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| #1OraibiSep 08, 2014 0:04:08 | Okay, so the basic mechanic for getting inspiration is pretty clear: You gain inspiration when the DM gives it to you, "typically" (WotC's term) when you play to your BIFTs or otherwise roleplay in a compelling manner. The rules on inspiration end with "Your DM will tell you how you can earn inspiration in the game."
But what's the process for that?
If you're the DM, are you expected to be aware of all characters' BIFTs and recognize when someone is doing something because of their I-protect-the-innocents ideal versus their I-want-to-show-up-my-rivals personality trait? Do you need to know someone's running away from a fight because they want their character to survive to fight another day (no inspiration given) or because they're playing out their cravenly coward flaw (inspiration given)?
In a game with 5 or 6 characters, it seems pretty demanding to track 25-30 different motivations that could give characters inspiration, especially if you're talking about a con game or organized play where you aren't familiar with the characters and may not have even looked at their character sheets. (If you're running a home game, presumably you could pass around a list and say "hey, guys, fill in your BIFTs for me here.")
I understand about how you can reward someone for "compelling roleplay," that's easy. It's just "I thought that was cool so here's a biscuit."[*]
Should it be the job of the players to point out when they're playing according to their BIFTs and feel they deserve a reward? Like, if I roleplay out a particularly amusing scene where I refuse to put on a captured cloak as a disguise because "it belonged to a peasant", should I then follow that up by pointing out that my noble has the trait "I take great pains to always look my best and follow the latest fashions"? At least, until I filled up my inspiration bubble? (Presumably, once you have inspiration, you can stop roleplaying if you want.)
I could see that becoming really disruptive to a game, especially when characters are acting the way they're going to act anyway but everyone is still blurting out game mechanics of asking for inspiration. It's worse if they're just acting in a certain way long enough to get inspiration, which I could see as being a problem if you have a mixed group of roleplayers.
Maybe it's something the DM can foist off on other players. You could nominate someone to get inspiration, and the way you know if they deserve it is that you share that part of your character sheet with the players beside you, so they know what your BIFTs are. Maybe everyone has the ability to grant inspiration as a reward for RPing once per session, but you can't give it to themselves.
I dunno. I worry about the inspiration mechanic in general because while it's supposedly intended to encourage and enhance roleplaying, I see it working that in practice you end up falling out of the RP to give the mechanical bonus as a reward. Shouldn't good roleplay be its own reward, and shouldn't you play your character's personality because that's the character you want to play?
[*] I actually really dislike the whole "you entertained the DM, here's your reward" paradigm but I can also easily ignore it as the DM by not giving out any of those in the games I run. They're more annoying in other DMs' games, especially when it's clear that certain players know how to play to the judge and can earn inspiration whenever they want it. But that's a different topic than this one. |
| #2GrazelSep 08, 2014 5:14:12 | Inspiration in 5e replaces the XP rewards for good roleplaying in older editions (to keep player progress equal). There's even mechanics to use Inspiration on other players and it's not a huge benefit. While some may try to milk Inspiration gains there's limits to how often it can be earned and spent (you can't have more than 1 point of inspiration, it's a have/don't have mechanic, not a stackable resource) which detracts from the effort of earning it for a minor reward.
A good DM should be able to quickly tell when a player is just trying to milk Inspiration and it shouldn't just be for BIFT's but ANY good roleplay by the character that goes beyond their usual level or roleplaying, or helps the party and the story along. I think the likelihood of abuse of Inspiration is limited and there's a bigger risk of a drought of inspirations with DM's who don't want to hand it out for various reasons (including a fear of abuse by the players).
We had variations in some of the tables I played at over the years, commonly called brownie points, that were earned by various reasons including OOC actions, and they could be lost as well as gained (making the GM snort soda on his books with a too-funny joke or in-game action cost all brownie points). These were used instead of in-game XP rewards for D&D (and similar mechanics in other systems) and could be cashed in for bonuses on roles and other things. |
| #3HailroboniaSep 08, 2014 6:30:18 | The first rule of inspiration club is don't talk about inspiration! I agree with Grazel that some players will probably act out in order to get inspiration, but after this doesn't work they quickly quiet down.
