SUMMARY
Agents of the MIR are accustomed to having to negotiate for what they need, from embroiling themselves in the highest courtly intrigue to bartering with wary peasants. Their role as the guardians of reality no longer commands the respect it once did.
This chapter introduces the rules of Intrigue, and the different ways the Exarch can use it to present players with ethical dilemmas and moral choices during play.
- Relationships: Relationships allow agents to ask for help (otherwise known as a Boon) from characters they are on good terms with. The agent's Relationship with a character can also change how they react to them and their actions.
- Confrontations: The equivalent of a battle of wills, these interactions can force another character to give an agent what they want, or to fall under their sway.
Using Relationships as Exarch
Make your players face the consequences of their actions: Certain player actions can both open doors and close them, changing their Relationships with important NPCs.
Some actions can lower the players' Relationship with a character, while allowing them to obtain information from them, while others will improve their Relationship with the NPC, making it possible for ask them for help at a later date.
Create dilemmas: Linking your players' actions to Consequences creates moral conflict. This heightens the dramatic tension of certain scenes and gives greater impact to players' actions and how they affect the world of MIR.
Bring the world to life: Use different Relationships to create emotional ties between your players and NPCs. Their interactions can form bonds of love, friendship or resentment that strengthen the narrative.
The scenario sheets have been designed to make it easy for the Exarch to track the complex weave of friendships and rivalries in the overarching story.
Using Confrontations as the Exarch
Set the Stakes for a social scene: the first step in a Confrontation is to define the Stakes, or what the character initiating the Intrigue wants. This helps the Exarch understand what a player is trying to get out of the scene.
Changing a character's behavior: Setting up a Confrontation gives the players the opportunity to modify the intentions or behavior of an NPC or PC. They can try to persuade them, manipulate them or force them, but whatever they do, it will influence them in some way.
Support more reserved players: Not all players are comfortable with roleplaying. A successful Intrigue roll can help make up for an imperfect scene, and encourage shy players to get more involved.
Resolve conflicts between players: MIR does not aim to pit players against one another. However, each PC has their own Tenet, values and feelings which may differ from those of their fellow Chapter members. Such conflicts can add amazing depth to the narrative.
Confrontations can help to resolve disagreements between characters, and avoid recurring, unresolved arguments.
Leave space for failure when roleplaying: The agents of the MIR are strong, but not infallible. A player's charisma can't save their character in every situation. When entering a contest of wills that might allow them to alter their opponent's behavior, they face the very real possibility of having to change their own personal views.
Just as an arrow can miss its target, even the most finely-crafted argument can sometimes fall on deaf ears. It's up to the player to decide how to bounce back from failure.
RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships represent how the the different characters of a story are linked. Depending on their actions, the way other characters feel about the Chapter can change. If they think well of the agents, they will be more likely to offer their help. If they have a negative relationship with them, the agents will have to work harder to get what they want.
It's up to them to choose the path they wish to take…
Relationship level
Relationship levels represent a character's feelings towards another: the higher it is, the more that person will feel inclined to help them, the lower it is, the more they will feel inclined to harm them.
Asking for a Boon
Increasing your Relationship level with a character will cause them to act more favorably towards you. They may agree to grant you a Boon, if you offer them a Favor in return.
Boons have levels representing how dangerous they are. The higher the agent's Relationship level with the person they are speaking with, the bigger the Boon they can ask for.
Relationships and Confrontations
Asking for a Boon only works if the character is willing. If they are not, the agent will have to force them using a Confrontation (see p. XX).
Request Service
Keeping track of Relationships during a ScenarioThe gaming aids in the starter set contain a blank scenario sheet. This will allow you to take note of your players' important actions and how they effect the game's key NPCs. |
Relationship level
Relationship levels represent how intensely two characters are linked, going from +4 which represents strong love and trust, to -4 for deep hatred.
