I am running an AoR game and my players are enjoying the Duty system, but sometimes I'm not sure what qualifies for them to earn it and neither are they. In the interest of them learning and keeping their eyes open for situations to earn Duty I made a list of specific things they can do to earn it.

Many of them are Imperial specific which leaves a lot of non-Duty earning time if they are on planets with no Imperials. (IE: 2nd part of Onslaught at Arda I on Jagmoir.) Cherry-picking additional Duties from the expansion books I've added more that could apply in any location. I based many of the numbers on things taken from the Adventure Modules. The format is Duty name, fluff about it, and specific things they can do to earn Duty in ( bold parenthesis) .

I am also considering allowing each of my players to pick a secondary Duty for more chances to feel engaged and earn Duty. We play once a month if that matters so I don't mind Duty being earned a little faster than normal. I also award them each 3 duty per session just for showing up.

I would love your feedback on balance, consistency, exploits, confusing wording that could be clarified/simplified, or things that are too situational to ever come up. Thank you in advance! Please help me constructively make it better instead of simply saying it isn't needed or is total garbage. (Yes, I've done this before).

CAMERADERIE

Each fighting unit is a family of sorts, and this is equally true within the ranks of the Alliance military. These Commanders seek to bring the troops together in a way that fosters trust, respect, and pride. By fostering the bonds that develop between comrades in combat, Commanders are able to strengthen morale and drive their people to fight harder and better than other, similar units.

(For each encounter where a successful active Talent directly benefits one or more PCs earn 1 Duty; if it directly benefits at least three PCs earn 3 Duty.)

CHEMICAL/BIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

The PC identifies environmental problems from sources biological (alien flora and fauna, viruses, bacteria) or chemical (toxic gases, poisons, heavy metals in the soil), The Engineer understands that environments can damage delicate machinery, make it seize up, or cause it to perform under spec. The environment can also affect the construction and destruction of structures, and harm or hinder soldiers who have to march through the terrain.

(Every significant flora, fauna, or chemical analysis gained via a medicine, xenology, or survival check earns 1 Duty plus 1 per Triumph/Despair. The default difficulty for this check is hard upgraded once.)

COMBAT VICTORY

The PC is driven to show that the Alliance can hold its own against Imperial forces in any troop vs. troop engagement. He wants to engage the Empire's military—their best, whenever possible—and provide more victories for the Alliance to tout to the galaxy as proof it can ultimately win the war. This means daring raids, excellent tactics, and acquiring the best firepower possible.

(Every Imperial Squad, Rival, Officer defeated earns 1 Duty. Every planetary rival vehicle, minion unit defeated earns Duty = Silhouette -1)

COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE

The PC knows that the survival of the Alliance depends upon its ability to hide from the Empire and avoid complete destruction at the hands of its overwhelming military superiority. To this end, he wants to hunt down and eliminate enemy agents and threats, feed false information to Imperial intelligence networks, and cover the movements of all Alliance assets from observation and reporting.

(Every Imperial agent defeated, Plausible false info planted, or Rebel force/plan obscured/recovered earns 3 Duty).

DROID RETASKING

While the Empire seems to have an infinite number of organic beings in its service, droids also play a critical role in almost all Imperial operations. PCs with this Duty focus their efforts on disabling and reprogramming these droids to gather intelligence or even setting them against their Imperial masters. By attacking this vulnerable and often-overlooked Imperial resource, such PCs provide vital aid to the Rebel Alliance.

(Every Minion droid/squad reprogrammed to aid the Alliance earns 1 Duty; Rival earns 2 Duty; Nemesis earns 4 Duty. 2 additional Duty is awarded for actively turning them against the Empire during a session).

INTELLIGENCE

The PC knows that every victory hinges on knowing as much about the Empire's military might and other assets as possible. He is driven to gather any and all potentially useful data, wishing to locate vital and vulnerable targets for Rebellion forces to strike at. He not only wants to know what the Imperial military factions are up to, but also the state of technological research, economic policies, and other aspects of Imperial strength.

