Frenemies Dev Diary #2

Time to start making some content! Before I get too far into developing the rules, I want to get a better idea of what kinds of characters and stories this game is about. That will help guide the development of the mechanics. So, I started writing some tables.

First up, I started listing out relationship types and ways two characters might be connected to each other. I want to make sure I'm not limiting myself to just the most common or obvious kinds of pairings. Here's what I've got so far:

• Rivals (academic, professional, hobby, schoolyard, for the affections of another)
• Roommates
• Classmates
• Siblings (elder/younger, half, step, twins (fraternal/identical))
• Cousins
• Extended family (uncle/aunt and niece/nephew, etc.)
• Parent/child (bio, step, adopted)
• Lovers
• Ex-lovers
• Spouses (married for love, married for money, shotgun wedding, arranged marriage)
• Coworkers
• Soldiers in the same squad
• Teammates (sports team, agents, etc.)
• On opposing sides (of a war, two different companies, religions, etc.)
• Childhood friends
• Life debt (one saved the other's life)
• Guardian and guarded / Protector and protected
• Important person and their assistant/bodyguard/butler/whatever 
• Hero and sidekick
• Mentor and apprentice
• Lord and vassal

Then I started thinking about how to generate the core conflict. Frenemies need both motivation to get along and a source of friction. I decided to start with very abstract tables for this. More specific examples could be added, but I wanted something high level that players could use to inspire their own ideas.

So, here is the frenemies generator! Roll a d10 for each table, or roll 2d10 and assign each to one of the tables, your choice.

We work together because...

1. We share a common goal
2. We share a common enemy
3. We share a core belief or value
4. We're using each other for our own ends
5. We love each other
6. An authority is making us do it
7. Something terrible will happen if we don't 
8. Fate or random chance keeps bringing us together 
9. The prophecy says we must
10. It's the only way to end the curse

But...

1. We have wildly different beliefs or values
2. Our personal goals are diametrically opposed
3. We have unresolved history
4. We hurt each other in the past
5. We have conflicting loyalties
6. We are or were on opposite sides of a major conflict
7. Each of us is trying to redeem or corrupt the other 
8. Only one of us can win the prize
9. Only one of us can be the very best
10. Only one of us can come out of this alive

For example, a roll of 1 and 4 could be "We work together because we share a common goal, but we hurt each other in the past", while a roll of 5 and 10 could be "We work together because we love each other, but only one of us can come out of this alive."

This feels like a good starting point. It covers a lot of the examples I can think of from media, such as Deku and Bakugo from My Hero Academia, or Aziraphale and Crowley from Good Omens.

My next step is probably to start thinking more about rules and mechanics!