I have read a lot of factional systems, but they have been, on the whole, for GMs running games for player groups. Soloist need something that is quick, easy, and immediate.
I spent two hours this morning writing and rewriting a procedure to determine a way to track the growth of a villain or faction. Then it hit me that I had missed the very spirit of Mythic in my attempts to be overly thorough. So, here is the simplest villain and factional growth system I could devise and find satisfying.
First, how much do you really care? Is this villain important enough that you seek out rumors about them, or is it just a character in your list that is a thorn in your side when you happen to encounter them.
Lets assume the first situation: Rumors.
You, and any underlings you drag around with you, have been in deep wilderness for a month. You make it back to town bruised, bloodied and with busticated equipment. You also come back either a little richer, a little wiser, or both. You hit the healers hut, rent a nice room, and go out for a beer. While you are there you seek out rumors about Boss Noggin, a particularly violent and successful bandit you have been hearing about.
I would suggest asking the Oracle they simple binary question "Are there rumors about Boss Noggin?", and based the chances on his level of notoriety. If he is a big deal then it is almost certain there are. If he is small fry to everyone but you, the chances will be rather poor. In the case of a Yes, generate an inspirational word pair from the list of your choice and spin a rumor out from it. If the answer is No, then there is nothing to hear. If the you get a Exceptional Yes roll several times and create an outrageous rumor about him (don't worry about whether it is true or not). If the answer is an Extreme No then he seems to have fallen out of public attention for some reason, demands, perhaps, an investigation of its own (that is your call).
Now we move on to the more important part: Encounters.
Having heard Boss Noggin has been recruiting bandits, monsters, and nar'dowells to his camp you gather your forces to shut down this problem before it gets worse. You travel some days to his not so secret hide-away, and you are ready to cross words and swords with your nemesis.
It is unlikely he has been doing nothing all the time you have been leveling up, gaining wealth, and acquiring magical do-dads. There is no reason in the world he wouldn't be doing the same thing.
So, as you square off with this would be bandit king ask your oracle "Has the villain gained any advantages?". Should he be known to be a successful bandit lord the probability is high. Should he just have gotten broken free from the gaol the chances are very low.
In the case of a Yes, roll an inspirational word pair to account for his new advantage. Should it be Exceptionally Yes, give him several advantages. Should the answer be No, there is no change. Should the answer be and Exceptional No assume he has had a set back and let an inspirational word pair breath life into his loss.
While, I had fun devising a complicated point based sliding scale of success and loss, it always depended too much on interpreting on the spot of the encounter specifics from vagaries that have been building up over time. This simpler system saves time and effort and asks much less complex improve mid scene.
I believe I will keep working on a more evolving system, but this one keeps the ball rolling.
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