This one’s what I name a bathe article. Primarily as a result of individuals complain after I name articles like this, “articles I s$&% out whereas I’m s$&%ing.” The thought’s the identical although. The article’s the results of an concept that got here to me whereas I used to be coping with some organic want or one other. I wasn’t particularly working something out in my head. I used to be largely simply targeted on poo… ing my hair. Shampooing my hair. Then, all of a sudden, some tentacled mass dragged itself from the darkish recesses of my unconscious and mentioned, “yah ai kadishtu.” Which I believe is R’lyehian for “good day.” I hope it’s R’lyehian for “good day.”
Now, I don’t normally share my bathe ideas. Everybody has bathe ideas. They’re easy, low-cost, and unoriginal. In reality, they’re normally stolen. See, there’s this factor known as supply amnesia that occurs as a result of your mind doesn’t know the distinction between a brand new thought you simply had and one which was lodged in an outdated, filed-away reminiscence you forgot you had. Your mind doesn’t waste area remembering the place concepts got here from. That’s ineffective info. And that’s why so many comedians steal jokes with out even realizing it. And why it’s a waste of f$%&ing power to fret about how unique your concepts are.
So, bathe ideas are crap and everybody’s received far more of them than they’ll ever want. Hell, that’s true of all concepts. Concepts are low-cost. Concepts solely turn out to be value one thing after you are taking them all the way down to your lab and beat the motherloving f$&% out of them. After which sew them as much as different concepts. After which implement them and iterate them and implement them once more and polish them. Till you do all that stuff, an concept’s only a mind turd. Most likely a stolen mind turd.
Designing stuff has nothing to do with good concepts. That’s one thing anybody can do. Designing stuff has all the pieces to do with all of the precise, onerous, not-just-thinking work you do to make any outdated concept nice.
However I don’t have time for that s$&% proper now. This bathe thought’s topical. You’ll perceive why quickly sufficient. If not at present, then at the very least in a few weeks. For now, simply know that what you’re about to learn is mainly a random thought I solely simply began beating the hell out of. Ultimately, I’ll do all of the implementing and iterating and sprucing I normally do. After I get the prospect. At any time when that’s. After all, there’s even odds that this concept will find yourself being nothing greater than a extremely properly polished mind turd. So, use it at your individual danger.
As we speak, I’m sharing an concept. I usually don’t try this. I usually share issues I’m both at the moment working actually onerous on or have completed working actually onerous on. However this one? I haven’t even began engaged on it. All I’ve accomplished is write down the thought after which assume extra about it after which write down these ideas. Which isn’t work. That’s not design. However I defined that in additional element within the Lengthy, Rambling Introduction™. And I made some poo jokes. So go learn that when you care and when you skipped it.
Oh, I additionally acknowledged the likelihood that the seed of this explicit concept might be stolen from someplace. Similar to most concepts. So please don’t really feel the necessity to level that out, thanks.
See, I’ve been excited about this motivation factor. Loads. I’ve been excited about it from a story perspective the place motivation is the only, most essential, and most humanizing side of each narrative ever. I’ve been excited about it from a personality creation standpoint, the place most gamers have zero f$&%ing clue about it and most GMs have zero f$&%ing clue the best way to assist them with it. And I’ve been excited about it from a sport design standpoint, the place open-world, player-driven video games actually don’t operate with out correctly carried out character motivations.
Whenever you’ve received one thing vitally essential to the gameplay expertise, there’s three approaches you’ll be able to take as a designer. You may ignore the vitally essential factor and simply let the sport flounder. I name that the WotC Strategy. Or you’ll be able to clarify how essential it’s for each GM to grasp the vitally essential factor and the way essential it’s for them so as to add it to their sport after which simply belief them to work out how the hell to really try this. I name that the On-line Content material Creator method. Or you’ll be able to construct the vitally essential factor immediately into the sport’s mechanics in order that gamers and GMs actually can’t ignore it but additionally don’t even have to grasp it and even acknowledge it. That’s what I name the Precise, Good F$&%ing Sport Design method.
And since I desire that final method, I’m at all times on the lookout for methods to make use of the principles to make the essential s$&% occur.
