While I understand where everyone is coming from in the "players choose to take obligation, and they get something for taking obligation, it seems to me that outside of character creation it's impossible for a PC to have any obligation other than debt.

Please explain how a PC would get say a bounty obligation in game(AFTER chargen) voluntarily.

When we played Under a Black Sun without giving away details, we chose to keep something that did not endear us to the Black Sun and in choosing to keep what we did incurred their wrath in the form of a bounty.

I had the same thing happen to my character in Under a Black Sun except it's not so much what I kept but rather it was what I did.

Yeah, I add criminal obligations for notorious acts committed in-game. I have tended to introduce this to discourage my players from doing anything too evil. It hasn't worked: they've just happily sucked up the obligation!

I have tended to introduce this to discourage my players from doing anything too evil. It hasn't worked

Maybe you should have an OOC conversation if them playing murder-hobos is cramping your style/enjoyment as a GM.

If you get captured take some bounty obligation and get broken out.

A hutt crime lord sends some can in fodder... err help, on a mission add some favour obligation.

My GM uses Obligation as an every game tool/currency/plot hook. We are shedding and adding nearly every session and he is wanting to transition it from individual Obligation to a collective group Obligation, so our current sessions tend to focus on erasing our individual ones to be replaced by group Obligation.

I'll throw in some Obligation every now and then, but very rarely. Usually this takes the form of me telling a player "If you do this, you'll take some Obligation (criminal) for it". If any of them are about to do something that will incur Obligation, I let them know beforehand. If they do it anyway, that's entirely up to them. I think in most cases it's only fair that the players know what consequences their actions will have. Of course, if they claim to "not understand" that lobbing frag grenades around a crowded street will result in Criminal Obligation then that's their problem.

As for removing Obligation I used to run it so that every 4-5 adventures someone's Obligation would kick in (usually whomever had rolled the most Obligation on the pre-session percentile checks) and some opportunity would present itself for them to reduce it. Typically in the form of an NPC calling in a Favour, a bounty hunter showing up to collect a Bounty, and so on.

It bears mentioning, however, that this latest approach was one I had to quit using recently. Three of my players had various degrees of Criminal Obligation, so I figured I'd give them a chance to work it off. I had a sector ranger NPC track them down and confront them with the classic offer "help me to take down these bigger fish criminals and I'll help you out with your outstanding warrants, or refuse and I'll run you in". One player in particular (who had 10 Criminal Obligation, incidentially) was extremely put out by this and spent the entire adventure complaining and dragging his feet. I figure life's too short to put up with that, so from here on out I just let the dice fall and add +5 Obligation to each player every 3 times his name comes up. If they want their Obligation reduced they'll have to take the initiative themselves.

It bears mentioning, however, that this latest approach was one I had to quit using recently. Three of my players had various degrees of Criminal Obligation, so I figured I'd give them a chance to work it off. I had a sector ranger NPC track them down and confront them with the classic offer "help me to take down these bigger fish criminals and I'll help you out with your outstanding warrants, or refuse and I'll run you in".

Speaking as a player who tries really hard to focus on the role-play aspect of the game, I actually really like this mechanism. So, I wonder if maybe you can talk to your players and find out who feels the same way about that as I do, and maybe you don't use it on the players who really hate it.

Most of my bitching when I'm at the table is actually me being in-character. There are a couple of other characters in the group that I am ... quite opposed to, with regards to some of their more avaricious or xenophiliac schemes, but that's the way my character feels about those characters. As player, I think it can be pretty funny.

[ Edit -- clarify to remove asterisks inappropriately substituted by the reply mechanism ]

I can and do wheel & deal with Obligation in my games, albeit sparingly. We talk about it though, I don't just declare it. I think keeping the mechanic flexible and always making sure there's a choice works wonderfully, at least for a group that will play true to character even if they know it's a bad idea OOC.

I can and do wheel & deal with Obligation in my games, albeit sparingly. We talk about it though, I don't just declare it. I think keeping the mechanic flexible and always making sure there's a choice works wonderfully, at least for a group that will play true to character even if they know it's a bad idea OOC.

We've had more then a few sessions like that lately. I've said and heard "I know this is a horrible idea but my character is doing it.

I've said and heard "I know this is a horrible idea but my character is doing it."

That's every other Thursday night around here! And then they roll 2 Triumphs and 4 successes and by golly, things just got real.