I managed to get inspiration for a terrible terrible pun. |
| #4PolarisSep 08, 2014 8:46:08 | I don't like Inspiration. It's one of those things that reads well, but IMX has unforatunate impacts in play because it encourages a mentality of "I'll win the game by [insert special favor here] to the DM" and that isn't right and it isn't good for good group cohesion. It also assumes that all DMs will be good and able to keep track, but the fact is most DMs aren't good and won't keep track...and won't try.
My advice to DMs out there is not to give out inspiration at all.
-Polaris |
| #5Moirdryd2Sep 08, 2014 10:24:28 | Inspiration is fine. Yes it's linked in description to the BIFT but after a few sessions hopefully a DM will have a feel for his players characters and will use it, as it's clearly intended, to reward the Roleplaying of a character as the situations warrant without any need of keeping a list of the BIFTs for the characters. As their personalities assert during the course of the campaign inspiration should be one a regular thing to see given out. |
| #6PolarisSep 08, 2014 10:44:37 |
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| #7ChimerasameSep 08, 2014 11:24:00 | I would say that, from the DM side, if you don't want to think about it, then "Everybody gets one per session" might be better than not giving it out at all. 'Least that way the mechanic is used somewhere around the frequency it's expected. |
| #8PolarisSep 08, 2014 11:31:10 |
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| #9SaelornSep 08, 2014 14:47:00 | The whole ideal/trait/whatever mumbo-jumbo is just formal language for playing your character well. If a character is well-defined, and the player sticks to it, then give that out whenever you feel like it.
It doesn't matter if you prefer to hand out one per encounter, or never hand them out at all, as long as you're consistent about it. |
| #10XuubSep 08, 2014 14:48:57 | I always forget to give out inspiration so I came up with two ways to reward them regularly:
2. During regular play I allow my players "nominate" other players for a point of inspiration. I make the final call, but so far they have not abused it. |
| #11PolarisSep 08, 2014 15:27:25 |
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| #12SaelornSep 08, 2014 15:37:06 |
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| #13Moirdryd2Sep 08, 2014 15:43:50 | If its a new DM then I would expect them to use the given guideline to use the BIFTs when it comes to inspiration. Sure it may come down to someone going "I play to my Flaw and run away" but that's probably a new player doing so with a new DM or an experienced player who points it out outside of declaration. Given what Inspiration does its not really an issue and everyone starts somewhere and everyone learns. I seriously doubt inspiration point awards would ever be group breaking and if you have a DM playing favourites then there are bigger problems in the group.
Sure, if you're not comfortable on using or awarding them then fine but they do make a handy tool for encouraging RolePlay especially in more novice groups.
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| #14PolarisSep 08, 2014 15:45:54 |
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| #15PolarisSep 08, 2014 15:47:14 |
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| #16PolarisSep 08, 2014 15:48:19 |
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| #17Moirdryd2Sep 08, 2014 15:58:11 | Everyone's experience is going to be different but DM favouritism is the thing that could be Toxic at which point you're going to see more problems with random experience awards, "game time", treasures, items, interactions etc. Making the DM laugh? that could certainly be contextual and I've seen XP charts in games with an award for someone's IC actions causing the table to cry with laughter. Hamming it up? Well that depends greatly again on the group.
I don't know if it exists anywhere but Ed Greenwood (I think) once wrote a Dragon article called "September". It's moving and it's one of my go to materials for getting new players an idea of how a D&D session should feel. |
| #18thorbardinSep 09, 2014 3:25:45 | I suppose it's how your group treats it. Is it a reward that is dangled like a carrot, forcing your group to jump through hoops to entertain you the DM? Or is it a minor mechanical benefit that happens when players remember to stay in character and play their role (usually to interesting and unexpected twists of the story)? Or is it a vague ill-defined DM perogative?