(Important civilian secrets delivered and of use to the Alliance earn 2 Duty. Every Imperial troop deployment, Vehicle/Installation schematic, Financial record set copied and delivered earns 3 Duty. Significant Imperial personnel captured and delivered safely earn 5 Duty).

INTERNAL SECURITY

The most dangerous threat to the Alliance comes from within its own ranks. Any Rebel soldier, operative, or ally could be an insidious threat waiting to take an action at a critical moment to bring entire operations crashing down, costing lives and assets. Knowing that vigilance against these threats is the truest form of devotion to the cause of the Alliance, the PC watches for any and all signs of betrayal.

(Covertly investigating, assessing, and securing an Alliance unit/base earns 3 Duty. Every Imperial mole, double agent, or traitor reported/killed earns 3 Duty. Significant Imperial personnel captured and delivered safely earn 5 Duty).

LOSS PREVENTION

Ensuring that their troops are as safe as possible under battlefield conditions is these Commanders' primary concern. They never send their troops into hopeless situations in which defeat is certain, preferring instead to preserve their unit’s strength for meaningful battles if sacrifices must be made.

(Every Resilience Check passed by the PC earns 1 Duty. Additionally, earn 2 Duty per session for each other PC at half Wound Threshold or greater, when preventing them from taking additional wounds or healing/repairing their wounds.)

MORALE

While the troops of the Rebel Alliance know their cause to be just, the hopeless odds stacked against them can be demoralizing. This PC knows that to have any hope of victory, the freedom fighters have to keep their spirits up, and works to help with this via well-timed jokes or inspirational gestures such as flying the Rebellion's insignia on the battlefield.

(Every Fear Check passed by the PC earns 1 Duty. Additionally, earn 2 Duty per session for each other PC at half Strain Threshold or greater, when preventing them from taking additional strain or healing/repairing their strain.)

PERSONNEL

More than machines, credits, or information, the people of the Alliance are the most important and vital assets there are, and the PC knows this. He is devoted to seeing to their safety, well-being, and capacity for success. No one should ever be left behind; the most successful missions might not achieve every goal, but they are successful nonetheless when no one dies.

(Fully healing/repairing an Alliance member of critical injuries earns duty = highest severity healed. Interrupting a current task with potential consequences in order to help friendly Alliance member in need earns 3 Duty.)

POLITICAL SUPPORT

Every blaster, starfighter, and thermal detonator in the galaxy is useless without the political will to truly challenge and overthrow Palpatine and his New Order. The PC understands this all too well and is determined to see to it that as many factions, systems, and sectors as possible come to the side—and the aid—of the Alliance against the Empire.

(Every significant faction or political organization who pledges to support the Alliance due to PC action earns 5 Duty. A Planetary government who supports the Alliance earns 10 Duty.)

RECRUITING

Every engagement with the Empire is a war of attrition, and that is a war the Rebellion simply cannot win. Nonetheless, more people must be found to serve, and they are needed in every capacity. Not only does the Alliance military need more soldiers and pilots, it needs more technicians, engineers, mechanics, scientists, doctors, slicers, and just about every other kind of worker. This PC understands the risks of recruitment, as well as the needs, and is constantly on the lookout for allies who are both talented and trustworthy.

(Every Trustworthy Minion Squad or Rival recruited to the Alliance earns 2 Duty; Every Nemesis recruited earns 4 Duty).

RESCUE AND RECOVERY/EVAC

This PC prepares and plans the logistics and execution of rescue operations of both civilians and military personnel. While similar to the Transportation Duty, this work includes defense training, medical support, survival training, observation, and rapid deployment operations. These Engineers live and die by their comms; they need to communicate exactly where they and their personnel are and where they need to be at a moment's notice.

