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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: MAK on December 09, 2011, 08:58:18 AM

Title: Auction scene as social combat?
Post by: MAK on December 09, 2011, 08:58:18 AM

Any ideas on how to represent a Sotheby's style luxury auction as a social (combat) scene? I'm thinking on a situation where the protagonist and villain have a bidding battle over a McGuffin item, with preferably other parties also joining in. How could one bring in tactical elements, allying with other bidders etc? How does the resource (wealth) level play into it?

 

Title: Re: Auction scene as social combat?
Post by: Tedronai on December 09, 2011, 10:55:45 AM

I'd recommend a consequential contest rather than a 'combat'.

Title: Re: Auction scene as social combat?
Post by: admiralducksauce on December 09, 2011, 02:16:42 PM

Empathy to figure out the opposition's tension level and possible place/assess Aspects like "Pushing His Credit Line" or "I'll Have to Sell the Kids".  Deceit to defend against that kind of read by bluffing (it's kind of funny how those skills flip flop in this situation).  Resources to make "attacks".  Intimidation or Presence could maneuver well too, like "Aura of Menace" or "Don't Even THINK About Bidding".

Although I'm not sure you'd be attacking the other bidders.  Maybe it's a series of "attacks" against the item's stress track?  I'm not sure.  Perhaps make the bidding into a zone map, where it's a sort of track from "observer" up to "final bid", and each zone has increasingly higher border ratings.  You'd use Resources to move instead of Athletics and you could make Resources blocks on the zones add to the border rating perhaps.  Yeah, I like this concept better than "attacking" the item or the other bidders (although you certainly could attack them subtly and socially to take them out).

Hell, if you've got a friend set up they could be making Scholarship rolls to hack your opponents' bank accounts or something.

Title: Re: Auction scene as social combat?
Post by: MAK on December 09, 2011, 08:08:14 PM

I like the zone map idea, reminds me of some examples in the Diaspora RPG. If the map is basically a track, then the contest model does also fit. Nice.

There is one aspect (heh) of bidding that does not follow the track/contest model though: you can enter the race at any time by placing a high enough bid. Maybe each bidder could instead have a "resource track" and you have to take increasingly higher resource stress, even resource consequences, when placing a bid. Hey, this is exactly what Diaspora does with its wealth stres strack - I have to re-read those rules for ideas...