A person’s reputation is vital. In cultures which have grown beyond material acquisition and scarcity, reputation is almost a currency, while in cultures that still prize material wealth, reputation is often pivotal in attaining more wealth. It shapes how a person’s peers and superiors regard them, and in turn influences the kinds of opportunities and considerations they receive.
In Starfleet and similar organizations, a certain standard of behavior is expected of officers and crew alike, and those standards increase with rank and responsibility.
A main character has a Reputation rating, which is an approximate measure of how their peers and superiors regard them. This is not merely a passive indicator: it can serve as a limited defense against the accusations and challenges of others and allow the character greater leeway and freedom to act.
A main character begins play with a Reputation rating of 3.
Definition
Under normal circumstances, a character’s Reputation serves as a basic guide for how well-regarded they are among others within their species or organization. It should serve as a guideline for how others—outside the character’s ship and crew—view the character, based on mission reports, official records, rumor, and hearsay. It’s unlikely to influence people the character knows personally, as they’ll have formed their own opinions, but it will influence the views of those who haven’t yet met the character, as well as influencing the most formal interactions.
When you attempt a task to convince, persuade, or otherwise interact with someone who knows you by reputation alone, you may use your Reputation instead of a department rating to create your target number, as you allow your deeds and renown to speak for you. Obviously, you cannot do this if you are disguised or attempting to pretend to be someone else.
Effects
Naturally, Reputation is not fixed; it changes as you face new challenges and the consequences of your decisions. Actions in keeping with the traditions and values of the Federation (or whatever culture your game centers on) may increase your Reputation, while choices and outcomes which reflect poorly upon your ship and your culture may reduce your Reputation and may even create other consequences.
Further, a character’s reputation can be a source of benefits or problems during play. This is all resolved at the end of a mission.
At the end of a mission, the gamemaster should consider the outcome of the mission, the decisions that were taken, and decide which factors may influence a character’s Reputation. The gamemaster is the final arbiter of whether an action has a positive or negative influence upon a character’s Reputation, but the simplest method is a list of simple yes-or-no questions. The gamemaster may add questions as they see fit, and published missions may include additional questions specific to that mission. This should still be done even for a character who was slain during the mission, as the dead rely on their reputation and honor just as much as the living do.
There are more potential negative influences than there are positive influences, as they are meant to represent a standard that individuals must strive to uphold. It should, at times, be a struggle to uphold the principles of Starfleet and the Federation, and it is a test of character to retain one’s principles even in difficult times.
Reputation
Reputation Influence (Starfleet or Similar) Influence (Civilian)
0 You are barely fit to be called a Starfleet officer, and you have few, if any, chances left to redeem yourself and salvage your career. Further problems may see you discharged from the service or worse. You are held in low regard by almost everyone who has ever heard of you. You’re seen as untrustworthy, feckless, or worse. People would generally prefer if you moved on quickly.
1 Your record is poor, and your future in Starfleet is questionable. You are viewed as dangerously prone to disobedience, insubordination, and needless recklessness. Further problems may result in significant disciplinary action. You have a bad reputation, with a known habit of breaking the rules, ignoring instructions, and betraying the trust of those who’ve worked with you.
2 Your record is somewhat uncertain, and your performance is questionable. You are viewed as being too quick to disregard Starfleet’s rules and regulations, occasionally insubordinate, or you have gained a reputation for unnecessary recklessness. Your reputation is somewhat sketchy, and many people you encounter are at least a little dubious of what they’ve heard about you. You may have done some unsavory or illicit things in your past.
3 Your record is solid, and your performance is satisfactory. This is the default state for a new character’s Reputation. You have an unremarkable, but solid reputation. You’re unexceptional, yet few if any have anything bad to say about you either.
4 You have a fine record, including a few commendations for exceptional performance. You are viewed as a good and dutiful officer or crewperson, and your expertise and perspectives are worthy of consideration. You have a good reputation, and you’re known for being diligent, capable, and trustworthy.
5 You have an exemplary record, including numerous commendations and decorations for acting above and beyond the call of duty. You are the finest that Starfleet has to offer, and you are given greater discretion in how you carry out their duties. You’re thought of highly among those in your field, and your peers value your insights and recommendations.
POSITIVE INFLUENCES
Answering yes to the following questions are considered positive influences:
Was your mission successful?
Did you positively use one or more of the mission’s Directives?
Did you obey the orders given to you by your superiors?
Did you prevent combat from occurring, or avoid escalating hostilities?
Did you establish common ground or peaceful cooperation with those who were newly encountered or who were previously hostile to you?