(Every rescued or reinforced Alliance squad or Nemesis Alliance member earns 2 Duty. Interrupting a current task with potential consequences in order to help friendly Alliance squads/members in need earns 3 additional Duty.)

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Engineers also partake in research and development for technologies and other applied solutions. Necessity is the parent of invention, and every situation, enemy, and environment creates new necessities. Research can include stealing technology from the enemy or finding it in a ruin. These characters set aside time and resources to keep their base evolving, growing, and learning; that knowledge can also be passed on to other Engineers at other bases.

(Every attachment mod successfully installed by the PC earns 1 Duty. Additionally, anything new that the PC crafts for the Alliance earns Duty based on the crafting template Base Material Price.)

Tier 1: 150-500cr = 1 Duty

Tier 2: 501-2,500cr = 2 Duty

Tier 3: 2,501-5,000cr = 4 Duty

Tier 4: 5,001-10,000cr = 6 Duty

Tier 5: 10,011cr+ = 10 Duty

RESOURCE AQUISITION

There are never enough supplies to fully support those fighting against the juggernaut that is the Empire, and this PC knows it very well. He is determined to seek out new sources of raw materials, food, clothing, weapons, armor, and equipment of all kinds. One spare crate of medpacs can save quite a few lives, and a handful of comlinks can mean the difference between success and failure on a mission. He will trade, beg, borrow, and steal anything for the cause.

(Every 10 pieces of Gear or Equipment donated to Alliance earns Duty based on cost per item)

Tier 1: 10-50cr = 1 Duty

Tier 2: 51-250cr = 2 Duty

Tier 3: 251-500cr = 4 Duty

Tier 4: 501-1,000cr = 6 Duty

Tier 5: 1,001cr+ = 10 Duty

SABOTAGE

The largest and most powerful military force in the history of the galaxy is also the most vulnerable to acts of destruction and asset denial. The character is focused on disrupting Imperial operations in any way possible, whether it's the manufacture of weapons, troop movements, supply shipments, banking systems, or any other key operation, in order to make the Empire act more slowly and less capably. Truly showy acts of destruction also work to erode a population's will to support the Empire, or so the PC often believes (though the Alliance expressly forbids actual acts of terrorism).

(Every significant Imperial Military or Financial asset destroyed/disrupted via explosive/ion damage OR via a computers, mechanics, or skullduggery check earns Duty = Silhouette. For truly showy acts of destruction earn 2 additional Duty. Ensuring Alliance assets do not fall into Imperial hands also qualifies.)

SPACE SUPERIORITY

As the Combat Victory-driven PC feels about troop conflicts, so this PC feels about ship-to-ship combat and naval engagements. To him, the war will ultimately be decided in the stars, and what the Alliance lacks in sheer numbers, it more than makes up for in the quality and tenacity of its pilots. Every single space battle is an opportunity to show the rest of the galaxy that the Alliance not only can win the war, but is destined to do so.

(Every Imperial space vehicle rival or minion unit defeated earns Duty = Silhouette -1. Every character rival/nemesis defeated earns 5 Duty.)

TECH PROCUREMENT

There is no more prolific or productive time for technological developments than during a war, and this one is no exception. This PC sees the true opportunity for Alliance victory in the hands of scientists, engineers, and technicians. Not only can they get the most performance from existing machines and resources, but they can design and develop new ships, weapons, medical techniques, and equipment that can provide the vital edge necessary to survive against the Empire's might. The way this PC sees it, stealing the best developments of the Empire is a crucial way to even the odds.

(Every Imperial vehicle stolen and delivered to the Alliance earns Duty = Silhouette; Rarity 6 or more earns 2 additional Duty. Additionally, every scientist/engineer/technician Minion Squad or Rival kidnapped and delivered to the Alliance earns 2 Duty; Every Nemesis kidnapped earns 4 Duty.)

