Game Masters, Be Careful of The Behaviors You Reward in Your Game

Games have rules, and RPGs have more rules than most games to try to cover the wide array of situations and conflicts that might arise. However, very often the rules are written in such a way that they enforce certain ideas, and certain courses of action at the table. As a Game Master it's important for you to be aware of these things, and to ask how they're going to affect your game. Because if you don't pay attention to these incentives (whether they're put there by the original designers or via your own house rules), you may find yourself scratching your head about why your players take certain courses of action, or choose certain options.

The actions your reward are the actions you will continue to see.

Before I go any further, remember to sign up for my weekly newsletter if you don't want to miss out on any of my updates. And if you haven't seen it yet, consider checking out 5 Things You Can Do To Be A Better Ambassador For Your Hobby, as I feel it dovetails nicely with this particular topic.

What Gets Players Their Rewards?

The most basic question regarding a game is what actions will get the players rewards, and which ones will not. While some players might not put it into words, these are the things they're paying attention to, and what they see will drive their actions going forward.

Numbers look good on that strategy. Repeat until it stops working!

As a basic example of this practice in action, look at XP in your game. In a lot of RPGs you get XP for disarming traps, or for defeating monsters, because it's expected that the players are going to do those things. However, say your players use an alternate method to bypass a trap (turning ethereal, leaping over the pressure plate, tumbling past the triggers, etc.), do you give them the XP reward for that? What if they bluff their way past the monstrous guards instead of fighting them? Or sneak past unseen and unheard? Do they still get XP for those actions?

A lot of that will depend on you, as the GM.

For example, do you give the players the reward no matter how they solved the issue, ensuring their XP stays on track and they can level up appropriately? Or do you insist that they don't get the experience unless they roll initiative and do things the bloody way? Because whichever choice you make, players are going to take a cue from it, and incorporate it into their future strategies.

And it's one reason you'll see players become murderhobos. Not necessarily because they aren't creative, or can't think of situations beyond extreme violence, but because that is the requirement the GM sets (knowingly or unknowingly) for the players getting their rewards. And when you realize that using persuasive rhetoric or stealth isn't getting you what you need to advance, you stop trying, because it's been discouraged.

This is, honestly, why a lot of GMs have switched to Milestone Leveling (which I talk about more in Run Smoother, More Enjoyable Games (By Removing XP) for those who are interested). It removes the need to keep track of numbers, yes, but it also means that players are given the freedom to decide which strategy they want to pursue based on their skills and talents, rather than worrying about not leveling up if they don't do things the expected way.

This Applies To All Aspects of a Game

No matter what aspect of a game we're talking about, you can often get a new perspective on it (and on your group's behavior) by asking what actions you're encouraging, and which one's you're not.

For example, if players can talk to intelligent monsters, bandits, etc. and find some solution without combat, there's a good chance they'll at least try that option more often. If taking prisoners, or disarming and releasing beaten monsters leads to a growth in their reputation (see Character Reputation in RPGs: The Small Legend for more information), or if they can recruit/reform those NPCs, then mercy is going to seem like a viable option instead of just a chance to let the GM stab you in the back. If they are rewarded for solving issues and finding solutions (say with gifts from the quest givers for a job well done), instead of only being able to get monetary rewards from looting corpses, you'll see players broaden their thinking when it comes to finding solutions.

It all depends on which options you as a GM reinforce, and which ones you don't.

I'm an ambassador... I'm supposed to talk to people!

While there's plenty of advice out there about which actions you should actively discourage, and how to deal with problematic players, a lot of the time you can find solutions in asking how to better use the carrot instead of the stick. Especially if it turns out you (or the rules) are actively rewarding things that, in retrospect, aren't actually the directions you want your players to go.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Players, Don't Bring Antagonism to The Table

"I'm just saying, if you're going to go into those mines, you're going to need someone tough enough to survive," Durgard said, hefting his tankard.

