I love these design problems. How do you encourage a player to use their abilities instead of always saving them up? I went through a few ideas… One idea had the players combine their “I know a guy” uses together. By tying the same NPC into their backstories, they can solve a larger problem. Another idea was to create more situations that called for “I know a guy” solutions, almost the way a video game directly asks you to use a feature. But neither of these connected with me like the envelope idea. What do you think? What other ways could we tempt players with “I know a guy”?
I like the idea of giving each player a refresh on their guy for every tier of play (levels 1-4, 5-10, 11-16, 17-20) for a bunch of reasons, primarily because it helps people get over the mental block of saving a resource until they really need it, but not being able to tell when they need it because they have a limited supply of a potentially really powerful tool. It also helps flesh out the characters' personalities and histories early on when you let everyone meet someone from each player's past towards the beginning of things, and the slower rate of advancement from tier to tier as you get into higher levels means that the players can experience themselves needing lots of help from friends early on, and significantly less help later as they become seasoned adventures.
@@macmusial3644 I like this! If it's a one-use item, I would feel like I should save it. Having some sort of soft timer and “use it or lose it” mechanic, would at least encourage me to consider who that person might be, and I'd probably call upon their assistance sooner! However, depending on the number of players, having TOO much help might make the game feel weird. Either nerfing or limiting it to 1-10, 11-20 might be necessary. Just another thing to consider, but I would really love this!
For most people, I think they will use this as a last resort rather than a fun tool. The cards are a good physical reminder, but if they think of it as only a complete last resort, then it will only be used at the end of the campaign or in life or death situations. So, if you ruled it as a one time only, then maybe change it to once every x amount of sessions. You could also maybe let the PCs select a character that they know from previous sessions. The little goblin that everyone is fawning over? Maybe they can come back and help the party while fleshing out their quirky little character.
I kinda like this one, i was doing something similar but not as creative, when they wrote a little background for their chars, i asked them to write 3 names of friends from their past and a job they would have now, later on i would make hidden roles to see if they would bump into a friend and how useful the friend would be if they were struggling with a task or narrative section in town, or if they just got lost from the main story. It kept things on track without railroading the players.
isn't the original rule just made obsolete by proper character/campaign writing? like if this were a rule in our games it would never get used because those npcs... already... exist?
@@MadderoftheFew but if i understood correctly this rule makes it so the NPC HAS to be helpfull. The DM cant just pull a "actually, he died last week!"
That could be so fun. The player evokes an NPC they knew that could help with this fight in some way. And then the boss reveals they've captured that NPC in a cage they only just now reveal... On the one hand, it gives the vibes of an old Batman episode from the 1960s, which is awesome. "Will the caped crusador and the boy wonder be able to save their friend and stop the bad guy in time? Tune in next time..." On the other hand, it could also be a legitimate strategy. Saving it the whole campaign would be epic, and everyone would be anticipating the player using it. So if the players can manage to free their NPC from the cage while fighting the boss, maybe it turns the tide of the whole fight? Maybe they are able to use the MacGuffin item to take out the boss in one hit? In that situation... yeah, I'd be hard pressed not to let it happen. That would be so memorable, everyone involved would tell stories about that final campaign battle for the rest of their lives. What more could we ask for as DMs?
Yeah so it turns out that one of the chief necromancers of the BBG and I grew up in the same village. The two of us were pretty close friends. I guess that explains why the village the campaign started in was so untouched, except for that goblin problem that we solved. I'm just saying, let me talk to him first. I might be able to persuade him to see things our way.
As the Charisma based character who knew a guy, it is a lovely rule and leads to great NPCs. It gave us a one eyed Dwarf with a grudge, and yes the eye was in the strictest technical terms my fault
@thehunter7772 when I took the party to his shop for assistance, he threw a knife at me as soon as he heard my voice. I think it bounced off the paladin's armor, and then the party turned to me with confused faces. My line to them, "I told you I knew a guy that could help us get out of the city, I never said he liked me."
I had the same problem. Now I like to stick to this rule-of-thumb for using limited resources: "If you find yourself asking whether now is the right time to use it, the answer is usually 'yes'" It worked pretty well for me, at least.
@@kayeka4123 and also: “If you don’t find yourself asking if you need it, but think it’d be funny, then the answer is yes too.” I don’t do this for Skyrim but one of my first few adventures, I used up all 3 of my magic missiles because I was salty at an enemy who paralyzed me for the entire fight. I got unparalyzed on the last turn and despite the fact the fight was basically over, the enemy was running away, and I could have just left alone, I was feeling petty and wanted to to nuke *something* XD$ Funny thing, it did actually turn out useful. The big bad enemies came back, except the one I killed out of pettiness-
"Damn, we should have brought rope, and we wouldn't be stuck in this pit." "I know a guy who throws ropes into random pits. He should be stopping by this cave around this time of day." *Rope falls out of nowhere*
New class idea: mob cappo. At level one gets "I know a guy" ability once per week. At levels 3, 5, 7, and 10, the character gains one more use per week. At level 15, ability can use 2 charges to use "I know a guy who knows a guy."
Thing is, the higher the character's level the more guys he knows and he doesn't have to rely on going through middlemen as much. What if to symbolize the more people they know, as they progress the player has more and more input on creating the "guy". Level 1 knows a guy who is decent with a lockpick, while level 20 has an old friend who has committed some of the most noteworthy heists in the realm.
