So, it's new character time - although this time for a twist, we're picking up from the old game and playing the next generation a decade or two down the road. So, mom (and her friends) have been pretty damn influential helping establishing the colony world that will (probably) be the home base for the new game. I'm probably going to play a Thief/Gunslinger offspring of my previous character. And it seems that everything the New Kid does, he's always getting compared to mom. He joins the planetary Self Defense Force and gets "Hey, that was some pretty good shooting. Your mom set a record on the speed draw" - so not necessarily intentional on the part of everyone else (and there's probably a whole bunch of teenage Overreacting and Over-sensitivity in there too), but the old generation casts a pretty long shadow.

So in the smuggler book, I'm looking down the list or Obligations, and I spot Bad Reputation and Notoriety - both of which are close to the desperation of "I cant get away from mom's reputation!" but not quite ideal. It's not so much "Bad Reputation", that this new guy is untrustworthy or hard to work with, but just that the shoes he has to fill are pretty big. Notoriety is a better fit, but the text goes on to say that ways to buy the reputation down are getting whoever is spreading the malicious information to stop, or by staying away from the area so the locals forget. Now I know that the text is simply a guideline and not a hard and fast rule, so I can re-write as necessary, but I don't want to start coloring outside the lines yet. Certainly not until I talk to the rest of the group.

The High Risk obligation might be a way to go too. The New Kid is always chasing the Big Score not from adrenaline or desire for wealth, but to make a name for himself. Hijack a 747 and parachute out into the Northwest woods and people will remember you 50 years down the line.

What do you guys think? How would you handle the obligation Family Reputation and what would you do to buy it down?

Sadly. I have nothing of wealth to contribute. I think you're initial ideas are pretty **** good, already.

Hey, even giving the idea the "I see nothing wrong with that" is valuable. That way I don't look like an idiot (well, even more of an) when I go to the rest of the table with this.

I might just call it the Family obligation. "Living up to and surpassing my family's reputation" is slightly different than the standard "I have to take care of family members" definition, but I think it's still key that the family is the obligation.

I’d call it “Big Shoes to Fill” then link it with high risk... he (or she) is always striving to pull off the most daring moves just so that he isn’t just remembered for being the son of “his mother”! Whether that involves running headlong into that overwhelming force of stormtroopers or flying that freighter through the waaaay to small gap in the debris created by that destruction of that Star Destroyer!

Each time he’s successful in whatever crazy move he pulls then the obligation is reduced until people tell stories about his exploits, not just his mothers!

One way to sidestep the issue would be to treat this as a Motivation rather than an Obligation. But if you want this to be something that your PC eventually is able to overcome, then I like the Family and "Big Shoes" ideas above. Another option might be Obsession from the CRB (make a name that doesn't have to do with Mom).

Trying to live up to Mom, is a hard one to come up with a straight obligation for, it seems more like a motivation to me. As a GM I'm not sure what I would necessarily due if that obligation triggers. Maybe we could treat it as something like thrill seeker or adrenaline junkie, but within the parameters that its not purely for the thrill of it, but to show everybody that you can do it yourself, or better then the previous generation.

You might try something to reflect the fact that Mom's old enemies may look to Junior as an easy way to hurt Mom. If you can't kill Mom, then attack her pup. I'm not sure what I'd name that. Some amalgamation of family and notoriety.

And so having some time to sit on it and think, yeah - a reskinned High Risk (calling it Big Shoes or something) is probably the way to go. And I like the minor Obligation of "Mom's Enemies come a Gunnin'" for a bit of color.