Bright-Dark 3d6 Role-Playing Game is not about rolling dice to read or influence NPCs. Players are expected to resolve social interactions with roleplay and description. A simple conversational goal is here to help guide player. GMs have rules for simple and complex NPCs in the Game Master section.
SOCIAL INTERACTION
Social interaction is not diplomacy mini-games or attribute checks. In Bright-Dark, social interaction is just exploration and discovery of a character through conversation. The entirety of a social encounter should be handled by roleplay, not game procedure, rules, or mechanics (with one exception). Keep these scenes freeform.
Not every NPC will challenge the players and not every conversation will have stakes. When an NPC does challenge the players, treat it like a social puzzle. Most are simple, not complex. Players goals are:
- Learn the NPC's needs,
- Offer something to satisfy the NPCs' needs in exchange for the NPC satisfying player needs, and
- Overcome objections held by the NPC if any
An objection is a fear, doubt, or other reason why NPCs may reject player offers. Not all NPCs have objections. Sometimes NPC objections cannot be overcome. You don't need to solve every NPC. Look for how failure may reveal new truths, tensions, or opportunities.
Treat NPCs as real people. Rely on your curiosity and creativity. Try to make them happy or at least understood. They will remember how you treated them.
To read an NPC, pay attention to the GM's portrayal and the GM's descriptions. Read in between the lines. There may also be hints in the NPCs personal space or how other NPCs describe them when they're not around.
Violence
For most NPCs, violence is not their first choice, and they do not want to fight to the death. If combat begins, the conversation is not suspended or ended. The conversation can continue in fragments on each side's turns.
The One Exception
The Reaction Roll (see Core Mechanics) is rolled openly by the GM when the players first meet a new NPC. It randomly determines the NPC's starting attitude towards the players. This creates an emergent story rather than a prepared one.
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