I was playing a game of Exalted where our characters were normal humams getting sucked into a Dream creates by a few gods trying to win a competition. We didn't know it, but they wanted to create allies by exalting some of their followers. My character was close to this concept, with a little less mafia involvement. It was great x3
In the stormlight archives, one of the different ethnic groups (don't remember the name) basically know a guy for everything you may need, which is "a cousin"
Honestly this describes one of my most recent characters (not DnD) She’s a very headstrong and logical Quirkless girl (yes, MHA OC), and her power might as well be “Charisma” or “Intel” with how many connects she has from all over the legal spectrum. She ends up playing a lot of a mentor-like role for the characters she meets, pointing out their blind spots and giving ways to fix it, or toying with the plot (say, getting class 1-A and 1-B to like each other) to her desired outcome. I find her kinda funny to write, as cryptic characters tend to be.
This rule is actually a mechanic in "The Sprawl"; a cyberpunk ttrpg, and has an equally useful "I have just the thing". Some semi mundane item, like a crowbar that would work for just for a specific situation.
@@ryanimeldm me neither, but it shares a name with one of the main settings of Neuromancer (one of the first and most sifnificant works in the cyberpunk literary genre), namely the megapolis agglomeration that is in that universe the US eastcoast
"I know a guy" originates long before The Sprawl. Shadowrun has it as a rule, and outside of cyberpunk I'm pretty sure Burning Wheel has it as well. Probably a ton of others.
The image of everyone panicking and the one guy just calmly says “everyone,” puts hands on table “I know a guy” is too funny not to pass up and feels straight out of an action movie.
You know, I have a wax seal kit around here somewhere. I need to find a permanent place for it so I can use it more often without digging around in my craft tubs and stuff.
This so great. Not only gives this a boon, it fleshes out the world and now they have a new npc they care about. It is not some rando who saves them when it is convenient.
As someone who hoards potions and magic because "we'll definitely need this later when things get worse" having the secret be related to backstory/character development or a weapon upgrade means I'll actually use it before the end of the game. This is such an awesome idea.
If you allowed that one specific NPC to help with similar things in the future it would be more like a longterm investment instead of a quick cash in. Like the guy hiding you once could in the future smuggle messages or even the whole party in late game. Like for each story arc they can check if getting help would make sense, sometimes they would have to invest materials or help with something in return. Like a free buddy you get to keep in touch with.
this, also I played another system that had this exact menanic. my char been of a academic background at one point had to pull the I know a guy. GM expected me to know some old lore I failed 3 rolls big time (the one class I apparently missed). had to pull the I know a guy to get the info. later I wanted to use the same guy to help me whit a simular thing... rule said no.
I don't think I've ever played a Bard or a rogue that hasn't said " I know a guy" At least a dozen times per campaign...😂 I just worked it in! And honestly when you're playing a goblin rogue with a New York accent and the entire party looks at you when you say "Yaaaa, I know a guy. In fact, that mooch still owes me 10 gold! He lives not far from here. I'll go pay him a visit and hook up with you guys later on." Everyone loves it😅
People avoiding to use the ''I know a guy'' just waiting for that one final boss fight where the party is hopelessly outmatched just so they can go ''Oh, I know a guy!'' And have some absolute shenanigans proceed.
Get to a mini-boss battle against one of the BBEG's lieutenants or something Pull out the card "Carl??? Is that you?? I haven't seen you since we were kids! One second guys, I gotta catch up -- Carl, how's your mom?"
I love this - it’s an advanced version of the “you know a secret” idea, or what I did at tonight’s session, where each person got a “lore tidbit” which I used for immersion and also to spread quest - related rumors
Definitely, there are a lot of ways to twist and use this. In this case, it's getting players involved in the worldbuilding process, so they're doing the building. But finding any fun way to get players interacting with lore is awesome -- I like the sound of your idea too!
@@ryanimeldm I love world building but this is an important thing I probably need to learn - the players will be most excited about the part of the world the build themselves or in their backstory. I think finding that balance is probably a really important thing for me to reflect on more!
It all makes sense. The player controlled adventurers, being professionals in a dangerous job, should be people that "know a guy" if anyone. Love that rule.
In my last 4E campaign, I used something like this for players who took Streetwise as a trained skill. They would start the campaign with a number of favors they could call in equal to their Charisma modifier.
This house rule is so great, it's a regular rule in some systems. In one of my favourite systems, Kerkerpunk, it's an ability of the Rogue to have a connection in every settlement.
This. Is. AWESOME. Not just the concept of adding a secret layer to their "I know a guy," but also making each envelope personalized and unique. I must implement this immediately.
You're just reminding me of when I designed personalized nightmares for each character and emailed them to the players. In retrospect I should've remembered that most people don't enjoy writing as dark and creepy as I can get. (The nightmares were plot-related and chock-full of symbolism.) Tailored content can be really fun, though.
The cool part of this, beyond getting free stuff, is that it gives the players a little something to work with when creating this NPC. Sounds wonderous for someone a bit slow like me.
As a player, I rarely do this because it would feel like stepping on the DM's toes - suddenly making up a convenient character I Definitely knew all along who can just conveniently help us out of this situation, and the DM just has to accept this new NPC suddenly being thrust upon them without warning although they may have already had different plans for that location. But having a "blanco check" like this would ease my mind a lot, because above all, it communicates the fact that the DM is _okay_ with this kind of input from the players!
Feels like you could also do this with an inventory piece -- each player has a Schrodinger's Item that can coalesce into the right thing they need at the time, for small problems that would take simple objects to work from, but where you wouldn't want to plan out 100% of the random crud ahead of time.
@@kkkenderas a DM, it gives me more material to work with. I tend to go for a fairly improv-heavy approach (a general expected outline of a campaign that I am very happy to remake on a whim), so "I know a guy" doesn't mess with my plans much at all! If anything, it gives me a chance to drop in some extra hints, lore, side quests, etc, because suddenly there's a source of information (of unknown quality) from someone that the characters kinda know. It lets me do things that would otherwise feel really ham-handed.