Did you directly contribute to saving the lives of innocent people or your fellow crew?
Did you take all reasonable action to render aid to those in urgent need or distress?
NEGATIVE INFLUENCES
Answering yes to the following questions is considered a negative influence on the character’s Reputation:
Was your mission a failure?
Did you challenge one of the mission’s Directives?
Were you disobedient to your superiors?
Were personnel under your command killed during the mission?
Did you employ force to any ends other than the defense of self, ship, crew, or innocent life?
Did you employ lethal force during the mission?
Did you take any unnecessary risks during the mission?
Did you cause, or allow through inaction, innocent lives to be lost during the mission?
Did you lie, cheat, threaten, or coerce others to achieve objectives during the mission?
Did you permit a colleague or subordinate to act unethically or illegally during the performance of their duties?
The Reputation Roll
Once the questions have been asked, and any positive and negative influences have been counted out, make a Reputation roll.
1. Determine Target Number: Your target number for this roll is equal to 7 plus your Reputation.
2. Set Difficulty: The Difficulty of this roll is equal to the number of negative influences you have.
3. Assemble Dice Pool: Roll a number of d20s equal to the number of positive influences you have. Unlike a normal task, there is no maximum number of d20s for this roll.
4. Check for Successes: Each d20 which rolls equal to or less than your target number generates 1 success.
Any d20 which rolls equal to or less than your Reputation rating will generate 2 successes instead.
Any 20 rolled is a complication, which may generate Reprimands if you fail the Reputation roll. If you’ve already got Reprimands left over from prior adventures, then your chance of a complication is higher.
5. Compare to Difficulty: If the number of successes you scored is equal to or higher than the Difficulty, then you’ve acted properly. If the number of successes you scored is less than the Difficulty, then you will be reprimanded.
Each success scored above the Difficulty becomes a point of Acclaim, which you may spend on various benefits.
If you’re dishonorable, then you suffer 1 Reprimand for each success you scored less than the number needed, plus one extra Reprimand for each die that rolled a 20.
6. Outcome: Spend any Acclaim you’ve gained, or any Reprimand you’ve suffered.
When making Reputation rolls, it is best to have the commanding officer make their roll first, as the results of their roll may impact the rolls of other characters.
Reprimand Chance
Reprimand Total Chance of Suffering a Reprimand
0 20
1 19-20
2 18-20
3 17-20
4 16-20
5+ 15-20
Using Acclaim
You gain Acclaim when you are deemed to have acted properly, honestly, and in good faith, and it is a powerful tool to help further your character’s career and achieve their ambitions. Acclaim must be spent immediately— nobody can coast on past successes—but it can be spent as you see fit using any of the options presented in this section. You may use any of the options below as many times as you wish.
AWARDS: Acclaim may be used to purchase awards, which provide limited, but potent benefits to those who achieve them. Each award has a different cost and may have additional requirements. A selection of Starfleet awards is presented below, and gamemasters are encouraged to devise their own.
COMMEND ANOTHER: If you are the commanding officer, you may spend 1 Acclaim to commend another main character in the group. This counts as one extra positive influence on the character’s reputation roll, and it must be done before that character rolls.
ELEVATION: A character who is a non-commissioned officer may receive a battlefield commission and become an officer, by spending 3 Acclaim. If the commanding officer refuses, no Acclaim is spent. The gamemaster chooses the new officer’s initial rank.
GAIN FAVOR: With renown comes the attention of others. You may spend Acclaim to obtain a favor from an NPC you encountered during the adventure (who cannot be an enemy). This costs 1 Acclaim normally, but the cost increases by 1 if the NPC is not from Starfleet, by 1 if the NPC commands a starship (or has similar status), or 2 if the NPC is an admiral, general, ambassador, or other high-ranking figure. These increases in cost can be combined: getting a favor from a foreign ambassador costs 4 Acclaim, while a favor from the chief operations officer on a Federation starbase only costs 1.
INCREASE REPUTATION: You may increase your Reputation by 1, by spending Acclaim equal to the Reputation you are increasing to (that is, increasing Reputation from 3 to 4 costs 4 Acclaim). You may only use this at most once per adventure.
PROMOTION: A character may be promoted to a higher rank, by spending 3 Acclaim. If the commanding officer refuses, no Acclaim is spent. A commander may not promote anyone to commander or above, and a captain may not promote anyone to captain or above.
STATUS: With the gamemaster’s assistance, create an additional trait for the character, which reflects their achievements, recognition, or special status, or remove a trait which represents something negative or detrimental to the character. If the character is a commanding officer, then they may add a trait to their ship instead. This costs 3 Acclaim.