While creating Regency, I knew I needed more than just “social combat” for the game to feel full. In many other RPGs, there is a combat element. The big fight against the villain or monster, where the characters can flourish and show off their variety of uses.
Regency doesn’t have combat. Its a TTRPG that is based on the Regency Era, most people weren’t doing daring rescues against monsters or shooting fireballs from their fingertips. Regency’s most common “combat” would be social barbs slung over tea or at a ball.
But that didn’t feel full enough. Simply talking and existing in a world and then moving on to the next scene where you will be mostly talking.
So, I’ve been working on developing Events. One (or two) would take place during each game session and they would give various players a chance to shine. These are all obviously in Alpha and will possibly be changed.
The Ball – This one is obvious. Having a separate mechanic for dancing at a ball seems important. Fans of the genre know that important topics tend to be discussed over a dance or you could truly capture someone’s heart by dancing with them at the right moment. Dance cards were a huge part of the culture.
Business – While many of these Families often inherited vast amounts of wealth, maintaining that wealth was still important. Making business deals, working with tenant farmers, and funding new projects were all a part of keeping their lifestyles afloat. A Bad Business deal could lead the Family to ruin, while a great deal could increase their fortune tremendously.
Dinner – This wouldn’t be your average Family dinner. This would be its own event, where there are various guests to impress (or deter). Family members may try to ensure the dinner is a success, while others may secretly wish for it to fail. A Dinner could make or break an engagement or even introduce new depths to once overlooked characters.
Gossip – Whispers and rumors were all the rage and a great way to figure out what is goign on with other Families. Perhaps one of your suitors has a secret child? Maybe a Family moved to town and is exceptionally wealthy? Or perhaps, a pair of lovebirds were caught in a secret garden alone? These rumors can be both used for benefit and harm. Gossip cannot always be taken at face value and the truth may be hidden beneath the surface.
Scandal – Gossip’s much scarier sister, a Scandal would occur when someone has caused a great disturbance and people are turning on them. Its possible to be in a Scandal by no fault of your own, but Scandals will still occur. The Family must scramble and work together to mitigate the Scandal or they’ll all feel its effects.
Duels – While combat isn’t going to be a major aspect of the game, duels did occur during this time period. Majority of the game will focus on stopping the duel before it occurs, as was often the case in these situations. However, death is possible. Duels are dangerous and should be approached warily, as it is much easier to die in a duel than one would imagine.
Those are the current Events for Regency so far. Hopefully they feel familiar for fans of the genre. These Events will all have their own rules and ways to play as they are almost their own mini games within the game at large. A Business deal may feel similar to Liar’s Dice while a Family Meal may have a Hidden Antagonist at the table. These events are meant to be important moments in the story and have direct impact on the characters. Business will effect the Family’s Wealth. Scandal and Gossip could change the Family’s Status. A bad meal could potentially deter a higher Rank suitor. These are important aspects of the Family’s life and these moments will have lasting impact in the story at large.
These Events will hopefully add to the feel of Regency and provide players with various ways to play the game. My main hope is that people enjoy the variety of the mini games and all find their favorite “flavors” of Events.
Many-Sided Dice 
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