Reading through the Basic rules I got the impression that Inspiration was a fairly immediate thing that you either used when the DM gave it to you right then and there, or not. But then I look at the character sheets from WotC and there's a little box just begging for a number to be placed in it with the title "Inspiration" which indicates that it's a resource that can be saved up for later use.
This... confuses me.
I think I need some examples and explanations of what other people interpret inspiration to be 'cause based on the materials given, I'm at a loss to come up with them myself.
I read it as something that you earn (like a "bennie") for later use. However, you can only ever hold one, so you are encouraged to use it.
Personally, I won't be using it in my games.
The Inspiration rules section does not imply that it must be used in any timeframe; only that "multiple" inspirations cannot be stockpiled for later use.
In the Livestream game, Greg as DM gave inspiration to one of the players, who noted that they had received it and used it several turns later.
They explained it a little more after the session during the Q&A. Yes, you can only have 1 at a time (so the box is more like a checkmark box to indicate that you have an inspiration use rather than a number box), and you can use it for advantage anytime after that. When you do, you must state before your roll that you are using the Inspiration point on the roll.
The Basic rules add more detail on pages 35 and 36. They also state that instead of using your Inspiration point, you can give it to another player for doing something to contribute to the story.
Your roll play in that situation was inspired even to the detriment of the character based on his flaws you are now inspired!
2 of my players earned inspiration in my first session and neither used it so far. the other three did not get quite so into the head of their characters.
I see it as a good tool to encourage roll play
Here's an Idea to share...
What I did with my group, as we were very excited to try out the 5E Basic Rules, with a small adventure, and creating characters and so...
When I got to Inspiration I found it great to have some kind of more immediate reward for players and good-role-playing rather that just awarding an experience bonus at the end of the session, but since Inspiration is a Boolean data (either you have it or don't) (sorry for the engineering talk), so it would be kind of tedious and trivial, to keep writing a check mark on the inspiration checkbox, and when using the inspiration the erasing it and writing again erasing and so on, eventually this would not only would get boring but also would take a toll on the paper character sheet...
So... I came up with the Idea of making Inspiration tokens, and just give the token to the player when they were inspired, and when they used the inspiration, simply give me back the token, and at the end of the session if a player still had inspiration, then use the Inspiration checkbox on the character sheet as a reminder for the next's week session that that character is still inspired.
I found out that this solution had a couple of extra advantages, as the players were actually getting something physical, an object that they could handle and also remind them that their character was inspired, but also motivate them to get the tokens and kinda show off when they got them or when they used them. It kinda became a fun dynamic on the group.
Here's the inspiration token I created:
Cool idea, al8b8. Thanks for sharing.
Inspiration is somewhat similar to the Bennie system in Savage Worlds. I will be using a green poker chip to denote inspiration, which can be"cashed in" during the session. I won't be allowing inspiration to be held between sessions, either they use it or they lose it.
Keep in mind that inspiration isn't just for gaining Advantage, it can also be used to negate Disadvantage.
akaddk wrote:
I'll be making Inspiration more like fate points - rather than awarding it for 'role playing' (too subjective for me) I'll offer it as a carrot for someone to do something that is decidedly not in their best interests right now but which it would make sense for them to do, considering their aspects (er, personality traits).
They'll also be able to choose to use it after they've made the roll, as I've never seen the point in making people use their plot control points before they know whether they'd have succeeded or not. But they'll have to come up with some sort of narrative explanation for why the universe is saving their arse at this point.
My players are hoarders, so I'll have it reset at the end of a session (unless I gave it out in the last hour of the game or so).
Shiroiken wrote:
Archon007 wrote:
Because examples are fun:
Character had a bond with "long lost lover she left behind."
We were in a dungeon. She heard two groups approaching from both directions. One of the elves just happened to be her old lover.
BOOM... Inspiration.
How did we decide it was her lover? Well, she asked: "Can one of those be my lover? I think it would be great." So, I let the dice decide. I rolled the top half and she got the story adjustment. It didn't hurt my game, and it gave a connection for the characters to have fun with. She later used her inspiration to show off and climb up into the ceiling to explore after they scared away the orcs (2nd party).
It's the only case of inspiration in my game so far, which is disheartening. I want to see the players aim for inspiration because it means they are thinking about why they are in the situation and how the character would react to it. I see inspiration as the in-game reward for a meta-response to the suspension of disbelief. I have new roleplayers who need practice giving up their sense of "self" to engage in roleplaying a new sense of "self."
Ramble ramble ramble.
EDIT: "it didn't hurt my game" would be more appropriately worded "It didn't hurt OUR game."
Archon007 wrote:
Archon007 wrote:
Shiroiken, please explain to me how a tool that could get your power player to 1) become more engaged and entangled in the story, and 2) allow them to be awesome when it's appropriate to the story is a bad thing?
I'm curious; have you ever played a Fate game, or any Cortex Plus games? Inspiration clearly comes from those styles of games. They are amazing tools of imersion and player engagement. I would urge you to at least try it out once, or join a one shot or con game that makes use of it before just throwing it out. It is amazing how well mechanics like this help players add to the collective narrative. They can be a useful GM tool, as well, as ChrisTheS and Ivstin were mentioning.
Personaly, when I read this section of the Basic pdf, I was overjoyed, especially since it was never in the playtest, it was a very pleasent surprise.
Malckuss wrote:
Malckuss wrote:
iserith wrote:
iserith wrote:
Archon007 wrote:
Saelorn wrote:
D&D 5e, as a game, doesn't care if you metagame. It has mechanics that draw upon the metagame. It doesn't support a playstyle that seeks to exclude it from the play experience. Luckily, the use of the metagame has no real impact on one's ability to immerse oneself. Some of the most metagamey games out there are very good at getting people to emotionally identify with their characters or feel like they're actually in the game world.
I think this blog entry (not mine) sums it up well.