This week's entry is a preview of a small portion our next supplement START - namely, one of the procedures included in the section for fleshing out the history of the party alongside character creation. This is a way to give each player character a set of Social Bonds to begin a saga with.
Starting Social Bonds
Use the following procedure if your group would like the party to begin with some existing Social Bonds:
Each player should choose another player’s character and decide (or roll on the Example Social Bonds Table) the nature of their character’s relationship with them.
The other player may decide how their character feels as well - these don’t have to be equivalents! For example, a Battle Princess might have a crush on a Murder Princess who considers them a rival.
Players should each try to choose a character who has not been picked for a social bond yet. Optimally, everyone should end up with at least 2: one with a player’s character who chose them, and another with the character they themselves chose.
Social Bonds created this way are identical to ones earned via the Socializing Downtime Activity.
Characters from the Other World are exempt from this (unless there are other Characters from the Other World present, then they may opt to create Social Bonds with one another) though they may choose which of the other characters they met first. In this case, the existing Social Bond represents a first impression rather than the product of a lasting relationship.
GM Tip! An alternate method of doing this is to have all the player’s sit at a table and have each establish a social bond with the player to their left’s character.
Example Social Bonds (Roll or Choose)
(1-2) Close Companion - This is a person you feel you can trust and confide in. Whether you’ve known each other your whole lives or met through some recent ordeal, the bond you’ve forged seems unbreakable.
(3-4) Siblings - This person is (or is like) a brother or sister to you. You may squabble here and there, but you tend to be fiercely loyal to them. Note that adoption is very common in the Outer World, so characters of different species may consider themselves familial siblings.
(5-6) Rivals - You are very competitive with this person; you may have comparable skills or methodology and you generally strive to top them in this arena whenever possible.
(7-8) Partner In Crime - This person may not be your best friend, but they are someone you feel will help with some of your more rash or ill-advised schemes.
(9-10) Mentor - You feel like you can really learn something from this character. They may be your superior in combat, social prowess, or some other adventuring vocation and you wish they’d teach you their secret.
(11-12) Colleague - While you don’t have any strong feelings for this individual, you respect their ability and feel they are contributing their fair share to the efforts of the party.
(13-14) Uneasy Ally - There is something about this person that makes you wary about them, even though you may still recognize them as a friend.
(15-16) Shared Philosophy - This person has a faith or outlook on life that you wholeheartedly agree with, or at least respect a great deal.
(17-18) Crush - You are infatuated with this person. There is something special about them that really attracts your attention.
(19-20) Admiration -You may not always agree with this person or want to be like them, but they have earned a great deal of respect from you. You may even consider them to be a genuine hero!
Player Tip! Try to flesh these out a bit at some point - either right away with the other player, or keep it in mind and think about what it could be during play. It might be a good idea to write it down!
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