That's a cool house rule! I love David Nett's example too. The way that Han Solo would've been a PC with Lando created as part of his backstory, but it's the GM who decides on the new NPC's actions & allegiances based on the needs of the story.
I absolutely love this, genuinely, just a fun mechanic to invest players in roleplay, get some creative problem-solving, and potentially challenge the DM into free styling more whilst the players also feel agency and control!
This is really cool! Also kudos to you for shouting out the creator! My favorite part of the dnd hobby is taking something and plussing it and you certainly have here
Thats fitting for an extremely open world campaign where the players are very invested. I think my players need more guidance, so i just tell them "you know a guy" on the spot or previous to the session
In the Cypher System, there's a mechanic called "Player Interruption" that allows a player to temporarily effect the narrative of the game in ways similar to this. And the GM can even add in "yes, and" stuff like the cards you've made here. The drawback is that a player has to expend experience points to do a player interruption, so they're always encouraged to use this mechanic sparingly.
Burning Wheel circles. Best mechanic in a game ever. Players roll for people they know. If they fail the GM can invoke the Emnity Clause and the NPC might hate them or be super weird. There is a whole set of rules for how difficult the roll should be.
This is so much like Dark Heresy's contacts and connections. Where an Acolyte can call upon a favor from someone in their past life who can aid them personally or aid their Inquisitor(GM) and get them some supplies or something else to aid in the investigation.
I have never really understood the essence of DnD more than "you can basically do whatever you want". You are elucidating an entire perspective that I couldn't have possibly imagined! Bravo!
"Remember how you used to play with friends and you'd be like 'I shot you, you're dead' and your friend was like 'nuh-uh, you missed' and you were like 'no I didn't!' and you got into a fight? Let's use dice to see if you can or can't do the thing, and also have the whole group on the same side trying to accomplish the same thing." Also, difference from video games is that in video games you can't take a look at the booby-trapped entrance and go "screw that" and chainsaw your way through the back wall (not D&D but Shadowrun, but there are versions you could come up with for medieval fantasy). We totally did that one campaign, and then rode office chairs down the sloped floor to bypass another part 😂
Oooooh! I love this. It's similar to a house rule that's run in one of the campaigns I'm in. Every session each player can trigger one "Flashback" if they choose to. They can use it to explain that they did something earlier - like pick up an item before they left the house, or something else that might be useful in the present, or even just to accomplish something they might not have had the chance to get to in the moment during that part of the session (like a conversation with an npc). I've always really liked that mechanic and I love the idea of this one!
I like the flashback idea a lot, I'll have to think about that. It could even be another creative use for Inspiration. Always looking for a cool way to use those.
@@ryanimeldm I like to give them letters or tokens for various uses but I’ve never thought of this one, sort of like single use magic items that help with progression when they’re struggling. Like they might get a letter from someone telling them they need help if the party is preoccupied with simming
We had a similar rule. Our group got stuck on creating tragic orphan backgrounds and our DM got very frustrated with it, so when one player flipped it and wrote a character from a nice full family, DM gave the player a "call a family " ability. Basically character had some uncle, cousin, brother or some other relative in each town who could be called for help with the right dice throw.
In the campaign my friend is running right now, I sometimes just throw an NPC name and general idea of who they are at my party and hope the DM goes along with it when we go to meet them lol. Actually took the idea from Critical Rolls calamity event when Sam just made "Bolo"
"Or maybe they just wait to save it for a time" It *_DOES_* seem like that ultra powerful healing potion that you keep for the absolute emergency, that never arrives, and you end the game with it still in your inventory.
I especially like this since backstory elements can flesh themselves out while playing. The more a player exists in their character's headspace, the more of the character's memories crop up - including people they used to know. This is a great opportunity for newly discovered backstory features to become relevant even midway into a campaign.
I started using this! None of the PC's ever have but I still offer up 'hey this npc is from x too, do you know them?' and their eyes glaze over until they get to roll dice to terrorise goblins
Honestly, in these situations, I just tell the player their character knows this person because it’s easier to establish them as a trusted NPC. With new players, sometimes it’s hard to motivate them to connect with the roleplay aspect of the game and that’s mostly due to them not being comfortable with it or being unsure about how much input they can give without overriding the DM’s story. Combat is easier because it feels like the DM is actively inviting the player to take control of the scenario. Give it time and give them context. It will get better! 😊
One of my players likes abusing something similar to this. In his backstory, he is basically a part of this secret spy organization who has agents scattered everywhere. So anytime/anywhere he's in a pickle, he'll just say that he knows a guy and expects someone to come help. 🙃
Ah, yeah I bet. I'm sure it's worked for him a time or two, right? In order for him to trust it to keep working. Do you roll on a percentile die or something, or how do you determine whether it works in a given situation or not?
I like this idea. I think id say that you need to use it before 8th level. Because by that point, if your world is fleshed out, OF COURSE they know a guy. Id still have the treat attached, because ita a fun thing.
That’s genius. And it’s true - we don’t use it a lot. I only recall 2 uses - one I used myself for the holy city we needed to reach, the other for an artifact quest.
@ryanimeldm I highly recommend it. They have come out with a 13th age 2e that I haven't played yet so I can't say what the game looks like now but if you want a game that looks and feels like d&d but it loaded with mechanics that reward roleplay, allows the players to have a say in the worldbuilding and thinks about pacing for encounter and story design 1st edition is for you and 2e might be even better!
Yo, this is a great way to give them a starting point to actually pull someone in on a mission. That would be the thing I would hesitate about, so I wouldn't step on the DM's toes with anything I try to implement.
