Obligation plays a vital role in defining a Player Character. Defined simply, Obligation represents the debts a Player Character owes. These debts may be physical (money owed, services that must be repaid, or a binding contract) or they could be intangible (a feeling of responsibility for a friend's well-being, the duty they feel to help their family, or a favor owed to someone else). A character's actions can often be guided by their Obligation, and in Edge of the Empire, Obligation is a vital aspect of a character that can have very tangible effects on their development.

During character creation, players not only customize their characters by selecting skills or characteristics, but also by choosing what sort of Obligation the character has. An Obligation may be a large outstanding debt, the PC being blackmailed for services, owing a crime boss "favors," having a price on their head, or being locked into a binding contract.

Over the course of a campaign, Obligations can put pressure on characters - having unresolved Obligations can affect them in very tangible ways. At the same time, taking on additional Obligations allows characters to obtain goods and services that would normally be far out of reach. This provides players with a choice: do they resolve their character's Obligation as quickly as possible, do they maintain their current level of Obligation, or do they take on even more Obligation in the hopes that the risk will pay off with larger rewards?

OBLIGATION IN PLAY

In addition to the narrative implications, Obligation has a mechanical impact as well. Every session, the GM determines whether the group's total Obligation affects the game.

Before each session, the GM rolls percentile dice and compares the results to the group's current outstanding Obligation.

OBLIGATION CHECK RESULTS

If the roll is greater than the party's total Obligation, then their Obligation is low enough that their collective tangible or intangible debts and duties are not pressing enough to affect them - at least for now.

However, if the roll is equal to or less than the group's total Obligation, something related to their Obligation may introduce complications during the upcoming session. First, rolling equal to or lower than the group's Obligation means that all characters reduce their strain threshold by 1 for the remainder of the session.

In addition, the GM can determine exactly whose Obligation is triggered by comparing the results of their roll to the chart. If, for example, the GM rolled a 17, then the character with the Obligation value 16-30 would have their Obligation triggered. This Player Character reduces their strain threshold by 2 (instead of 1) for the remainder of the session.

Finally, if the GM triggered an Obligation and the roll was doubles (an "11" or a "44" for example), the effects of triggering that Obligation also double. All characters reduce their strain threshold by 2 for the remainder of the session, and the Player Character whose Obligation triggered reduces their strain threshold by 4.

These mechanical effects represent either internal or external pressure on the Player Characters as a result of their Obligation. It could be as simple as the characters being worried about paying off their Obligations, and their concern distracting them and stressing them. However, (especially if the GM rolls doubles) triggered Obligation can also result in tangible problems. Favors could be called in, debts may require an impromptu payment, or an addiction may bring with it a sudden craving that needs to be satisfied. Ultimately, even though the mechanical effects always come into play, it's up the GM as to how this affects the characters narratively. One thing the GM should not feel obligated to do, however, is disrupt their own narrative or story in order to represent a triggered Obligation. Remember, the effects of a triggered Obligation can always be mental. If a PC's "bounty" Obligation gets triggered, but the GM is in the middle of an ongoing adventure and doesn't want to complicate things by having a bounty hunter show up, they can just tell the character that their PC is suffering a lower strain threshold because they're worried this adventure is making it harder to avoid bounty hunters.

OBLIGATION AS A THRESHOLD

Obligation can also be used as a threshold, a measure of the group's infamy or social standing, depending on the volume and type of Obligation.

Generally, as the characters in Edge of the Empire gain more Obligation, their ties deepen to the crimina underworld of the galaxy. Even if the Obligation itself seems innocuous, such as a Favor Obligation, the favors may be owed to someone with far more criminal links.

Due to this, the GM has the option to set thresholds for the group's total Obligation (or individual characters' Obligations). In these cases, the GM may determine that the group's total Obligation must either be less or more than the set threshold in order for them to attempt a certain task. For example, a local politician may not be willing to meet with a group whose Obligation is more than 60, but a local crime lord may not trust a group whose Obligation is less than 50. In both cases, its a matter of how the NPCs perceive the group's overall reputation.

OBLIGATION AS A RESOURCE

Sometimes characters have the option to voluntarily accept additional Obligation to obtain items and accomplish goals that would normally be out of their reach. In these cases, the GM may increase an existing Obligation by a certain amount, or decide to create an entirely new Obligation to reflect the transaction or events.

This is mainly covered on page 309 of the Edge of the Empire Core Rulebook in Chapter IX: The Game Master, as these options occur later during gameplay, and not usually during character creation. The only point players should be aware of is that not all Obligation is created equal. Obligation does not have an equivalent value in credits; its value is solely dependent on the circumstances, what is being acquired, the person or people being negotiated with, and so on. Acquiring an illegally salvaged T-45 power coupling on the black market may require 5 Obligation from a well-known fence and underworld contact, but could require 15 Obligation from a politician who needs to pull a few strings and ensure he retains plausible deniability about the entire affair.