If a player flashes back to a downtime action, but they used all their “free” downtime actions, should the…

11 thoughts on “If a player flashes back to a downtime action, but they used all their “free” downtime actions, should the…”

1. My impression is that it was assumed that all flashbacks were happening before the score, so during Downtime. If there were coin/rep charges as well, I think it would have been made explicit. Otherwise most players would be foregoing Downtime to have flashback options. So in my opinion, there should not be additional coin/rep costs.

2. I think it was clarified that flashing back to an additional downtime action cost a coin or rep (and possibly also stress, if it’s the kind of flashback that costs stress). I thought this wound up in the book somewhere but now I can’t find it.

3. Arne Jamtgaard Flashbacks can happen a few moments ago, or a long time ago (see p.29, Desperate Survey example)

   Rep/coin charges are explicit. Ish. For downtime actions in general when they exceed those normally allotted. Hence my question about the rules collision of flashbacks with those costs.

   Will Scott Not sure; I don’t recall it but I might’ve missed it in a previous update, and now its somewhere else. I do see there is a reference in the last paragraph on the Flashbacks page that speaks about handling it with an action/fortune/just happening as usual after paying the stress cost.. but nothing definitive to answer about the downtime action cost which probably should be over and above that

4. If by downtime action you mean they’re looking for a roll where there are no consequences [acquire asset, on a 3 you still get somethign] then that will cost rep or coin [if they have no free downtime actions left]. If they are in the middle of the score and their flashback strains belief that they had time to accomplish it, then that will cost stress.

5. I agree with Aaron Berger. The main advantage of Acquire Asset and Gather Info rolls during downtime is there’s no failure condition. That and stuff like the Spider’s Connected, which gives a bonus to the rolls during downtime. So you can still make the rolls as a normal flashback, you’d just have a chance to fail, and wouldn’t get that bonus.

   If you want to let to let the table flash back to downtime and take an actual extra downtime action, I would say absolutely they pay the coin/rep, and at least 1 stress.

   I’m inclined to not let my table do it, personally, because it seems wonky. Training could be cool, if a player was close to a new dot, and realized they wanted an extra die on an action. Same with a long-term projects. Healing makes less sense if they were running around with an injury affecting their performance. Could the crew flash back to an extra Reduce Heat roll right before the engagement roll if they started the score with some heat, and the new score puts them in dangerous territory? Vice is probably the worst option. They shouldn’t clear stress they gained during the current score, because that makes no sense, and if they had trauma but didn’t indulge, would they heal that stress as well? Plus if they overindulge and take an extra entanglement roll, explaining that in the fiction could get weird.

   But after thinking through all that, I guess none of it is actually terrible. Okay, I’m still not 100% a fan, but I could see it working this way.

6. Aaron Berger yea I am talking about that. And I agree it leads to weird situations, so they must pay more stress based on the fictional strain. I also think you are right on the cost to flashback and the cost to get downtime action.

   Steven Dodds I agree flashbacks to downtime feel a lot like cheating, and should be avoided. I might even disallow them now that you bring up the many loopholes and weirdness that can occur.

   I am surprised nothing actually forbids those sorts of things in the text, but then you mention some situations where it’s not so bad. I am thinking its intentionally left to a GM call, but I am torn on how I will handle it if one player asks and receives a flashback that is “fine within the fiction” and another wants to do a “weird one” that feels kinda cheat-y but also technically allowed

7. There’s one example during the Fiction First Gaming that seems partially appropriate: “Wait, if you’re using downtime, do the rest of us all have downtime now? I thought we were in the middle of making a deal with Bazso…”

   It feels like Downtime is meant to be a phase of play, so once it passes, it’s passed. But like you said, it’s not explicitly forbidden. I think maybe ask the table how they feel case-by-case? Like, “This feels a bit cheaty to me, and here’s why. What do you guys think?”

8. At my table we would probably say no downtime actions after the engagement roll. But at the same time I can see players being nervous about flashbacks. Where its possible, in someways to make your current situation worse. In those cases I can see allowing the players at the cost of stress and coin, to use flashbacks to acquiring assets or gather information.

   I am fairly sure its fictionally impossible to do long term healing or indulging vices while on the job though.

9. I recall asking Mr Harper about flashback downtime actions: if I remember correctly, they are allowed and cost coin/rep as normal.

   I’ll try to find the post just to be sure….

   Edit: found it!

   https://plus.google.com/u/0/114398523630067075514/posts/FLEFtjx3rVs?sfc=true

10. thanks for looking that up MisterTia86 

11. They’re allowed in the sense that everything in the game is allowed: the action comes from sensible fiction. If it doesn’t, then you can’t do it. There’s no way to loophole around that.

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