Inspired by the other thread I decided to kill time at work coming up with a modular give and take morale "system" that keeps choice in the hands of the players while still representing those moments where a character might not have the mental fortitude to be at their very best.
I've tried to use the words opponent, encounter and upper hand instead of enemy, combat and bonuses. Morale is something that could apply to social situations as much as a good fight.
This is also meant for group play, full scale war and morale are an entirely different topic and one where I feel an actual system with crunch is probably much more important.
Taking The Road Less Travelled
Below are various examples of when a player can choose to give in to flagging morale and if roleplayed well, deserve some sort of upper hand in the future.
Til Next We Meet
If you withdraw from a losing encounter you can get the upper hand on your next encounter with that opponent or group of opponents as your withdrawal prompts them to underestimate you.
Shock
Something terrible has your full attention, the horror of it distracting you from the situation at hand. Give up all actions for one or more turns and gain the upper hand when the shock wears off and rage or determination kick in.
Knowing Is Half The Battle
If you spend time researching your opponent(s) prior to an encounter you can have the upper hand when you finally face them.
Genre Specific
This is a catch all for situations that favor a particular genre. Fear in horror should be much more active than in heroic fantasy after all. I say active because rather than exclaiming your fear before wading into combat, a horror protagonist might very well scream in horror and feint or flee. Spending a round taunting your opponent in a duel is genre specific for a swashbuckling campaign. In any case the idea is that putting yourself at a disadvantage gives you the upper hand some time in the future.
Gaining The Upper Hand:
Here's where the GM gets to give back, an upper hand could have an incredible variety of benefits. These are bonuses your player can recieve for taking the road less travelled.
Ambush
You find a way to catch your opponent unaware. Perhaps you hear they will be at a specific location on a certain time/date, or you learn where they live and can hit them while they're napping.
Inside Information
An informant lets slip some juicy gossip that you can use during the coming debates to keep your opponent off guard. A boxing club janitor gives you some info about a weakness you can exploit in a coming fight.
Narrow Escape
Perhaps while fleeing the alien horror your character finds a convenient crack or hole in a wall that is just big enough for you but not the hungry xenomorph on your tail. After a few harrowing moments the predator hears a distant sound and bounds off to find an easier meal.
Oh Look, A Gun
That closet you took refuge in just so happens to house a shotgun and some shells. Those zombies outside won't know what hit them.
...but, you should be dead!
The hitmen skipped town after you got away not wanting to face the wrath of a corrupt city official. You show up during an important meeting something bad happens for your rival. Perhaps the mobster's fellow bosses start to question his ability to get the job done.
Bonus Experience
Should there be no appropriate situations where the player(s) can gain the upper hand, then a little extra experience is also a fitting reward for roleplaying at less than your very best.
Any thoughts? Additions? Am I just saying the obvious?
Quote from: Idinsinuation;251756Inspired by the other thread I decided to kill time at work coming up with a modular give and take morale "system" that keeps choice in the hands of the players while still representing those moments where a character might not have the mental fortitude to be at their very best.
I've tried to use the words opponent, encounter and upper hand instead of enemy, combat and bonuses. Morale is something that could apply to social situations as much as a good fight.
This is also meant for group play, full scale war and morale are an entirely different topic and one where I feel an actual system with crunch is probably much more important.
The give and take bits intrigue me. I will have to mull that over for a while and get back to you.
I think the big things are that morale is not all or nothing, fight or flee. I also like game systems which promote future story development and encourage player action rather than promote number crunching or player inaction.
So instead of heaping on penalties for emotional states, expect your players to RP them accordingly and reward them when they do.
You could even twist it around and make things harder for them situationally if they always roleplay their characters with a high morale. The truly fearless hero is just as likely to step in dog shit as anyone else after all. Hell if he's one of those tough guys that doesn't even watch where he's walking then he's even more likely to ruin his fancy shoes.
Plus, if they're characters are having it so easy that they aren't ever even remotely afraid (constantly putting on their poker face) then isn't it your job as GM to up the ante?
Quote from: Idinsinuation;251780Plus, if they're characters are having it so easy that they aren't ever even remotely afraid (constantly putting on their poker face) then isn't it your job as GM to up the ante?
That's why Gygax invented level drain. ;)
Quote from: StormBringer;251787That's why Gygax invented level drain. ;)
His heart was in the right place, just aimed the wrong way. :)
Quote from: Idinsinuation;251795His heart was in the right place, just aimed the wrong way. :)
I relish my olde school PC-destroying DM powers. :)
I also think all roleplaying should have elements of give and take in them. As NPCs and PCs it's awesome not to see eye to eye. As a GM and Players it is important to have a shared investment in the story you're all telling. As friends, it's important that you all have fun.
