By Any Means Necessary
I’d love to get some comments on a system I’ve been working on. For a while I’ve been wanting to create an RPG influenced by the classic British spy series Sandbaggers. For those that don’t know it, it’s a gritty, ultra-realistic spy series with less emphasis on James Bond-like adventures and more emphasis on office politics, betrayal, bureaucracies, and the soul-crushing experiences of the grey world of spies.
Other influences would include books by John LeCarre, and Len Deighton, movies like Munich, TV shows like Spooks/MI5, and comics like Queen and Country (which, of course, was directly influenced by Sandbaggers). Plus the real world exploits of Philby, Maclean and the rest of the Cambridge Five.
I tried to think what would be the most important characteristics of a game based on those worlds. For me, there certainly doesn’t need to be a lot of detail in things like the skill or combat systems, nor the crunchiness of games like Spycraft. I’m not quite ready to go diceless, so I would still use a very basic skill system (roll 1d6 against a target, modified by your ability in a skill, and that’s about it), but this would not be the heart of the system. What I wanted was something to model the vital components of a gritty spy series: character motivation, internal conflict, exhaustion, moral quandaries, etc.
Consistent throughout the Sandbaggers (and other spy stories) is the image of the moral, righteous individual forced to do horrible things in order to get the job done. This leads to burnout, depression, etc. Will the player stand up to the faceless bureaucrats who are ordering them to do horrible things? Will they try to hang on to some spark of idealism in their actions?
This is a long post. If you want to quickly get some flavour for the system, check out the sample character at the end.
Conflict and the Characterization Check
I came up with a system where, parallel to the basic task resolution system, there is a “motivation resolution system” , which I call a characteristic check. This system would look at how much the motivations and characterization of the character conflict with their actions and their mission. Most times when a significant action takes place, not only will the player roll against their skill, the GM will also check for a characteristic conflict. If a conflict exists, it may have several in-game effects.
This system is influenced somewhat by Steve Darlington’s great “Walk the Line” game (
http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=174918), which I see as a “deterministic motivation resolution system” rather than a “task resolution system”. In that game you don’t roll dice to see if you succeed in shooting someone – instead, you roll dice to see if you are or are not motivated to shoot someone, based on your personality characteristics. (Hope I didn’t misrepresent your game, Steve).
By Any Means Necessary is different in that the characteristic check is non-deterministic and does not involve a die roll. That is, a character is not forced to perform certain actions if there is a conflict between their personal values and their actions. Rather, if a conflict exists, one of a few things may happen. It is possible the character’s chance of success during any concurrent task resolution may be reduced. It is possible that they may not be able to spend “drama points” or something similar for that action. It is possible that their disposition (a general rating of idealism, burnout, enthusiasm, etc.) may change. See below for more on disposition.
So how does one check to see if a conflict exists? Each player character will have a level ranking in each of the three following categories: Morality, Methodology, and Patriotism. Morality is a measure of the degree to which the character believes in an absolute or relative morality. Methodology is basically a measurement of lawfulness, and how much the player is willing to bend the laws to get things done. Patriotism is a ranking of how much the character puts the interests of their country ahead of the interest of the wider community. Each of these is ranked by a continuum, and for purposes of the game there are four levels in each:
Morality
- Strong Absolutist. You believe in a strong moral code that you feel should always be followed.
- Moderate Absolutist. You believe a moral code should be followed whenever possible, though there are times when some flexibility is needed.
- Moderate Relativist. Following a moral code can be good, but it should not impinge on your actions.
- Strong Relativist. Morality is relative in different situations and among different people.
Methodology
- Strong Lawful. Character believes that you must operate within the system. The rules need to be followed, even if a goal cannot be accomplished under those rules.
- Moderate Lawful. Laws are essential in giving guidance to one’s actions, but should not be followed so rigidly that they interfere with success.
- Moderate Anarchist. You do whatever you have to to get done. When possible you operate within a legal framework, but not if it hinders your actions.
- Strong Anarchist. Rules are meaningless at best, and a danger at worst. The job needs to get done no matter what.
Patriotism
- Strong Patriot. Player believes their country’s interests are always paramount.
- Moderate Patriot. Player believes the country’s interests are their most important concern, but acknowledges that when possible the interests of other nations (or peoples, or groups) should be taken into account.
- Moderate Globalist. Your country exists within a community of other countries. You do what you need to to promote your country’s interests, but you believe at the heart of those interests is cooperation with others.
- Strong Globalist. Nation-states are a largely fictional construction. People should work for the benefit of the global community and not a particular country.
Now, a key part of the system is this: In addition to the characters having rankings in the three characteristic categories above, actions and missions also are given similar rankings by the GM. When a player performs an action, the GM checks to see if their own characteristics are in conflict with the characteristics of the mission. Thus, if a lawful person is forced, as part of their mission, to perform an unlawful act, they are probably having a motivation conflict due to varying characteristics.
