Post by Father on Mar 22, 2018 20:58:53 GMT 1
Information Gathering
There is a lot going on behind the scenes at Great Bastards, some the narrator has accounted for it's potential impact to the story and planned out to various degrees, other things the narrator may have decided will happen in the background, but not impact the story and thus not prioritize, but many NPC's have motivations and quirks, which a devious schemer might take advantage of, and players deciding to explore such avenues will find an accommodating narrator. Curious PC's might also learn of various off-screen going-ons, which they might find it interesting to involve themselves in.
In general, learning the source behind a rumor having entered the rumor-mill (see below) or investigating their accuracy and details requires a TN 9 knowledge(streetwise) test, with more DoS giving richer detail. Learning of other such rumors that float about also requires a TN 9 streetwise test, this yields random rumors from a pre-made list generated by the narrator.
Looking for such rumors concerning a specific individual, group or topic requires a TN 12 test.
Investigating such rumors which have not surfaced on the rumor-mill also requires a TN 12 test.
Searches not directly related to rumors, but to plans, plots and quirks of other characters which are not in the form of rumors carries TN's depending on their efforts and ability to keep such things secret. Note that if you do not specify "rumors only" or "other information only", then it is assumed that you are looking for anything related to the target in question and so may get both rumors and other info (typically one piece of information per DoS).
Note that the more experienced and well-connected schemers among the NPC's typically will have agents paying attention to who might be asking around about them, it is possible to try and conceal your interest. By taking a -1D on your streetwise test, you may either add +3 to the TN of noticing your efforts, or you may instead use disguise.
It is possible to substitute knowledge(streetwise) with creative means (by using stealth and thievery for example) or straight up pay for information, but it's extremely difficult to conceal what you'd be interested in that way.
The Rumor-Mill
An element of flavor of Great Bastards is the "rumor-mill", at the start of each IC day a general post will sum up the main talking points so far, some of it will be tied to things that actually happened during the last day, attempting to convey the general opinions of the NPC's of what transpired. But it will also involve other things bubbling to the surface, these may be hints as to what is happening behind the scenes. But it may also be rumors put there intentionally by PC's or NPC's, the rest of this post is about those. In general, these rumors doesn't really sway NPC's, but may influence how they react in specific scenes, the rumor-mill is mostly flavor, but the mechanics below can be used to make additional effects.
If you wish to put something into the rumor-mill, there are two options:
1. Suggest that something happening during actual play should be included, the narrator would be very grateful should players take it upon themselves to help write it. This requires no further IC action as this is simply meant to reflect how the public reacts to actions already taken.
2. Take steps IC to make it so, which is what the rest of this post is about.
Spreading gossip
The standard mechanic for putting out a rumor into the grapevine is that of a simple intrigue of TN 9, but with two requirements:
1. You post an IC scene of your efforts.
2. You write the rumor to be included in the daily summary, the correct format is a few lines taken out of a conversation between random NPC's of no import to the rest of the story. The narrator will not write this for you, but your suggestion may be modified to better fit the story, and something that is not written such that it should be able to fit into the rumor-mill will likely result in the narrator asking you to do it over again.
3. Normally, there is only sufficient time for 3 rumor actions per day in an active chronicle.
You may, at your option, add your status rank to your simple intrigue result, but doing so will attribute the rumor to a very specific statement made by you, everyone will know that you said this and consider you to be the source of the rumor. Potentially painting a target on your back. A character will generally only be allowed to make one rumor per day, and using assist/coordinate counts as your attempt.
The choice of technique should match your objective and actions. Convince is generally a catchall method that works in most cases, though Incite is the most appropriate if you want people to dislike someone. Bargain if you use coin to get the message out. Taunt if you publicly call out the person in question. Intimidate may be more challenging, as are charm and seduce.
Critical failures usually results in negative reactions towards you and/or the opposite effect of that sought, if using some of the more advanced options, the consequences will tend to be greater.
You may accept -1D to your test in order to impose +3 TN to any efforts investigating the source of the rumor or attempt a disguise test against the passive awareness of the scene (usually 13) to conceal your identity much more thoroughly. Attempting to impersonate a specific individual requires succeeding against that person's passive status(reputation), with an additional DoS required to ensure that such witnesses does not immediately realize that they were duped if confronted with the real person. If attempting to conceal your identity, you may not add any bonus from chivalry/virtue to your test.
Fire and Blood.
