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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Obormot" data-source="post: 7650555" data-attributes="member: 16170">Oh, sure. No argument. (Although I do prefer that ideas be attributed.)Ok, ok. Actual commentary/critique time:I worry that a reputation system like this would give rise to exactly the same verisimilitude problems that it spawns in WoW. To take just one example... say you have multiple factions that are allied. A town and another town in the same country. A nation and an ally. The priesthood of Heironeous and the priesthood of St. Cuthbert.You build your reputation with the first faction, then go and talk to the second faction. What's your reputation with those second guys? Does it start at the base level? But why? Wouldn't the first faction go "Hey, allies, see these dudes here? They are awesome dudes. Like, wow, so awesome. Treat them like the badass heroes they are immediately."? (In WoW this was the "why doesn't Anachronos walk over to Andormu and tell him how awesome I am?? He's, like, right there!" issue.)And gods forbid you ever get yourself into a situation where the players know what the "rewards" (be they quests or rewards) for higher Trust levels are, and want those rewards. Hello rep grinding! (And That's Terrible™.)In general, if you tie quest dispensation to such a reputation system, you make quests and story progression much less organic, and the "questgivers" themselves start to seem much less lifelike, and more like... WoW NPCs. In the bad way.That said, I think this system CAN work, under two conditions:1. It's a sandbox game. I think the described Trust system can work to make a sandbox campaign feel somewhat more dynamic, like the world changes with PC action.2. The mechanics, and even the fact that the DM is using such a system, is kept from the players! You do NOT want your players thinking in terms of Trust mechanics!Given these two things, it's got the potential to improve the feel of a sandbox game, while saving the DM a good bit of work.</blockquote>

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