Social Maneuvering
Social maneuvering is a system for applying persuasion and social pressure
over time.Social actions within this system may be direct or subtle, complex or simple. For example, your character may shout at another and demand he gets out of the way, or your character may subtly offer clues suggesting someone needs to vote for her.
It is not always possible to get someone to do what you want.
For instance, no amount of social maneuvering is going to convince the chief of police in a large city to hold a press conference and admit to murder, even if the player has a dice pool impressive enough to make it happen.This system is designed to allow characters to manipulate or convince other characters to perform favors or undertake actions, but it does raise the question:
Is one character dictating another’s actions, and how much of that should be allowed in a roleplaying game? Or, put a different way, can one character seduce
another with this system?
Under a strict read of the rules, yes. The goal is “get that character to sleep with my character,” the number of Doors is decided as explained below, and impressions and other factors play into the final result. This is not too different from how seduction and other, less carnal, forms of persuasion actually work — the persuader tries to make the offer as enticing as possible.
Goals
When using a Social action with this system, the first step is to declare your character’s intended goal. This is as simple as stating what you want the subject to do, and how your character is going about making it happen. You need only announce the initial stages, as the effort will likely occur over multiple rolls, reflecting different actions.
At this point,
the Storyteller determines whether the goal is reasonable.
A character might, with time and proper tactics, convince a rich person to give him a large sum of money. He probably isn’t going to convince the wealthy individual to
abandon all of his wealth to the character (though it
might be possible to get him to name the character as his heir, at which point the character can set about speeding up the inheritance process).
Doors
Once you’ve declared your character’s goal, the next step is to determine the scope of the challenge. We represent this with “Doors,” which reflect a character’s resistance to coercion, her social walls, skepticism, mistrust, or just a hesitance toward intimacy. It’s abstract, and means different things in every given case.
The base number of Doors is equal to the lower of the character’s Resolve or Composure. If the goal would be a breaking point for the character, add two Doors.
If accomplishing the goal would prevent a character from resolving an Aspiration, add a Door.
Acting in opposition to a Virtue also adds a Door. Doors may increase as the effort continues and the circumstances change. For example, if the goal seems mundane at first but the situation makes it reprehensible, that may increase the number of Doors.
If your character gives up on the goal and shifts to another, any Doors currently open remain so, but assess Aspirations, Virtues, and Integrity in case of a potential increase.
Doors must be opened one by one. Each successful roll — not each success — opens one.
Exceptional successes open two.
Also, Doors are specifically a one-way relationship between two characters. They may each have Doors to one another, or Doors to other characters.
First Impressions
First (and later) impressions determine the time required between rolls. The Storyteller sets the first impression based on any past history between the characters, the circumstances of their meeting, the nature of the favor being asked (if the acting character is asking right up front — sometimes it’s a better idea not to lead off with what you want), and any other relevant factors.
“Average impressions” call for weekly rolls, which makes the process very slow. Through play, your character may influence the interaction for a “good impression.” This may mean meeting in a pleasant environment, wearing appealing clothing, playing appropriate music, or otherwise making the situation more comfortable. This should not require a roll during a first impression, but requires one if attempted later. An excellent impression requires a roll to influence the situation.
For example, you may use a Wits + Socialize to find the right people to invite to a party. Perfect impressions require further factors. It may involve leverage, or playing to
a character’s Vice (see below).
Hostile impressions come from tense first impressions, or threatening pitches. These interactions require you manipulate the impression, or to force the Doors (see below).
Vices
If your character knows her subject’s Vice, she can use it to influence the interaction. When presenting an offer that tempts that Vice, move the interaction one step up on
the chart. As a rule of thumb, if by agreeing to the temptation the target character stands to gain Willpower, then the temptation is a valid form of influence.
Soft Leverage (Gifts and Bribes)
Soft Leverage represents offers of services or payments in order to lubricate social interaction. Make the offer.
If the recipient agrees, move the impression up once on the chart.