The rumor system may be used to influence Fire and Blood scores, if so, this must be clearly marked in orokos. Since this does not necessarily involve feeding gossip into the grapevine, rumors are only required for when the score is altered due to the sum of your efforts, and a more appropriate rumor is one where people discuss the effects of your actions. Note that assists are not allowed when influencing Fire and Blood. An attempt to influence Fire and Blood does not count as your daily rumor attempt, however, you may choose to combine them, so that your efforts and to influence Fire and Blood is also resolved as a standard rumor. If you add your status to the test, it counts as a full rumor attempt (and requires one to be written for the grapevine).
More than just talking points.
By default, the rumor system will just put talking points out there which will influence NPC behaviors and reactions in minor ways, anything stronger will be specifically noted as such, both to indicate that "off-screen" NPC opinions are likely more widespread and possibly to help guide PC reactions as well. If you want your rumor to have such effects, this must be specified. While the difficulty of getting the rumor to go into the grapevine and influence Fire and Blood remains at TN 9, influencing other characters or opinions about them is often more difficult.
In order to influence a specific character, the TN is equal to their intrigue defense or passive will(dedication), whichever is higher, note that the potential outcome should be expected to be less than that which could be achieved by a simple intrigue.
You may also attempt to influence opinion about a specific character, the TN is now 9+Reputation Rank, but Chivalry/virtue score is now added to defend against negative rumors (while a negative score will increase the TN for positive rumors).
When determining the effects of general opinions, take the DoS of the initial rumor test and subtract one to get the power rating.
0. People are aware of the rumor, but are not swayed by it.
1. People are aware of the rumor, and are taking note. Default dispositions can be altered by -1.
2. People believe there is some truth to the rumor. Default dispositions can be altered by +1/-2.
3. People believe the rumor is likely to be mostly true. Default dispositions can be altered by +1/-3.
4. People will generally look the other way if one acts upon the rumor as if it true. Default dispositions can be altered by +2/-4.
5. People will generally approve if one acts upon the rumor as if it true. Default dispositions can be altered by +2/-5.
6+ This counts as a rumor of 5 power for all purposes other than decay, unless otherwise noted.
-People disinclined to believe the rumor because of faction membership and such generally excluded.
-Characters of status 4 or higher remain unlikely to be formally sanctioned or arrested without serious evidence, but they are likely to see their peers unwilling to associate with them and their endeavors to face more resistance.
-Only the strongest rumor test per day counts for any given rumor.
-At reaching rumor power 4, -1 chivalry/virtue may be inflicted, depending on the nature of the rumor, this can happen again at reaching 5 and 6 (Although only for the first time reaching a particular rank), the effect is usually diminished if multiple different rumors target the same person, and will not occur if the character already took such a penalty for the actions in question.
-An anonymous rumor test is considered to have -1 Power
-If the source of the rumor was present for a public scene and their version of events does not conflict with what other witnesses can tell, the rumor test is considered to have +1 Power.
-Whenever a character makes public actions inflicting a penalty to chivalry or virtue, an automatic rumor with a power equal to twice the penalty is generated, this may be further reinforced should other characters so desire.
-You may spend a point of glory or influence to add +1 Power if you use the option of adding your status to the test.
-You may spend a destiny point to add +3 Power
-Special circumstances, such as evidence being distributed, eye-witness accounts existing or simply political interests may
Rumor decay:
-Unless actively nurtured with rumor actions, a rumor's power will diminish by 1 every other day, actions to reinforce a rumor will re-set this timer if the DoS is one less than the current power or stronger.
Rumor reinforcement:
-You may use a rumor action to build upon an existing rumor, by scoring as many DoS as it currently has in power, you add another point.
-Rumor decay is resolved prior to reinforcement.
Rumor deflection:
-Trying to make people disbelieve a rumor is often difficult, generally you have two options available to you:
--Attack the messenger, usually by way of duel, if possible to identify supposed "witnesses" and demand they retract their words.
---If the rumor source is publicly known, successfully making them retract their words or defeating them in a duel (or a champion) if they refuse reduces the rumor power by 3 imposes a +6 TN to further attempts to reinforce the rumor and the decay frequency is now 1 day, refusing a challenge to a duel counts as being defeated. Simply fighting the duel (or having a champion if a lady) reduces the rumor by 1 if you lose, 2 if you challenge a knight and they call for a champion. However, if you lose such a duel, the TN for diverting attention increases by 3, and the decay frequency increases to 3 days.
--You -or someone else- may attempt to divert attentions to a scandal with more novelty, to do so, the rumor that one wishes to drown in the noise must be specified, and a new rumor must be advanced that needs to match the highest power the old rumor have held, if successful, the same effects applies as if a duel was fought and won.
