I am looking at the rules for obligations in the Core Rulebook and the obligation is pretty confusing making this hard for me to explain to my players, especially since I can't understand it myself. Plus as a Dungeon Master, I feel I should be the one entitled to decide whether the group owes debts or not or has an oath. Do you guys use this or can better help me explain this?

It's designed as a tool to help you manage and guide the stories of the players, and to help flesh out their backgrounds to give everybody more story elements to work with.

Han Solo entered the story in Episode IV with a Debt Obligation to Jabba the Hutt. That's what motivated him to take Luke and Obi-Wan on his ship, and that's what motivated Boba Fett to hunt him down for the Empire. Han's Obligation inspired the entire first third of Return of the Jedi, where Jabba captured him because of his debt and his friends rescued him.

It's meant to help inspire stuff like that.

It's to used as a story hook and something players aspire to reduce and work off through sessions. It can also be used as a form of meta currency where players accept more Obligation in exchange for goods or services from a 'benefactor'.

From my experience, the GM still decides these things.. Mostly. Players get to decide it from time to time and that's where Obligation comes in. If the PC's need a loan from a Hutt, for instance, they accept Obligation and what it represents. But if they break a Hutt's favorite doohickey while escaping from the Hutt's fortress, the Bounty Hunter that the Hutt sends after them isn't part of an Obligation. The players SHOULD be voluntarily accepting Obligation because they get something in return... Even if it's just the chance to shoot Greedo in a cantina.

GM - "You know he's got connections to Jabba, right?"

Han's player - "Jabba can bill me!"

GM - "Ok. Add 5 points to your Debt Obligation and shoot Greedo... First!"

But you don't have to allow it.

Han's player - I'll triple my Obligation to Jabba so he lets us go. "Jabba, I'll pay you triple! You're throwing away a fortune!"

GM - Sorry. You've skipped out on him too often. He's not buying it. You're going to the Sarlacc pit.

And if it doesn't work for you, don't use it. Maelora calls it a fiddly bit. She doesn't like fiddly bits so she doesn't use Obligation or its counterparts from AoR or F&D. AFAIK, Stormtroopers have not raided her house and confiscated her books and dice... yet.

I used it with my son to work out a background for his character. I can't remember which specific category now, but basically he was search for his grandfather who disappeared a year earlier, so it was a family-related obligation. Since he'd gone a year without success he was low on funds, and agreed to transport some goods for a Hutt in exchange for repairs to his ship, but he still owed the Hutt 5 Obligation or so.

It's really just a way to flesh out the characters. After the initial sessions we pretty much ignored it.

Plus as a Dungeon Master, I feel I should be the one entitled to decide whether the group owes debts or not or has an oath.

If you want to understand this system you'll eventually need to ditch that old DM sense of entitlement. See the idea behind a lot of things in the narrative system Star Wars uses is to give the player more input into the story and what his character is all about. Just like the players are supposed to give input into what they want to do with Triumphs and Advantage (and even Threat and Despair if it's a good idea) Obligation is another way to allow the players to say "Hey GM, I'd really like it if the story did something like this."

See you have to understand that if you want your players to be in debt to Borgga the Hutt or something as part of the greater campaign, you can still do that. Obligation doesn't represent just ANY debt, or ANY oath, or whatever. It represents the debt, oath, or whatever that the characters CARES ABOUT. That's why when it kicks in it effects their strain, because it's showing that the characters mind is on other things. This is also why the player can just pick his obligation if the campaign allows, because it's a way of saying to the GM "Here's the problems that keeps my character awake at night."

This also does two things for you as the GM:

1) It gives you plenty of plot detail right from the players mouth. If you've got a player who has Obligation: Family, ask em what that means. When they come back with something like "My players has a sister that's a slicer and gets in trouble," that gives you as the GM something to work with. Now if you need a slicer in your campaign, instead of some random NPC it can be that sister, and automatically that adds a lot more depth to the story. Maybe she needs the players help to slice a comm satellite and is the macguffin of the adventure. Maybe Borgga the Hutt is having trouble getting his systems hacked all the time and sends the players out to deal with the problem and it turns out to be her. See? Already it's more interesting.

