Politics and Intrigue

So, many folks have expressed an interest in intrigue and politics as an aspect of play that isn't getting much attention. Starting this topic to discuss ways to make this work on the game.

Personally, I would like to see more minor titles given out by NPC crown, seasonal crowns of a PC nature, and councilors. If leadership see a character doing something noteworthy, or they have a particular talent that woul fit it, offer them the official 'Head of'. These positions wouldn't have much authority, could be freehold or court based, and would have the folks who titled them above them if someone got power-crazy with it- preferably IC, but if they are hampering RP, then certainly take it OOC.
What I mean by minor titles is things like: "Head Chef"-the dude you bribe or distract when you want to poison the king! (And also the dude you have to deal with after the attempt is made- a followup that is often lacking with NPCs). "Master of the Forge" -who might restrict access to the Forge resources if you don't sign on to the militia or at least make sure to bring them a 6-pack of their favorite beer whenever you come. Or, "Official Greeter"-a cherished Spring Position that makes sure almost everyone in the freehold is beholden to you in some minor way.This has been done to a minor extent, but hasn't been used much IC that I've seen...No one can waylay Lillian to switch the missive she carries to Faction X from the King if the King never makes use of her as Herald, just as an example. Again, these should definitely not bog down RP idea is that they would create RP hooks, be a tiny shiny to give incentive for joining the Freehold or to be active in a court, and create a base for intrigues and politicking.

Another thing that might help is to give each court a particular duty within the freehold aligned with their court: Spring keeps a census of all the Lost/Fae touched/Enchanted in town and what their talents are, Autumn inventories the treasures and negotiates with hobs, Winter make sure that information is disseminated to who needs it, and no one else, and Summer makes sure that militia/security is in top order, just as examples. This gives people coming into each court something they know they can get involved in, use as a basis for random TPs, or at least what will earn them prestige in their court (a Spring who hunts down that hermit Occultist deep in the woods and finds out, after enough tea to drown a Brit, she can turn people into frogs? He totally wins the crown of laurels...) and also gives Councillors something to base concrete goals and duties for courtiers around, so that people don't just sit around twiddling their thumbs, wondering what kind of 'scary', 'lusty', 'angry' or 'emo' things they can make up themselves.

Someone mentioned to me the idea that there was an offical court smith of sorts. I like the ideas of having fluff titles like that, that offer no IC benefits other than prestige of knowing, "Hey, I'm -the- dude for the season." I like the idea of these titles being awarded by IC tournaments or competitions, like the iron chef thing (sans massive squid attacks).

On a purely player level, I'd be quite happy with fluff titles if they change on occasion. To keep things from stagnating.... which is a big theme of Changeling. Changelings combat the gentry by switching things up often, which confuses the gentry.

I love Bea's ideas. I also suggest maybe going back to the 'extra benefits' afforded to the Monarch if they get the Freehold to do certain things suggested in the core book. Like Autumn's Monarch getting a steady supply of Glamour IF he or she has the Freehold going out and finding new secrets and whispering them to him/her. Those benefits could then be passed on to Freeholders in some way: for giving the /best/ Secret in a week, for example, you're given some sort of kudos or the use of a Crown-held Token.

In fact, if you want to give the Crown some carrots to go along with the sticks, a few Tokens that they could gift to people on a temporary basis, those engaged in Crown Work, or those who hold certain titles, or win certain contests, would be a good way to do it. Not necessarily all combat Tokens, either. A cauldron of healing for the Crown Physician, or a figurine that turns into a Fae Mount for whoever is the current Tourney Champion.

Ooo, special tokens for special titles. Like, the master chef who gets a token that, when used, allows him to create the best tasting food ever (drawback: loses the use of his taste buds for a week). You wouldn't use it all the time, but for like the Formal events, that'd be perfect.

More court titles is something that is currently being discussed +job-wise in the COURT bucket. But if folks have ideas for particular positions, here would be a good place to throw out ideas?