Geoza Kinship

Kinship in Geoza is necessarily based in the culture (Heritage and Society) of the persona.  The specifics of each Heritage Group and Society should always be referenced when making decisions about the persona's kinship.
The elements of Kinship are: Family Status, Legitimacy, Family Orientation, Sibling Rank, Estrangement, Inheritance, Family Renown, and the Reaction Orientation toward the family.  Personas may gain Innate Renown due to their kinship.
Family Status:  Choose a Status Archetype (Ruling, Privileged, Professional, Labor, or Marginal) based on the occupation of the head of household of the persona's family, and the Hierarchy of Social Estates for the persona's birth society.  There is no development cost directly related to this choice, but many other kinship development costs derive from this choice.
Legitimacy:  Decide if the persona is a legitimate child or not.  If not, is the persona acknowledged?  The development point cost is according to the following table:
  Ruling Privileged Professional Labor Marginal
Legitimate 0 0 0 0 0
Acknowledged -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
Unacknowledged -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
Note: if there is no societal disadvantage for acknowledged offspring (i.e. if acknowledgement is sufficient to establish inheritance and status), then the persona should be treated as legitimate.
Family Orientation:  Choose a basic orientation towards her family for the persona.  Does she embrace her family's views?  Does she reject or refuse them outright?  Does she select from among the views of her family, holding some but rejecting others?  Does she keep her true beliefs secret, suppressing them?  Or is she unsure, and still considering what views she holds?  Finally, she might abstain completely from such considerations (such as if she was cast out by her family for some reason).  There is no development point cost associated with this choice, but the results may be significant to the persona's personality, background choices, or future actions.
Sibling Rank:  Is the persona an inheritor?  This might be because the persona is the first-born, or inheritance in the persona's society might be partible, and sibling rank may not be as significant.  If not, is the persona next in line to inherit?  Or is the persona a non-inheritor?  Development costs for this choice are as follows: 
  Ruling Privileged Professional Labor Marginal
Inheritor 10 8 5 3 3
Penultimate 5 4 2 2 0
Non-inheritor 3 2 0 0 0
Note that since even non-inheritors of Ruling or Privileged archetypes have a development point cost, this in effect is the minimum development point cost for such personas.
Estrangement:  What is the persona's relationship with his family?  Is he a fully accepted member of the family, or is there some degree of estrangement between the persona and his family?  Is he the favorite or the black sheep?  Development point costs for this choice are as follows:
  Ruling Privileged Professional Labor Marginal
Favorite 5 4 3 2 1
Good 3 2 1 1 0
Average 0 0 0 0 0
Poor -1 -2 -1 -1 -1
Black Sheep -3 -4 -3 -2 -2
Inheritance:  As a result of the persona's Sibling Rank, Family Orientation, and Estrangement, what sort of inheritance, if any, awaits the persona?  There is no specific development point cost associated with this choice, but many other factors, including some Background Aspects of the persona, may be relevant.
Family Renown:  How well-known is the persona's family?  Are they known for their products or their behavior?  Is there a family trait that distinguishes them from others?
Some sample aspects that may confer renown:
Family Aspects such as Infamous Ancestor, Valuable Information; Family Traits (motivations or passions); Family history (important roles or events connected with the family); current family behavior or members.
Family Renown may confer a certain degree of innate renown on the persona, if the persona is known to be a member of the family, even if currently estranged.
There is no development point cost for Family Renown.
Reaction Orientation: How well regarded is the persona's family?  Does their renown make them famous or infamous?  Would the persona want to be associated with this family?  The persona's estrangement and family orientation may be significant in considering these questions.  The development costs associated are:
  Ruling Privileged Professional Labor Marginal
Favorable 5 4 3 2 1
Average 3 2 0 0 0
Unfavorable 0 0 -1 -2 -3
Innate Renown:  The persona may have gained some innate renown due to her family.  The degree to which the persona gains renown is based on the persona's sibling rank and degree of estrangement.  Apply the following modifiers to the family's renown to determine the persona's innate renown:
Sibling Rank Renown Modifier
Inheritor -1
Penultimate -2
Non-inheritor -4
Estrangement Renown Modifier
Favorite 0
Good 0
Average -1
Poor -2
Black Sheep -5

 

 

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Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Paul Briscoe
Last modified: April 04, 2003