Confused by all that s$&% I’ve been saying about how mechanics don’t make the sport for the final two or three weeks? Nicely, let’s play a enjoyable sport known as “Really Assume This By for As soon as.” That’s the place, as an alternative of commenting in regards to the contradiction, you truly assume I do know one thing you don’t and that all the pieces truly is constant and also you strive to determine the distinction between s$&% like mass fight and social interplay guidelines and the s$&% I’m hinting at above. There is a distinction. An enormous one.
However I digress…
Let’s faux I’m truly proper and that entire character motivation factor is so f$%&ing central to each an RPG’s narrative construction and its gameplay you can’t actually have a very good, long-term, satisfying RPG expertise with out it. On condition that, is there a easy, elegant, approachable approach to get the gamers to only, , do motivations? And observe that I mentioned “gamers.” Not GM. I’m sick of being instructed it’s my downside as a GM to maintain fixing all of the super-important, damaged elements that come normal with each RPG.
Clearly, there’s a approach to get the gamers to do motivations. In any other case, there wouldn’t be one other 3500 phrases following this paragraph. And it’s easy. In any other case, this text would simply be the primary of a sixteen-part sequence or no matter.
First, ask every participant to state their character’s motivation once they make the damned factor. Then, every time the participant truly takes that motivation into consideration, applaud their good work and provides them a deal with.
I understand that concept lacks my normal chunk. However look, typically it’s essential whack the gamers with sticks and typically it’s essential cram carrots down their throats and name them “good boys” and scratch behind their ears. Is that proper? Are canines the belongings you hit with sticks and feed carrots to? No matter.
The plain issues to cram down your gamers’ throats for doing a very good job are expertise factors. As a result of, not solely are they the perfect damned carrot within the sport throughout, but additionally my explicit means of dealing with expertise level awards completely meshes with the extra detailed model of this entire motivational XP system factor.
So, earlier than I clarify the latter, let me clarify the previous.
So, what’s my explicit means of handing expertise level awards? Nicely, you most likely already know bits and items. You most likely know that I truly use XP and never milestones or different silly GM fiat leveling. As a result of I’m not lazy and silly and I don’t hate my sport. However I’ve already defined that so many instances that any additional disagreement might solely be the results of cussed, willful ignorance or precise mind injury. Don’t overlook to put up a remark earlier than you go!
You additionally most likely know that, although I do use XP, I don’t truly do an entire lot of math. Principally, every time the PCs overcome an encounter, I give them a pleasant, pre-packaged, pre-calculated, fastened quantity of XP.
And I’m hoping that, within the Lexicon of the Angrican Church, the phrases “encounter” and “fight” will not be synonyms. Neither are “kill” and “overcome.” However, as a result of hope is a silly factor that solely results in a damaged coronary heart, I’ll clarify that once more. An encounter doesn’t should be a fight and also you don’t should kill one thing lifeless to beat it. An encounter happens every time the gamers come into battle with an outdoor drive over whether or not they get what they need or not. Additional, conflicts solely depend as encounters if the gamers should make an effort or pay a price or take a danger to resolve it.
The remainder of what might be type of fuzzy. Up to now, I believe I’ve defined some s$&% about Goal XP and Half Awards and Discoveries. Truthfully, I don’t bear in mind all of the lies I’ve instructed you about how I deal with XP. However all that s$&%’s irrelevant anyway. As a result of, when you get previous the stuff about
“overcoming encounters” and “fastened, easy-to-math XP awards,” all the pieces else varies from sport to sport. I have accomplished all of these issues previously. However they’re not likely a part of the Core Guidelines of Indignant’s Strategy to XP.
Other than the stuff I mentioned above, it’s additionally Core that I give out XP on the finish of every session. After I bear in mind to. And whereas I’m normally mumbling and half-asleep after I do it, I strive to clarify exactly why I’m awarding the XP that I’m. Principally, I tally up all of the encounters the PCs encountered and provides them XP for every.
Nicely, you killed the defenseless orcish orphans… in order that’s 100 XP. And also you humiliated the excessive priestess of consolation, mercy, and niceness… in order that’s one other 50 XP. Oh, and also you splattered the jelly doughnut golem… and so on.