Note that I talk about both “mission” and “action” characteristics. Mission characteristics are usually determined by the GM when creating an adventure, and represent the relative morality, methodology, and patriotism of a particular mission’s goals. These will be the default characteristics that you will compare with the player’s characteristics. However, a particular action might also have characteristics, and these might override the mission characteristics.
Examples:
Mission profile: to publicly embarrass via a sex scandal an opposition leader of a friendly country, who it is believed poses a threat to the economy of your country if they get in power in the forthcoming elections.
Mission Characteristics: Strong Patriot (the economic interests of your country outweigh the interests of other countries, even friendly ones), Moderate Moral Relativist (the person being humiliated is not evil, and thus the action might be considered “wrong” by a moral absolutist), Moderate Lawful (although your actions are technically illegal, they are within the leeway granted your agency by the government to get things done).
Game effects: In general, a person whose personal characteristics are different then those exhibited in the mission characteristics will find themselves in conflict when they go to perform the mission. In this mission, a strong globalist will be very upset at humiliating a political leader of a friendly government. On the other hand, a moderate patriot will probably be able to justify their actions (since “moderate patriot” is closer on the continuum to “strong patriot” than “strong globalist” is).
Action profile: The attempt to humiliate the politician is a disaster. The politician threatens to reveal your actions to the world press. Since blackmail doesn’t work, the player decides the only solution is to kill the politician to keep him quiet.
Action characteristics: Strong Patriot (you are willing to do anything to protect the image of your country, even kill), Strong Moral Relativist (you are killing a largely innocent person), Moderate Anarchist (your government allows political assassinations, but only with official pre-approval, so you are breaking your own agency’s rules).
Game effects: Killing a man is a significant action, so the GM determines that the characteristics of the action outweigh the characteristics of the mission. As a result, when they go to check for conflict the GM uses the action’s characteristics, not the mission’s.
If any one of the three mission or action characteristics differs from the player’s characteristics, then a conflict may exist.
The GM has the final say if a conflict exists or not. They will usually determine the action characteristics after the player describes their action. Note that the GM does not have to determine the characteristics of every single action. It’s only if the action is significant and/or is at odds with the mission characteristics should they bother determining the action characteristics. Likewise, the conflict check itself should only be done when major actions are taking place. A routine die roll to plant a bug successfully does not require a conflict check in addition to task resolution, unless the action has some huge significance by itself.
Note that while the GM’s word is final, the player has the right to make their case about why their actions may or may not be in conflict. They can appeal to their characteristics, their character’s history and background, the overall mission goals, etc., in order to justify why there are mitigating circumstances.
Conflict can be minor or major. Major conflict usually takes place when the difference between characteristics is two or more levels. However, the nature of the characteristics and the conflict should be taken into account. For example, it is much less of a conflict for an anarchist to act in a lawful way then for a lawful person to act like an anarchist.
Conflict does not only exist when the character performs an action. The GM may want to do a characteristic check when the character finds out something new about their mission, or other external circumstances change. Also, a conflict can exist for reason other than characterization. For example, a religious person forced to act against their faith may be in conflict. This is why it is important that the player spend a little time writing a back story for their character.
Effects of Conflict
Okay, you’ve determined a conflict exists. How does it effect gameplay? Minor conflict is generally resolved through roleplaying only. Major conflict has two possible effects:
1. Character’s disposition rating drops by one. See below for more info on disposition. The character cannot spend any kharma points for the duration of the scene. Furthermore, in any contested action where the character’s task results are tied with someone else’s (see task resolution), the person in conflict fails at their task. This stays in effect for the rest of the scene.
2. Shift in characteristic. The player’s appropriate characteristic moves one level towards the mission/action characteristic in conflict. So, a strong lawful person who performs a strong anarchist action has their methodology characteristic shift from strong lawful to moderate lawful. This should be rare and should only happen once per mission – people do not change quickly. Also, if someone is being forced to do an uncharacteristic action by an external force (e.g. their boss), it is less likely their characteristic will shift. However, if a person is constantly and voluntarily acting against their characteristics the GM may insist that they take a characteristic shift.
The player will generally be allowed to chose which of the two above effects take place, though the GM may overrule them if they have good reason.
Disposition
Disposition is a key attribute in
By Any Means Necessary. It is rated from +5 (high) to -5 (low). It represents the individuals overall level of idealism, conscience, and degree of burnout. A high disposition individual is one who is generally performing actions that mesh with their values, and feels good about what they do. A person with low disposition is burned out, has been forced to compromise on their values, and is more likely to feel bad about their actions.
Low disposition has two effects. It reduces the number of Kharma points the player has to spend on a mission. It also should have strong roleplaying effects, as determined by the player. Someone with low disposition will be more bitter, more likely to turn to some drug or activity to keep their mind off the negative aspects of their work, more likely to be constantly threatening to quit, etc.
