Willpower Tests

I agree with sf 99%. The one time I found a willpower roll helpful was when I was playing an alcoholic failed Jedi in a campaign of SW rpg. The GM and I built in a test in stressful moments to see whether my character's willpower failed and he went on a drunken binge. This was useful because it's more akin to a skill check -- the character shouldn't/didn't get to DECIDE when to lapse.

But otherwise, what sf said.

I know that this is totally off-topic but I would like to see an RPG that has a setting a prison. Each player plays some type of criminal and they are all awaiting for the "Mob Boss" to be released from prison to begin anew.

Although I don't think this is a NEW theme... What I think IS NEW is the fact that each player plays some lower criminal trying to gain favor from the "Mob Boss".

I'd love it if the title of the RPG was called "Mob Boss". But I'm pretty certain that title is taken already. And checking BGG there are 2 games with this title. So another like "Mob Boss: Return of the Don" or something similar might be cool and POSSIBLE.

So my input is do an RPG with criminal characters each having positive traits and negative ones. Inspired partly by Fallout's Vault Boy character creation... Could be real cool...

This is my 2 cents! :)

Update: Oh yeah and in this type of RPG, your concept of WILLPOWER TESTS is relevant! Make decisions conflictual and that players need to dig deep and often break with their characters natural tendencies...

Just an example "The Bird" Johnson: has the tendency of giving "The Bird" when he gets upset... "Oh yeah, so it's gonna be like that eh? Take this (Shows the bird) and this (Shows another bird)!" :D Would love it if you had to control this so that the game doesn't become one giant brawl...

In your original question, it sounds as if you're just talking about a role-playing choice, where the player decides that he character might make some sub-optimal decision, and then rolls to see if he does it. It sounds as if, if the player hadn't considered the possibility of his character making the sub-optimal decision, it never would have come up. This sounds like a non-starter, to me, for all the reasons soulfinger points out.

On the other hand, if there's some dangerous character trait that is built into the character, perhaps that the player took in order to get some corresponding advantage during character creation, or that is built into the character class, or whatever, then such a rule becomes fun and interesting.

The FATE role-playing system has "Aspects" that you assign to your character during creation. These have positive and negative interpretations, called "invoke" and "compel." That system uses FATE points, but it could easily be a roll, instead. For example, my character Aduz Agave has an aspect of "Protector of the small and weak." I can *invoke* that aspect (by spending a FATE point) to get an bonus to a significant dice roll that I make when Aduz is taking some protective action. On the other hand, the GM can "compel" Aduz with the same aspect, to draw him into trouble that he might otherwise ignore. As the player, I can "accept the compel" which earns me a FATE point to spend later, if I can "reject the compel" which costs me a FATE point.

My point is that it is a legitimate characteristic of my character, which adds to the overall role-playing, even when it costs my character, tactically.

One problem with D&D is that new players are thrown into the deep end when it comes to learning how to role play. They have to learn abstract game mechanics, an unfamiliar setting, maybe even handle polyhedral dice for the first time -- and then, on top of all that, master method acting. It's just not the best game for this.

For new players, if staying in character is an issue, start out by running a few games where the players get to play themselves. It's always fun to run a game where disaster strikes with everyone starting out with what they have on their person at that exact moment. Watch "Night of the Comet" if you need a good, slightly obscure, setting to steal -- or "The Stuff" if you want something lighthearted. I really like World of Darkness or Chaosium's Basic system, the same one used for Call of Cthulhu, for this, but plenty of people go with Savage Worlds nowadays, and then FFG recently put out an apocalyptic RPG line that would probably fit perfectly.

This activity helps players to differentiate playing the game from playing a role. Next, you move on to a game with roles that only diverge slightly from the players' identities and give them plenty of leeway. You encourage plot-driven character development along the way with reoccurring antagonists, fostering in-game relationships with NPCs, fetish objects (objects that the character strongly identifies with, not gimp masks), etc. At the end of every session, you encourage players by citing specific examples of good role playing and handing out commensurate rewards, along with a dialogue that precedes any penalties for alignment violations and such. I also recommend encouraging players to evaluate each other. At the end of every session, I have my players tell me why they deserve extra experience, how they contributed, and what they think the other members of the group did particularly well. This accounts for about half of the XP haul.

Thanks for getting me to take a closer look at this game, which I'd always assumed was just another implementation of Chaosium's Basic system (my favorite). Having a better idea of it, I'm now looking to buy a copy. You need to keep in mind though that you are citing a well integrated give-and-take between GM and player in what is considered one of the most elegantly constructed and innovative RPGs around. With all of the characters playing Cymric Knights, mechanics like these are used to help the players distinguish their characters and reinforce the virtue/vice system. It's successful because it is part of a greater whole, which is quite different from a standalone mechanic for slapping hands.

It's not perfect, but I'm a huge fan of it. Looks like a print copy may be hard to find these days though, as Chaosium is apparently pretty slow about reprints once they sell out. Also, be careful not to mistake the "Quick Start Guide" for the full book if you are shopping eBay.

Probably the best starter is just to pick up a copy of Call of Cthulhu, which uses that system. Any edition will work. The game is in its 7th edition, but I've heard great things about every edition since 4th. New editions typically just introduce tweaks and minor revisions (and occasionally a new error or two). It's a game where running away is usually the best option, books are more effective than bullets, and most campaigns end with the player characters either dead or insane. Loads of fun!

Also, someone brought up Paranoia in another thread, and I really want to recommend that. You'd want either the 2nd edition from West End Games, the one put out by Mongoose, or there was a new edition on Kickstarter recently. In any case, not the 3rd edition. It is extraordinarily fun and something that I wish more new players were aware of.