George Carlin always said that we have homes, so we have a place to put our STUFF, while we are out, GETTING MORE STUFF.
For most conditions, the STUFF that a player puts down on his Persona sheet is a mechanism for storytelling. Perhaps it is a Maguffin, a story within itself that simply adds flavor. Perhaps it is a plot anchor, that the Director can use to push a point in the story where he wants to go. For the Director, Stuff really isn't that important. Remember, Directors may use tools from ANY Systembook interchangeably to make their stories unique, and the Masterbook is a generalized source for them all. So your stories might draw from just one, or all seven current Systembooks, and all of those rules are encompassed herein.
It is therefore almost counterintuitive that Passages is a system wherein the worth of the materials that Persona carries around with them matters. Perhaps the 'Stuff' was discovered as a part of a loot pile. Maybe it was dug up from a gravesite. Perhaps it was purchased at a bazaar on the edge of spacetime. In all candor, whatever story you are telling, whatever part you are playing in that story, Stuff is essential to the way the game is played, the way players interact, the way a scene plays out.
In the Passages multiverse, each genre has its unique take on Stuff. This article, which is posted in each Systembook, outlines the general rules of Stuff for use with the Multiverse and includes particular details on how each Realm handles its particular Stuff differently from the others.
For the most part, Stuff falls into several Kinds, A variety of types, and a static scale of Quality. This Masterbook will outline ALL of them, and each SYSTEMBOOK section will outline which of the Kinds and Types are available to be discovered in general play.
KINDS
A very loose interpretation of each of the kinds will help considerably. While it is rare, a cosmetic item, for instance, might become for a specific condition or situation Useful, or even Essential. So keep an awareness that the biggest key to the differentiation has to do with its Quality after its use in a Scene. Such is only considered after the fact, but knowing the distinction may affect how a player decides his Persona will Act.
Cosmetic - Floppy hat. Cotton gloves. A paisley handkerchief. Belongings that define the character, the kind of things that help the Cadre Members to recognize one another during play, and that help create more compelling visual cues, all fit into this category. A lot of it is window dressing, but clever players and Directors will readily see the benefit of extensive lists of cosmetic items... simply put, the more props and toys a player has to work with during a role-play session, the more likely they will come up with really clever solutions to the challenges of existence in-game.
Each SystemBook will have some starter lists of Cosmetic items, but of course, the Player has great input into what his or her character has with them in-game.
Useful - Floppy hat. Cotton gloves. A paisley handkerchief. Belongings that define the character, the kind of things that help the Cadre Members to recognize one another during play, and that help create more compelling visual cues, all fit into this category. A lot of it is window dressing, but clever Cadre members and Directors will readily see the benefit of extensive lists of cosmetic items... simply put, the more props and toys a player has to work with during a role-play session, the more likely they will come up with really clever solutions to the challenges of existence in-game.
Each SystemBook will have some starter lists of Cosmetic items, but of course, the Player has great input into what his or her character has with them in-game.
Essential - Rope. Bedroll. Food. Clothes. The stuff that would really be missed if you didn’t have it. Essential Stuff is all those things that make life survivable. Each SystemBook will have extensive lists of what would be considered absolutely necessary to live in the world, so be sure to check off the critical items first. The Director will usually be very liberal about what you can, or cannot begin within his or her story, in terms of what is essential, useful, or cosmetic, so be ready to argue your case for items you consider essential. You might not get it, but certainly showing the Director what you feel, you build into his story another perspective on the very terms of the game world.
TYPES
General - From clothes and baggage, to record albums, candles, etc. General is virtually anything. This is the catch-all type of stuff. General items are just that –a variety of items that are useful and don’t qualify as either armor or vehicles. The kinds of things just about anyone would like to have access to, but that have some level of rarity, depending on the environment in which they might be found. The Quality of this kind of Stuff determines its sales or trade value, whether it has a market value, etc.
Armor - Armor includes all items that can afford at least a modicum of protection to the bearer. Some protect against specific threats – goggles to protect the eyes from radiation, or a fire suit to prevent burns – while others provide more general protection – shields to deflect physical attacks, or suits of armor meant to absorb impacts. Armor also is distributed across several categories, some of them unique to DoanShift.
Weapons -categorically, the Weapons type of Stuff is always valued, both for utility and resale. Most weapon types can be improved over time and can be repaired if damaged.
Tools - like weapons, are repairable, resident, and tend to have value always. Tools are items that facilitate actions and may improve the success potential of actions by their use. Use does reduce Quality, and repair can improve it.
Resources are recordings, writings, notes, maybe photographs, or other assets. Generally quality is not a problem, but often, should a Resource become damaged, it loses at least some of its value and its effectiveness as a resource.
Vehicles - are means of conveyance, whether human-powered or by other kinds of fuel. For the most part, motorized vehicles fall into three categories – Bikes, Cars, and Transports
QUALITY
The value to which an item can increase your success ratio is one-tenth of its quality, and only in cases where the clear use of the Stuff makes sense. In other words, a carjacking tool (crowbar for instance, or a slim-jim, or even a random ring of keys might suffice. (if an item is determined to be cosmetic, it has no quality to speak of.
Each Realm has its particular values for what a particular item might have, depending on where it is discovered, and where it might have originated, as well as its resilience to wear and tear.
Players and Directors will most likely determine a unit's appraised value (is it a general cosmetic item, or an essential resource) and compare based on which Systembook is being used what that might have as value.
Further, do remember that Players can choose to upgrade items, including paying for repairs and such.
NYCOS - the game world of Dark Shards
The story of Nycos is so old, that even the legends have stories of their own. History plays a huge part of the future, and the story is always just at the beginning. This means you don't really start with a lot, and your imagination will help tremendously with the process.
With all of that history leaching into the present, items of great power can be found within feet of worthless dreck.
Don’t worry too much about the quality of items, in terms of trying to maximize your effectiveness in-game. Passages is not a system to be ‘hacked’ or “optimized”, only to be engaged in as a social interaction experience. Instead, as you build your character, consider what the items feel like, how the character plans to or has used the items in the past, and what the items offer to add to the life the character is thrust into. While these lists are inclusive, they are in no way intended to be exhaustive or complete. The Director will determine what, if any, additional gear you begin with, and will go over your list to ensure it makes sense with his story, as well as is possible, given his starting point in the story.
Do note that items on the Gear lists are not necessarily also listed in the General Items list below them...again, the items that a Cadre Member has are not particularly limiting or intended to restrict them.
