SoT Book 4 Chapter 1 - Part 2: Towards Better Negotiation

Part 1: Review / Recap 

In part 1, we discussed how Words for the Dead (chapter 1 of Strength of Thousands book 4, Secrets of the Temple City) has an interesting premise, but ultimately falls short of delivering on it. The structure as written leads to a boring, repetitive play loop. There's no fail state and therefore no tension, there's a distinct lack of things happening (events), and the negotiation process consists primarily of making rolls rather than arguments.

I did improve on this somewhat by adding active opposition in the form of the Aspis Consortium, but I should have gone further by better highlighting their progress over time and giving them ways to fuck with the PCs. I also should have turned this into more of a tug of war, with the PCs and Aspis actively racing to win over council members, rather than keeping things vague like I did. Full details on the delegation in part 1, and my epic finale in part 3.

Ultimately, scenarios are the most fun when they are situations with tons of active elements for the players to push on (and that will push back!), rather than as a linear series of dice rolls. Let's see what we can do!

by Todd Harris

Rethinking Influence

Ultimately, the Influence system is NOT scenario design. Period. It is a way of tracking progress in a given scenario, and it's not bad at that! I actually think the as-written version is better than most of the actual implementations I've seen, but I still think the core structure could be improved.

Negotiation

I am a patron of MCDM, and have been loving their design musings as the prepare for their upcoming game. They recently had a post about Negotiations. I don't go into too much detail, since it's their design and is still in playtest, but I do want to highlight three things that seem to work pretty well:

1. There's a built in timer in the form of Patience. When you fail a check, the NPCs Patience decreases, and when their patience hits 0 you're done, final offer.
2. It better rewards making real Arguments that play into NPC Motivations and avoid Pitfalls that might piss them off. If you effectively appeal to their Motivation, it just works! No need to roll (once each per motivation). Even for basic Arguments, you have to think about what the NPC would actually want, you can't just pick a skill and roll.
3. The tiers of success are much more closely tied to the actual point of discussion (they're basically "Yes, and...", "Yes", "Yes, but...", "No, but...", "No", and "No, and..."), rather than being random extra side benefits. I also like that it's faster to move up the Tiers (each increased Interest is a new Tier, though sometimes I could see an argument for slowing that down to the pace of Interest.

#1 actually has a theoretical equivalent in the Influence rules, in that you're meant to have a set number of influence rounds to make your case - both the example stat block (the grizzled landlord) and the example structure (4-course banquet) have pretty clear time limits, and therefore some actual pressure! Neither chapter 1 of either Stolen Fate or Secrets of the Temple City had any significant time pressure, and basically expected you to max out each influence tree! Treating them not as "how high can you go in the time allotted" but "keep rolling til you get to the top". That's not challenge, that's masochism.

#2 is also theoretically hinted at in the influence rules - "When a PC incorporates an NPC’s weakness, it typically decreases the associated Influence check’s DC by 2 (or 5 for stronger weaknesses), but it could have farther‑ranging effects, such as gaining automatic Influence Points or even automatically influencing the NPC regardless of how many Influence Points the PCs have achieved so far." I sure wish they'd incorporated some of that!

#3 is, again, hinted at in the Influence rules but tragically absent from the APs I've seen use it. With that greedy landlord, Influence 4 is a "Yes, but..." - "I'll give you a week to pay back the debt, but you'll be charged interest." Influence 6 is "Yes" - "I'll give you a month, no interest." Influence 8 is "Yes, and..." - "I'll give you all the time you need, and forgive half your debt".

Motivation vs. Weaknesses

I want to pull out one piece of #2 above: the framing of Motivations and Pitfalls is much stronger than Weaknesses and Resistances. I don't mind Resistances, per say - Pitfalls obviously works better with Patience, whereas Influence is usually measured in rounds so Resistances increasing DCs makes sense! Though I do kinda like the idea that you can automatically lose influence for saying the wrong thing as opposed to just making a check harder.

