tomes
Supporter
Hello madness
Posts: 1,438
Currently Running: Dungeon World, hippie games, Fallout Shelter RPG hack
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Post by tomes on Jan 10, 2015 10:45:42 GMT -8
I have noticed that when I'm running my DW campaign (I'm not sure this would come into effect so much in a one-shot), I often assign story-relevant modifiers to rolls.
E.g. the PCs are underground. Sure, the darkness effects how they see things, how far, etc. But they also have a mixed party, with some dark-seeing types (Dwarf, Elf) and some non- (humans). Instead of dealing with it only in the story, I hand out dark poker chips to the PCs without dark-vision. They get a -1 on most rolls underground (anything involving sight, or story relevant). If there is even less light, then even the dark-vision ones will have problems, so I'll hand out an ADDITIONAL token to each (-2 for humans, -1 for others).
Similarly, there are places where they feel their magic powers wane... suddenly the spell casters have a -1 blue chip.
The Elf wasn't fast enough to stop some of the party from committing genocide on the Myconid muchroom men (HOLY to her people). She's in a state of self-loathing; -1 or -2 chips.
They are lost in the underground caverns and have been low on food. Very hungry? -1 green chip. Famished? How about another chip?
I know you can do story stuff too... but I like these mechanical effects as well. Does anyone do things like this?
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D.T. Pints
Instigator
JACKERCON 2018: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY June 22-July 1st
Posts: 2,857
Currently Playing: D&D 5e, Pathfinder, DUNGEONWORLD, Star Wars Edge of the Empire
Currently Running: DUNGEONWORLD, PATHFINDER
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Post by D.T. Pints on Jan 11, 2015 6:48:33 GMT -8
Yeah after all its a roleplaying GAME. DW might strip away most of the tax audit feel of Pathfinder but nonetheless its still a game with dice and those modifiers are nice concrete ways to affect the game due to various aspects of the story. "Blessed by the gods" You now succeed on anything better than a 5...for a time...with a price . "Cursed by a hag!" you need an 11 or better to be successful, allowing some great "failing forward" moments.
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tomes
Supporter
Hello madness
Posts: 1,438
Currently Running: Dungeon World, hippie games, Fallout Shelter RPG hack
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Post by tomes on Jan 13, 2015 9:15:51 GMT -8
Man, I gotta work on those Oh-so-*-world taglines.
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HyveMynd
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Dirty hippie, PbtA, Fate, & Cortex Prime <3er
Posts: 2,273
Preferred Game Systems: PbtA, Cortex Plus, Fate, Ubiquity
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Currently Running: The Sprawl
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Post by HyveMynd on Jan 15, 2015 18:44:28 GMT -8
Mechanical modifiers for narrative effects is totally cool in my book. The thing I'm wondering about, especially for a *World game, is the size of the modifier. +/-2 has a big effect on the 2d6 bell curve. That's why stats almost always cap at +3, and at that point the character almost never gets 6- in that stat.
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