Chapter 19: Contracts and the 2/3 Design Philosophy

Contracts Are Designed to Be Partially Failed

A good Sword Staff contract usually has a main objective and several secondary tasks. Completing everything should be difficult. The expected outcome is that the party completes roughly two-thirds of the contract and accepts consequences for what they could not finish. The game is not about clean triumph. It is about hard compromises and survival.

Example Contract

Objectives:

1. Clear bandits from the highway.
2. Recover stolen supplies.
3. Capture the bandit leader alive.

If the party clears the bandits and recovers supplies but the leader escapes, they still get paid. But the escaped leader may recruit, return, or create a future contract.

Consequences of Partial Completion

Unfinished objectives become ripples:

• A creature escapes and kills someone later.
• A blockade causes regional ration prices to rise.
• An informant reveals secrets under torture.
• An artifact falls into enemy hands.
• An NPC's death creates an enemy or grieving ally.

These are not punishments. They are the world staying alive.

Designing Contracts

The ideal structure:

• One main objective that can be accomplished through effort.
• Two secondary objectives where the party can probably complete one but will struggle to complete both.
• At least one consequence that will matter later.