As soon as I pile up all of the XP, I divide it amongst the player-characters evenly with no entire lot of fear over who did what and who missed which encounter. And that’s that.
As a aspect observe, the PCs can’t acquire ranges whereas in the course of an journey. Even when we’re between classes. They will solely acquire ranges by stopping the journey. Normally, meaning they should spend some downtime in a civilized locale training, praying, researching, and whatnot. I solely point out this to present my detractors one thing new to scream about. As a result of that concept certain pisses individuals off for some motive. Sometime, perhaps I’ll clarify to you all of the essential, structural causes for that, however I can’t be a$&ed proper now and it’s not such as you’ll pay attention anyway.
Now, although I don’t love to do an entire lot of math, I additionally don’t give out the identical XP for each encounter. I imply, each encounter is value the identical, baseline quantity of XP. Normally, regardless of the guidelines say I ought to give out for a balanced encounter of common problem and the suitable degree. All that s$&% about simple encounters and onerous encounters? F$&% that. That granularity will get you nothing. And encounter problem is a load of horses$&% anyway. Simply construct encounters and let the gamers work out the best way to cope with them. After which give them the identical, mass-manufactured cupie-doll prize for each encounter they really do cope with.
However, earlier than I hand them their little stuffed animal prize, I’ll trim it down typically. I’ll minimize a couple of legs and arms and ears off. And I try this based mostly on 4 standards.
First, if the occasion didn’t truly overcome the encounter or they didn’t actually overcome it nicely, I’ll lop off just a little little bit of that XP prize. In the event that they got here out on prime after spending the traditional types of assets and struggling the traditional types of long-term penalties most cheap events would, they overcame the encounter. But when they barely scraped by? If the victory price them loads? If they’d a significant setback? In the event that they needed to retreat or limp away or give up? In the event that they misplaced? I don’t give them the complete XP prize. I name that the Win, Lose, or Draw rule.
Second, if the occasion solely bypassed the encounter — in the event that they didn’t actually resolve it completely — I withhold among the XP award. Principally, if the mentioned encounter can by no means and can by no means come up once more, they completely overcame it. But when the gamers might doubtlessly run into it once more? If the battle’s nonetheless sitting there? Technically nonetheless in the way in which? Even when they by no means do run into it once more? I don’t give them the entire prize. After they come again and end the job, they will have the remainder of the XP. And till they do, they will’t get any extra XP for coping with the identical encounter. That’s my Half Up Entrance, Half When You Really End the Job rule.
Third, if the encounter was what I name a “fastened encounter,” they get the entire XP pot. But when what they overcame was a “random” encounter, the gamers stroll away with a comfort prize. In my head, I truly name them “deliberate encounters,” not “fastened encounters,” however I simply know a few of you jackholes will give me a tough time about that. As a result of I don’t at all times plan my deliberate encounters. Generally, I pull them out of my a$&.
A hard and fast encounter is one the occasion has to cope with as a result of I put it there to cope with. If any occasion that took the identical path by the journey would run right into a given encounter, that’s a set encounter. Even when I’ve to improvise the encounter as a result of I didn’t count on the gamers to go shake down the guard captain for info, it’s nonetheless a set encounter as a result of any group of gamers that shook down that guard marketing campaign must cope with that very same encounter.
Random encounters are encounters that I didn’t particularly put within the gamers’ methods. They embody random, wandering monsters but additionally issues that arose due to silly s$&% the gamers did, setbacks, penalties, and something some fool participant wrote into their backstory. Principally, random encounters are the gamers’ fault. And sure, random, wandering monsters are the gamers’ faults although I’m the one which wrote the encounter desk and designed the encounters. Random encounters are the results of the gamers wandering, dawdling, or exploring. They’re both a punishment for inefficient play or a worth for exploring off the crushed path.
Fastened encounters are value nonetheless a lot XP they’re value. However random encounters are value a extremely small quantity of XP. A pittance. You may’t effectively degree up your occasion by wandering the woods killing boars or pissing off NPCs which have numerous minions to ship after you or by writing a felony gang you as soon as betrayed into your backstory so that you’re at all times coping with random thugs. Which is why I name this my No Grinding rule.