When he says that line he's still the villain of the story, right? But seriously, I plan to check out a bunch of other game systems, indie too, just as soon as one of my long-running campaigns finishes up.
In vampire the masquerade and possible other storyteller systems in WOD, this is called "Contacts" - so it's hardly a new idea or rule. The delivery method and added flavour within the envelope is a neat touch though.
It’s a good rule. I can see some not liking it because some prefer the old assumption that at level 1 you are new to your profession and adventuring as whole. So you don’t really know anyone because you aren’t traveled yet. Especially in sandbox type games you would go out of your way to find and meet people and specialists and hirelings. That’s part of the game for many people But if your game doesn’t look like that, this is a great tool for character backstories. It’s almost not a house rule because if you have a backstory knowing an NPC and having the DM include that NPC where they would be in your world kinda goes without saying. It’s sorta something players would do even if they weren’t told it would be a benefit because that’s just how a backstory works
The way they look torn like it’s a letter. Maybe it was there but the nightmare was so horrible they themselves had to remove it from their memory and ripped the letter.
Sounds a bit like how things can work in Dungeon World or PbtA systems. I think Uncommon World (DW community homebrew) has this specifically as a move, where if you get a partial success the GM adds a "but" to it
That would be a big help! Seriously though. "I know a guy" will, unfortunately, be bound to the rules of the fantasy world the game takes place it. Though maybe we should create a new world that's built around this invincible gun-toting monk. This idea shows promise...
I do this in my game sorta accidentally. I end up making whole towns and lands for my characters to come from, and those include family friends, enemies, etc. and I just find it fun that my dm decides to use these people or have them come up later. Never knew it was an already established house rule
I love these design problems. How do you encourage a player to use their abilities instead of always saving them up? I went through a few ideas…
One idea had the players combine their “I know a guy” uses together. By tying the same NPC into their backstories, they can solve a larger problem.
Another idea was to create more situations that called for “I know a guy” solutions, almost the way a video game directly asks you to use a feature.
But neither of these connected with me like the envelope idea. What do you think? What other ways could we tempt players with “I know a guy”?
I like the idea of giving each player a refresh on their guy for every tier of play (levels 1-4, 5-10, 11-16, 17-20) for a bunch of reasons, primarily because it helps people get over the mental block of saving a resource until they really need it, but not being able to tell when they need it because they have a limited supply of a potentially really powerful tool. It also helps flesh out the characters' personalities and histories early on when you let everyone meet someone from each player's past towards the beginning of things, and the slower rate of advancement from tier to tier as you get into higher levels means that the players can experience themselves needing lots of help from friends early on, and significantly less help later as they become seasoned adventures.
@@macmusial3644 I like this! If it's a one-use item, I would feel like I should save it. Having some sort of soft timer and “use it or lose it” mechanic, would at least encourage me to consider who that person might be, and I'd probably call upon their assistance sooner! However, depending on the number of players, having TOO much help might make the game feel weird. Either nerfing or limiting it to 1-10, 11-20 might be necessary. Just another thing to consider, but I would really love this!
For most people, I think they will use this as a last resort rather than a fun tool. The cards are a good physical reminder, but if they think of it as only a complete last resort, then it will only be used at the end of the campaign or in life or death situations.
So, if you ruled it as a one time only, then maybe change it to once every x amount of sessions. You could also maybe let the PCs select a character that they know from previous sessions. The little goblin that everyone is fawning over? Maybe they can come back and help the party while fleshing out their quirky little character.
I kinda like this one, i was doing something similar but not as creative, when they wrote a little background for their chars, i asked them to write 3 names of friends from their past and a job they would have now, later on i would make hidden roles to see if they would bump into a friend and how useful the friend would be if they were struggling with a task or narrative section in town, or if they just got lost from the main story.
It kept things on track without railroading the players.
it pretty much a rip cord when they don't know what to do
this is a SICK rule
1K like, great comment!
Jegbert Homestuck pfp.............
Real!
isn't the original rule just made obsolete by proper character/campaign writing? like if this were a rule in our games it would never get used because those npcs... already... exist?
@@MadderoftheFew but if i understood correctly this rule makes it so the NPC HAS to be helpfull. The DM cant just pull a "actually, he died last week!"
*Final battle with the Big Bad Evil Guy*
Player: ”I know a guy…”
That could be so fun. The player evokes an NPC they knew that could help with this fight in some way. And then the boss reveals they've captured that NPC in a cage they only just now reveal...
On the one hand, it gives the vibes of an old Batman episode from the 1960s, which is awesome. "Will the caped crusador and the boy wonder be able to save their friend and stop the bad guy in time? Tune in next time..."
On the other hand, it could also be a legitimate strategy. Saving it the whole campaign would be epic, and everyone would be anticipating the player using it. So if the players can manage to free their NPC from the cage while fighting the boss, maybe it turns the tide of the whole fight? Maybe they are able to use the MacGuffin item to take out the boss in one hit?
In that situation... yeah, I'd be hard pressed not to let it happen. That would be so memorable, everyone involved would tell stories about that final campaign battle for the rest of their lives. What more could we ask for as DMs?
@@ryanimeldmYes. I approve of this 100%. Never got the chance to try the "I know a guy" rule. Maybe sometime in the future.
Yeah so it turns out that one of the chief necromancers of the BBG and I grew up in the same village. The two of us were pretty close friends. I guess that explains why the village the campaign started in was so untouched, except for that goblin problem that we solved.
I'm just saying, let me talk to him first. I might be able to persuade him to see things our way.
"I know a guy. He's big about family"
Dom toretto crashes his car through the wall.
Player: We know some guys.
