Quote from: Zirunel;1130697I remember doing just this in a campaign back in the 80s. And since the campaign was in a PvP phase by then, we also mounted similar "ad campaigns" to badmouth the rival party.

It was all good fun. But I don't believe the DM used any kind of dice mechanic to resolve actions like this. As with all diplomatic-type plans, good ideas tended to work, and bad ideas tended to backfire. The DM knew the ins and outs of the "target market," so he was in a position to determine  whether our actions were likely to succeed. A case of rulings over rules, I guess.

I don't tend to use a rep or fame mechanic, either.  Though if I did, it would be one much as described earlier, because the effect of rep or fame or infamy is ultimately a modifier to a reaction roll or the equivalent, and I get pretty stingy with such modifiers, fast.

That is, if the party has done something minor, locally, lately, then it is easy to get a +1 bonus to influence various local NPCs.  Otherwise, "What have you done for me lately?"  Getting to +2 is going to take a much greater achievement, though such an achievement might make that +1 stick around longer or be a little more widespread in its effects.  I only tend to note such effects mechanically when the party has done something sustained and impressive for an area--enough where if you were only making rulings that some of the NPCs would feel a sense of obligation or gratitude or similar.  Even then, I might not note it mechanically, but rather just record "party did X which impressed locals at Y".

The same effect would apply to grudges.  Only a few NPCs will hold a long-lasting grudge, but once you get to that point, it's difficult to get past it.

I was looking over the OSR game For Coin & Blood today, since it was beside something else I was getting on the bookshelf. ha  I recalled that it implements an Infamy attribute, just below Charisma on your sheet even.  The game tries to focus a fairly original D&D rule set to playing criminal types, doing jobs for coin, see.  Infamy is used to adjust payment for jobs.  The infamy attribute could be used more through-out the game, but there is mention of it in organizing/joining gangs and other criminal organizations. There are rules for raising infamy based upon a save throw for various activities.

Pre-3e D&D seems to assume that Level = Fame, and I generally go with that. This is used in some newer D&D too, eg Primeval Thule 5e has PCs attract followers at higher level same as 0e-2e D&D.

Level can 100% be looked at that way, particularly when taking a look how level affects some of the results. A fame or similar value can seem redundant, sort of another level system on top of the level system.  That said, it can help some players and DMs pull that out to give it a highlighted value.  So, I get why it might be something desired.  One of the reasons I think it was in Lejendary Adventure, was old Gygax wanted that fame element of level to sometimes be counter to level  So, perhaps a character of a certain level has lower fame than a character of the same level, and other similar adjustments.

I think I saw a Level = Fame rule once, but don't remember where (maybe some 2e supplements? IDK). But I think it also had modifiers for how well known the character was throughout the region, if they had done particularly good or bad deeds in the area, and stuff like that. So Fame was a factor of your level and deeds in the area, and might get temporary modifiers for recent deeds or bards spreading their tales to bolster their reputation (or damage it), etc.

The way fame or similar can be set with different groups, nations, factions etcetera, is one of the ways I would be in favor of using such a rule.  Sorry to bring up Lejendary again, but the repute, disrepute, dark repute set-up in it was supposed to be set for whatever group, people and so on.  It wasn't fully given examples or given proper space on the default character sheet, but that was the way it was supposed to be used.

A game that set various groups as favored or disfavored or some form of alliance or enmity has a very similar effect.

Quote from: Kuroth;1131137I was looking over the OSR game For Coin & Blood today, since it was beside something else I was getting on the bookshelf. ha  I recalled that it implements an Infamy attribute, just below Charisma on your sheet even.  The game tries to focus a fairly original D&D rule set to playing criminal types, doing jobs for coin, see.  Infamy is used to adjust payment for jobs.  The infamy attribute could be used more through-out the game, but there is mention of it in organizing/joining gangs and other criminal organizations. There are rules for raising infamy based upon a save throw for various activities.

Will try and buy it, thanks

Quote from: Kuroth;1131248The way fame or similar can be set with different groups, nations, factions etcetera, is one of the ways I would be in favor of using such a rule.  Sorry to bring up Lejendary again, but the repute, disrepute, dark repute set-up in it was supposed to be set for whatever group, people and so on.  It wasn't fully given examples or given proper space on the default character sheet, but that was the way it was supposed to be used.

A game that set various groups as favored or disfavored or some form of alliance or enmity has a very similar effect.

Thanks again, will try to get it too.

I have occasionally used systems that had "fame" rules.  Aces & Eights, for example, where I thought it was useful to measure how well known a given gunslinger was.

In my OSR games, I don't typically use that, though in my latest L&D campaign I've instituted a fame mechanic (calling it "glory" in a nod to Pendragon), where it's a straightforward measure of how famed your character is.  Some characters start with bonuses to it if they're from higher social class, or if they are Knights, or Clerics. I often use it as a measurement of who in the group is more likely to be paid attention to by important NPCs.

But for the most part, I play fame and infamy by ear, not with a mechanic, reflecting what the PCs have done over the course of the campaign and where.  In my DCC campaign, Bill the Elf (close to level 10, the highest level in the game) is almost globally infamous.