2) It gives you and the players a resource that's a lot bigger then mere credits. Obligation is something that's expected to go up and down. So when the players decide they need say... a emergency medical airspeeder for a job, instead of going off on some bogging down randomly generated side quest that could derail the adventure, you as the GM can just say "Hey... you know for 5 obligation I think your sister can arrange to get you a speeder like that... you'll owe her one but otherwise it's no strings attached." And bang that little hiccup is resolved and the adventure gets back on the task at hand. Plus now you've got a little note for your GM notebook you can use later in the campaign.

I just threw out the numbers.

Obligation as a story element is great. You work with the players to tie them into your story, and they have an external motivation that can help drive the plot.

All that's great.

But I didn't like a lot of the baggage - most of the 'Obligations' actually seemed like Motivations. An Obligation should be an _external_ pressure, not 'stuff you were going to do anyway'. Also, the whole system felt like it had been bolted on from WHFRP3 or something, it didn't use the special dice and just felt extraneous (and confused; does this 'Obligation' count towards our infamy, or not? The whole thing just feels poorly thought-out to me).

Also, as this isn't a JRPG, I didn't feel that everything the PCs do has to have a number attached to it. If my smuggler San Holo has a debt to Bajja the Hutt, then as a GM I want Bajja to show up and demand repayment when it fits the story, not when the dice say so. As it stands, Obligation is very disassociated with the story being told (and AOR's Duty is even worse in that regard. 'I like shooting stormtroopers. I just rolled my duty, so I feel great because I'm thinking about shooting stormtroopers, even though that's totally NOT what we're doing right now, on this really talky diplomatic/spying mission!' )

There are ways to make it work, of course, like rolling for Obligation in advance and the like. Or as Ghost mentions, using it as a kind of expendable resource. But that just wasn't working out for us, and I wanted to keep our fast-paced, rules-lite science/fantasy game as unfiddly as possible.

I just threw out the numbers.

Obligation as a story element is great. You work with the players to tie them into your story, and they have an external motivation that can help drive the plot.

All that's great.

But I didn't like a lot of the baggage - most of the 'Obligations' actually seemed like Motivations. An Obligation should be an _external_ pressure, not 'stuff you were going to do anyway'. Also, the whole system felt like it had been bolted on from WHFRP3 or something, it didn't use the special dice and just felt extraneous (and confused; does this 'Obligation' count towards our infamy, or not? The whole thing just feels poorly thought-out to me).

Also, as this isn't a JRPG, I didn't feel that everything the PCs do has to have a number attached to it. If my smuggler San Holo has a debt to Bajja the Hutt, then as a GM I want Bajja to show up and demand repayment when it fits the story, not when the dice say so. As it stands, Obligation is very disassociated with the story being told (and AOR's Duty is even worse in that regard. 'I like shooting stormtroopers. I just rolled my duty, so I feel great because I'm thinking about shooting stormtroopers, even though that's totally NOT what we're doing right now, on this really talky diplomatic/spying mission!' )

There are ways to make it work, of course, like rolling for Obligation in advance and the like. Or as Ghost mentions, using it as a kind of expendable resource. But that just wasn't working out for us, and I wanted to keep our fast-paced, rules-lite science/fantasy game as unfiddly as possible.

Anyhow...

So as part of each player's back story they pick something that is an outside force to motivate/pressure them. Debt, family, beliefs, oath, bounty, etc. In my campaign I have a player that is contracted to a medical corporation, a player that betrayed his father and brother, a wookiee with a bounty, and a droid obsessed with keeping his memory banks.

Anyhow, this is a treasure trove of potential story ideas. As the GM, I don't have to follow those plotlines, but it sure would make it a lot more personal and interesting to the players if I did.

Mechanically, the number isn't super important but it does have some significance. First, how much each player starts with depends on the size of the group. Then, each player can increase that number to gain more starting XP or starting credits.

Secondly, before each time you play you are supposed to arrange the obligations into a table, adding the numbers all together then roll a D100. If you roll at or below their total obligation, it is considered to be stressful to them at this time and reduces their strain. Additionally, the player the number matches up with could have their obligation come into play during the game session. That guy they betrayed shows up. A close call with debt collectors. The sister he has to take care of is really sick. It doesn't have to come up narratively, and the book makes that pretty clear. Usually, I have something happen in the background if I can't work it directly into that nights game.

