Friends, dating and cliques

Who you know matters as much as what you can do. Friends bring work, get you past the velvet rope and keep you famous.

Getting to know someone

Every celebrity relationship goes Stranger → Acquainted → Friends → Close friends, one step per real interaction: talking, taking a photo together, a night out they invited you to, or having them over. Every conversation is a short scene: your character walks over, the two of you talk, and then you see how it went.

• At your grade or below, meeting someone twice makes you friends.
• One grade above you, it takes three meetings and they may brush you off.
• Two or more grades up, their people keep you away. Ask a mutual friend for an introduction.

You can't talk to the same person again for a game hour, so work the room instead of hovering.

Keeping friends

Friends and partners have a bond that drains a little every game day. They call with plans, like drinks at Velour, an afternoon on the Serenade or a plus-one at a gala, and the plans go on your calendar. Turn up and the bond fills; two hangs make a friend a close friend. Turn plans down and it dips. Stand someone up and it crashes and counts as trouble. A bond that runs dry ends the friendship.

What friends get you

• Connections: a score from your friends and cliques that makes opportunities come your way more often, up to 50% more.
• A plus-one: a celebrity in your entourage walks you past any velvet rope they could get past.
• Work: close friends and partners put in a word for you and call with jobs at their level.
• House parties: invite up to eight celebrities; each says yes or no, and whoever says yes comes over.

Dating, marriage and family

Only friends can be asked out, and only up to a grade above you (two for close friends). Date someone at your grade or above and you're a power couple, earning extra fame on every date. After a couple of days together you can propose, if the bond is strong enough; the ring costs more the bigger they are. The wedding is booked at the Grand Hall a day later, so don't miss it. You can also start a family.

Drama

Partners react to what happens. Get seen with someone else and they may get jealous. Every day or so something comes up: a fight, a tabloid rumour, meeting their family, an anniversary. Each one is a short conversation where you choose your answer. A secret fling can get you caught cheating, or bring a blackmailer asking for hush money. Splitting with a spouse ends up in court.

Cliques

The city has twelve cliques, each with a leader and a rival clique. Become friends with half a clique and get to know its leader, and the leader will call to ask you in. Members get together every few game days at the clique's home venue; miss two in a row and you're out. You can be in two cliques, never in rivals, and the rival clique's members will sometimes snub you.

Feuds

Not everyone will like you. A feud starts when another star comes for you in public, and you have 24 hours to answer: fire back on your platforms, record a diss track and name it yourself, or get your friends to back you. Feuds can end with a truce made face to face.