Me and some friends is gonna start playing EotE soon! And when i read in the core rule book about obligation i have a hard time understanding how it works, speciely about obligation size! Is there someone who can explain it for me?
Question about Obligation
I'm not entirely sure what you mean, but I'll do my best.
The more you owe someone, or have outside influences impigning on your life, the more Obligation you have. If you have Oblligation: Bounty of 5, there may be some wanted posters of you floating around. If the value is 50, you check under your bed for Boba Fett every night before going to sleep.
Mechanics-wise, Obligation is a percentile value. At the start of each session the GM adds together everyone's Obligation in a nice orderly table and roll a D100. If he rolls equal to or less than the collected Obligation everyone is feeling the pressure of their pasts and have their strain treshold reduced by 1 (or 2 for the specific character the dice lands on) for that session to reflect being stressed out. If the GM rolls a double (11, 22, 33 and so on) everyone's strain threshold is reduced by 2 for that session, and the character whose Obligation actually triggered suffers a reduction of 4. Furthermore, something happens during play that reflects his Obligation catching up to him - in the case of having Bounty, there would probably be some bounty hunters who show up looking for him.
I really don't know how to explain it any better than that unless you tell us more specifically what you have trouble with.
What im asking about in the book is the starting obligation and 2-2 table! how is the obligiation size affected when you are gonna choose an obligation? or is the obligation size about how much the PC is affected by their obligation?
The starting obligation changes with the size of the group for the campaign, their are recommended obligation size in the books, but you can choose it as you whish.
And the Obligation size is how much your PC is affected by the obligation.
If you have Oblligation: Bounty of 5, there may be some wanted posters of you floating around. If the value is 50, you check under your bed for Boba Fett every night before going to sleep.
The example given by Kreiger explains it all. the more you have a big obligation, the more strain it takes on the PC's life.
On my part, I consider an obligation of size 5 to be a very minor obligation, it just appeared, or just got resolved by the PCs and will in a couple of scenarios disappear. When a new character comes in the group, I always start with an obligation equal to 10.
okey thanks both of you! i have a problem of over thinking things 
Thanks again 
okey thanks both of you! i have a problem of over thinking things
You are most welcome 
Ask any question you want. This community will help you as much as it can about the game 
If you have seen the show Firefly, it's easy to imagine the thematic purposes of Obligation. Everyone comes on to the ship with a story and the rest of the crew eventually gets mixed up with another character's particular obligation.
Jayne!
The man they call Jayne!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now, ain't hard to explain,
The hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!
Now Jayne saw the Mudders' backs breakin'.
He saw the Mudders' lament.
And he saw that magistrate takin'
Every dollar and leavin' five cents.
So he said, "You can't do that to my people!"
"You Can't, crush them under your heel."
Jayne strapped on his hat,
And in five seconds flat,
Stole everything Boss Higgins had to steal.
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain,
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne.
Now here is what separates heroes
From common folk like you and I.
The man they call Jayne,
He turned 'round his plane,
And let that money hit sky.
He dropped it onto our houses.
He dropped it into our yards.
The man they call Jayne
He turned round his plane,
And headed out for the stars.
Here we go!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain,
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!
I think the original question (and something I've struggled with as well) is how much importance 'obligation units' represents. My rough understanding is that 5 is minor, 10 is average and 15 is a large obligation. Is that what everyone else has been using and/or what size obligations have worked in your campaigns?
Going strictly by the percentages, an obligation of 15 means that specific obligation would be triggered about once per 7 sessions. Do you have to use even higher numbers to really make PCs sit up and take notice that they are being saddled with something that is important to be dealt with?
Jayne!
The man they call Jayne!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now, ain't hard to explain,
The hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!
Now Jayne saw the Mudders' backs breakin'.
He saw the Mudders' lament.
And he saw that magistrate takin'
Every dollar and leavin' five cents.
So he said, "You can't do that to my people!"
"You Can't, crush them under your heel."
Jayne strapped on his hat,
And in five seconds flat,
Stole everything Boss Higgins had to steal.
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain,
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne.
Now here is what separates heroes
From common folk like you and I.
The man they call Jayne,
He turned 'round his plane,
And let that money hit sky.
He dropped it onto our houses.
He dropped it into our yards.
The man they call Jayne
He turned round his plane,
And headed out for the stars.
Here we go!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain,
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!
This is what going mad feels like....
Don't feel too bad - while the rules are pretty strong, the one thing in the book that needs some is the obligation. Seriously, just a simple list of examples and their point costs would be a HUGE help. What to the devs consider a 5? What is a 20? Where is the granulation within?
In my mind it works like this:
FIVE POINTS -
* Minor, local infractions such as being a person of interest in a crime, moving violations and the like
* A minor loan to an established legitimate business
* Chain smoking
* Parents occasionally nag you, "Why haven't you come by for Life Day?"