Motivation vs. Weaknesses is a huge change, however! Weaknesses tells you about an advantage you can gain by mentioning specific things, which is fine. Makes sense. And it even can result in auto-successes, which is great, though I haven't seen that implemented in an AP anywhere. Motivation not only gives similar bonuses, however; it also tells you what the NPC actually wants! Which is, pretty important if you're trying to strike a deal with them.

Motivations give you built in guidance on how the NPC would respond, or what they might ask for. A character motivated by money might ask for a bribe; a character motivated by vengeance might ask the PCs to mess with someone they hate; a scholar might thirst for knowledge; a warrior might want military guarantees. This makes it way easier for the GM to make it feel like these are actual negotiations where the PCs have to make offers and deals and whatnot, rather than just making friends by influencing people.

System Changes

So, what can we steal from this / what changes will we be making?

1. There needs to be a timer. Whether that's Patience in a single conversation, a Time Limit for an extended effort, or Competition that you are racing. For this scenario, we'll go with Competition, because it's the most flexible and dynamic.
2. We need even more focus on actual arguments that NPCs would actually care about, rather than just a series of dice rolls. As such, I wrote out specific Motivations for each NPC that the PCs can appeal to for automatic successes, and even thereafter may want to bring up.
3. We'll be re-writing some of the Influence Tiers, and generally reducing the Influence needed to 4 per person (though opposition may reduce their Influence) to keep things from dragging.

Remixing Words for the Dead

There are two main parts of this. The first, that I think will solve most of the problems, is to adjust the structure surrounding the influence challenge to better serve our needs. The second is to come up with more specific events to break things up. I left the second chunk vague because I don't think it's strictly necessary, but I think it could add a really neat dynamic.

Adjusted Influence

First off, I recommend halving the amount of influence needed for each person (other than Nkiruka and the Council of Mwanyisa). It's just too many rolls right now.

Second, I think we want this to feel like a Tug of War. The Aspis Consortium will basically be working on the NPCs at the same time, and whoever gets the most Influence with a given NPC wins them over!

Third, we're going to add concrete motivations to each NPC, and appealing to them directly (often by giving something up!) will work without a check. If the argument is particularly good, you might also let them make a check for free to try to influence them further!

Tug of War

So, both teams will be competing for each delegate! Basically, whoever gets to 4 influence with them first locks them in. If no one does, whoever has the most wins them over. Teams can also potentially work to remove each others influence, usually by undermining the other side's arguments or showing evidence (real or not), though this should be pretty difficult once someone is locked in. *Edit* I got a pretty rad suggestion from u/olliebird on reddit:

The only thing I changed was that I had the Aspis delegation present at the first meeting with Nkiruka and she directly told both delegations that they would be competing for Walkena's seal. As Walkena is a suspicious god, releasing one seal to a foreign power was enough. Two is too much outside influence. The group immediately felt the pressure of making sure this mission was a success and dove into strategizing who to talk to and how to best utilize their time.

The members of the Council of Mwanyisa must be won over separately, though they can be more or less won over with only 2 influence. They're also fickle and more likely to swap sides - the Aspis Consortium only needs 1 action to try to flip them, and PCs can attempt to do so too. If a given side has 4 Influence with Zubari, and council members they have 2 influence with are unflippable (unless Zubari flips first).

Since a "locked in" delegate can, theoretically with significant effort, change sides, the other team can attempt to continue gaining influence with them, though they cannot go above 3 influence while the other side has 4.

If things seem to be dragging on for too long, I recommend setting a hard end time (e.g. "in 2 weeks"). I'd ideally want one set ahead of time, but honestly that's something that needs to be playtested.

Nkiruka will still give the listed benefits (including the players eventually getting 2 actions each per week instead of 1), but instead of accruing Influence with her separately, double the listed totals (to 2/4/6/etc.), and the players unlock that step when they accrue that much total influence with everyone. Remember, so will Aspis...

