Thunk! Message for you Sir!

One of the more interesting features of the All for One game is how resources work. Each is purchased for the character using experience points. In this game, things like Wealth are transformed into story material rather than goals. It's the player, not the GM who decides, how wealthy the character is going to be. For example, two character buy Wealth 1, they each get, at the end of the month after expenses 50 extra livres. Are they both as wealthy as each other? Not necessary. Character One is a Noble (he has Status 2) and Character Two is an Army Sergeant (he has Rank 2). Each has spent the same number of experience points on resources and each ends up with the same amount of cash at the end of the month. But the Noble eats fine food, has many expensive and stylish cloths, lives in a large house with servants and throws balls and parties. The Sergeant lives in a barracks, eats at the mess hall and likely owns only one or two sets of clothing other than his uniform. Disposable income after expenses are paid is the same. Neither wants for anything outside of their normal life style which is defined by what the player purchases for their character. Of course, in the case of the Noble, it may be assumed he has a large estate in which to throw parties and live and what not, but to actually use it in the game, it has to be purchased as a Refuge.

Resources are story materials, but they also have a mechanical impact in the game. In this way, the game eliminates one of the classical reasons for adventuring, money. It's not important in All For One, the game doesn't revolve around treasure, rather it revolves around the story. The reason for seeking adventure in All For One is adventure!

One of the most interesting Resource available in the game is the Lackey. Given as a freebie, every Musketeer gets a personal man servant in the form of a level 0 Follower Resource. This is Alfred to Bruce Wayne. Not a main character, but important enough to the story to require special note. While the Follower Resource may be purchased by any character, this one (given for free, but improvable) is unique. This lackey is NOT an NPC. Rather, in a neat bit of game mechanics, this lackey is created and played by another player at the table. Think Monty Python's Holy Grail movie. Just about everyone played more than one role in the movie. In All For One each player gets to play two characters; their main Musketeer character and another character's lackey!

The game states "In addition, a Musketeer is a gentleman, and all gentlemen have servants, better known as lackeys". This is a very important distinction between the lackey and other followers. The lackey is a paid employee of the Musketeer (although they don't actually have to worry about paying them as the game assumes the lackey salary is part of normal expenses) and serves at very least as the characters valet. Traditionally this means that the valet does things like laying out their masters clothes, taking care of personal items, drawing baths and shaving their master. Valets were also responsible for making travel arrangements, dealing with bills and handling money matters concerning his master's household. Valets answered messengers and managed their master's schedules. In short, they did all manner of things for their masters. While some of these things might be considered beneath a gentleman, most gentleman employed valets to save themselves time by not having to personally deal with tedious tasks.

I had none of this in mind when I asked the player whose Lackey I'll be making and playing what he wanted for his Lackey. While I was flattered by his response that he trusted me to come up with something awesome, something else he said was the inspiration for this post. He said in real life he wouldn't have any say in the matter. The more I thought about it the more I thought 'no, that's not entirely true'. A lackey is a paid employee. His Musketeer hired this person, after presumably looking for someone to hire. He would have hired someone he likes, with skills and abilities useful and desirable.

Now that doesn't mean I cannot as a player makeup whatever I like that fits the mold. After all it is going to be my secondary character. Why shouldn't I make up just what I like and what will be fun to play? But consideration needs to be paid to who and why the other player's character would hire this lackey to be their servant. The game also states that the lackey should have some skill that complements the Musketeer and the group in general. So asking for input from the other player makes perfect sense.

To that end, it makes sense to figure out what my character Jean Baptiste would want in his own lackey. As a noble, Jean Baptiste would want a lackey that fits in properly with the other upper class servants. Someone who is socially acceptable and a good fit. As far as skills go, Jean Baptiste doesn't have any sneaky or underhanded type abilities, so something like that might balance out the character. Alternately, some sort of herald like skills might complement the character. A lackey who is an encyclopedia of Paris nobles and houses would be an invaluable assistant and great complement.

Now all I need to do is make up my second All For One character.

All for one, and more for me.

Keep rolling my friends...
(FYI - it is inappropriate to allow your lackey to roll for you!)