Love stuck

So, I’m doing a love interest between a PC and a NPC. He has done something in the past that had her decide to leave. He wants to win her back, and he knows she still loves him. I would like to make a great conflict or such but not sure how to go about it. Any suggestions? Thank you!

Why did they split up?
What is the PC:s Belief? Is it anything you can use here? Make his wish to win the girl back contradict his belief!

Otherwise:

  • Let the mousegirl be pregnant. Is it with another mouse?
  • The girl wants him to leave the guard to be with her. Doesn’t he love her more than the guard?
  • Another suitor enters the stage! And he wont take no for an answer. :wink:
  • The mother-in-law-to-be confesses that the girl and the PC actually might be siblings! (same father, diffrent mothers, or adopted)
  • The girl is abducted. And raped if he doesn’t find her soon enough. What now?

I’m interpreting the original question as being more about how to handle the wooing mechanically, in game? Is that correct?

One thought that comes to mind would be use the Conflict rules, but stretch the actual resolution of the conflict out over time. So it’d go something like this:

  • Have the player write his statement of intent for the conflict e.g. (“My beloved will see past my former mistakes and accept me back”) and a statement of intent for the beloved e.g. (“My traitorous lover will admit his true shame and know that we can never be together again”) or whatever seems to fit.

  • Decide which skills will be used for the conflict. This will probably be as per Argument, although I could see maybe modifying it a little for wooing. I don’t have a book handy, so I can’ t make suggestions on that.

  • Player & GM go ahead and script for the first 3 exchanges. You’ll want to do this in a way that the scripts can be retained, and revealed gradually - BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT GOING TO PLAY THIS OUT ALL AT ONCE.

  • Instead, every time the player spends a check in a player turn to further his wooing, you’ll reveal & resolve one exchange of the conflict. The player doesn’t have to spend the checks consecutively, or even all in the same session. This will take time. When the first three exchanges are done, if the issue is not resolved (i.e. neither sides disposition is at zero), rescript and continue.

  • Be sure to reflect the scripted actions in the course of the wooing. Attacks could be gifts, ostentatious declarations of affection, Defends could be justifying past actions, Maneuver - getting her friends to talk you up, setting up some reason you will be forced to spend time together, Feint accusing the other party of infidelity, covering up indiscretions etc.

  • When the conflict is finally over, the ending dispositions combined with the intents can then be used as normal to negotiate the final outcome.

I think the simplest, most straightforward way would be to figure out a way to do something to make amends for his past deeds (probably spending checks during the Players’ Turn), and after he has helped heal the rift between them, have an Argument conflict with a goal of getting her to return to him.

-B

Yup. This is a Players’ Turn thing that he needs to drive. If you want some additional conflict, you could always make her suitor the PC’s Enemy. … which my GM did. :slight_smile: Could be an Argument conflict between the PC and his enemy, or he might have to go above and beyond and pursue further in future Players’ Turns if he runs out of checks or what-not. Check over his BIGs, friends, family, enemies, etc. and come up with something meaningful for him when he decides to pursue it.

This is hilariously creepy.

Don’t ever do this.

I love Rafiel’s idea of the extended Conflict, I can see using something like this represent convincing different Mayors, Governors, etc to agree to the same plan of action, or acting as an intermediary between two cities, when the two won’t meet you have to travel back and forth delivering messages and mediating.