Question about Quarantine in Play

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Question about Quarantine in Play
« on: May 04, 2016, 12:44:44 PM »
Hello folks!

I've begun working with my gaming group on an AW 1st edition session (play reports to come as they happen,) and while I'm confident in my storytelling abilities, there is something that both myself and one of my players is a little confused about:

They've decided to play a Quarantine, which is well and fine with me: I've always felt Quarantine was one of the coolest classes from a storytelling perspective. But then they pointed out this little chunk on their character sheet I've never quite understood.

Quote
When you emerged from stasis, the world’s psychic maelstrom rushed in on you. Roll+hard. On a 10+, you were able to receive it without succumbing to it; you have weird-1. On a 7–9, you were able to hold it off; you have weird-nil. You are unable to open your brain to the world’s psychic maelstrom; getting +1weird will give you weird=0. On a miss, it overcame you; you have weird+1, and in addition choose 1:

Whenever you act under fire, you open your brain as well (roll+weird as always).

Whenever you read a person, you open your brain as well (roll+weird as always).

The MC must always highlight your weird

My player selected the first option: When acting under fire, you open your brain as well. I'm fine with this mechanically (Two rolls are made, rolling cool with this selected simply forces the player to Open Their Brain.) but how does this work in the fiction? How have you justified this/explained this in your games (variations of the psychic maelstrom taken into account)?

Re: Question about Quarantine in Play
« Reply #1 on: May 04, 2016, 01:06:34 PM »
I haven't actually seen a Quarantine in play, but based on that, I'd imagine that the PM is just outside their consciousness, constantly trying to get in. The Quarantine has to actively hold themselves together and close off their mind to keep it at bay. So any time they do something strenuous, as represented by making the AUF move, their concentration slips and the Maelstrom gets in.

Also worth noting that that option was excised from the 2nd edition version of the playbook.

Re: Question about Quarantine in Play
« Reply #2 on: May 04, 2016, 02:31:24 PM »
That is what I was imagining. Thank you. And that's an interesting tidbit to know about 2nd ed. I'm not sold on it yet (I like the simplicity of 1st edition currently) but I'll have to wait for it to come out to be sure.

Re: Question about Quarantine in Play
« Reply #3 on: May 04, 2016, 06:25:28 PM »

There's lots of different ways this could make sense -- JustusGS provided a good one -- but also... why not just ask the player what it means? It seems unlikely that they chose the option without any ideas about what it meant, fictionally, so just wait until it's triggered and then ask them what it's like, in the same way you're going to already be asking them what it's like to Open Their Brain to the Maelstrom. Most likely, the two will be strongly connected.

Re: Question about Quarantine in Play
« Reply #4 on: May 04, 2016, 06:51:31 PM »
Oh yeah, Daniel has the right of it. I meant to add something about how you should probably just ask the player, but forgot in my excitement about my own vision for that move.

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Ebok

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Re: Question about Quarantine in Play
« Reply #5 on: May 05, 2016, 11:54:27 PM »
You don't have to be "edition-pure" either. The almost all the playbooks of 2e are actually much simpler, the only thing that gets more complex is Battle moves. (which can be completely and utterly replaced with Seize by Force if you prefer). That said, I've run a Quartentine in both 1e and 2e, and the latter's version changes was a stark improvement to our team's gameplay. If you and he don't really like how awkward that double roll feels, glance at the 2e version and see if that move's replacement is cooler for your fiction. Seriously.

My biggest issue with that move was that often times you're already acting under fire to do another move, ex: You got hit on the head, but you're fighting back. Roll Hard. Also act under threat of woozy, Roll Cool. Oh right, also Maelstrom leaking in, Roll Weird. Not only is that a lot of potential hard moves coming at the player, that's covering a lot of ground XP wise too. I mean, it works as intended, but my point is don't be so quick to lump all 2e changes as "complications".

Re: Question about Quarantine in Play
« Reply #6 on: May 09, 2016, 12:32:46 AM »
My player selected that mainly as it was listed on the character sheet, neither he nor I had any real intimation what it means. However I now have a better understanding of the open your brain move, and can see it functioning in play a little more interestingly. Though we might change it to "When rolling cool in combat" or something, refine the specifics a little so the big string of rolls doesn't completely snowball every time cool or hard is rolled.

As for the 2nd ed stuff, I haven't gotten around to getting a copy yet. I will probably take  a look at it when I run out of willpower and track it down or when this upcoming campaign ends.

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Ebok

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Re: Question about Quarantine in Play
« Reply #7 on: May 20, 2016, 05:10:17 AM »
The 2ed Links at Kickstarter
The Playbooks Link Specifically

Quote from: QUARANTINE
Choose one set:
• Cool+2, Hard+1, Hot=0, Sharp+1, Weird—
• Cool+2, Hard=0, Hot+1, Sharp+1, Weird—
• Cool+2, Hard-1, Hot=0, Sharp+2, Weird—
• Cool+2, Hard+1, Hot+1, Sharp=0, Weird—

MOVES
You get all the basic moves. You get 3 quarantine moves.
You can use all the battle moves, but when you get the chance, look up defending something you hold, hunting prey,
escaping a hunter, and the tactical and support moves.

When you emerged from stasis, the world’s psychic maelstrom rushed in on you. Roll+hard. On a 10+, you were able to receive it without succumbing to it; you have weird-1. On a 7–9, you were able to hold it off; you have weird-nil. You are unable to open your brain to the world’s psychic maelstrom; getting +1weird will give you weird=0. On a miss, it overcame you; you have weird+1, and in addition the MC must always highlight your weird.