Obligation

by d0e8r Sun Dec 13, 2015 1:17 am

One of the players asked me about Obligation. It is a bit confusing of a concept; and the book kind of leaves some of the interpretation up to the GM. So I'll try to summarize here.

First, a disclaimer: this is no substitute to the actual obligation rules, included in the source material. I'd STRONGLY recommend everyone read them and familiarize yourselves with them. Pages 29 and 38-43. Pages 307-311 are in the GM's section, so you can't access that. I'll try to explain here.

Obligation is largely a narrative mechanic, that should be an integral part of your characters' backstories. You owe somebody something in some form or another. PCs can have individual obligations, or an obligation may be shared by the entire group. Types of Obligation can be found on page 39. If you can't decide, roll.

However, obligation does have mechanical effects on the game as well.

Once everyone has their obligations, I make a table for the group's obligation. I roll d100 at the start of each session. If the number I roll is less than or equal to the group's total obligation, your obligation triggers. Everyone reduces their strain threshold by one and the specific player whose obligation triggered reduces their strain threshold by 2. Unless I roll doubles, in which case everyone reduces their threshold by 2, and the player whose obligation triggered reduces their strain threshold by 4.

Strain is an indicator of your mental fortitude. When you suffer strain that exceeds your threshold, you will fall unconscious due to fear or utter mental exhaustion. Thinking about your obligation is stressful! It means your character will be somewhat troubled and distracted throughout the session. If I roll doubles, something happens to the party directly related to your obligation. And it's usually a bad thing. Obligation should not be manipulated to give benefits when triggered. It doesn't work like that. The higher the group's obligation is, the more likely it is to trigger. The higher a character's obligation is, the more likely it is to trigger for that character.

In game, you will probably rack up new obligations through your actions, as well as have opportunities to reduce old ones. If you ignore your obligation three times in a row, you gain an additional 5 obligation. Plan accordingly. The following table outlines some of the other effects obligation:

Group Obligation	Reputable Deals	Disreputable Deals
5-19	No difficulties when contacting high level government and corporate individuals. May purchase licensed and military equipment through normal channels with regular procedures.	Difficult to locate and negotiate with the previously unknown black markets. may be suspect of working with law enforcement or a similar entity. The group is an unknown entity.
20-39	No difficulties dealing with moderate and lower level government officials. High level officials may limit exposure. May purchase licensed and military equipment through legitimate channels, subject to delays and background checks.	May deal regularly with black markets, if characters are known to them. May be known to specific criminal enterprises, but not widely recognized.
40-59	difficult to deal with all levels of government, except for personal connections. Officials may demand secret meetings.	Easier to make deals with underworld figures, as well as corrupt officials.
60-79	Too hot for most politicians to deal with publicly. Few are willing to risk doing so privately.	Easier access to underworld connections and influential figures. Easier to make close ties to personally known underworld figures.
80-99	Unable to buy licensed and military equipment from legitimate sources. Too infamous for legitimate government deals.	The group may locate black market and informants with ease. The player characters are well known to some underworld groups.
100+	May not buy most weapons, vehicles, and related equipment from legitimate sources. Government agencies will often attempt to arrest on sight.	Legendary in underworld circles or regions. Illegal sources of equipment, vehicles, and weapons are available, but suppliers are wary of the risk of angering a rival faction or alerting the authorities, and cost will reflect this.

Additionally, If the group's obligation goes above 100, they cannot earn any XP until they manage to reduce it. They are simply under too much pressure, too much stress, to stop and train new skills.