Disposition will usually only change during a game due to the character being in major conflict after a characterization check. However, in certain circumstances, the GM can insist on a disposition change without any characterization check. For example, if you suddenly find out a loved one has died, the GM may insist that your disposition go down by one or more points. On the other hand, if you find out that a friend you thought was dead has suddenly turned up alive, the GM may give you disposition points.
Kharma
Kharma points are a metagame tool used by the player to effect the outcome of their character’s actions. Kharma points are more limited than drama points in that they only effect the player’s direct actions.
One (or more) kharma points can be spent to add one (or more) to a player’s skill roll. You cannot use kharma to alter someone else’s die roll. So if the GM is rolling damage in combat against a player character, that player character cannot modify that die roll. But the player can modify their own rolls.
The player can declare the use of kharma points before or after a die roll. However, if they decide to use kharma points after a roll, the cost is doubled (i.e. two kharma points to increase a roll by one).
At the start of each adventure/mission, the player gets 5 kharma points plus their current disposition score. Since disposition ranges from +5 to -5, the total number of kharma points ranges from 10 to 0. During a mission, if the player has a drop in their disposition level for any reason, their current Kharma pool drops by the same amount.
Kharma is only replenished between adventures/missions. A new kharma level is determined at the start of each mission. Leftover kharma points are lost.
Abilities
All skills and attributes are lumped together as “abilities”, which are used in task resolution. These represent things a person has some training in or is naturally good at. They include both skills that someone has learnt, and innate abilities they were born with. There are no separate abilities like “strength” or “endurance” or “intelligence”. Instead, if you want someone to be particularly strong, select the “muscular” ability at level one or two. If you want them to be able to endure pain and heal quickly, chose “tough as nails”, etc.
A player has one of three rankings in the above abilities: 0 (untrained), 1 (trained), or 2 (expert).
Sample abilities:
Athletics
Attractive
Combat
Diplomacy
Disguise
Driving
Electronic Surveillance
Forgery
Influence
Languages
Medicine
Muscular
Seduction
Subterfuge
Tough as Nails
Player can choose other abilities with the GMs permission.
Task Resolution
(No need to into detail here. It’s a simple roll 1d6 above a target from 2 to 6, modified by skills and kharma points, with basic rules for extended actions, contested actions, etc.)
Character Advancement
There are no experience points, levels, or other tools for character advancement in
By Any Means Necessary (it ain’t that kind of game). Any advancement happens through roleplaying, at the mutual agreement of the GM and player, between missions.
Character Creation
This will be finalized later. Basically, I will use a career path system (similar to Classic Traveller) whereby players can go into detail about their character’s backgrounds with various careers and lifepathes (e.g. university, grad school, military training, etc.). They will be able to assign attributes based on the careers they choose.
As part of character creation players can choose backgrounds, which are basically one-word descriptions of their previous life. This can include things like their socio-economic background (e.g. working class, middle class) to experiences (e.g. globetrotter, transient) to values (e.g. religious, misogynistic) to careers (e.g. translator, diplomat). The player can appeal to those backgrounds when a characteristic check takes place.
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Sample character
Name: Willie Caine
Career: MI6 agent
Abilities:
Subterfuge 1
Streetwise 2
Combat 2
Electronic Surveillance 1
Driving 2
Science 1
Tough as Nails 2
Muscular 1
Computers 1
Survival 2
Characteristics:
Strong Absolutist – Willie has strong moral beliefs that he does not like to break.
Moderate Lawful – Willie tries to operate within the law when possible
Strong Patriot – Willie loves his country and is willing to go to great lengths to protect it.
Disposition: +1 (Willie still has some idealism in him, but is somewhat disgusted with some of the things he has had to do in his career).
Kharma Points: 6
Backgrounds:
Working Class
Soldier
Spy School
History:
A smart, tough, ex-sergeant in the Royal Marines, Willie came to the attention of the MI6 early in his career. After several terms of duty in the Marines, he was offered a position with MI6. After some training he spent a year in the Special Projects Team, but due to his brains was quickly singled out as a potential Sandbagger. After three years as a junior Sandbagger he became head of the Special Section when his old boss moved up to Director of Operations.
Smart, efficient, and dedicated, Willie is a tough guy who hates having to act like a tough guy. He loathes violence and, despite his military training, avoids carrying or using weapons when possible. He is strongly dedicated and loyal to his country. This is a good thing, because it helps him justify some of the less savory aspects of the job. He dislikes being put in situations where he has to do something terrible for the greater good. There is still a small spark of idealism in him
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So, am I reinventing the wheel? Are there any other games with a motivation system I should be looking at for inspiration? Any ideas on other characteristics I could use?
Linear Mode