An agent's Relationship level with a stranger most commonly starts at 0, unless they have some kind of preconceived opinion about them.
|
Relationship level |
Relationship state |
|
⊖ ◦◦◦◦|---- ⊕ |
Love (+4) |
|
⊖ ◦◦◦◦|---◦ ⊕ |
Trust (+3) |
|
⊖ ◦◦◦◦|--◦◦ ⊕ |
Friendship (+2) |
|
⊖ ◦◦◦◦|-◦◦◦ ⊕ |
Affection (+1) |
|
⊖ ◦◦◦◦|◦◦◦◦ ⊕ |
Neutral (0) |
|
⊖ ◦◦◦-|◦◦◦◦ ⊕ |
Dislike (-1) |
|
⊖ ◦◦--|◦◦◦◦ ⊕ |
Hostility (-2) |
|
⊖ ◦---|◦◦◦◦ ⊕ |
Disgust (-3) |
|
⊖ ----|◦◦◦◦ ⊕ |
Hatred (-4) |
A Relationship level is always asymmetrical, taking into account two different Relationship levels: that of the agent for the character, and that of the character towards the agent.
· My opinion of them: This is the agent's opinion of this person. Your character knows this
information and the player can track it on their character sheet.
· Their opinion of me: This Relationship level can evolve without the player knowing.
Example: Lauriane's character Lauda is starting to develop feelings for Danae, who is Margot's character: her Relationship level with her changes to +3. However, her affections aren't reciprocated: Danae only sees her as a fellow agent, staying at 0.
Their respective Relationships would be shown on their character sheets as follows:
On Lauda's sheet:
|
Your opinion of Danae |
|
⊖ ◦◦◦◦|---◦ ⊕ |
On Danae's sheet:
|
Your opinion of Lauda |
|
⊖ ◦◦◦◦|◦◦◦◦ ⊕ |
Guessing another character's opinion
A character can roll a Moderate (3) success Empathy (Hope) test to try and gues how another person feels about them.
This test is carried out in secret by the Exarch. If the test fails, the Exarch can choose to give the player false information about their Relationship, or no information at all.
Special Relationships
Relationships most commonly represent the link between two people, but they can also represent emotional ties with objects or entire groups of individuals. These particular Relationships are noted in the same way in a character's Relationships list.
Attachments
A character can also have emotional ties to an object or animal. These attachments follow the same rules of Relationships and Consequences, even if they are not people.
Factions
A faction is a group of individuals sharing common goals or beliefs. A faction can have Relationships, which represent the general feeling of the group towards a person or another faction.
If a Chapter has a poor Relationship with a faction, it will be unwelcome, or even driven out by its members. On the other hand, having a good Relationship with a faction can grant access to special privileges and information.
Chapter of the MIR
The Chapter is an entity known by default to all the protagonists of a scenario, if they don't know the agents individually. The opinion of these people towards the Chapter defines how they will welcome the agents as a whole.
If a character has no opinion of an agent, then they will use their Relationship level with the Chapter in their interactions. If they have a Relationship level with both the Chapter and the agent, they will use whichever one of the two seems most appropriate for the situation.
Example: Mauricio, a Veneatori agent, has forged many links with a Systerin crime syndicate, and this faction thinks well of him (+2). Unfortunately, his Chapter has made a name for itself in the fight against corruption, and this same faction is rather hostile to them (-2). If they want to negotiate with this syndicate, it's probably best for Mauricio to speak to them alone.
ASKING FOR A BOON
According to the laws of the Pact, those who request assistance from the MIR must provide food and lodging for their agents. However, the law does not specify a requirement for any other resources: equipment, mounts, men… As a result, it's entirely up to the employer to decide just how much help they wish to give the agents in their employ.
Agents of the MIR generally have few resources at their disposal. For their Hunt to progress, they'll often have to beg local dignitaries for Boons, promising Favors in return for any help they receive.
