PARADOX: The Tutorial

[Overcast]

The block was alive. All across the project was a hustle of happening, plotting and scheming, crimes and concerns and desperate grabs at power. All to the tune of poverty, even where the money flowed through like water. Six floors of crappy apartments that had been a desperate attempt to give those in the wrong side of town a place to live as a hope of winning their vote before they would be abandoned to whatever fate came of the place. This was the way things worked around here, a bit of corruption of the white collar sector sort soon allowed for opportunities with a bit more color to it. Color was drugs, color was prostitution, colors to make men come together as ad-hoc families to protect themselves, or to take from others.

You are Allen Marks, only 18 in this kind of world. Ask around you are a little punk bitch who never manned up and became a real thug. You like to think that you were lucky, you actually had a father and a mother who supported you in a place as hard and evil as this. Your luck isn't perfect though, the old man ended up getting lung cancer a few years ago, it was a hard thing on your family for a while, and being the man he was he didn't enjoy feeling as weak as he did for so long. He ended up asking them to just let him go. No one would let him, so he took a personal way out.

Family got a pretty good paycheck for the trouble, and a lot of grief that you still have trouble justifying. Mom was shadowy after that, but pushed herself so you could use that money for college and spent long hours cooking at a nearby diner to keep you both afloat. You even ended up taking a few odd jobs you could find, but never anything criminal. You can almost feel your father's eyes from beyond the grave any time you even think it.

Trouble is your mom hasn't been around for the last couple days. You're getting worried. This is about the time of your life when you figured you'd start taking care of her for all she did for you. You push your way out the apartment, and decide to figure out if anyone has seen her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to the Paradox tutorial. Today we'll be going over a few things as we watch a poor urban youth turn from a good kid to a man eating monster. This will hopefully help us clarify some things that might not be so clear in the game, so when we get to the proper one everyone will have a clear understanding of what is going on.

We'll be playing Allen Marks, an upstanding young man in a bad situation, which is about to get worse.
His stats are pretty simple
Cool: 1 Allen grew up in a hard neighborhood, and knows how to stay cool in the face of badness.
Hard: 1 Allen isn't overtly violent, but you can't live where he lives without getting just a little hard.
Hot: 1 He can be a little bit harsh, but a lot of people consider his cute demeanor and aloof persona attractive.
Sharp: 1 Allen is the kind of guy who figures it is good to be smarter than an idiot, but you wouldn't call him a genius.
Profile: 2 Allen usually has a pair of knuckledusters on him (+1) and he knows how to use them (+1) but is otherwise innocent.
Synch: 0 He hasn't met the beast yet.
His lifestyle has made it so he never became fantastic at anything, but so he never had a weakness someone could take advantage of. What he is most of all though is lucky, because even now his paradox is creeping in on what is natural in him.
Human Skill A: Exit Strategy: Roll +Cool on a 10+ You're gone. On a 7-9 You can stay or go, but if you go you take something or someone with you, or have to leave something or someone behind as directed by the GM. On a <7 You are caught half way out the door and stuck.
Human Skill B: Led Astray: At the start of every game roll +Paradox, On a 10+ Carry one forward on top of 9-7 You can show up in any kind of messed up situation that you weren't at before with the exact tools or knowledge you need to solve the situation without having to explain why. On <7 the GM forces you to be somewhere when he wants, but in a bad situation.

For now though the hunger isn't really even registering on him. So let have him look around for his mom. Finding information in the game takes a couple of avenues, but usually it involves either us making something up or you asking people.

This shows two mechanics. First is if we don't have a move that seems to fit the situation you can ask me if we can make one up, in this case you can probably get a lead if you use your Sharp stat. The other is social actions.

I won't even force you to roll the Sharp one though, everyone knows that Old Jace the Superintendent is a busybody who can't help butting his nose into everyone's business. The only reason he isn't dead yet is because he is the building owner and no one is sure what'll happen when he croaks, and because his nosy nature ends up being too damn useful for all the minor factions in here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The old man sits behind his bulletproof glass staring suspiciously at everyone that moves through the lobby. Old Jace has been the superintendent of this building for years, back when it still looked like it might be a good idea and onward to the den of scum and villainy it is now. He reflects in himself everything that his building has become, he is ragged, he is corrupt, and he is always just one moment from falling apart. He is also a terrible rumormonger, he talks and talks to everyone but the police. If there is anyone who might have heard something it is his crusty ass.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Allen has three social options at this point:

1. Talk: In the game you don't have to roll to convince someone of anything, the trouble is you never really know if you succeeded. Still as the game goes I'll simply be playing the NPC speaking with your character and if I feel convinced I'll tell you something more. This can usually be helped though by Reading a Person(+Sharp), which can aid you in sorting out the bullshit I may be spewing at you. The crotchety old man isn't usually inclined to give something for nothing, but he has his tells.
2. Seduce/Manipulate: Alternatively if you have leverage on a person, if they fear you, if you have something they need, or can do something for them you can roll to Seduce/Manipulate. This reflects when you have a social high ground that makes it so this is less of an argument and more playing on the other person's weaknesses. You'll roll +Hot and see what happens. Currently you have nothing on you that you think Jace wants, but you know the old man is never lacking for little jobs he needs done.
3. Go Aggro: If you lack the leverage or the patience to do something for someone, or even to talk to them you can Go Aggro. Unless your Aggro specifically is to take their life(which is only really possible if you have the drop on them) then for the most part this is a threat. You'll roll +Hard and see what happens. That old man might be behind this glass, but he has to step out some time. Some of these thugs might call you a punk when they are with their friends, but you have been known to knock some skulls.

So what do you do?