Army shows up
As the Charisma based character who knew a guy, it is a lovely rule and leads to great NPCs. It gave us a one eyed Dwarf with a grudge, and yes the eye was in the strictest technical terms my fault
I found the bard
@@Uberspanker Sorcerer actual but you're close
Technically it’s my fault but I actually am completely innocent I promise.
@thehunter7772 when I took the party to his shop for assistance, he threw a knife at me as soon as he heard my voice. I think it bounced off the paladin's armor, and then the party turned to me with confused faces. My line to them, "I told you I knew a guy that could help us get out of the city, I never said he liked me."
@@jedediahcoulbourne1791ah, the bard's kid, i presume?
It's the kind of "better save it for later" mentality that makes me end every skyrim run with every potion and scroll I ever picked up unused lol.
Oh definitely! I'm the same way in video games.
I had the same problem. Now I like to stick to this rule-of-thumb for using limited resources: "If you find yourself asking whether now is the right time to use it, the answer is usually 'yes'"
It worked pretty well for me, at least.
@@kayeka4123 and also: “If you don’t find yourself asking if you need it, but think it’d be funny, then the answer is yes too.”
I don’t do this for Skyrim but one of my first few adventures, I used up all 3 of my magic missiles because I was salty at an enemy who paralyzed me for the entire fight. I got unparalyzed on the last turn and despite the fact the fight was basically over, the enemy was running away, and I could have just left alone, I was feeling petty and wanted to to nuke *something* XD$
Funny thing, it did actually turn out useful. The big bad enemies came back, except the one I killed out of pettiness-
@@ItsImagineThis Valid enough
It also the reason why I ended up ban Wish spell. Because it just wasting a place for spell known and do nothing.
"Damn, we should have brought rope, and we wouldn't be stuck in this pit."
"I know a guy who throws ropes into random pits. He should be stopping by this cave around this time of day."
*Rope falls out of nowhere*
DM:....fuck it, sure why not
As a DM I'd let you spend your one I Know a Guy for the campaign on a lucky coincidence that someone finds you and is willing to help.
@@saturnzoomat some later point there is a cave entrance and it’s noted that a rope is setup for easy access up/down. A nod to the infamous rope man.
Lmao
New class idea: mob cappo.
At level one gets "I know a guy" ability once per week. At levels 3, 5, 7, and 10, the character gains one more use per week. At level 15, ability can use 2 charges to use "I know a guy who knows a guy."
Thing is, the higher the character's level the more guys he knows and he doesn't have to rely on going through middlemen as much. What if to symbolize the more people they know, as they progress the player has more and more input on creating the "guy". Level 1 knows a guy who is decent with a lockpick, while level 20 has an old friend who has committed some of the most noteworthy heists in the realm.
I was playing a game of Exalted where our characters were normal humams getting sucked into a Dream creates by a few gods trying to win a competition. We didn't know it, but they wanted to create allies by exalting some of their followers. My character was close to this concept, with a little less mafia involvement. It was great x3
@@andrewjuby6339that is. Agreat way to step up the process, I love it!
In the stormlight archives, one of the different ethnic groups (don't remember the name) basically know a guy for everything you may need, which is "a cousin"
Honestly this describes one of my most recent characters (not DnD)
She’s a very headstrong and logical Quirkless girl (yes, MHA OC), and her power might as well be “Charisma” or “Intel” with how many connects she has from all over the legal spectrum.
She ends up playing a lot of a mentor-like role for the characters she meets, pointing out their blind spots and giving ways to fix it, or toying with the plot (say, getting class 1-A and 1-B to like each other) to her desired outcome.
I find her kinda funny to write, as cryptic characters tend to be.
This rule is actually a mechanic in "The Sprawl"; a cyberpunk ttrpg, and has an equally useful "I have just the thing". Some semi mundane item, like a crowbar that would work for just for a specific situation.
I hadn't heard of the The Sprawl before -- sounds cool!
@@ryanimeldm me neither, but it shares a name with one of the main settings of Neuromancer (one of the first and most sifnificant works in the cyberpunk literary genre), namely the megapolis agglomeration that is in that universe the US eastcoast
"I know a guy" originates long before The Sprawl.
Shadowrun has it as a rule, and outside of cyberpunk I'm pretty sure Burning Wheel has it as well.
Probably a ton of others.
Fate also has a similar mechanic called, "Fate Tokens", which can be cashed in for plot contrivances.
The PHB has something similar to I know a guy called criminal connections. Shame that it's exclusive to the rogue though
The image of everyone panicking and the one guy just calmly says “everyone,” puts hands on table “I know a guy” is too funny not to pass up and feels straight out of an action movie.
Your comment made me choke on the salt I was eating from laughing. I will never forgive you, Isaac.
This is just regular show lol
@@berryxvxnilla2375why are you eating salt
@@SylveonFan4ever why aren't YOU eating salt?
Kinda happened in Captain America Civil War. Maybe
You should give it a wax seal, it'll be like a big red button but instead they'll just be wanting to break it open
You know, I have a wax seal kit around here somewhere. I need to find a permanent place for it so I can use it more often without digging around in my craft tubs and stuff.
@@ryanimeldm I feel that pain, hahaha
This so great. Not only gives this a boon, it fleshes out the world and now they have a new npc they care about. It is not some rando who saves them when it is convenient.
E
As someone who hoards potions and magic because "we'll definitely need this later when things get worse" having the secret be related to backstory/character development or a weapon upgrade means I'll actually use it before the end of the game. This is such an awesome idea.
Thanks Sarah! Sounds like this is exactly for players like you, so I'm very happy to hear it would work.
If you allowed that one specific NPC to help with similar things in the future it would be more like a longterm investment instead of a quick cash in. Like the guy hiding you once could in the future smuggle messages or even the whole party in late game.
