Influence System

Influence BasicAreas of InfluenceUsing InfluenceAdvanced UsesArea of Expertise

Influence System Basics

This system is designed to allow players to utilize certain stats to influence the world around them and to gather information, take actions, defend territory, or a number of other actions in the world.

The system below will explain how to utilize each background in the system, but the basic idea of this influence system is twofold. You have personal influence that you can leverage to do things in the areas you possess that influence and potentially aid your personal efforts in those areas. You also can act through your agents and assets like retainers, contacts, allies, and spies to influence the world.

Purchasing Influence

The Influence background in this system is not one background but it is allocated across 14 Areas of Influence (see Areas of Influence below). Each dot can be purchased at x2 cost and goes from 1-5.

The following rules apply to Areas of Influence:

1. A player can have no more Areas of Influence backgrounds than their Influence Background score.
2. All Areas of Influence are capped at Level 3. Levels 4 and 5 require staff approval and likely will require significant effort on the part of the player to acquire that level of control over an area.
3. Those number of players who will have Level 4 and 5 influences will be limited.

The following are the Areas of Influence that exist on the game:

Academic – Influence within universities, schools, and scholarly institutions. Useful for accessing restricted knowledge, archives, and research facilities, or leveraging bureaucrats and professors to further your goals in intellectual circles.

Underworld – Control over criminal elements and illicit activities. Enables smuggling, forgery, theft, and access to the black market. Can be used to orchestrate crimes or gain favors from criminals and gangs.

Business & Industry – Power in the corporate and industrial sectors. Allows for manipulating markets, accessing prototypes or corporate research, managing hostile takeovers, or leveraging business assets and infrastructure.

Law Enforcement – Ties to local police or federal agencies. Can be used to launch investigations, suppress evidence, arrest individuals, or place people under surveillance. While potent, it's risky—law enforcement can investigate its own.

Legal – Influence within the legal system. Offers access to skilled attorneys, court proceedings, contracts, and confidential case files. Can also be used to entangle rivals in lawsuits, injunctions, or bureaucratic red tape.

Media – Control over newspapers, magazines, and broadcast journalism. Useful for planting or suppressing stories, conducting investigations, or swaying public opinion through coverage, interviews, and exposés.

Medical – Ties to hospitals, doctors, and healthcare institutions. Grants access to treatment, drugs, medical records, and research labs. Can also be used to suppress medical findings or run discreet tests and procedures.

Transportation – Power over the movement of goods and people by road, rail, air, or sea. Can arrange fast or discreet travel, intercept or erase shipments, and track others’ movements with access to transport records and logistics.

High Society – Social standing among the wealthy and influential. Opens doors to exclusive events, powerful individuals, and philanthropic circles. This influence can grease wheels in other areas through charm, favors, and connections.

Arts & Community – Influence in local neighborhoods, small businesses, and the arts scene. Useful for gathering local support, spreading ideas, organizing cultural events, and connecting with musicians, performers, and activists.

Government – Authority within city-level government, including the mayor’s office, council, and municipal services. Can push policies, redirect city services, issue permits, or interfere with utilities and infrastructure.

Religion – Ties to religious communities and faith leaders. Can rally congregations, spread ideology, or tap spiritual leaders for support or pressure. Religious institutions also house unique knowledge and hold sway over many lives.

Occult – Connections in esoteric circles, cults, and fringe researchers. Grants access to hidden lore, rare books, supernatural rumors, and obscure groups. Risky for supernatural beings, as these communities often sense the uncanny.

Technology – Influence in emerging fields of computers and electronics. Offers access to skilled hackers, engineers, and R&D. Can uncover digital secrets, sabotage rivals, or push forward new tech breakthroughs.

Using Influence

Influence in an area can be used like a pool to manipulate the various dice rolls that you or your agents/retainers make during a given influence cycle. Each dot of influence in an area can be used as part of this pool and used in line with the following options. The costs for each are listed next to the option. Once a point of Influence is depleted from the pool it cannot be reused until the pool resets.

All Influence pools reset every real-life weeks.

1. Aid Agents. Influence can be used to manipulate the rolls of your agents such as retainers, allies, and contacts but not spies and backup. The cost for this is 1 point of Influence and it adds +2 dice to any one roll of that agent or reduces the difficulty on a roll by -1. Up to 2 points of Influence can be spent this way for +4 dice, -2 difficulty, or +2 dice and -1 difficulty. 2 Influence pool can also be spent to give a specialization (10s count as 2 successes) on one roll.

