Family Members and Backstory Links

[Kinaed]

I'm not certain limiting them is really the answer. Rather, I'd like to see the game of TI (as it's an RP game, and therefore by its very nature a social one) include mechanics around how one creates families, backstory ties, etc. By defining this, I suppose they would become limited because they'd become a commodity, but not because I'd like to see an end to families or people knowing one another.

I do think there's a difference between "Do we know one another? We're both from Casterlay?" "Sure, we can have seen one another around. Go ahead and remember me." from "Hey, you want to be my cousin? We're best friends and secretly past lovers. I'd die for you, man." There's just a different level of leverage implied from one character to another there.

To follow up on it, someone mentioned a good point to me - how do you tell someone "No, I do not want to be your brother/sister/cousin?" or "No, I'm not interested in playing the thiefly spy you've planted in the Brotherhood?" It often comes across as, "I don't like you" instead of "I enjoy playing characters independently" or "that feels uncomfortably like cheating", and players feel obligated to say yes to maintain friendships.

From a game perspective, I'd like to see that sort of thing somehow tracked, bought, paid for, and calculated into some sort of power meter or something. My issue isn't so much that people have friends, but that it's free and extensions of OOC networks rather than IC work when it comes with such a huge IC perk.

[Amdair]

...power meter...



Can I turn my keyboard sideways for more star power, to multiply my rpxp score by 2x for a handful of ticks? That would be pretty epic.

/half-awake-derail

[Estelle]

Oh, I agree. RPXP perhaps? I think acquaintances should be free, but anything beyond that (alliances, mage ties, family ties, etc) could be paid for with xp.

[registerednuisance]

XP or QP. Not a crazy amount. Ex:

Zanthia was hired by Kaemgen's family to tutor. That didn't give me any power. That's an acquaintance.

Cousin mage loving thief spy connection might cost 10qp or 5000 xp to link. It's not unlike buying your way into a certain rank in a guild, which is already a charged for entity!

[Jei]

I've noticed this myself, the passed week or so and I do think it's an issue. Despite the fact that I had an OOC family link and a 'friend of the family' link, these were more the result of previous RP rather than OOC planning.

I kinda dislike it. I think 1, maybe 2, especially if your character is high powered(be it noble, Inquisitor, high-ranking mage/thief, GL) is plenty for a 'good friend' or family member. Even a servant or 'acquaintance' is able to say they know the person in question which gives them a leg up over someone who doesn't. It does, also, make for a bit of an OOC/IC alliance by its very nature, which kinda.. =/ eh. It can definitely be abused, I think. I'd highly be in favor of regulating it and having it have a cost.

[Kinaed]

Does anyone have any ideas how a "game" system for this sort of thing could be put into place?

Here are some ideas I've thought of or already mentioned:

- Just make having backstory acquaintances, friends, etc, cost QP or XP.
- Balancing relationships - people require an opposite relationship to get a backstory beneficial one. Eg, if I have a friend, I must have an enemy of similar degree too to balance it out?
- Some sort of code-tracked relationship system (We're already working on minions, but I think that's more an on-going mechanic instead of a backstory mechanic).

I'm not really satisfied that any of the above really has a gaming aspect - but then again, we're talking about backstory instead of actual play. I'd LOVE to hear ideas of how we can make a social game out of TI's relationships. Any thoughts, anyone? If so, please post in the Ideas for Consideration Forum. Thanks!

[Kinaed]

Helpfile for Relatives

It is not permissible to play a friend, enemy or relative of any of your
own characters, past or present. This means that you may not in any way
allow your alts to personally know one another, be it in the form of blood
kin or casual friendship. After death, you may not create your character's
brother, sister, spouse, cousin, nemesis, and so on.

Two players creating characters together must alert the immortal staff that
they are entering the game with previous history assumed between the two
characters. The immortals may decline the right to create these pairs if
there is a material interest in doing so.

No one may create a relative of a PC without that PC's permission, but once
the PC has been created with permission, they cannot be told they may no
longer play their character - so be careful when giving someone permission
to play your family members!

See also: ALTS

(Subject area: policy Last modified: Sun Feb 13 21:51:12 2011)

Looks like it's a long-standing policy (mind the Sun Feb 13th is the day I took all of the policies out of a hidden folder and re-established them), that backstory connections require immortal approval, most especially relatives. I don't think most of the pbase knew this (heck, I didn't, even though I think I wrote the darn thing). Please consider this a reminder, and I'll update the text to add something about it costing QP since that seems to be the most favored method of handling backstory connections for the moment.