Lastly, if the occasion dealt with the encounter on their very own, that’s nice. But when they’d a considerable variety of helpful NPC allies alongside, they don’t get the grand prize. I shave off among the XP award on the idea that they should share it with their buddies. I don’t truly observe non-players characters’ ranges and expertise factors. F$&% no. Who the hell wants that work? However I do faux the NPCs are incomes XP by subtracting their share from the XP the gamers earn. This one’s known as the If I Damage My Again Carrying You Guys, You Can Pay My Chiropractor rule.
Now, you may need seen that these guidelines are all type of obscure and subjective. That I’m mainly grading my gamers on how nicely they’re enjoying. And also you’re proper. Congratulations you f$&%ing genius you. They’re subjective and I’m grading my gamers. I’m the GM. That’s my job. If the job didn’t require subjectivity, D&D could possibly be run by a pc powered by math as an alternative of by an amazingly sensible, infinitely imaginative mind powered by irrationality.
You may additionally have seen that this appears fairly sophisticated. Nevertheless it’s not. It’s actually fairly easy. Particularly in comparison with the mathematics the sport system normally expects you to do. More often than not, I don’t should do something. More often than not, the occasion overcomes completely regular encounters by themselves. And thus, they largely earn fastened XP awards for every. No math wanted. However typically, there’s one thing that provides just a little asterisk to the victory. Generally it’s solely a marginal victory. Generally a defeat. Generally the occasion circumvented the issue as an alternative of coping with it. Generally the occasion lets the NPCs cope with the issue. Generally the occasion solved an issue they, themselves created. That’s why I collectively refer to those as my Tainted Victory guidelines. And all I’ve to do to maintain observe of this s$&% is put just a little tick mark on a chunk of paper for each encounter after which add some asterisks every time I really feel just like the occasion perhaps doesn’t actually deserve a blue ribbon for it.
So what, although? If this text’s about the best way to encourage the gamers to do motivations with some bonus XP, why am I padding it out by explaining my total method to expertise level awards? Nicely, it’s primarily so that you perceive why I’m proposing the method to motivational XP that I’m. Why it appears to be like the way in which it does.
Each one in every of my classes, to begin with, ends with this little wrap-up the place I evaluation the gamers’ victories and defeats and rating them and provides them a prize. Which, structurally, is a superb f$&%ing approach to finish a session. It gives the gamers with each a recap and a denouement even when the journey continues to be ongoing. And that makes each session really feel like a satisfying, self-contained chunk of sport. For that motive, the XP’s not the essential half. It’s simply an excuse. It’s only a mechanical system that tips GMs into structuring their sport proper. Which means the end-of-session wrap-up is the proper place so as to add another system for tricking individuals into enjoying proper.
I hand out XP, second of all, based mostly — at the very least partly — on arbitrary, subjective whims. No less than, that’s what most of you’ll name it. In fact, my subjectivity is something however arbitrary and I’m certain as hell not whimsical about it. There are guidelines. They’re simply not quantifiable, math guidelines. They’re standards. The idea for judgment calls. Contemplating motivation is a story factor and narrative issues are extremely subjective and never quantifiable, it’s acceptable so as to add them to a system that’s already based mostly on judgment calls.
There’s two sorts of XP development in my sport, third of all, although it’s most likely not instantly apparent from my Core XP guidelines above. There’s a gradual, predictable instream of expertise factors that come from simply enjoying the sport as it’s. Confront every encounter, overcome it correctly, and transfer on to the following. It gives a pleasant, dependable sense of incremental development. Any deviation from that comes from what the gamers truly do in the course of the sport. The Tainted Victory guidelines make sure the gamers are taking dangers, paying prices, and pushing themselves to really win the sport. So long as they put within the effort, they’ll get the XP. But when they someway don’t, they’ll sluggish their very own development.
In previous video games, I’ve given out further XP awards for all types of various s$&%. Engaging in aims, making discoveries, endeavor aspect quests, s$%& like that. However that stuff’s not simply there to present the gamers further development. As a substitute, it’s there to vary the way in which I design the sport and to vary the way in which the gamers play the sport. And if the stuff doesn’t change the sport, it’s not value bonus XP.
