WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23 It’s Not What You Know – Storytelling games are all about social interplay. We’ve paid a lot of attention to combat mechanics and other physical parts of play, but ultimately a character needs to rely on his social acumen to thrive in a harsh setting like the World of Darkness. Kindred have their own social networks, of course, but mortals are hardly without connections. In the Storytelling System, Social Attributes and Skills represent a character’s social capabilities (how charming he is, for example), but actual social bonds show up as Merits. Social Merits include Contacts, Mentor, Status and so on, but one of the most useful is Allies. Allies are people who are willing to help your character from time to time. They may be associates, friends of convenience or people who owe your character a favor. Each acquisition of this Merit is dedicated to one type of ally, whether in an organization, society or circle. Examples include the police, City Hall, criminals, unions, banks, university faculty and hospital staff. In order to have alliances in more than one venue, you need to purchase this Merit multiple times, each trait with its own dots. Thus, your character might have Allies (Police) ••, Allies (Criminals) ••• and Allies (City Hall) •, each acquired separately at character creation or during play. This Merit generally represents a social network your character can call upon rather than a specific individual. Unless you specifically want it to mean you have a specific underboss as a friend, Allies (Underworld) ••• represents how well you get along with gangsters in general and how easily you can call on a gangland connection for help. Each dot that your character has indicates how deep his influence runs in that group. One dot might mean he can ask for minor favors, such as being spared a parking ticket if alliance is among police, or being allowed to see an article before it goes to press if alliance is among reporters. Three dots garner considerable favors, such as a building permit “going missing” at City Hall, or a strike resolution being wrapped up early among union leaders. Five dots allow for dangerous and even overtly criminal favors, such as a stock being sabotaged on Wall Street or the answers to an exam being shared by a university professor. The Storyteller has final say over what is an acceptable request and what is not. If there’s any doubt, the Storyteller could call for a Manipulation + Persuasion roll, with a bonus equal to your character’s Allies dots. Penalties might also apply based on the importance or danger of the request. |