SOCIO-LÓGICAS DEL ACONTECIMIENTO

chaPter 8: intrigue

CHapter 8: Intrigue CHapter 8: Intrigue

Intrigue Statistics

Several abilities describe your effectiveness in an intrigue. From them, you derive the information you need to engage in dangerous exchanges and shape the future of your lands. What follows is a summary of the game’s intrigue statistics and the methods for coming up with your de-rived statistics.

a ^bilitieS

All of the following abilities directly describe your capabilities in mat-ters of intrigue.

a ^wareneSS

You use Awareness to gauge your opponent’s motives—to watch for misdirection and subterfuge.

Add your Awareness rank to your Intrigue Defense.

B

c ^unning

Cunning measures your wit and mental dexterity, essential characteris-tics in sucessful social combat.

Add your Cunning rank to your Intrigue Defense.

B

d ^ecePtion

One of the key tools in intrigues, Deception is a critical ability for masking your intentions and influencing a target using misdirection and false pretenses.

You may roll Deception tests to influence a target.

B

P ^erSuaSion

Another vital ability, Persuasion represents your talents at bargaining, seduction, charm, and a variety of social skills.

You may roll Persuasion tests to influence a target.

B

S ^tatuS

Status describes your character’s social standing, his class, and rank within society.

You add your Status rank to your Intrigue Defense.

B

You roll a Status test to determine your place in the order of initiative.

B

w ^ill

Self-control, resolve, and commitment—Will describes your endurance and stamina in intrigues.

Your Composure is equal to 3 × your Will rank.

B

i ^ntrigue d ^eFenSe

The first line of defense against Influence is your Intrigue Defense.

This derived ability combines your perceptiveness, intelligence, and so-cial standing. Your Combat Defense equals:

intriGue defenSe = aWareneSS + cunninG + StatuS + circumStantial BonuSeS

Example

Nicole’s noble has Awareness 3, Cunning 4, and Status 5. Adding up her ranks in these abilities, her Intrigue Defense is 12.

c ^omPoSure

Composure is your ability to withstand the pressures of negotiation and persuasion. Whenever an opponent successfully influences you, you reduce your Composure by your opponent’s Influence. You are not af-fected adversely unless your Composure falls to 0, at which point you are defeated.

c^omPoSure = W^illranK × 3 Example

Nicole’s noble has Will 4, so her Composure is 12.

Intrigue Structure

Whenever a social situation arises that cannot be resolved through roleplay-ing alone, an intrigue occurs. Such encounters can include negotiations and interrogations but can also represent seduction, forging alliances, provoking attacks, and a variety of other actions. All intrigues follow the same steps, which are described in detail throughout the rest of this chapter:

SteP one: tyPe SteP Six: techniQue

SteP tWo: Scene SteP Seven: rolePlayinG

SteP three: oBjective SteP eiGht: actionSand teStS

SteP four: diSPoSition SteP nine: rePeat

SteP five: initiative SteP ten: reSolution

S ^teP o ^ne : t ^yPe

An intrigue is a conflict of words, a careful exchange of negotiations, persuasion, and subterfuge. Intrigue is the process of modifying another character’s behavior to convince or compel an opponent to act or believe in a specific way. Through an intrigue, you might cultivate an alliance, seduce a withdrawn noblewoman, smear a rival’s name, or intimidate a dire enemy. At first blush, an intrigue may not seem at all dangerous, but a critical negotiation can be every bit as deadly as the sword.

All intrigues fall into one of three types: simple, standard, and com-plex. Each type reflects the nature of the challenge, the number and

CHapter 8: Intrigue CHapter 8: Intrigue

types of participants involved, and finally, the intended outcome. In-trigue types and the conditions for them to occur follow.

S ^imPle i ^ntrigueS

The most common and easiest to use, simple intrigues handle all the ba-sic interactions between the PCs and minor Narrator characters. Simple intrigues are useful for bluffing your way past a guard, pretending to be someone other than you are, or ferreting out information in a relaxed environment. Generally, simple intrigues are used when the intended outcome (what you hope to achieve or what you want your opponent to do) is not out of character for your opponent. For example, if you were trying to seduce a woman that’s already attracted to you, a simple intrigue will suffice to see if she’ll give in to your advances.