Boon valueA Boon can be either some kind of service, resource, or a piece of information, asked of someone who is capable of granting it. The value of a Boon depends on how dangerous it is to fulfill: · Minimal (●): A minor piece of information that the person has easy access to. The Boon does not put the person in danger. · Considerable (●●): Giving access to sensitive information or a protected location. · Perilous (●●●): Providing highly confidential information, services or access to locations which could cost the person dearly if it were to be discovered. · Deadly (●●●●): Actions which have a high chance of causing the person's death, or which go against their deepest moral convictions. |
OWING A FAVOR
If a character grants you a Boon, then you will owe them a Favor of the same level as the Boon that was granted. The Favor created is linked to a Target, meaning the person who owes it.
Negotiating the value of a Boon
An agent can negotiate the value of a Boon with an opposed Intrigue Skill test. The winner may either increase the Favor by one level, or request a Boon of a higher level.
|
Intrigue Skills |
|
Eloquence (Hope) |
|
Intimidation (Fear) |
|
Authority (Dogma) |
|
Manipulation (Lies) |
Example: Margot's character has requested help from the Governor. She has asked him to grant her access to his private library. This is a Considerable Boon, and Margot negotiates the value of the Favor she will owe him in return. She wins the opposed test roll against the Governor, reducing the value of the Favor she owes him. Instead of being level 2 (the equivalent of a Considerable Boon), the Favor will now only be level 1. The Governor then gains the following Favor. If Margot doesn't honor it, the governor can use the Favor as an advantage during an Intrigue against her.
|
Type: Favor Level •◦◦◦ Description: I helped the agent of the MIR by giving access to my personal archives. |
Seduction (Boon via Relationship)
An agent can try to seduce their target to gain an advantage during a negotiation. They can make an Eloquence (Hope) or Manipulation (Lies) test, against a Zeal (Dogma) test.
If they succeed, then their target will grant them the Boon without asking for anything in return, and their Relationship with the agent increases by 2.
Unless they rolled Manipulation (Lies) durning the test, the agent also increases their Relationship with the target by 2. An agent cannot be helped with this type of test.
An agent cannot be helped by other agents for this kind of test.
Boon for a Boon
Instead of asking for a Favor, a character can also request an equivalent Boon in exchange for their help. They can ask for it to be granted either before, or after the agents have received their Boon.
Requesting Boons from hostile characters
Agents cannot request a Boon from a character with whom they have a negative Relationship. A character with whom they have a negative Relationship will never help them willingly.
Obtaining a Boon from the character will require a Confrontation, but no matter how much pressure the agents put on them, they will never accept a Perilous or Deadly Boon. Even if the agents win the Confrontation and obtain a Boon from them, the character will betray them if the opportunity arises, or give incomplete information.
Threats: Threatening a person's life or that of a loved one will allow the agent to obtain a more significant Boon. Increase the level of Boon requested. However, this kind of action will have Consequences, and reduces the character's Relationship with the Chapter (see Consequences table).
The enemy of my enemy is my friend: If the Boon granted causes harm to an enemy of the character the agent requested it from, then their relationship level with that character is no longer taken into account until the Boon has been completed.
Forcing a character to grant a Boon
Boons are granted voluntarily. An character is never obliged to provide assistance, and can simply refuse to help the agents if their request goes against their values or harms someone they care about.
Forcing a character to grant a Boon requires a Confrontation.
Whatever the result of the Confrontation, they lose the same number of Relationship levels with the character as the level of Boon requested.
Example: Paul wants to force the jailer to give him the keys to the prison, a Considerable Boon. Since he refuses to help him, Paul starts a Confrontation to try and coerce him. This causes him to lose 2 Relationship levels with him, which is equal to the level of Boon he's trying to obtain (●●).
CONSEQUENCES
Relationships can evolve depending on character's actions, or very rarely through the use of an Art. Actions which affect the Relationship between characters are said to have Consequences.
If the agents make themselves useful and carry out the tasks requested of them, then their Relationships with certain characters will improve. However, those same characters can quickly grow to hate them if their actions interfere with their plans, or harm others they have Relationships with.
When a character triggers a Consequence, this always impacts the relevant person's Relationship level towards them.
