Referee Questions - FAQ - Contacts - Systems

Perceived Attitude

Attitude is one of the key factors in judging how the Travellers intact with Contacts and how they are looked in return. Attitude is something that also applies to how the Travellers interact with Systems. The details here help weigh the effects of potential interactions and how they could influence both theirs and others' interactions with Systems and Contacts. The tables that describe the specific Dice Modifiers that are applied can be found in Fantasy Grounds.

Attitude is something that the Travellers judge for themselves. Do they feel they treated that young girl fairly? Did they shoot their way out of a starport lounge? Are they known as fearsome pirates in a system or as protectors of merchants? Do they pay a fair wage? Are they good leaders? The Players will assign their own Attitude assignments as they go along. The Referee will note these and make their own adjustments when adjudicating results.

The Attitude of a system towards the Travellers ranges from being a Haven for the group to being Hostile towards them. Some of the things that the System Attitude affect include: Fence Percentage, Recruitment, Risk of Arrest, Risk of Spies, and Protection. Many of these imply Piracy is at the heart of the Attitude, but that it also refers to many other actions taken against or for a system such as flooding a trade market with goods or working on a diplomatic agreement. The limits are only the Traveller's imaginations.

The Attitude of a Contact ranges from Affinity to Enmity towards an individual Traveller. This Attitude affects the Influence and Power of a Traveller's relationship with the Contact. This also applies to Ship that the Travellers are on. The name of a ship can affect how Contacts and Systems view the Travellers.

The Travellers Standing with various powers and sophonts in the Trojan Reach will determine who is willing to assist them, grant them leniency, or send out patrols to track them down.

Applying Perceived Attitude

System Attitude
Contact Attitude
Standing
Reputation
add in: new reputation from Bounty Hunter, look at Mercenary rules, look at Aslan Honor/territory, other personal attitude ratings

System Attitude

In this campaign, starports are classified not only by their letter rating (A-E), but also by their relationship with the Travellers. Ports can be Havens, Friendly, Tolerant, Neutral, Suspicious, Unfriendly or Hostile. This can apply to individuals or to starships by the reputation of its name. This is very similar to the Attitude of Contacts going from Affinity to Enmity.

Haven ports are either part of the pirate’s organization, or count the pirates as their own ships. Not only are pirates able to land here, the port’s System Defense Boats and the local population will defend the pirates against enemy ships and pirate hunters.

Friendly ports are willing accomplices in the piratical trade. While they will not take up arms to defend the pirates in open battle, they will do everything else they can to help the crew, such as repairing battle damage without asking questions, providing replacement crew, and fencing stolen goods.

Tolerant ports are willing to turn a blind eye to fencing goods, and may even provide repair facilities without too many questions, but are otherwise not involved in piracy. The Travellers can land freely, but must keep a low profile.

Neutral ports are willing to take the Travellers’ money, but offer no protection. If the Travellers bring trouble, the port authorities will turn on them.

Suspicious ports are law-abiding and have reason to suspect the Travellers are pirates. Everything is more difficult at suspicious ports. The Travellers can still land here, but can expect to be searched or detained.

Unfriendly ports do not tolerate pirates. Landing here is not permitted; if the Travellers try, they will be arrested. If they linger in the system, system defence boats will be deployed to chase them away.

The pirate ship will be fired upon as soon as it arrives at a hostile port. The Travellers’ faces are on wanted holograms throughout the starport; the sensor profile of their ship is logged with every listening post and System Defence Boat in the system.

Activities affected by System Attitude

Fence %: The share the Travellers receive of pirated goods sold at the port. For example, at a haven, the pirates get 30% of the normal value of stolen goods. See Division of the Spoils.

Recruitment: The chance to recruit replacement crew at that port. Note that this roll just determines the presence of willing volunteers, and does not guarantee they have the necessary experience and skills.

Risk of Arrest: When the Travellers land at this port, the referee should roll 2D against the listed number. If the roll succeeds, then the local authorities will attempt to detain the Travellers.

Risk of Spies: When the Travellers depart the port, the referee should roll 2D against the listed number. If the roll succeeds, then a spy at the port reports their presence and heading to the Travellers’ enemies, if any.