TESTING

The Alliance often must procure new supplies and technologies from less-than-reputable sources. This PC tests first and tests often. The moment an Engineer neglects safety checks, devices become a dangerous uncertainty. Stolen Imperial technology also carries the risk of sabotage. This PC tests researched technologies and methodologies in controlled labs, during live-fire exercises, and in the middle of battle.

(For each type of non-Alliance procured Gear or Equipment that requires a skill check and is used in an encounter earn 1 Duty; the difficulty for all checks using the item is upgraded once; if the item is Imperial earn 2 Duty and upgrade the check twice. If tested in a combat or otherwise dangerous encounter earn 1 additional Duty.

SUPPORT

Individually, the lone agents of the Alliance don't stand a chance against the combined might of the Galactic Empire. Only by working together can they hope to achieve a victory in this civil war. This PC is devoted to helping fellow Rebels fulfill their Duties by providing whatever assistance they need. Although he might not get the same amount of reward or recognition as the people she is helping, the PC has many more opportunities than his fellows to fulfill his Duty to the Rebellion.

(Directly Assisting an Alliance PC check to fulfill their Duty, earns Duty equal to half what the assisted PC earns, rounded down, to a minimum of 1.

Edited September 27 by ianinak

Interesting. A few suggestions:

CAMERADERIE: "one or more allied PCs" would be better wording.

PERSONNEL: This is sticky. Choosing personnel over a critical mission should earn Duty, but at the same time should carry narrative consequences if the mission fails because of it. The Rebels are more "people first", but sometimes sacrifices need to be made for victory. So this needs a little clarification in that regard, so a player with this Duty knows it could complicate matters.

That's all I noticed that might need a little tweaking.

Otherwise it looks fascinating and I hope your group enjoys it!

First, I differ with you on a conceptual basis: I fear that putting hard numbers on it will lead to PCs meta-gaming the system and trying to pick "profitable" Duties. My preferred method ( here ) is to award a base amount per mission, with "triggered" Duties increasing the amount gained. It's also much leaner on the book-keeping.

I also will state for the record that these are supposed to be actions that garner them recognition. Some of what you have there wouldn't really contribute or earn them recognition. And by putting hard mechanical rules on it, you don't leave the door open for narrative actions as much.

I think this table is a good idea, but rather than giving it hard mechanical requirements and "earn X Duty for Y task times variable Z" just list things the PC can do to "trigger" their Duty. I would also make triggering their Duty a bit more dramatic and require effects reaching outside the PC or even the party.

Combat Victory:
I think you should have a cap on this, as I can see it stacking up quickly.

Loss Prevention:
I'd say make it Medical checks, not Resilience checks. But Loss Prevention also extends to, for example, spotting a trap and warning off the alliance platoon that was about to walk in and get wiped out. I see Loss Prevention as being on a much larger scale than just giving some Medical care. That to me sounds more like Personnel.

Morale:
This is too personal to the PC. Passing a Fear check shouldn't be enough (and is a pretty rare occurrence), though passing a Fear check with a Triumph allowing allies to add a Boost, that could do it. Your examples also dodge the actual description of the Duty, which includes the narrative action of flying the Alliance's insignia. That alone wouldn't be enough, but is rather an example of rallying the troops.

Personnel:
Does this cap? I've had a Medic heal at least 8 Crits in one session.

Political Support:
Does Tatooine weigh the same as Vulpter on that? And what about different organizations? This is too rigid. Some organizations are going to be much more useful than entire sectors, while some planets are going to be almost entirely worthless. If the PC were to be able to bring KDY on board, they'd earn a whole lot more than 5 Duty.

Tech Procurement:
I'd say earns +1 Duty for each Rarity over 6. So 7 would be +1, 8 would be +2, etc.

Testing:
This actually handicaps the PC, for not a ton of gain. Why risk screwing yourself over that badly?

Thanks for the help! You've given me a lot to think about...

Anyone else?