The Aspis Consortium

To start with, the Aspis Consortium will have 2 actions per week, as Lord Antonio and Nera travel in one group, and Gaias and Florenzia travel in another. Once they get to 8 total influence across targets, Nkiruka removes some of the red tape and they get 4 actions per week (Lord Antonio gets 2, and Gaias and Florenzia each get 1). This doesn't change if they go back below 8 Influence. If there are 5 PCs, you might at this stage give them 5 actions as well (2 for Gaias and 1 for Florenzia).

Each action can be spent to gain 1 influence or to remove 1 influence that the PCs have accrued, as long as the target isn't locked in.* If the target is locked in, they can instead spend 2 actions to attempt to remove 1 PC influence, though the PCs will get a chance to respond and counter this attempt.

*Since the PCs get 1 action each per week, roughly twice as many actions as Aspis does in total, Aspis agents automatically succeeds on their checks.

Lord Antonio Tactics

• At First: Lord Antonio will hyper focus on Worknesh, appealing to her as a fellow military officer. It is very unlikely that the PCs will be able to break this relationship.
• At 8 Influence: He will then split his time between spreading dirt about the PCs and influencing the others. He will likely try to lock in anyone Gaias started on at first, and then move on to Themba (being careful not to talk too much about his work with Worknesh, though the PCs might exploit this)
• Arguments: Antonio focuses on the importance of good security and the quality of foreign goods. Really, though, he focuses on making sure the interests of the individual figures are benefited by whatever deals they reach, through promised favors, bribes, etc.
• Slander: When smearing the PCs, he will blatantly make shit up! Of course, using their actual actions (such as in Book 3 with Jula) could be a good starting point.

Gaias Tactics

• Order: Gaias focuses on making initial contact with as many people as possible (getting to 2 influence then switching), starting with Wekesa, followed by Zubari, followed by the Council Members
• Arguments: Gaias talks about his own love of Mwangi history/architecture (including an intense curiosity about Mzali), and his arguments focus on the value of international trade partners with as much influence and redundancy (security & ability to replace things that are lost) as Aspis.

Florenzia Tactics

• At First: She will monitor Gaias until she is sure he can handle things himself, as well as help him move through the bureaucratic red tape.
• At 8 Influence: She will focus on messing with the party through sabotage! Swapping friendly letters for rude ones, sending false letters in their names, stealing or ruining their fancy close, planting stolen items of theirs at the scenes of crimes that she commits, attacking people who are on the fence while dressed in blacks and basically pretending she's a bumbling Magaambya thug trying and failing to intimidate them. She is smart, and will find the PCs vulnerabilities.

Other Groups

What about the Vidrians and the Bright Lions? See below for their Motivations / Influence Tiers, but quick thoughts are here!

M'bele is basically trying to do the same thing as the Aspis Consortium, but there's only one of him. He gets only 1 action per week, and does not automatically succeed or get a second action at any point because this is not his strong suit (unless the PCs betray him and side with Aspis).

• Approach: He will always make a Diplomacy check (modifier +24), focusing on Vidrian's flourishing trade and anti-colonial values.
• Order: He will start with Zubari (needs a 13 on the die), then move onto Wekesa (12 on the die) once he has 2 influence with Zubari.
• Limited Capacity: He does not make this check on weeks the PCs talk to him, since his attention is focused on them.
• Teamwork: If the PCs get to 4 Influence with M'bele, they inherit all his Influence, and he will happily make his check for them each week (either to Influence someone or to mess with the Aspis Consortium)
• Betrayal: If the PCs side with the Aspis Consortium, M'bele is driven to previously unknown heights of diplomacy, automatically succeeding on his checks and getting 2 actions per week. It's likely too late to make a difference at that point, however.

Meanwhile, the Bright Lions can either be used to mess with Aspis or asked to calm down to help win over Nkiruka. I recommend having Nkiruka say "It is almost certain the Bright Lions will try to contact you" rather than "I know they have already contacted you" to give the PCs a little more leeway in their choice.