Limitation: This Influence can only be spent to aid agents that are aligned with that Area of Influence. For example, you can’t use your Underworld Influence to aid an Academic agent.

2. Aid PC Action. Influence can also be used to manipulate the rolls your character makes in a scene or +job. The cost for this is 1 point of Influence and it adds +2 dice to any one roll of your character or reduces the difficulty on a roll by -1 in a scene or a +job. Up to 2 points of Influence can be spent this way for +4 dice, -2 difficulty, or +2 dice and -1 difficulty to rolls.

Limitation: Influence here can only be assigned to rolls that ‘make sense’ in the context of the player’s action or the scene. High Society influence is unlikely to be useful on a break-in.

3. Power Brokering. Requires the Power Brokering ability. The character may spend 1 point of Influence in an area to move up to their Power Brokering score in Influence on any other Area of Influence, regardless of it they possess it or not. Those points can then be used as if the player had those influence points on any action listed in this section. For example, if Henri has Power Brokering 3, and Underworld Influence 3, he can spend 1 point of Underworld Influence to move up to 2 points of his Underworld Influnence to High Society. He can then use that 2 High Society Influence on any other action listed in this section.

Limitation: The only limits are that the player cannot use those brokered points to broker again and no influence purchased can exceed 3, even if the PC already has 3+ Influence in that area.

4. Exert Control. This is a raw expenditure of influence to create actions in the world. These can manifest in line with the type of influence used and examples of them might be – have someone arrested, take over or ruin a business, research a scientific experiment, or steal blood from a blood bank. Staff will be the ultimate judge on this front, but the following point cost is roughly a ballpark for the amount required to make a thing happen. It is also worth noting that staff might require that a PC have at least one appropriate agent to make it happen:

1 Point: Trivial Manipulation • Steal blood from the blood bank • Run a background check • Arrange for a party invitation 2 Points: Minor Manipulation • Have someone investigated • Run academic research on something • Hire a lawyer to defend someone 3 Points: Moderate Manipulation • Call an inspector to have a building shut down • Have someone arrested • Arrange for a shipment of illegal weapons 4 Points: Major Manipulation • Pull in a world-famous researcher to handle a request • Quash or promote an important media story in the news • Trigger a gang war between two rival factions 5 Points: Massive Manipulation • Arrange for a sweeping law enforcement raid on a location • Execute a corporate takeover of a significant business • Arrange for an art opening with famous names from around the country

Limitation: These kinds of actions will likely be successful but without actual trusted hands to manage them in the form of agents you control, they can go in unpredictable directions. They are also more likely to be traced directly to you if someone digs into the action. Having someone arrested with influence alone is far less effective and reliable than if you also use your police detective ally to make the arrest and ensure it is done correctly how you wish it.

Influence and Resources

The wealthy and powerful can often just purchase what they need at any given time. This background allows player to purchase the use of Contacts, Allies, Spies, and Backup during an Influence Cycle. This resource can change each Influence Submission Cycle depending on the PC’s needs. The following chart indicates what level of background stats that someone with money can buy:

• Resources 1: None
  
• Resources 2: None
  
• Resources 3: 1 Level 1
  
• Resources 4: 1 Level 2
  
• Resources 5: 1 Level 3 or 2 Level 1s
  
• Resources 6: 1 Level 4 or 2 Level 2
  
  

Players can use Resources to purchase Contacts, Allies, Spies, and Backup of the levels listed above. In cases where an Area of Influence applies, such as Contacts or Allies, the PC can only purchase agents that are within the Areas of Influence that they have assigned from their Influence background. All of these assets disappear at the end of the Influence Cycle, but it is also possible for a PC to hold a resource from cycle to cycle if they still have need of that type of asset.

For example, if a PC has Level 4 Resources, during an Influence Cycle, they can purchase 1 Level 2 asset. If they purchase an Ally, they can assign it to any one of the Areas of Influence they currently have. In this case, the PC chooses Religion. This Ally would not qualify for an Area of Expertise because it is Level 2, but if the PC had Level 5 Resources, they could purchase a Level 3 Ally, which would allow that Ally to have 1 Area of Expertise.

Area of expertise is used on certain levels of contacts and allies. When a player purchases level 3, 4 or 5 of one of these backgrounds, they gain access to an especially powerful agent. When this ally or contact is +noted, the Areas of Expertise they have should be written on that note. In general, Level 3 background stats gets 1 Area of Expertise, Level 4 gets 2, and Level 5 gets 3.

