So I ported the concept into Savage Worlds. Here are my house rules for Trust:
This is for use with games which feature a heavy systemic focus on inter-party trust and betrayal. With this set of rules, players roll an additional Trust Die along with their Trait tests when they are acting in a situation of trust or betrayal. This system is pretty much a direct port of the Trust mechanics from Cold City.
Initial Trust: Each player starts the game with a number of Trust Dice ranks equal to twice the number of players, minus one. They then divvy those ranks out on a note card, assigning their character's trust in the other characters.
Assigning Trust: When initially assigning Trust Dice ranks, make a list containing the names of each other character at the table. Next the the names put two columns: "Mine" and "Theirs." Next to each character, assign your trust in them using the Mine column. For example, if your character is in a group with Bobby, Leon, and Sasha, then there are four total players, giving you 7 trust ranks to assign (4 x 2 = 8, 8 - 1 = 7). You assign 4 ranks to Leon because he's dreamy, 3 ranks to Sasha because you and she go way back, and none to Bobby because everyone hates that two-timing rat bastard.
When you're done, make sure the other players know your Trust ranks. In the "Theirs" column, you right down the trust rank that that chracter currently has assigned to you.
Reasons For Trust: When assigning your Trust ranks, you need to be able to write a quick note about why you do or do not trust the character so much. A siple method is to think of one good thing about them for each rank you assign, then turn it all into a sentence.
The Trust Die: When your character is taking an action and relying upon their trust in another character, they get to roll a Trust Die determined by their rank in the "Mine" column next to that character's name. You roll this as if it were a second Wild Die.
Code: Select all
Ranks Trust Die
1 d4 (I might get a drink with him, but that's it)
2 d6 (I'll show her my middle school pictures)
3 d8 (I'd let him house sit for me)
4 d10 (I'd let her watch my kids for a week)
5 d12 (I'd trust him to marry my daughter and take over the farm)
6 d12+1 (I'd let her shoot an apple from atop my head)
7 d12+2 (you get the point)
9 and so on...
If you are counting on your trust in multiple characters, you only receive the bonus die from the character in whom you have the highest Trust investment.
Example: You're running into the fray firing while you trust your mate to provide covering fire. You're performing surgery while relying on your surgical assistant to provide proper help. You're mind-hacking into the security panel while trusting your teammate to watch your back.
Betrayal: When your action is one that betrays another character, you get the trust die you have written next to them in the "Theirs" column. You roll this die as if it were a second Wild Die with your test. If you are betraying multiple characters, add all their trust ranks together to determine what die you receive. This mechanical reward make betrayal quite a rewarding endeavor.
Example: You're negotiating a deal that will benefit you but totally screw over your partner. Your buddy is sniping at the enemy while you stand behind him and shoot him in the head.
Re-arranging Your Trust: During game play, you can rearrange your Trust ranks. After any major encounter in which Trust came into play, you can adjust your assigned trust ranks in the other character by one point each, with the GM's approval of your reasons.