On Conditions

     Conditions are a weird, vestigial limb growing off the side of the Identity System. I wanted them to function as, essentially, temporary Flaws that influenced a character's physical and/or mental state. However, through play-testing, I've noticed that some of these don't really work. This is partially because they're trying to enforce hard-and-fast rules on players, which limits their agency. It's also because I've been using them wrong- I've been using them like status effects in a video game, and they're meant to be more roleplay-focused. Ideally, a Condition informs the story rather than just the mechanics. If your character has a Condition called "Broken Leg," the worst thing this should do mechanically is give you a -1 to certain rolls. My commitment to a fiction-first structure means that Conditions are intended primarily to add variables to the story to enrich the fiction. What does it mean to have a broken leg? How does that affect what you can or can't do? And how might that turn into a Flaw if you leave it unattended for too long?

    The transition from Condition to Flaw is meant to add depth to your character- a broken leg that isn't looked after might mean that your character now walks with a limp. Even if there's no physical trauma, it might affect their mental state. Maybe a gunshot wound makes them more averse to using- or fighting against- firearms. The addition of Traits or Flaws is meant to reinforce your character's identity- for better or worse. 

    This same courtesy is not extended to NPCs. Considering that nobody is likely to look at the rich inner life of Hired Goon #6, Conditions are probably going to inform the more immediate fiction rather than long-term consequences. 

    Put briefly (or at least as briefly as I am capable), Conditions are meant to change the story in a way that makes narrative sense. There's a sort of unspoken rule I try to hold myself to: whenever a player does something, the story changes. There is (ideally) never going to be a hard "no," when a player takes an action, provided it's something possible within the constraints of the story.