An Area of Expertise does two things:
1. It gives the contact, ally, or spy +2 dice on any rolls to which their Area of Expertise applies. 2. Any 10s on rolls are counted as 2 successes.

Areas of Expertise are applied logically and adjudicated by the ST. For example, if a street thug ally had an Area of Expertise in Kidnapping, if I assigned them to abduct someone, they would get the +2 dice and the extra successes on 10s. If they were assigned to sell stolen goods, it wouldn’t apply to that.

A couple of notes:
Areas of Expertise do not apply to players. Players use specialties in their abilities for their rolls.
Areas of Expertise do not apply to Retainers background. Retainers use specialties in their abilities for their rolls.

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The following are the Areas of Influence that exist on the game along with their associated Areas of Expertise:

Academic – This is influence among the schools, universities, and educational bureaucracy. This type of influence can be used to gain access to information and facilities to acquire knowledge. This can also be used to manipulate the educational bureaucracy to do what a player wishes and even gain access to records that are not publicly available.

• • Areas of Expertise: Sciences, Academic Bureaucracy, Research, Records, Field

Work, Engineering, Cultural Studies, Economics, Mathematics, Teaching, Field Work

Underworld – Underworld influence is power in crime and illegal activities. This area deals with everything from petty crime, such as pickpocketing, to drug smuggling operations and assassination. A person with this type of influence can lend their influence to help their people perform any manner of illegal deeds, from purchasing illegal goods to acquiring forged documents.

• • Areas of Expertise: Sex Work, Information Gathering, Illegal Weapons, Fencing,

Theft, Gangs, Illegal Drugs, Street Politics, Hits, Scrounging, Forgery, Assault, Kidnapping

Business & Industry – Business and Industry influence is how much pull you have in the corporate world and how much control you have over local business and industry. This area deals with the business world at more than the small business level. A person with this influence can manipulate markets, gain access to prototypes or research, manage corporate buyouts and raids, execute corporate and financial research, or make use of assets that a typical big business has access to.

• • Areas of Expertise: Investments, Buyouts, Insider Trading, R&D, Records, Stock

Markets, Takeovers, Laundering, Accounting & Analysis, Corporate Assets, Money Laundering

Law Enforcement – This is law enforcement influence that can range from local police to federal agencies. Local law enforcement is far easier to manipulate and manage than big agencies like the FBI and CIA. Those with law enforcement influence can launch investigations, execute warrants, steal and manipulate evidence, call for surveillance on a target, and even go so far as to have someone arrested. his is a powerful influence and while many may want it, it can be a double-edge sword; law enforcement tends to be also good at rooting out any type of influence in its ranks.

• • Areas of Expertise: Investigations, Surveillance, Raids, Evidence, Records,

Forensics, Arrests, Assassinations, SWAT, Rumors, Internal Affairs, Law Enforcement Bureaucracy

Legal – Legal influence represents the ability for someone to manipulate the wheels of law and justice. This influence is directly connected to law enforcement and the court. With this influence, someone can arrange to get a lawyer, fight a court case, gain insight into and potentially even influence ongoing court cases, research legal records, and arrange for contracts and agreements. This influence can also be used to tie up others’ efforts in all manner of legal proceedings and red tape.

• • Areas of Expertise: Corporate Law, Prosecution, Defense, Courts, Litigation, Contract Law, Copyright Law, Real Estate Law, Criminal Law, Tax Law, International Law, Federal Law, Records

Media – Media influence is control over local papers, journalism, news, and other publications. This does not really apply to the internet in the mid-90s, as it was still in its infancy, but there are many more print publications in circulation. With this influence someone can arrange to have a story run or quashed, it can gain access to investigative journalism, interviews, photographs, and videos. This influence is useful for gaining access to certain places and tracking down historical events.

• • Areas of Expertise: Blackmail, Local News, Advertising, TV, Movies, Newspapers, Conspiracy, Spin Control, Scandals, Investigative Journalism, Interviews, Press Access

Medical – Medical influence represents a connection to the healthcare and medicine community. This can represent connections to local doctors, hospitals, and clinics and even industries that are peripheral to those such as pharmaceutical companies, medical supply, blood banks, and research. With this influence someone can gain easy access to medical care, records, drugs, forensics, and even get research or testing performed. Medicine is often one of the front lines of the battle to suppress information getting to the public and this influence can be used to suppress that.

