Another use for the Plot Twist Cards

[CalebTGordan]

Borrowing from the Mouseguard game, and using the plot twist cards, there is a easy way to reward characters for role play and character development.

Adding the "Instinct", "Belief", and "Goal" parts of the Mouseguard game can not only help players develop their characters in unique ways, but can also provide a standard for the GMs to use in deciding how to reward players for role playing. By having the simple additions to the character creation process, players will be thinking more about who their characters are as well as what they are. Providing incentives to not only fill out those areas, but to use them, will help the players think more about why they do what do and might even encourage them to act in unusual ways.

It will also provide GMs a tool to use in many different ways. Instinct and belief, for example, provide the GMs a reference point in deciding what will challenge their players. If someone has an instinct of, "I draw a weapon at the first sign of a challenge," the GM can use that by inserting a challenge where drawing a weapon will cause more problems. If someone has a belief statement of, "Everyone has a little bit of good in them," then having a recurring bad guy that challenges that belief in extreme ways can give the player and opportunity to role play the characters struggle with that.

What are "Instinct", "Belief", and "Goals?" I cannot take the time here to type out everything about them, but they are very basic and effective tools the character can use.

Instinct is a fundamental action that the character takes without thought. It shouldn't be so simple that the consequences for the action are mundane. For example, "I draw my weapon when I am attacked," will be used just about in every combat encounter anyway. "I draw my weapon where there is a challenge," is better as it means the character will be drawing a weapon outside of combat in situations where a weapon might harm the party more then help them. Instinct should always have a clear situation stated with an action the character uses in response.

Belief is a single statement about the basic philosophy and ideals of the character. It should correspond with the religion the character follows, but it does not have to be one of the main tenants of that faith. It should be something that can be challenged, and thus not be so simple that it will loose relevancy in the game. Saying that the belief is, "I believe the sun provides life," is not a good belief, as it wont be relevant to any real role play situation. "Everyone has a good inside of them," is a great belief as it provides the character a reason to try and convert the most vile of enemies. "There is no problem that a blade cannot fix," is another great belief, and one that can be easily challenged by the situations the GM places in the game.

Goal is the easiest element to use. It is a statement about a single action or result the PC wishes to accomplish. This can change a great deal, as goals are meant to be completed. Goals should be challenging, and possibly slightly impossible. A GM should have the finial say if a goal is a good one or not, but only if they would be too easy. A great goal would be, "Find a worthy foe and defeat them without the help of my allies." A bad goal would be, "Defeat the goblins in the cave." If you are already planning on killing all the goblins, then the goal isn't really personal. A better goal would be, "Convert a goblin into an ally we can use." Rewards for goals are often going to be something other then a plot twist card, but they can also spawn the most story elements the GM can use later. I would only reward a card when the goal was completed in an impressive and interesting way.

One caution I would give to GMs is that they should not force the instinct, belief, or goals. For example, if the person with the instinct above does not draw a weapon at the first sign of a challenge, or says nothing about his characters actions, then I would let the matter pass. I would say nothing, and I would not assume the character follows the instinct. It is the players responsibility to follow the instinct and beliefs. If they continue to ignore the belief or instinct, then I would ask them if they want to change them.

Of course, when the players use their instinct, belief and goals to role play and overcome those challenges, then rewards should be given. One of the best things to give them are the Plot Twist Cards. Though, I would never let a player have more then one or two at a time, these cards let the players shape the story of the game in inventive ways. For more on how to use the cards themselves, look at the product itself or the discussion here at the site.

An example of using these tools: If someone with the instinct, "I draw my weapon at the first sign of a challenge," sees someone yelling at them angrily in the streets of a busy city, and the PCs need to keep a low profile, it would be important how the player uses the instinct. If he says nothing about his character's reaction, I would assume he didn't draw the weapon. However, if he talks about how his character reaches for his weapon and then realizes it would be a bad idea to draw it, then I would take note of that and possibly give him a card if he did it well. If he says that his character draws a weapons and then realizes his mistake and tries to run into an alley while sheathing his weapons, and keeps playing up the instinct as the scene unfolds, then I would give him a card.

Keep in mind that the most players like to role play how their characters react to different situations. Allowing them to do so, and rewarding them for their efforts is a great way to encourage more of it. It does not take a great amount of time, nor will it slow down the game as some might think. In fact, I am certain that it will speed it up. Using these small yet effective tools will help the players decide their actions faster, and if they play the characters enough the reactions will be instant and without thought.