03-11-2018, 08:51 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: South Dakota, USA
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[Basic] Advantage of the Week (#56): Favor
Previous Thread: Extra Life
Next Thread: Fearlessness, Unfazeable If you're new to this series or just want to leave feedback about it, check out the Introduction Thread. If you need help finding something we've already discussed, johndallman is maintaining an index of which traits we've discussed. This is especially handy if the trait you are searching for happens to have been part of a multi-subject review. Basic Favor (p. B55) is listed as a mundane Social Advantage with a variable cost, and acts as a one-time instance of the following other Social Advantages:
When you wish to use a Favor, the GM will roll against the frequency of appearance selected for the underlying trait. If the roll succeeds, proceed playing it out as if it were the underlying trait except that you remove the Favor (and its CP value) from your character once the Favor has revolved; the debt has been repaid. Unless the appearance roll was a three or a four; if you are that fortunate, the NPC(s) in questions still feel(s) indebted to you, and you retain the Favor to use another time. If the appearance roll is failed, you retain the Favor, but for whatever appropriate in-game justification, you can't collect on it this session. The entry also makes it clear that this trait can definitely be purchased in play, and may even serve as an appropriate reward for players from the GM. Related Traits A little redundant but
Other Supplements
Past Editions The reference I am using for the Third Edition version of Favor is Compendium I, page 25. As stated in GURPS Update, very little has changed; even the flavor of the write-up in Compendium I is quite similar, though not word-for-word. Contact Group isn't listed as an option, and while I won't be detailing it here, Ally, Contact, and/or Patron may have different costs. Useful Links Feel free to suggest any existing threads or other, appropriate links on this matter. Discussion Starters This is (usually) a generic list of questions for those who want to participate in the discussion but need a little help. If you already know what you want to say, feel free to skip these. ;)
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My GURPS Fourth Edition library consists of Basic Set: Characters, Basic Set: Campaigns, Martial Arts, Powers, Powers: Enhanced Senses, Power-Ups 1: Imbuements, Power-Ups 2: Perks, Power-Ups 3: Talents, Power-Ups 4: Enhancements, Power-Ups 6: Quirks, Power-Ups 8: Limitations, Powers, Social Engineering, Supers, Template Toolkit 1: Characters, Template Toolkit 2: Races, one issue of Pyramid (3/83) a.k.a. Alternate GURPS IV, GURPS Classic Rogues, and GURPS Classic Warriors. Most of which was provided through the generosity of others. Thanks! :) Last edited by Otaku; 03-18-2018 at 10:34 PM. |
03-12-2018, 02:48 AM | #2 |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#56): Favor
It was a long, long time ago, in a space opera game meant to resemble Napoleonics in spaace. I once took Favour that was . . . either it was Patron or Ally Group, but it represented ability to call on a wing of a spacefleet. It was a one-shot but the GM allowed it. I used it in the final scene of the session to call an airstrike. I'm not sure if that made a difference (relative to just using guns on the monster), but it felt satisfying to be the one pulling the big red button.
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03-12-2018, 05:25 PM | #3 | |
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: South Dakota, USA
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#56): Favor
Quote:
What isn't nice is that I had some severe copy/paste errors and had a few chunks from "Extra Life" floating around in my first post. Hopefully, I've gotten them all corrected by now. >.>
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My GURPS Fourth Edition library consists of Basic Set: Characters, Basic Set: Campaigns, Martial Arts, Powers, Powers: Enhanced Senses, Power-Ups 1: Imbuements, Power-Ups 2: Perks, Power-Ups 3: Talents, Power-Ups 4: Enhancements, Power-Ups 6: Quirks, Power-Ups 8: Limitations, Powers, Social Engineering, Supers, Template Toolkit 1: Characters, Template Toolkit 2: Races, one issue of Pyramid (3/83) a.k.a. Alternate GURPS IV, GURPS Classic Rogues, and GURPS Classic Warriors. Most of which was provided through the generosity of others. Thanks! :) |
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03-13-2018, 09:00 PM | #4 | |
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Hmm, looks like Earth, circa CE 2020+
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#56): Favor
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An Ally Group, though, is something of a special case. For bookkeeping purposes, "....you can treat a group of related Allies as a single trait to save space on your character sheet." (B. 37) This seems to be just for bookkeeping purposes, not as an in-game concept. A "true" Ally Group is "identical and interchangeable allies that share a single character sheet – for instance, an army of low-grade thugs or a swarm of robot drones...." (B. 37). From a practical point of view, they're all going to know the same people, so there's no benefit in it being a group.