• Stop Activities: If the PCs get the Bright Lions to halt their rebel activities, that counts as winning over another Figure, and will improve their overall outlook!
• Aid the Delegation: They may agree to instead Aid the PCs by disrupting Aspis efforts! They make 1 Flat Check every week to remove Aspis Influence from 1 area. The DC will start at 15, though the PCs can improve this by coming up with better plans or giving them advice or access.
• Betrayal: If the PCs side with the Aspis Consortium, the Bright Lions will spend 1 action a week disrupting their efforts (they automatically succeed unless the PCs take specific countermeasures).

Countering the Consortium

When the PCs try to counter the Aspis Consortium, they must make an argument about why they're bad or why the PCs plan is better. Here are some tactics they might try, or dirt they might dig up! You might require a research check of some type to find some of this info, or have Magaambya professors know already. And, of course, reward clever player ideas! This is just to get you started.

Arguments (the PCs can find this information using the Research subsystem, default DC 30, either in the library or searching through Antonio's stuff which yields +1 RP per attempt but comes at the risk of getting caught on a failed Stealth check)

• 1 RP - They're largely (though unofficially) based in Cheliax / the Inner Sea Region, which has a long history of Colonization in the Mwangi Expanse
• 2 RP - Reports of them breaking minor deals
• 3 RP - Long history of extractive trade deals that leave the other party dependent on them
• 5 RP - History of manufacturing conflicts in order to benefit from them
• 6 RP - Reports of them violently breaking major deals
• 8 RP - They have run slave camps in the Mwangi Expanse, most famously Whitebridge Station
• 10 RP - Examples of them committing genocide in the process of manufacturing conflict

Disruption

• They can try to mess with Antonio's bribes, by stealing the money, replacing it with forgeries, etc.
• They can try to out-bribe him! (The Magaambya has a limited capacity to fund bribes,  so they'll have to pick their battles)
• They can spy on them to learn their plans and counter their arguments before they make them
• There's probably incriminating evidence in Antonio's room, showing his true intentions...
• They can plant incriminating evidence (forged documents, stolen Aspis gear, etc.)
• They can mess with their lifestyle (like my players did with Spiders), slowing them down and removing some of their actions as they deal with that crisis

Allying with the Consortium

As a last ditch effort, the PCs might even decide to negotiate with the Consortium! This will require 4 Influence to do completely, though there are lesser benefits along the way. If they agree to let the Consortium have total control over all trade, the Consortium will happily support them in their other aims. In this case, count any existing Influence by either group as Influence for both groups, but the PCs automatically give up on having any influence on trade (this is a huge concession, with devastating ramifications for both M'zali and Vidrian).

M'bele and Sihar will both work against the party, and will do so with such renewed passion that M'bele's attempts auto-succeed and he gets 2 actions per week, and Sihar's team auto-succeeds to disrupt the PCs. On the upside, the Aspis Consortium is happy to support the Magaambya's efforts to let in teachers and doctors, as well as to minimize penalties for non-Mwangi individuals (such as most Aspis Consortium members).

Note that you should make sure the PCs are aware of the consequences of this choice before they make it. Make sure M'bele and Sihar in particular lay it out for them.

Results

There are 8 total people to win over! Wekesa, Zubari, Worknesh, Themba, and the 4 council members (Dzonzi, Gondwi, Onami, and Simbwala). This means it is very possible to tie, though winning over Zubari makes the rest of the council much easier. The PCs might also convince Sihar to have the Bright Lions stand down temporarily, effectively giving them 1 more. If you want to be extra nice to the PCs, you might let Nkiruka (who clearly favors them) count as an additional, automatically won over figure.

If the Aspis Consortium wins over more figures than the PCs, the PCs lose. Non-Mwangi people without a Seal are still executed (Aspis folks are more likely to get seals), and the only trade that's let in is controlled by the Consortium, meaning that it will be focused on ruthless profit and corruption rather than an influx of positive new ideas.

If the result is a tie, the squabbling convinces Walkena that letting in outside trade would be a bad idea altogether. If you like, you can let the PCs win a tie thanks to Nkiruka casting the deciding vote, either as if they won over 5 figures or with a lesser version of that (e.g. maybe the death penalty is no longer mandatory punishment, but no other changes to trade/etc.). You might do the same if Aspis as more council members, and the PCs have more other figures, since the individual council members don't matter as much.