Simple intrigues are also used to resolve exchanges between charac-ters with large disparities between their Status abilities. Whenever you try to influence another character whose Status is 3 or more ranks lower than yours, you may use a simple intrigue to handle the exchange.

Simple intrigues have the following characteristics:

Usually involve two participants.

B

Occur in a single exchange.

B

Involve a single test.

B

Have short-term consequences.

B

S ^tandard i ^ntrigueS

Standard intrigues arise when a simple intrigue won’t suffice. Usually, standard intrigues come into play when PCs and major Narrator char-acters try to influence each other. These exchanges can involve convinc-ing another character to do somethconvinc-ing potentially dangerous or out of character, to bargain for a much better price, or to intimidate some-one into coughing up guarded information. As a good rule of thumb, standard intrigues occur whenever your intended outcome is dangerous for your opponent or out of character. For example, trying to seduce a noble’s wife would require a standard intrigue.

Standard intrigues have the following characteristics:

Involve two or more participants.

B

Occur over the course of several exchanges.

B

Involve several conflict tests.

B

Have long-term consequences.

B

c ^{omPlex intrigueS}

Above standard and simple intrigues stand complex intrigues. These ex-changes are challenging, involving convoluted negotiations, cunning in-terplays, and usually a variety of opponents. A complex intrigue consists of several standard intrigues whose outcome influences the outcome of the complex intrigue. In a way, these standard intrigues represent the battles, and complex intrigue describes the war. You use complex intrigues whenever your outcome has far-reaching consequences, when your objectives involve several Narrator characters, and when the

out-come is particularly dangerous. A good example of complex intrigue is the building of alliances to help support your house’s invasion of a neighboring lord. To prevent other houses from rallying toward your rival’s cause, you likely have to treat with other lords to gain their as-sistance or at the very least their noninterference. As well, you’ll prob-ably deal with merchants, negotiating to get a better price for weapons, horses, and materials, to say nothing of trying to appease your own lord to make a case for the attack in the first place.

Complex intrigues have the following characteristics:

Involve several participants.

B

Occur over the course of several standard intrigues.

B

Involve numerous conflict tests.

B

Require a number of victory points to achieve final success.

B

Have far-reaching consequences.

B

v

^ictory

P

ointS

Victory points are a feature of complex intrigues, those engagements where defeating an opponent is not enough to achieve the overarching objective. Before a complex intrigue begins, you must decide what it is you’re after. Your Narrator may decide the objective can be attained with a standard intrigue, but in complex plots, you’re likely to have to defeat multiple foes in several intrigues to set up the events in a way that realizes your plan.

CHapter 8: Intrigue CHapter 8: Intrigue

To track your progress in a complex intrigue, your Narrator sets a number of Victory Points required to complete your agenda. Three points are typical, but extremely complex plans may require six or more.

Each time you defeat a foe in an intrigue that relates to the complex intrigue, you resolve the consequences of intrigue as normal and earn a Victory Point. Each time you fail to defeat a foe in an intrigue, you make no progress, and if you are defeated, you lose a Victory Point.

Once you have accumulated the requisite number of Victory Points, your intrigue is complete, and your plans are enacted.

S ^teP t ^wo : S ^cene

Once the type of intrigue is determined, the Narrator sets the scene by describing the location and identifying the participants involved.

l ^ocation

Location can be a critical factor in deciding the outcome of an in-trigue. Certain environments are more conducive to an intrigue than others. For instance, trying to seduce a pious noblewoman inside a sept is far more difficult than seducing an enthusiastic serving girl in the shadows of a darkened hall. The appropriateness of the venue may bestow a bonus to a character’s Intrigue Defense, usually a +3 bonus for awkward environments, +6 for inappropriate locations, and +12 or more for wildly inappropriate settings. An awkward environ-ment might be bargaining for a sellsword’s service in front of a current employer. An inappropriate location would be trying to intimidate a young noble while his father looks on, and a wildly inappropriate set-ting would be trying to seduce a Silent Sister on a battlefield littered with the dead and dying.

P articiPantS

Most intrigues are between two characters at a time, though multiple intrigues can occur simultaneously between multiple pairs. When a character addresses a large audience, that audience usually looks to a leader to represent their interests, so even though there are numerous individuals involved, the intrigue can be settled between two opponents.

