Dungeon Master: 5 Uncommonly Used Game Elements

Usually, I talk about some of the solutions I have for certain tabletop role-playing game issues or general concepts. This time, I will instead talk about elements I haven't seen used very much over the time I've played. Some of these could be overlooked for good reason, but I still want to list them for the purposes of discussion. In general, they will tend to be big things I feel should be used more often.

Languages

It's common to select different languages based on an assortment of conditions (feats, intelligence, etc.). However, I haven't really seen this amount to much in practice. Properly using language as a cultural barrier in foreign lands can create a unique experience as well as make learning new languages through mechanics a viable option, instead of being mere fluff.

Food/Rations

I haven't played very many games where rations and food play a major factor. I've played a few, and remember them fondly, but in general it seems to be work for no real gain in most games. As a quick aside, it is easy enough to abstract that stuff away by having players say where they wish to go and have the costs paid as they leave the town/city.

Owning Property/Businesses

In D&D 5^th edition, we have a set of rules for property and businesses in the Dungeon Master's Guide. In my opinion, the math tends to work out in such a way that it isn't that attractive as an option. When they do play a role, I have noticed that they don't really contribute to the story (excluding the times where players are close enough to their property to be able to go there during their down time). However, if we are dealing with earth shattering events, player owned keeps and businesses can and arguably should play major roles in the story. If their business or property is doing well, it can overlap with the “Reputation” section below.

Reputation

It could be the kinds of games I played, but in general the impression the players make on other characters is overlooked. I don't mean just on major characters, but for simple people who might have heard the stories. I say this since I remember a story of one adventure we did as a group being so distorted that it took us multiple sessions just to realize that they were talking about something we did as the party. To really consider this element, even things such as items and clothing need to be considered, since they can also carry their own reputation. Once again, for some kinds of games, this could just drag the game to a halt. For political intrigue games, I would probably say this kind of thing should play a major role. In general, seeing the effects on the world, even if it is extremely small such as a character remembering a favour or slight, should be present in a game to make the world come to life. Even if the characters aren't important enough to make big changes, things should still be happening that will affect them in some way. It could be fluff or minor, but having the world change instead of remaining static can be a good thing.

Longish Term Injuries and Consequences

Let me clear, by longish I mean multiple sessions. It can be cured 2 sessions later in a temple, but for my purposes, that is still long term. Usually, injuries don't that have other effects than lower health points until you rest or heal. However, even if it is temporary, long term injuries and other consequences, when done fairly, can add immensely to the overall tone of the game (this will once again depend on the tone you are trying to create as a Dungeon Master). It could just be the kinds of games I ended up playing in, but often times the general

Conclusion

Those are the first 5 that came to my head. If there is something that you felt reading this that should have been mentioned or I should have left off, feel free to say so. This is also true if you feel there is a good reason those elements aren't being used more often. I merely wanted to get some more attention on these topics and have people consider these elements.