[Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Reputation

[Ezra]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

One important aspect, I think, is that a negative Reputation is not "people don't like you"; it's "people are less likely to do what you ask them". When Butch the Five-State Spree Killer waves his famous machete at you, you are more likely to comply with his requests if you know who he is. That is therefore a positive Reputation ("merciless killer"). Ditto the scary crime boss – if a trait makes things more likely to go your way, that's a positive point value for the trait.

There's one PC in my WWII game with some mixed Reputations: roughly, "he's going to drag us into some crazy dangerous plan" and "but there might be medals in it". When the group requests aid from allied forces, the reactions tend not to be neutral.

Would Status have more influence over the control you can exert on others than Reputation? B27 of the Basic Set says that Reputation cost is governed by the bonus or penalty to Reaction modifiers.