On the other hand, an intrigue may feature participants who are sup-ported by allies and advisors. Such periphery characters can modify the intrigue’s outcome by encouraging or mollifying the primary negotia-tor—bolstering his resolve or deflecting the influence of his opponent.

S ^teP t ^hree : o ^bJective

The core of every intrigue is your objective—what you hope to achieve by engaging in the intrigue in the first place. An objective is your mo-tivation; it’s what you want your opponent to do or say, as well as what action you want him to perform or a development you want to prevent.

Without an objective, you don’t have an intrigue—you’re just roleplay-ing, which, of course, has a place in the game but doesn’t often advance the story in significant ways.

Objectives tend to live in the background of the intrigue, unrevealed until you or your opponent are defeated. Objectives don’t correspond to abilities but arise from the needs of the story and the scenario in which you are currently involved. Your objective colors your roleplaying and gives you a position from which you can argue. What follows is a broad selection of normal objectives that prompt intrigues. This list is by no means complete, but it gives you a good foundation for coming up with objectives relevant to your situation in the game.

F ^riendShiP

Many intrigues involve cultivating alliances and forging friendships, whether for the short-term or long. Your expected outcome is to foment feelings of kinship with your target to make future exchanges easier or even unnecessary. Friendship, obviously, covers a lot of ground, and with this objective you might seduce a man, arrange a marriage, build an al-liance, or simply gain a new friend.

i ^nFormation

Knowledge is power, to cite a cliché, and information stands as one of the most common objectives for engaging in an intrigue. With this ob-jective, you hope to acquire guarded or secret information, to learn ru-mors, gossip, and anything else you might need to get the edge against your enemies. Information might involve maneuvering in the court of King Robert or trawling the streets of King’s Landing listening for use-ful whispers. Regardless, information is a valuable commodity and vital for navigating the perils of the game of thrones.

S ^ervice

When a service is your objective, you want your opponent to do some-thing for you. What that somesome-thing is can be just about anysome-thing, from

CHapter 8: Intrigue CHapter 8: Intrigue

loaning you a few gold dragons to spying on the queen, from giving you a good deal on a new sword to sparing your life when your opponent has every right to take it.

d ^eceit

You may also engage in intrigues to dupe your opponent, feeding false information, setting up your foe for a potential double-cross, and mask-ing your true intention behind a deceptive façade. When deceit is your objective, you gain Influence by rolling Deception tests instead of Per-suasion tests.

c ^hanging o ^bJectiveS

There are bound to be times when you enter an intrigue hoping to come away with one thing and discover something much more interesting after the first or second exchange. At the start of a new exchange, you may change your objective, but if you do, your opponent automatically recovers an amount of Composure equal to his Will rank.

S ^teP F ^our : d ^iSPoSition

A disposition describes a particular outlook as it relates to a character’s opponent, describing whether the character sees you in a good light or bad, whether he intends you harm or wants to help you. Dispositions are useful roleplaying devices, establishing parameters about how you might play your character during the intrigue and helping to frame your responses and reactions. Moreover, disposition also acts as a form of

“armor,” protecting you from your opponent’s influence. It’s far more difficult to convince a person who hates you to help than a person who loves you. Thus, whenever your opponent would apply his or her Influ-ence to your Composure, you first reduce the amount by your Disposi-tion Rating (or DR).

Disposition also interacts with your efforts at Deception and Persua-sion, by providing bonuses or imposing penalties to your test results. It’s rather difficult to mask your disdain when trying to befriend a long-time enemy, just as it’s hard to dupe a person you love. The effects of disposition on your words, body language, and other elements of the intrigue can’t be understated. You might armor yourself in scorn but find yourself powerless to change the thinking of those around you.

There are seven types of disposition. Three are favorable, three are unfavorable, and the seventh is indifference, neither favorable nor unfa-vorable. Descriptions of each follow and include the relevant Disposi-tion Rating and modifiers to DecepDisposi-tion and Persuasion tests. All of this information is also summarized on t^aBle 8–1: diSPoSitionS.

a FFectionate

dr: 1 decePtion modifier: –2 PerSuaSion modifier: +5 Affection implies love and adoration, feelings of obligation and strong loyalty such as that shared between most spouses, parents and their children, and so on. A character of this disposition gives in to most requests even if the request is to their detriment. Affectionate characters are likely to overlook faults in the person they adore, and they would give their lives for that person.

