High risk/High reward event

[Kaybrie]

But what I don’t get is why are so many people looking for permdeath? Just go play dark souls for a bit to get that fix .

For how much I've been told that I want to force my play style onto others, or drive people away from the game/server and how bad that is, even though it's not something I remotely advocate for. I certainly am told to go play other games more then I care for.

[Mallore]

Snips

Oh yeah I totally got you. Kinda why I said I was being cheeky.

My ideas of high risk was things maybe even epic in nature like tango with a god? Or real rp impacts like status.

I would like to see more skill use. On two characters I go so many skills that have never been used!! Why put ranks lol.

I would like to avoid dice roll combat unless it’s social in nature but also in that breath I would like to see an end to the zerg. Kinda why I like play by post and text

[Winterborne]

I for one dig high risk stuff, but haven't been involved in much of it myself. But every other character I've ever had has met their end at some point or another (Been around since 2011 and Nathan is not my first - I develop absolutely no attachment to my characters and have no qualms with immediately offing them given a good story incentive to do so ).

I still stand by my assertion though that I don't think the majority of the playerbase enjoys that kind of stuff. There's a lot of folks who develop OOC attachments to their characters and who can't see themselves wanting to play anyone else other than the personality they've been sitting on for X amount of time. Or there's newer folks who are used to a more casual, MMO-style of RPing where your character is never at any real risk.

I personally am fine with people playing however, because it's a game and people should do what they think is fun rather than spend time worrying about whether someone else considers it "valid" or "hardcore enough" or whatever.

[Steve]

I asked this of a DM:

The premise here is that combat, non-combat, charisma, what-have-you is consequential to a Character and the Role-play around that Character. And, that offers a level of satisfaction...yes to some and not to others...but, the IC experience makes some sort of sense in terms of...realism within the fantasy. Dying over and over and over again, seems to enable folly, imho.

Basically, since you can take the DM role and offer a DM-enabled experience to a Player, if that Player proposed the situation of a great risk to beating a DC—a dice roll, essentially—would either end up in a perma-strike or total IC death OR a great reward (RP gain, material gain, whatever was agreed...), would you support that?

How many DMs are willing to "up the stakes" in the Role-play that Players may wish to create and see manifest on BG?

The DM responded with:

I think most of the DMs, if not all of us, are willing to engage in this. But we also must be conscious that not all players enjoy the more hardcore RP including those consequences. So in our events, it's much easier (and therefore far less headache inducing) to go a bit easier on it.

I'm all for consequences, though. And I'm also all for finding ways to encourage others to accept and even welcome consequences. But how do we do that? I genuinely don't know. This is supposed to be fun for people, and that's so subjective, it's difficult to make one thing work for everyone. Always open to concrete suggestions though!

Thus, I would infer that it stands on us, the Players, to request the kind of high risk/reward Events we want, and make sure we engage and honor that of what we ask.

My simple suggestion of How, is this format:

• - Develop an Event as a Campaign, specifically in the manner of a D&D Module, so it can be a one-off experience that can have personal RP consequences once finished (depending on the Players' Characters' experiences). This means, specifically, sticking to a 4 Character Level spread (1-4, 4-7, 7-11, etc.) for participants AND a min./max. number of participants relative to the Campaign/module.
  - Clear story, clear goal. Set this up at the beginning. "The adventurers find themselves lost in a sand storm...as they stumble about, they perceive a pyramid-like shape looming in the near distance. This pyramid may provide shelter, it may provide more—discovery and danger! Will your Party move towards the pyramid, and discover what lays inside...if you can find the door! *cue in Search DC roll*
  - Define the High Stakes to the Group for the Campaign. Don't get complicated. For example: if your PC dies in mechanical battle and the Party does not have a Cleric in the Party (PC or NPC), then your PC will die in the Campaign, gain a Permastrike on the Server, and be unable to finish the Campaign. If any/all PCs reach the set-out-to-reach goal, then expect an fair-to-midland improvement on an existing Item, or 250,000 gold pieces, or 15k XP bonus on top of any XP gained via Mobs. Or, my favorite/interest, extra affect or connection to NPCs and changed to the Environment. Obviously, for the above to be allowed, the Head DMs will need to revise the Guidelines currently enforced on DMs handing out Rewards (not such a bad thing! )
  - Set a consistent time and date, until the Adventure/Campaign/Module is complete. Keep it weekly, with very few options for rescheduling so the Experience doesn't grind to a halt or dissipate because of lack of attendance.
  - Employ Difficulty Checks, Skill focus RP and Social Skill focused RP, possibly even Turn Based Combat.
  - Have Fun. OOC communicate, and engage in awesome Storybuilding.

IMHO, I cannot see why High Stakes/Rewards Campaigns shouldn't be available to both DM and Player(s). What really is the fundamental basis for this to happen is for ALL the participants to make a social contract—just like you would around a table enjoying PnP—to support the experience, and to voluntarily leave if it isn't enjoyable to you (with the DM, of course, reserving the right to dismiss a Player should they be a total arsehat).

C'mon people...who doesn't find this very interesting and willing to raise hands in order to participate ASAP?!?!

[DM Omega]

First of all I speak for myself as a DM and not the team as a whole.

I feel that catering to peoples playstyles is the very foundation of what we as DM's work with. Some people like casual, Light hearted fun roleplay with a general sense of achievement.

Some like the adrenaline pumping hunts, The thrill of developing power as characters increase in their abilities and skills. I have previously created events for people before to enhance the world around them and make it feel alive to increase immersion.

Coming onto the heart of high risk/high reward events can be interpreted as many outlets. An example may be to take down an epic encounter after uncovering a plot with the knowledge of becoming cursed, permanently disfigured or even worse; Death. That glimmering, faint chance of accomplishing a deed that provides a permanent mark on your character is something that we all hunt for in a way.

Personally for myself as a dungeon master, I would cater the events to the people that im looking after. So if your looking for those high risk/high reward, I would cater to that. For that high reward, There would be X risk should you decide to continue (Both as an IC and OOC disclaimer).

The heart of it all is to create emotions for you and your character. Whether it creates fear from running away from an unknown terror from being battered through the ardous journey of exploration. The way you could feel awe from that your character had done a great service in their deities name. The breaking of a man/womans soul when they make a gutrenching decision that damns that fate of one or many people around you. Those are just a few examples of development that awaits your character, All with varying levels of consequences suited to your tastes.

The high risk/reward is a balancing act for players that wish it.