Protection: If the Travellers are attacked in space controlled by the port, roll 2D against the listed target number. If the roll succeeds, the port’s defenses help protect the Travellers.

Examples of the Effects of System Attitude on Activities

Contact Attitude

Contacts for the Travellers can be classified in several different ways. Ally, Contact, Rival, or Enemy are often easy shorthand methods to track their influence on the Travellers

Not all Enemies are hell-bent on the destruction of the Traveller. Some are hostile in a passive manner, and will simply refuse to help rather than going out of their way to set death-traps. At the other end of the scale is the implacable Enemy who will pursue the Traveller to the grave, and might even find a way to arrange posthumous revenge. Some Rivals are actually friendly to the Traveller, but have an agenda that will cause them to put their own requirements before those of a friend.

Likewise, some Contacts are pretty neutral or even a little hostile, but will still prove useful if a deal is beneficial to them. Some Allies are willing to fight to the death for a Traveller others merely well-disposed but not willing to put themselves out.

Every Ally, Contact, Rival or Enemy has a degree of Affinity and a degree of Enmity. Often one of these values is zero, placing them firmly on one side of the line or the other. However, some relationships are more complex than this, making these people unpredictable. Interactions with them have the potential to be tragic, or may be the key to undoing the plots of their masters if they can be won over.

The attitudes of Contacts and the range from Affinity to Enmity affects the Power and Influence of the Contact and their interactions with the Travellers.

Affinity

Affinity represents how favourably inclined the person is towards the Traveller. It is rated from zero to six.

Enmity

Enmity is the opposite of Affinity. It indicates how much trouble the person will go to in order to harm or impede the Traveller. It is rated from zero to negative six.

Affinity and Enmity as Indicators

The sum of Affinity and Enmity values is a useful indicator of an individual's actions toward the Traveller. For example, a former friend who feels bitterly betrayed but sometimes remembers the good times might have an Affinity value of 3 and an Enmity value of -4, giving a net -1. On average, this person will not actively seek to harm the Traveller. However, depending on circumstances he might act in an unexpectedly positive manner - though in a bitter and 'don't you dare thank me' sort of way. On another day he might screw over his former friend out of spite, and later regret it.

Determining Affinity and Enmity

Very high levels of Affinity and Enmity are extremely uncommon. Even Enemies and Allies are usually fairly moderate in their outlook and will not allow their relations with the Traveller to dominate their lives. There are, however, exceptions. The base score for Affinity and Enmity is determined by rolling the appropriate dice on the Relationships table, and then comparing them to the Affinity/Enmity table. Affinity and Enmity have a maximum value of 6. If either reaches 6, it cannot be further modified and the Traveller has a fanatical friend or enemy no matter what else happens.

RELATIONSHIPS

Affinity/Enmity Values

a - Love might be romantic or in the manner of a close family member, comrade through some traumatic event, or the like. Someone who owes a debt of honour to the Traveller, even if they do not like the Traveller all that much, might also have an affinity value of 5.

b - This level of affinity is rare, and may not be healthy for either party. A deluded stalker might have an affinity value of 6 but other considerations make them dangerous.

c - Bitter hatred can also represent an obligation to destroy the Traveller. The reasons might be personal or on behalf of someone else. Alternatively, the enmity might be due to the Traveller's opposition to a cause. It might even be altruistic after a fashion - someone who genuinely believes the Traveller is a bad guy who must be stopped may be just as determined to destroy them as someone who hates the Traveller on a personal level.

d - Someone with this much hated may be willing to harm others to get to the Traveller, and may extend their enmity to his friends and comrades.

Note that this occasionally creates Contacts who are more negatively than positively disposed towards the Traveller, and Rivals who actually rather like the Traveller and are disposed to help them when possible. This can create an interesting situation with many possibilities for roleplaying.

For example, Ivah has a Rival and an Enemy as a result of her time in the Scout Service. Her Rival rolls 1D-1 for Affinity, getting a result of 5. This indicates an Affinity of 2. Her score on 1D+1 for Enmity is a 2, which indicates an Enmity value of 0.

