Numenera: Auspar - Building Factions (1)

I am hoping to at least put one post on this blog up every week, alongside a possibly reduced schedule for The Shattered Child, going down to three posts rather than four, if needs be. This blog will be going out mostly Mondays if I can find the time. I thought I might leave you with a task, something to make you think during your week and perhaps influence how you play (hopefully positively, don't shoot me if you roll a one because of something I said).

If I'm going to be honest I'm  nervous about doing this. I'm a little greenhorn when it comes to TTRPGS so I hope my inexperienced ramblings might prove useful. To that effect I've had to come up with systems, and adaptable plots to deal with my inexperience as well as to facilitate player freedom. I didn't really want to start with a linear or restrictive game focus for my Numenera campaign, owing to the nature of the game itself. I wanted to try and capture some of the elements of a grand RPG; such as reputation, urban exploration and political intrigue.

I really wanted to do something that would perhaps make it easier for myself to navigate while allowing complex plot and NPC behaviour for the PC's. This is where I had an idea. It's called a 'Narrative Matrix' and in all intents and purposes it's pretty much just an Excel table. The table itself consists of categories that define a faction, guild or NPC in various forms of interaction with the setting and itself. They are categories defined with six possible outcomes and the lexicology used within those definitions create a stable and consistent persona. The table itself and its categories, I will leave for another blog but I would like to explain how these definitions interact.

When my PCs discovered a piece of Numenera they wanted to fix, they were given three options; The Order of Truth, House Narrkonis, or the Metricious.  To explain why, in each of their initial definitions in the 'General Motives' category of my matrix, they all contain the keyword of Numenera preceded by a verb; Gather/Protect/Study. In a functional role they will all provide assistance. The GM  needs to be concerned with the verbs attached to the Numenera which help define their relationship. The Order of Truth are more likely, in my campaign, to protect the Numenera from the general population. House Narrkonis has a long standing history of studying the Numenera, while the Metricious want to collect it, to sell it on. Each of these defines the interactions available and perhaps will offer different avenues for the PCs to explore, as well as perhaps dissuading them from certain choices.

The matrix, for myself at least, gives me a handy reference guide to who can do what. However when it comes to actual play the city is live and will react to and carry on regardless of PC interaction. This is why each category has been given six values. Initially to set up the tone and the atmosphere of the city I asked one of my players to roll a few six sided dice. Two are given to the General Motives Category which allows for more complex behaviours.  As an example the Metricious have these definitions within the General Motives category:

1. Brandish Wealth - Using assets to fund public displays of affluence
2. Mercantile - The buying, selling or trading of goods
3. Gather Numenera - Actively or passively perusing Numenera to collate
4. Celebrate - Involvement with religious, or non religious events in a positive manner
5. Brewing - The creation and/or selling of alcoholic beverages in various forms
6. Abuse Power - Influence and control with little regard for subterfuge.

At the start of the plot the group had rolled a one and a three, this resulted in the initial behaviours of the Metricious as 'Brandishing Wealth' and 'Gathering Numenera'. For a GM you can use these separately or if plausible, combining the two. In the city of Auspar, Numenera is left at the Obsidian Spire at the centre of the city. Perhaps, knowing that the Metricious are not so law abiding, they have used their wealth to deposit Numenera in a public display, however the Numenera is fake and as they are placing down their offerings, they are removing the real Numenera. This could provide a plot hook in itself, or provide a backing to whatever interactions your PCs need with that faction.

Of course this does not mean this Matrix is limited in scope to groups, guilds or families. If the campaign is more on a intimate level and requires interaction with single NPCs then you can easily change them to names of characters. In keeping with the Metricious, perhaps an unsavoury travelling merchant called Varen, is going around, pretending to be a lord and demanding Numenera as payment for some action. The use of the six descriptors allows a consistent portrait to be built and will hopefully result in minimal dissonance between what has been established and what will happen.

I thought I might leave you with a task, something to make you think during your week and perhaps influence how you play (hopefully positively, don't shoot me if you roll a one because of something I said):

• GM Task: Take one or more NPC's/Guilds/Factions/Families and define them in six ways using simple meanings. Make sure the categories you use can be reused to define others within your game. If some share, think how the rest of their definitions allow them to differentiate themselves in the same task, how they would complete it differently and how the outcomes would affect the PCs.
  
• PC Task: Can you define your motives as a character in a similar way? Can any of your previous characters be defined be the same characteristics as your current character, if so why? Can you describe the other characters in the game in a similar fashion and do they agree?

Hopefully you enjoyed reading, any feedback would be greatly appreciated, you can find me on twitter @proftesla or follow the links on the blog to my Google+.

Have a great week,

/Drew