Alternative Incentives

Got some ideas for rules? Maybe a skill change or something completely different!!! Tell us here.

Moderator: TFF Mods

Post Reply
User avatar
yggdrasil
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 278
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 8:24 am

Alternative Incentives

Post by yggdrasil »

My "group" currently uses a ruleset that still uses the team rating system, as opposed to increasing a player's value when he gains advances. Furthermore, we mainly play Dungeonbowl, which means that the handicap table associated with previous LRB editions cannot be used very well, since many of the handicap results modify the kick-off table, and there is no kick-off table in Dungeonbowl.

To mitigate this, I wrote this short set of rules as an alternative approach to handicaps and the incentive system. The idea is that the underdog team gets to choose between effects that make the game more equal (assassination, extra training), and effects that give rewards after the game for taking on a stronger opponent (bribing the press, sponsorship deal). Those who played Necromunda probably remember the rules for getting extra XP after fighting a gang with a higher gang rating, and I quite liked that and tried to represent a bit of that here.

To use these rules, when two teams face each other, compare their team ratings before the game (duh). If one team has a team rating that is 20 or more points higher than the other team, then the team with the lower rating (the underdog team) may take one Special Incentive action. If the team with the higher team rating (the favoured team) has a rating that is 40 or more points higher, the underdog team may take two such actions, and if the difference is 60 points or more, the underdog team may take three actions. Three is the maximum amount of actions that may be taken regardless of team rating difference, unless both players agree otherwise.

Special Incentive actions are divided into four different types. The type of action taken is freely chosen by the underdog coach, and any combination of actions may be taken. All actions are cumulative unless otherwise specified.


Special Incentive Actions

• Assassination. An assassin is sent to take out a key player from the opposition. The underdog player may choose a player on the favoured team and roll a D6. On a 4+, the chosen player is affected, otherwise the assassin gets confused and a random player on the team is affected instead (which may end up being the chosen player after all). Once an affected player has been found, roll a D6. On a roll of 2-5, the affected player must miss the game, and on the roll of a 6, also make a roll on the Casualty table and apply the result to the affected player.

• Bribing the Press. The underdog coach has bribed the commentators to talk up his team during the game. After the game, the underdog team is awarded one additional MVP award, and also gains a +1 modifier to its Fan Factor roll.

• Extra Training. Having worked extra hard to prepare, the underdog team gains a free Team Re-roll to use for this game. Also, during the post-game resolution, the underdog coach may purchase a new permanent Team Re-roll for half price, i.e. the normal price for a starting team. This cost reduction is not cumulative.

• Sponsorship Deal. The underdog coach has struck a special one-time sponsorship deal, and will be paid an additional D3+1 x 10,000 gold crowns after the game.


Comments and suggestions welcome.

Reason: ''
User avatar
garion
Ex-Mega Star, now just a Super Star
Ex-Mega Star, now just a Super Star
Posts: 1687
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 12:59 pm

Re: Alternative Incentives

Post by garion »

looks fine to me, if you need more though you could use-

knuckle dusters - One player gets knuckle dusters (MB),
buzzing - a player gets jump up and frenzy,
illegal drugs - a player gets +1Ag or +1St

these are all from lrb4. I'm sure there are others you could fit in as well. if you search for lrb4 in google I think you will probably still be able to find the document somewhere also the special play cards from CRP should give you some ideas too if you need more.

Reason: ''
User avatar
yggdrasil
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 278
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 8:24 am

Re: Alternative Incentives

Post by yggdrasil »

You're right, the possibilities are endless really. I guess I'd like to keep the list quite short to not overwhelm a coach with options, keep an even amount of "game assisters" and "post-game rewarders", and most importantly, keep them all at relatively the same level of usefulness so that none of them are too weak or too strong compared to the other options

Maybe I should add two more options, six would be a nice even number. The examples you quote seem a bit weak to me, compared with removing an opposing player from the game or gaining a free re-roll. I do like the illegal drugs one though - maybe modify it a bit, and say that you can pick up to three players and give them +1 ST for the game, but they are automatically KO'd if injured, or they automatically have to miss the next game. However, ideally I'd like to avoid bookkeeping during the game - simplicity is god in my view of rules design.

I've got some copies of earlier LRBs (all variations of 1 I think) so I can look through the handicap tables in there for further ideas.

Reason: ''
User avatar
PercyTheTroll
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 254
Joined: Thu Aug 12, 2010 8:11 pm

Re: Alternative Incentives

Post by PercyTheTroll »

If you use special play cards, a dungeonbowl specific deck could be fun.

Reason: ''
User avatar
yggdrasil
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 278
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 8:24 am

Re: Alternative Incentives

Post by yggdrasil »

A Dungeonbowl specific set of special play cards would be awesome actually - it could open up possibilities like choosing the teleporter you are going to land on instead of rolling, like you could in the original game, and similar things. My group doesn't use cards, but it's a really good idea nonetheless.

I was looking in the CRP and saw the new "bloodweiser babes" option, which inspired me to make some injury-related incentive actions. How might these work?

Medical Insurance
The underdog coach manages to temporarily procure the services of a team of superstar apothecaries. After the game, any player on the underdog team that is scheduled to miss the next game due to an injury is fully recovered, and may play in the next game as normal. Additionally, the underdog coach may pick any player on their team and cure a single permanent injury that player suffers from (i.e. one niggling injury or attribute loss).

Experimental Drugs
The underdog coach is slipped some illegal drugs under the table that makes their players highly resilient to injury. When any of the underdog players are KO'd or becomes a casualty during the game, roll a D6. On a roll of 5+, a KO'd result is changed to Stunned, and a Casualty result is changed to KO'd. Selecting this incentive multiple times adds +1 to the roll each time.

Do these make sense, and are they about the same level of usefulness as the previous ones?

Reason: ''
Post Reply