Barf Forth Apocalyptica
the swamp provides => AW:Dark Age => Topic started by: jimmeu on October 22, 2014, 12:15:15 PM
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Hi !
Here is my question : how do you handle the success or failure when a PC asks someone, or some group, to do something ?
As the PC are often some kind of leaders, I frequently have to chose how to handle it when they give an order to their subordinates or ask their allies some difficult action which can fail.
I tried two strategies :
- Strict AW rules : As the PC is looking at me to say something, I look at my move list and make (a soft) one. The good news : something interesting should happen. The bad news : I choose arbitrarily the outcome, which may sound bad when there is strong uncertainty on it, for instance when a PC asks somebody to handle a threat, or when two PCs hope for a different outcome.
- People move-like : I have the PC roll the most adapted people stat, and follow the rules of the most adapted move. For instance, if a War Master order his men to scout an area, I could have him roll his company's War, and follow the Take Stock move. The good news : the rules chooses the outcome. The bad news : there is not always a people stat and a move which fit.
What do you think ?
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If the PC made a move and rolled, follow the roll to determine the outcome, making your moves as appropriate. If the PC is just asking an NPC person or group to do something, follow the fiction: what would that NPC say or do in response to being given direction?
So basically it sounds like you're using the two strategies you have and applying them as needed, which sounds reasonable to me.
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If the PC is just asking an NPC person or group to do something, follow the fiction: what would that NPC say or do in response to being given direction ?
Thank for your answer. Here is some example of difficult case I had to handle :
PC Wicker-Wise asks some hunters, friends and followers of him, to kidnap the brother of the PC Castellan, which he needs for a ritual.
The first question is : will they accept ? The fiction will tell me, maybe with the help of a Win Someone Over move (I must admit I sometimes miss the good old Manipulate AW move). Let say they accept, this is not the matter here. My real problem is :
Will they succeed ? If I ask the fiction, they are skilled hunters, so they somewhat know how to capture a prey. But the Castellan brother may easily call some warriors for help, and in combat those warriors are better. But they are more heavily equipped, so the hunter should be able to flee, with or without their target depending on how fast the warriors are called. So... the fiction don't tell me much of the outcome. And it's a difficult choice, because both sides have strong arguments, and interesting consequences on the story.