Branwhyn's adventures continue and I'm moving towards a better understanding of the system.
Branwhyn's adventures continue and I'm moving towards a better understanding of the system. I am blessed that the opening narrative was well received, thank you to those who read, commented, and +1'ed it.
This playthrough did raise a few mechanical question that I wanted to toss at Shawn Tomkin. The questions are below, thank you again for making a really wonderful game.
-For the Compel move. On a weak hit, it says "as above". Does this mean that both the +1 momentum and +1 to Gather Information apply on weak hits as well as strong?
-Regarding the Augury Rite. There is no activation roll, as with other Rites, it is only the Gather Information roll?
-Further, does the Mystic Path stack in with Augury? Ergo, +1 to Action Dice and +1 to Momentum on a hit? The reason I ask is simply that if Augury is upgraded you can basically net 4 Momentum (2 from Gather, 1 from Upgraded Augury, and 1 from Mystic) pretty easily.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Jmh2OoHUdZZcfzfWwreclh7bV2vyE38j
This playthrough did raise a few mechanical question that I wanted to toss at Shawn Tomkin. The questions are below, thank you again for making a really wonderful game.
-For the Compel move. On a weak hit, it says "as above". Does this mean that both the +1 momentum and +1 to Gather Information apply on weak hits as well as strong?
-Regarding the Augury Rite. There is no activation roll, as with other Rites, it is only the Gather Information roll?
-Further, does the Mystic Path stack in with Augury? Ergo, +1 to Action Dice and +1 to Momentum on a hit? The reason I ask is simply that if Augury is upgraded you can basically net 4 Momentum (2 from Gather, 1 from Upgraded Augury, and 1 from Mystic) pretty easily.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Jmh2OoHUdZZcfzfWwreclh7bV2vyE38j
Thanks for the play report (excited to read it!) and the questions.
ReplyDelete1) Yes on compel. Same benefits, with the drawback of needing to make some sort of concession.
2) I need to look at augury. I think that it Initially didn't get a roll because it's pretty limited (once per quest), but it is decidedly out of step with other rituals and I think needs to be tweaked. The last option shouldn't even really be there without an activation move.
3) Similarly, I need to give the mystic path a look. The intent there was to provide a bonus on purely informational tests related to mysticism (not for use in rituals, necessarily), but as you note there's some potential for some stacking bordering on silly. Not so broken with augur, since it is fairly limited, but a problem with other rituals.
Thanks for calling those out. Some of the assets pre-date others by a fair bit, and there's some clumsiness I am working through.
I'll prioritize those and get back to you. For now, I'd perhaps assume a wits activation roll for augur, and keep that mystic bonus to situations where you are trying to perceive or gain insight from a situation related to magic or supernatural, but not as part of performing a ritual. Does that make sense?
Shawn Tomkin The answers make sense, thank you for the insightful reply. I'll use the above going forward.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm pretty enthralled and impressed. Like the story and the use of the native setting. Sometimes wish I would have started there myself.
ReplyDeleteThe wolf would be an interesting Asset though... can't wait to see what happens!
Thanks for sharing!
Oh, and Jeremiah Wenneker ... I am catching up on play reports and just finished your part 1. Loved it! Really cool narrative technique and I appreciate you including your commentary on mechanics. Also, selfishly, I am always thrilled to see someone exploring their interpretation of the Ironlands setting.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to dig into part 2. Thank you so much for giving Ironsworn a try.
Shawn Tomkin You are most welcome. I am enjoying the system and the setting immensely. :-)
ReplyDeleteShawn Tomkin , sorry for the thread necromancy but we we chatting about the Mystic Path here so it seemed appropriate. The change to Ritualist with the new assets is much cleaner as is the Augur Ritual. However, now there seems to be a gap in that there is no path that helps to perceive or gain insight from a situation related to magic or supernatural. Is that intentional to help with the low fantasy feel of the setting? The Ritualist Path, at first blush, feels narrower than other Paths in that it only interacts with other Assets and has no benefit on its own. Or am I reading it wrong?
ReplyDeleteHi, Jeremiah Wenneker. Yeah, my intent is to add back in the mystic path and make it a bit higher level and more focused on general supernatural sense and insight, but I'm still thinking it through. I'd like to expand the options for magic-inclined characters beyond just adding rituals, so a mystic would be someone generally attuned to mystical forces, while a ritualist is someone who specializes in the fundamentals of performing magic.
ReplyDeleteIt's slightly awkward in that anyone performing a ritual is inherently a "mystic", but I don't want to start creating tiered requirements for assets. The distinction in my head is natural abilities versus trained abilities, and which is the focus for your character.
As I said, thinking it through :)
That distinction makes a lot of sense. IMHO, the only awkwardness seems to be in the naming and that isn't a terribly difficult fix. And yes, tiered assets feels like it takes away from the elegance of the system.
ReplyDeleteJeremiah Wenneker and Mark Brady ... this is the draft of the additional mystic-centric asset I am planning to add (in addition to Ritualist). Let me know what you think!
ReplyDeleteSIGHTED
Default Ability:
When you Gather Information related to mystical forces or creatures, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a strong hit.
Upgrade Ability:
When you interact with a fellow mystic or mystical creature through a relationship move, add +1.
Upgrade Ability:
When you pierce the veil and study someone or a situation, roll +wits. On a strong hit, envision the truth you learn and how it might help you (Ask the Oracle if unsure); then, reroll any dice if you next leverage this truth to Secure an Advantage. On a weak hit, this truth is unsettling and you must also suffer -1 spirit.
Shawn Tomkin I think its excellent. The core ability fills the niche we've been talking about. I particularly like the first upgrade stands out to me. Shamans, oracles, mystics, and the like have a long tradition of being isolated from the rest of the world and having a connection with each other accordingly feels very intuitive.
ReplyDeleteI get the mechanics for the second upgrade. It seems very powerful, but maybe that is okay since most paths give an xp boost or reduction in the third slot (which is also very powerful). Fictionally though, I'm struggling with it a bit. What are some ways that you envision piercing the veil working in a narrative?
My first thoughts were seeing auras or perhaps seeing the spirits that surround a person or place. Ultimately though, it does play well with the asset title: sighted. What ever that extra sight (second sight, thirds eye, etc.) Is would Is for the narrative accordingly.
Yeah, I'm mostly giving it back to the player to provide the fiction for how it looks/works. Seeing auras would be cool. It might just be a knowing that appears to you like a memory. Maybe you see things like Frodo in the LotR films, gossamer shadows which reveal the truth behind reality.
ReplyDeleteThat's a fairly common approach for how I am dealing with rituals and magic -- a bit of (hopefully) evocative phrasing, and leave the rest to the player to color in the blanks.