[Solar System] Developing Territory for Werewolf
Courage75:
Quote from: dindenver on February 12, 2009, 08:31:35 AM
The way I see it, if they win an ability check, they beat down the spirit, temporarily. But if they win an Extended Conflict, the spirit is booted from the territory and the spirit energy of the territory is improved.
Thanks Dave. Yes, I probably am overthinking it - I tend to overthink things when they could be a lot simpler.
Still, allowing the pack to eliminate the spirit and improve the territory location by winning an Extended Conflict seems a bit too easy for me. I tend to think that they should be separate challenges. First, they have to eliminate the opposing spirit(s), then then can work on improving the location. In the end it will probably come down to Extended Conflict and some ability checks, but the fiction is clear that improving territory is a difficult task that requires effort from the entire pack and doesn't take place overnight.
I like your interpretation on the knot mechanics. How you have outlined the process is pretty much what the fiction says and what I would like to occur. However, instead of each knot being a spirit, I prefer having each knot being a location in the pack's territory that is either under their control (Dominated) or under the control of opposing spirits (Wild). Packs can attempt to improve the spiritual aspect of locations that are Dominated, but locations that are Wild must first be Dominated in order to do this.
Here is a rough outline of what I think the process of Dominating Wild Locations would look like:
1. Determine and Eliminate Threat: Any spirits that stand in the way of the pack must be dealt with. Usually, this means destroying them, binding them or driving them off. However, wiser packs may be able to bargain with spirits and convince them to leave or even work for them. Even craftier packs may play powerful off one another and trick them into destroying each other.
2. Loyalty: Once the Threat is eliminated, the Location is Dominated. Every werewolf in the pack buys the Secret of Domination (Location). This Secret gives the Location gains a Loyalty Effect. Loyalty starts at 1 but the pack may increase this over time. The Loyalty Effect may be used to provide bonus dice to any checks within the Location once per lunar cycle (28 days or so)
3.Trouble: A low Loyalty Location generates Trouble, usually in the form of rival spirits challenging the authority of the pack. Trouble is an ability equal to Loyalty-5. For example, a Location with Loyalty 2 has a Trouble Ability of 3 (Master). Every lunar cycle, the SG makes a Trouble check for each Dominated Location. If the check is successful, that Location generates rebellious spirits equal in power to the result of the check. If the check result is 6+, the Location turns Wild again and the characters must buyoff the Secret of Domination for that Location.
Courage75:
Quote from: oliof on February 12, 2009, 11:44:13 AM
Hi,
maybe you can borrow a page out of REIGN's pages and look at that system's Company rules.
Yep, that is where I am getting Loyalty from :)
JoyWriter:
Just a thought, but have you thought of letting players buy secrets for the pack? If you make its cost the standard increment*no. of players, then it makes no difference, but it seems to fit the fiction a little more. On the other hand you could make it cheaper, but I'm not sure whether you want to be encouraging that. It also de-clutters the sheets a bit, if you put some of the keys you were interested in as general werewolf things onto the pack sheet.
The same record that holds the locations you own could be the one for both the pack and your territory, underlining that it has a persistent character of it's own.
Courage75:
I have considered allowing PCs buy Secrets for the pack and then keeping track of them on a separate "Pack Sheet" or something. The standard cost seems fair, since every member of the pack can use the Secret.
Likewise, keeping an territorial Secrets on the Pack Sheet seems logical. I wouldn't put general werewolf Keys on the Pack Sheet because those things are individual to the specific PC, even if they all have the same kind of Keys. At the moment, every PC has a Werewolf Pack Key, which looks like this:
Werewolf Pack (Name of Pack): Your pack is an essential part of your existence as a werewolf.
1 XP: Share a scene with your pack.
2 XP: Challenge another in your pack.
5 XP: Make a sacrifice for your pack.
BuyOff: Leave the pack.
The only difficulty I can see with this approach is what happens if one or more of the PCs leave the pack. Do the pack Secrets still work or are they all bought off? My approach is that as long as the pack still exists (has at least two werewolf PCs), the pack Secrets still work for the remaining members and the PC(s) that leave(s) the pack get their XP back.
Eero Tuovinen:
My first reaction to that sort of set-up would be to allow the fiction and conflict system to resolve the integrity of the pack. An important member leaves? Let the others roleplay their reactions to it and perhaps have the leader roll a simple leadership check to see if the pack stays together or loses its integrity. The same for if somebody dies or if there's a challenge for dominance or such; just have leadership checks and put the pack integrity up as stakes. Then every player gets to decide how much they care about preserving the pack.
Also consider having the experience kickback from leaving the pack be contingent on the terms of the breakage - I'd probably have it be that the pack leader decides whether anybody leaving the pack gets their xp back or not. Could be interesting, and would make for some pressure to make sure that the leaving happens on good terms.
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