While I contuine prepping for Wyntercon a thought crossed my mind.
Is there a problem if players come to a point in roleplay just around the table, decide that its a moment where bonds should be adjusted downward, and then bank that bonus for a future roll?
Ive seen this happen in other games, while I deal with one or two players for a few minutes, others at the table will amuse themselves with roleplayed conversations or planning that become character arguments or pats on the back (in Worlds, boosting there bonds maybe if they have spare slots)
What do people think?
Hmm, I guess I don’t see any huge issues with it. If they want to pre-burn a bond rather than burn it and then explain how it was burned later, there isn’t a huge difference there. As long as it doesn’t feel contrived and it makes for good story, sure!
The only issue I see with giving extra Bond points is that they can be a good indicator of when to stop and rest, and they’re usually what players want to refill during downtime, along with recovering from wounds and such. It’s fine if all the Bond stuff stems from the team (a la X-Men or something), but it’s always interesting to get them to throw out a scene every now and then and develop/show the relationships they have on screen.
I guess mainly just make sure they know that Bonds moving one way or another are for moments that redefine the relationship, not just ‘hey, good job out there’ ‘sweet, bond point!’