|
bewilderment posted:Court of Blades is officially out and seems like it's a FitD aimed straight at me. Have you had a chance to read/try this yet? If so, thoughts?
|
#
¿
May 31, 2022 20:14
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 16, 2024 15:34 |
|
|
The original design was much more focused on the crew-as-character concept and pushed PCs as being much more disposable but people really weren't ready for that so it shifted to a more traditional style. I encourage people to play aggressive and lean back into that. You pull off big cool stuff or crash and burn fast, either way the game progresses quickly and feels great.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 14, 2022 22:35
|
|
|
Uh, are you making you pools correctly? Because the probability curve of FitD is not that generous. 15 sessions never failing a roll is Powerball winning odds. Hell, 15 *rolls* without a non-6 result is extremely unlikely.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 15, 2022 02:12
|
|
|
Chakan posted:I'm putting together a game of Wicked Ones and was wondering if there's any quick reference documents that I can hand my players to help them remember general mechanics and flow. The character sheets do some of that work, but I wanted to see if there was anything more before I made one myself. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/352377/Wicked-Ones-Rules-Reference-Sheets this work?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 18, 2022 02:41
|
|
|
Dalle (full version) is an incredible tool for this kind of thing if you can access it.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 28, 2022 14:51
|
|
|
Yep it’s very good. They also just released Dash which is even more streamlined but still incredibly effective (and great for teaching or one shots) https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/wygpep/dash_a_free_generic_and_condensed_rpg_based_on/
|
|
#
¿
Aug 31, 2022 17:14
|
|
|
There is no moral imperative to hire an artist any more than there is to hire a mechanic to change your oil if you can just do it yourself. I've been a professional artist for 15 years and will happily recommend someone using these new tools to make art they otherwise couldn't, especially for personal use. It's no different than any number of things technology has enabled in the past few decades like music production, digital photography, etc. This isn't the place to debate it and doing so will stop exactly 0 progress on that front anyways.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 31, 2022 22:07
|
|
|
SimonChris posted:The rules definitely imply that rolling for flashbacks is the usual outcome: IME the majority of flashbacks are the zero stress type which almost never involve a roll. Also, rolls and subsequent consequences really kill the flow of the game and can complicate the current scene if the GM isn't quick on their feet. I'm not against rolls in flashbacks at all, but players generally don't want to face them.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 8, 2023 15:37
|
|
|
Lemon-Lime posted:Consequences for partial/failed rolls in flashbacks just happen outside of the flashback, in the current score, not inside the flashback. Yeah, that's what I see people struggle with tying the two together. If it's something simple like a failed bribe -> guards on high alert it's not much of an issue, but it's rarely that straightforward for folks. quote:Instead, I'm more generous about what a 0-stress flashback can accomplish, but I generally ask for a roll. That seems opposite of what's intended by the scale quoted above. More complicated flashbacks cost more stress because they can achieve more. The complication naturally leads to more rolls to pull it off.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 8, 2023 16:10
|
|
|
I agree with that last part. Generally we think of 0 cost as not even requiring an actual flashback scene, it's just a note of "hey I did a very small thing a few days ago". Mostly obvious stuff that won't be a big change in the current scene. 1 stress requires a bit more detail and maybe a roll depending on the goal. 2 is a full setup that definitely will cause a roll.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 8, 2023 16:53
|
|
|
I think the tricky part is getting players to engage with complicated flashbacks that can cause current complications, because at that point why not just face the current situation as is? As players learn the system and get more bold with the power these systems give them they get way more creative, but getting them there is tricky and often requires being led towards it or seeing another player do it first.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 8, 2023 17:35
|
|
|
I would start small and not have them directly present in the bigger conflict. I think the system works much better at the gritty street level so to speak than the grand epic galactic conflict level. Have them bump against the big stuff sure, but not be directly involved. Faction advice above is good and should be easy to adapt to the framework the S&V factions already give you.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 26, 2023 22:30
|
|
|
I've never seen any issues with the trauma system. Some people are scared of the way Harm works until you reframe the game as being more about the gang as a whole than individual characters and players realize they can make way better stories and overall progress if they aren't precious with the characters and become willing to retire and reroll as necessary. I think that's vital to making the game sing.Lemon-Lime posted:The overlap in actions is completely by design so that there are multiple verbs that make sense for any given thing the players want to do. Yeah, and is key to letting players choose which action they're using to do something. A key thing the Critical Role game changes (GM decides which action a roll needs) for the absolute worse for the system. Bottom Liner fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Jan 9, 2024 |
|
#
¿
Jan 9, 2024 19:30
|
|
|
HerpicleOmnicron5 posted:Also not a fan of verb overlap when it invariably becomes "oh i'll just pick the one with more dice" It is never that though, as choosing a different action should always change the narrative in different ways, whether it succeeds or not. Players should be aware of that when choosing their Action. Skirmish vs Wreck in a fight are very different things that should affect the scene differently. Same with trying to break in a door, you may Finesse your way in with a lock pick or Wreck it to bust in. Both get you in, but the Wreck option should leave evidence or make noise, etc. The key to Blades is to always think about the narrative effect of any mechanical choice.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 9, 2024 20:13
|
|
|
Coolness Averted posted:the system isn't built to reward player cleverness the way they expect. That last bit is key. Once they figure the system out and embrace the mechanics, they realize just how much power FitD gives players and the game opens up in a big way (and in a way PbtA games never really do IME).