"And what's that supposed to mean, exactly?" Ventaran asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well, I couldn't help but notice," Durgard said, raising his voice along with his mug. "That you've got a pair of pointy-eared thin skins. You want my advice, leave them here in the tavern. Else wise, you may as well be tying a pair of steaks round your neck to bring out the beasts."

"Uh-huh." Ventaran finished his drink, and stood. "Thanks for telling me everything I need to know."

"It's not a worry," Durgard said, grinning. "So, when do we leave?"

"We don't," Ventaran said. "I don't bring big egos on the trail with me. I wish you luck in your travels."

And don't let me catch you trying to follow us.

If You Wouldn't Do It At Work, Don't Do It In-Game

Since last week's Players, Make Sure Your Characters Actually Want To Be Here was so popular, I thought I'd build on that with another piece of hard-earned experience a lot of my fellow players should take to heart. If you get the urge to build a character who's cantankerous, dismissive, prejudiced, or in some cases outright hateful, take a step back for a moment and ask if this is really the first impression you want to make on your new co-workers.

Because if your character isn't worth the trouble (and sometimes even if they are), there's a good chance you're going to find you got left behind at the inn by people who just didn't want to deal with your bullshit anymore.

You want to throw down, greenskin? Huh?

Much like the reluctant hero trope that I covered last week, we see this one everywhere in our fiction. The most famous is probably Gimli and Legolas, but it's also the basis of dozens of buddy cop movies (and you could argue the foundation of that entire genre), as well as a good third of war movies where the brotherhood of arms erases the prejudices of the outside world.

And Remember The Titans, if you're more of a sports film buff.

The issue with characters who come pre-loaded with their own baggage (whether it's the elf racism, or the dismissive sexism, or the constant shit talking to magic users or to non-magic users depending on the character) is that you're walking into a stressful environment, and then ratcheting up that tension even more. It's bad enough that you all need to work together to repulse the goblin raiding parties trying to burn down the village, or stop the plague of undead wreaking havoc on the countryside, you don't need to compound that stress by actively making the rest of the table wonder if they can trust you to do your part, or being so unpleasant to work with that they fantasize about just letting the werewolf eat you if the opportunity presents itself.

You don't have to be sunshine, rainbows, and happy thoughts; just don't bring a character who is a jerk, and then look surprised when other members of the party don't want to deal with you. Because as I said a while back, Make Sure Your Character Is As Fun To Play With, As They Are To Play.

With That Said, Though...

As with all rules, there are exceptions to this. In the case of the antagonistic character, the exception is usually because you want to actually make the character grow past whatever it is that makes them so abrasive, and give them a kind of redemption arc. If you've seen Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2, then what we're basically describing is Rocket's arc where he learns to trust people, and to let them become his family rather than pushing them away by being as mean and hurtful as he can.

Yeah, we see through you, big guy.

If you want to do that, then it pays to work it out beforehand with another player. Go back to the example of Gimli and Legolas, and say you want to mimic that in your game. One of you wants to play the dismissive elf, the other the aggressive dwarf. They're both mistrustful of each other, and both of them are prone to needle the other to try to get a reaction. If both of you check with each other beforehand, and confirm with the DM that this won't be a problem, then you are free to play that out and let things develop. Maybe by the end of the first arc, once they've learned how to fight together, they end up sharing drinks, and the dwarf finally admits, "Ah... you're all right, you are," while the elf just smiles, and says, "Three hundred years I've been adventuring... and this is the fastest I've ever come to enjoy a dwarf's company."

It's sort of like a boxing match; both people involved need to give consent for this. Otherwise you're just walking up to someone and punching them in the face, and that's not the experience they signed up for.

Because, as I said before, Remember, The Party is Under No Obligation To Adventure With You. You have full control over your character, and you're the one who decides what they say, and how they act. Do your best to enhance everyone else's fun, rather than being the only one at the table who is enjoying your character concept.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you enjoyed, and if you've used run these kinds of games before, leave us a comment to let us know what worked for you!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!