10 thoughts on “So I’m actually gonna run the Quick start tomorrow.”

  1. Follow the advice step by step for starting the game, works great!

    Print off Tony’s or Jason’s or John’s map (or all three!)

    Get a bunch of index cards and use them whenever someone introduces a fictional element – person / place / thing / daemon / ghost etc.

    Use some proptastic things like NPC portraits, or fantasy coins for the resource stat, or little skulls for stress.

    Have fun!

  2. The main thing I have to remind myself as GM is not to get into mechanics or calling for rolls rather than just narrating color, the world’s reactions, and threats and obstacles that befall player actions. The GM doesn’t call for rolls, only presents situations that should prompt players to call for their own Action or Resist Rolls to counter what takes place.

    For instance when a player says they chum among their pals the Dockers to get intel on who’s been snooping around looking for the MacGuffin, it’s tempting as GM to think, “Oh that sounds like a great opportunity for Consort and Insight!” rather than just narrating what naturally follows from the PC’s effort, usually including dangers or obstacles

    Instead for example, you as GM can say: “Ok, so the dockers you find are intrigued by such a bookish person approaching them, and it doesn’t hurt that you’re not hard on the eyes. Even so, much to your dismay, Pool’s the only one willing to give you more than a grunt and a cold shoulder, ‘If’t please milady, our man Udro forbids us talk wif folk about that bloody box for fear we draw th’eyes o’the likes o’them chums.’ His eyes indicate three shadowy silhouettes surveying the docks warily. One has a shadow of a long rifle and you think you glimpse the shine of a farsight lens.”

    In the latter case, the player may choose to press on with the fiction and apparent future danger as you’ve laid it out, or they can choose to roll an action to change the fiction or situation (a perfect opportunity for a player to use Consort, Sway, Slip, Supply, or others depending on the direction taken). Their goal now has a clear intent (get the dockers to spill intel) and a clear danger (someone will spot you nosing around and possibly consider you competition after the MacGuffin).

    Then in future fiction, if players are too conspicuous or meddlesome, they also can imagine that rifle might become a danger at any time, etc etc. In our example say the PC bribes the dockers sufficiently so they start point out the warehouse housing the MacGuffin. Then you can describe a shot ringing out and either the docker collapsing with a hole in his neck or the PC feeling a sudden burning pain in their leg. If players don’t want those things to happen, they can then use actions to adjust the fiction or resist rolls to say it happens but not so bad as it seemed.

    So I have to constantly remind myself to describe what follows in the fiction and largely let the players decide when and how to leverage the mechanics (so long as they understand their options with the basic solo and possibly teamwork actions).

    That was a long way of saying, Have fun, follow the fiction first as GM, and you and your group will get used to what works for your playstyle. 🙂

  4. Adam Minnie, how does this work when the players are not familiar with mechanics? I’m used to one-shots where the GM teaches the mechanics during play, and that sort of requires suggesting opportunities for rolls.

  5. Adam Minnie I hate to say it, but I disagree. Anyone can call for a roll. GM and players both just narrate (what’s happening and what the characters are doing, respectively) until someone thinks an obstacle is being faced and an Action has been narrated. The player says, “Hm, I think I can sneak past him by climbing the drain and running across the rooftop. I’ll do that.” She might continue, “So I’ll roll Prowl.” But maybe she doesn’t say that, especially if she’s inexperienced. The GM can and should say, “What you’re describing sounds like a Prowl roll. It’s risky.”

    The GM shouldn’t ever supply the action (and mechanical Action and roll) together to the player. It’s up to the player to decide on the fictional approach. Once it’s decided, though, the GM’s job is to decide which roll maps best (or confirm/deny the player’s proposed roll).

  6. Good thoughts all around. I won’t say I’m indicating a ‘right way’ by any means, but just something I learned I have to keep in mind while GMing since it’s rather different (and quite more enjoyable) from my habitual style of running a game. I think my main point is that, whoever may call for a roll, make sure nobody’s rolling just for rolling’s sake. (I think) rolls should arise when a PC attempts to achieve something while faced with some danger.

    My caveat about “so long as they understand their options” is a big one that speaks to the valuable points raised by +Jane and Daniel Helman. Players new to BitD’s style may not know that they can negate or adjust fiction that has already been stated, by the GM or another player, or how they would use mechanics to do so.

    In that case, yes the GM—just as much as any other players with good ideas—can help negotiate what action/effect type and position best represents what has been described. As GM, I would still prefer to keep the mindset that any such negotiating on my end is only informing players of their options, not requiring or determining any employment of those options. But like I said, that’s just something I found I needed to overemphasize to myself given the habits I felt myself falling into in the moment.

  7. Thanks Adam Minnie, I’m always interested in how various people run their games 🙂 Any tips on clearly explaining to players that they can adjust fiction? I’m thinking of two things.

    Firstly, I have a player that will try to talk his way out of making any rolls and engaging the rules if he can, generally by clever planning and negotiating with the GM. That’s another reason why I’m used to saying “this is where you roll”.

    Secondly, I’ve met players who get intimidated by the GM pushing against their character hard and I wonder how to explain Stress to them to make sure they don’t panic.

  8. This may not be the thread for that conversation Jane Olszewska but it’s a great topic I’d love to explore with others if you want to start it elsewhere.

    More to Haakon Olav Thunestvedt’s original question, this conversation reminds me that the hardest part of my first time running the game was trying to use the On Point and Teamwork rules to guide and pace what happened. I can see how those will be great once players get the basics of Actions, Effects, and Resistance rolls, but I should have followed the QS “Failing Gracefully” advice on p.17 and started without the Teamwork moves or On Point business, and maybe even without explaining Effects and Resistances until players want to resist something bad happening to them.

    To Daniel Helman’s point, you’re right that pg 16 says “This shift in the conversation is the GM’s responsibility (they

    should always be on the lookout), but anyone can call for it.” and then (on 17) “When an action roll is called for, the character is usually already in motion, doing something in the fiction. This thing they’re doing will almost always determine which specific action rating to roll. However, a player is free to revise their character’s action in order to use a different action rating, as long as the character performs the new action in the fiction”. I mostly was meaning I need to remind myself not to use the bad habit on p.24, namely, calling for a specific action roll.

  9. Hi everyone, thanks for all the advice. Unfortunately (or fortunately perhaps) the game was postponed a week because one of the players fell ill. So I didn’t get to use your thoughtful comments then but this post bookmarked and I will have a careful read through before the weekend.

Comments are closed.