Past that you can offer to increase it and decrease it as you see fit, being the GM, in order to entice your players towards certain things or to reward them with others. What you do with it is up to you. Make sure your players are OK with how you want to handle it though.

good points here. Pretty much boil it down to flavor. It adds flavor to the character in question. Plus it gives them an automatic side story. I'm in debt to X dude who will vaporize me if I don't give him money. So while we are fighting off bad guys and flying around...i'm always in danger of X dude coming to smoke me in my sleep...flavor and background story that CAN and SHOULD catch up with characters...and can be huge side stories between Chapters.

Hell you could do great storytelling with this too. Like Chapter 1 could be X fight off of X planet and everyone is fine and dandy...and Chapter 2 could be an attack by Y's character by Z bad guy for hammering home GUYS obligations are REAL...don't forget

I found that the obligation system as written was a little wrong for my table so I modified it a bit.

First off I needed to make it perfectly clear that the score associated with the obligation was not external to the character. it represents the degree of stress it places on the character. A quick example, Joe and Bob both have a Debt obligation.

Joe borrowed 120k credits from his father to buy a shiny new starship. He gave that a score of 5 because while he intends to pay his father back he doesn't really stress out about it too much. Maybe once every 20 sessions he'll get a holomessage from his mother guilt tripping him about it.

Bob on the other hand borrowed 5k credits from Jabba the Hut in order to bribe an imperial prison officer to get his fiancee out of going to kessel. He gave that Debt a score of 20. He frequently (about once every five sessions) remembers, or is reminded that he owes Jabba.

In both of these situations paying back the money is not in immediate fix to the obligation. Joe is unlikley to ever pay back the full 120k, that would not go over well with the rest of the players. Bob may be able to easily find the 5k and send it back to Jabba but will then still need to worry about the fact that Jabba knows his dirty little secret and there is still the imp out there who may come back for more.

So with that in mind I made a change to how I roll for obligation. Rather that making a table and rolling d100 and seeing who it landed on I roll once for each player. For Joe if I get a 5 or less their obligation triggers whereas it's 20 or less for Bob. If a character triggers I come up with a quick reason why they are reminded of their obligation and they reduce their max strain by 5 points.

Other players can offer to take some, or even all of those points. Joe gets a message from dear old mom and gets really worried about it. Bob can now talk to Joe and encourage him to feel better but in doing so is now stressed about that situation and is maybe reminded of his own troubles.

I made the change because the original system was less personal. My players were never doing anything to reduce their individual obligations and it was getting close to the point where we were going to just ignore the system all together.

I highly recommend you don't just ignore the mechanical aspects of obligation because it does give the characters a mechanical benefit at character creation.

does this 'Obligation' count towards our infamy, or not?

Yes.

I believe there is a table floating around somewhere that details how group Obligation totals might effect PC dealings with different sources. For example let's look at a couple scenarios. You need some cash for a new ship and you want to buy an illegal weapon.

Obligation <20

The Bank of Corellia is happy to offer you a standard loan at a low interest rate. A bit of paperwork and you have got the money you need and a small Debt Obligation of maybe 5. The bank isn't going to send hitmen or bounty hunters after you for that even if you miss a couple payments.

Now that weapon is going to be tougher. You look around the shops and ask the dealers if they have "illegal weapon X". They suspect you are some novice Corsec agent on his first undercover gig and give you the old, "Sir, that item is restricted, we do not carry anything like that here, this is a legitimate business!"

Obligation >80

The bank is having nothing to do with you so you'll have to go to the local Hutt boss. The good news is that he's heard of you, so getting an audience will be easy. Once there though, you will face a tough negotiation and get your loan at a less generous rate along with a hefty Obligatiion of 10. And this guy WILL send bounty hunters after you when you miss a payment.

Now, when you want that illegal weapon, the shop owners know your name. They know you aren't a cop, and they will be happy to show you the "private collector selection". Your fearsome reputation and intimidating demeanor might even get you a better deal on the weapon.

