Hope Recovery

[Rich H]

Rich: IIRC, you've posted this before about using the Hope refreshment rules as a narrative tool instead of the end of each session (but I couldn't recall). Thank you for reminding us & I'm going to play it this way for the same reasons.

I'm like a dog with an old bone! ... It works for me and my group; not saying it will for everyone but we're happy with it - far more than refreshes at the end of a game session. You do, as LM, have to spend some time deciding where to have those refreshes and not too many or too few. So, challenges still exist but they are at least tied to the story narrative and not to the end of a session.

[Sprigg]

I'm having a hard time getting my party to spend their hope points. They'd rather just take the damage or fail the roll and have a larger buffer before becoming miserable.

[Hermes Serpent]

@Sprigg, you might want to design a short scenario where they have to use Hope or die, lose limbs, or have all their stuff taken and each time something happens tell them "it wouldn't have happened if you had spent Hope to avoid that outcome" . They might get it through their heads that it's a resource that, although not infinitely renewable, does pay off in use.

How about an Encounter where they fail a roll and the target has them arrested and thrown into cells ala Thranduil's Halls. After losing their rewards (the plot immunity is temporarily lost) they don't get them back without some appropriate Hope spend to get out of the situation and make it clear that the situation is desperate and only spending Hope will allow them to get out of it (set the TN's high enough that only using Hope will get their score high enough).

Alterantively they could be pressed into spending hope on saving/rescuing an NPC that was vital to the plot failing to do so has the NPC killed and their involvement in the plotline halted until a new entry point can be established. Maybe a village is overrun by orcs and the villagers slaughtered because the company failed to spend Hope and didn't get the clue or gain the assistance that was needed. Auto Hope loss when they find out it was their fault the people got slain is always a reminder that they can make a difference.

[Stormcrow]

There's no reason you should try to make your players spend Hope. If they want to hoard it, that's perfectly acceptable.

On the other hand, if they're always at full Hope, this may be an indication to you that your adventures aren't hard enough. The sweet spot is where they want to spend Hope, but aren't sure they should. If choosing to use Hope is a constant agony, you're doing your job right.

[Sprigg]

I don't want to force them to spend hope exactky, but they're failing things (especially travel rolls) and if they would spend hope, they would succeed many of those rolls. I tell them this, they choose not to, and now two characters are less than three points from being weary from encumbrance and the other nearly has shadow equal to Hope. It's going to be interesting when the combat-happy party delves into the marsh ruins next session.

[SirKicley]

I don't want to force them to spend hope exactky, but they're failing things (especially travel rolls) and if they would spend hope, they would succeed many of those rolls. I tell them this, they choose not to, and now two characters are less than three points from being weary from encumbrance and the other nearly has shadow equal to Hope. It's going to be interesting when the combat-happy party delves into the marsh ruins next session.

Well....and that is their choice. If they wish to live as WEARY, so be it. This is their choice. Perhaps let them "enjoy" that for a game or two and see how much worse their chances are at succeeding at everything and how precarious their survival is.....it may change their mind a bit.

There's nothing wrong with the tactic they're choosing - so long as they don't begrudge you for consequences of those actions.

Robert

[Rich H]

Well....and that is their choice. If they wish to live as WEARY, so be it. This is their choice. Perhaps let them "enjoy" that for a game or two and see how much worse their chances are at succeeding at everything and how precarious their survival is.....it may change their mind a bit.

There's nothing wrong with the tactic they're choosing - so long as they don't begrudge you for consequences of those actions.

Robert

Yeah, agree with Robert here. It's a choice of the players/characters and storing/saving Hope may eventually prove to be a very false economy once they are Wearied and in combat as they'll likely need to spend more Hope to survive in such conditions.