If the PCs win over more figures, their success depends on how many figures they won over, since the more time is spent arguing about who will control trade the less time can go to other matters. If they sided with M'bele, that joint platform enables them to push for trade without compromising the potential safety of outsiders.

• 5 Figures: The death penalty is no longer the mandatory punishment for non-Mwangi individuals, though it is still an option in specific cases
• With M'bele: Trade is allowed with specific Mwangi individuals, such as him/his company and certain Nantambu based companies (this result applies to all success states)
• 6 Figures: The harshest punishment for non-Mwangi individuals is now Exile, and Walkena will increase access to Seals for the Magaambya and similar institutions.
• 7 Figures: As #6, but Seal access is increased for everyone, and trade is allowed with Mwangi-based companies even if the PCs didn't ally with M'bele.
• 8 Figures: The death penalty is repealed, and the city is fully open to all outsiders! No seals required.
• 9 Figures: If the PCs won over every Figure and also got the Bright Lions to chill out, Walkena is so impressed that not only will he do everything in #8, but he will also ask them for input (to be given through Nkiruka) on what changes they might suggest making to society to increase internal peace (the best answers being along the lines of "Make conditions better and relax restrictions")

You might also allow the PCs one final appeal to Walkena to try to shift things in their favor, with higher stakes (crit fail drops them down 1 figure, success nets them 1, crit nets them 2).

What Happens Next?

The Aspis Consortium will likely try to assassinate the PCs if they are winning, likely on their way to the final meeting! They will send Florenzia and 2 Agents (+/- 1 depending on party size for a Severe fight) as a first wave, and if that doesn't work the rest of the Agents (6 total, so 3-5 left) will harrass the PCs in teams of 2 all the way to the temple. Antonio won't risk himself, and Gaias knows nothing about this (and would be pretty affronted to learn). Up to you if you want a second fight with just Nera (I wouldn't unless there are 5 players, personally). I also had the consortium agents try to burn down both their place and M'bele's the night before (with some foreshadowing, so the PCs had time to react), to give them a lower stakes chance to prepare.

As before, the PCs must complete the task in Chapter 2 to seal the deal. If they lose, the Aspis Consortium will be given the task instead, and the PCs can attempt to thwart them and therefore stop their deal! The Bright Lions will also likely try to push the party to do so, to stop their foul influence and recover the same items that Walkena wants so that they can try to use the actual meaning of that prophecy against him.

You might also decide to have the Aspis Consortium as an additional threat in Chapter 2 if the PCs win, but I might decide to save them for Chapter 3 instead - fighting alongside Worknesh after convincing her to go behind Walkena's back to attack Osibu!

Motivations

Here are the Motivations and revised Influence Tiers for all NPCs in this chapter! The Council members don't give a benefit at 1 Influence, and are won over (for now) at 2 Influence. They should still probably give out 4,500gp ish of relics, either like 1-2k each as they're won or at the end.

The Magaambya also has 5,000gp for bribes or other expenses (e.g. buying weapons for the Bright Lions), though the Aspis Consortium can easily mount 10,000gp and can promise basically limitlessly more so they'll have to be careful in how they spend that. Minimum of 500gp for bribes, or 1,000gp to counter an Aspis bribe (though they might be able to promise other favors/etc.).

Council: Dzonzi

Motivations: 

• Live as comfortably as possible
• Not lose his position over the potential spread of outside religions

Very likely to switch sides for bigger bribes/promises

Council: Gondwi

Motivations: 

• Benefit financially from any potential trade deals
• Show off his style and flair (whether fashion, music, dance, etc.)

