Using The Rule of Cool in Your TTRPG Games: YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!

[@robnecronomicon1570]

Pretty much my sentiments too! I think for those special incidents where the RoC is applicable 'a little goes a long way'. The trick is, imo, to use it when the players do something really innovative or especially clever. I think RPGs should be rewarding clever play even if it stretches the rules a little. As long as it's not ludicrous or too often I think it just adds to the drama and overall fun. But as you say, you don't want it too be seen as something that the players should expect or begin to rely on.

[@drivinganddragons1818]

Exactly. I cut a segment that I just didn't think flowed when I listened back, but basically I said that RoC is kinda like a nickname. The cool nicknames that stick arise from everything just fitting a specific set of circumstances and the only thing that is more lame than trying to recreate or force those circumstances is when you have that guy who runs around insisting that everybody call him something like "T-Bone" or "Diesel". Those guys should get nicknames like "wang face" and players who try to manufacture Rule of Cool should be rewarded with Award of Darwin.

[@sketchasaurrex4087]

We were sky pirates. I was playing a large size half dragon fighter. I would leap from our ship to board other ships. This sometimes really hurt my character because of the distance and drop. One time I wanted to try to leap onto the opposing ship's captain. He had me roll a jump check, nat 20. He had me roll to confirm, 19 on the die. He narrated how the falling damage I usually took was taken by the captain as my character's landing planted him into the boards of the ship. He allowed me a swift action which I used my breath weapon to finish off the crushed captain.

[@drivinganddragons1818]

Not a bad use of RoC. Funny enough, 20 years ago I ran a Skypirate campaign and Capt Corealin Pict began a legend at our table due to a series of comical actions backed up with a couple of good rolls on Rule of Cool stunts.

[@michaelcrumlett187]

I have a player who pushes the boundaries in every encounter. Guy gets full credit for keeping his head in the game, but he’s the kind of guy who was allowed a few RoC moments early on, and now wants every round of every combat to be some convoluted, multi-step, rule bending tribute to his ability to “think outside the box”. I generally applaud creative, unorthodox solutions to problems, but guys who power game based on earlier RoC decisions have turned me off to any kind of consequential outcomes arising from RoC.

[@drivinganddragons1818]

@@michaelcrumlett187 I should have said it in the video but completely missed the ball: a GM MUST learn to say "no" comfortably and easily before any RoC is allowed to happen. Maybe ask what happened to give his cglharacter that idea.

[@michaelcrumlett187]

@@drivinganddragons1818 it was a West Marches style game. I got him after he formed his bad habits. I took him aside and explained it. He’s a good guy. Vet. He got it and toned things down, but got back to shenanigans with the next guy in the barrel.

[@bigblue344]

I'm pretty much a forever DM and the few other DM's I played with whenever I tried to do something clever or cool there was always some workaround or reason why it failed right away because they genuinely didn't know how to handle it or it would have trivialized a scenario, it wasn't even game breaking and was just using my environment to my advantage. Meanwhile for role play sections they were always open to "rule of cool" dictating the direction of where the scene would go to even absurd lengths. Makes me wonder why staying on rails is so important for combat and exploration yet are completely fine with letting the most over the top things happen when it comes to downtime.

[@drivinganddragons1818]

@@bigblue344 honestly, it should be the opposite. Social encounters should be way more "rule of common sense"