House Rules

I use a great variety of extra rules in my campaigns to support our playstyle and to the theme of the campaign. On this page I compiled my posts about our house rules and the way we use them.

House rules and Rules of the Day (about how long a new rules applies)

Thoughts on using House Rules

Passive or Active Disadvantages

Rules I like and don’t like

Adopting Rules from other games

Delta Green: The Hoarfrost Dragon

Agent Points (buy missions, connections and equipment)

Traits and the Corruption of Traits (Traits, Fortune-points, Insight-points)

Decline and Humanity-points

Playing Relation-scenes (to earn Humanity-points)

1. Players Playing NPC’s: Other agents and friendlies
2. Players Playing NPC’s: Minor Cast
3. Players Playing NPC’s: The Secondary Cast

Creating Leads (how the players tie clues together by paying sanity points)

D&D – 3rd/4th

Adding that little extra to the game

• The Art of Doing it Cool (have the other players add more descriptions)
• The Art of Whining (Whine and you will become powerful earning Dark Plot Points)
• The Art of Using Magic – terrifying commoners (making spells more versatile)
• Things My Master Taught Me (adding background and style to your spellcasting)
• The Art of Finding Spell Books (a method for gaining spells and adding new books to the setting)
• The Art of Failing (so when a roll is failed, let the player have a say)
• Telling Stories (the players can undo failures in a Skill Challenge by telling stories)
• Background: City or Countryside (bonuses and penalties to skills due to your background)
• Background: Origins (bonuses for adding your background to skill checks)

Playing More Than One Role

Gossiping Ladies (adding gossip to the campaign)

See also players playing NPCs under the Delta Green heading.

Player Missions and Rewards

• Goals for the PCs (letting the players add small missions to the game) (see also Threats against agents)
• Good Habits and Bad Habits
• Rewards: Earning Magic Items and Plot Points
• Rewards: Daily Power-Rerolls

Player Controlled Flashbacks

• Minor or Spontaneous Flashback
• Major or Kicker Flashback
• Embarrassing Moments (flashbacks with a certain theme – and a certain reroll-reward)

Rule changes

• Loose and Lazy Initiative
• Heroic Hit Points