Player Challenge #06 All Tied Up
Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0943
Restrict players by chaining their arms together. Make sure your players are comfortable with this before you do it!
Arms are easiest so players can stay in their seats and still be challenged.
Get a string or bit of rope. I wouldn’t actually tie the players’ arms together unless your players are good friends. Instead, just have two or more players grab the ends / sections of the string.
If a player lets go, they lose the challenge or the characters are considered to be making no forward progress.
In the game, the characters really are tied up together. They have to coordinate to escape.
Some possible circumstances:
- Prisoners and shackled together
- Wounded but can still use one functional arm / hand each
- Literally glued together from mundane or magical means
- Rowing a boat or pulling a rope and must stay in synch
- A ritual
Once players are connected, give them a physical task to do. The hand holding the string cannot be used.
For example, give them a Rubik’s Cube or other puzzle. Or make it a physical activity, like writing with their off-hand.
Or maybe they do have to use their connected hands, but draw shapes in the air or a map on paper together. Or just ask them to roll dice.