For me, I think the middle is best.
It's not earth shattering; advantage on one roll. Rules and situations give out advantage and disadvantage all the time. But it's nice for a player to save and use when it perhaps really matters. It's a little bit of control in the game. That's the actual reward. As to how they get it, as long as this is made clear to the players up front, and fits into the tone and style of your game - then I think you're cool. Even if the decision is there are no inspiration points... then at least everyone knows. I don't think the bottom falls out of the roleplaying if there are no points to reward it. What I think is a bit disruptive is if one player got it for making the DM laugh, the next for a clever strategem that avoided a combat, the last to a player for playing his ideals... I think this makes it too open-ended and doesn't promote a cohesive style of play. Or to put it another way, it doesn't help the player know how to earn it.
If you want laughter, give it out for making the group laugh. If you want clever thinking, save it only for cleverness. If you're combating it-must-all-be-optimal metagaming at your table, reward only the roleplayed flaws of your pcs. (Although if your group wants to metagame and not roleplay, and you want to roleplay, then you've got bigger issues.)
I personally like a game that promotes character-centric decisions, so in my group, my players know it's about staying in character, and playing the role of that character. Every group is different, and every player enjoys the game differently. I've got players who don't care about the inspiration point, but will happily play their character truthfully (ie, think and act from the character's "in-the-world" perspective), and I've got players who struggle to not meta-game every encounter and don't speak in first-person, regardless of a the promise of a point. But in general the whole group has opted in to being a roleplay heavy group. There are no min-maxers at my table.
As to tracking all the BIFTS of all the players simulatenously... it's not that serious. As sessions are played, and players refine their characters and how they act at the table, those qualities that are important to that player will emerge ahead of others. When you can see it, then reward it. The biggest clue is when a player plays against the best optimal tack for that encounter. DM thinks to himself: "Why did John secretly let that goblin go? That doesn't make any sense, a "normal" player would have slit that goblin's throat. That's the safer option. That goblin is going to get back to its clan and raise a posse or worg riders. Thanks John, I just got given more story on a plate." DM asks: "John can I check something on your character sheet?" DM reads the belief: "Cannot abide torture or murder of innocents." Chances are the DM will remember that down the line, because it got played out. If after a 6 or so sessions, you notice that some players aren't getting IP as frequently as others, talk with them separately about it. Are they concerned? Do they feel ignored? Are their BIFTS too hard to play? Suggest changing them or provide suggestions to what you're looking for.
Don't expect this all in the first couple of sessions. Everyone is still finding their feet.
As for conventions, the time is so short, there's just no way for you to track all that... plus: new players and you don't know if they're being themselves, or playing the character. So I think in that situation its fair to rely on your judgment and reward it where you see fit. I'd probably reward it more often and err on the side of the player. |
| #19Xaielao2Sep 09, 2014 11:51:38 | I personally treat Inspiration like Bennies from Savage Worlds. They work quite similarly and are both tied to RP, with PIBF in DDN and Hindrances in Savage Worlds. I hand them out for good RP, good ideas, the occasional funny action or joke. Now in SW you get 3 to start but not in DDN so I hand out a few more in DDN than I do in SW over the course of a session. |
| #20YunruSep 09, 2014 12:49:39 | We once had a guy gain Inspiration for roleplaying being unconscious very well. The funny thing is he wasn't even in the room. |
| #21HailroboniaSep 09, 2014 14:16:15 | If I were a DM and a player hammed it up or in order to get inspiration I'd be sorely tempted to give the other players inspiration for putting up with him. |
| #22YumeiiSep 09, 2014 15:12:20 | Another method of gaining inspiration is for one player to give his/her inspiration point to another whom they feel deserved it for roleplaying something. Why not combine the two methods and make inspiration gain a group effort? If everyone/majority thought it was well done, congrats. Inspiration for you. Everyone (should) all be there to have fun. If something happened in character and the group had fun, inspiration.
