Does anyone have any simple but workable mechanics for handling reputation and standing in various factions?

Does anyone have any simple but workable mechanics for handling reputation and standing in various factions?

Does anyone have any simple but workable mechanics for handling reputation and standing in various factions? This could be positive rep or negative rep. As the characters go further positive rep with a faction, that faction may offer them more or more helpful assistance. As the characters go further in notoriety (negative rep) with a faction, the faction becomes antagonistic and eventually outright violent against the party. The reputation that the characters have with a faction might impact the reputation the characters have with an opposing faction, also. For example, maybe I go up in the Society of Order for helping them take control of a disorderly civil disobedience in public, but the Independence League would take issue with the fact that I stopped their spread of anti-establishment propaganda. I was thinking of tracking it on a chart where levels correspond to “wanted levels” if notorious or if famous they correspond to rank or standing within the faction. It would take so many “ticks” to make the level go up or down.

10 thoughts on “Does anyone have any simple but workable mechanics for handling reputation and standing in various factions?”

  1. Just fiction. Just need to consider how independent are the different branches of said groups, and how connected are they (in terms of sending information).

    Then it’s just keep track of it in your head via fiction.

    You might piss off the knights on the west side of the mountains, but that doesn’t mean the east knights know about it.

  2. If you want to have an actually more mechanical solution to utilize behind your fiction you can have the names of factions on middle of a card or sheet of paper and have negative and positive on the left and right. If they’re in good with the faction put a dash on the right and if it’s negative put a dash on the left.

    When triggering parley with that faction you can use a dash to cash in you leverage for past service as a favor or gain a +1 to the roll per dash max of +3. The dash probably got there from some fictional action so it’s also a good neumonic reminder.

    If it’s negative then they get -1 per dash on parley rolls or you just spend a dash to make a move against them from that faction which could lead to more negative dashes.

    Simple and a good tool for tracking faction and their relationship to the group, plus it can easily tie into, reinforce, and be reinforced by the fiction.

  3. It actually sounds like you have it down, and can use the existing system.

    The party itself has a list of Bonds to other groups and factions, positive and negative. Have it update after they do specific actions, or as an end of session move. Then make some custom moves that use this value, perhaps like:

    When you go to buy something in the Merchant Districts, roll + reputation with the Commerce Union. On a 10+, you go about your business and get what you want. On a 7-9, you catch people watch and following you.

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