For instance, if I’m working an journey by which the PCs are employed to kill a dragon after which they kill the dragon, I wouldn’t give them further XP for finishing the hunt. They received XP for killing the dragon already. I’m not going to present them a prize for successful the identical struggle twice. Sure, it’s more difficult to kill a dragon on the finish of an journey than it’s to kill a dragon very first thing within the morning and take the remainder of the time without work, however that’s actually true of each encounter in each journey. Distinction that with an journey by which the PCs should rescue a princess earlier than the cult sacrifices her to their darkish god. It’s not sufficient to beat the cultists now. Even when they win all of the encounters, they will nonetheless lose the journey. Perhaps they took too lengthy. Or perhaps they raised such a ruckus that the cultists moved up their timetable and despatched the princess to Shub Niggurath forward of schedule.
See, if I’m working a sport by which I hand out bonus XP for finishing aims, it jogs my memory to design my adventures in another way. To design them in order that the gamers can lose the journey even when they win all of the encounters. Or win the journey even when they lose a bunch of encounters. The bonus XP system modifications the way in which I run the sport.
It’s the identical with the bonus XP I typically hand out for making discoveries. If the gamers aren’t making some deliberate effort to discover or endeavor some further danger, in the event that they’re simply stumbling over discoveries, it’s not value XP. If the bonus XP drives the gamers to dawdle, linger, analysis, examine, poke, and prod, then it’s doing one thing helpful.
So a system that’s designed to vary the way in which the gamers play their characters suits completely into my current Indignant XP Framework.
And now let’s speak about how that system would possibly truly work.
The entire level of this technique’s simply to get the gamers to really f$&%ing take into consideration their characters’ motivations. To resolve what motivates their characters after which to make gameplay decisions based mostly on these selections. Ideally, to make gameplay decisions that solely a participant who’d picked that particular motivation would make.
This implies, firstly, you’ve received to get the gamers to resolve what motivates their characters. Which would be the hardest half.
What Motivates You?
To make use of this technique, the very first thing you’ve received to do is get every participant to assign their character a main motivation. And also you’re going to have to assist them. As a result of gamers critically overcomplicate this motivation s$&%. They load it down with a bunch of rationalization and clarification and backstory and psychobabble bulls$&%. And that’s once they don’t mistake objectives for motivations.
Now, I’ve received an entire article to jot down about motivation as a story and gameplay software. I’ll clarify what motivations actually are and what separates good motivations from dangerous. For now, although, I’m going to provide the quick, quick model and depart you to muddle by.
Motivations symbolize the values, wishes, drives, and desires that designate why a personality does what they do. A motivation will not be a aim. It’s not a selected factor a personality needs to perform. As a substitute, it explains why that aim — and each aim the character undertakes — is essential to the character. A personality would possibly wish to kill the particular person what murdered their father. That’s a aim. However the motivation is perhaps a want for revenge, a want for justice, a way of responsibility to the household, or a must quench an internal rage. A personality would possibly wish to purchase an costly mansion and fill it with all types of luxurious appointments. Once more, that’s a aim. However the motivation is perhaps a want for consolation and safety, a want for standing, or a want for wealth. It would even be pushed by jealousy or resentment.
Motivations clarify why a personality does the issues they do. Plenty of individuals have murdered fathers and everybody wants a home. However not everybody spends their entire life pursuing the assassin. Or amassing wealth to purchase probably the most unnecessarily big and opulent home ever. And whereas a aim units the character on one path with one end line, a motivation opens up plenty of paths and plenty of end traces. If all of your character needs to do is kill their father’s assassin, that’s all you’ll ever do. However when you acknowledge the burning anger your character feels on the injustice the homicide represents or the deprivation or no matter, then your character can be more likely to tackle aspect adventures on the way in which to assist different individuals whose father’s received homicide and to proper different injustices. And even after your character kills his father’s assassin, he’ll most likely discover himself unhappy and should avenge himself on one thing else. As a result of the intrinsic want doesn’t go away.
