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Breaking the Rules, Writing in the Margins
UPDATE: We didn’t tell you that this is by the one and only Dave Chalker, Editor-in-chief of Critical Hits.
One of the things that stuck with me after attending a talk by game designer Monte Cook was his opinion on character sheets. He wasn’t talking about layout, or amount of stats or any of that: he was talking about the margins.
Totally stolen image from Dave's girlfriend, E.
More so in older editions of D&D, the margins of the character sheet were used to mark aspects of your character that didn’t conveniently fit into the rules. Cursed to never be able to find true happiness, cool scar running along the PC’s arm, pursued by a scorned lover, paralyzing fear of water.
There are so many great tools in modern RPGs that it can be easy to lose all the non-rules parts of characters, especially for DMs. When there are rules for every character flaw or lasting scar, it can be tough to break out of the mold. Here are three quick tips to try and bring some of that back.
Give PCs Unexplainable Powers
When your story fits with it, you can tell a PC that he has the power to do something- he just has to tell the DM. Don’t write out the rules. Instead, have that player jot down a note in the margin like “Can invoke the power of Unnamed God” or “Overcharge a spell.” You can make some notes on what that means to you, but don’t share the exact effects. When they do that, you can describe the additional effect based on the situation they’re using it.
By keeping the exact benefits changing, you can preserve the mystery for longer. Or, use it as a springboard to develop into a full-fledged power that the PC gets to keep.
Tie-in Strange Circumstances
When giving out rewards to the PCs, whether it be treasure or something more intangible, consider tying it to something strange. Maybe the sword that they discovered has an unusual smell. Maybe the new spell discovered has an added descriptor of “might cause madness.” Perhaps when spending the treasure, the character finds that it refuses to be spent on certain things by sending impulses to the character.
The trick here is to make it not entirely “your character has found something that he worked hard to get, and is now hosed.” These rewards should have some extra benefits to go along with the quirks, otherwise, the players probably won’t bother. Also it’s good to keep the effects from being strictly mechanical drawbacks.
Record History
When the heroes have become well-liked in a region, have them write it down somewhere on their sheet. When the party encounters a hag and it curses one of the PCs, have that PC write the curse down. When the character almost drowns in an encounter, have them write it down.
By putting it on the character sheet as a defining moment, it’s more likely to be remembered and referenced. Let the characters drive this- if they are trying to strike a bargain in another city, they can say “well, we’re well-liked in this city…” and you can have the character recognize them from this exploit: “Hey, my brother in law is from there!” Same with the more negative examples. If a player sighs and says (even jokingly) “oh, the hag’s curse is finally going into effect,” bring that into the game. Then later, that can be turned around if the player decides to deal with the curse, and emerges from the experience all the better.
By busting out of the rules that are provided, no matter the system, you can add extra flavor in a way that can only be done at your table, and not by a ruleset. Try it and see, and let me know if you’ve done anything similar.
The Last Tuesday with Nicole
All good things must come to an end. Today is our last Tuesday with Nicole. But weep not, fellow art fans! Nicole still exists and still does art AND you can still get her to do art for you. Details to follow after the video. The video! Let’s get right to it. Nicole finishes strong by sketching out a climatic scene from this month’s featured campaign Shadowrun – Into The Breach.
Yes, I can say that I’ve been there. But it involved a young red dragon and an infinite bucket of KFC. Don’t ask. Anyway, remember when I mentioned that you can still get her to do art for you? Here’s what she had to say on the subject:
Oh and I do take commissions- I have an estimate sheet on my blog on the side panels if you’re ever interested in character illustrations. I haven’t put up a price for a group shot, but I’m working on that too.
Nicole, our thanks go out to you. You shared your wonderful art with all of us and we hope that when you’re making it big you remember us fondly and don’t mind too much when folks say ‘I knew about her back back in the day when I saw her art on Obsidian Portal!’
Tuesdays with Nicole: PANORAMA-RAMA
I know I usually start these off with some extra fluff, but this week’s entry is so awesome, lets just get right to it.
See? What did I say? Awesome! Ok so two more things.
- Interested in having your content showcased by Nicole? Leave a comment here, or message calabacita with a link and a brief message on why you think she should sketch it!
- Nicole and her art are being featured at Gamma Ray Games in Seattle on July 8th from 6 pm to 10 pm. Dan will be there, and so will Nicole. Stop on by and say hello!
Tuesdays with Nicole: The Drubal Projective
Nicole’s back with an all new episode! Last week it was swords. This week it’s a different kind of killing machine. Meet Hans Drubal:
Want Nicole to help bring your campaign to life? Leave a comment on the blog post, or message calabacita with a link and a brief message on why you think she should sketch it!
Tuesdays with Nicole in glorious TECHNICOLOR
Another two weeks have gone by and it’s time for Tuesdays with Nicole again! This week, Nicole goes into a bit about weapon design theory and dabbles with some color. Let’s watch, shall we?
Interested in having your content showcased by Nicole? Leave a comment here, or message calabacita with a link and a brief message on why you think she should sketch it!
Tuesdays with Nicole – Tabitha ‘TJ’ Jordan
Gather round the ol’ cold cathode children, it’s time for another Tuesday with Nicole. Your response to the last episode was overwhelmingly positive, and we thank you for that! This week, she dives head first into the realm of Scion. Let’s watch, shall we?
Beautiful and deadly! Want to know more about the campaign TJ comes from? Check out the campaign. Want to know more about Nicole? Check out her blog! Do you have a Character, NPC, Monster, or Event that you’d like to see Nicole sketch? Leave her a note telling her all about it!