Mechanically, this can be represented by certain Merit dots. For example, a bribe may be represented by a Resources 3 offer, or an offer for a particular service may be reflected by Retainer 3. By default, these bribes give the recipient use of the Merit for a designated amount of time.
Impressions| Impression | Time Per roll |
| Perfect | One Turn |
| Excellent | One Hour |
| Good | One Day |
| Average | One Week |
| Hostile | Cannot Roll |
Opening Doors
At each interval, you may make a roll to open Doors to move closer to your character’s goal. The roll might be different each time, depending on the character’s tactics.
Some of the rolls might not even be Social. For example, if your character is trying to win someone’s favor, fixing his computer with an Intelligence + Computer roll could
open a Door.
As Storyteller, be creative in selecting dice pools. Change them up with each step to keep the interactions dynamic.
Similarly, consider contested and resisted rolls. Most resisted actions or contested rolls use either Resolve or Composure, or a combination of the two. But don’t let that stand as a limit. Contested rolls don’t require a resistance trait. For example, Wits might be used to notice a lie, Strength to help a character stand up to threats, or Presence to protect and maintain one’s reputation at a soiree.
Failed rolls impose a cumulative -1 penalty on further rolls. These penalties do not go away after successful rolls.
When the player fails a roll, the Storyteller may choose to worsen the impression level by one. If she does so, the player takes a Beat. If this takes the impression level to hostile, the attempt cannot move forward until it improves.
Aspirations
Aspirations are quick routes to influence. Find out a character’s goals, wants, and needs, and they can help move interactions forward. If your character presents a clear path and reasoning for how they’ll help a character achieve an Aspiration, remove a Door.
This doesn’t require follow through, but it does require a certain amount of assurance. If the opportunity presents itself, and your character pulls out of an offer, two Doors close.
Failure
A social maneuvering attempt can fail utterly under the following circumstances:
• The player rolls a dramatic failure on an attempt to open a Door (the player takes a Beat as usual).
• The target realizes he is being lied to or manipulated.
This does not apply if the target is aware that the character is trying to talk him into something, only if the target feels betrayed or conned.
• The impression level reaches hostile, and remains so for a week of game time. The character can try again during the next story.
Resolution
Once your character opens the final Door, the subject must act. Storyteller characters abide by the intended goal, and follow through as stated.
If you allow players’ characters to be the targets of social maneuvering, resolve this stage as a negotiation with two possible outcomes. The subject chooses to abide by the desired goal, or offer a beneficial alternative. Go With the Flow
If the character does as requested, and abides by the intended goal, his player takes a Beat.
Offer an Alternative
If the subject’s player chooses, he may offer a beneficial alternative, and the initiator’s player can impose a Condition on his character. This offer exists between players, it does not need to occur within the fiction of the game (though it can). The alternative must be beneficial, and not a twist of intent. The Storyteller adjudicates.
The initiator’s player chooses a Condition to impose on the subject. It must make sense within the context of the scenario.
Example of Social Maneuvering
Stacy wants Professor Erikson to loan her a book from his private library. She intends to use the book’s contents to summon a demon, but Erickson doesn’t know that. Erickson is protective of his books, but he’d be willing to loan one out under the right circumstances. Erickson has Resolve 3 and Composure 4, so the base number of Doors Stacy needs to open is 3 (the lower of the two). Loaning out of a book wouldn’t be a breaking point, nor does it prevent him from achieving an Aspiration, but it does work against his Virtue (Cautious), so the total number of Doors Stacy needs to open to get the book is 4.
The Storyteller decides that the first impression is average; the two know one another (Stacy is a former student of Erickson’s), but they aren’t close. Stacy arranges to find
Erickson at a conference and impresses him with her knowledge of esoteric funerary rites. This requires an Intelligence + Occult roll, plus whatever effort Stacy had to put forth to get into the conference, but changes the impression level to “good.”
Now, Stacy can make one attempt to open Doors per day. At the conference, Stacy’s player rolls Manipulation + Persuasion and succeeds; one Door opens. Stacy mentions
the book to Erickson and lets him know she’d like to borrow it. He’s not immediately receptive to the idea, but Stacy’s in a good place to continue.