Like for each story arc they can check if getting help would make sense, sometimes they would have to invest materials or help with something in return. Like a free buddy you get to keep in touch with.
this, also I played another system that had this exact menanic. my char been of a academic background at one point had to pull the I know a guy.
GM expected me to know some old lore I failed 3 rolls big time (the one class I apparently missed).
had to pull the I know a guy to get the info.
later I wanted to use the same guy to help me whit a simular thing... rule said no.
"the friend" could also take on the role of backup characters if the main character is incapacitated.
I’ve had this Rule for sometime now, and you just made it D100% better !
Awesome! Glad to hear that.
*rolls* oof. Only 4% damn.
Jk this is awesome.
I don't think I've ever played a Bard or a rogue that hasn't said " I know a guy" At least a dozen times per campaign...😂 I just worked it in! And honestly when you're playing a goblin rogue with a New York accent and the entire party looks at you when you say "Yaaaa, I know a guy. In fact, that mooch still owes me 10 gold! He lives not far from here. I'll go pay him a visit and hook up with you guys later on." Everyone loves it😅
for the bard I always went with "I got an ex that owe me a favour"
People avoiding to use the ''I know a guy'' just waiting for that one final boss fight where the party is hopelessly outmatched just so they can go ''Oh, I know a guy!'' And have some absolute shenanigans proceed.
Get to a mini-boss battle against one of the BBEG's lieutenants or something
Pull out the card
"Carl??? Is that you?? I haven't seen you since we were kids! One second guys, I gotta catch up -- Carl, how's your mom?"
I love this - it’s an advanced version of the “you know a secret” idea, or what I did at tonight’s session, where each person got a “lore tidbit” which I used for immersion and also to spread quest - related rumors
Definitely, there are a lot of ways to twist and use this. In this case, it's getting players involved in the worldbuilding process, so they're doing the building. But finding any fun way to get players interacting with lore is awesome -- I like the sound of your idea too!
@@ryanimeldm I love world building but this is an important thing I probably need to learn - the players will be most excited about the part of the world the build themselves or in their backstory. I think finding that balance is probably a really important thing for me to reflect on more!
It all makes sense. The player controlled adventurers, being professionals in a dangerous job, should be people that "know a guy" if anyone.
Love that rule.
In my last 4E campaign, I used something like this for players who took Streetwise as a trained skill. They would start the campaign with a number of favors they could call in equal to their Charisma modifier.
This house rule is so great, it's a regular rule in some systems. In one of my favourite systems, Kerkerpunk, it's an ability of the Rogue to have a connection in every settlement.
This. Is. AWESOME. Not just the concept of adding a secret layer to their "I know a guy," but also making each envelope personalized and unique. I must implement this immediately.
Thanks Amanda! That's awesome, hope you have fun with it.
You're just reminding me of when I designed personalized nightmares for each character and emailed them to the players. In retrospect I should've remembered that most people don't enjoy writing as dark and creepy as I can get. (The nightmares were plot-related and chock-full of symbolism.)
Tailored content can be really fun, though.
That's amazing incentive for your players, and love the craftmanship ^-^
The cool part of this, beyond getting free stuff, is that it gives the players a little something to work with when creating this NPC. Sounds wonderous for someone a bit slow like me.
ngl the main reason i never dm and play primarily as a player is cause i hate making up npcs...
As a player, I rarely do this because it would feel like stepping on the DM's toes - suddenly making up a convenient character I Definitely knew all along who can just conveniently help us out of this situation, and the DM just has to accept this new NPC suddenly being thrust upon them without warning although they may have already had different plans for that location.
But having a "blanco check" like this would ease my mind a lot, because above all, it communicates the fact that the DM is _okay_ with this kind of input from the players!
Feels like you could also do this with an inventory piece -- each player has a Schrodinger's Item that can coalesce into the right thing they need at the time, for small problems that would take simple objects to work from, but where you wouldn't want to plan out 100% of the random crud ahead of time.
This! It feels too much like cheating and avoiding the challenge even if DM is encouraging you to use it
@@kkkenderas a DM, it gives me more material to work with. I tend to go for a fairly improv-heavy approach (a general expected outline of a campaign that I am very happy to remake on a whim), so "I know a guy" doesn't mess with my plans much at all! If anything, it gives me a chance to drop in some extra hints, lore, side quests, etc, because suddenly there's a source of information (of unknown quality) from someone that the characters kinda know. It lets me do things that would otherwise feel really ham-handed.
That's a cool house rule! I love David Nett's example too. The way that Han Solo would've been a PC with Lando created as part of his backstory, but it's the GM who decides on the new NPC's actions & allegiances based on the needs of the story.
A little side bonus to this envelope idea is that I am always looking for any excuse to use my wax seals lol
What an enticing combination of features! I'd love to see this in play. Excellent work!
Wow, thank you!
I love the envelope and card designs. Absolutely beautiful.
Wow, thanks R T!
Wow this came out quicker than expected haha. Awesome idea, I'll certainly explore it some time!
Hey thanks! Yeah once I had the envelopes done, I figured why wait?
I absolutely love this, genuinely, just a fun mechanic to invest players in roleplay, get some creative problem-solving, and potentially challenge the DM into free styling more whilst the players also feel agency and control!
This is really cool! Also kudos to you for shouting out the creator! My favorite part of the dnd hobby is taking something and plussing it and you certainly have here
This is the best channel I have ever come across. I'm kind of new to DnD but I love it so much and this is just amazing.
Wow, thank you! And welcome to the hobby too.
it's funnier when you don't really know them, and like narratively you two met once while drunk or something like that
Thats fitting for an extremely open world campaign where the players are very invested. I think my players need more guidance, so i just tell them "you know a guy" on the spot or previous to the session
That's totally fair! Not every idea fits every table or group. Nice work knowing that about your players, and adjusting accordingly.