Example: The Chapter has decided to reveal the captain of the guard's darkest secret: he was using his influence to bring illegal goods into the city (●●●●), while the captain previously had no opinion of the agents (0), the revelation of his secret and his consequent dismissal will make him the Chapter's mortal enemy (-4), who will stop at nothing to get his revenge.
Consequences towards the Chapter
Actions carried out as a group can have Consequences for the entire Chapter. If an action cannot be attributed to one agent specifically, then the entire Chapter will take the blame, and suffer the consequences.
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List of Consequences Here's an overview of actions that will have Consequences for the agents. Feel free to adapt this list to your players' actions during the game:
Threats, injuries & murder While agents are sometimes above the law, their actions always have consequences:
|
CONFRONTATIONS
If agents don't have a good Relationship with their target, or if they need crucial information, they can start a Confrontation to force their them to give them what they want.
Starting a Confrontation
A confrontation is a kind of social combat. The agent determines the Stakes, meaning what they are trying to get from their opponent, and then the participants face off in an Exchange phase, which is a discussion resulting in an opposed Skill test.
The winner decides how to handles the Stakes.
Will
A Confrontation can be won through an opposed Skill test, but particularly tough players or opponents will resist and try their luck again. The loser of the test can spend a point of Will to begin a new Exchange phase.
Intrigue resources
Intrigue resources are narrative elements that can be
used as part of a Confrontation. They can be used to
automatically win a Confrontation:
- Favors: Leverage obtained by granting a Boon.
- Secrets: Dark secrets that can make even the toughest opponent fold.
- Evidence: Elements which prove a person guilty of breaking the laws of the Pact of MIR.
Starting a Confrontation
A Confrontation is triggered when one person attempts to force another to grant them a Boon. Confrontations are dangerous, as their outcome is uncertain and can backfire on the instigator. A Confrontation is divided into 3 phases:
· Stakes: The Stakes of a Confrontation are the Boon requested by the instigator, which their opponent refused to grant. The Stakes are the reason for the Confrontation.
· Exchange: A roleplaying phase ending with an opposed Skill test. The loser can spend a point of Will to start a new Exchange. If they do not, their adversary wins the Confrontation.
· Resolution: Determines how the Stakes of the Confrontation will be managed, depending on who won.
Exchange
An Exchange is a roleplaying phase during which the participants each attempt to convince the other. As with combat, the victor is determined through an opposed Skill test roll.
Once each participant has said their piece, the Exarch sets the Intrigue Skill to be rolled for the test, which will depend on the player's general roleplaying and choice of words. They will do the same for their adversary.
|
Intrigue Skill |
|
Eloquence (Hope) |
|
Intimidation (Fear) |
|
Authority (Dogma) |
|
Manipulation (Lies) |
The character with the most successes wins the Exchange and the Confrontation. If the loser wishes to continue, they must spend 1 point of Will to begin a new Exchange.
If one of the participants rolls a critical success (meaning two 12s on their roll), they win the Exchange and cause their opponent to lose 1 point of Will.
In the event of a tie, they must each spend 1 point of Will to continue the Confrontation. If one of the participants does not wish to spend a point of Will, they lose the Confrontation.
Example: Callia begins her side of the Exchange with a long tirade about the duties of a soldier, so the Exarch decides that she will use Authority (Dogma) for her roll. Her adversary focuses on explaining how exhausted his comrades are, so he will roll for Eloquence.
Callia is unlucky and is less successful than her opponent. If she wants to convince the guard, she'll have to spend a point of Will to continue.
Rewarding roleplay
Be sure to reward players who pay attention to the story and make the effort to understand the scenario. A Confrontation is not just about rolling dice, it's a high stakes battle of wills.
To motivate players, the Exarch can award a player 1-2 additional dice if:
- They show they understand their opponent's motivations
- They used that character's Relationships to their advantage
The Exarch can also remove dice from a player's pool if:
- They oppose their adversary's objectives or values head-on
- They accidentally reinforce their opponent's views without realizing it.