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I also will state for the record that these are supposed to be actions that garner them recognition. Some of what you have there wouldn't really contribute or earn them recognition. And by putting hard mechanical rules on it, you don't leave the door open for narrative actions as much.

I disagree that Duty should be things that have to garner recognition. Commanding officers will listen to the stories of the others in the unit, and recognize the contributions. I don't think everything has to be showy or easily recognized by others. Duty is more of a personal driving force to me. Part of the reason I put specific conditions in place is precisely because my players aren't as good at the narrative things and don't know what they can do specifically to earn Duty. This gives them a starting point and things they can look out for.

We don't currently trigger Duty but that is something I want to add to the game soon. They are all pretty inexperienced and are still learning most of the rules. I'm adding a little bit at a time.

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Combat Victory:
I think you should have a cap on this, as I can see it stacking up quickly.

Part of this could be solved via planning encounters as a GM, but I think you're right. Does max of 6 Duty per session sound fair?

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Loss Prevention:
I'd say make it Medical checks, not Resilience checks. But Loss Prevention also extends to, for example, spotting a trap and warning off the alliance platoon that was about to walk in and get wiped out. I see Loss Prevention as being on a much larger scale than just giving some Medical care. That to me sounds more like Personnel.

I went with Resilience to mirror the Fear check in Morale. Both Fear and Resilience checks are pretty rare (in my experience). The thinking behind that one is that a medic would need to be tough (good resilience) in order to stay at full strength while their comrades may be suffering ill effects around them. This part of it is a supplementary bonus every now and then. I feel like changing it to medicine checks would accrue too much Duty.

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Morale:
This is too personal to the PC. Passing a Fear check shouldn't be enough (and is a pretty rare occurrence), though passing a Fear check with a Triumph allowing allies to add a Boost, that could do it. Your examples also dodge the actual description of the Duty, which includes the narrative action of flying the Alliance's insignia. That alone wouldn't be enough, but is rather an example of rallying the troops.

I went with Fear to mirror the Resilience check in Loss Prevention. The thinking behind that one is that a player who has to bolster the spirits of his allies would need to not be afraid himself in order to stay at full strength while their comrades may be suffering from fear around them. This part of it is a supplementary bonus every now and then. I think raising a banner is a bit too literal and specific to a battlefield rather than the much more common squad mission. A GM can certainly add to these if they feel the PC does something appropriate. These are just starting points.

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Personnel:
Does this cap? I've had a Medic heal at least 8 Crits in one session.

My players don't have many critical injuries, but maybe I go too easy on them; something I'm working on. I suppose a cap would be in order. Perhaps something akin to the Combat Victory of 6 Duty max per session?

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Political Support:
Does Tatooine weigh the same as Vulpter on that? And what about different organizations? This is too rigid. Some organizations are going to be much more useful than entire sectors, while some planets are going to be almost entirely worthless. If the PC were to be able to bring KDY on board, they'd earn a whole lot more than 5 Duty.

Again, it's just a starting point. GMs can adjust as needed in their campaigns. I don't want to go to the level of assigning duty based on importance, as that is highly subjective. I'm going with the KISS principle on this one.

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Tech Procurement:
I'd say earns +1 Duty for each Rarity over 6. So 7 would be +1, 8 would be +2, etc.

Great idea!

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Testing:
This actually handicaps the PC, for not a ton of gain. Why risk screwing yourself over that badly?

This is meant to illustrate the dangers of testing things, especially things that could be booby-trapped or use unfamiliar technology. I see your point though and I think I'll have it be the first check using that item suffers the upgrades rather than all of them. It's a small chance of something bad happening and gives the PCs incentives to "live fire" new tech instead of just dropping the crate of grenades off at Rebel command.
" (For each type of non-Alliance procured Gear or Equipment that requires a skill check and is used in an encounter earn 1 Duty; the difficulty for the first check using the item is upgraded once; if the item is Imperial earn 2 Duty and upgrade the check twice. If tested in a combat or otherwise dangerous encounter earn 1 additional Duty. If the item has the Limited Ammo quality, it is ignored for this check.)"

