Reputation!

[MilesBeyond]

Here's a system I've been thinking of implementing. I initially designed it to limit "Chaotic Stupid" parties, but I think it could also open up plenty of new RP opportunities and gameplay possibilities as well.

So, the idea is that the players have a Reputation, which is a numerical representation of how other people in the world see them. Let's say it's on a scale of 1-30. High reputation means someone known throughout the land as a valiant hero, low reputation means they are known as horrible people, and mid-range reputation means that they are either unknown, or that people aren't sure what to think about them. The extremes (28-30 and 1-3) are reached very rarely, and represent people of such great virtue or dastardly evil that they become legendary for their (mis)deeds. In particular, once someone reaches a very low reputation, they can expect to be constantly hounded by law enforcement, bounty hunters, agents of good, and adventurers.

Reputation could be for the group as a whole or on a player by player basis, and can be accessible to players or privy only to the GM, all at the GM's discretion. Different penalties and bonuses could be implemented: For example, perhaps once you've reached a Reputation of 25, shady and unlawful organizations will refuse to negotiate with you, and may even try to kill you on sight. If you've got a Reputation of 5, shop owners may bolt their doors as soon as they see you coming down the street, and temples devoted to non-evil deities may refuse you service outright. On the other hand, the criminal underworld might start to actively seek you out for your services.

Reputation gains/losses would slow depending on where you are. For example, for an average citizen to charge into a ruined temple to defeat the undead lurking there might give a substantial reputation bonus, but for someone already known for their heroics, they might get a negligible one, or possibly not even one at all - they are already expected to save the day, so doing so isn't really going to attract anyone's attention, unless they do something truly spectacular.

Similarly, a Rogue who gets a reputation as a cutpurse probably isn't going to become more infamous by picking more pockets. For their reputation to decrease, they'd need to go after a bigger target, or start injuring or even killing marks.

So what's the point of all this?

First, it allows the GM to increase the sense of living in a breathing world that is actually impacted by the player's actions.

Second, it allows for a more nuanced approach to alignment. Players can be "villains with good publicity" - set up a public image to make them look like heroes, while secretly plotting evil; or perhaps a Chaotic Good character may find his reputation dropping because what he considers to be good differs greatly from the society around him.

Third, it provides a sort of warning system for Chaotic Stupid PCs. GMs can warn them that if their reputation drops much lower, they're going to start being pursued by forces of good that they're not able to handle. If the PCs persist, and continue to go around burning down villages and murdering children because "lolol evulz!" then the GM has got a justifiable reason to drop a bridge on them.

Finally, it provides inspiration for new story opportunities. A party of PCs confront and kill an evil tyrant - but without proof of the tyrant's misdeeds, they're seen as regicides and their reputation plummets. The PCs must now deal with being seen as villains by the society around them, and have a choice of trying to clear their name, looking to redeem themselves in other ways, or embracing their fate and seeing what sort of new possibilities a life of crime opens up.

So... What are your thoughts?

[Ascalaphus]

Have you checked out the Honor rules in Ultimate Campaign? That's close to this.

[Da'ath]

Fixing STUPID is very difficult and sometimes not worth the effort. You cannot fix STUPID with mechanics, but with an even, gentle hand as a GM one on one with the problem player(s).

Often, STUPID is confused with IGNORANCE, which can more easily be corrected.

I'll be glad to help with suggestions regarding problem players or mechanics, but I'd really like more specifics on the core problem. Is it one player, more? Do they play the same personality every game? So on and so forth.

There are several Reputation systems out there, so you don't have to construct one yourself unless you really want to.

[Adjule]

Reuptation is one of the systems I have wanted to try and incorporate from MMORPGs, though I would use different numbers (0 being an unknown/of no opinion, negatives for infamy/hostile opinions, positives for fame/helpful opinions).

There's an almost-system for reputation in the Dragon's Demand adventure module, as one of the objectives of the module is to build a reputation with the residents of the village you are visiting/helping. I haven't looked too much into it (skimmed it, really).

[Thanael]

Check out the Reputation and Fame system from Ultimate Campaign.

There's also an honor system in UC, and Rite Publishing has their own spin on Honor as a [game] mechanic for their quasi Japanese Kaidan setting.

[DM Livgin]

I've tried a few times to use formalized reputations and the responses have been lukewarm. Any success stories? I think it is something that works better in video games because, it can be systematized and it can be ground. Aspects that are not necessary or not desired in the tabletop.

It's been the informal reputation systems that have worked best for me, guards being friendly or rude, craftsmen adding a 5% premium or discount silently if you are in or out of favor with their patron. And the growth of the sandbox depends on their past actions, NPCs have gained and lost fortunes in the wake of the PCs actions.

[Da'ath]

The only Reputation system that has ever worked for my group is pretty standard, but they are completely unaware of it. I noticed when I openly used it, they did what most players do. - they gamed the system.

[Zhayne]

Three thoughts:
One, this is a roleplaying matter, and as such, a mechanical system would only be an impediment.

Two, if you're having problems with the behavior of the party, the correct course of action is to address the players directly.

Three, why do you assume the players will care what their characters reputations are?