Ending a Confrontation
Once engaged, those participating in a Confrontation cannot leave it until it has been resolved, unless they use one of these three, far more costly, solutions.
Leave the Exchange
By spending 1 point of Will, a character can leave the Confrontation: their opponent decreases their Relationship level with them by 2.
Using Arts during Intrigue: The use of Arts is forbidden during an Intrigue, but a character can make an Instinct (Secrets) test, and if they reach or exceed the number of successes required to stabilize the Art, they can leave the Confrontation without suffering a malus.
Accepting the Stakes
Before the Echange phase is resolved, a participant can decide to accept the Stakes of the Confrontation.
In this case, they lose the Confrontation, but their opponent owes them a Favor (●).
Attacking
Another way to end a Confrontation is to physically attack the other person.
If their opponent is still alive after the end of the scene, their Relationship with their attacker decreases to Hostile (-2). If their Relationship was already equal to or below that number, it decreases by 1 point.
Resolving the Confrontation
How the Stakes are managed depends on which party won the Confrontation.
· If the instigator won: they force their adversary to grant the Boon they originally requested.
· If the defender won: they do not grant the Boon, and can even force the agents to handle it themselves.
GROUP CONFRONTATIONS
In some situations, a Confrontation can require the presence of several people. The group designates a member of the group as their representative to speak for them during the Exchange.
All of the supporting characters will roll the same Skill test, adding 1 die to the representing character's dice pool per success obtained. The representing character can only be helped by a maximum of two other characters.
They cannot receive more dice than their level in the Skill being used.
The result of the Exchange phase affects all participating group members. If they lose the Exchange, they must each spend a point of Will to begin a new Exchange.
Example: A guard is defending his point of view regarding the commandments of Unicity. Both Filia and Callia are present and Filia chooses to confront the guard during the Exchange.
Callia begins the discussion before making her test. She rolls 2 successes, granting Filia 2 additional dice. Had she failed, they would each have had to spend a point of Will to continue the Confrontation.
Disputes
In the case of a dispute, the characters can resolve their disagreement with an Exchange.
The first Exchange is free if one of the participants spends a point of Will, whereas their adversary reduces their Relationship with them by 1 level per Exchange.
Changing sides
Instead of ending a Confrontation, a character can choose to switch sides instead.
Ending the Exchange
A character in the group can choose to leave the Exchange individually. Once any negative effects for the leaving character have been resolved, the Exchange continues for as long as the main representative is still participating.
If the main representative leaves the Exchange, another member of the group can choose to take their place. If not, the Intrigue ends and the relevant negative effects are applied to all characters still present.
A supporting character who has lost all of their Will points automatically leaves the Confrontation.
WILL
A character's Will represents their ability to overcome their opponent's resistance to their world view. Each time a character loses an Exchange, they can spend a point of Will to begin a new one.
Regaining Will
A character regains all of their Will points at the end of a Hunt.
The character can also regain Will points by interpreting their inner conflict:
Ego: interpreting your character's Ego allows them to regain 1 point of Will. You can only perform this action once per game session.
Doubt: the character can choose to lose an Exchange or Confrontation on purpose to regain 1 point of Will.
Total loss of Will
When a character's Will falls to 0, they lose all composure in a nervous breakdown.
Ignore the result of the Exchange and roll a Trauma test instead. The result replaces the Confrontation resolution. The character then regains all their Will points.
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Trauma test |
|
1-6 Submission: Your character is overwhelmed by the situation and unable to react. Their opponent can ask for a Boon equivalent to the Stakes, which the character cannot refuse. |
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7-12 Revolt: your character flies into a rage, reliving their past Trauma. You win the Exchange, but you commit an unforgivable act (violence, murder, revealing a dark secret). |
Spawning an Echo
If the character concerned has been corrupted by the Twisting, and is not an agent of the MIR, then a total loss of Will can result in them spawning an Echo. This action is at the Exarch's discretion.
FAVORS
Using a Favor during a Confrontation allows you to
win the Exchange.
