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Combat isn’t the only thing that matters in table top role playing games anymore. A lot of players want to be able to run a thrilling chase scene, or solve a mystery, or enact a cunning deception or interrogation. All of these sorts of challenges can be supported by relevant mechanics, but one of the trickiest types to balance are the social challenges, where the aim is to influence the other characters into doing what you want.

The reason social challenges can be so difficult to balance in a game is because role playing itself is, at the end of the day, a primarily social activity. We describe and detail our characters’ actions, and work together to tell a story that is, hopefully, satisfying to all involved. A typical player probably can’t properly simulate a sword fight or gun battle in the real world, and certainly can’t simulate a spell duel or a clash of twenty-story battle mechs, so of course we use game mechanics to do so for us. On the other hand, a debate or deception can be played out entirely in the real world, so mechanics seem less necessary right off the bat.

Compounding that point, the whole premise of the game is that we are the ones controlling our characters. We decide what their goals and personalities are, what they believe and don’t believe. Social systems create the possibility of another player changing that. Even mind-compelling magic and powers can be more palatable. Yes, a spell of domination might force our characters to do something that they don’t want to do, but it’s not really different than a power that forces a character to fall unconscious or stand paralyzed. It’s an attack to protect against, a challenge to overcome. But the general premise of a social action is that if it succeeds, the character agrees with what it’s been told, or undertakes the desired course of action willingly. It’s convinced, not compelled, which takes away the player’s ability to decide what the character feels and believes.

What I’ve been considering as a method to avoid these problems is a system where a player actually chooses what things can be used to influence its character, receiving other benefits for opening up such a vulnerability. For example, a PC or major NPC might be inherently immune to natural social influence (a reasonably effective stop-gap solution to the above problem, albeit one that limits the potential of social challenges). However, they may select various motivations which can potentially be targeted to influence their actions. However, these very same motivations also protect them against being influenced in ways that oppose them – including through supernatural means. So a character with a strong motivation of patriotism, for example, could be naturally manipulated into doing things that would benefit its homeland, but would have stronger resistance to both natural (from other motivations) and supernatural influence that would bring harm or loss to its homeland.

The idea here is that the player still dictates what the character feels. No amount of social prowess would allow someone to force a character into doing something it doesn’t already feel strongly for. And indeed, a player who doesn’t mind losing the benefits could refrain from adding motivations to its sheet and leave the character virtually immune to natural influence. Add in an option for resisting influence at some mechanical cost, and it should allow social challenges to have some real power without them unduly wresting away player control.

Justin Schwann writes for Truly Unique Website Design. Truly Unique works on websites of all types, they and their clients offering products and services such as auto security products and keyless entry remotes.