1 hour ago, ianinak said:

I disagree that Duty should be things that have to garner recognition. Commanding officers will listen to the stories of the others in the unit, and recognize the contributions. I don't think everything has to be showy or easily recognized by others. Duty is more of a personal driving force to me. Part of the reason I put specific conditions in place is precisely because my players aren't as good at the narrative things and don't know what they can do specifically to earn Duty. This gives them a starting point and things they can look out for.

I say that because Duty is linked to the Contribution rank, and you don't get promoted for feeling better about yourself. I'm not saying it has to be "showy" exactly, just that it needs to be notable.
As for the point about your players, fair enough. You obviously know them better than I do.

1 hour ago, ianinak said:

Part of this could be solved via planning encounters as a GM, but I think you're right. Does max of 6 Duty per session sound fair?

Yep, that sounds about right outside of the rare circumstances that would net more. For the stackable bonuses, I'd say that sounds fair. It'll take some playtesting and fiddling to come up with the number that fits how fast you want them to climb through the ranks.

1 hour ago, ianinak said:

I went with Resilience to mirror the Fear check in Morale. Both Fear and Resilience checks are pretty rare (in my experience). The thinking behind that one is that a medic would need to be tough (good resilience) in order to stay at full strength while their comrades may be suffering ill effects around them. This part of it is a supplementary bonus every now and then. I feel like changing it to medicine checks would accrue too much Duty.

I went with Fear to mirror the Resilience check in Loss Prevention. The thinking behind that one is that a player who has to bolster the spirits of his allies would need to not be afraid himself in order to stay at full strength while their comrades may be suffering from fear around them. This part of it is a supplementary bonus every now and then. I think raising a banner is a bit too literal and specific to a battlefield rather than the much more common squad mission. A GM can certainly add to these if they feel the PC does something appropriate. These are just starting points.

Or he could act in spite of his own difficulties, "pushing through the pain" so to speak. I just don't think it should be something that only affects the PC in question.

1 hour ago, ianinak said:

My players don't have many critical injuries, but maybe I go too easy on them; something I'm working on. I suppose a cap would be in order. Perhaps something akin to the Combat Victory of 6 Duty max per session?

Yep. I'd suggest capping most repeatables at 6.

1 hour ago, ianinak said:

Again, it's just a starting point. GMs can adjust as needed in their campaigns. I don't want to go to the level of assigning duty based on importance, as that is highly subjective. I'm going with the KISS principle on this one.

I get it, but sometimes you can keep it too simple.

1 hour ago, ianinak said:

This is meant to illustrate the dangers of testing things, especially things that could be booby-trapped or use unfamiliar technology. I see your point though and I think I'll have it be the first check using that item suffers the upgrades rather than all of them. It's a small chance of something bad happening and gives the PCs incentives to "live fire" new tech instead of just dropping the crate of grenades off at Rebel command.
" (For each type of non-Alliance procured Gear or Equipment that requires a skill check and is used in an encounter earn 1 Duty; the difficulty for the first check using the item is upgraded once; if the item is Imperial earn 2 Duty and upgrade the check twice. If tested in a combat or otherwise dangerous encounter earn 1 additional Duty. If the item has the Limited Ammo quality, it is ignored for this check.)"

Perhaps make it an option that the PC can upgrade the check ("let's see what this baby can do..." "OH NO MY EYEBROWS!") in exchange for Duty, rather than something automatic?
And if the tech is booby-trapped (or has the potential to be) it should be upgraded anyway, not just when touched by the techie.

I would not ignore the Limited Ammo quality. If you detonate a grenade, you can't re-detonate it. Allowing them to turn in their "findings" on it's effectiveness would still allow them to get that Duty though.