• • Areas of Expertise: Forensic Pathology, First Aid, Pharmaceutical, Blood Banks, Clinics, Hospitals, Medical Records, Diseases, Surgery, Paramedics, Medical Testing, Psychiatry

Transportation – Transportation influence is the ability to move goods and people from place to place. This can be via road, rail, plane, or boat. This subtly powerful influence allows for all manner of shipping of products to be done, both legal and illegal. It can ensure that existing shipments have no red tape or excessive red tape. It can also find records on past and current shipments, arrange travel, know when others are travelling, intercept shipments, and ensure that shipments disappear. Areas of Expertise: Shipping, Rail, Trucking, Aviation, Documentation and Certification, Travel Arrangements, Shipping Records, Smuggling, Shortcuts, Area Knowledge, Getaways High Society – This area of influence involves the ‘good and the great’ of any given community. The wealthy, famous, and well-positioned of society. This type of influence is deeply tied to the ability to hob nob among those of influence, making friends among their ranks and then ensuring that doors are opened you that may not be to others. This influence can often clear up blockages in other areas, gain admittance to exclusive opportunities, meeting people who are difficult to meet, and gaining favors from the rich and powerful. This influence is also often deeply tied to philanthropy. Areas of Expertise: Parties, Negotiation, Making Friends, Exclusive Access, Philanthropy, Power Brokering, Hot Gossip, Favors, Social Chameleon, Local Culture, Foreign Culture Arts & Community – This area of influence deals mostly with the local arts community as well as the local populace of small businesses, people, and neighborhoods of the city. This influence is power at the neighborhood level, allowing the person who wields it to influence the communities in a city, gain information from them, tap local businesses for aid and influence who goes to them. This also applies to the local art community from painting to poetry and includes areas like music, theater, and even movie productions. This kind of influence can arrange for shows or gain access, make or break a local performance, and arrange access to local and even international celebrities. Areas of Expertise: Performances, Charity Events, Neighborhoods, Area Knowledge, Local Gossip, Theater, Music, Visual Arts, Neighborhood Watch, Celebrities, Small Businesses Government – Government influence represents a connection and influence over the local city government. This influence does not apply to state or federal government. This includes many of the city offices, including the mayor, city council, and other city offices such as public works, including sewage and city lights, parks, emergency management, budget office, auditor, and the city inspector. Police and Attorneys are covered under Law Enforcement and Legal influence. This kind of influence can allow the person who wields it to do anything from moving forward policies that are favorable to them, to disabling power and services, and having businesses shut down. Areas of Expertise: City Council, Mayor’s Office, Public Works, City Records, Inspections, City Finance, Parks and Rec, Red Tape, Emergency Management, Fire Department, Auditors Religion – This type of influence focuses on keeping one’s fingers on the pulse of the local spiritual communities. This can include influence in any faith from Catholic, to Protestant, to Hindu, to Satanic Temples. Those with this influence can influence the communities that are associated with those faiths. This can gather followers and then have those followers act on suggestions. There is often a great deal of knowledge to be gained from many of these faiths on spiritual and esoteric topics. Also, faiths often wield a great deal of temporal power and influence in communities and in governments. The head of a church leaning on officials or local community members can effective. Areas of Expertise: Religious Scriptures, Community Outreach, Theology, Religious Activism, Religious History, Rites, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Paganism Occult – Occult influence covers the ability to tap into the world of esoteric and alternative studies. The occult community is mostly researched based though it can wander into the world of cults and societies as well. Most of this influence deals with more mundane topics and not with the actual world of the supernatural. This influence can be used to uncover knowledge, do research on topics, sway local societies and groups, such as paranormal investigators, and even seek out and acquire rare texts or other objects of occult relevance. Unlike some other influences, this can be dangerous for supernatural beings to wield as the people they are influencing are vaguely aware of their nature. Areas of Expertise: Metaphysics, Mythology, Folklore, Cults, Rare Objects, Occult History, Conspiracy Theories, Secret Societies, Mystic Lore, Parapsychology, Alternative Sciences Technology – Though this is only the mid-90s, the field of technology has been around for decades and is only now beginning to experience a true growth spurt. Computers and the internet are still in their infancy but someone with this influence is on the cutting edge of these fields. This influence can be used to gain access to technology as well as computer hardware and software, access to research and development as well as people who can utilize this technology. This includes people like engineers, coders, hackers, and technicians. This influence can also be used to curtail others’ efforts in this area through sabotage and efforts aimed and controlling access to certain technology. Areas of Expertise: Programming, Hardware, R&D, Networking, Security Systems, Hacking, Robots, Electronics, Communications, Jury-Rigging, Industrial Espionage, Data Encryption