Example

Affectionette describes the relationship between Queen Cersei and her son Joffrey.

F ^riendly

dr: 2 decePtion modifier: –1 PerSuaSion modifier: +3 A Friendly disposition suggests feelings of kinship and goodwill and is found in most siblings, long-time allies, and members of the same household. Friendly can also serve to define the relationship between knights bound to a common cause and the ties that bind the closest members of the Watch to each other and their commanders. Friendly characters are willing to do you favors and may take risks on your behalf.

They won’t betray you, and that’s what counts most.

Example Jeor Mormont is friendly with Jon Snow.

a ^miable

dr: 3 decePtion modifier: +0 PerSuaSion modifier: +1 Amiable characters see you in a positive light and consider you an ac-quaintance—but not necessarily a friend. Such characters are unlikely to put themselves at risk for you, but they are helpful if it benefits them.

A character with an Amiable disposition may betray you if given a good reason.

Example Renly and Robert are on amiable terms.

i ^ndiFFerent

dr: 4 decePtion modifier: +0 PerSuaSion modifier: +0 An indifferent character has no strong feelings toward you, one way or the other. He may be convinced to help you, following orders out of duty, and he may consent to other favors if he gets something in return. Indifferent characters won’t take risks to help you unless suit-ably compensated.

t ^able 8–1: d iSPoSitionS

diSPoSition dr decePtion

CHapter 8: Intrigue CHapter 8: Intrigue

Example

Eddard Stark is indifferent toward both Renly and Stannis Baratheon.

d ^iSliKe

dr: 5 decePtion modifier: +1 PerSuaSion modifier: –2 Dislike indicates a general unfriendliness, a certain uncomfortable frostiness. Whether this disposition originates from distrust, reputa-tion, or some past misdeed, the character will not take risks for you and may entertain conspiracies against you.

Example Cersei feels dislike for her brother Tyrion.

u ^nFriendly

dr: 6 decePtion modifier: +2 PerSuaSion modifier: –4 Unfriendly characters simply do not like you. These feelings may be grounded in good reason or not, but regardless, they hold you in dis-dain. Such characters will not seek to actively hurt you, but they won’t interfere with those who would and can be easily convinced to conspire against you.

Example

Gregor Clegane is unfriendly toward his brother Sandor.

m ^aliciouS

dr: 7 decePtion modifier: +3 PerSuaSion modifier: –6 Malicious characters actively work against you, doing what they can to harm you, even if it means putting themselves at risk. Malicious char-acters would wage war against you, harm your family, and do just about anything else they can to destroy or discredit you. Such characters are your dire enemies.

Example

Sandor Clegane is malicious toward his brother Gregor.

S ^tarting d iSPoSitionS

At the beginning of an intrigue, all participants must set their starting disposition. The default is indifferent when dealing with new characters,

but player characters are free to choose whatever disposition they like.

The choice of disposition should always be based on what the character knows about their opponent, past encounters with the Narrator charac-ter, and their feelings regarding the character’s behavior.

While it may be tempting to think in game terms, weighing the me-chanical benefits of each disposition, avoid doing so. Your disposition may have unforeseen consequences that could affect how a scenario unfolds.

For example, if a representative of another house engages you in an in-trigue, and you automatically set your disposition to Malicious, you’re bound to make an enemy of that character by your rudeness and hostility.

Conversely, simply defaulting to Affectionate when trying to persuade another character is risky, as it leaves you open to manipulation. In short, consider how your character ought to feel about the NC (Narrator char-acter) and pick a disposition that best fits your character’s perspective.

u

^nKnown

Q

uantitieS

Whenever you engage a character in an intrigue for the first time, your disposition should usually start at Indifferent (unless you are abrasive or trusting by nature). The reason is simple: you haven’t had any prior dealings with the character and likely know nothing about the charac-ter’s personality, history, or motivations. Of course, some characters are public figures, and such individuals’ reputations can color how others see them. A figure’s image can very much shape how you see them, and when dealing with such an individual, your disposition should change accordingly. Similarly, your opponents may also inform their disposi-tions based on your reputation, which can be a boon or a bane depend-ing on your previous deeds and actions.

d

iSPoSitionSby

c

ircumStanceS

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iSPoSitionSby

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ircumStanceS

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