Planti's OKS musings: Imposter MC
So, I feel a bit weird doing that, but I have to start from somewhere, so here we go! Please take note that the data in this post comes from the game and code from the Public beta build (currently up to Chapter 2-2)
Welcome to Planti's OKS musings! yaaaaaaaay
For now I will focus on the MC's Imposter Secret, seeing as this will be the one thing to bite them in the butt later on if not handled correctly (looking at you here, Liar/Serial killer), this time featuring my observations on the Imposter, my personal favorite due to it being the most 'normal' one of the bunch as well as the potential hilarity of there being two imposters in this van if you add in the saboteur.
Chapter 1, Secret Pick:
Right off the bat, the Imposter Secret possesses some slight flavor text for the Amnesiac and Accident MCs due to their especially nonexistent/painful pasts and memories that they wish to escape. Picking the Imposter Secret gives +5 to the 'social' score, which is fitting seeing as, according to the narration, it was pulled off using exclusively the MC's social abilities and maintained that way.
Breaking down the choices and what they apparently give (since I remember the writer mentionning that they were lying somewhere, no doubt in part to obscure who the other Imposter here is) Here is what we have!
As far as I can tell, only the first two waves of questions have a mechanical impact.
Impactful choice 1:
-I don't even know what I'd been thinking : Bold -2 -I immediately knew exactly what I had to do : Bold +2 -I never intended this. It just sort of... happened : Bold -2, Sweet +2 -It was only meant for a short term lark in the beginning : N/A
Impactful choice 2:
-It's not as if I'm hurting anyone : Optimist +1, Sweet +1, Bold -1 -It's not as if it's possible to steal from the dead : Sass -1, Sweet -1, Bold -1 -It's not as if [The Original] ghost's haunting the world because of this : Optimist -1, Sass +1, Bold -1 -No excuses here. In the end, I wanted to be [Them] and so I became [Them] : Optimist -2, Sweet -2, Bold +5
Additionally, and rather tellingly at that, There are two further direct background interactions with this secret. If one picked the Amnesia Childhood and/or the News Reporter Job, both Lorelei and Gwyneth gain +1/+2 on their sus score.
Now, let us look at that particular data point from another angle: This doesn't trigger if the MC has an abused, abandoned, or accident (now that I think about it, all the childhoods come with an 'a', funny coincidence) childhood and/or stays clear of working as a reporter as an imposter.
This is relevant because of several things:
First, in the Amnesiac background, it is mentionned that there was a national/international media campaign when Amnesiac MC was first found and some more perceptive characters may very well suspect something. However, I find it odd that Cassandra, the literal police detective, isn't the one gaining the sus score here, meaning that even though this point could be a weighting factor, it isnt the determinant one.
Second, the fact that this only triggers in the Amnesiac MC's path as far as childhood goes means the forgotten past of the MC themselves is going to be a 'tell' of their Imposter secret for Lorelei and Gwyneth. Seeing as a bit of code diving gives us that delightful tidbit (set ensorceled true) when we look at the amnesia childhood is also quite interesting, considering Lorelei and Gwyneth aren't, in fact, supposed to be the most magic-sensitive characters.
Gwyneth I can handwave by saying that she's extremely social-specced and could detect that something's off where Cassandra couldn't, but Lorelei doesn't have this excuse, and her behavior of her being extremely prepared/already on the run (apparently there's a 'reason' she'll be one of the later catches?) on top of the very specific requirements for the sus triggers mean that she is the likelier one of the two to have actually known MC in the past.
Chapter 1-5-2:
Most of the flavor text involving the Imposter secret revolves around them taking advantage of situations or doesn't bear any mechanical effects that I can anticipate, except maybe this one:
-For the Smoking-addicted MC who went back to their apartment, it is revealed that the possess another, premium, lighter with what seems to be (unless I'm misreading the narration here) their 'Original' name written on it, the one they had every since they woke up in the desert with amnesia, which is likely to have some rather interesting in light of the Gwyneth/Lorelei possible situation going on.
Chapter 1-6:
Merlin, if they are who they say they are, almost certainly knows the character uses a fake name if a non-mute Imposter MC introduces themselves, though it seems his sus counter only rises when MC deliberately gives them a pseudonym instead. Seeing as they only seem to care about past names and Arthur, they are unlikely to cause trouble unless more people raise up objections (Looking at Gwyneth and lorelei here)
Chapter 2-2:
Imposter secret comes back to bite you in the butt! This time with those two options during the talk about your addiction:
-"Well actually..." I launch into a long retelling of my life story : Adrian Sus +1 If Amnesiac, Imposter and Merlin doesn't know who your past self is: Merlin Sus +1 If Abandoned, Imposter and Merlin doesn't know who your past self is: Merlin Sus +1
-I hand over a thick printed booklet of my life story that I carry around for times just like this. Adrian Sus +1
The reasons for this are fairly obvious, Adrian almost certainly looked into the MC's past, and the discrepancies are beginning to pop up. Beign an imposter is a secret that only really holds as long as people don't know enough about MC to be able to call them out on their lie. The more info MC gives, the weaker their secrecy becomes, as Adrian oh-so-suspiciously put it 'keep it simple' (so says the one most likely to be a fellow imposter secret holder). As for Merlin, the Amnesia incident reeks of magic interference, and the Abandoned one is also pretty suspicious, but seeing as those only trigger suspicion when MC is an Imposter mean that Merlin possesses some level of awareness of the nature of MC's lie.
It's the little things, but considering Book 1 lasts, what, two weeks? Those little things may very well begin to pile up.
The last thing is the TV incident in the shop if MC decides to go there early. If they are an imposter, the TV will show the 'real' owner of the name MC has lived with, which is pretty damning insofar that this means the demons are aware of MC's secret and in turn, so would the Saboteur, which is something they will definitely use against them.
Final thoughts:
As far as secrets go, by itself Imposter seems fairly benign. It looks pretty easy to at least mitigate the negative side effects by revealing your Camelot identity to Merlin and Arthur and having a good relationship with Adrian, and just not being a complete jerk as well as keeping the work on that high social, since this is likely to be the relevant stat checked when the secret is out.
A big thanks to @oneknightstand-if for creating this Interactive fiction that I can theorize my little heart out over. I can't wait to be completely wrong about all of it when more stuff comes out in the public beta!