Will switch sides for new fashions or artistic appreciation

Council: Onami

Motivations: 

• Protect the places of the dead, where their bodies and spirits rest
• Enrich her knowledge of history without angering Walkena (see page 16)

Will only switch sides to preserve Mzali culture

Council: Simbwala

Motivations: 

• Keep the stories of Mzali alive
• Ensure a good future for the people of Mzali

Unlikely to side with the Aspis Consortium unless the PCs fuck up

Gaias (Aspis Consortium)

Motivations: 

• Prove that he deserves his place with the consortium (hidden, from even himself: or anywhere)
• Learn about his Kallijae heritage (or Elven heritage more broadly), especially architecture
• Make the world better! (He thinks the Aspis Consortium is doing that, and is quickly shaken by evidence to the contrary)

Influence:

1. No. Gaias will meet with the PCs alone if they promise his safety, but can't offer them anything yet.
2. No, but... Gaias will try to subtly counteract some of the lies told by the others.
3. Yes! Gaias will offer an alliance with Aspis. OR Yes, but... if they're trying to separate him from them he will consider it, but needs more evidence.
4. Yes, and... If forging an alliance, they get a +2 bonus to their next checks! OR Yes! If they are trying to separate them from the others, he finally believes them (though his betrayal redoubles Florenzia's efforts, and she gets 2 actions per week)

M'bele (Anthusis Traveling Merchant Guild)

Motivations: 

• Prove his prowess as a negotiator! (difficult, since he's, not great)
• Aid the economic stability of Vidrian
• Screw over the Aspis Consortium
• Share the proud history of Vidrian! (Ahassanu will automatically ask if brought)

Influence:

1. No, but... M'bele stops trying to disrupt disrupt the PCs.
2. Yes, but... M'bele tentatively agrees to figure it out, but needs help figuring out a joint strategy. +1 Influence wiht Nkiruka
3. Yes! M'bele's influence transfers to the PCs, but he needs more guidance to continue working on their behalf.
4. Yes, and... M'bele agrees to fully work with the PCs as described above, and shares his merchant contacts with them (see page 18).

Sihar (Bright Lions)

Motivations: 

• Protect the people of Mzali (though PCs will need to argue how their plan will do that better than an all out war against a God)
• Maintain the secrecy and safety of her people
• Preserve and spread the rituals of the Old Sun Gods
• Bolster the material resources of the Bright Lions

Influence:

1. No, but... Sihar shares the Bright Lion archetype/weapons
2. Yes, but... As #3, but only if the PCs do something dangerous and potentially deal-breaking, like steal secrets from a government official or sneak them in somewhere to attack. If the PCs don't wanna take that risk, she'll keep talking, and at least offer I6 on page 20.
3. Yes! The Bright Lions will either back off completely (gaining Nkiruka's approval) or help the PCs mess with the Aspis Consorium. If they didn't already offer I6, they do.
4. Yes, and... As #3, and they also offer the benefits of I8 on page 20

Themba Sufu (Secret Police)

Motivations:

• Undermine Worknesh
• Increase his standing in the city
• Prove his strength by inflicting pain or compelling loyalty

He is almost guaranteed to at least temporarily flip against someone who has Worknesh locked in, and can be easily enraged against either party.

Influence:

1. No, and... Themba becomes suspicious of the PCs 
2. Yes, but... Themba tentatively approves of the PCs but keeps them under observation.
3. Yes! Themba will drop his suspicions.
4. Yes, and... Themba wholeheartedly approves, and also offers to assassinate someone for them (see page 21) - this could even be Antonio! Though Nera would then go on the warpath and likely try to stalk and kill the PCs one by one (even without proof), and Gaias/Florenzia would still get 2 actions between them (3 with 5+ PCs)

Wekesa (Voice of Mzali)

Motivations:

• Prove himself a worthy servant of Walkena
• Prevent outside influence from corrupting Mzali
• Aid the people of Mzali with their problems
• Showcase the vibrant art and culture of Mzali

Influence:

1. No, but... Free cart transport! Mostly a ribbon, but potentially very useful for gathering info or anti-Aspis shennanigans
2. Yes, but... He tentatively approves! But will only support them if they make assurances to limit the influence of outside culture (a hard thing for the Magaambya to promise)
3. Yes! He drops that restriction and communicates his approval widely (see I6 on page 23)
4. Yes, and... he gives them a home! See page 23

