So. Way back in the mists of time, I started a thread, that was based on a thread, on a MG hack and then promptly forgot all about it. Having found the file again, I thought I’d thow out what I’ve got so far.
The hack is called ‘Maquisards: Pour la Liberte’ and is a 1941 French resistance hack with brave cells of mice battling the conquering weasel army of the Overlord.
I’m going to put the history stuff over on the blog, and use this forum to make sure the rules are sorted. To that end, one of the issues I’ve been going over again is that of Nature.
Nature
Mice have changed very little despite the industrial revolution and modernity. As such, Mouse Nature remains Escaping, Climbing and Hiding but Trust replaces Foraging.
Trust
Trust replaces Foraging and is the sense of trust or distrust between mice that has developed during the war. It is ‘us against the world’.
Acting with trust
When putting your trust in another mouse, you may roll your trust at no penalty.
Mice acting against their Trust (against a weasel or your enemy for example) may still use Nature rating.
But, it just isn’t right. I want to emphasise the feeling of trust, distrust, betrayal and tragedy that went hand in hand with the resistance and the fact that collaborators, spies and traitors amongst mice meant the resistance was fighting its own people as much as the weasels.
I’m torn. I really like Instincts as they are, but I can also see the merit of elevating the question of trust above Instincts, especially in this setting. But I also prefer the trust as an instinct over simply using my method or using Persona points…which in itself also has its own charm.
Nope. I really like Trust instead of Instinct. It really smacks of the gut reaction “who do you trust enough to seek help from right now?” It also ties in nicely with the character’s Friend. He/she may be your friend, but do you really trust him/her? It also lays things open nicely for betrayal by friends, mentors and relationships. OH, and the character’s enemy. You may hate him, but at least you know here he stands.
Sorry about the stream of consciousness, but a huge thanks for the suggestions.
I like the trust/instinct tie-in but maybe…you could look at it through the other end of the telescope. Maybe your instinct is to be trustworthy toward (fill in name of character here). When you are entrusted by (fill in name of character here) to do something, and doing it gets you in trouble or sends play in a new direction, get your Persona.
So you get rewarded for being trustable even in a situation that’s gonna hurt. It also forges a tie to a specific character.
Just ordered AoS, but I’m definitely on the look-out for more of the same. I’ll keep an eye-out for some more Ventura films. Bit annoyed because I’ve just seen a box-set of all Melville’s films for £40. Bugger.
Hi Paul, long delay. I need to find a job that involves even less work than I do now. It’s seriously impinging on my game-time.
Looking back over the stuff I’ve done, I think that while trust is important, there are so many other themes that need to considered as well…
Betrayal, trust, honour, duty, sacrifice, no past or future just the here and now.
To that end, I’m rethinking my whole approach to trust and even looking at a pacing mechanic a la BE with regards to the above themes.
Luke, don’t get me wrong. This is going to be a MG hack and I’m leaving the core structure alone. As you say, the mission structure is perfect for AoS. That last post was me thinking out loud again.
My reasoning was to look at the game from the perspective of a doomed cell with their betrayal the end result (yep, its going to be a happy game).The cell won’t know who the betrayer is, as it could be any of the NPCs the players have flagged and the pacing mechanic would creep the game ever closer to that moment.
The pacing mechanic will work really well as a layer to be fitted on top of the seasons mechanic in that regard. Again, this is me trying to put together lots of things floating around my head.
Oh definately tragic as well as coerced betrayal. The friend being threatened with the death of a loved-one. The enemy merely trying to feed his family and accepting money from the police for information. The collaborator who sees the way the wind is blowing.
The GM should hint at all of these such that all the pcs relationships are suspect when it comes to the final betrayal.
It of course doesn’t mean the betrayal means the end of the game, rather a meta game conflict point, just as the betrayal in AoS leads to escape, capture, prison and a daring rescue.
John
I’ve added a few pages laying out the process for the hack as set out by Luke. I’ve also added a few pieces of art that I’ve been playing with in odd free moments that I have.