I like this idea! We did something similar. One of my PCs had a chef background and we RP the new npcs as them all knowing each other.
In the Cypher System, there's a mechanic called "Player Interruption" that allows a player to temporarily effect the narrative of the game in ways similar to this. And the GM can even add in "yes, and" stuff like the cards you've made here. The drawback is that a player has to expend experience points to do a player interruption, so they're always encouraged to use this mechanic sparingly.
You are easily one of the best D&D shorts account out here, I can't wait till you blow up! Also yes! great idea, and I love this!
Wow, thanks so much! We'll see, everything's going the right direction for now.
Burning Wheel circles. Best mechanic in a game ever. Players roll for people they know. If they fail the GM can invoke the Emnity Clause and the NPC might hate them or be super weird. There is a whole set of rules for how difficult the roll should be.
Sounds great! Burning Wheel is definitely on my list, I just haven't played it yet.
This is so much like Dark Heresy's contacts and connections. Where an Acolyte can call upon a favor from someone in their past life who can aid them personally or aid their Inquisitor(GM) and get them some supplies or something else to aid in the investigation.
Sounds cool! I haven't tried Dark Heresy, I'll have to check it out.
I have never really understood the essence of DnD more than "you can basically do whatever you want". You are elucidating an entire perspective that I couldn't have possibly imagined! Bravo!
"Remember how you used to play with friends and you'd be like 'I shot you, you're dead' and your friend was like 'nuh-uh, you missed' and you were like 'no I didn't!' and you got into a fight? Let's use dice to see if you can or can't do the thing, and also have the whole group on the same side trying to accomplish the same thing."
Also, difference from video games is that in video games you can't take a look at the booby-trapped entrance and go "screw that" and chainsaw your way through the back wall (not D&D but Shadowrun, but there are versions you could come up with for medieval fantasy). We totally did that one campaign, and then rode office chairs down the sloped floor to bypass another part 😂
This is an awesome rule and great idea with the notes.
Thanks!!
I love it. It’s brilliant it solves a couple of problems. And it does so in a narratively interesting way. That’s great tool. I will steal it
Awesome! Please do!!
Oooooh! I love this. It's similar to a house rule that's run in one of the campaigns I'm in. Every session each player can trigger one "Flashback" if they choose to.
They can use it to explain that they did something earlier - like pick up an item before they left the house, or something else that might be useful in the present, or even just to accomplish something they might not have had the chance to get to in the moment during that part of the session (like a conversation with an npc).
I've always really liked that mechanic and I love the idea of this one!
I like the flashback idea a lot, I'll have to think about that. It could even be another creative use for Inspiration. Always looking for a cool way to use those.
BRILLIANT!!! That is pure genius.
This kinda thing is also baked in to the core rules and possibilities of what you can do in City of Mist
City of Mist looks awesome, I'll have to check that one out.
Bro this an awesome rule. Ive racked my brain on how to make the “allies” section worth anything.
It is just like the Adventure Deck from Savage Worlds.
Neat! I haven't played Savage Worlds, but that sounds interesting.
Those card designs are gorgeous ❤️🔥
Thanks Jay!
I love to give players physical prizes for treasure that has effects in game, this will make an excellent addition to my library of tricks
Wow that sounds cool. What sort of physical stuff do you give players for different treasures? I'm curious.
@@ryanimeldm I like to give them letters or tokens for various uses but I’ve never thought of this one, sort of like single use magic items that help with progression when they’re struggling. Like they might get a letter from someone telling them they need help if the party is preoccupied with simming
This is an awesome idea. Thank you for sharing.
Absolutely, glad you like it!
Brilliant! Definitely adding to my campaigns
We had a similar rule. Our group got stuck on creating tragic orphan backgrounds and our DM got very frustrated with it, so when one player flipped it and wrote a character from a nice full family, DM gave the player a "call a family " ability. Basically character had some uncle, cousin, brother or some other relative in each town who could be called for help with the right dice throw.
I love this! And it's a creative solution to a problem at the table too. So good, all around.
Your content and presentation are top-notch, Starlord! Also, you're super creative.
Thanks and congrats,
V
That’s a great improvement of the system well done.
Hey thanks! I appreciate that.
This is genuinely a super cool idea, hope you don’t mind, I’ll definitely use this in the future.
This is basically Background Feats.
Sure! Certain backgrounds give you a contact or a helping hand. I like how this approach is a little more flexible, and for every player equally.
Thats a really good rule and a super smart way to try to get your players to use it more. Definitely gonna have to use that rule myself
In the campaign my friend is running right now, I sometimes just throw an NPC name and general idea of who they are at my party and hope the DM goes along with it when we go to meet them lol. Actually took the idea from Critical Rolls calamity event when Sam just made "Bolo"
"Or maybe they just wait to save it for a time"
It *_DOES_* seem like that ultra powerful healing potion that you keep for the absolute emergency, that never arrives, and you end the game with it still in your inventory.
Exactly!
super cool idea, and neat looking cards!
Thanks so much!
This makes me think of fate points in a more specific way.
Oh, cool. I haven't tried Fate yet, but it is on my list!
I absolutely love the rule, but most of all the props made for it are perfect!
I especially like this since backstory elements can flesh themselves out while playing. The more a player exists in their character's headspace, the more of the character's memories crop up - including people they used to know. This is a great opportunity for newly discovered backstory features to become relevant even midway into a campaign.
This is such a good idea imma use for my next campaign
Many backgrounds come with this already.
True! If my players had those backgrounds, I'd make sure this was adapted to account for that.