Batman wasn’t simply avenging his dad and mom’ deaths, bear in mind, he hated crime and criminals and needed to punish all of them. He didn’t have a aim; he had a motivation.
Your aim, in the meantime, is to get every participant to assign their character a very good main motivation. And other than being a press release of what intrinsic worth, want, want, or very best pushes the character towards their objectives, a very good main motivation can be quick. Actually, extraordinarily, succinctly quick. Two phrases quick. A verb and a noun. A very good motivation takes the type of “get factor” or “chase concept.”
Right here’s a non-exhaustive record of fine RPG motivations in no explicit order:
- Amass wealth
- Earn glory
- Acquire respect
- Accrue energy
- Obtain standing
- Earn recognition
- Obey responsibility
- Uncover reality
- Do good
- Assist others
- Excellent self
- Acquire information
- Indulge pleasure
- Fulfill future
- Stave off boredom
- Fulfill wanderlust
- Instill chaos
- Slake anger
- Mete out justice
- Unfold the religion
- Take revenge
- Climb the ranks
- Construct a following
- Show mettle
- Grasp ability
Be happy to only fling that record at your gamers and say, “every of you simply decide one, okay?”
I do know there’s much more to say about motivations. For some motive, every time I speak about objectives and motivations, individuals get actually f$&%ing bizarre and ask actually silly questions. Questions, for instance, like why a personality would ever do something apart from pursue their main motivation. And people questions make me marvel if the individuals asking them are even human f$&%ing beings. Critically. Do you even human? I promise I’ll reply all of the silly questions all you computer systems and aliens have in another article, okay? Simply be glad with this synopsis for now, please.
Assist Me Assist You… Earn Motivational XP
As soon as everybody’s received a pleasant, stable, main motivation you approve — don’t permit any motivation that doesn’t match or will totally f$&% up your sport — as soon as the PCs are correctly motivated, the onerous half’s accomplished. As a result of now, it’s totally on the gamers to pursue these motivations. And to let every time they do. You don’t have to present this motivation s$&% one other thought.
I imply, you may give it just a little thought. These motivations are nice adventure-building instruments. They inform you what intrinsic and extrinsic rewards will get the characters going. And so they additionally trace at what sort of sport the gamers wish to play. However apart from that crap, you don’t should care in regards to the PCs’ motivations.
As a substitute, on the finish of every session — throughout your end-of-session XP roundup — invite every participant to remind you what their character’s motivation is and to then cite a selected instance from the session’s motion of how they pursued their motivation. What particular motion did they undertake in pursuit of their motivation? What particular selection did they make? What particular occasion did they take part in or bypass? In brief, what did they do to show they gave a f$&% about their character’s motivation?
Every participant will get one probability per session to quote a single, particular instance of how their character’s motivation modified the way in which they performed the sport. In, like, one sentence tops.
Grading their Efforts
As soon as a participant’s offered you a single, particular occasion that proves they provide a s$&% about their character’s motivation, it’s on you — the GM — to find out simply how a lot of a s$&% they actually gave. And also you achieve this by score the instance on a four-point scale. Both they did Nothing Particular, they Pursued their Motivation, they Indulged their Motivation, or they Quenched their Motivation.
Look, the rankings aren’t essential. I’m nonetheless engaged on the names. Name them, Barley, A Litte, A Lot, and Holy S$&% for all I care.
If in your opinion, the character’s motivation didn’t change the course of play — if it didn’t contain any danger or price or effort, if the character didn’t accomplish something, if nothing occurred that wasn’t already going to occur anyway — the participant did Nothing Particular. Sure, taking an excellent cut up of the occasion’s treasure does fulfill a PC’s want for wealth, however each PC takes their cut up and each occasion earns treasure. Destroying the cult chief serves the better good, certain, however that’s what you have been employed to do and you’ll have accomplished it even when he wasn’t the fantasy equal of Joseph Stalin. That’s Nothing Particular.
