I have a question about favor, and how it is distinct from debt. The system of debt make sense to me, but I fail to see how favor is not just negative debt .
Characters with a sworn allegiance, they have 3 debt and 1 favor with a faction. This would imply that there is a distinction, but how is that different from just having 2 debt?
Is calling in a favor by using a point of favor instead of incurring debt different? Otherwise, what does having a favor do that not having one less debt would allow?
My reading is that if you have a favor owed, it pretty much cannot be denied, but if you ask for a favor expecting to simply gain more debt, it can be denied based on your standing with the faction.
What Aaron Griffin said.
When you ask for something, a Faction will put you in debt. If you help a Faction out, they might consider a debt paid and they may even say they owe you. That is a Favor. You can then cash in that Favor, and whatever you’re asking for doesn’t come back to bite you.
Having 3 Debt and 1 Favor means you can demand the Faction’s best bounty hunter help you track someone down, and they’ll do it and your bill stays balanced.
Having 2 Debt and no Favor means you can make that same demand, and they’ll say sure, but then you have to bring that person you’re tracking to them because they want to know what you’re so curious about. Your Debt increases. And if you don’t, it will increase again.
Favor sidesteps the debt spiral of asking for things, doing things, and struggling with all the strings attached.
In an early version of the rules they were just tied as you say. However they split up because you can be both heavily invested in a faction as well as having it be heavily invested in you. Take a simple military career as an example. You have debt with your military because they can heavily influence you to do something. But if you’re high enough rank, you can also elicit favors to get things done like calling in outside reinforcements.
Yes, they are distinct even in real life. A mortgage is not the same thing as a negative bank account balance, even in the first case you owe the bank and in the second case the bank owes you.
Thanks guys, that’s cleared it up for me.