Some years back I remember reading an article that argued that PCs should not be given XP for role playing. Basically, the author argued that XP gives you an advantage in combat, and so it was inappropriate to tie that advantage to role playing; he said that the reward for role playing should be a linked to role playing. At the time I really took the article to heart, and so came up with the idea of giving out what I called Prophecy Points.
At the end of each session I would award each player between zero and two prophecy points based upon how well they role played that session. Once a player had accumulated five points he could make a prophecy.
The prophecy he made would then appear in the pages of a magic item the group possessed called “The Book of Fate”. How a given prophecy impacted the game depended on the nature of the prophecy itself; no promises were made as to how I would interpret them or how they would play out.
How the different players treated the opportunity to write these prophecies varied considerably. A couple of the players consistently wrote prophecies that were useful and as such gave me ideas for future adventures. One player put so much effort and detail into some of his prophecies that they were frequently difficult to use. One player kept using his prophecies to predict things he already knew were going to happen; effectively throwing them away.
Here’s a short list of some of the more interesting prophecies my players produced. As you’ll see, when this rule worked, it really worked, but as already stated, it didn’t always work this well.
There is a coming darkness,
but it will not be defeated by steel and bone.
And unless we find out what is this coming darkness,
we will be laid waste by it.In the darkest hours of the night
Evil creatures will awake
The right hand squad must be aware
Or good for evil they will mistake.During the time of celebration
between night and day
It is easy for deception
because not all players playA wedding feast soon will be held,
who are the guests of honour?Star in the heavens burning bright,
Falls to earth at mornings light,
Points to the beasts of blackest night,
Walk the true path to find and smite.Looking past others in their time of need,
Looking for fortunes, leading to greed,
Gold and silver may tarnish in the end,
Work towards good or you will hurt a friend.During the time of celebration
between night and day
It is easy for deception
because not all players playThe mark of a snowflake left behind;
Follow the clues, a treasure to find.In the seasons between the two moons,
a great and might arm will plung a sword
consecrated in magic,
and dedicated to a god,
through the heart of a troll.Between two mighty oaks is a door that no one can touch,
That leads to a land no one can see.
What lies beyond is a the source of great power.Weapons of Power, lost in battles of old,
Buried deep by the victors for reasons untold,
Laying in the dark embrace of earth, they wait to be freed,
To be wielded against the darkness, during a time of need.There is beauty in its ugliness and
pleasure in its plain.
Only those of the earth
know it heals the pain.A warrior’s fierce battle cry,
An eagle circling in the sky,
A dangerous mission is at hand,
The group’s courage in demand.
Have an opinion about this article? I love comments. Please feel welcome to leave your thoughts.
For me giving bonuses for roll playing did not get the non-roll players to roll play. It just gave the good roll players bonuses
This has always been my experience as well – that bribes don’t change how players approach the game.
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I’ve been thinking about the same issue. I don’t draw such a sharp distinction between combat and role-playing, but I do think a reward system so focused on combat effectiveness isn’t appropriate for the social and exploration-based conflicts, and I’d like to see an interesting reward system for that.
I’ve had a few ideas, but nothing that quite clicks. What I’d like to see is something similar to Relationships in Trollbabe: Your reward for engaging with other characters is a character with meaningful ties to the fiction. In Trollbabe, that translates into a story-rich mechanical benefit: Relationships– allies, sidekicks, lovers, even enemies –can be called upon for a re-roll whenever the relationship character is present and made relevant to the conflict.
I’m thinking of this as a totally ancillary system that players would be free to ignore, while recognizing the enrichment that engagement with the fiction– through social conflict and exploration in particular –brings to the game. So far it hasn’t come together in a way that I’m excited to try. Maybe it would work if it didn’t remind me of minions.
I would just like to say, that that Prophecy System is brilliant, and I really want to give it a try!
Now, onto the matter at hand. I use a system of “Contacts” as a roleplaying reward. All characters, when they meet someone they make an impression on, gain a contact, which is worth anything from -3 to +3. -3 means the contact hates you with a burning passion and is willing to do what they can to remove the character (either kill or defame etc). +3 means the exact opposite – they are willing to support the character in almost anything they do. The numbers in between are scaling.
Basically, if someone roleplays their conversation or interaction with an NPC, their score is affected in some way (usually increased to show that they are more favorable, or respecting of the character). If this doesn’t make sense (I.e. roleplaying massive animosity towards an NPC) then the player may gain further contacts from this hatred (i.e. people who hate the hated NPC will contact the player and try to foster friendship and alliances).
These contacts aren’t mechanical in anyway. If they are in the area (or their score is high enough) they can help the players out (or hinder them), such as the following: Master of the Thieves Guild has his agents spy for the PCs, Ships Captain gives free passage to the PCs, Tavern Keeper gives free lodging, etc.