Conflicts!

I’m doing evil experiments on the players of my PBeM and PBmB games.

Up to now I’ve largely be using the technique known as ‘Illusionism’, which is Forgeite moon-language for arbitrary GM fiat deciding the results, especially with social conflicts with NPCs. I’ve slowly become dissatisfied with this approach, wanting something a bit more structured mechanically. In particular, I’ve been getting bogged down trying to solve social conflicts by ‘just roleplaying it out’, and want some actual system support.

I’ve decided to use a form of Conflict Resolution. This takes an different approach from the traditional RPG of rolling success or failure against skills for a task. Instead, you determine what the PCs and opposing NPCs want to achieve, then roll for that. The winner of the contest gets what they want, within limits. Determining those limits is what setting stakes is all about.

For simple conflicts a single oppose dice roll will settle things. But for dramatic extended conflicts I’m using the Fudge Wound Track to record progress. When one party in the conflict reaches Incapacitated it means the conflict is over and they’ve lost. If it tips over into Near Death, then there’s going to be some longer-term fallout.

So far I’ve got the following three scenes running that I’m treating as extended conflicts:

• An actual combat scene, with Legionnaire Kanon and his men taking on an angry mob, supported by the former Legionnaire Rotemdol. The immediate objective (and thus one side of the stakes of the conflict) is to arrest two individuals who have been identified as the ringleaders of the mob. The result of the conflict going badly will be the miscreants getting away, with the possibility of Kanon getting wounded in the resulting battle
• An example of social conflict, starring another Legionnaire, Kolath, trying to persuade the security chief of the Academy of Knowledge to explain exactly why his men have been firing artillery weapons within city limits. The precise stakes are not available at your level of clearance, because that will be a spoiler. (This isn’t a ‘full disclosure metagame’ where the players have GM-omnisicent knowledge of the situation)
• Finally, a more abstract conflict where Zul is trying to lead a prison breakout, with the jail itself as the opponent. If Zul wins, she’ll escape. The precise stakes if she loses will be determined as the conflict develops.

We’ll have to see how this plays out. One thing I’ve found already; trying out a conflict resolution system has certainly renewed my enthusiasm for a game which had been flagging a bit.