Reputation: Fame & Infamy

[FireHorse]

Does Reputation come up in your game much?

For example, can the players' party walk through town and be recognized by NPCs with whom they've never interacted? ("Look! It's the Heroes who saved our town from the 14-Hex Dragon!") Or conversely, walk into an ill-chosen tavern and be attacked on sight by complete strangers? ("Look! It's those #@%*ers who killed my cousin Bogwart and his gang!")

If you do use it as a plot device, do you just improvise according to the situation? Or do you have a system of some kind?

At the simpler end of the spectrum, the 'system' could be nothing more than keeping notes: "The Village of Hovelfield considers the party Heroes" and "Bogwart's Cousin Snogwart is looking for payback". At the more elaborate end though, you might even have stats of some sort: Fame & Infamy, say. (Which might, for example, mean a chance of the party being recognized not only in Hovelfield, but anywhere in the same duchy.)

I think the latter sounds like too much work, and probably more nuisance than it's worth, but I'm curious to know whether anybody else has tried such a thing, and how well it worked out.

[Sinanju]

Originally Posted by FireHorse

Does Reputation come up in your game much?

For example, can the players' party walk through town and be recognized by NPCs with whom they've never interacted? ("Look! It's the Heroes who saved our town from the 14-Hex Dragon!") Or conversely, walk into an ill-chosen tavern and be attacked on sight by complete strangers? ("Look! It's those #@%*ers who killed my cousin Bogwart and his gang!")

If you do use it as a plot device, do you just improvise according to the situation? Or do you have a system of some kind?

At the simpler end of the spectrum, the 'system' could be nothing more than keeping notes: "The Village of Hovelfield considers the party Heroes" and "Bogwart's Cousin Snogwart is looking for payback". At the more elaborate end though, you might even have stats of some sort: Fame & Infamy, say. (Which might, for example, mean a chance of the party being recognized not only in Hovelfield, but anywhere in the same duchy.)

I think the latter sounds like too much work, and probably more nuisance than it's worth, but I'm curious to know whether anybody else has tried such a thing, and how well it worked out.

I've always found fame or reputation systems too generic. Reactions to an individual are too personal for such a one-size-fits-all approach. If it comes up, I use the "keeping notes" approach.

[KevinJ]

Hero System has a system for that. Base point values have been clipped.

REPUTATION
Recognized
Sometimes (8-)
Frequently (11-)
Almost always (14-)
+5 Extreme Reputation
-5 Reputation Is Known Only To A Small Or Limited Group

Or you could make Reputation a Trait like those in Personality. 2 is the worst reputation, 12 is the best. NPCs roll 2/Reputation to recognize the character, for good or ill.

[Skarg]

Reputation per se sometimes, but recognition is/was usually a big obstacle, because there there are many armed groups, and the party composition changed and wasn't particularly distinct (if/when they'd had gargoyles or reptile men or other more flashy aspects, it's more likely).

When the PCs were public figures, yes.

But not so much reputation but being known or known of by people or organizations or groups/factions/guilds, and/or wanted as dangerous criminals, or friends of notable friends or enemies, yes.

But unless you match a peculiar description or announce your name, it can be not so likely that people who haven't met you will figure out you are someone they've heard about.

It is however a nice counter-balance and gameplay element to make people think a bit before using/showing their magic powers, or perpetrating spectacular violence or other crimes.

As for rules systems, I've used the GURPS Reputation and related systems a bit, but mostly I find it too random and meta and generic, and prefer to assess my own odds and play things out, etc., rather than having a codified reputation system.

[KevinJ]

If you're infamous enough they post unflattering pictures of you...