Reputation
Quark, proprietor, Quark's Bar, Grill, Gaming House and Holosuite Arcade, 2374
"Your name walks into the room before you do. Make sure it's earning its keep."
📖 Replaces STA Core Rulebook, Chapter 4: Roles and Positions — Reputation track. The Syndicate Reputation system divides STA's single Reputation track into two independent sub-systems suited for underworld and morally complex play.
Definition: Reputation tracks standing — the degree to which factions and individuals extend trust, access, and cooperation. Reputation is tracked in two separate sub-systems: Faction Reputation, which measures a crew's standing with specific organizations, and Personal Reputation, which measures an individual character's standing in the broader underworld.
Reputation is distinct from Heat. Heat measures unwanted attention from authorities and adversaries. Reputation measures earned standing among peers, employers, clients, and rivals. High Heat can degrade Reputation; high Reputation does not reduce Heat.
Faction Reputation
Faction Reputation is tracked per faction, per crew on a scale of −3 to +5.
- Positive values represent degrees of trust, access, and mutual obligation with that faction.
- Negative values represent active animosity, blacklisting, and hostility.
- Zero (0) represents an unknown or entirely neutral status — no working relationship established.
Each faction entry in The Dossier — Factions lists that faction's default disposition toward new crews.
Standing Scale
| Level | Name | Service Access | Protection | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +5 | Core | Inner circle; classified operations; strategic planning | Active, unconditional, and proactive | Preferred rates or reciprocal favors |
| +4 | Valued | Senior operations; mid-tier command contacts | Available on request; faction assets deployable | Discounted rates |
| +3 | Trusted | Standard operations; vetted goods and services | Passive — the faction avoids harming the crew | Standard rates; full availability |
| +2 | Known | Entry-level jobs; public-facing services | None guaranteed | Standard; limited selection |
| +1 | Recognized | Cautious contact permitted; faction is open to a working relationship | None | Elevated — faction covers risk premium |
| 0 | Unknown | No established relationship; cold approach required | None | Not applicable |
| −1 | Suspect | Under scrutiny; offers may be pretexts for entrapment | None | Not applicable |
| −2 | Burned | Blacklisted; no cooperation from any faction member; active obstruction | Faction assets may be deployed against the crew | Not applicable |
| −3 | Enemy | Marked for action; faction will act against the crew on sight | The faction is an active threat source | Not applicable |
Gaining Faction Reputation
| Action | Standing Change |
|---|---|
| Successful operation completed on behalf of the faction | TBD |
| Faction leadership directly assisted or extracted from threat | TBD |
| Rival faction materially damaged to the faction's benefit | TBD |
| Outstanding debt to the faction cleared in full | TBD |
| Faction secret protected at significant personal cost | +1 |
| Performance substantially exceeding the terms of engagement | TBD |
| Existing member provides a formal character endorsement | +1 |
Losing Faction Reputation
| Action | Standing Change |
|---|---|
| Operation failure with attributable crew fault | TBD |
| Death of a faction member caused by crew action | TBD |
| Faction resources lost, stolen, or destroyed through crew negligence or action | TBD |
| Cooperation with an active rival faction without prior faction sanction | TBD |
| Betrayal of a faction secret or operational detail | −2 to −3 |
| Witnessed loyalty violation by a faction member | TBD |
| Crew Heat level reaching Hot (51+) while under active faction employment | −1 |
Loyalty Mechanics
Personal vs. Organizational Loyalty: A crew member may hold personal loyalty to an individual within a faction that conflicts with their organizational standing. Personal loyalty is tracked informally by the GM and may cause divergence between a character's actions and the crew's collective Faction Reputation.
Loyalty Tests: When a crew member's actions conflict directly with a faction's stated interests, the GM may call for a Loyalty Test. This is resolved as a TBD-Difficulty task. Failure results in a witnessed loyalty violation (see above). Success means the character navigates the conflict without the faction's awareness.
