I'm running a campaign similar to KOTOR where the players have lost some memories of their past. I was thinking of adding a mini-game where the players can commune with a jedi master to unearth their pasts.

The problem is that they were once sithlords/inquisitors and I want to add a dynamic where uncovering memories will cause potential conflict.

I was thinking uncovering a memory would be a Cunning check or a presence check. Then once they succeed there do a willpower check to see if they get conflict from the retrieved memory?

My first reaction would be to ask if it's important to the story for them to remember. Because if it is a requirement or if you don't want them to remember at different stages, then it should not be left to a dice roll.

Or you could leave the trigger up to when they have additional advantages/threats (depending on it being a positive or negative memory) that they don't know how to spend on various skill-checks and then their vision stars with them doing some similar task. So a character repairing a droid companion remembers when they were slicing into a security droid's camera feed and then the memory plays out.

Potential conflict for past actions is a hard one for me. The whole point of the conflict/morality system revolves around player decisions, so forcing a roll for Conflict on them for an action they didn't choose to make feels wrong.

Lastly, the system is designed in a way that nobody ever makes a check with only a characteristic. All checks made include both a skill and a characteristic.

So you roll a test to see if they remember, describe the memories they just uncovered, and roll a dice to find what amount of conflict they get, am I right ?

To me, this is not a good way of doing it, for several reason. First, unless you keep it very short, these memories will break they rythm of the game, as the players won't be doing anything except listening to your description. Second, and that is just an opinion I have about the "lost memories" kind of scenario, you will be deciding what your player's characters did, and I personally find it hard/frustrating to play a character without controlling its background (important question : do the characters know from session 0 that they have such a terrible past ? ). Third point, that is tied to the second : you'll be giving conflict to your players for actions they did not actually do ! And that is a real problem to me.

As I said, I am not a big fan of these scenarios, but here is how I would handle it : make them play the memories as actual encounters, and let them decide what conflict-awarding action they took. This does not necessarily imply telling them "ok you are bad guys, what do you do ?".

For exemple :

First memory : some guys (actually the good ones) attack you, you must defend yourselves.

Second memory : this person tied on a chair has a critical information for you, make her talk (you'll have to make the victim arrogant, or brutal, so that the player don't know for sure that the guy is nice : make him insult the players, threaten them...).

and so on... and at the end they finally find their true enemy... which is a Jedi protecting the innocent the players have been slaughtering all along.

That is very hard for the GM to do, but I don't see another way.

Actually I am not satisfied with it, as it implies throwing the player in a situation without context, and therefore not really letting them a choice, but it is better than an arbitrary dice roll for GM-decided action.

Do the players know that the campaign is shaping up this way? They don't have to know what the terrible secrets are, but it helps them to build the characters if they know that there is a memory loss component.

Also, if something story important, do not leave it to the dice. The dice are fickle monsters that will never cooperate if you rely on them too much!

If you want to make a game out of it, have them be more intractable visions. So the character appears in a room or location important to their past and they get a snapshot to walk around in and maybe do some limited interaction. There's a single character that says one line, maybe two, or a sign that has a name, and then they can puzzle out whats happening from there.

Regardless though, if the dice don't add to the drama, then you shouldn't use them. Don't make the dice an obstacle.

To add to what the others have said, a character should not be getting Conflict simply for regaining memories of past deeds. For example, look at the Game KotOR. The main character is amnesiac, and as the story progresses, he learns that he was once Darth Revan. This revelation, however, does not change who he is now, even after he recovers his memory. The past is the past. His recovered memories don’t change him back into the Sith Lord he once was. It is his current actions over the course of the game which determine his “alignment” with the Light Side or Dark Side.

5 hours ago, sithlord78 said:

I'm running a campaign similar to KOTOR where the players have lost some memories of their past. I was thinking of adding a mini-game where the players can commune with a jedi master to unearth their pasts.

The problem is that they were once sithlords/inquisitors and I want to add a dynamic where uncovering memories will cause potential conflict.

I was thinking uncovering a memory would be a Cunning check or a presence check. Then once they succeed there do a willpower check to see if they get conflict from the retrieved memory?

Sounds fine as long as uncovering the memory is a given otherwise you create a plot chokepoint. I'd only require the Willpower check if they fail the 1st roll.

I wouldn't go with Cunning or even Willpower. You're dealing with Force-users, so make it a Force thing. In effect, using the Force for Foreseeing ("Aftseeing?") into their pasts. Obviously not something they really need to spend XP on, but make it require "plot device" to work and even then, only in "plot location" during "plot time/event" and you've got several adventures out of a subplot.

The first question you really have to ask yourself is "why did they lose their memories?"

A mass memory wipe doesn't happen by accident and the reason why should be a major, driving plot point. By identifying why their memories were lost to them could inform the decision on how to restore it to them. Was it of deep seated shame? A mental pact with the Empire that, upon his echoing through their soul almost destroyed them entirely. Or was it a willing ploy by the antagonist to plant the inquistors amongist the heroes to turn on them when the time was right?

Personally I would reward bits and pieces based on situations that created their mental crisis.

On 12/14/2018 at 7:04 PM, LordBritish said:

The first question you really have to ask yourself is "why did they lose their memories?"

A mass memory wipe doesn't happen by accident and the reason why should be a major, driving plot point. By identifying why their memories were lost to them could inform the decision on how to restore it to them. Was it of deep seated shame? A mental pact with the Empire that, upon his echoing through their soul almost destroyed them entirely. Or was it a willing ploy by the antagonist to plant the inquistors amongist the heroes to turn on them when the time was right?

Personally I would reward bits and pieces based on situations that created their mental crisis.

Their reason for their mass memory loss is because of an idea that I want them to have a power of Force-Bonding. Through its use they can combine and coordinate their attacks. Difficult to explain how it led to their memory loss but because they were Force-Bonded they lost their memories together by willingly cutting themselves off from the Force. The trauma of such an act as well as the shame of their past leaving them in a "Fugue State". The goal is for them to regain their memories and this special skill.

On 12/14/2018 at 2:20 PM, Tramp Graphics said:

To add to what the others have said, a character should not be getting Conflict simply for regaining memories of past deeds. For example, look at the Game KotOR. The main character is amnesiac, and as the story progresses, he learns that he was once Darth Revan. This revelation, however, does not change who he is now, even after he recovers his memory. The past is the past. His recovered memories don’t change him back into the Sith Lord he once was. It is his current actions over the course of the game which determine his “alignment” with the Light Side or Dark Side.

Well actually in KOTOR it does affect the main character because it opens the options for him to go dark. Granted those options are always there but KOTOR bases it's game on absolute free will. At any point in time the character can reverse course and choose a different path.

Real people do not work that way. There is a lot of effort put to protecting the Ego and ones self image. When faced with the truth that your "person" is not what you imagined it to be conflict will ensue. You will attempt the engage in denialism which can be a Deception check against yourself.

That essentially is what I'm trying to do.

7 hours ago, sithlord78 said:

Well actually in KOTOR it does affect the main character because it opens the options for him to go dark. Granted those options are always there but KOTOR bases it's game on absolute free will. At any point in time the character can reverse course and choose a different path.

Real people do not work that way. There is a lot of effort put to protecting the Ego and ones self image. When faced with the truth that your "person" is not what you imagined it to be conflict will ensue. You will attempt the engage in denialism which can be a Deception check against yourself.

That essentially is what I'm trying to do.

Regaining his memories has no effect as to whether he goes Dark or not. Only his actual choices in game do.