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GURPS Fantasy Folk: Elves My first GURPS supplement Top 12 Clues You're a Role-Playing Old-Timer My humorous (I hope) article that also promotes SJGames/GURPS Kerry Thornley: Dwarf Planet Eris, Discordianism, and The John F. Kennedy Assassination Without Thornley, there would never have been the Steve Jackson Games edition of Principia Discordia |
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03-13-2018, 11:46 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#56): Favor
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03-14-2018, 03:42 AM | #6 | |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#56): Favor
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As for "Favor", I would never design a character with one. It seems more like something the GM would give an adventure reward. |
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03-14-2018, 08:32 AM | #7 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Shoreline, WA (north of Seattle)
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#56): Favor
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It occurs to me that a disadvantage version of this would be a neat little story hook for a player to put on their character sheet. |
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03-15-2018, 03:22 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Hmm, looks like Earth, circa CE 2020+
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#56): Favor
That may well be the primary reason Ally Group is not mentioned as an option; it probably is. I do suspect the reason Ally Group isn't listed separately is for the reasons I stated earlier.
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GURPS Fantasy Folk: Elves My first GURPS supplement Top 12 Clues You're a Role-Playing Old-Timer My humorous (I hope) article that also promotes SJGames/GURPS Kerry Thornley: Dwarf Planet Eris, Discordianism, and The John F. Kennedy Assassination Without Thornley, there would never have been the Steve Jackson Games edition of Principia Discordia |
03-15-2018, 03:47 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Hmm, looks like Earth, circa CE 2020+
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#56): Favor
While I like Favor, I do sometimes have a problem with the cost. Something like the below happened in one of our games.
Imagine getting a favor from two different lords, both equally wealthy and powerful. The favor from each should cost about the same, right? But let's imagine one of the lords is personally very limited; he's got a bad leg, can't see or hear very well, is in poor health, isn't terribly smart, is homely, etc. But he has wise advisors who run things for him. He's built on half the PCs points. The other lord is a paragon, strong enough to wrestle bears, a fast runner with keen taste and smell, a professional level dancer, a grand master chess player, very handsome, etc. But he has wise advisors who run things for him. He's built on double the PC's points. First Lord Cost: Ally (50% PC's points) 2 points, Frequency Roll 9 or less, Special Abilities +50%, Favor 1/5 = 1 point. Second Lord Cost: Patron (200% PC's points) 15 points, Frequency Roll 9 or less, Special Abilities +50%, Favor 1/5 = 5 points. Considering both lords have the same wealth and power, is a Favor from the second lord really likely to be five times better than one from the first?
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GURPS Fantasy Folk: Elves My first GURPS supplement Top 12 Clues You're a Role-Playing Old-Timer My humorous (I hope) article that also promotes SJGames/GURPS Kerry Thornley: Dwarf Planet Eris, Discordianism, and The John F. Kennedy Assassination Without Thornley, there would never have been the Steve Jackson Games edition of Principia Discordia |
03-15-2018, 04:13 PM | #10 |
Banned
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: 100 hurricane swamp
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#56): Favor
They should both be built as Patrons and only including their Wealth and personal Allies, etc, not their stats, unless the second Lord would be likely to personally intervene.
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advantage, advantage of the week, favor, week, [basic] |
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