Betrayal Consequences: A confirmed betrayal reduces Faction Reputation by TBD. If the resulting Standing reaches −3 (Enemy), the faction issues a hostility response (see below). Betrayals by individual crew members may or may not affect the entire crew's Standing depending on whether the faction attributes the action to the individual or the unit — GM adjudication applies.
Redemption: Recovery from negative Standing is possible but requires specific faction-sanctioned restitution actions. Recovery from Enemy (−3) requires an extraordinary act of proven loyalty and is subject to GM adjudication. See Faction Reputation Recovery.
Faction Hostility Responses
| Standing | Typical Faction Response |
|---|---|
| Suspect (−1) | Surveillance; entrapment attempts; rumors spread to shared contacts |
| Burned (−2) | Active blacklisting; pressure applied to shared contacts and associates; territory access denied |
| Enemy (−3) | Contracts issued against crew members; physical violence sanctioned; crew intelligence sold to rivals or authorities |
Enemy Standing and Cross-Faction Spillover
Enemy standing with a major faction may trigger automatic Standing penalties with that faction's formal allies. The transfer penalty value is TBD. See Cross-Faction Complications.
Personal Reputation
Personal Reputation is tracked per character on a scale of −3 to +5. It represents that individual's standing in a specific community or network — the station, the sector, the criminal class of a given planet.
A character may hold different Personal Reputation levels in different regions or networks. A character who is Legendary in Ferenginar trading circles may be entirely Unknown on a Klingon frontier station.
Personal Reputation Scale
| Level | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| +5 | Legendary | Recognized across the region or quadrant; major players seek out the character for partnership |
| +4 | Feared / Revered | Known by name in all major hubs in the region; other operators make way |
| +3 | Respected | Known by name in professional circles; introductions are unnecessary |
| +2 | Connected | Recognized as a working professional; standard access to underworld services |
| +1 | Emerging | Making a name; some contacts have heard the character's name |
| 0 | Unknown | No underground profile established |
| −1 | Marked | Subject of unfavorable rumors; treated with wariness on first contact |
| −2 | Notorious | Known as an untrustworthy operator; doors close; contacts charge a risk premium |
| −3 | Pariah | Shunned; actively avoided; associates seen with a Pariah character risk their own Standing |
Sources of Personal Reputation Change
| Action | Change |
|---|---|
| Major successful operation with visible, attributable outcome | TBD |
| Public demonstration of a notable skill or talent | TBD |
| Honoring a public commitment under significant pressure | +1 |
| Visible failure on a high-profile operation | TBD |
| Breach of a publicly known agreement or contract | TBD |
| Harming a protected or neutral party (innocents, respected figures) | TBD |
| Betraying a contact or associate | −1 to −2 |
| Operating successfully at a level above the character's recognized tier | TBD |
Personal Directives and Code Violations
Characters may hold Personal Directives — self-imposed behavioral codes that function as a reputational baseline in communities that know the character.
Standard Personal Directive types:
| Directive | Example |
|---|---|
| Never harm innocents | Will not accept collateral civilian casualties as an outcome |
| Always honor agreements | Will not default on a contract once accepted |
| Protect the crew first | Other obligations are secondary to crew survival |
| Information is power | Will not destroy intelligence; will not share without compensation |
Code violation effects:
| Violation Type | Mechanical Effect |
|---|---|
| Unwitnessed violation | No Reputation change; may trigger a Values challenge (📖 see STA Core Rulebook) |
| Witnessed violation | −1 Personal Reputation in the relevant community |
| Witnessed violation in a high-profile or public context | TBD penalty |
| Consistent public adherence to a known Directive over extended play | TBD bonus |
Faction Reputation Recovery
Reputation recovery requires deliberate action. Time passage alone does not restore Standing except at minimal rates during active spin control (see Information Warfare and Spin Control).
| Recovery Action | Minimum Standing Required | Standing Gained |
|---|---|---|
| Complete a sanctioned operation for the affected party | −1 or above | TBD |
| Make direct, accepted amends to an injured party within the faction | −2 or above | TBD |
| Eliminate a specific, named threat to the faction on their behalf | −2 or above | TBD |
| Provide intelligence of significant operational value | −1 or above | TBD |
| Surrender an asset or resource of value to the faction without conditions | −2 or above | TBD |
Recovery from Enemy (−3) standing is not achievable through standard actions. The GM sets terms — if any exist.
