When do Demons go into Need?

[JamesP]

Hi guys!

Currently I'm finishing off a long-running Vampire campaign (last session tonight).  However, for a long time I'm wanted to run a game of Sorcerer.  I've already been bringing in some inspiration from the game into other stuff I run...

But anyway.  I've managed to sell my core players on a one-off game, to see how we like it.  We've got most of the PCs designed, although a few details need to be filled in (one player is working on a Demon need, and I've just recently realised we didn't follow up the binding roll with a humanity roll).

The current character set up:
A Greenpeace style anarchist with a Demonic dog (Need: 'unnecessary goods', Desire: Mayhem).  The player decided he'd like to go up against a corporation, giving me a few possible ideas.
A guy who's gone nowhere in life, from obsession over a childhood unrequited love.  Now he's summoned a Demon to help him win the woman of his dreams from her marriage and family.  His Demon takes the form of an old teddy bear with one eye missing.  Its Need is hearts, and its Desire is Mischief.  Between the first two players, they decided that maybe his character's idealised woman is married to the head of the company.
The final character is a mid-level manager who just isn't getting promoted.  So he's Summoned a 'secretary' who can arrange 'accidents' in the style of Final Destination.  The Need hasn't been decided on yet, but her Desire is Corruption.

So far the ideas are nicely linked together, and should involve conflicting goals.  I think the players expect the head of the company to be a sorcerer, so I'm tempted to spike it by making his wife the sorcerer instead.


Mostly we're ready, bar me getting more to grips with the rules.  However, while I've been browsing the forum for ideas/ clarification (and I think I'm getting the idea slowly), I'm having trouble finding guidelines for when Demons go into Need.  Is there a rule or guideline for deciding when it's in Need?  I think I earlier got the impression that the Demon starts getting pesky about the Need when it's dramatic to do so...  But I'd like to check.

Thanks in advance guys!

[Ron Edwards]

Hi James,

As soon as play begins, the GM should start a little stop-watch in his head for each demon. The unit of "time" is best understood as scenes, especially scenes in which the demon must take decisive action. (It's true that if a fair amount of in-game time goes by quickly in play, then the GM can think in terms of fulfilling the Need once every few days or a week, but that is a back-up and should not be slavishly followed during more "close-in" play in terms of time.)

Anyway, so keep thinking in terms of those units of "time," and if about three of them are played, and if the player-character does not make some effort to fulfill the Need, then you can embark the demon upon the "path of rebellion" described in the rules. If the demon must put itself at risk or take action on its own on the behalf of its master, then it will demand its Need right away, or worse, simply expect it. (Given the exigencies of Kickers, the latter is usually more common as a way to cue the GM about this issue.)

If I play in relatively traditional game-time, in which scenes generally follow one another without much gap in game-time, and in which scenes are about the same in-fiction length as we see in movies, then I find that I should consider each demon's Need about once a session. Therefore "once a session" is a good rule of thumb to follow, but it's useful to recognize that this metric arises from the principles I describe above rather than a hard-and-fast measure of its own.

Does that help, or make sense?

Best, Ron

[JamesP]

Does that help, or make sense?

Best, Ron

Thank you, that does make sense.  I was thinking initially that 'once per session' might be a good rule of thumb, with more if the sorcerer is really making his/her demon do a lot of work.

Thank you!