"I will lend you horses."
Yup. I think the idea could be widely adapted to other systems without an undue amount of heartache.
Maybe.
My reason for an equivocal "maybe" rather than an enthusiastic "yes" is because one effect of Circles as a mechanic is that it gives the player a reasonable degree of control over scene-framing (and indirectly, therefore, over setting in so far as setting sits implicitly behind the scene), and a high degree of control over theme and trajectory.
A lot of tables, or at least a lot of GMs, don't want those things.
That last point is undeniably true. That said, if we set aside GM distaste, I think the project isn't all that controversial or difficult.
Darth Solo
Explorer
Most importantly, being able to "dial-up" NPC assistance advances the campaign if/when the group gets stuck in a situation where they lack the necessary resources to advance a scene. I can't imagine anyone other than the most "control-freak" kind of GMs having an issue with this.
Benjamin Olson
Hero
Gift giving and guest-friendship are pretty ubiquitous in the early warrior cultures which mythology tends to be set it, whether it be Greek myth and epics, Norse myths and sagas, or a panoply of other examples less influential on Western Fantasy literature. The leaders give grand gifts to assert their own status, place the recipient in their debt, but also to recognize the recipient's status as being comparable to their own. There's been a lot of anthropological work on this phenomenon.
A separate but related influence on fantasy literature is that Western Medieval, and even early modern, lords did not pay their higher status retainers with money. Rather they shared their largess in the forms of food, housing, equipment, and occasional more extravagant gifts. This honored them, while at the same time keeping them dependent. And the whole feudal system (to the extent there ever really was a "feudal system") is infused with this ethos.
Which is all just to say, if you want to give your games a mythological or historical flavor, or the flavor of a lot of fantasy literature inspired thereby, having some extravagant and/or ritualized gift giving is a good way to do it. Not every magic weapon needs to be found in an ancient tomb or on an enemy's corpse, and having the party receive grand gifts before the quest, rather than in reward after, can be a great tone setting element.
A separate but related influence on fantasy literature is that Western Medieval, and even early modern, lords did not pay their higher status retainers with money. Rather they shared their largess in the forms of food, housing, equipment, and occasional more extravagant gifts. This honored them, while at the same time keeping them dependent. And the whole feudal system (to the extent there ever really was a "feudal system") is infused with this ethos.
Which is all just to say, if you want to give your games a mythological or historical flavor, or the flavor of a lot of fantasy literature inspired thereby, having some extravagant and/or ritualized gift giving is a good way to do it. Not every magic weapon needs to be found in an ancient tomb or on an enemy's corpse, and having the party receive grand gifts before the quest, rather than in reward after, can be a great tone setting element.
MGibster
Legend
Not fantasy in particular, but I'm planning on running Cyberpunk 2020 game. There's going to be a big heist and it's going ot take time for them to pull off the job. As a sign of good faith, and to protect his investment, he's going to offer the players Trauma Team subscriptions. Trauma Team is a private ambulance service who will come pick you up when injured and get you to a hospital for treatment.
