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I recently decided that one way to make people enthusiastic about PFS is to offer special rewards for people who role-play well, play skillfully and serve outside of the game itself. I had a friend make up three certificates for some players that had performed exceptionally and printed them out and presented them at a PFS barbeque. Everyone enjoyed them, but with a few exceptions they were stuffed into the backs of folders and forgotten.
I want the awards to be more than just a piece of paper. I was thinking of giving the people who won this award a boon, a one time ability that they could use that would be a little more substantial than the re-roll offered by the faction shirts, but not as hefty as those granted as rewards for actual PFS modules.
What do you guys think about this idea? Is it something I should push for? At least in my area with the permission of local DMs? And what suggestions would you have for awards?
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Please understand that this is something which is extremely unlikely to be officially sanctioned. Especially when you are talking about a reward "more substantial than the.. faction shirts". Realize that by giving a PC a reward more substantial than a once-per-scenario re-roll, you are greatly increasing their chances of survival, PA success, cutting down on resources spent... in comparison with other PCs in the campaign without access to those boons.
That said, a GM runs their own table.
Just make sure players understand that any rewards of this type could not be used outside of local games, and depending on their nature may even invalidate the character.
I apologize if I seem overly harsh. However, one of the facets of PFS Organized Play is that every player has a balanced opportunity for reward. Giving out a local mechanical benefit runs counter to that, IMO.
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What do you guys think about this idea? Is it something I should push for? At least in my area with the permission of local DMs? And what suggestions would you have for awards?
I would try to work something out with your local FLGS for gift certificates or the like. This way you can build excitement for PFS, reward good role players outside the context of PFS and help support your FLGS.
[Lawful mode]GMs are not free to create and award their own awards in the context of this Organized Play system.[/Lawful mode]
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Jarrod, you should contact Michael Azzolino pathfinder@justiceradio.net, Venture-Captain (San Francisco). He's got a really great promotion like what you have in mind. No sense in re-inventing the wheel.
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Thanks Doug!
Jarrod, hit me up at azmyth@d20radio.com instead.
The justiceradio domain is in transit to another host atm...
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I've been GMing a long time (33 years). I used to give out rewards, both in-game and out-of-game. In the end, I think they're completely unnecessary.
Everyone knows who the best roleplayer is. There's no need to identify them. It rarely changes from session to session.
Do rewards promote better or more roleplaying? In my experience, no. Maybe it even promotes less. And sometimes it promotes a kind of spotlight hogging "look at me" roleplaying, which annoys me.
Roleplaying should be done for roleplayings sake, FOR FUN, not because you're getting a certificate, getting more XP, getting a boon, or getting some other recognition. Roleplaying is not supposed to be a competition.
The only reward for playing should be fun.
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We give a special reward to games masters who run PFS modules for our SCARAB events. (http://www.s-c-a-r-a-b.com) we give them a special stamp on their PFS card. If they get more stars later we update the card with our special stamp. It is a lot of work for us but it is worth the effort on our part to let GM's know how much we appreciate their hard work.
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We give a special reward to games masters who run PFS modules for our SCARAB events. (http://www.s-c-a-r-a-b.com) we give them a special stamp on their PFS card. If they get more stars later we update the card with our special stamp. It is a lot of work for us but it is worth the effort on our part to let GM's know how much we appreciate their hard work.
Also for players some of our retailers that we host events for will give away $5 gift certificates for playing in an event. Some of the conventions we attend also give away dealers certificates and we give away custom dice to all players and sometimes custom buttons.
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I have to agree with Jason about people that have shown up to a game day event once or twice will usually know who the 'best' role player is. I left after the first season of LG, so I don't know if this was standard or not - but I went to RAGECon 2000 in Reno, NV. After each session they had the players vote on who was the best. At the tables I played, I played my heart out but often saw cliques and 'friends' win. I don't recall the bonuses, but it was dissapointing none-the-less.
Besides, 'Best' is such a suggestive and seltetive term. If the character is an introvert - are they playing the character or is the player that way? I've also had off games. I've realized it easily could be the GM, the other players, the event or even far out concept that I wasn't Groovy that day.
At NeonCon 2011 I did win an award for best player. But that was for Best Faction Character. I only played Gen. Goldfrapp the Naked TALDORAN Halfling Trebuchet of the Taldoran Trebuchet Army in Absalom twice duringthe Con. But in both cases, Gen. Goldfrapp (for short, but please don't let anybody else do that) was instrumental. And at the interactive I/He/We stood up and shouted something along the lines of the "Glories of TALDOR......" and just in general running around naked. This was voted on my the entire PFS group. And there were some great people there.
So if you're doing it, you need to make sure that your pool of talent is large enough and that a majority of the people feel the same way.
Just my thoughts having won something like that and as the VC of the Las Vegas Lodge.
Theocrat Issak
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I've been GMing a long time (33 years). I used to give out rewards, both in-game and out-of-game. In the end, I think they're completely unnecessary.
Everyone knows who the best roleplayer is. There's no need to identify them. It rarely changes from session to session.
Do rewards promote better or more roleplaying? In my experience, no. Maybe it even promotes less. And sometimes it promotes a kind of spotlight hogging "look at me" roleplaying, which annoys me.
Roleplaying should be done for roleplayings sake, FOR FUN, not because you're getting a certificate, getting more XP, getting a boon, or getting some other recognition. Roleplaying is not supposed to be a competition.
The only reward for playing should be fun.
I certainly understand that point of view, but I find that some players respond best to the acknowledgement of an in-game or out-of-game reward. They enjoy the roleplaying, but since roleplaying is ultimately a social experience they want to be recognized by their peers but lack the pure charisma to be noticed without an outside influence. I see this all the time in my home games: One or two people are hailed constantly as the best roleplayers, even though they are just the loudest, most obvious and grandstand-y of the players. In order for quieter but equally skilled players to get the attention they deserve the DM should point it out via a tangible reward. This not only lets these players know that their more subtle efforts have been noticed, but it also draws the other players' attention to these efforts.
And besides, these certificates don't necessarily go to the "best roleplayers" They go to people who deserve the recognition. The first award I gave out was a consolation prize to the group that got a TPK first in our area. This month I'm giving an award to one person because they got a lucky yet memorable roll (they confirmed a critical on Chalfon Dalsine with a holy stone by rolling two 20's in a row, rolling max damage, and killing him outright) and another person because they have unquestioningly given rides to those that somehow slipped between the cracks, even when they had to go an hour out of their way to do so.
Stepping away from Jason's comment, I like Mark Garringer's suggestion the best. In fact, I had already considered it, but decided against it because I simply had no clue what the details should be and I didn't want to offend the store owners.