Modus Operandi

From RPGS surrounding the Labcats

On the Map Sheet

  1. Draw an arrow from any circle or diamond to any other circle, diamond, or square.
  2. Either draw an arrow from your square to an existing circle or diamond, or draw a new circle or diamond and draw an arrow to it from your square.
  3. Any single circle that has arrows going to it from two different squares becomes a double circle. That means it's been upgraded from an Extra to a Feature. The players who have that Extra listed on their sheets under Resources move it to Relationships, and it goes from having two dice to one die.

On Your Character Sheet

Pick one of: Reliability/Loyalty, Shady Business, Against the Grain, Outside Normal Channels, Special Gifts.

Reliability/Loyalty

  1. Think about:
    • Why is reliability so important to you?
    • Is there anyone that you are specifically loyal to?
    • Has anyone ever pushed your loyalty too far? What happened?
  2. Step up Duty or Love.
  3. Step up two Relationships (with Leads or Features) or step up one Relationship twice.
  4. Go on to the Motivation stage. Pick one of: The World, Others, or Self.

Shady Business

  1. Think about:
    • If your sister was being threatened by an ex-boyfriend, could you make him disappear?
    • Have any of your past dodgy dealings led to events you now regret?
    • Where do you draw the line—what aren’t you willing to do?
  2. Step up Glory or Power.
  3. Add a new Distinction, or step up a Distinction or Heritage.
  4. Step up a Relationship (with a Lead or Feature) or Extra (minor NPC).
  5. Go on to the Motivation stage. Pick one of: The Cause, Others, or Self.

Against the Grain

  1. Think about:
    • Have you ever thought with hindsight that perhaps you made a bad decision?
    • What was your toughest decision?
    • How far are you willing to go to do what you think is right? Would you abandon a friend? Break the law? Kill?
  2. Step up Justice or Truth.
  3. Add a new Distinction, or step up a Distinction or Heritage.
  4. Step up a Relationship (with a Lead or Feature) or Extra (minor NPC).
  5. Go on to the Motivation stage. Pick one of: The Cause, The Job, or Self.

Outside Normal Channels

  1. Think about:
    • Just how did you get all these friends in high places?
    • Who owes you favors, and to whom do you owe favors?
    • Do you abuse this power?
  2. Step up Justice or Power.
  3. Step up a Distinction, Heritage, Location, or Extra.
  4. Step up a Relationship (with a Lead or Feature) or Extra (minor NPC).
  5. Go on to the Motivation stage. Pick one of: The Cause, The Job, or The World.

Special Gifts

  1. Think about:
    • If you have an Ability, what is it and how do you use it?
    • If you have unique skills, what are they and how did you learn them?
    • Do you keep these Special Gifts secret?
  2. Step up Glory or Power.
  3. Add a new Ability or Distinction (recommended: Extraterrestrial Knowledge, Genius, or Martial Arts), or step up an Ability, Distinction, or Heritage.
  4. Step up an Ability or Relationship (with a Lead or Feature).
  5. Go on to the Motivation stage. Pick one of: Others, The Job, or The World.