There is a lot going on behind the scenes at Great Bastards, some the narrator has accounted for it's potential impact to the story and planned out to various degrees, other things the narrator may have decided will happen in the background, but not impact the story and thus not prioritize, but many NPC's have motivations and quirks, which a devious schemer might take advantage of, and players deciding to explore such avenues will find an accommodating narrator. Curious PC's might also learn of various off-screen going-ons, which they might find it interesting to involve themselves in.
In general, learning the source behind a rumor having entered the rumor-mill (see below) or investigating their accuracy and details requires a TN 9 knowledge(streetwise) test, with more DoS giving richer detail. Learning of other such rumors that float about also requires a TN 9 streetwise test, this yields random rumors from a pre-made list generated by the narrator.
Looking for such rumors concerning a specific individual, group or topic requires a TN 12 test.
Investigating such rumors which have not surfaced on the rumor-mill also requires a TN 12 test.
Searches not directly related to rumors, but to plans, plots and quirks of other characters which are not in the form of rumors carries TN's depending on their efforts and ability to keep such things secret. Note that if you do not specify "rumors only" or "other information only", then it is assumed that you are looking for anything related to the target in question and so may get both rumors and other info (typically one piece of information per DoS).
Note that the more experienced and well-connected schemers among the NPC's typically will have agents paying attention to who might be asking around about them, it is possible to try and conceal your interest. By taking a -1D on your streetwise test, you may either add +3 to the TN of noticing your efforts, or you may instead use disguise.
It is possible to substitute knowledge(streetwise) with creative means (by using stealth and thievery for example) or straight up pay for information, but it's extremely difficult to conceal what you'd be interested in that way.
The Rumor-Mill
An element of flavor of Great Bastards is the "rumor-mill", at the start of each IC day a general post will sum up the main talking points so far, some of it will be tied to things that actually happened during the last day, attempting to convey the general opinions of the NPC's of what transpired. But it will also involve other things bubbling to the surface, these may be hints as to what is happening behind the scenes. But it may also be rumors put there intentionally by PC's or NPC's, the rest of this post is about those. In general, these rumors doesn't really sway NPC's, but may influence how they react in specific scenes, the rumor-mill is mostly flavor, but the mechanics below can be used to make additional effects.
If you wish to put something into the rumor-mill, there are two options:
1. Suggest that something happening during actual play should be included, the narrator would be very grateful should players take it upon themselves to help write it. This requires no further IC action as this is simply meant to reflect how the public reacts to actions already taken.
2. Take steps IC to make it so, which is what the rest of this post is about.
Spreading gossip
The standard mechanic for putting out a rumor into the grapevine is that of a simple intrigue of TN 9, but with two requirements:
1. You post an IC scene of your efforts.
2. You write the rumor to be included in the daily summary, the correct format is a few lines taken out of a conversation between random NPC's of no import to the rest of the story. The narrator will not write this for you, but your suggestion may be modified to better fit the story, and something that is not written such that it should be able to fit into the rumor-mill will likely result in the narrator asking you to do it over again.
3. Normally, there is only sufficient time for 3 rumor actions per day in an active chronicle.
You may, at your option, add your status rank to your simple intrigue result, but doing so will attribute the rumor to a very specific statement made by you, everyone will know that you said this and consider you to be the source of the rumor. Potentially painting a target on your back. A character will generally only be allowed to make one rumor per day, and using assist/coordinate counts as your attempt.
The choice of technique should match your objective and actions. Convince is generally a catchall method that works in most cases, though Incite is the most appropriate if you want people to dislike someone. Bargain if you use coin to get the message out. Taunt if you publicly call out the person in question. Intimidate may be more challenging, as are charm and seduce.
Critical failures usually results in negative reactions towards you and/or the opposite effect of that sought, if using some of the more advanced options, the consequences will tend to be greater.
You may accept -1D to your test in order to impose +3 TN to any efforts investigating the source of the rumor or attempt a disguise test against the passive awareness of the scene (usually 13) to conceal your identity much more thoroughly. Attempting to impersonate a specific individual requires succeeding against that person's passive status(reputation), with an additional DoS required to ensure that such witnesses does not immediately realize that they were duped if confronted with the real person. If attempting to conceal your identity, you may not add any bonus from chivalry/virtue to your test.
Fire and Blood.