Ivah's Rival actually likes her and has no hostility towards her. Ivah declares the two were friends whose similar career paths caused one to lose out in favour of the other on various occasions. Each has occasionally had to put their own interests first, which has strained their relationship. However, Ivah's Rival is generally inclined to help her if it is not much trouble, and if it does not impede his own progress. Ivah decides that her Rival is now the leader of a team of Scouts, and that Ivah believes she should have held that post. The next time they meet things might get complicated, especially if they start taking risks to try to outdo one another in a way that starts out friendly but escalates....

The Enemy is rather more clear-cut. His Affinity roll is automatically a zero, indicating no friendly intentions whatsoever towards Ivah. The roll for Enmity comes up an 8, giving a base value of -3. This might change as other characteristics are generated, but for the time being his outlook towards Ivah is very negative. Ivah decides this is another fellow Scout who was dropped from the team at Ivah's recommendation and is intent on revenge. Although his enmity is not serious enough to contemplate murder or waste his life pursuing, this enemy feels that Ivah deserves anything bad that befalls her. For her part, Ivah wonders if losing leadership of the Scout team to her Rival was something to do with this Enemy, further complicating her relationships.

Some associates and enemies are more valuable than others, and not always in a tangible way. The two key factors are Power and Influence.

Power
Power represents the level of force, money or other assets can be directly brought to bear. This does not mean the individual can always send in the troops - an army officer might command a powerful force but it is unlikely he will be able to divert it halfway across the sector to help out an old friend without an overwhelmingly good reason. However, very powerful individuals can often use a small part of their overall powerbase without compromising their position.

Influence
Influence is less obvious than Power, but in many ways more versatile. When action is taken using gunmen, cases of cash, or the direct intervention of a topend legal team, it is usually very apparent what has happened. On the other hand, an influential individual might discreetly put an idea in the mind of a powerful legislator, or remind a sector duke that his nephew owes his life to the Travellers without actually asking for anything. Influence can sometimes result in power being used from a different direction; subtly and without trace.

For any given person, Power and Influence are determined by rolling on the Power/Influence table. Some individuals may have a lot of one and very little of the other, most have a little of both. Note that this method indicates the level of power this individual can actually wield rather than everything their position has available. The owner of a vast business empire might not actually be able to bring much leverage to bear on a problem due to constraints of accountability and barriers built into the structure of his business.

A person with Power and Influence values of zero is still capable of bringing their own personal talents to bear. Conversely, just because someone has a given level of Power or Influence does not always mean they can use it or choose to do so. The attitudes of Contacts and the range from Affinity to Enmity affects the Power and Influence of the Contact and their interactions with the Travellers.

POWER/INFLUENCE

POWER VALUES

INFLUENCE VALUES

The general nature of the association may be indicated by the career event that created it, but there is often a more complex story waiting to be told. At the referee's discretion, a given Contact, Ally, Rival or Enemy can be further fleshed out. The referee should decide how many of the Traveller's associations are to be expanded in this way or roll 2D for each one; on a score of 8+ there are special characteristics.

Determine the nature of these Special Characteristics on the table with that name in Fantasy Grounds. These characteristics can modify values already generated, or create a complex relationship where someone is an Enemy but well disposed towards the Traveller. A situation like this might arise where an individual is required by honour to avenge an incident, but has come to like and respect the Traveller despite the enmity between them. The converse might apply when causes and agendas align but the people involved hate one another.

STANDING

There are two great powers who cast long shadows over the whole Trojan Reach – the Third Imperium and the Aslan Hierate. A ship’s Standing with these two powers determines how they react to the pirate’s activities. Both sides are willing to ignore minor acts of larceny and extortion as long as it does not impact the flow of trade, and both sides are secretly in favour of attacks upon the other by pirates – the fewer Aslan merchants in space, the more likely the Imperium is to dominate the trade routes, and vice versa. However, if the pirates are too brazen and their Standing drops too far, the Imperial powers will respond with violence. There are also other powers in the Trojan Reach that the Travellers will have Standing with. Similar modifiers based on actions the Travellers take with those powers apply.

Standing with the Imperium starts at 0; Standing with the Aslan Hierate starts at -5. The other powers such as the Florian League, Glorious Empire, Senlis Foederate, Belgardian Sojurnate, Strend Cluster and even the more distant Darian Confederation, Sword Worlds, and the Zhodani Consulate might all be interested in what the Travellers are doing in association with Drinax.