* A misunderstanding easily dealt with.
TEN POINTS -
* On the Empire's radar for minor crimes, mostly regional
* A more substantial loan to a shady business
* Likes a minor controlled substance (say, Weed)
* Younger sibling runs off to emulate Big Brother, needs occasional bailing out
* A more serious set of circumstances that will take some work to clear up
FIFTEEN POINTS -
* Major crimes against the Empire or seditious behavior on a more galactic scale
* A substantial loan to a crime boss whom you have made it personal
* Regularly needs a very controlled substance (like spice).
* Family is in a dangerous line of work and needs assistance regularly.
* A serious event that will take a long period of time to deal with
TWENTY POINTS
* One of the Galaxy's Most Wanted, a confirmed Force User (whether true or not) or a big smuggler
* Owes money to a big name with vast resources - Black Sun, Jabba and so on
* Needs a extremely controlled, hard to find and dangerous substance
* Family is prone to finding trouble under the bed and is being hunted by the best.
* May not be recoverable from without very serious heavy lifting over a period of time.
Now of course, these are just random thoughts that I pulled out of my butt on the spur of the moment - but they don't seem that unreasonable to me.
Edited by DesslokI think the original question (and something I've struggled with as well) is how much importance 'obligation units' represents. My rough understanding is that 5 is minor, 10 is average and 15 is a large obligation. Is that what everyone else has been using and/or what size obligations have worked in your campaigns?
Going strictly by the percentages, an obligation of 15 means that specific obligation would be triggered about once per 7 sessions. Do you have to use even higher numbers to really make PCs sit up and take notice that they are being saddled with something that is important to be dealt with?
Remember, if all the party members have 15 obligation (spread across one or more types), then each session, assuming a party of 4, there is a 60% chance that SOMEONE's obligation is going to be triggered and affect EVERYONE. That bounty hunter is going to come calling; the debt collector is here for his pay; someone's sibling needs help; etc... That reduction to the Strain threshold will be felt by all.
If the party total obligation rises above 100, then no one is allowed to spend XP until obligations have been dealt with.
This is what going mad feels like....Jayne!
The man they call Jayne!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now, ain't hard to explain,
The hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!
Now Jayne saw the Mudders' backs breakin'.
He saw the Mudders' lament.
And he saw that magistrate takin'
Every dollar and leavin' five cents.
So he said, "You can't do that to my people!"
"You Can't, crush them under your heel."
Jayne strapped on his hat,
And in five seconds flat,
Stole everything Boss Higgins had to steal.
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain,
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne.
Now here is what separates heroes
From common folk like you and I.
The man they call Jayne,
He turned 'round his plane,
And let that money hit sky.
He dropped it onto our houses.
He dropped it into our yards.
The man they call Jayne
He turned round his plane,
And headed out for the stars.
Here we go!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain,
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!
We gotta go to the crappy town where I'm a hero.
This is what going mad feels like....Jayne!
The man they call Jayne!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now, ain't hard to explain,
The hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!
Now Jayne saw the Mudders' backs breakin'.
He saw the Mudders' lament.
And he saw that magistrate takin'
Every dollar and leavin' five cents.
So he said, "You can't do that to my people!"
"You Can't, crush them under your heel."
Jayne strapped on his hat,
And in five seconds flat,
Stole everything Boss Higgins had to steal.
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain,
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne.
Now here is what separates heroes
From common folk like you and I.
The man they call Jayne,
He turned 'round his plane,
And let that money hit sky.
He dropped it onto our houses.
He dropped it into our yards.
The man they call Jayne
He turned round his plane,
And headed out for the stars.
Here we go!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor.
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain,
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!
I watched that episode of Firefly this afternoon actually. I always liked the scene between the magistrate and his son at the end.
Don't feel too bad - while the rules are pretty strong, the one thing in the book that needs some is the obligation. Seriously, just a simple list of examples and their point costs would be a HUGE help. What to the devs consider a 5? What is a 20? Where is the granulation within?
To be honest, Desslok, this is exactly why we decided to do away with the numbers.
Obligation as a concept is great - to tie each character into an external pressure that can drive plots and stories, beyond their own personal motivations. (As I see it, Motivations are what you want to do, Obligations are what other people want you to do...)
But Obligation as a game mechanic works poorly in my opinion. It doesn't need a number attached to it. The rules are vague and woolly - does your Obligation affect your standing with the law or the underworld.... or not? How much money do I need to pay off my Debt? How do I pay off my Adrenaline Junkie 'obligation'?
So we just decided to lose the numbers. I can handle it narratively. "I owe lots of money to a giant space slug" works fine as a story thread for me, without having fiddly and badly-explained mechanics attached to it. Honestly, it feels like a hold-over from WHFRP3 - a narrative game doesn't need an extra level of fiddly book-keeping.