Games Design - Hidden Agendas - Broad Classes

Posted by: Malcolm Craig On: Aug 30th 2010

One thing I'm trying to work out at the moment is broad classes of hidden agenda that characters might have. This is part of the design for Sunshine, my slightly wacky 1970s, Cold War cyberpunk SF game.

My goal is to have between four and six broad classes for hidden agenda for both factional and personal. At the moment I have:

Factional
You've made an unpalatable deal with someone

A past allegiance is pushing you to do something

You are an agent on a mission

Personal
Love

Absolution

Revenge

Money

These agendas are randomly assigned and the players embroider the basics with an 'answer this now' and 'answer this in play' set of questions.

Can anyone suggest further broad classes of agenda for both factional and personal?

Cheers
Malcolm

Posted by: Gregor Hutton On: Aug 30th 2010

For Factional I keep falling into "oh, that's a mission ...and that's there already"

How about like "past allegiance..." you have other ones as "present (employer?) ..." and "future (opportunity?) ...."? You're either doing something because of someone in your past, something in your present or some situation in your future (like to get a change of department, financial status, whatever).

Posted by: James Mullen On: Aug 30th 2010

Factional
You're seeking promotion to a more powerful position

You're covering up your big mistake

Personal
Secrecy (either covering up or revealing things)

Ambition (make a desirable change in your personal life)

Posted by: Malcolm Craig On: Aug 30th 2010

You know, I'm wondering if "agent on a mission" is far too broad a class. perhaps it should be erased and replaced with a series of things: "I've been sent here to kill someone" etc.

The past/future stuff sounds good. I'm hoping that tonights (possible) run-through of the situation and character creation system will make things much clearer.

Cheers
Malcolm

Posted by: Gary Bowerbank On: Aug 30th 2010

James Mullen:Factional
You're seeking promotion to a more powerful position

I was going to say (Personal) "Power" - guess both could be an option and done in different ways.

Is Money better as Wealth? i.e. it could be cold hard card cash (for its own sake even), but also could be the end result - wanting to accumulate stuff (badass cars) not just currency?

Posted by: Malcolm Craig On: Aug 30th 2010

Of course, yes. Wealth is much better than just having 'money'. The 'Power' one is tricky. You're right that it fits in both the personal and factional agendas, so it's something I'll need to think carefully about.

So, what I've got so far is this:

(AN = Answer Now, AP = Answer in Play)

Factional Agendas
You've made an unpalatable deal with someone. (AN) Who? And what do you have to do? (AP) Will you betray friends to get to your goal?

A past allegiance is pushing you to do something . (AN) Who? And what do you have to do? (AP) Will you destroy current allegiances?

You are an agent on a mission. (AN) Who are you an agent of? And what do they want you to do? (AP) Are you willing to kill a colleague, and possibly a friend?

You're covering up your big mistake. (AN) What? And how did it happen? (AP) Will you frame friends and colleagues to cover the mistake up?

You're seeking promotion to a more powerful position. (AN) With whom? (AP) And what does it gain you?

Personal

Love. (AN) Who are you in love with, and why? (AP) What will you sacrifice to be with your love?

Absolution.(AN) You've done something terrible in the past, what was it? (AP) What will it take for you to find absolution?

Revenge. (AN) What terrible thing happened, and whom did it happen to? (AP) Who was responsible?

Wealth. (AN) Why do you need the wealth? (AP) What are you willing to do to gain wealth?

Secrecy. (AN) Are your trying to discover or cover-up? (AP) What is the secret?

Ambition. (AN) What are you trying to gain? (AP) What will you do to gain it?

Cheers
Malcolm