Beliefs, Instincts and Goals

[Jacen]

One of my favourite aspects of the burning wheel system and the other games based on the system is the concept of Beliefs, Instincts and Goals and I think that this could be implemented quite nicely into the One Ring. My preliminary thoughts on how I am going to integrate it into the game are as follows:

Belief
Pick a belief for your character. This should be one statement that provides a snapshot of how the character thinks. Its could be his his philosophy, ethics, personal code or outlook on life. It's not the only thing that he believes, but it is what truly defines and motivates him. Examples could include:

An adventurer must think with his wits but act upon his heart.

I shall do whatever it takes to ensue that an evil as great as Smaug the terrible shall never again befall my people.

Long have my clan endured the shadow of the forest, and ever will we continue to do so.

You should strive to bring your characters belief to the forefront of your roleplaying and act upon it whenever possible. The mechanical effects for beliefs are as follows:

-Once per session, you may declare that a task or test relates to your belief, the Loremaster should not object so long as it makes sense within the context of the statement you have written as your characters belief. For this roll you may roll the feat die twice and take the better result. Should you fail this task however, you will instantly gain a point of shadow for failing at something so important to you. This reroll of the Feat die does not work in conjunction with other similar effects from rewards or virtues.

Instincts

An Instinct is something your character does naturally and without thinking. Its a signature action that he does all the time. A good instinct will have three parts: a condition, a place and an action. Example Instincts include:

Always pack extra rations when heading out into the wilds.

Always defend the hobbits when they are in grave danger.

Always draw steel at the first sign of trouble.

Never act without though.

In mechanical terms an Instinct is exactly like a trait that the players makes up for himself. They allow you to automatically succeed at easy actions, gain advancement points for common skills or allow you to make a roll when otherwise you would be unable too.

Goals

Goals are some action or deed your characters wishes to accomplish in the session. A goal should be written near the start of an adventuring phase, after the Loremaster has introduced what the adventure will entail. The goal must be appropriate to the adventure and your character, and it must be something you could reasonably accomplish in the session. A goal includes a statement about your character, an action and a target.

For example, in the introductory adventure "The Marsh Bell" the LM calls for players to write their goals after they meet with Glion and set out to find the missing dwarves. Player goals could include:

I shall prove myself capable to my new companions as we cross the wilds.

I will uncover secret lore in the marshes.

I will defend the company with my life.

The temptation for everyone may be to just set your goal as "Find the missing Dwarves" but this is boring and should be discouraged, it is far more interesting if the company has personal objectives that relate to the story and each other.

A player that accomplishes his goal for the session gains a bonus experience point. Should there be any doubt the goal has been met the Loremaster shall adjudicate.

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Thoughts on my implementation of the system?

[DavetheLost]

I fell in love with BIGs in Mouse Guard, a game that saw several fan adaptations for LotR.

I agree that this concept would work very well in TOR.

[doctheweasel]

I would award AP rather than XP. XP should be fairly even between characters, where AP is going to vary widely.

[Beleg]

I really like this idea. I agree that AP should be awarded rather than XP though

[Glorelendil]

For a related game mechanic, check out the game Dungeon World and their "bonds" feature. Each character class comes with several bonds, with the name of another character left blank. E.g. Fighter has one that says, "______ owes me their life, whether they admit it or not."

Each player fills in the blanks with names of their companions. (Note that the companions have no say in this, and may not even know about it.) When they "resolve" the bond through role-playing, they get an XP and must make up a new bond.

The bonds are one of the most entertaining part of the classes to read.

One of my favorite parts...among many...of Dungeon World.