Hi, I have some questions about the game mechanics:
Hi, I have some questions about the game mechanics:
1. Are Challenge Ranks set in stone or flexible (apart from the special situation on the miss of Fulfill your vow/Reach your destination moves)? For instance, when I fight against a band of raiders that collectively are Formidable and manage to kill some of them, should the Challenge Rank turn to Dangerous or not?
2. What happens if I am marked or haunted and before I finish the quest to get rid of this burden, I score a weak hit on Face Death/Face Desolation move once again? Am I automatically dead/broken, or can I take yet another quest?
3. If I have a bond with a person or community, and this person dies or community is destroyed, should I remove this bond? I guess so, but I’m not entirely sure. “Add +1 if you shared a bond” part in the Communion Ritual description is quite ambiguous in this matter.
4. If I try to assassinate someone with a dagger using Face Danger move as in this blog post https://ironsworndiaries.blogspot.com/2018/04/snipers-sneak-attacks-handling-conflict.html by +Justin Gordon, could I use my Cutthroat asset to add +1, even though it is not Strike move?
5. Is it reasonable to add +1 to Compel move (+iron) in a situation when I defeated some in combat, taken him prisoner and interrogate him? It could be a violent equivalent of adding +1 while trying to persuade someone whom I am share a bond with.
1. Are Challenge Ranks set in stone or flexible (apart from the special situation on the miss of Fulfill your vow/Reach your destination moves)? For instance, when I fight against a band of raiders that collectively are Formidable and manage to kill some of them, should the Challenge Rank turn to Dangerous or not?
2. What happens if I am marked or haunted and before I finish the quest to get rid of this burden, I score a weak hit on Face Death/Face Desolation move once again? Am I automatically dead/broken, or can I take yet another quest?
3. If I have a bond with a person or community, and this person dies or community is destroyed, should I remove this bond? I guess so, but I’m not entirely sure. “Add +1 if you shared a bond” part in the Communion Ritual description is quite ambiguous in this matter.
4. If I try to assassinate someone with a dagger using Face Danger move as in this blog post https://ironsworndiaries.blogspot.com/2018/04/snipers-sneak-attacks-handling-conflict.html by +Justin Gordon, could I use my Cutthroat asset to add +1, even though it is not Strike move?
5. Is it reasonable to add +1 to Compel move (+iron) in a situation when I defeated some in combat, taken him prisoner and interrogate him? It could be a violent equivalent of adding +1 while trying to persuade someone whom I am share a bond with.
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ReplyDelete1) I wouldn't adjust challenge ranks downwards in the midst of a fight unless the situation changed fairly dramatically beyond just taking out some members of the pack. Think of rank as representing the overall danger of a fight. Even as you reduce their numbers, you're probably wearing yourself down. Also, grouping foes into a pack will tend to make things easier for you in the long-run, so it balances out.
ReplyDelete2) I'm inclined to say you can't make that choice, and need to pick the final sacrifice option, but if you have an idea for a new quest that really works in the fiction, then go with it. Clearing the debility will be dependent on fulfilling both vows.
3) Good question. The bond progress track doesn't just represent folks who are alive--it's your progress forming connections in the world. If the death/destruction is tied to my character's failure, I might clear a tic on my bond progress track to give that outcome some mechanical teeth, but that's purely optional. Think of it as just assuming a miss on Test Your Bond. Otherwise, if it's just a narrative event that gets randomly or purposefully introduced to up the stakes and drive new quests, I'd leave the bond track alone. As you point out, the communion ritual is shared, past tense. I'd use it for anyone who I had a bond with that wasn't broken prior to their death. But, I wonder if I should just make it "share" present tense in order to clear up ambiguity.
4) Another good question. By a strict ruling, no, but were it my character I'd just interpret "Strike" in it's non-move form and take the bonus. But, I think there's an opportunity to adjust the language on this to give the asset more flexibility. Let me add that to my weekend to-do!
5) I'd say no. Note that the function of momentum is to represent some of these situational bonuses. You probably gained some momentum in combat, which you can potentially spend to offset a weak hit or miss when yo compel. Note also that you can get +1 with Cutthroat already if you've upgraded that ability.
Shawn Tomkin thank you very much for the answers, I am waiting for the nearest weekend update. I am going to print some of the rules on Monday, before my first play in co-op!
ReplyDeleteShawn Tomkin One more idea: "Make camp" move description says: "If you are traveling with PC allies, only one of you will make this roll for the group". There are some more moves such as this. Could you mark them somehow in Moves Handout? Even an asterisk or some other little icon will be enough. This would make play smoother, removing the necessity of checking in rulebook whether each of players should make a roll or just one of them.
ReplyDeleteHi, JarosÅaw Daniel. I actually had these labeled as "Leader Moves" at some point, but the strict division turned into a bit of a rabbit hole. As noted in the rulebook, moves such as Make Camp and Undertake a Journey clearly fall under this approach (one ally makes the move -- others may support), but other moves lie in a gray area. For example, in most cases if you are in a situation where you need to Compel an NPC, one of the PC's will probably step up and do it, with others supporting via Aid Your Ally as appropriate. But, not always. Sort of depends on the fiction.
ReplyDeleteI'll give it some thought, though. I know it's come up a couple of times. At the minimum, I do plan on adding a cheat sheet to the moves handout to remind folks of things like the basic die mechanics, rolling a 1 on moves when supported by a companion, which moves are strictly made by one ally, etc.