Could use some help grasping effect level and position.
So I have run a few sessions of blades in the dark, and am still having trouble really getting effect level, and to a lesser extent position. I do find position to be easier, in my mind it more sets the tone, the more often I decide something if desperate the grittier the players will perceive the tone to be. The Fiction will often help dictate the choice,but still sometimes it feels very arbitrary which position I am picking.
The harder one for me if really getting a grasp on the effect level, scale and/or potency. So last night one of the players picked a fight with a red sash swordsman who was a better 1v1 fighter than that player. The player was a cutter with the Not to be Trifled With special ability and a large weapon. So mentally I started the player off at limited effect, I bumped this up twice, once for his ability and another time because of his weapon and the fiction. This meant he had great effect and it felt kind of muddled.
Anyways, sorry to ramble, but I am looking for any help or clarification on how you all set effect levels, how you use them. Really any suggestions would be very helpful. Thanks.
I think the idea with level, scale and potency is that you consider them all, but that it doesn’t have to be weighted evenly. Think about which makes the biggest difference and use that most.
For your example, I’d probably have said that the enemy’s skill level trumped the scale and the weapon and gone for limited or standard effect depending on what action the character was attempting.