Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

Stan Shinn · Novice Joined: 23 Apr 2009 Posts: 57 Location: Dallas

I'm not very good at consistently giving bennies since while GM'ing I have so many things I'm juggling. I hate it when players say they were playing up a hindrance and I failed to notice.

I'm considering a house rule where players, in addition to their three bennies, get two addional different colored bennies which can be spent to buy bennies for other players. For example, players would get three red bennies to use as normal, and two green (like money) 'buy bennies for friends' tokens.

Players can then announce when they are buying a bennie for a friend, and if the group agrees, the player pays the GM with a Red bennie, and the GM gives the player receiving the reward a green normal bennie. Alternatively I might use special coins or something.

A player could only receive on bennie for a given Hindrance, heroic act, etc.

In any case, anyone ever done something like this before?

Is two spendable-tokens to give bennies to friends sound about right?

In my mind, as the GM I'd back off giving bennies except in exceptional circumstances.

Thoughts?

Baiyo · Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:51 pm Post subject:

This plan would more or less nix the Common Bond edge. It could work out for your group, but it seems like a complicated rule to introduce when the problem is one you might be able to fix more easily.

Usually at the beginning of an adventure, right around the stage where the PC's introduce themselves to one another, I ask them what their Hindrances are and write them down. It's usually enough to help me remember to give them a benny for something Hindrance-related.

There's also the "pulp hero" rule where you give each player a benny at the end of each combat. It's not for every group, but TAG put's that rule in the rules supplements for their Daring Tales adventures.

If you don't like either of those ideas, then try yours out and let us know how it goes.
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TheLoremaster · Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:38 pm Post subject:

I know that Sean Fannon does something similar in his games, but each player gets one "extra" bennie that can be given directly to another player to "boost his cool". You might want to start with that, then give more if it seems to work well.
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robert4818 · Heroic Joined: 25 Jan 2009 Posts: 1045

Sadric · Veteran Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 996

I often forget to give bennies. So, at the start of the game(especialy with new players) I ask them to remind me-especially for action of the other players, not for themself.
It works fairly good.
Very Rarely one of the players have rewarded me, the GM, on of his own bennies! Smile

Yuritau · Novice Joined: 06 Sep 2010 Posts: 24

I'd just tell your players that benny nominations are allowed (but no one gets to nominate themselves). I've done that with my group and it works pretty well.

As long as they keep in mind that they are just NOMINATING, it's still the GMs call whether or not to award one!

Tavis · Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 4:35 am Post subject:

Stan Shinn · Novice Joined: 23 Apr 2009 Posts: 57 Location: Dallas

I have to same I REALLY like the 'nominating' idea and I'm going to try this first instead of my original 'buy Bennies for other players' idea.

Thanks for your feedback everyone!

Jordan Peacock · Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 1:58 pm Post subject:

"Nominating" has just sort of evolved naturally in my games. Some player will declare (after someone else did something), "Hey, I think that deserves a Benny!" Sometimes I'll acknowledge it.

Somewhat more often, I'll have the occasional player who will say, "Boy, I was sure being ARROGANT right then," or some other nudge-nudge-wink-wink statement to beg for Bennies. Sometimes I'll oblige if I agree.

If someone's overdoing it, I'll typically declare something like, "Only one Benny per Hindrance per session," because otherwise I run the danger of having someone take the "Extreme Annoyance to Other Players and/or GM" Hindrance (typically known by some other, more innocent-sounding name) and try to play that one to the hilt, all in the name of "role-playing." Wink

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GranFalloon · Veteran Joined: 21 Mar 2007 Posts: 647

Gentlemen, BEHOLD!

Ok, the thing to behold is a sheet that I've been working on, sort of a GM's Character Sheet. I just finished it up today, and it's got a little section that might help if your head works like mine. [shameless plug] I posted it up on my blog http://carrotstickheroes.blogspot.com/2012/03/cheat-sheets-are-gms-best-friend.html[/shameless plug]

Stan Shinn · Novice Joined: 23 Apr 2009 Posts: 57 Location: Dallas

ValhallaGH · Legendary Joined: 25 Apr 2010 Posts: 4474

Handy! I've got to share this with the guys considering running their first Savage adventures.
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peregry · Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 12:40 am Post subject:

Our group tends to work with a nomination system that evolved naturally. The one unwritten rule is that you basically cannot nominate yourself, we even have a call out for it... "Give that man a chip!" and often a chorus of agreement. That said, our GMs are pretty skimpy with bennies, only about one or two are given out a session, which means that most folks have to be very careful with them (this has been an indirect buff to Unlucky and Lucky).

Fortunately, we've mostly been playing with a home brew system where bennies are a bit less critical due to 65-75% of combat taking place in an alternate system.
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