Diplomacy: Something more than 1 roll

Next up, Diplomacy! I have also had issues with how social interactions work in trad ttrpgs, and many other systems just kinda "accept defeat" and either just let the players hash things out in-character with little to no mechanics and let GM fiat take over, or they have looser rules that at the end of the day come down to once again a single roll, like some PbtA systems. I came up with my own take on it that I hope inspires players to work a little more for their social encounters rather than "I try to convince the guard to let me through". Here is a shorter breakdown of the Diplomacy subsystem:

Diplomacy

During an act of Diplomacy, you attempt to convince the opposing party towards some goal or objective, whether it being haggling, letting the party through to some place where they may not be welcome, or to convince some local leader to send aid to a struggling populace. The Diplomacy subsystem is used for such events; however, it is not necessarily well used for just common discussion, or when the situation has already escalated beyond saving. The mechanic with no extra features works through discovery and risk. You have 7 possible actions that you can take: Overwhelm (Speed), Blunt (Power), Lecture (Calculation), Exploit (Recognition), Lie (Deceit), Intimidate (Willpower), Cajole (Willpower). Each action relies on a particular skill (with the skill used for the action being in parentheses), where you roll for the skill versus their corresponding Vis Flavor Defense to make progress; whenever you succeed, you gain a victory in the argument, and if you fail, your opponent gains a victory instead. Diplomacy is usually resolved whenever a party gains 2 victories, though the GM may decide for particularly difficult scenarios 3 or more might be necessary. There are subtleties to discussion, though. Each character the party interacts with has both a Landmine and a Flaw, where each can either totally dismantle or heavily enhance your arguments. If you choose one of the approaches and it is the character’s Flaw, then upon succeeding the check, you get 2 victories instead of one, and even if you fail you get 1 victory. This effect only can happen once per act of Diplomacy per Flaw. If you instead are unfortunate enough to choose the character’s Landmine, you do not roll, and the opposing party instantly gets 2 victories, winning them most acts of Diplomacy (Like Flaws, this effect can only happen once per act of Diplomacy). It should be noted that characters' Flaws and Landmines can evolve over time, so intimidating the craven merchant may not always work; players must be aware and learn what makes people tick and sway in a given conversation.

It is also suggested that for more ridiculous asks or suggestions that the GM can give the NPC multiple Landmines, and similarly grant more Flaws for someone who is more vulnerable. I'll attach an example of an act of Diplomacy here:

GM: "You all come across a set of highway men blocking the bridge up ahead, and they spot you coming."

Player 1: "I hail them and ask to pass"

GM: "The head of the bunch sneers and simple says 'for a fee ya can pass'."

Player 2: "I'll walk forward and say 'We are on the way to an important meeting with the king, if we don't show up on time he's going to send a patrol and your little operation will be done for.'"

GM: An act of Diplomacy has been initiated, starting off with Player two taking the Intimidation approach, roll Willpower.

Player 2: I rolled 4d6 and kept 3, and I got a total of 17.

GM: That beats their Calmness Defense. 1 Victory. The bandits look a little uneasy, but the leader grunts and retorts: "You're a looong way from the castle little traveler. They won't be here in time."

Player 1: I want to interject and ask why they are holding up this road anyhow?

GM: The highwayman responds: "Your faraway king cares little for these lands and the hardships we face. We were starving before we turned to stealing, and stealing is working now."

Player 1: I want to tell them this: "We have good favor with the king. We can give you a small amount of food, and tell the king there are capable men in this region looking for work, and get you all some honest work like I know you want to do, deep down."

GM: Cajole approach, nice. Roll Willpower.

Player 1: I roll 3d6 keep 3, and I got a total of 14.

GM: Luckily for you Cajolery was their Flaw. Sometimes honey is better, eh? The bandits back off and let you pass in exchange for small part of your rations.

As you can see, the intent of this system is to encourage against there being a single "party face" (unless if the players want it that way) and more interaction and probing and questioning rather than a simple one-liner.

Thanks for reading,

Aaron/Draedis