Bold to assume players remember their background features.
I started using this! None of the PC's ever have but I still offer up 'hey this npc is from x too, do you know them?' and their eyes glaze over until they get to roll dice to terrorise goblins
Honestly, in these situations, I just tell the player their character knows this person because it’s easier to establish them as a trusted NPC. With new players, sometimes it’s hard to motivate them to connect with the roleplay aspect of the game and that’s mostly due to them not being comfortable with it or being unsure about how much input they can give without overriding the DM’s story. Combat is easier because it feels like the DM is actively inviting the player to take control of the scenario. Give it time and give them context. It will get better! 😊
@EldenCore great advice!
@26CLT Yeah, it's not for every group either. Different groups will lean into different aspects of the game, and that's okay too.
One of my players likes abusing something similar to this. In his backstory, he is basically a part of this secret spy organization who has agents scattered everywhere. So anytime/anywhere he's in a pickle, he'll just say that he knows a guy and expects someone to come help. 🙃
Ah, yeah I bet. I'm sure it's worked for him a time or two, right? In order for him to trust it to keep working.
Do you roll on a percentile die or something, or how do you determine whether it works in a given situation or not?
I like this idea. I think id say that you need to use it before 8th level. Because by that point, if your world is fleshed out, OF COURSE they know a guy. Id still have the treat attached, because ita a fun thing.
Thats a great idea to make up for the party's short comings
If necessary, sure!
This is amazing.
I can definitely see my players using this really quickly. Theyd let the world burn to discover a secret
I love this! I want to implement this in my games now.
Stop being so goated! Lobe all your stuff man
Ha, hey thanks! I appreciate that.
That’s genius. And it’s true - we don’t use it a lot. I only recall 2 uses - one I used myself for the holy city we needed to reach, the other for an artifact quest.
Thanks Juri!
The fact that in real life I pull this move when I need help with something makes this wonderful.
This house rule is incredible. I need to find a way to work something similar into the system I am writing.
Thanks!
I love this i dont play D&D yet but as a guy who knows a guy for pretty much anything this brings me joy
One more reason to flush out your back story
In the sea of bad rpg tips I find on RUclips, this is actually amazing. Thank you!
What a great concept!
Yeah we had a similar one in our Star Wars game named after Lando. Had a whole chart on how good of terms you were with the guy
I love it, I'm using this in my next campaigns.
I will be stealing this thankyouverymuch
That's actually a really cool idea, ngl
Thanks!
This is the Icon Relationship rule from 13th age, but yes it's a super fun mechanic!
Neat, I haven't played that before. Is it worth trying out?
@ryanimeldm I highly recommend it. They have come out with a 13th age 2e that I haven't played yet so I can't say what the game looks like now but if you want a game that looks and feels like d&d but it loaded with mechanics that reward roleplay, allows the players to have a say in the worldbuilding and thinks about pacing for encounter and story design 1st edition is for you and 2e might be even better!
Yo, this is a great way to give them a starting point to actually pull someone in on a mission. That would be the thing I would hesitate about, so I wouldn't step on the DM's toes with anything I try to implement.
Freakin’ brilliant Ry-Anime!! Absolutely integrating this into my games now!!
Ha, thanks! I'm glad you find it useful, that's awesome.
This is great RPG design, and gamifies everything in a really engaging way.
Yooooo! I watch a lot of dnd RUclips and this is so cool and original what!!??
Hey thanks so much! Glad to hear that.
A dozen indie RPGs: "look at what they need to mimic a fraction of our power".
When he says that line he's still the villain of the story, right?
But seriously, I plan to check out a bunch of other game systems, indie too, just as soon as one of my long-running campaigns finishes up.
@@ryanimeldm : yeah, I used the quote more for the meme than for its meaning in original context.
@@MattiaBulgarelli I gotcha :)
I love games where the player gets to participate in the storytelling
Love everything about this.
Thanks!
Your ideas are great.
I love this! I think I have to think about how to pull it off digitally though since my group is spread out after we all graduated...
I think it works that way too! I'd make them and then mail them out to everyone so they have them wherever they play.
In vampire the masquerade and possible other storyteller systems in WOD, this is called "Contacts" - so it's hardly a new idea or rule.
The delivery method and added flavour within the envelope is a neat touch though.
that's basically the criminal/spy background, just with more plot hooks (which is good)
It’s a good rule. I can see some not liking it because some prefer the old assumption that at level 1 you are new to your profession and adventuring as whole. So you don’t really know anyone because you aren’t traveled yet. Especially in sandbox type games you would go out of your way to find and meet people and specialists and hirelings. That’s part of the game for many people
But if your game doesn’t look like that, this is a great tool for character backstories. It’s almost not a house rule because if you have a backstory knowing an NPC and having the DM include that NPC where they would be in your world kinda goes without saying.
It’s sorta something players would do even if they weren’t told it would be a benefit because that’s just how a backstory works
The way they look torn like it’s a letter. Maybe it was there but the nightmare was so horrible they themselves had to remove it from their memory and ripped the letter.
Ooh that could be fun!
Sounds a bit like how things can work in Dungeon World or PbtA systems. I think Uncommon World (DW community homebrew) has this specifically as a move, where if you get a partial success the GM adds a "but" to it
I know a invincible monk with a Gun who wants to join us
That would be a big help!
Seriously though. "I know a guy" will, unfortunately, be bound to the rules of the fantasy world the game takes place it. Though maybe we should create a new world that's built around this invincible gun-toting monk. This idea shows promise...
I do this in my game sorta accidentally. I end up making whole towns and lands for my characters to come from, and those include family friends, enemies, etc. and I just find it fun that my dm decides to use these people or have them come up later. Never knew it was an already established house rule