Standing is modified as follows:

• Stealing Cargo: -1 per incident in which more than Cr100000 is stolen.
• Per Infamous Incident: -1D for incidents where the pirates steal a large amount of cargo, capture ships, and otherwise ‘rock the boat’.
• Per Atrocity: -1D for incidents where the pirates destroy ships, murder prisoners or otherwise breach the code of the stars.
• Per Interference: -1D for incidents where the pirates attack Imperial scoutships, couriers or registered convoys, damage starports or refuelling stations, or otherwise interfere with the flow of trade.
• Per Heroic Deed: +1D for attacking pirates or inflicting significant damage on the other Imperial power.
• Per Month Elapsed Without Incident: Over time, Standing trends towards its starting point. The Travellers’ Standing moves one point towards its starting position(0/-5) after each month in which the pirates do nothing of consequence.

These rolls can be combined. For example, an incident in which a pirate steals millions of credits worth of cargo, destroys an Imperial escort and guns down fleeing escape pods would qualify as an Infamous Incident, an Atrocity and Interference, so the pirate’s Standing with the Imperium would drop by 3D+1. However, the Aslan would be pleased by this setback to the Imperium, so the pirate’s standing with the Hierate rises by 1D.

Like System Attitude Standing can also refer to other actions taken against or for a system such as flooding a trade market with goods or working on a diplomatic agreement. The limits are only the Travellers imaginations.

EFFECTS OF STANDING

This example focuses on the Third Imperium, the same applies to the other Powers of the Reach. If the Travellers are are an Irritant to the Imperium, they might well be tolerated by the Hierate.

''BOB needs to find the Table with specific Dice Modifiers in Fantasy Grounds and share with players. Table: Special Characteristics Find the Table with specific Dice Modifiers in Fantasy Grounds.

Reputation

"Reputation is what others think they know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself." -- Odin, Havamal - From ottarrus on the Mongoose Forums

Reputation (or REP) applies to many Travellers in the Trojan Reach and Charted Space but has a special meaning for Travellers who are Bounty Hunters or Mercenaries.

Reputation is, at its core, a measure of professional competency. These are occupations where employers are constantly changing, there are no official ranks and the only thing those issuing contracts truly care about is how effective the hunter or mercenary group is. For a bounty hunter, earning and maintaining a high reputation is paramount. For a Mercenary group it can bring in a contract that simply pays the bills or can lead to bigger and better things. Reputation is a characteristic, which stands alongside the existing ones (STR, DEX, END, INT, EDU, SOC and PSI). Like other characteristics, REP has a maximum score of 15, regardless of how well one does.

For a Bounty Hunter this might help determine whether someone is willing to offer higher profile contracts, the bounty they are willing to pay for successfully bringing in the mark and whether people are intimidated when they hear that a specific hunter is after them. Hunters with the highest reputations could become minor celebrities in their own right and might eventually abandon bounty hunting altogether to become a crime boss, local lord or other public persona. For a Mercenary this is an indication of how well regarded the unit is in terms of reliability and competence. A unit’s reputation determines more than the sort of jobs it is offered – although this is critically important. Reputation can help protect against legal investigations, obtain good equipment and recruits, and all manner of other situations. Reputation for a Mercenary Unit will influence the Factors and Arms Brokers that are an important part of the mercenary trade. Reputation for a Mercenary Unit is tied in with the Influence and the CEI value of the unit.

Reputation, in a game, can manifest in myriad ways. It may be something as small as people giving the Travellers information more easily, fans noticing their whereabouts and coming to get an autograph, or security personnel looking the other way as they pass by armed to the teeth. Its effect on the landscape of any adventure should not be understated, as at its base REP is what allows a bounty hunter to act as a bounty hunter. Should the Travellers’ REP fall too low, they will not be given the best contracts and be consistently belittled by fellow bounty hunters, if any attention is paid to them at all. Their work will be drudgery, with little notoriety and few Credits to be gained. However, as soon as their reputation starts to grow, they will find themselves in a much better position both financially and socially. Although the bounty hunting career has no formal advancement or rankings, that does not mean there are no hunters held in higher regard than others.

