Disadvantages are a great concept for character creation, and one I've been rather thrilled to see used in various forms in several RPG systems I've looked at. People have roleplayed disadvantages for years--the code of honor that prevents your paladin from striking down an unarmed foe, the facial scar that makes it harder for your old soldier to have conversations with people, the absent-mindedness that gets your wizard in trouble from time to time--but in many game systems, you don't really get anything for that. And yes, roleplaying is its own reward, but it's still nice to see these things acknowledged by the system.
There are two main ways I've found that disadvantages work in RPG systems. They can give credit at character creation, or they can give credit when the disadvantage actually comes into play.
Systems like GURPS, Savage Worlds, and HERO System give credit at character creation. By taking disadvantages, the player gets more points to spend on the positive aspects of the character. Usually some limit is imposed on points gained from disadvantages, to prevent the real min/maxers out there from just doing anything they want. This enables players to get a little extra power for their character right off the bat by identifying things about him that the GM can use against him.
My preferred method, though, is the one I've seen espoused by some versions of Prose Descriptive Qualities (PDQ). Rather than giving credit right away, a disadvantage instead gives you credit when it comes up...and each time it comes up (or more commonly, the first time per scene / per session it comes up). The benefit for each occurrence of the disadvantage is usually less than the one-time benefit the other systems give, but over time the character may receive even more from the disadvantage. More importantly, I feel this does a better job of encouraging players to pick disadvantages they actually want to show up--you have to want to see the disadvantage in play and go along with it when it happens, or else you won't ever get points for it. The other method--rewarding at creation--can sometimes lead to problems when players pick a roleplaying-focused disadvantage such as a code of honor or sense of duty and then don't actually wish to have it limit their actions. The "per occurrence" reward, instead, encourages players to pick disadvantages they are entirely willing to roleplay. In some cases, this is actually further encouraged by the disadvantages themselves actually costing character creation points, which serves the dual purpose of limiting the number of disadvantages taken and forcing the players to pick only disadvantages they value.
In some systems, as well, disadvantages can also have a positive benefit. Story Engine, for instance, has Quirks, which are technically negative traits about your character that can nevertheless be positives in certain circumstances. For example, a short character might be able to claim an advantage in stealth scenes. (Story Engine, by default, doesn't actually even seem to treat Quirks as negatives at all, but I've mixed its treatment with that from PDQ when I've used the system).
My preferred method is as follows:
- Disadvantages have a minor cost at character creation, preventing players from just taking every disadvantage they can think of.
- When their negative effect comes up, players can choose to accept it (gaining a point usable to boost abilities in some way) or to ignore it (giving no benefit, but costing nothing). This choice applies for the duration of whatever overall situation caused the disadvantage. In some cases, the GM and player may agree that a disadvantage cannot be ignored (such as with a missing limb), or the GM may require a roleplaying reason that the disadvantage can be ignored. I generally go with just letting the player ignore if they wish, but that will work best with players who are very focused on accurately portraying their character already.
- I usually give the "point" or whatever other benefit the disadvantage is going to give at the conclusion of whatever scene featured the disadvantage. This ensures the character actually suffers from the consequences and doesn't just use the benefit to immediately overcome them.
- Disadvantages can also give a positive bonus themselves when the GM agrees they would apply. There is some sort of limitation on how often they can be used in this way (usually once per plot section or once per game session, depending on how you play).
- If you don't want to use the positive bonus rule, I'd also remove the minor cost for picking a disadvantage. If their only effect is to give a benefit when they cause an issue, I don't think they need to cost the character at creation.
- If a disadvantage is ignored more than 75% of the time, the GM talks with the player about changing or removing the disadvantage (in the latter case, getting the points spent on it back).
0 Yorumlar