I’m currently monkeying around with a GM-side system that adjusts my “heat” expenditure system for Caveat Emptor. The way I handle heat is to spend it on the Magnitude chart, start up a clock, and when that clock’s been filled by consequences it spawns a threat to the player scoundrels.
Like in Dishonored, Chaos is a measure of how destabilizing an affect the scoundrels have had on the people and factions of their base of operations. High chaos means the scale or force of the spent heat gets a bonus (making threats more challenging) and people will respond my cynically to the party. Low chaos means the scale and force of the spent heat get a penalty (making threats less challenging) and people will respond more curiously and optimistically to the party.
Like in Dark Heresy, Subtlety is a measure of how easy the party is to find. High Subtlety means the “reinforcement” or arrival clocks take longer (this applies for both allies coming to help and hostiles coming to reinforce). Low Subtlety means these reinforcement clocks take less time (meaning that allies and enemies alike have an easier time finding you).
At the end of a session and after character advancement has been arbitrated, resolve the following questions.
Were your activities detected? If yes, then -1 Subtlety, else +1 Subtlety
Were you identified as hostile actors? If yes, then -1 Subtlety, else +1 Subtlety
Did your actions result in someone’s death? If yes, then +1 Chaos, else -1 Chaos
Did your actions destabilize society? If yes, then +1 Chaos, else -1 Chaos
Track the following affects when spending heat using the magnitude chart to create consequences, obstacles, and reinforcements to leverage against or in support of the player’s Lancers, and which clocks to use.
Chaos
Maximum: Goods and services cost +2 Clout; Resolve actions and reactions have decreased Potency and Quality; Jobs generate +2 Heat
High: Goods and services cost +1 Clout; Resolve actions and reactions have decreased Potency; Jobs generate +1 Heat
Medium: No changes
Low: Goods and services cost -1 Clout; Resolve actions and reactions have increased Potency; Jobs generate -1 Heat.
Minimum: Goods and services cost -2 Clout; Resolve actions and reactions have increased Potency and Quality; Jobs generate -2 Heat.
Subtlety
Maximum: Clocks to locate the lancers, their agents, and their holdings are 8-Clocks
High: Clocks to locate the lancers, their agents, and their holdings are 6-Clocks
Medium: no changes
Low: Clocks to locate lancers, their agents, and their holdings are 4-Clocks
Minimum: Clocks to locate lancers, their agents, and their holdings are 4-Clocks and one segment is permanently filled in.
This is cool! We’re doing something kind of similar in Bluecoats (not sure if you’ve seen the playtest material). I think there’s still a lot of room in the FitD framework for more GM-facing tools like this.
I haven’t been in on it, but I’d love to participate.
In the current rendition of the rules, we don’t have the pre-downtime consequences of the original BinD or wanted levels, but instead the GM sends threats asymmetrically. This depends on a high-heat economy, and I have not yet “balanced” the rates of exchange yet (been hammering the physics and economics models yet, but I’ll do that this week).
By way on an explanation of terms, Clout is a combination of Rep and Coin. The trade of secrets, coinage, favors, and reputation are all condensed into one for sake of ease with “lancer” (my name for the players) and crew advancement.