However, although, if the character did do one thing they wouldn’t have accomplished however for the truth that they wrote down the particular motivation they did and if the character’s motion required some quantity of effort or concerned some type of price or carried some degree of danger, you then’ve received to evaluate what they really achieved. If the rogue spent some effort and time befriending the native fence so she might promote her ill-gotten beneficial properties later at a hefty markup, she didn’t truly fulfill her want for wealth, however she did work towards it. Making contacts, buying assets, or in any other case organising the items on the board? That’s Pursuing a Motivation.
If the character took a danger or paid or price or expended an effort within the pursuit of their motivation and got here away with one thing — some achievement, one thing greater than they’d earlier than — nicely, then they really Indulged their Motivation. If as a GM, you’ll be able to say they’ve extra of no matter it’s they’re after than once they began the session, you’ve received to present them credit score for it.
Now, that is all subjective and situational and game-specific. If the rogue sells their journey loot to her good friend the fence, that may not qualify as something particular at your desk. However at my desk, as a result of there’s at all times a danger related to felony habits and it would convey issues into the sport, that counts as an indulgence. And since my sport’s an open-world sport whereby the gamers have plenty of completely different objectives they may pursue, when the cleric convinces the remainder of the occasion to assist the native temple professional bono — not counting no matter loot they discover in no matter dungeon they delve — that’s indulging a pursuit of fine. Convincing your fellow gamers to associate with something certain as hell takes effort. And all these different potential adventures are missed alternatives and subsequently represent a price. In your sport, although, the place the PCs simply do regardless of the quest-giver tells them, this s$&% wouldn’t depend as something particular.
In the long run, it comes down as to if you — as GM — assume the motivation truly modified the course of the sport, whether or not the PC truly needed to work at it, whether or not there was something at stake, and whether or not the PC truly achieved something.
Despite the fact that you’re utilizing your individual subjective judgment, it’s essential that you just solely choose what the gamers offer you. Bear in mind, the entire level is to get the gamers worrying about their motivations. It’s to not give you one thing else to fret about. It’s as much as the gamers to inform you once they assume their motivations have been in play. Don’t even counsel issues to the gamers. Don’t assist. Bear in mind, you don’t know what’s within the gamers’ silly heads. A participant would possibly do one thing in play that certain appears to be like like they gave a f$&% about their motivation, however you don’t know if that’s truly why they did it. It may need been unintended. It may need been random. If the participant can’t at the very least join the motion to their motivation after the very fact, they’re not excited about their motivations in any respect. They’re positively not excited about their motivations in play.
As for the precise expertise awards? I determine that really indulging a motivation is the equal of an encounter due to the entire danger, price, and energy stipulation. Merely pursuing a motivation is the equal of circumventing an encounter or popping out at a draw as a result of, ultimately, the PC has nothing to indicate for it. And doing nothing particular? Nicely, that’s the equal of resolving a random encounter. It’s value a pittance. A nominal quantity of XP. Why’s it value something in any respect? As a result of the act of stating your motivation on the finish of every session after which struggling to consider a means it affected the sport continues to be including one thing to the sport. And since, finally, it’ll push the participant in query to really, , do one thing in play to earn greater than a pittance.
Now, I at the moment use group expertise. That’s, I pile up all of the XP on the finish of the session and cut up it evenly amongst all of the PCs no matter who truly did what. And I see no motive to deal with this motivational XP any in another way. That means, it helps the gamers acknowledge that when the characters assist one another pursue what’s essential to them, all of them profit. Thus, when the cleric does ask the remainder of the occasion to tackle an journey for the temple, even when the pay’s not nice, there’s nonetheless the promise of bonus XP. Not solely that, but it surely offers the gamers an excuse to speak to one another about what they need throughout gameplay.
And that’s it. Fairly easy, proper? Make the gamers select a motivation after which problem them to show the motivation issues. After which resolve for your self how a lot the motivation truly affected the sport and reward the gamers accordingly.
That ultimate stage, by the way in which? Quenching a Motivation? It’s there for the actually huge moments when a participant dangers nearly all the pieces or pays an enormous price and accomplishes one thing actually wonderful. And it’s uncommon. Actually uncommon. Like as soon as per participant per marketing campaign uncommon. If even that.
Truthfully, you’ll most likely by no means use it. Gamers suck.
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