Concerning Aspirations

Originally published April 2, 2014

I've been running a Chronicle with the new God-Machine Chronicle (GMC) rules for almost 8 months now and while much of the system runs smoothly for me and my players, I've run into some hiccups with Aspirations. Aspirations are goals for your character that also serve as one of the main ways for them to gain experience.

I've voiced elsewhere my love of Aspirations as a Storyteller. They tell you what a character wants whether they are a player character (PC) or non-player character (NPC). That makes them a great tool for planning (using PC Aspirations and those of major NPCs) and roleplaying (your NPCs).

As for players, my wife and I have found them to be handy for getting into the mind-set of your character. The process of figuring out what your character wants (or what interesting things you want for your character) helps keep them consistent and moving forward.

That said I think advice on building your own Aspirations can always help. I've seen players waylaid by them, unable to come up with anything or choosing things that never earn them Beats. For Storytellers there are a number of things that you should keep in mind to guide your players and hopefully make the most use of this tool.

Long Term Aspirations

Ideally every character should have a long-term Aspiration: something that the character is building toward but which will take them some time to accomplish. Generally it should be something worthy of focusing at least a game session or a short story on. Good examples include finding a way to walk again (for a cripple), retrieving the Quill of Fate, taking down the Zerilli crime family.

On the other hand a character should not have more than one long-term goal. Doing so will only spread the character too thin with the most likely result being that none of the goals get accomplished. Alternatively it will complicate things for the Storyteller who now has to focus more of the plot on that character for them to have a hope of accomplishing their goals.

The opposite problem, a character with no long-term Aspiration is not especially damaging. It does leave a character rudderless so the Storyteller should endeavor to work with the player to come up with some sort of long-term goal if the game is going last more than a few sessions.

One thing to keep a close eye on are players whose characters are failing to make any process toward their goals. If several sessions pass without them getting a Beat for making progress toward their goal, the Storyteller should talk to them about it. It may be that they have no idea how to accomplish their Aspiration. In that case the Storyteller should help them create a short-term Aspiration that will bring them closer to their major goal, both catching them up in experience and putting them back on track.

As a player if you find yourself lost on how to accomplish an Aspiration, do not hesitate to talk your Storyteller. Communication is crucial in any roleplaying game.

May You Live In Interesting Times

One of the more interesting options for Aspirations, especially short-term Aspirations, are things that your character would not necessarily want to happen but that you do. Examples include making a bad deal at a Goblin Market, being attacked by a monster, or seeing a ghost. These "trouble" Aspirations are much like the Trouble Character Aspect in Fate, a way for you, the player, to control what bad stuff happens to them.

Aspirations are like votes on the direction the game will take. Since you agreed to play a horror game, one would expect that you want to see your character get involved in dangerous situations. Setting goals in line with the themes of that game is not just a lucrative source of experience but adds to the game a whole. What is more fun? Investigating the haunted house alone? Or waiting at home until you can bring a full camera crew in broad daylight?

Establishment Aspirations

A type of Aspiration that very useful early on in a game is what I call Establishment Aspirations. These are Aspirations that show off some aspect of your character. If you are playing a tough ex-gang member, you might have Aspirations like facing off against a rival gang member, hide drugs for an old friend, or scare off the local drug dealer. These Aspirations make it clear who your character is and what their past was like.

Especially useful early in a Chronicle, they serve to tell the Storyteller and the other players what your character is about. While you don't want to use them too often they serve a vital purpose of fleshing out your character and helping to provide spur scenes to better portray your character.

Numbers and Management

The GMC rules suggest having 3 Aspirations. My players have had significant difficulty with that, either running out or coming up with a half-dozen or more.

I'd say realistically 4 to 5 Aspirations are good to start with, including several Establishment Aspirations. As the game progresses, the players and Storyteller will learn what works and what doesn't for their game and they can trim it back to 3 to 4 Aspirations.

Expecting players to work up Aspirations between sessions may be too much to ask in general. I'd suggest setting aside some time, preferably at the end of session when things are fresh in your mind to talk about what the characters' new Aspirations will be. This should give the Storyteller plenty of time to incorporate those ideas into future sessions.

Further Reading

One source of further ideas for Aspirations is Promthean: the Created. Promethean, as part of its Pilgrimage toward Humanity, has the concept of milestones. Most milestone ideas would work as excellent Aspirations. While milestone examples are scattered throughout the Promethean line, Magnum Opus and Strange Alchemies have the most advice on the subject.

I think it is very important for the PCs to put some time and effort into their Aspirations. As a Storyteller I often cycle between characters when there is unstructured time in-game and ask what they are doing. That is the perfect time to pursue an Aspiration. This is a source of experience and character growth, seize the opportunity.