Experimental Mechanic: Gossip

[Alton_Utrich]

I'm running a short campaign in 4e this summer set in a single city. While thinking up ideas for inns and taverns I started thinking about that age-old method of transmitting information, gossip, and how if I could integrate it into play. What I came up with was having a single tavern (The Grapevine) which the players could choose to go into for an hour at a time and make a Streetwise/Listen check to listen in on the local gossip. Based on how they roll they'll hear a range of information, the higher the roll the more likely it will be useful.

"The Patterson's house burnt down yesterday, third fire in two weeks. Must be the dry weather"

"The blasted City Guards haven't let anyone on Dock 6 all week! If I don't get paid my family gets kicked out!"

"The boots? Got a great deal on 'em from that new shop on South Grand."

And so on and so forth. I'm hoping this mechanic will be able act as a sort of hint system if they're stuck, or point them towards a side quest. Has anyone ever used something like this?

[Zaranthan]

They don't have the Gather Information skill anymore? Silly kids and your 4th Ed.

[Winds]

I'm sure they could make a Gather Check in that same time. But that would imply them of getting asking a lot of questions, where this is a (relatively) subtle way of getting the information they need. It could work.

[Heliomance]

Gather Information is asking questions. This is just eavesdropping on what people are talking about.

[Morph Bark]

They don't have the Gather Information skill anymore? Silly kids and your 4th Ed.

Streetwise covers it, for as far as I know.

[Talyn]

If you wanted to make it more complicated, you could actually make it a Streetwise-primary skill-challenge (a basic one, of course), with the secondary skills being Listen, Diplomacy, and Bluff - they have X number of tries to snag some gossips, and each success on a primary nabs them a roll on your random table-o-gossip, while the secondary rolls let the players figure out more details/learn how accurate the gossip is.

[mathemagician]

Just remember that absolutely necessary information (plot stops if PCs don't get it) should always make it into their hands one way or another.

Otherwise, this is a great way for sending out hooks, and seeing which ones your players want to pursue. You could even use this to do some DMG2 style collaborative storytelling-

"You gather a particularly juicy rumor: Jack, what is happening on Dock 6?"

Let the player come up with whatever is coolest, and then you can add your own twists to it.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

Have look at these - it's a random rumour generator.

Some of your rumours will be dull, and some interesting. Only a few should lead to plot.

[Alton_Utrich]

Wow, that's perfect. I was despairing at having to come up with a whole bunch of rumors.