Those with the greatest reputations are more akin to celebrities than lower esteemed compatriots and will need to take on a considerably smaller amount of work in order to maintain their financial position. The lower-rung hunters, on the other hand, may find themselves taking on multiple marks at once just to keep their bills paid.

While one could compare REP to SOC, it is important to note that SOC is a measure of privilege either born into or gained throughout a career, while REP is a measure of how effective an individual has been in their profession. A noble, for instance, might be of high birth and therefore have a high SOC but may have no transferable skills. Those whose worth is based on REP are constantly being re-evaluated. REP is changeable and, for many, shifts frequently. For Bounty Hunters reputation is a key when considering who is allowed to take on a contract for a Mark.

Reputation can and will go up or down based on the outcome of a Ticket or Mark. The Ticket Success Indicator (TSI) can increase or decrease REP based on levels of success or failure. For a Bounty Hunter belonging to a Guild can give an increase to Reputation.

Reputation can modify a Persuade or a Diplomatic skill check as well as Unit Influence checks.

For a Mercenary Unit a formation with a negative REP modifier doubles this when operating above platoon-level. Thus a platoon-sized band of trigger-happy yahoos does not suffer ill-effects from its bad reputation but a company-sized unit will find it difficult to obtain equipment or to negotiate favourable contract terms. Many clients will simply refuse to deal with a unit of any size that has a negative REP. This is for the Referee to decide, based on the importance of the client’s public reputation. Others will insist on only hiring units that have a REP equal to or higher than their SOC, although a covert hire by way of a third party might be acceptable. Typically an association with a powerful or charismatic leader, which can boost the reputation of those who have served.

For a Bounty Hunter one consideration when negotiating a private contract is the minimum REP required for the job. This is not a hard and fast value that must always be adhered to and if the hunter lacks the desired REP, they may attempt to qualify for a job anyway. To do this, they must make a REP check, with the difficulty based on the difference between the hunter’s REP and the desired REP. If they fail the check, they lose REP -1, although REP cannot go below zero.

BOUNTY ADJUSTMENTS When a contract is created, the issuer has an amount they are willing to pay. In some cases, such as when dealing with law enforcement, that amount may not be negotiable. However, some issuers may be willing to go higher if the bounty hunter has an excellent reputation and is known to deliver results. Likewise, the issuer may want to hire a bounty hunter of good reputation but the only ones available are those with no reputation, or a poor one, and they might adjust the bounty downwards but hire whoever is available. Travellers have the option to accept a contract with the bounty exactly as offered but may try for greater compensation. When doing so, depending on their REP, they may run the risk of negotiating poorly and adjusting the bounty downwards rather than up. When a Traveller wishes to negotiate the bounty on a contract, roll 2D and apply your REP modifier, then consult the Bounty Negotiation table.

Gaining Reputation For a starting Bounty Hunter, REP starts at 0. At low levels, REP will be a hindrance, not an asset. Also, at low levels, Travellers are more likely to lose REP than gain it. Fortunately, the lowest REP they can have is 0 and any additional negatives acquired cannot reduce it to lower than zero. A Traveller can gain REP in one of a few ways:

• They can acquire REP when rolling on the Bounty Hunter career Events table.
• They may gain REP when making a check on the Reputation table (see page 9). These are tied to qualifying events that occur during adventures.
• They also gain REP when the Referee feels they have earned it. The Travellers might achieve something noteworthy in a campaign, serve a particularly challenging contract, or impress someone influential.

USING REPUTATION Reputation is subject to change throughout a bounty hunter’s life. On the positive side, the Travellers might bring in a mark for a High Priority bounty. On the other, they might have a run of bad luck and a mark finds a way of permanently eluding them.

In general, REP takes a long time to build and once a good one is established, it usually takes time to destroy. Travellers should roll on the Reputation Change table any time they do something that could have an effect on their REP. It is ultimately up to the Referee to decide when this should be but the following is a non-exhaustive list of circumstances that would likely prompt a roll:

• The Traveller accomplishes a High or Critical Priority contract
• The Traveller gains an Ally with very high SOC
• The Traveller outwits several competitors when bringing in a mark
• The Traveller causes a lot of collateral damage when serving a contract
• The Traveller fails to apprehend a High or Critical Priority mark
• The Traveller offends the wrong person
• The Traveller is embarrassed or foiled by a mark

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