Social Encounters

Most conversations play best as free-form roleplaying, with maybe one or two checks for social skills involved. Sometimes, a tense situation or crucial negotiation requires a social encounter that uses initiative, much like a combat encounter. As with any other encounter, the stakes of a social encounter need to be high! A failed social encounter could mean a character is imprisoned or targeted for murder, a major rival becomes a political powerhouse, or a key ally is disgraced and ostracized. Using the structure of an encounter is helpful because it makes the timing clearer than in free-form play, and each character feels like they're contributing. When running a social encounter, establish the stakes up front, so the players know the consequences of success or failure and the circumstances that will cause the encounter to end. You have much more flexibility in how you run a social encounter than a combat encounter. Extending the length of rounds beyond 6 seconds, allowing more improvisation, and focusing less on special attacks and spells all differentiate a social encounter from a combative one. In most cases, you don't need to worry about characters' movements, nor do you need a map. Be flexible and encouraging as you run a social encounter, and don't worry about nitty-gritty details like character movement except in extreme cases. Allow the PCs to share information about as freely as the players can around the table. If one character is watching the opponent for signs they're lying, assume they can easily convey that to other characters subtly. It's good to remind players of things their characters might know or be likely to notice even if the players, in the moment, don't have them in mind. Describe NPCs' mental states and ask for clarification about the PCs' attitudes when needed. Some examples of social encounters include: Proving someone's innocence in front of a judge Convincing a nearby planet's leaders to help defend against a system-wide invasion Showing up a rival celebrity in public Exposing a villain's deception before the media Ending a tense standof