The next day, Stacy emails the professor about a related work (Manipulation + Academics), but fails. Future rolls will have a -1 penalty. The Storyteller decides that the impression level slips to average.
Stacy still has to overcome three Doors. She spends the next week doing research into Erickson and discovers that he wants to become a respected academic. She tells Erickson that she has a colleague who can help break the cipher in which the book is written. This removes one Door without a roll. Now she must overcome two more before he’ll agree.
(Note that even if Stacy has no intention of helping Erickson in his quest toward academic glory, as long as he reasonably believes that lending her the book will help him achieve his Aspiration, it opens the Door.)During her research into the professor’s personality, she also learns that his Vice is Vanity; he likes to see himself as the hero. Stacy goes to his office in tears, saying that she is in danger of being accused of plagiarism for copying a paper, and asks if he can help authenticate her work. Doing this allows him to come to her rescue, which in turn lets him soak up some praise; this would allow him to regain Willpower through his Vice, and as such is enough of a temptation to raise the impression level back to good. Stacy’s player rolls Manipulation + Expression for Stacy to compose a letter of thanks to him, and achieves an exceptional success. The last two Doors open, and Erickson offers to let Stacy borrow the book for a weekend. He probably even thinks it was his idea.
On the other hand, if Erickson is a player-controlled character, his player might decide he really doesn’t want to let that book out of his sight. He might offer an alternative — he’ll bring the book to Stacy, and let her use it for an afternoon. That, of course, might complicate her intended demon summoning, but she does get to put the Flattered
Condition on Erickson.
Forcing Doors
Sometimes, waiting and subtlety just aren’t warranted, desired, or possible. In these cases, your character can attempt to force a character’s Doors. This degree of urgency is high-risk, high-reward. Forcing Doors often leads to burnt bridges and missed opportunities.
When forcing Doors, state your character’s goal and her approach, then roll immediately. The current number of Doors apply as a penalty to the dice roll. The subject contests as normal. If successful, proceed to resolution as normal. If the roll fails, the subject is immune to further efforts at social maneuvering from your character.
Hard Leverage
Hard Leverage represents threats, drugging, intimidation, blackmail, kidnapping, or other heavy-handed forms of coercion. It drives home the urgency required to force open a character’s Doors.
Hard Leverage that requires that the character suffers a breaking point removes one Door (if the modifier to the roll — not considering the character’s breaking points — is
greater than -2) or two Doors (if the modifier is -3 or less).
Example
In the example above, assume Stacy really needs that book now. She goes to Erickson and threatens him at gunpoint to give up the book. Doing this is definitely a breaking point for Stacy. She applies a modifier for her Integrity, and then a modifier based on the severity of the action and the harm it does to her self-image and psyche. She’s not in the habit of committing violent acts and Erickson is obviously terrified, so the Storyteller assigns a -2 modifier to the breaking point roll.
This being the case, one Door is removed. If she’d shot him the leg to let him know she was serious, the breaking point modifier would have been at least -3, which would have removed two Doors.
In either case, her player rolls Presence + Intimidation plus any bonus for the gun, minus the appropriate penalty.
Influencing Groups
Influencing a group works in the same way, using the same system. This generally means that influencing a group requires at least an excellent level impression, or
forcing their Doors, unless the group meets regularly. The Storyteller determine Doors using the highest Resolve and Composure scores in the group. She also determines three Aspirations, a Virtue, Vice, and relative Integrity score for the group. When resolving the influence, most members will abide by the stated goal. Individual members may depart and do as they will, but a clear majority does as your player suggests.
Successive Efforts
After opening all Doors and resolving the action’s goal, your character may wish to influence the same person or group again. If successful, successive influence attempts
begin with one fewer Door. If failed, or if hard leverage was employed, successive influence attempts begin with two more Doors. These modifiers are cumulative. No matter what, a character will always have at least one Door at the outset.
