Advanced Rulebook

MODERATION ADVICE

It is not the intention of this section of the rules to lecture a player about politics, nor to overwhelm anyone with a plethora of facts. The problem often encountered is that we all have slightly different understandings of things; the purpose of this section is to help show what ideas Quest GME was built around.

As parties and Alliances gain more information about the world and its current events, things that may have seemed pointless or trivial, can suddenly be useful, it is recommended that the Alliance keep a history of information. See the sample form at the end of the rulebook.

Whilst it is often important that conclusions can be made based on information a party or Alliance has it is advised that you should be willing to re-evaluate any results that are made at a later date. For this reason keeping information readily available and using tools like a database or flow chart could prove to be a great benefit.

It is recommended that players do not pay much attention to non-moderation rumours of events in the game. Some players are quite adept at making other players paranoid. Rumours that are given out with your turn results via the GM are different.

NPC statements are IC, it is recommended that players reread moderation messages that they receive keeping in mind details such as what alignment the individual likely is, it is also likely that things are happening in the NPCs life that has caused them to be either very friendly or hostile. Remember also that IC statements are just that, IC. For instance an IC verbal attack on a character is not an OOC verbal attack on the player.

The system of Only one Action per Special or Free Action is designed to cover every eventuality, but it is an abstract rule system and thus it is possible to misinterpret it. If you think you have an exception to the rule, that something you want to do is even more special then please keep in mind that the rules do not have any exceptions. Another way of thinking about this is if you have a cunning plan that the rules annoyingly get in the way of doing cheaply do not try it, as every eventuality is covered by this system. If the rules could be different they would be, so do not debate about how things work.

Alliances should try to avoid using their Organisation Liaisons to think for them or carry out actions for them; it often costs the Alliance status asking the liaison for things.

When thinking about a plan or question keep in mind that if it is so cheap / effective / the-be-and-all or similar to do something, then everyone would have done, or be doing, it.

When working out a scheme of actions try to avoid becoming caught up in the complexity of your scheme, every scheme can be broken down into simple sections that the rules obviously cover.

Please do not ask the GM for special leeway, as refusal often offends and the rules have to be the same for everyone.

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SPECULATE TO ACCUMULATE

Whilst it is possible to achieve Rank 2 without needing to know much about the Organisation the Alliance is working for, it should become apparent that the Alliance is lacking a lot of information about the details of the Organisation. At Rank 3 the Alliance really needs to prove that it is more than a group of 'yes-people'. Whilst it is possible to ignore most of the Organisation politics the Alliance members will likely feel 'in the dark' about many things, particularly when asked for their opinion on subjects. As per the information about Rank 3 the Alliance receives information about the Organisation, and from this information the Alliance members decide what they consider to be important and they designate them as SQ.

For the above reasons it is important to remember the adage 'Speculate to Accumulate', which in this case refers to Status and Rank. For example:

  • An Alliance that hoards it's status to reach Rank 3 as quickly as possible carrying out their Special Quests with speed and efficiency but never using their status to find out information about their Organisation will likely feel lost when they do reach Rank 3. A problem with the Alliance that does not find information about the Organisation they work with/for and the other Organisations in settlement is that they may suddenly need lots of SA to find out information about subjects they have previously ignored.
  • An Alliance that spends it's status to find things out about the Organisation they work for/with and also the other Organisations in the settlement will likely take longer to reach Rank 3, however when they get nearer to reaching Rank 3 they will be better able to adjust and give more informed decisions. It is possible that they could then achieve Rank 3 quicker than the type of Alliance that hoards status, but even if they don't they will likely have a strong information basis to work from.

USING SPECIAL ACTIONS

This applies mainly to Rank 3 but also Ranks 1 & 2 to a lesser degree. At any rank an Alliance that just fulfils the basic requirements is doing just that, carrying out the minimum work required to advance.
How you look at the subject of SA and their expenditure is an important aspect, they are very valuable and there is no such thing as a 'wasted SA'. If the Alliance chose to use a SA then it must have done so for a reason, even if it turns out that the SA did not achieve much it does not mean the SA was a waste.

Taking this frame of mind over the time period of a year that will generally see an Alliance as part way through Rank 2 with an Organisation, there will have been SA that could have been assigned to use for information gathering about the Organisation the Alliance works with/for.

For Example: An Alliance that has 5 active parties will receive 2 SA per cycle. Usually 1 SA is required per cycle to be used in one of the Alliance's Special Quests. This generally leaves the small Alliance 1 SA to be used on anything else, like Moderation Skill Training or finding out information about an Organisation.

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Here is another Alliance example.

For Example: An Alliance that has 25 active parties will receive 6 SA per cycle. Usually 1 SA is required per cycle to be used in one of the Alliance's Special Quests. This generally leaves the Alliance 5 SA to be used on anything else, like Moderation Skill Training or finding out information about an Organisation.

So when an Alliance at Rank 3 has no Special Quests given to it, the Alliance can use all of its SA in pursuit of its goals. Ideally the Alliance's goals are not too far from the Organisation's goals. If an Alliance's goals do not roughly match the Organisations then the Alliance will likely start to lose status and thus Rank.

For Example: If an Alliance working for one of the Temples does not do beneficial things for the Temple, like promoting the cause of the Temple and its patron God, then the Temple Officials will want to know why the Alliance is working with the Temple?

A very appropriate analogy: A politician working for just about any Government Political Party in real life and then not actually doing any work whilst holding a position of responsibility will quickly result in the politician in trouble. Working against the Political Party will likely result in serious repercussions, namely the Politician losing their place in the Political Party. The politician is expected to further the Political Party's aims and renown. As the politician works their way up the ranks in the Political Party they generally gain more influence and responsibility. In Quest: GME the Alliance is in this position.

Another thing to remember is that a politician who attains a high standing in a Political Party need to know things about the Political Party and the other party members; as covered above. It makes little sense to ignore the others and Political Party events.

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