HJRPG1010
Aug 19, 2013 12:25:25 GMT -8
Post by joecrak on Aug 19, 2013 12:25:25 GMT -8
Bennies are a tool, just like any other rules set in your game. Alter them however you see fit. No GM should ever feel like he/she/it is handcuffed by the game he/she/it is choosing to run.
Void points are DEFINITELY a bennie, just a mechanical one instead of an rp induced one. You can use them on 99% of the rolls in the game. Yes, there are multiple ways to refresh void points but as a GM I can curb those ways very easily if I want a grittier game. For example, traveling in the Shadowlands? Guess what you don't rest as well as you are used to, so you only recover 1 or two void points a night. Tea in the Shadowlands? Not happening.
The Rokugani absolutely use coins! I did a game once where all my PCs were ronin and I did a very economic thing. I made them count every penny and they had lots of issues trying to feed themselves. It was different than anything I had ever run before and it was very finicky, but interesting. In my current game we are currently taking a break and will come back to them at the Carpenter Wall. There will be repeated forays into the Shadowlands where supplies are scarce. During those scenes keeping track of resources will be incredibly important.
"Star Wipe" sounds like something you'd buy in an adult bookstore.
A lot of this.
Plus just because void points are a Drama die mechanic built into the system, does not also mean you can not implement your own role playing reward drama die or a "Bennie" as you new age savage worlds players call them.
Myself and a friend have implemented such a reward, we debated giving just another void point but since they are so easy to get back, and you can't use more than one per roll, or even a turn, we found that too limiting.
Instead, for amazing ideas, and great role playing, sometimes even just one great line, we reward people a free raise to be used whenever they want on a roll, it can even be cashed in after they rolled the dice.
What makes the Drama Die, Free Raise even nicer, is that each one you earn also equals one bonus xp at the end of the session. This is something that was built into 7th Sea, albeit a bit differently (they gave you one XP for each drama die you had left at the end of the session which meant people just hoarded the starting ones).
Our little system doesn't break the mechanics of the game or world, and we've gone and used similar mechanics in other games such as Patherfinder (drama die = reroll) and it works just fine, and encourages people to participate more.
So that would be my suggestion for the question, players have a stack of bennies and don't see a need to gain more? Give bonus xp for being rewarded bennies.