hello waffleville what is triangle agency even about
HUGE NOTE: The Triangle Agency I'm talking about here in this ask is the <tabletop game/TTRPG initiative>, not the in-universe Agency and also not our in-sys Agency Branches.
Now, with that said...
What even IS Triangle Agency, Cobalt-11?
Triangle Agency's a tabletop role-playing game made by the development team Haunted Table. It's an absurdist office comedy where the lines between your PC and yourself are a little thin. It's taken over our fucking brain to the point we have at least 2 subsystems of Agency folks.
Okay, but what is it actually about?
From the itch.io page: [Triangle Agency] is about wielding enormous, reality-warping power while navigating bureaucratic red tape and juggling your everyday responsibilities. It seamlessly transitions between chilling horror, wacky comedy, and the emotional truth of trying to survive in a world with no right answers.
It's typically a 2-5 player game, plus a GM (General Manager). Games can run as short as a oneshot, but are usually campaigns of 10-30 sessions.
You (or well, your PC) is a Field Agent for the titular Triangle Agency, and are bonded with a Anomaly who grants you a specific set of powers. As a Field Agent, you're tasked with investigating and capturing Anomalies.
The game uses 6d4 for its dice resolution, and generally you aren't ever rolling them except to use your Anomaly abilities or to Ask the Agency for help. When you roll these dice, Chaos is generated. Chaos is (mechanically) a resource your General Manager (and Anomalies in the field) use for powerful effects and also to make your life that much harder. As you progress, you'll spend Time on various Work-Life Balance tracks that'll lead you to sections of the Playwall -- secret material unlocked by playing the game.
('What's in the Playwall, though?' I can't tell you. I don't know much and if I told you what I do know, it'll get me Demerits. Hell, the way we play, even our GMs don't know much about the contents-- they learn alongside us!)
There's other stuff-- like the other pieces of your Agent's ARC (Anomaly, Reallty, Competency) and the mechanics that go alongside those.
Triangle Agency plays with the line between player character and player, too. Your PC, your Agent, is the gameself. You, the Player, are the tableself.
More explanation below, from the book:
What is Tabletop Role-Playing?
Tabletop Role-Playing Games are a workplace efficiency technique involving dissociation from your immediate circumstances by pretending you are at a table in a home, conference room, or virtual space. In our world, Reallty, you will experience many dangerous, terrifying, and difficult- to-comprehend situations.
The Tabletop Role-Playing Game provides you a measure of protection and ernotional distance.
One member of your Field Team will assume the role of General Manager. or "GM", and take responsibility for describing your team's circumstances, directing focus, and speaking on behalf of the people you encounter.
The rest of you, as Fleld Agents, will describe the thoughts and actions of your characters and those most important to them.
This is called "role-playing."
You get to pretend you are not living the stresses of your current moment and instead are enjoying a refreshing beverage at the imaginary table of your choice, the Agency is happy youre happy. Win-win!
We recommend you embrace your imaginary life: leaving the table in between missions to experience a separate, mundane existence wherein you have entirely different relationships, superstitions, and employment is totally normal and a common part of the exercise. Don't forget to clock in on your return!
^ This in-universe bit is also tied to - is? - the TTRPG Initiative. The fact Triangle Agency is a TTRPG is canon and referenced in the game itself. It's pretty great.
(If you're confused by the above-- the implication is that it is being read by your Agent in-universe, and that their world ie Reality is the real one and you, the Players and GM and etc, are the ones being role played as. You are playing them, they are playing you...playing them, as far as I understand it.)
'Hey, Cobalt, since you're a person with DID-- if your Agent is dissociating via the TTRPG Initiative and you're dissociating via.. being you, then--?' At least 3 layers of bullshit, honestly.
Explain why you and Parker?-12 are yelling at each other about something called Demerits.
In Triangle Agency, there's Agent Preformance Metrics. One is Commendations. These are a 'you're doing good work!' reward from your GM and the Agency in general. In universe, they literally do make you feel good on receipt.
Things that earn you Commendations include capturing Anomalies successfully, clarifying rules for other Agents, identifying when abithwr Agent should receive a Demerit (more on those in a second), and loyalty to the Agency as determined by the GM, among others.
Commendations can be used for various things. The ones I know about are determining who gets MVP after a Mission and buying Requisitions from the Agency, ie helpful items and other stuff. There's a fucking helicopter for 999, I think.
Now. Demerits.
Demerits are the Agency's way of going 'Hey. Don't'. In universe, these feel bad. We have made 'headache that gets worse the more you have' canon for our Branch, for example.
Things that earn you Demerits include letting Anomalies escape, using your Anomly abilities outside of work, breaking or bending rules for narrative purposes, disloyal or negative speech about the Agency as determined by your GM, among other things.
Demerits adjust your Agency Standing. As you gain Demerits, your Standing changes. I...don't actually remember what your Standing does save if you get a certain amount of Demerits the Agency revokes your access to the Froyo Room.
(Demerits definitely don't have any other use. ;3)
Anyway, the reason me and Parker?-12 (my group's GM) keep yelling at each other is due to the gamified task list initiative, which isn't an actual thing. I mean, it is, you can look at it here, but it's really just a motivational tool we made for ourselves.
Through this initiative, we're each earning Commendations and Demerits to use in-game. The way we play Triangle Agency is called open table -- or is it shared world? living world? all three? - with a '4 Agents to a Field Team, many Players' West Marches approach.
Basically, Agents opted into the West Marches Department have many Players instead of one. This allows play to continue even if some folks go dormant or inactive. West Marches and open tables / living or shared world aren't a Triangle Agency and we didn't make them up.
You can read more about them all if you Google those terms but TLDR: West Marches have no fixed party and multiple GMs, open table allows dropping in and out of sessions, and a living world is a persistent setting with various changes and events.
For us, this means all our Field Teams work in the same Branch, and don't have to be made up of the Agents 'assigned' to them. Agents themselves are not 'owned' by any one Player-- anyone can use an Agent in a Mission/etc if not deployed.
Additionally, we're trying out an idea (thanks to the Discord!) where Players can spend Commendations (and Demerits) for things that'll effect other Players on their missions. Example: One player spends Demerits to cause a Chaos effect in another Player's mission or otherwise.
This will interplay with the WLB tracks, too! A Player could spend Commendations so that if the Agent doesn't openly praise the Agency upon meeting [REDACTED], something happens that the Anomaly track player doesn't want. Etc.
What is DFW Branch (aka the Red Delta)?
That's our TTRPG Initiative Branch, based in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas! It's where our games take place, and all our Agents + GMs work.
Wow! Sounds cool! How do I learn more?
You can go to the Triangle Agency itch page, or join the Haunted Table Discord! (Link is on the itch page somewhere.) You can ask us! You can even Ask the Agency.
(No, you can't...or can you?)
Finally-- if you become a Player, let your GM know that DFW Branch has awarded you 3 Commendations. 'What, the entire branch?' Yeah. The entire Branch, via our GMs. Enjoy. (:
Welcome to the first job of the rest of your life!
