Kitsune Eji and the Cunning Renown

Question

I am in a long-running game set in the African Ahadi. My character is a Kitsune Eji. Now, in the time we played, we have gathered renown mainly in the Honor and the Glory areas. Cunning isn't really the strong card of our group in general, but the cats and Ratkin just care for the total amount of renown while I need at the moment 3 permanent cunning to advance rank.

Anyway, the problem that I am facing is, that while I have gathered almost enough Honor and Glory for rank 3, the cunning really isn't coming in at all: 17 temporary cunning part me from attempting rank 2. To some degree (besides the group being on the more reckless side) I feel that this also comes from how cunning is rewarded: According to the book, it is rewarded for...

• doing secret stuff discovery/protection which has little to no appeal to my warrior fox.
• being the fastest/unharmed in combat, which I try to accomplish when we get to a fight, but I rarely get to spill the first blood in combat, nor do we wound powerful foes and retreat - the group often curb stomps them.
• incapacitated and surviving, which is something I really have to avoid, as I simply can't rely on self-healing to prevent him from getting killed outright before rank 2.
• creating Talens, which the GM has not given a chance to get any recipes for (and sadly they didn't count my occasional creation of JuFu as talens).
• creating Fetishes, which I lack the rite for.
• some other stuff that the group had never encountered (need for sabotage, theft, diversion, complex plots) as the head-on approach of the Bastet worked perfectly fine
• What counts as an enemy stronghold we never found out, but apparently it is more than a lab or bunker stuffed with fomori and traps and killing everybody isn't destroying it.

As a side note, back in Hengeyokai, the Kitsune used wisdom instead of cunning, which seems to be a little easier to gain.

Now, I want to play on and I want to try to get this second/third tail, but the fragility hampers some, while the groups' head-on stance on many problems hampers others. But I am pretty much the only one that is held back for it. We only recently managed to acquire the rite of one blood... but promptly my suggestion to just use it before heading out for the next adventure fell under the table.

What do I do wrong here besides seemingly being no paragon of cleverness or being able to lead the group into doing something clever enough to get rewarded for it?

Answer 1

This is one symptom of a few problems.

1) Some of your explanations suggest your Storyteller isn't giving your character a chance to shine, and is even negligently preventing you from participating. It's probably not intentional, and a quick conversation saying "Hey, you are rightfully enforcing the Renown rule, but you aren't providing many chances for me to earn Cunning. That's starting to be a problem, I don't think its intentional, but I need your help to address it because I can't earn because there are never sabotage/theft/diversion/complex plot opportunities, and there are never recipes for talens. Also, I think the way you are defining stronghold and destruction are too stringent, effectively making progress via this method impossible. If Stronghold only means an Urge Wyrm home lair, there is a problem with your definition. Part of a Storyteller's job is to enable the player's success, and that isn't happening." Most Storyteller's would (and all should) say, "Gee, I didn't realize that, I misunderstood what you needed to be successful, give me a game session or two to clear this up."

2) Some of your explanations suggest your fellow players play style is limiting your ability to gain Cunning renown. Quick conversation, "Hey guys, to help me out, can we do a few hit and run attacks instead of taking everything to the death, and hold your actions a few times so I can strike first. I need to level up, and this might be my only route to continue to be a strong supporting Pack member." Most players will embrace this, they are your buddies and will help out if they see the problem put clearly

3) In character, have the same conversations as in step 2. Also initiate the idea that you as a group should sabotage/thieve/steal. Its OK for your character to do this. You are a Kitsune, trying to be cunning. Be cunning. Don't wait for the Storyteller and Players out of game actions exclusively, have your character help himself.

4) If you are never getting to incapacitated in a game as combat heavy as you suggest, you are playing it too safe.