I decided to try my hand at #RPGaDay2025 which, for the month of August, presents topics on which to create some type of content about. The first topic is Patrons.
When we look up the definition of patron, the most common results are some variation of: an influential supporter or financial sponsor of an individual, intuition, or cause.I think it works well enough considering the common usage of patrons in tabletop-roleplaying games though it omits the motivations and goals of the patron. What does the patron want? Why do they want it? What are they willing to do to get it?
Patrons and factions
A patron can best be understood as either a part of a faction or a faction unto themselves. What sets a patron apart is that, through their patronal relationship, they operate at a remove from the action, indirectly. Perhaps they have their own forces they could move directly but choose not to or they do not have any direct forces to command. Either way, as a patron, they support and sponsor the actions and efforts of others.
When deciding who should patronize whom, figuring out the patron's goals is necessary. Answer the question: how does the patron benefit from this relationship? It is highly unlikely that anyone will give something for nothing. The return doesn't have to be monetary or even practical, it could be a cause or a principle or the fulfillment of some emotional need. Whatever it happens to be is less important than that there is something and that it makes sense.
Patronage can expire
If there are definitive goals, this means that some patronages can end. Beyond that, other pressures should be assessed, from time to time, to determine if the patronage is still worth the risks and costs involved for the patron. This tension can be used to propel events in the game. A patron need not be threatened physically if other pressures can be brought to bear to make their support of someone or something untenable. This presents both an option for Players to counter the patrons of their enemies and a threat enemies can impose upon their patrons.
It might be worth thinking about, in terms of this support, what manner is it and what limits are there? Is it simply monetary? Is it in other resources? Is it information? Is it access? And how much of it is there? A usage die might make a good mechanic to express this. When the patron's resources are depleted, how fast do they recover?
Patrons in Troupe: Doomsday
In my system, Troupe, I use a unified d6 dice pool for all the mechanics. If we assign a few attributes to a patron, we can use those to establish some easy to run mechanics for occasions when the patron is invoked.
- Specialty: one or more of money, information, resources, access, etc.
- Reach: how wide a net they can cast to fulfill their patronage.
- Effectiveness: how expert they are in their specialty.
Reach and effectiveness may seem like the same thing but they're not. Reach is width of effort, effectiveness is depth or strength of effort. For example: a general with a wide reach may be able to quickly muster a large force of soldiers but they're all normal-types (level 0s) while a captain with a high effectiveness may only be able to summon their direct retinue but that retinue is comprised of highly trained leveled warriors.
Mechanically, Reach is expressed a number that becomes the amount of dice the patron can roll when they are called upon. Their effectiveness is the bonus to each die rolled. Effectiveness stays the same but reach declines by one (or more if circumstances demand) with each favor. Once the reach is down to zero, they can't help. We might say that, every month, patrons recover one die. We might also say that services players or other parties can successfully provide to patrons can also recover dice. In this way, there's a nice push and pull between the patronized seeking favors and the patrons seeking services.
Example Patron: The Duke D'Envy
- What does the patron want? Art, particularly that of past ages and that associated with the mythic past.
- Why do they want it? They came from a poor background and ascended to wealth and power; they believe the other nobles still think them unworthy and uncultured; they want everyone at court to be covetous of them.
- What are they willing to do to get it? Anything, as long as it can't be linked back to them.
- Specialties: money and access
- Reach: 3
- Effectiveness: +2
