Rapport

The flipside of Intimidation, Rapport is your ability to talk with people in a friendly fashion, make a good impression, and perhaps convince them to see your side of things. Any time you want to communicate without an implicit threat or attempted deception, this is the skill to use, making it appropriate for interviewing or making friends. Characters with a high Rapport can make strong first impressions and they make easy, friendly conversation in any social scene. They include politicians, reporters, and “good cops.”

### ***Chit-Chat***

*A character skilled in Rapport is a master of small talk and, through casual, friendly conversation, can get folks to give up information without quite realizing they’ve done it. In a **social conflict**, you may roll Rapport for maneuvers and “attacks” with this goal in mind. You can also use the skill creatively to grab someone’s attention and keep him distracted by conversation while something else is happening in the room.*

### ***Closing Down***

*Rapport controls the face you show to the world—and that includes what you choose not to show. As such, when you try to use **Empathy** to get a read on someone, your attempt is opposed by Rapport as the default. If you simply wish to reveal nothing, you may use Rapport and take the equivalent of a full defensive action, gaining a +2 on the roll. This is over and above the default of a Rapport defense because it’s obvious you’re doing it: you’re closing down, wiping all emotions off your face. This means that closing down is a fairly obvious strategy—your opponent will know you’re doing it. It also requires that you be consciously aware that someone’s trying to read you. If you are trying not to look like you’re actively warding off the read, or if you aren’t really aware that you’re being read, then you aren’t taking a full defensive action and you don’t get the +2.*

### ***First Impressions***

*The first time you meet someone, the GM may call for a quick Rapport roll to determine the impression you make (assuming you’re trying to make a good one). This may interact with the **Presence**  skill, depending on the situation. Usually, succeeding at this roll can give you a beneficial temporary aspect such as I Look Good, which you might tag or invoke on socially related rolls in that scene. Be careful, though—failing significantly at such a roll could also change the situation for the worse, putting an I Look Bad aspect on you which could be used by someone else.*

### ***Opening Up***

*Your skill in Rapport includes the ability to control which side of your personality you show to others by seeming to open up while actually guarding deeper secrets. Since you reveal only true things about yourself, this is not an inherently deceptive action involving the use of the **Deceit** skill.*

*When you open up, you defend as usual against an Empathy “read” with Rapport. If your opponent succeeds and generates at least one shift, he finds something out, as usual (a failed defense roll is a failed defense roll after all). If you succeed, your opponent still discovers an aspect—but it’s one of your choosing. Used this way, you can effectively stonewall someone without the obvious (and unfriendly) poker face of Closing Down. In addition, you can always choose to reveal something that the other character already knows.*

### ***Social Defense***

*Control of outward reactions and a general ease at conversation are both within the realm of Rapport, and both are useful in mounting a defense against social maneuvers and attacks. Only the rarest of social conflicts prevents you from using Rapport as your defense skill. Rapport is the go-to skill for rolling to defend in social conflicts, much like **Athletics** is the go-to skill for physical conflicts.*