Skip to content

Affiliation

In Crown & Misery, Affiliation represents your character’s ties to one of four societal groups: Academe, Bohemia, Establishment, or Villainy. These connections influence how the world perceives you, what resources you can access, and who may aid—or oppose—you.

Affiliation Points

At character creation, you have 5 Affiliation Points, which you may distribute among the four groups as you choose.

Each point represents your level of influence within that group. A character with Academe 3, Bohemia 2, Establishment 0, Villainy 0 is well-connected in academic and artistic circles but has no standing among nobles or criminals. A character with Villainy 5 is deeply entrenched in the criminal underworld but lacks connections elsewhere.

Your Affiliation determines:

  • Who you can call upon for favours.
  • What privileges you have access to.
  • How different factions perceive you.

The DM will determine when and how Affiliation Points are spent or regained.

Common Uses of Affiliation

The following are common usage of Affiliation Points:

Calling in a Favour Request aid from a contact, such as an academic granting access to restricted research, an artist spreading a message, or a noble intervening in legal matters.

Gaining Access Enter an exclusive location tied to your Affiliation, such as a royal court, underground club, or hidden temple.

Securing Resources Obtain rare materials, services, or information unique to your Affiliation. This could include spell components, smuggled goods, or an invitation to an elite gathering.

Avoiding Trouble Reduce suspicion, gain leniency, or persuade someone within your Affiliation to overlook a misdeed.

Regaining Affiliation Points

A character’s standing within an Affiliation is not static. Affiliation Points can be restored through in-game actions that strengthen your reputation within a group. The DM determines when Affiliation Points are regained.

Examples of actions that restore Affiliation include:

  • Academe: Publishing research, assisting a scholar, or uncovering lost knowledge.
  • Bohemia: Creating renowned art, leading a performance, or influencing culture.
  • Establishment: Upholding noble traditions, enforcing laws, or gaining political leverage.
  • Villainy: Pulling off a successful crime, eliminating a rival, or protecting an underworld contact.

The Four Circle

Each Affiliation represents a distinct societal group with its own values, power structures, and expectations.


Academe

Your associates among scholars, mages, and scientists

The Academe consists of scholars, scientists, mages, and intellectuals who seek to uncover the mysteries of the world. They value knowledge above all else, whether for its own sake or for practical application. Members of the Academe often work in universities, libraries, laboratories, or private study halls, and they prize logic, discovery, and academic prestige.

Influence & Benefits

  • Gain access to restricted knowledge—libraries, archives, magical research, or esoteric texts.
  • Seek aid from scholars, researchers, and mages for solving intellectual puzzles or crafting magical solutions.
  • Request access to specialized tools and materials, such as alchemical ingredients, historical records, or prototype inventions.
  • Secure academic patronage or mentorship from established scholars.
  • Gain credibility when speaking in intellectual circles, making it easier to influence scholars, wizards, and researchers.

Expectations & Risks

  • The Academe respects merit and intellect—they expect you to prove your worth through contributions to knowledge.
  • Knowledge is often hoarded, sold, or controlled, meaning access may come with strings attached.
  • Political and religious forces may seek to suppress certain discoveries, making some knowledge dangerous to pursue.


Bohemia

Your associates among artists, dreamers, and revolutionaries

Bohemia is the domain of artists, poets, musicians, spiritual leaders, and visionaries. These individuals experience the world through different lenses, challenging norms and inspiring change through their work. Some are true idealists, while others exploit their status to gain influence, followers, or wealth. The Bohemia circle also includes certain religious figures—especially those who see faith as a means of cultural expression rather than dogma.

Influence & Benefits

  • Find shelter, food, and companionship among artists, performers, or religious communities.
  • Inspire the masses, rally a crowd, or spread a message through song, theatre, or propaganda.
  • Gain access to hidden gatherings, underground movements, or sacred sanctuaries.
  • Request support from radicals, idealists, or countercultural figures.
  • Receive patronage or sponsorship from wealthy admirers or cult-like followings.

Expectations & Risks

  • Bohemians value authenticity and passion—pretenders are easily exposed.
  • Art and faith are powerful tools for inciting rebellion, making some Bohemians dangerous to ruling powers.
  • Creativity is often undervalued, meaning many artists struggle financially despite their fame.


Establishment

Your associates among the authorities, bureaucrats, the moneyed, and the aristocracy.

The Establishment consists of those who wield power in politics, military, and high society. They are the noble houses, ruling councils, merchant princes, and aristocrats who dictate laws and control resources. While some uphold tradition and order, others seek to expand their wealth and influence through any means necessary.

Influence & Benefits

  • Arrange an audience with nobles, politicians, or military leaders.
  • Move through guarded locations, such as government buildings, noble estates, or war councils.
  • Secure official permits, legal protection, or military backing.
  • Influence laws, taxes, or trade regulations to benefit your interests.
  • Gain invitations to high-society gatherings where powerful deals are made.

Expectations & Risks

  • The Establishment values loyalty and status—gaining power often requires political manoeuvring.
  • Corruption is rampant, and debts to the powerful can be difficult to repay.
  • Those who defy the Establishment risk exile, imprisonment, or assassination.


Vilainy

Your associates among thieves, outcasts, and pirates

Villainy represents those who operate outside the bounds of law and morality. This includes criminals, rebels, assassins, and black-market traders. Some seek profit, others seek revenge, and a few simply have nowhere else to turn.

Influence & Benefits

  • Find safe passage through criminal-controlled areas.
  • Obtain forged documents, illegal goods, or black-market services.
  • Call in a gang, thieves, or assassins for protection or a heist.
  • Gain access to underground fighting rings, black markets, or smuggler hideouts.
  • Gather secrets and blackmail material through criminal informants.

Expectations & Risks

  • Villainy values cunning and loyalty—those who betray their allies rarely live long.
  • The underworld is cutthroat, and trust is often a liability.
  • Law enforcement or rival criminals may seek to eliminate those who grow too powerful.