few lucky dice rolls can do in defining how a character develops.
-3rd edition Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Adventure group sheets. Like a character sheet, but with much less depth. It defins the adventuring group's role and major goals along with giving them a few little abilities when accomplishing them. I thought it was another great way to tie characters together. Now, it may be a little awkward in other rules systems, but it's a cool idea nonetheless.
-7th Sea: Drama dice. Several other systems have similar stuff. D20 Star Wars had force points, WFRP had fate and luck points, Cyberpunk allowed you to spend luck. They are re-rolls or extra dice that you can use at critical times. I think 7th Sea did an excellent job as you got extra dice when you did dramatic things. "Tagging" someone in a duel, a witty remark in court, things that enriched the game. It was a way to reward players for using their character well.
-Not from any particular game, but I like to keep certain numbers out of the player's hands. Such as XP. For years I have kept track of my players XP for them. It allowed many to focus on their character and what they're currently doing, rather than trying to level up through more encounters. I would simply tell them when they reached a new level, or if they were close. In Rifts I also had a record of the MDC of their equipment. I found the game better overall when istead of telling them they took 25 mega damage, I'd tell them that their cheap suit of plasticman armor is almost done and nother hit like that would probably do them in. They got into the scene and their characters better. Not everyone is an exccelent actor, and it helps them view their character as a person rather than a bunch of numbers.
This list is only a few little gimmicks I have found helpful. Anyone else do anything different that helps them run a game?