Asymmetry part 1: Asymmetrical player roles
A lot of these thoughts are inspired by Seven Part Pact & The Episode of Bastionland Podcast with Quintin Smith.
In Band of Blades there are legion roles, which different players take on for the planning phase of a mission; these are separate from the characters they play during the mission.
| Role | Note | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Tracks time, location, and pressure. Picks which missions to go on and spends intel. | Yes |
| Marshal | Tracks morale, makes sure characters advance, and chooses who to send on missions. | Yes |
| Quartermaster | Tracks supply, material, and non-Legion personnel and performs campaign actions. | Yes |
| Lorekeeper | Takes notes and keeps the Annals of the Legion. | No |
| Spymaster | Sends spies on missions to gain intel or disrupt the enemy. | No |
There are other games with similar roles. The One Ring RPG springs to mind, as do some OSR games.
Instead of Fighter, Cleric, Thief, and Mage, what if the “classes” players took on were more abstract, the roles different adventures might have in a party?
The Quartermaster
- Keeps track of the inventory and coin.
- Their character sheet is a series of inventory grids, and they are juggling what is needed for the adventure/mission/quest with loot and conditions.
The Make Maker
- Draws and/or annotates the map.
- Their character sheet is the map.
The Scout
- Keeps track of what is around.
- Their character sheet is a push-your-luck game, managing speed and risk.
The Trap Finder
- Note, this might be better rolled into The Scout.
- They search for traps, secret doors, pick locks, etc.
- Their character sheet is a push-your-luck game and a resource management game. Where there are more resources, the more you can push your luck.
The Tactician
- They fight monsters and do violence.
- Their character sheet is an abstracted grid map where they do battle.
- Players play a role, e.g., inventory, mapmaker, scout, trap finder, wizard, or fighter.
The Wizard
- They do “Magic”
- Their character sheet is a bunch of puzzles they play with a tarot deck.
The Diplomat
- The face of the party, they talk to folks and get the party into and out of trouble.
- They play a game inspired by Signs of the Sojourner
Could take this a step further and make the Dungeon it’s own “class” should figure out a better term.
The Dungeon
- The literal actual dungeon
- They take the Dungeon turn.
- Makes usage checks on light sources and similar.
- Interacts with the map, maybe a bit of a tug of war game with The Scout / The Trap Finder.