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Plot Points |  |
This is very much a delayed post. A while back, I read through _Serenity: The Roleplaying Game_, which was excellent, and one mechanic in particular really stuck with me. _Serenity_ uses a mechanic called ‘plot points’, which is a nice way to reward playing in character, basically. Basically, every character starts the adventure with a set number of plot points, and earns more throughout play; there’s a maximum number you can have, and there’s a maximum number that you can carry over between sessions. Plot points can be used to give yourself mechanical bonuses when attempting actions, and also to alter the story in small ways. For example, if you want that bounty hunter who’s been paid to find you to actually owe you a favor, you might be able to spend five or six plot points in order to pull that off. You earn plot points for doing cool things, and also for roleplaying your weaknesses well. Now, I mentioned that you can only carry over so many between sessions, right? Well, you don’t just lose them; the extras basically get converted into the _Serenity_ version of experience points.
The reason that I like this mechanic so much is that it provides a story-related and character-related method to reward players, both in the short-term and in the long-term. At the same time, it allows the players some small measure of control over events that would normally be beyond their control, allowing them to contribute to the story in new and interesting ways. It’s a great way to simulate things like luck or fate, and also a great way to get players more involved in the story and in their characters.
