Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="steenan" data-source="post: 6701056" data-attributes="member: 23240">I really like how Urban Shadows handle negotiations. On one hand, it has solid rules that free the GM from having to decide if the PCs succeed - something I value. On the other hand, the rules put specific constraints on how they can be used - it's impossible to persuade somebody just with a high roll.There are several "moves" (rules for specific kinds of actions) that together create a very fun and dynamic social system:- There is a move for persuading somebody: roll to have an NPC do what you want from them. The catch: you can't trigger this move without a leverage. You need to offer something, promise something or threaten the person you try to persuade; the leverage must be believable and comparable to the stake. And, if your roll isn't very good, you need to give a solid proof of what you promise before the NPC helps you.- There is a move for tricking somebody. On one hand, you can use it to establish a leverage you don't really have. On the other hand, the bluff can get you out of the current trouble, but it won't stick for a long time. Make enemies at your own risk.- There is something called "debts". When you do somebody a favor they acknowledge, you get a debt on them. Then you can cash in the debt at any time to have them help you or answer your questions honestly. Cashing in a debt is always a good leverage and offering someone a debt typically is, too, if the other side believes you will repay it.In a situation described in the OP, it's not clear if the PCs were completely dominated by the enemy force, or not. If they were, they wouldn't be able to threaten the opponents - but they could still offer something of value (eg. information or service), or trick the enemies into letting them go. If they were outnumbered, but still able to kill a few enemies before going down, threats would work - after all, each individual opponent wants to live. Of course, it wouldn't be possible to threaten the enemies into surrendering (that would need a bigger leverage), but persuading them to let the PCs go would be an option.</blockquote>

Verification