Character Complications in RPGs

[PrincessGrail]

The role playing game TORG was released in 1990. It was a very strange game about Earth being invaded by different alternate realities, including a cyberpunk reality crossed with the medieval Catholic Church and ancient Egypt crossed with Indiana Jones. I bought a bunch of TORG stuff in 2001, long after the game was canceled, but no one would play it with me cause it was “too weird.” Even the guy I made out from time to time with drew the line at TORG. (He did offer to convince everyone to try it if I let him play with my kitty, but at 13 I wasn’t ready for that yet.)

Anyway, one of the unique features of TORG was the Drama Deck. The Drama Deck contained a bunch of cards called Complications which basically made your character’s life more complicated, and not in a good way either. In exchange for voluntarily drawing a Complication card, you got points which could be used to advance in the game and get more cool stuff. The Complications could be romantic (another character starts crushing on you at the worst possible time; a romantic rival gets involved in your life), or they could be just regular complications.

What was so cool about Complications was that they gave you an incentive to have bad but interesting things happen to your character. Basically, they made RPGs a little more like romances, which I loved cause I really enjoyed both back then (and still do).

Anyway, just thought I’d share that with you. Feel free to comment 😊.

[Wowgirl30q]

That's really cool actually miss I can see how that would make it more interesting

[PrincessGrail]

Thank you 💗

[Wowgirl30q]

Course

[Elliegirl]

Sounds like fun. I would’ve played it with you! 😊

[PrincessGrail]

Thank you 💗

[Tim-loves-it]

Check out some of the stuff from "Champions" gaming system.

[PrincessGrail]

God, I hate Champions!! Takes four hours just to play one simple combat.

[Tim-loves-it]

Thats fine.. an idea.

[PrincessGrail]

Thank you anyway 😊😊😊

[Tim-loves-it]

you're very welcome!

[ChiPaPa]

Coolies. They should impliment that in video games.

[PrincessGrail]

Totally

[ChiPaPa]

Thank you!!

[WalsallGuy90]

That sounds like quite the interesting game mechanic actually, I know some games do something similar in a way. I usually do something similar in my character's backstory, my current DM running a homebrew version of 5e has asked us all for info on our backstories to tie in to the main campaign plot.

I've actually given my character and an important NPC a sort of Complication in a way as well. My character is a 124 year old monk, stopped aging in her 20s and after a lifetime of solitude (due to dead family) is only just opening up to people again and letting herself form close friendships. I've decided to have her start falling in love with our group's NPC mediator who hasn't realised it yet, the NPC is also female so I'm not sure how far the DM is going to let it continue depending on my dice rolls but he seems fine with it so far :P

[PrincessGrail]

That sounds great! Of course, the mediator may be straight.

[WalsallGuy90]

Possibly, nothing's been said one way or the other though xD I just randomly decided to try it since it was good character development for my own character, plus I thought there might be a chance of extra loot...

[PrincessGrail]

That’s a great idea

[Belgie]

Marvel Superheroes RPG had something similar. If you took a limitation, you could upgrade a power. e. g. The Thing in the Fantastic Four was as strong as he was because of his limitation. The Human Torch required a vocal component to active his powers. Nightcrawler was as good as he was at teleporting because he had blue skin. That sort of thing. If you could come up with a good limitation, you'd upgrade the power of your character another class.

[PrincessGrail]

I’ve heard of that game.

[GuidoThePizzaMaker]

This game sounds amazing. RPG is the best genre and the complications mechanism sounds like such an awesome addition.
I wish they had something similar for Videogame RPGs
Skyrim is super over-powered, there isn't a role besides being the most powerful being-ever lol. Games like Skyrim would have benefited greatly from such a feature.

[PrincessGrail]

I totally agree

[0112358]

I also have a shelf full of RPG games I bought and never played.

Fading suns and Deadlands stand out among them.

[PrincessGrail]

I love both of those.

[Syrian_survivor]

I have many questions

But this sure is inspiring haha

And wtf who wanted to (play with your kitty) when you were fukin 13? Why was that even an interest? And omg such a douchebag xD

[PrincessGrail]

Thanks 😊

[ThisDudeHere]

Sounds like a pretty decent idea, the complications.

[PrincessGrail]

I thought so too

[loveslongnails]

I have enough bad but interesting things happen to my character in real life !! LOL Never heard of the game, but it appears I'm living in it :)

[PrincessGrail]

😏😏😏

[loveslongnails]

In all fairness, I'm not a video game guy whatsoever. I don't think I've ever even played one to completion, or used a console! No, I don't own an X-box either. I'm old school. When everyone was playing video games, I was playing my guitar. :)

[PrincessGrail]

Guitars are very cool 😊. But this isn’t a video game, though I like them too. This is a pen and paper RPG, like Dungeons and Dragons.

[loveslongnails]

Ummm... I never played that either :) LOL

[John_Doesnt]

I'm in the process of creating my own RPG using Unreal Engine, this was a good read.

[PrincessGrail]

Thanks 😊

[kazeita]

Did you torment your Sims when you played The Sims?

[PrincessGrail]

Yes lol

[Straight_Shooter]

The graphic looks like a diagram of a uterus and ovaries... what's with that?

[PrincessGrail]

It’s a guy with superpowers

[Straight_Shooter]

... just like a uterus! Now I get it! 😂😂😂

Maybe some subliminal messaging?

[PrincessGrail]

Maybe lol

[ShadowofRegret]

That sounds rather interesting, I will probably research it when I have the chance.

[francobennetti]

Sounds like a hello of a game. What do you play now?

[PrincessGrail]

Dungeons and Dragons, World of Darkness, Trinity Continuum

[Guanfei]

Never heard of that game before. I'll check this out

[ImagineSketchy]

Interesting. That's all I've got.

[PrincessGrail]

Thanks 😊

[OfDeath]

Was this a video game or a card game?

[PrincessGrail]

A tabletop RPG like Dungeons and Dragons. With books and dice and stuff.

[OfDeath]

Oh ok. I used to play the antisocial videogame ones like shining in the darkness

[pogosplayhouse]

Sounds cool. I'll have to look it up.

[PrincessGrail]

Defo

[theWhalers]

Very cool game concept

[PrincessGrail]

😊😊😊

[theWhalers]

Ever play it with anyone?

[PrincessGrail]

Nope

[theWhalers]

Damn that sucks big time
Same thing with D&D for me

[PrincessGrail]

Damn!

Follow me. I can’t talk to u otherwise.

[theWhalers]

Damn sorry I thought I did

[theWhalers]

Ok I did

[PrincessGrail]

Cool 😊

[AkshiJanjua]

lol i play and it has a lot more complications 😄

[PrincessGrail]

Awesome 😊

[Jerre]

I wish I could, but not sure of what you said.

[Secretgardenblood]

Good take

[PrincessGrail]

Thanks 😊