How do you get players to role play the genre?

[rayoman]

Re: How do you get players to role play the genre?

 

Thanks.

 

I just borrowed this idea.

 

 

If you are doing traditional superheros, they really are.

 

Actually, another way to make XPs more valuable and keep things "in genre" is to allow players to spend their unspent XPs to do 1 of 3 effects...Usually these are at a cost of 1pt. (Or more if they are REALLY pushing things!)

 

1) Reroll any die roll in the game. (But only if they declare it within a few seconds after the roll is made.)

2) Not die. Lethal blows knock them out, and leave them unconscious, but still at 0 BODY or whatever is appropriate. (As long as there is a logical reason they can escape death...if they jump into a volcano or a sun...they are pooched unless someone has a good reason why not...)

3) "Control Chance"...for example, in my games if a player needs a train to be on time, needs a store to have a rare item, or other "co-incidences" to happen, they can either have me roll for chance or spend a point to make it happen. This can really make games more cinematic, and gives them some feeling of control in the story.

 

Since I started to use this system, my players complain if I don't let PCs do this in every game I run (not just HERO) because it adds to the game and the heroic feel of the game so much. Of course, it depends on the genre I am running...if I am not running a heroic genre but a horror one for example, there is no way I will use this setup...reality in that genre is harsh!

 

UltraRob

[UltraRob]

Re: How do you get players to role play the genre?

 

Thanks.

 

I just borrowed this idea.

 

Enjoy!

 

UltraRob

[Vorsch]

Re: How do you get players to role play the genre?

 

If you are doing traditional superheros, they really are.

 

Actually, another way to make XPs more valuable and keep things "in genre" is to allow players to spend their unspent XPs to do 1 of 3 effects...Usually these are at a cost of 1pt. (Or more if they are REALLY pushing things!)

 

1) Reroll any die roll in the game. (But only if they declare it within a few seconds after the roll is made.)

2) Not die. Lethal blows knock them out, and leave them unconscious, but still at 0 BODY or whatever is appropriate. (As long as there is a logical reason they can escape death...if they jump into a volcano or a sun...they are pooched unless someone has a good reason why not...)

3) "Control Chance"...for example, in my games if a player needs a train to be on time, needs a store to have a rare item, or other "co-incidences" to happen, they can either have me roll for chance or spend a point to make it happen. This can really make games more cinematic, and gives them some feeling of control in the story.

 

Since I started to use this system, my players complain if I don't let PCs do this in every game I run (not just HERO) because it adds to the game and the heroic feel of the game so much. Of course, it depends on the genre I am running...if I am not running a heroic genre but a horror one for example, there is no way I will use this setup...reality in that genre is harsh!

 

UltraRob

 

on previous posts i advocated a spend XP for result type system, but was convinced otherwise due to the fact Combat Heavy characters, your frontline heroes, are always going to spend there XP compared to the Utility useful NC characters hence causing a imbalance. ( I Fight, and fight and fight no XP. I searched out the Vilains base and avoided all combat 4XP. )

 

i have to say i found his arguments persuasive, even though i was of the spend xp camp initially.

[UltraRob]

Re: How do you get players to role play the genre?

 

on previous posts i advocated a spend XP for result type system, but was convinced otherwise due to the fact Combat Heavy characters, your frontline heroes, are always going to spend there XP compared to the Utility useful NC characters hence causing a imbalance. ( I Fight, and fight and fight no XP. I searched out the Vilains base and avoided all combat 4XP. )

 

i have to say i found his arguments persuasive, even though i was of the spend xp camp initially.

 

This is one of the areas where I think the GM has to secretly keep an eye on balance...if characters spend XP creatively, then I tend to make sure they get some of it back...in fact as one of my players pointed out...in my games players who Spend XP end up doing better in the long run. I reward agressive, active play (whether in combat or not), and tend to give fewer points to people who just sit there. (They did nothing, they get nothing.) In fact I would say about 1/2 the XPs spent in this fashion in my games are spent outside of combat anyways, but we do a lot of serious roleplaying between the fights.

 

I can see your point, and how this would happen if your Noncoms aren't taking many risks and your Coms are spending the points like water...In this case I might put a spending point cap on things...say 2 per game....So the Coms aren't screwing themselves out of their own Enthusiasm...I guess the other point is why you are letting them do this...And what kind of game you want it to be...I did it to encourage action and creativity, and it worked pretty well with my group....But when there's a fight there are no noncoms in my group!...Everyone wants a piece of the action in some way.

 

UltraRob

[NecroBob]

Re: How do you get players to role play the genre?

 

Group leader turns to new PC.

"You look trustworthy. Come join our merry band."