Carrots for players in Power by the Apocalypse (DW) games
Mar 24, 2015 8:30:55 GMT -8
Post by tomes on Mar 24, 2015 8:30:55 GMT -8
In a separate thread D.T. Pints was talking about encouraging PCs to create ongoing backstories, but filling in some of the blanks as the campaign moves along. Obviously this is great to keep players engaged in between sessions, etc.
Now, it'd be great if players were always motivated, but being products of our modern busy era, and products of being OLD, I find my players often don't get around to or prioritize these in-between session questions I'll send out to them, even with prodding. Now, these are questions specifically tailored to their character, and specifically sent to the player, so there is no other peer pressures or confusion on who answers what, so that's definitely not it. And the players seem pretty into the game (often driving through mucho traffic and carving their time to get here) and through many conversations I know they are play-motivated.
So, how to motivate them just a little further?
Now, offering in-game bennies for when they've answered questions is a great motivator, and worked well last campaign when playing savage worlds. However in Dungeon World we don't have that mechanic. It also seems that bennies on their own would be a little broken in PbtA games (per some threads I've read). To summarize PbtA games thrive on failure, and fail forward, so you don't necessarily need to encourage bennies and winning rolls as much... this makes it a little more difficult to provide that particular motivator.
That said, I just played Monster of the Week with mister Quinterro at Jackercon (Thanks!), and one mechanic that it has is "Luck". I'm not sure totally how it works, but they seem to be non-regenerating bennies that allow a roll to become a "12". It also seems that if you use your luck up (you have zero left) than the GM starts playing hard moves against you (?). I haven't quite gotten my head around that, but it seems cool.
Maybe give each PC an initial Luck token. They can use it, but doing so means they are now unlucky, which has negative consequences while they are in that state (mostly narrative and more GM moves made against them when the choice needs to be made). Now, because they only start with one, they should be hesitant to use them. However an opportunity to get a new one would be quite motivating, since now they'd have surplus to spend. Also, occasionally you can give them the opportunity to use a Luck token to make some narrative shift or somesuch.
Thoughts? Other motivators I'm overlooking?
Now, it'd be great if players were always motivated, but being products of our modern busy era, and products of being OLD, I find my players often don't get around to or prioritize these in-between session questions I'll send out to them, even with prodding. Now, these are questions specifically tailored to their character, and specifically sent to the player, so there is no other peer pressures or confusion on who answers what, so that's definitely not it. And the players seem pretty into the game (often driving through mucho traffic and carving their time to get here) and through many conversations I know they are play-motivated.
So, how to motivate them just a little further?
Now, offering in-game bennies for when they've answered questions is a great motivator, and worked well last campaign when playing savage worlds. However in Dungeon World we don't have that mechanic. It also seems that bennies on their own would be a little broken in PbtA games (per some threads I've read). To summarize PbtA games thrive on failure, and fail forward, so you don't necessarily need to encourage bennies and winning rolls as much... this makes it a little more difficult to provide that particular motivator.
That said, I just played Monster of the Week with mister Quinterro at Jackercon (Thanks!), and one mechanic that it has is "Luck". I'm not sure totally how it works, but they seem to be non-regenerating bennies that allow a roll to become a "12". It also seems that if you use your luck up (you have zero left) than the GM starts playing hard moves against you (?). I haven't quite gotten my head around that, but it seems cool.
Maybe give each PC an initial Luck token. They can use it, but doing so means they are now unlucky, which has negative consequences while they are in that state (mostly narrative and more GM moves made against them when the choice needs to be made). Now, because they only start with one, they should be hesitant to use them. However an opportunity to get a new one would be quite motivating, since now they'd have surplus to spend. Also, occasionally you can give them the opportunity to use a Luck token to make some narrative shift or somesuch.
Thoughts? Other motivators I'm overlooking?