Looking for thoughts on my custom performance moves!
Here’s the background:
I am running a oneshot game on the weekend where the party (four people) want to play a travelling performance troupe (they aren’t all bards, so they are a pretty rag-tag group). The adventure is going to be focused on the final round of the national competition (no idea how they got to that stage given their terrible reputation… I’ll be interested to hear them explain that!). The prize is a musical instrument artefact (it’s cursed, and will steal noise from the world if played… not that anyone knows that). I am expecting the party to compete dirty. They’ll either try and steal the artefact, or they will bribe and sabotage their way to a final performance.
In the situation where they do end up performing, I’ve come up with some custom moves. I’d be interested in your thoughts!
Perform as a Troupe:
When you perform as a troupe, each member must make the “aid in a performance” move. The sum of performance points contribute to this move:
* on a 10+ you blow the audience away, you are the clear winner.
* on a 7-9 you did admirably, but it’s close. It’s going to come down to the judges.
* on a 6- well, that didn’t go well, and everyone knows it.
Aid in a performance:
When you aid in a performance, roll+CHA.
* on a 10+, contribute 3 points to the performance
* on a 7-9, choose 1:
– contribute 2 points to the performance, but the next person to roll for the performance carries -1 forward. Explain how this happened. (this option is only available if you are not the last to roll)
– contribute 1 point to the performance
* on a 6-, contribute -1 points to the performance
Doing things to sabotage, or to help their performance before hand will earn them +points forward on the troupes performance.
Bribing or blackmailing the judges will determine the result if it comes down to the judges to decide the result.
I’ve tried to balance the performance points for four people.
Thoughts, suggestions? At the moment it is quite specific to a competition, so I’d be interested to see how would you modify it to be more general purpose.