What, narratively, are the hunting grounds?
Tonight we launched a crew of shadows with a sabotage focus. They are united by anti-imperial sentiment. Their long term goal is to blow up the unity statue or some other such symbol. In the meantime, they’re going to blow up other things for whoever pays.
How should we think of their hunting grounds, then? They want to be operating in rich districts to take down imperial symbols, but as a tier 0 crew I, as GM, felt like it was wrong. But then I felt as though I was saying no to the idea at the table, and that felt worse. We agreed that we were really unclear about hunting grounds as they pertained to the mission of this crew, and we would appreciate guidance.
Thanks for any advice people can offer.
The crew in my game have a similar focus – they’re deserters from the Imperial Army. They decided their hunting grounds were in Charterhall – they like to target the bureaucrats and politicians for their theft and blackmail.
If I remember right your first hunting grounds are supposed to be inside other faction’s territory and you pay them tribute to let you use it, so I don’t see a problem with beggining in a rich district.
As GM, if your crew’s hunting grounds is in a wealthier district (and I agree a Tier 0 crew’s might be), I recommend picking a high tier faction that’s allowing them access to that area. And then ask interesting follow-up questions (some of yourself, some to the players) about why that might be. The Unseen gave you leave to act within a few blocks in Charterhall? Maybe even knowing you intend to blow things up? What’s their game? How might they run interference for you in some cases? What kind of jobs might upset them over time and degrade your relationship with them? Is the crew being set up to take a fall?
It should go without saying that giving that high tier faction 2 Coin is probably a good move.
Keep in mind the traits of each district also. A Tier 0 crew focusing their scores in Charterhall is going to have to contend with 4-dot Safety & Security. The risks for certain kinds of jobs should be commensurate. The difference between doing a job in Coalridge & Brightstone should be tangible. In D&D terms, maybe doing robbery in Brightstone is a bit like going into the Tomb of Horrors. 😉
Finally, hunting grounds can be slippery things. The GM should consider that the target of the score (& therefore the engagement roll) might begin in one area of the city and progress to another. This is especially the case for certain types of scores. It’s entirely possible that the sabotage of a ceremony in Brightstone begins with some espionage in your hunting grounds in Charhollow! And rich targets can sometimes be enticed to your poor hunting ground in Crow’s Foot. Scoundrels can get pretty creative…
My current game’s crew lairs in a railcar in Coalridge but has their first espionage hunting grounds in Nightmarket – provided by The Hive. People from all walks of life and all parts of the city come to Mistress Kember’s The Devil’s Tooth tavern at the southeastern corner of the neighborhood, making it an ideal place to gather intelligence about all manner of targets…
Matthew Gagan thanks for this. Helps seed the creative thinking about how to make this all fit together.