To be fair, there is some discretion to it. A heavy Family Obligation probably shouldn't get you the same Underworld reputation that Bounty, Blackmail, or Criminal might give you. Likewise, a Family, Dutybound, or Responsibility Obligation probably wouldn't make a reputable organization shy away from dealing with you. But it's just an off the cuff example.

Hopefully your Blackmail obligation doesn't get you any infamy since the whole point of Blackmail is that you're suffering so the info doesn't get out.

Obligation are hooks that the GM can use to make players do things

Still like one my my sessions

GM: well you could easily take a 5 point debt obligation to cover your bet

Player: *fear* no.. please not that.

Other players can offer to take some, or even all of those points. Joe gets a message from dear old mom and gets really worried about it. Bob can now talk to Joe and encourage him to feel better but in doing so is now stressed about that situation and is maybe reminded of his own troubles.

Unfortunately, that feels like Dawson's Creek or Thirtysomething to me rather than Star Wars.

The whole 'angst' thing didn't work for us, the players couldn't take it seriously. We never see Han Solo agonizing over his debt to Jabba; he just gets annoyed when low-rent Bounty Hunters turn up waving a blaster under his nose.

I'm not saying that SW has to be a Michael Bay movie; there are plenty of reasons PCs could feel thoughtful or stressed. But that's a player-run thing, not the result of a random dice roll.

Just like it feels odd to 'reduce' some Obligations. Sure, you can pay off a debt.

But something like 'Adrenaline Rush'?

"Please take a seat, Ms Reya. Today, we're going to talk about your reckless nature and I'd like you to consider the detrimental effect your love of explosions has on other people."

Having an analyst and therapy seems so not Star Wars...

So it felt better for us for Obligations to be external things, and Motivations cover the internal issues. And losing the numbers felt natural in what is meant to be a narrative game. And if I did ever go with numbers, I'd use the special dice, maybe ranking Obligations from 1-5 as Difficulty and rolling whatever skill seemed appropriate at the time: "Okay, let's see if you can talk Jabba out of taking a payment now..."

Other players can offer to take some, or even all of those points. Joe gets a message from dear old mom and gets really worried about it. Bob can now talk to Joe and encourage him to feel better but in doing so is now stressed about that situation and is maybe reminded of his own troubles.

Unfortunately, that feels like Dawson's Creek or Thirtysomething to me rather than Star Wars.

The whole 'angst' thing didn't work for us, the players couldn't take it seriously. We never see Han Solo agonizing over his debt to Jabba; he just gets annoyed when low-rent Bounty Hunters turn up waving a blaster under his nose.

I'm not saying that SW has to be a Michael Bay movie; there are plenty of reasons PCs could feel thoughtful or stressed. But that's a player-run thing, not the result of a random dice roll.

Just like it feels odd to 'reduce' some Obligations. Sure, you can pay off a debt.

But something like 'Adrenaline Rush'?

"Please take a seat, Ms Reya. Today, we're going to talk about your reckless nature and I'd like you to consider the detrimental effect your love of explosions has on other people."

Having an analyst and therapy seems so not Star Wars...

So it felt better for us for Obligations to be external things, and Motivations cover the internal issues. And losing the numbers felt natural in what is meant to be a narrative game. And if I did ever go with numbers, I'd use the special dice, maybe ranking Obligations from 1-5 as Difficulty and rolling whatever skill seemed appropriate at the time: "Okay, let's see if you can talk Jabba out of taking a payment now..."

Good valid points. Although I do remember plenty of instances in the movies where the characters helped each other with stress. Han said something to Luke and comforted him just after Ben died for instance.

At character creation do your players get the chance to take the extra obligation in exchange for xp or credits?

Good valid points. Although I do remember plenty of instances in the movies where the characters helped each other with stress. Han said something to Luke and comforted him just after Ben died for instance.

But that's something that happened in the game. I understand a young man might need a hug after losing a mentor. Leia probably needed one after Alderaan.

But Han Solo agonizing over not having enough money to pay his monthly direct debit to Jabba's Payday Loans isn't Star Wars for me.

(And yes, players can take the 'extra Obligation' for XP, and I narratively ramp up the Obligation because of it, essentially moving it from a minor issue to a major one.)

In my games we have mostly agreed to ignore Obligation unless the story calls for it (eg going to pay off a debt to a nobleman)