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6 months ago ::
Jan 04, 2013 - 8:18AM
#11
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Date Joined:
Jun 19, 2004
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Honestly I do something very similar in my games. I give out two kinds of rewards:
Player Reward Cards - Whenever someone at the table does something in-game that makes us stop playing and start laughing.
Rising Action Points - Reroll tokens. These are for anyone who does something extra / writes a session recap of last session.
One of the big things I've found is that giving something non-creative (the session recaps) as a possible reward has expanded the amount of awards people get. I also never give out more than one of a specific reward per player per encounter. As far as the PRCs go my players can also donate them to other players should they like (And often they have done so).
The big one here that I would suggest is not to talk to people individually about this sort of thing. I know that seems counter-intuitive, but having the discussion as a group can help sort out a lot of things. A lot of people won't tell you something straight on, but will allow it to come out in group discussion and then you can get to the route of the problem.
Good luck though, and tell us how it turns out.
Currently working on making a Dex based defender. Check it out hereSpoiler:
Show
Need a few pre-generated characters for a one-shot you are running? Want to get a baseline for what an effective build for a class you aren't familiar with? Check out the Pregen thread here
If ever you are interested what it sounds like to be at my table check out my blog and podcast here
Also, I've recently done an episode on "Refluffing". You can check that out here
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6 months ago ::
Jan 04, 2013 - 8:26AM
#12
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Date Joined:
Jan 13, 2012
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Sure, that's a great reward, and also a great idea for that player to be able to contribute. But what if that player had wanted to contribute a journal he'd written out? Or, hell, hand made before writing in it (yes, I've had a player do that)? It's not like I'm keeping these things, the player keeps them. I just get the wonders of seeing such fine artwork crafted in response to a game I'm running. It makes me feel amazing.
And yet that journal doesn't really point in any direction I could take them, that player can't sit back and say "I did that" when looking at a map, because how often are journals of PCs important in the narrative (even if I did make it so, I can only think of it being plausible a couple of times, nowhere near a map).
It's funny. I actually DO keep the things he makes. 
You pose some good points, but there is always a way to make a player-made "thing" into the center of a campaign. Maybe keep the journal overnight and add to it? When the players return and see the new writing in it, they'll wonder where it came from. Perhaps the journal has emotions of it's own? Or maybe the spirit of a long-dead shaman has been trapped in this book for an age and is now trying to get out, having found a new "master" of the journal?
I'm getting off topic. Hope I've helped in any way at all though!
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6 months ago ::
Jan 04, 2013 - 8:49AM
#13
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Date Joined:
Oct 15, 2012
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Some people just aren't good at that stuff, and/or don't have time.
Treat the whole group equally. If someone brings in some cool artwork you feel should give bonuses, then give the whole group the bonuses.
Yes, if two people out of the six or so of you are unhappy with something, it's probably something you should think about changing.
This. Each individual still has a vested interest in creating the cool little artifacts that help bring the campaign to life and everybody benefits from them.
I'll also say that I do give out XP awards for neat little things like this because it increases immersion in the game. If a PC is really going out to understand their character that helps me do my job better and the whole party is going to get an XP bump for that.
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6 months ago ::
Jan 04, 2013 - 1:48PM
#14
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Date Joined:
Jun 19, 2004
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Some people just aren't good at that stuff, and/or don't have time.
Treat the whole group equally. If someone brings in some cool artwork you feel should give bonuses, then give the whole group the bonuses.
Yes, if two people out of the six or so of you are unhappy with something, it's probably something you should think about changing.
This. Each individual still has a vested interest in creating the cool little artifacts that help bring the campaign to life and everybody benefits from them.
I'll also say that I do give out XP awards for neat little things like this because it increases immersion in the game. If a PC is really going out to understand their character that helps me do my job better and the whole party is going to get an XP bump for that.
True, but that can cause bitter feelings between the ones always doing the "homework" and the ones who don't try as well. Its the class project effect. There is always one person in the group who cares about the grade, and they work their butt off for it and everyone else in the group just leeches. I hated being that one person, and I resented my classmates for it.
Currently working on making a Dex based defender. Check it out hereSpoiler:
Show
Need a few pre-generated characters for a one-shot you are running? Want to get a baseline for what an effective build for a class you aren't familiar with? Check out the Pregen thread here
If ever you are interested what it sounds like to be at my table check out my blog and podcast here
Also, I've recently done an episode on "Refluffing". You can check that out here
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6 months ago ::
Jan 05, 2013 - 11:15PM
#15
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Date Joined:
Jan 21, 2012
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It seems to me that in this situation, that may be optimal.
In school, when one person does the work and nobody else bothers, it causes problems because one person is completeing a thankless, grueling task and everyone else slacks off, then reaps the reward. In this case, one player is doing something that they think is fun and is a part of their hobby, and which has in- and out-of-game benefits even without extra encouragement (a more rewarding experience, more convenient play, more immersive RP, etc.). I don't think it would be unfair to give the entire group a reward.
But honestly, It's my opinion that the player's opportunity to use their map or journal or whatever in play is a pretty significant reward. It adds a lot to the game. If you have to add on more rewards, maybe have it be something a little less connected to gameplay than a reroll, like NPC's recognize that their character has the map or journal and responds to it positively. After all, since the things they're working on are for the sake of RP, shouldn't they be getting RP rewards, not mechanical ones? Just a thought.
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6 months ago ::
Jan 06, 2013 - 2:09PM
#16
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Date Joined:
Aug 15, 2010
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Since the PCs are a team a group, any type of special treatment becomes a wedge between the members (even if it's completely out of character). This affects how each player participates and coordinates with one another. Instead of giving individiuals rewards, if you want to continue your rewards system, give the rewards to the team. Set up a chart of conversions, i.e.
If anyone brings snacks, every gets a +1 to any one roll throughout the night
If anyone brings drinks, the group as a whole gets 1 forced reroll they can assign to the DM but only if the majority agree on which roll
If anyone brings an art piece of any NPC, PC, location, etc associated with the story then the session exp will be increased by 5% for all characters
This will let those that don't want to do anything benefit while those that want to do it also benefit. This lets your table decide if the reward system is right for them. If the same person is always doing the tasks then let them. If they are tired of doing it themselves and nobody else is helping, when the she/he stops then nobody gets bonuses. Just becareful that the other players don't antagonize 1 person to make them feel obligated to perform any said task.
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