Of course the problem here is that some people can take some time arguing over whether a particular roleplayed scene was worthy or not... in which case, you can just rule that if it takes more than 2 seconds of thought to determine whether they thought it was worth it, then forget the inspiration and move on. It shouldn't take anyone that long to figure out whether they liked something or not. And if you have a player (or several players) just sitting back, thumbs downing and frowning at everything to prevent others' enjoyment, then why the crap are they still at your table? |
| #23RhennySep 09, 2014 15:31:52 | I like the idea of inspiration, but like the op, and Polaris, I'm finding them harder to give out than I imagined. As DM, in a way, I think it fetters me with an additional burden and often, I just forget about it.
I would like to create a way to award them that is more systematic and less arbitrary.
What I find is that during the game, I'm too involved in running the game. After a session, when I recap or write a session summary, I more clearly see when I should have given them out. |
| #24_Luca_Sep 10, 2014 6:10:00 | I kinda imagine "inspiration" like "being in the zone", you know what I mean? Some BIFTs can take you there, others don't... |
| #25TimboramaSep 10, 2014 11:49:43 |
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| #26PsikerlordSep 11, 2014 1:16:32 | I thought inspriation was only supposed to be handed out when a player plays to a roleplaying disadvantage. So, by keeping in character, they suffer some set back or disadvantage. As a result, the DM can choose to give them inspiration, basically balancing out the mostly bad effect with a just a sprinkle of good. ie: no-one should really be hoping to get inspiration, because the price to get it ought to outweight the benefit.
Have to say however in my sessions so far, I havent used inspiration at all. I dont think it necessarily adds anything...?
On the other hand, I really like the idea of a player with inspiration giving it to anoher player in a clutch situation.
I must ponder this topic further. |
| (Reply to #26)Bumamgar |
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| #28YunruSep 11, 2014 7:05:04 | No it's not. Unless I missed something inspiration is for when a player role-plays well. Nowhere, let me repeat, nowhere does it say "you gain inspiration for making suboptimal mechanical choices". Suboptimal RP choices because of your character (such as attacking somewhen who said something slightly offensive because your character blows up at the smallest thing)? Sure. Mechanics =/= Role-play, mechanics are completely independent of role-play (although role-play is dependant upon mechanics). |
| #29BumamgarSep 11, 2014 8:50:27 | From the PHB:
Inspiration
Gaining Inspiration
So, it looks to me like it is primarily linked to backgrounds, as they mention traits, ideal, bond and flaw several times. It isn't explicitly linked to making sub-optimal choices, so I was wrong there, but it's not simply for 'good roleplaying' although they do have one little aside about 'potray your character in a compelling way' which could be stretched to include general 'good roleplaying'. The main trigger for inspiration as I read the rules as presented is to reward players for acting on the traits provided by their background. The fact that playing to ones traits often involves making sub-optimal choices is true, in my opinion, but isn't explicitly called out in the rules. |
| #30YunruSep 11, 2014 8:52:52 | Yes but those sub-optimal choices rarely tend to be the behind-the-scenes sort (I say rarely because things like loadout are a mechanical and role-play choice). More often it'll be "how do we respond?" choices. |
| #31BumamgarSep 11, 2014 9:28:02 | Agreed. I believe that inspiration is designed to reward players for taking the 'road less traveled' or making non-obvious and possibly more dangerous or less likely to suceed choices, because doing so fits with their bonds or traits.
I do not believe inspiration is designed to be handed out for taking actions that would normally be taken by any old adventurer in that situation, ie: no inspiration for the fighter who defends the wizard from an attack, even if they happen to have the Urchin Ideal of "I help the people who help me" because frankly, any character of any background will generally help the members of their party, it's not a particularly in-character thing to do worthy of a special reward. |