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Dungeon World / Re: Disarming and other stunts
« on: September 20, 2013, 08:39:36 AM »
Cheers guys! Breaking the options down like this has helped me plenty, in both Dungeon World and Apocalypse World.
I find hard bargain works well when another PC or NPC suffers, either from the cost or from the danger not being defied. That's what I saw in the Apocalypse World examples that noclue quoted. And if you want to split hairs, the ugly choice looks like a straight up hard bargain to me, because Keeler only gets her hit (sneaking into Dremmer’s camp unheard) if she pays the cost (shoots the kid).
Given all that, in a scenario where PCs are acting to disarm an opponent, a hard bargain could be:
In the disarm scenario, I'd be looking at Worse Outcome or Ugly Choice, and could safely ignore the opt-out-ability of the Hard Bargain.
I find hard bargain works well when another PC or NPC suffers, either from the cost or from the danger not being defied. That's what I saw in the Apocalypse World examples that noclue quoted. And if you want to split hairs, the ugly choice looks like a straight up hard bargain to me, because Keeler only gets her hit (sneaking into Dremmer’s camp unheard) if she pays the cost (shoots the kid).
Okay, so this intrigued me. I spent some more time with the Apocalypse World move that Defy Danger is drawn from, Act Under Fire (Page 190-192). Here's the GM's offer of a hard bargain:QuoteRoark’s hit, and Marie tries to drag him to cover. (On a 7–9, maybe I give her a hard bargain: she can get him to safety, but only if she takes a bullet herself.)
So that's clearly an offer that the player can opt out of, abandon Roark or take a bullet. But, clearly also not boring if the player chooses to opt out, cause there's poor Roark lying out there.
Here's an ugly choice:QuoteKeeler the gunlugger’s taken off her shoes and she’s sneaking into Dremmer’s camp, armed as they say to the upper teeth. If they hear her, she’s fucked. (On a 7–9, maybe I give her an ugly choice between alerting the camp and murdering an innocent teenage sentry.) She hits the roll with an 8, so the ugly choice it is. “There’s some kid out here, huddled under this flimsy tin roof with a mug of who-knows-what. You think you’re past him but he startles and looks right at you. You can kill him before he makes a noise, but you’ll have to do it right this second. Do you?”
Given all that, in a scenario where PCs are acting to disarm an opponent, a hard bargain could be:
- you can disarm the Gnoll without trouble (danger defied), but the mighty axe will fly lose and straight at the kidnapped son of the Countess (the cost). Do you?
- to cleanly knock the Darkle blade from the cultist's hand, spoiling the sacrifice at a key moment (danger defied), you'll have to take your time to line the shot up, so there'll be no way to avoid the iron bull's charge so you'll be sent flying and gored into the pit of bones (the cost). Do you make the shot?