Give and Take. Give only what is fair and take only what is fair. Also understand that different genres tip the scales a bit. If you're playing a game where the party is heroic, give and take should probably be a lot closer to balanced. In horror the scales are typically tipped in the favor of the GMs side of the screen. As long as everyone knows the stakes it should be a blast even when the chips are down.
This even applies to old school games of GM vs. Player which I do every once in a while when I'm feeling the urge for a dungeon crawl. Even when you are out to destroy the PCs you still have to remember that the Players had better have fun on the way. Give and take. You shouldn't try to take their characters away in the first fight, give them a good run before they die fighting.
I had a DM propose a DM vs. Player style game and we thought it sounded fun. First encounter he throws us at some highly organized and tactically genius goblins. We die, and he shrugs as our gaming night ends in a 1/4 of the time we normally play. Just because it's DM vs. Player doesn't mean his goblins should have become highly trained assassins with complete tactical advantage.
I like the ideas presented. Me, I've never bothered with PC or NPC morale. For the NPCs, as GM I just roleplay them, and for the PCs, if the player decides they want to flee straight away, fight to the death however hopeless, whatever - hey, it's their character.
But a similar question is what about social influence skills. I mean, "lost morale in combat" really just means "successful intimidation." And players don't like having the GM roleplay their characters for them. So I usually just do all the dice rolls, and whatever the margin of failure of the PC will be a malus to their rolls if they do something other than what the NPC was influencing them to do.
So if an NPC seduces your character, succeeds by 4, you don't have to schtup him, but if you decide to run away or hit him, you'll be at -4. Or if another NPC intimidates your character and says, "drop your weapon", you don't have to drop it - but if you don't, you're at -4 to hit when you swing with. This gives the player complete freedom of action for their PC, but they're strongly encouraged to have them behave in a certain way.
NPCs hit by PC influence skills just go along with it, though. PCs are special :)
I'm just looking for alternatives to assigning modifiers. I'm not going to stop using modifiers, those are for those moments where my brain doesn't come up with something quickly and popping on a negative modifier would be easy and quick.
In your seduction example, you could easily impose the penalty or you could save that moment for a rainy day when the character is trying to accomplish something and suddenly finds himself/herself daydreaming about that seductress.
* Sleeping with another NPC, he/she keeps seeing the seductress's face.
* Speaking in public and suddenly has an uncomfortable public erection.
* A little while after the encounter he takes some minor damage thanks to a raging case of blue balls.
* You could even have him/her accidentally say the seductress's name during sex although this one should be used carefully if the PC's relationship is a big part of the story for them.
That's the fun thing about seduction, even if the character doesn't act on it, that seductress has a knack for getting inside your head.
I like modifiers just fine but if there's an alternative I'll try to use that instead. I don't like seeing players try to change their mind just because modifiers are stacking up, I'd rather have them act and deal with the consequences as they come. Especially in social RP.
Faith, Honor, Family
Here's something I'm adding to twist things up a bit. The inverse of Give and Take which also creates story. These all hinge on roleplaying a character with depth and
First up are ways that players can roleplay positive effects on their morale:
That Picture In Your Wallet
You're pinned down behind cover as bullets pound the doorframe, and you feel your nerves slipping. You remember that picture of your daughter in your wallet and her childish toothless smile. You helped her pull that baby tooth. You'd like to be around to help her pull more. You feel determination well up inside you and you gain the courage to face the hail of death with your own gun blazing.
Amen
Your faith in your god pushes you to greater heights, beyond petty fears and hesitations. A quick prayer and you can face the horrors with a new resolve.
I Give You My Word
Reputation can be a huge tool to get ahead in encounters. You stand behind your word like a shield and you won't break it for nobody! A strong sense of confidence is a powerful tool for facing the toughest challenges with a steely gaze.
Now these are moments where the player takes, using the story to push forward when fear would normally overtake a normal character. The give can be any number of things that promote tension and drama. The following are examples of positive morale influences being used against the players.
I've got your family asshole!
Perhaps the thugs manage to take you hostage at some point, or you drop your wallet as you are fleeing the scene. They find that picture in your wallet. Suddenly they know you have a daughter. What will they do with this information? What will you do to stop them?
How's Your Faith These Days?
Faith has it's price, a true belief is one that can be exploited. The bigger they are the harder they fall applies to beliefs as well as physical size. Perhaps you see something horrible happen, the priest you've known since childhood is really a horrific monster. The church in a town begins oppressing it's citizens and this phenomenon is spreading. A crisis or test of faith is a great way to promote story and character developement.
I thought you loved me!
Strong reputations are another element of a person that is easily exploited. It doesn't even have to be rational. The one night stand that suddenly becomes a whole lot more than you bargained for is just one example.