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Old 07-12-2018, 10:32 AM   #31
Steve Jackson
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Default Re: New Followers / Monster Followers

Added a couple of sentences under Reaction Rolls to account for this.

If the characters hire a non-player character as a specialist, lackey, or extra sword arm, the GM may make a secret reaction roll to find out how his NPC really feels about his bosses. This will help him decide how the NPC feels if he’s placed in great danger or given a profitable opportunity to defect.
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Old 07-12-2018, 12:06 PM   #32
Jim Kane
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Default Re: New Followers / Monster Followers

Pages 9 - 11 in Guy's GrailQuest (and the included table) was the base-mechanical system we used for handling the hiring of underlings; which we modified to further reflect a hireling's loyalty, morale, and their attitude toward their employer - via reaction rolls - by the rules-as-written on pages 33-34 in TFT:ITL under the topic of: Hired Help.

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Old 07-12-2018, 12:33 PM   #33
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Default Re: New Followers becomes Leadership!?!

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Originally Posted by Rick_Smith View Post
She was clearly the dominate personality.
Well, the movie and book were about her, so naturally she was the focus of intention. It wouldn't make much sense to make the Tin Man the dominant personality in a book about Dorothy! ;-)
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Old 07-12-2018, 02:17 PM   #34
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Default Re: New Followers / Monster Followers

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Originally Posted by Skarg View Post
My concern is mainly new GMs expecting the rules to work well as written like they mostly do, but then a PC wants to take over powerful NPCs with this, use them for fodder or to get them killed to loot them, replaces them to fill his stable in every town, etc. It at least wants some note about what the limits should be.

ST 9
DX 9 armor
IQ 14
Charisma (2), New Followers (2), Monster Followers II (2 + 2), Tactics (1), Master Physicker (2 + 2)

Beginning character starts in a town, spends a couple of days wandering about looking for the best NPCs to make friends. Then spends time making friends with them, making 4/IQ rolls until he has 7 more characters to run. Likely to work on various monsters too.

If GM'd well, it actually sounds like a cool/fun strategy to me, and is actually like what my players have often done (one party had about 20 NPC followers/allies at one point.), but not if done with a simple 4/IQ mechanic regardless of who you're enlisting. The problem is the unqualified "you can roll 4/IQ to take over anyone of your race and make them your character" mechanic, with no tips for new GMs about limits or ways to make that interesting and logical and not unlimited/gamey.
I had a player once trying to have followers without the talent using charisma and money. He took a good swordman. then he tried to have also a good crossbowman to look for his sides and rear, and he found one. At this point, since the player ignored any possible interation between the two henchmen, I started to create attrition and jealousy. It ended with one killing the other. It was a fun story. When you try to have too many friends without the new followers talent!
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Old 07-12-2018, 03:55 PM   #35
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Default Re: New Followers / Monster Followers

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Originally Posted by ecz View Post
I had a player once trying to have followers without the talent using charisma and money. He took a good swordman. then he tried to have also a good crossbowman to look for his sides and rear, and he found one. At this point, since the player ignored any possible interation between the two henchmen, I started to create attrition and jealousy. It ended with one killing the other. It was a fun story. When you try to have too many friends without the new followers talent!
Yes, that's representative of most our years of TFT campaign play (and many more years of similar GURPS play after that): Often without formally having Charisma (let alone New Followers), the party considers whether it has enough people for what it's out to do. If not, usually rather than hiring mercenaries (so expensive!), they tend to troll around looking for other adventurer types, talk to them to find out if they seem useful or annoying, and if they seem useful, ask if they want to join their group, usually for "a share to the loot" plus benefits (protection, food, physicker, adventure). Then you get a situation with various NPCs with their own personalities. Sometimes they might kill each other, but that means more loot for everyone left... ;-)

Handling it organically through roleplaying was very fun and one of the major elements of play. So reducing it to "roll 4/IQ to make any NPC your own" didn't fit in.
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Old 07-12-2018, 05:42 PM   #36
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Default Re: New Followers / Monster Followers

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Originally Posted by Skarg View Post
Handling it organically through roleplaying was very fun and one of the major elements of play. So reducing it to "roll 4/IQ to make any NPC your own" didn't fit in.
I think THAT'S finally articulated what my problem with the talent was. It seemed like it should be something the players' role-played, not something they rolled dice for. I don't mind some guidance on the general concept, but making it a talent seemed to remove agency from the players, somehow...
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Old 07-12-2018, 07:19 PM   #37
larsdangly
 
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Default Re: New Followers / Monster Followers

You need some leadership and recruiting talents, and they should apply to both people who want henchmen and tarzans who want a troop of loyal slimes. So, if you get rid of these particular ones, please make sure you replace them with something better!
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Old 07-12-2018, 09:54 PM   #38
MGregory
 
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Default Re: New Followers / Monster Followers

I would like to see New Followers and Monster Followers kept in some form. That could be rules as newly written or in a future product that would allow additional explanation on how GMs and players should use them. I would also like to see some guidance on loyalty modifiers. I feel these talents can add to role play and story development if well managed.

Last edited by MGregory; 07-12-2018 at 09:58 PM.
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Old 07-14-2018, 01:47 AM   #39
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Default Re: New Followers / Monster Followers

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Originally Posted by Jim Kane View Post
:

"If you were GM'ing a player with a "Dorothy" type character, would you consider The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum (1856-1919), to be an adventure in which her "New Followers" talent played a key role in your refereeing the actions of the other key-NPC's (i.e. Lion, Tin Woodsman, and Scarecrow) ?
Keeping their loyalty sure seems like it's the right Talent.

I can see it.
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Old 07-23-2018, 01:32 PM   #40
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Default Re: New Followers / Monster Followers

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Originally Posted by John Brinegar View Post
I think it's fine if they go, though they could perhaps reappear in a supplement.
I agree with John & Jim. I would hate to see them disappear entirely because I have seen it used by players to add good flavor. They would be a good add on in a supplement or a magazine article.

Yours, in the dungeon, & out...

-Tolenkar
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