|
|
#
¿
Jan 9, 2024 21:38
|
|
|
Tulip posted:I am sure there are tables where it was never an issue but I'd say functionally all of the negative, out-of-fiction conflict I've had in FITD games was over when something was Finesse vs Prowl, Survey vs Study, and which combat ability to use. WO played much, much smoother with the people I've played narrative games with and 99% of it is because we didn't have people nitpicking over which of those to use. I also think its much easier from a character conception level to roll Survey & Study together into just having a generally observant character as opposed to splitting that concept across two points of investments, and same with Prowl & Finesse for characters that use physicality to avoid conflicts. Given that the game spells out pretty specifically what each action is used for, I'm not sure why there would ever be nitpicking or conflict about which one to use, especially since the game encourages players to use the one they want and gives the GM tools to respond accordingly. If you want to roll some together, where does it stop before you just use the base attributes? You seem to have a table that wants to min/max the system and thinks the system works against that, but really it works just as well with that approach as it does with players that think purely narratively.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 9, 2024 22:06
|
|
|
(tinker is explicitly the action to pick locks) 
|
|
#
¿
Jan 9, 2024 23:44
|
|
|
Your example doesn't follow though. You wouldn't penalize them for choosing the book given Action for a specific goal over an alternative because of the guard on the other side of the door. That would affect the Position no matter the skill (though Wreck would obviously be more risky). Finessing would be like, slipping your arm through an opened window to pop the lock on the other side, or quietly opening an already unlocked door. Tinker would be getting through the lock without smashing it. I'm seeing how people struggle with the system now, but I've honestly not had this kinda thing ever be an issue in a game.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 9, 2024 23:59
|
|
|
Yeah, there is never confusion about Actions if you just ask players what they're doing (narratively, not the name of the Action) then talk them through the Position/Effect for the appropriate Action. If they want to do a specific Action help them find ways to use it, which will inherently frame the Position, etc.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 10, 2024 01:01
|
|
|
I remember seeing maybe an in-progress straight fantasy dungeon crawler FITD game a while back? There's a bunch of stuff tagged on Itch.io: https://itch.io/physical-games/tag-forged-in-the-dark
|
|
#
¿
Jan 10, 2024 01:48
|
|
|
From the designer himself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr5ZQAECcps This is a good primer (and printout) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAl85kYCWro and this is a great look at how and when to use rolls as the GM to keep the game flowing correctly . Maybe the most important aspect of running the game. In short: setup the scene, ask the players what they want to accomplish, establish any threats present, ask them how they want to handle it, set position/effect, resolve the roll. Think more at the scene level than individual tasks. Bottom Liner fucked around with this message at 09:50 on Jan 14, 2024 |
|
#
¿
Jan 14, 2024 09:43
|
|
|
GM sets scene and establishes threat Players choose how they want to approach it (which Action) GM sets Position and Effect accordingly Action roll happens Repeat It’s really intuitive and natural once you get it set in your mind. Try to focus on the scene level and not be too granular to keep things moving. Bottom Liner fucked around with this message at 08:57 on Jan 24, 2024 |
|
#
¿
Jan 24, 2024 08:54
|
|
|
That works fine generally. It’s common for a player to describe what they want to do broadly and the GM replying with “ok that sounds like X Action”. The player can change their mind if it doesn’t fit what they think their character is doing once position and effect is laid out.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 24, 2024 09:23
|
|
|
Lemon-Lime posted:I mean sure, the GM has full discretion over score/clock length so you can just make everything require more rolls just to tax your players because you've chosen to let them shed stress more easily, if you want; it's not like it's a crime. I prefer to play it RAW because players not going into every score with all stress cleared produces more interesting situations and it gives me more freedom to set clock length according to what makes sense in the fiction. I agree, really don’t like the idea of arbitrarily adding more rolls just to tax players resources. It goes against the spirit of the game in a few ways and would just bog play down. PopZeus posted:what are y’all’s favorite/most creative uses of clocks you’ve encountered? A simple one that can be used in a lot of scenes is tracking the amount of sound being made. This can be used in stealth, combat, etc and can be affected by not only the outcome of rolls, but the actions used in the first place. Bottom Liner fucked around with this message at 18:11 on Mar 10, 2024 |
|
#
¿
Mar 10, 2024 18:07
|
|
|
Just multi-staged clocks basically. Think of them as boss fight phases in video games. They can also have different triggers for each phase. Be careful to not use them to dictate the outcome of a scene as they are easy to push things in a set direction.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 10, 2024 23:27
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 16, 2024 15:34 |
|
|
It helps to think of downtime as "what did your characters do between sessions" as the game naturally flows well and is designed for that kind of approach. Downtime is inherently a time skip, not a roleplay phase, and the more you lean towards the latter the slower and less successful the system will be because you have to try and fit the non-downtime mechanics to it.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 28, 2024 22:47
|
|