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WE'VE NEVER HEARD OF YOU
Gaining, Losing and Using Reputation |
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In the lawless pit of the Undercity the only way to keep safe is to convince all the scum and villains that messing with you isn't worth the bother you'd give them Unfortunately, such a reputation is a double edged sword as gloryhounds come from far and wide, seeking to make a name for themselves by gunning down the bigest and the meanest. Down here you either back your words up with action or you go dig yourself a nice, deep grave and lie down in it.
REPUTATION
In another fairly radical departure from the familiar I have given Gang Rating the old heave-ho and instituted the possibly heretical concept of Reputation, or Rep as it is more usually called. Whereas Gang Rating was a measure of a gang's size, wealth and experience, Rep is a measure of its actual Success - in other words, it is given out and taken away based on how well your gang has been performing. Like the saying goes, it isn't what you've got but what you do with it that matters!
Despite being awarded diferently Rep fulfils the same role that Gang Rating did, acting as a way to compare one gang (including it's leadership) to another and enable and apropriate handicap to be calculated. This is important to keep the game challenging to those who are ahead and winable to those who lag behind. Besides, everybody likes to be rewarded for their efforts and gaining Rep for beating your foes is more of a boost than gaining some Gang Rating for buying a shotgun or some grenades.
THE RISE AND FALL OF...
As I said, the idea behind Rep is simple: win and it goes up, loose and it goes down. Beating the local losers, however, doesn't gain as much respect as trashing a notorious band of toughs and so the difference between the Rep of the two gangs must be considered. The system, despite this, remains pretty straightforward.
| | Your Rep |
| | Higher | Lower |
| Win | +1 | +1 |
| Loose | -1 | -1 |
| Draw | +0 | +0 |
| D6 equal/less than difference in Rep | -1 | +1 |
First off, the flat rate is +1 Rep for a win, -1 Rep for a loss and no change for a Draw. Both players then roll 1D6 and compare the score to the difference between their Rep (at the start of the game) and their opponents. There is no further effect if this roll beats the difference, but if it does not then the effect depends on whether your rep was the higher or lower. If you were higher you loose one point of Rep (thus doubling the shame of your loss or negating your victory), but if you had the lower rating you may add one point (making victory taste sweeter and taking the edge off that thrashing).
At the moment, Rep is going to be a factor in who chooses the scenario you play (lowest is more likely to choose than highest) and I intend to make more infamous gangs pay more for their stuff (cause everybody knows they're doing well - they must be able to afford a little more...). I may come up with some other stuff too, but that's all I have in mind for now.
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