The rumor system may be used to influence Fire and Blood scores, if so, this must be clearly marked in orokos. Since this does not necessarily involve feeding gossip into the grapevine, rumors are only required for when the score is altered due to the sum of your efforts, and a more appropriate rumor is one where people discuss the effects of your actions. Note that assists are not allowed when influencing Fire and Blood. An attempt to influence Fire and Blood does not count as your daily rumor attempt, however, you may choose to combine them, so that your efforts and to influence Fire and Blood is also resolved as a standard rumor. If you add your status to the test, it counts as a full rumor attempt (and requires one to be written for the grapevine).
More than just talking points.
By default, the rumor system will just put talking points out there which will influence NPC behaviors and reactions in minor ways, anything stronger will be specifically noted as such, both to indicate that "off-screen" NPC opinions are likely more widespread and possibly to help guide PC reactions as well. If you want your rumor to have such effects, this must be specified. While the difficulty of getting the rumor to go into the grapevine and influence Fire and Blood remains at TN 9, influencing other characters or opinions about them is often more difficult.
In order to influence a specific character, the TN is equal to their intrigue defense or passive will(dedication), whichever is higher, note that the potential outcome should be expected to be less than that which could be achieved by a simple intrigue.
You may also attempt to influence opinion about a specific character, the TN is now 9+Reputation Rank, but Chivalry/virtue score is now added to defend against negative rumors (while a negative score will increase the TN for positive rumors).
When determining the effects of general opinions, take the DoS of the initial rumor test and subtract one to get the power rating.
0. People are aware of the rumor, but are not swayed by it.
1. People are aware of the rumor, and are taking note. Default dispositions can be altered by -1.
2. People believe there is some truth to the rumor. Default dispositions can be altered by +1/-2.
3. People believe the rumor is likely to be mostly true. Default dispositions can be altered by +1/-3.
4. People will generally look the other way if one acts upon the rumor as if it true. Default dispositions can be altered by +2/-4.
5. People will generally approve if one acts upon the rumor as if it true. Default dispositions can be altered by +2/-5.
6+ This counts as a rumor of 5 power for all purposes other than decay, unless otherwise noted.
-People disinclined to believe the rumor because of faction membership and such generally excluded.
-Characters of status 4 or higher remain unlikely to be formally sanctioned or arrested without serious evidence, but they are likely to see their peers unwilling to associate with them and their endeavors to face more resistance.
-Only the strongest rumor test per day counts for any given rumor.
-At reaching rumor power 4, -1 chivalry/virtue may be inflicted, depending on the nature of the rumor, this can happen again at reaching 5 and 6 (Although only for the first time reaching a particular rank), the effect is usually diminished if multiple different rumors target the same person, and will not occur if the character already took such a penalty for the actions in question.
-An anonymous rumor test is considered to have -1 Power
-If the source of the rumor was present for a public scene and their version of events does not conflict with what other witnesses can tell, the rumor test is considered to have +1 Power.
-Whenever a character makes public actions inflicting a penalty to chivalry or virtue, an automatic rumor with a power equal to twice the penalty is generated, this may be further reinforced should other characters so desire.
-You may spend a point of glory or influence to add +1 Power if you use the option of adding your status to the test.
-You may spend a destiny point to add +3 Power
-Special circumstances, such as evidence being distributed, eye-witness accounts existing or simply political interests may
Rumor decay:
-Unless actively nurtured with rumor actions, a rumor's power will diminish by 1 every other day, actions to reinforce a rumor will re-set this timer if the DoS is one less than the current power or stronger.
Rumor reinforcement:
-You may use a rumor action to build upon an existing rumor, by scoring as many DoS as it currently has in power, you add another point.
-Rumor decay is resolved prior to reinforcement.
Rumor deflection:
-Trying to make people disbelieve a rumor is often difficult, generally you have two options available to you:
--Attack the messenger, usually by way of duel, if possible to identify supposed "witnesses" and demand they retract their words.
---If the rumor source is publicly known, successfully making them retract their words or defeating them in a duel (or a champion) if they refuse reduces the rumor power by 3 imposes a +6 TN to further attempts to reinforce the rumor and the decay frequency is now 1 day, refusing a challenge to a duel counts as being defeated. Simply fighting the duel (or having a champion if a lady) reduces the rumor by 1 if you lose, 2 if you challenge a knight and they call for a champion. However, if you lose such a duel, the TN for diverting attention increases by 3, and the decay frequency increases to 3 days.
--You -or someone else- may attempt to divert attentions to a scandal with more novelty, to do so, the rumor that one wishes to drown in the noise must be specified, and a new rumor must be advanced that needs to match the highest power the old rumor have held, if successful, the same effects applies as if a duel was fought and won.