Hardboiled - RPG Proposal

[Alan]

I have some Relationship rules I didn't include in my summary.

Players acquire related characters (RCs) which they have limited control over in play.  As in Trollbabe, the player can determine what the RC does, though the GM determines what the RC thinks and says about the action.

I want to allow players to play an RC in a scene when the PC is not present.  RCs would allow the player to roll dice in a conflict in that scene - based on a descriptor of the RC and a PC Trait (Guts, Brains, or Heart as appropriate).  To keep things simple, RCs only have one or two descriptors and no Traits or Motives of their own (at least in mechanical terms).  

The clever idea I had was this: RCs can't get motive bonuses, but their failures can let the PC convert Motive points into Insight.  The Insight is attached to the RC until he can communicate to the PC.  Hence the RCs are a net the PC can use to collect Insight.

The Knot

Paul suggested that Relationships be what determines the ultimate fate of the character when his Secret Crime is revealed.  This reminds me of Love in MLWM! and I like it.  I'll have to think more about integrating that idea.

The Title

In the end I want to come up with a title that both evokes atmosphere and tells the potential player what they'll be doing - like "My Life With Master" for example!  

Anyway, can we stop the name game for the time being?  I think it'd be best to finalize that when I've got a more advanced draft.

[Paul Czege]

Hey Alan,

...I really like the storymapping approach for this sort of game.

I think we're all on the same page about how foundational relationships are to your chosen subject matter. Just realize that you actually do have two choices: 1) you can storymap them into existence and reward for their use in play, or 2) you can incentivize their creation during play. Looking at your mechanics, I think you've already made your choice.

Paul

[Alan]

After digesting comments, I've got some ideas.

First, as Paul observed, if making relationships is important to the game mechanic, the players will connect themselves into the story map during play.

Second, here's the theoretical model for Secret Crime resolution:

In character generation, the player does not describe the SC in any detail, but he does set a Guilt Rating for the crime.

In play, the currency cycle goes:
Roleplay your Motive -> Earn Motive Increase -> Buy Insight -> Buy Relationships -> Resolve Secret Crime

To buy a relationship, the PC spends a point of Insight and must reveal some part of his or her Secret Crime to the NPC.  The Depth of the relationship depends on the depth of the revelation:

Depth
1  PC exposes some emotional connection - by word, expression, or deed.
2  PC exposes a specific detail of the SC
3  PC exposes serios detail
5  Darkest Detail

Once a detail is exposed, the NPC has some potential power over the PC.

I'd like Relationships to be allies, lovers, sidekicks, rivals, and enemies.  Not sure how to make a rewarding mechanic that would encourage players to reveal darkest detail to their enemy though.  Ideas?

The Depth rating of relationships might have some mechanical effect in resolution, or not.  But it must have some part in resolving the Detective's fate when his Secret Crime comes to a head.  Again, not sure of the mechanic yet.

When the Secret Crime is resolved, the player gets reward points equal to the SC Guilt rating set at character creation.  What to do with reward points?  Permanent Relationships?  Character Improvement or just change.

Then the player sets a new Guilt rating and begins a new SC.

What'd ya think?

[W. Don]

Hi Alan!

Cool game! I'm actually dealing with something along the same lines as well (Crime, Motive, etc.). I like the way you're integrating the relationship map into it -- it's giving ideas for my own game as well. Thanks for sharing!

I'd like Relationships to be allies, lovers, sidekicks, rivals, and enemies. Not sure how to make a rewarding mechanic that would encourage players to reveal darkest detail to their enemy though.

I was wondering if Relationships were limited to the NPC choices you've enumerated. Would they also include someone like, for example, the child of character? If so, what role do you envision such an NPC playing?

- W.

[Julian Kelsey]

I'm hoping to create a detective RPG with a narrative Premise like "What is justice?"  Every PC would have a secret crime.

I haven't read the whole collection of responses yet, sorry if I repeat anyone else.

My initial reaction is that this is something that I would consider playing, it has a world of material to draw on, and could be generalised to wildly different settings.

As a GM I'd be very inclined to articulate, (perhaps explicitly structure), the secret crimes, and then be sure to bring the characters into situations where they must judge those crimes in others. The way the past and the present experiences work to constrain a characters actions matters.

Also in my reading, many of these circumstances end up being redemption stories, (or falling anti-heros).

Give attention to ways that characters can fall, even to death, because that is regularly feature of the genre. It might help to be explicit with measures or mechanics that allow players to enjoy telling the story of a fall, and at the same time remain in the story (with a new character, or metadata resources assigned to players rather than characters?).

With a genre so strongly represented in literature, clearly articulating how such concerns are written should help guide you. Provide examples in the text of your rules, if nothing else it would make very interesting reading.