Going back on your word: You can choose to refuse to honor the Favor owed during an Exchange. Spend as many Will points as the level of Favor owed to continue the Confrontation, and your opponent decreases their Relationship with you by double the value of the Favor.
Example: the Governor decides to call in a Favor (•) owed by Margot after he granted a Boon.
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Type: Favor Level •◦◦◦ Target: Margot Description: I helped the agent of the MIR by giving access to my personal archives. |
Margot is already struggling, and decides to go back on her word, spending 2 points of Will to refuse the Favor and continue the Confrontation. The Governor loses his Favor and decreases his Relationship with Margot's character by 4 points. Where he previously has a relationship level of +1 with her, he now has a Relationship of -3: it will be very difficult for her to ever ask him for help again.
SECRETS
During a Hunt, the agents can discover hidden information, and use it to blackmail their adversaries.
Secrets have several characteristics.
- Target: The person or faction concerned by the secret.
- Level: The secret's importance. The bigger the secret, the bigger the consequences for revealing it.
- Description: Describes exactly what the secret is hiding.
- Implications: The consequences for revealing a secret, which are set by the Exarch. The agents won't always know what the consequences for revealing a secret will be.
Blackmail
During a Confrontation, you can use a secret instead of rolling a Skill test. Your opponent must spend as many Will points as the level of the secret to continue the Confrontation.
Your opponent decreases their Relationship with you by as many levels as that of the secret. You can use the secret in this way as many times you like, as long as it has not yet been revealed.
Sharing a secret
If you share a secret with another character, it can be shared as many times you like, as long as it has not yet been revealed.
|
Level |
Impact |
|
•◦◦◦◦◦ |
Personal: the secret only concerns one person, and only has impact on them. |
|
••◦◦◦◦ |
Family: the secret concerns a couple or entire family. |
|
•••◦◦◦ |
Faction: the secret has implications for a precise group of people. |
|
••••◦◦ |
City: illegal trafficking, political assassinations, dark plots… If the secret were to be revealed, it could cause trouble for an entire city. |
|
•••••◦ |
Region: generalized corruption or hidden scandal kept hidden by the highest governing forces, the secret would ruin many powerful people and destabilize an entire region. |
|
•••••• |
Nation of the Pact: revealing the secret would have implications for an entire nation of the Pact, leading to civil war or an attempt at a coup. |
Revealing a secret
Revealing a secret makes it public knowledge and destroys it. Revealing someone's secret causes them to lose as many levels of Relationship with you as the level of the secret. Apply the implications of the secret.
Example: While interrogating Arios, a Systerin Senator, the agents discover he is having an affair with a foreigner. Although such a relationship is not forbidden by his destiny, it would destroy his political career if made public.
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Type : Secret Level •••◦◦◦ Target : Arios Description : Having an affair with a Veneatori foreigner. Implications : If the Senate were to discover their liaison, Arios would be forced out of the Systerin political sphere. His family would hire mercenaries to kill his lover, and kidnap those who made their affair public. |
EVIDENCE
Evidence allows agents to prove that an individual has broken the laws of the Pact of MIR. This is a serious charge which usually leads to a death sentence. Evidence can take the form of an object or a witness willing to talk to the MIR if necessary.
Crimes against the Pact· Possessing, hiding or using pre-Ruin artefacts. · Helping, hiding or negotiating with an Exile or member of the Pact of Silence. · Taking actions to destabilize a member of the Pact of MIR, or using military force against them. |
Using Evidence: Evidence allows you to automatically win an Exchange by convicting the accused. In this case the Intrigue can only be used to prove a person's guilt, to the end of having them imprisoned or taken to the MIR.
The agents can also use Evidence to blackmail their target, but in this case they will be breaking the law themselves by not reporting what they know.
Hiding Evidence: The agents can also transform Evidence into a secret. They gain 4 Favor points against their target. However, this also causes the agents to make a secret of their own, which could be used against them:
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Type : Secret Level: •••◦◦◦ Target : Chapter Description : Aiding and abetting heretics. |