I’m really excited about this game. Just a stylistic comment looking at 7.1. The action roll quick reference chart is a really cool way to quickly present that mechanic and it’s used a few times…but it lists “1d for each action dot” and “+1d if you push yourself or take a devil’s bargain.” then nothing else. Teamwork seems like a pretty simple concept to explain and an easy way to add another +1, why isn’t it also listed there? Also it’s not really clear how items work, or what makes a fine blade better than a regular blade – my understanding is it might give better position if one person’s weapon is better quality, but it would be nice to see that explained in the position section. Thanks for the great game and looking forward to the final release!
I’m really excited about this game.
I’m really excited about this game.
The way I read the quick reference is that the column on the left under “Action role” are the things that you can do to effect your dice pool and the column on the right under “teamwork” are the things that others can do to help you. It’s not a real problem as the players soon learn that the ways to get extra dice are to push yourself or take a devil’s bargain (but not both) and get an extra die from a friend that helps.
Fine and Exceptional items improve Effect (not Position). You add the quality of the item to your Tier (-1 for “poor”, 0 for “standard”, +1 for “fine” and +2 for “exceptional”). If the result is greater than the Tier of the opponent, Effect is increased by 1. If the result is less than the opponent’s Tier then Effect is reduced by 1. Page 10 of v7.1 gives the details of how to work out Effect.
In actual play, Effect can be more of a judgment call as to what feels appropriate. The crew is almost always going up against opponents of higher Tier and so are out classed on both Tier/quality and Scale. Gaining Potency from good planning can only take you so far. Having Limited Effect on most rolls is no fun so starting from Standard Effect unless there are obvious fictional advantages/disadvantages is the way to go. That’s not being soft on the players. It’s better to allow the crew Effect and throw in interesting complications than say “you hit him but do little damage” unless there are reasons why he really is that tough.
It can also be fun to offer players the choice of dropping Position to Risky or Desperate to gain additional Effect, if the situation warrants it. Ratchet up the stakes.
There’s also the “truth of the fiction”, meaning that not every aspect of a faction will be equal to their Tier (at least in my opinion). For example, a Tier 3 group has a secret warehouse. The lock to the door won’t probably be a Tier 3 lock as a lock of that quality might bring attention to said secret warehouse. It might, depending on the logic of the fiction, be a Tier 1 lock. Outside, the guards might be lower Tier hired rabble, while inside are the Tier 3 guards with appropriate gear. If the faction isn’t know for the arcane I’d even justify that any wards might be Tier 2 or less. The lock to their hidden lab or vault might even be Tier 4!
I find it too cookie-cutter to have every aspect of a faction reflect their Tier and it could be frustrating/boring for the players (and GM). Varying the aspects of Effect can lead into some interesting moments, such as wondering why a Tier 1 faction has a door with a Tier 2 lock with Tier 3 wards! That fictional truth should tantalize the players and urge them to investigate.