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Old 07-17-2018, 01:19 PM   #11
RogerBW
 
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Duty

As I've seen it, this has usually been a campaign-defined way of getting free points. "OK, you're all going to be cops / space marines / WWII spies, so stick Extremely Hazardous Duty on your sheet…" – but the Duty consists of going on the adventures that you'd be going on anyway because they're what the campaign is about. When an adventure doesn't involve that Duty, that's often a GM decision.

I can't see randomly-rolled Duty working well, unless it's an excuse for "have a scene where you try to swap shifts with your buddy so that you can secretly go out and fight Bal-Zar the Destroyer".
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Old 07-17-2018, 02:30 PM   #12
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Duty

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I can't see randomly-rolled Duty working well, unless it's an excuse for "have a scene where you try to swap shifts with your buddy so that you can secretly go out and fight Bal-Zar the Destroyer".
Use it as an excuse to give the PC a hidden agenda they have to complete. Or maybe your boss hears where your going to and agrees to give time off if you make a business meeting.
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Old 07-17-2018, 04:28 PM   #13
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Duty

The only weirdnesses with Duty, partially left over from GURPS 1E, are that Very Hazardous or Involuntary Duty gives a flat +5 point bonus, while non-hazardous duty subtracts a flat -5 points before figuring out cost due to Frequency of Appearance.

That makes low Frequency of Appearance Very Hazardous Involuntary duties a bit of a point sop (Cost of -12 points for a disad, with an appearance of 6-), and negates all the "hassle factor" of Non-Hazardous Duties with a Frequency of Appearance of 9-.

It would be better to do the 4E GURPS thing and apply enhancements or limitations.
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Old 07-18-2018, 01:42 PM   #14
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Duty

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This is not however dangerous to the king in any way (or even particularly time-consuming). It's basically the need everyone has to pay taxes. Not every obligation is a Duty.
He is Oathbound to fight for his Lord and to advice him honestly for the good of Lord and Realm.

He is also Bound to protect his realm, vassals and subjects, rule them well and justly

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As I've seen it, this has usually been a campaign-defined way of .
forbid the PCs to say no without very good reasons perhaps.

Most Military and such Forces take a dim view on deserters and mutineers
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Old 07-18-2018, 02:29 PM   #15
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Duty

I stopped giving points for Campaign Disads a long time ago. Likewise I stopped charging for Campaign Advantages.

So Duty only shows up on Character sheets of individual Characters that have Duties that would conflict with the premise of the game in some way.
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Old 07-18-2018, 03:30 PM   #16
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Duty

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He is Oathbound to fight for his Lord and to advice him honestly for the good of Lord and Realm.
Tsh. Providing troops from the lands in question is sufficient fulfillment of his military obligation and any king who takes advice from a neighbouring king with the assumption that it will only be motivated by his duty as a vassal is a fool.
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Old 07-18-2018, 04:55 PM   #17
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Duty

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Tsh. Providing troops from the lands in question is sufficient fulfillment of his military obligation.
No, he must went to the field or offer an replacement if not able to do so

A Greater fool than trusting his other vassals in this.

Choose between the king of Navarre, the duke of Burgundy or of Normandy your majesty, king of france
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Old 07-19-2018, 09:02 AM   #18
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Duty

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A Greater fool than trusting his other vassals in this.
That was the time when fratracide was normal political practice. Trust but verrify.
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Old 07-23-2018, 02:51 AM   #19
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Duty

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My the modern US legal definition a LOT of people have a "duty", like doctors and lawyers and EMS. Anyone who can be either sued or charged criminally for failing to act has a duty. Not sure that's equivalent to a GURPS Duty, though.
A lot of those "Duties" are covered by the appropriate Professional Ethics CoH, as in you have a "Duty to Report" certain behaviors or actions.

But there are times when it extends beyond just CoH into something that eats into free time and freedom of action. That's why I think that there should be points for a low-level non-hazardous duty.

For example, if you're a physician "on call" there's always the chance that a patient will need to be hospitalized or otherwise have a medical emergency which requires your personal professional attention.

Or, if you're a criminal lawyer and a client gets arrested on a weekend, you might lose a big chunk of your free time dealing with police, the client, and trying to figure out the circumstances of the client's arrest.
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Old 07-23-2018, 03:13 AM   #20
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Default Re: [Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Duty

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Or, if you're a criminal lawyer and a client gets arrested on a weekend, you might lose a big chunk of your free time dealing with police, the client, and trying to figure out the circumstances of the client's arrest.
There are states in the US where instead of having a paid public defenders office all lawyers that have active law licenses are subject to being given clients to defend for usually small fees. That can definitely be Duty.
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