Worknesh (Master of Spears)

Motivations:

• Clamp down on potential rebellions within Mzali
• Prove the superiority of Mzali combat tactics
• Assess whether the PCs are a threat (if yes, they're fucked)

Influence:

1. No. N/A!
2. No, but... she will invite them to an exhibition match (see page 24)
3. Yes, but... only if they first fight for her assessment
4. Yes, and... To whichever side goes her vote also goes her armory! (note that if this isn't the PCs, make sure equivalent value gear can be found on Aspis folks they fight or similar)

Even if she sides with Aspis, she will still invite the PCs to first watch a fight and then perform in one as a way to test their skill. Remember that each tier should be 1 point per PC (so increase numbers for a bigger party / etc.)

Zubari (High Priest / Head of Council)

Motivations:

• Preserve and spread the rituals of Walkena
• Wrangle the Council (the PCs can make additional, likely easier checks to with the Council members that they've already won over to get them to help out more and increase Influence with Zubari)

Influence: Honestly, keep this the same (though Halving the required influence), but at Influence 4 (formerly 8), any Council Members that are at Influence 2 with the PCs are locked in, and won't change their minds unless Zubari does first.

Full Spreadsheet Here

Events / Active Elements

I think the above restructuring of the Influence system is probably enough, but if things are ever getting too repetitive, break things up with some events!

Social Events

It could be fun to have specific Events that are basically compressed Influence weeks with a theme! A dinner party with a round before dinner, a round at dinner, and a round at desert. A parade that everyone will attend. A ceremony celebrating a war hero or the graduation of new recruits.

I recommend structuring these using Justin Alexander's party planning system so that there's more to do than just more dice rolls.

Side Quests

Performing side quests for NPCs is a great way to guaranteed earn Influence (1-2 depending on how difficult/dangerous it is and how effective the PCs are), but it's not without risks! Both combat-wise and in terms of potential political mishaps. If things go poorly enough, a PC could be exiled from Mzali, or it could even be an auto-lose for the whole delegation! The PCs should always therefore be able to turn down these offers, though if things get desperate they might be willing to take that risk...

Maybe Themba and/or Worknesh try to pit the PCs against each other to vie for political control! Maybe Wekesa asks the party to put some undead to rest in the necropolis

Background Events

The city doesn't feel alive enough as written! I recommend running it as a loose pointcrawl and checking for random encounters every so often when they travel places (probably 1-2 a week and for important events, not every time anyone does anything). Specifically, details about Mzali, interactions with the other factions (Aspis, Vidrians, important Figures, etc.), and random encounters surrounding the Bright Lions.

For broader details, I'd take a flip through Lost Omens: The Mwangi Expanse, pick out your favorite cultural details about Mzali and throw them into a table.

Before the Bright Lions chill out (or if they never do), it could be fun to showcase their efforts! Keep in mind that they're planning for a big push, so won't be going too hot at the moment. Consider periodically rolling on this little table as the PCs move through the city!

1. Propaganda campaigns! Mzali citizens secretively reading leaflets, OR graffiti, OR royal posters declaring the unimpeachability of Mzali and asking for info about the Bright Lions.
2. Speeches! A Bright Lion quietly trying to sway civilians, OR Mzali priests railing against their "evils" and "blasphemy".
3. Guards chasing a Bright Lion through the city! Across rooftops OR through narrow alleys / market places.
4. Smuggling arms into the city! OR Guards finding their caches.
5. Skirmishes with guards! Bright Lions attacked an outpost, OR their safehouse was attacked.
6. Someone's been kidnapped! A Bright Lion is in custody for helping outsiders escape execution, OR they've kidnapped a staff member of one of the people the PCs are negotiating with.

That's all folks!

I think there are a lot of ways to make Negotiations more interesting! Hopefully you find some of the ideas in here useful for helping bring negotiations to life, whether in this scenario or in your own.

Part 3: A Grand Finale