Forget Romance, I Want Bromance Rules!

[MGibster]

The movie that best encapsulates bromance would have to be Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. Why not have some rules for interpersonal relationships in RPGs? One thing I thought of doing was making sure every PCs had contacts related to any skills if they were high enough. Someone with a high firearms skill probably puts a lot of lead down range on the regular and might be known at the local shooting range. It seems likely they'd know someone who knows something about guns, if the PCs skill is high enough, NPCs probably seek out their expertise.

Are there any games that keep track of relationships between PCs and NPCs? Fallout has a reputation system where you get bonuses or penalties to settlements depending on PC behavior. Delta Green has Bonds which are people or institutions that help keep you sane. Lose of Bonds can make it more difficult for PCs to recover from sanity blasting creatures.

 

[aco175]

LotR seemed to have bromance between the PCs mostly and only some contacts with the minor characters. There was that elf who showed up at the Rohan keep with a bunch of other elves, but he died.

There should be more people the PCs know. Is this some of the DMs fault? They should introduce more to the players. The players even want more contacts and friends. Would they all need to be from the local area to get some of this. No more loner PCs who had everyone killed off in their background. Should the DM pass some of this work to the players and have them come up with several NPCs their PC could know and the DM might come up with the amount of loyalty they have to the PC.

There should also be more up and comers trying to meet the PCs. Some are like wester movies where the gunslinger wants to beat the best and challenge the PCs. Some are starstruck and just want to be near them and catch some shared fame. There should be all sorts of people looking for help and free labor from them. A bit like winning the lottery and everyone now wants to know you.

 

[payn]

Traveller has the contact, ally, rival, enemy system.

Here is how it works;
Contact:
Character Traveller is acquainted with. Maybe you worked together, or taught at the same university, served on the same Navy Vessel, etc.. This character is friendly, likely to do a favor if there is mutual benefit, but they wont go out on a limb for the Traveller.

Ally:
Character Traveller is aligned with. An ally is a stronger bond then a contact even though they likely have the same origins as contacts. This character will go out on a limb to help out and wont need their arm twisted for a favor.

Rival:
Character Traveller is in competition with. Like a contact, this character likely met during the career phase of chargen. They see the Traveller as a rival professional. They will put obstacles before a Traveller, try and beat them to achievements, but doesnt have any personal animosity, its professional.

Enemy:
Character that is cross with the Traveller. This character blames the Traveller for some wrong and wants to see them jailed, hurt, or even killed.

 

[Blue]

Smallville had mechanics for a Session 0 activity where you made connections and relationships for everyone and their small village. It wasn't just person-to-person, it included locations and other things. But it was quite important mechanically.

PbtA has a bunch, from simple Influence of Masks: A New Generation to Threads from Monsterhearts and Thirsty Sword Lesbians. Other examples as well. And Moves and other aspects of your playbooks to gain, use, and resist them.

 

[cbwjm]

Fabula Ultima has bonds though they aren't necessarily bromance bonds as they can be a bond of hatred to an NPC because they did something in your past. Some class abilities key off having a bond with someone and they can also help you when trying to do something, like trying to run down your former bro who bond of bromance turned into a bond bratred due to a betrayal.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

HERO had rules for various kinds of relationships with NPCs, each with different kinds of impacts. NPCs who are dependent on the PC played differently than underworld contacts or sworn enemies, for instance.

But even so, the rules had an assumption of roleplaying. The rules just defined the overall nature and content of the relationship- your roleplaying fleshed it out.

 

[pemerton]

Are there any games that keep track of relationships between PCs and NPCs?

Lots.

The approach that I use the most is from the Burning Wheel family of games - PCs have relationships (purchased in character buiild, or acquired during play), and also have a Circles stat which is what is rolled to try and meet a helpful NPC.

This BW play report shows both relationships and Circles in use: Burning Wheel actual play

 

[dbm]

GURPS gives you a lot of tools for this in the core books, including advantages and disadvantages for allies, dependents and enemies. There are also a range of different social and influencing skills / ads + disads that can affect NPCs where the player doesn’t have an established relationship. There is a range of supplements that provide more guidance on this topic, as well. Social Engineering has lots of procedural advice for social encounters, and additional supplements include things like Keeping In Contact which has more advice about dealing with a character’s contacts of different kinds.

Savage Worlds has a similar but much lighter take on this, with two primary social skills and edges / hindrances that can represent established relationships or factors on how the world sees a character.