Information Warfare and Spin Control
Reputation damage from witnessed events can be partially mitigated through active information management. Mitigation limits how far Standing decays; it does not restore Standing already lost.
Mitigation Methods
| Method | Required Condition | Standing Loss Prevented |
|---|---|---|
| Counter-narrative (spin) | Crew delivers a credible alternative account before the initial account circulates | TBD |
| Witness suppression | Key witnesses are silenced, bought, or relocated before their testimony spreads | TBD |
| Scapegoat | An alternative party is credibly blamed and the attribution is accepted within the affected community | TBD |
| Compensation or public amends | Crew makes visible restitution to injured parties | TBD |
| Proactive disclosure before discovery | Crew admits fault to the faction before it independently learns of the incident | TBD |
Spin Control and Heat
Spin control affects Reputation totals only. It does not reduce Heat. A scapegoat accepted by a faction does not close an active law enforcement investigation. For managing Heat separately, see The Playbook — Managing Heat.
Cross-Faction Complications
Reputation Transfer (Guilt by Association)
When the crew takes an action that damages their Standing with Faction A, affiliated factions may register an automatic Standing penalty.
| Faction Relationship Type | Transfer Penalty |
|---|---|
| Formally allied (treaty or mutual charter) | TBD |
| Affiliated (shared territory, supply chain, or leadership overlap) | TBD |
| Independent but cooperative | None automatic; GM adjudication applies |
| Rival or hostile | No penalty; may generate Standing gain with the rival faction |
Conflicting Faction Interests
When the crew holds significant Faction Reputation with two or more factions that have conflicting interests, any action that materially benefits one faction may trigger an automatic penalty with the other.
Conflict threshold: TBD — determined by the specific factions involved, their current relationship status, and the operational visibility of the crew's action. Low-visibility actions between factions with only moderate conflicts may not trigger transfer penalties.
Interactions
| Related Mechanic | Nature of Interaction |
|---|---|
| Heat | Tracked separately. Heat reaching Hot (51+) can trigger Faction Reputation penalties with cautious or law-adjacent contacts and allies. Reputation damage does not generate Heat automatically. |
| Contacts | Personal Reputation directly affects contact availability, trust level, pricing modifiers, and service scope. A Pariah character may lose contact access entirely at GM discretion. |
| The Favor Bank | Faction Reputation affects the scale of favors that can be requested and the credit extended. Enemy Standing (−3) forfeits all outstanding favors with the affected faction. |
| Extended Task Frameworks | Reputation modifiers apply as task bonuses or penalties according to the relevant Standing level with the faction or individual overseeing or witnessing the task. |
Design rationale
For the design philosophy behind the dual Reputation system and its structural separation from Heat, see The Briefing Room — About Reputation.
Example
The crew completes an extraction job for the Orion Syndicate (Faction Reputation: Trusted, +3), then sells intelligence about that operation to a Starfleet Intelligence contact. The GM reduces their Orion Syndicate Standing by TBD — dropping from Trusted (+3) to Known (+1). The Syndicate's affiliated intermediaries register an automatic transfer penalty (TBD). Meanwhile, the character who sold the intelligence gains +1 Personal Reputation in Starfleet Intelligence circles as a reliable informant — and loses −1 Personal Reputation in broader underworld circles as a suspected double-dealer. Two separate Reputation entries update. The crew's Heat total is unchanged.