How do other folks running games handle mechanically interacting with NPC/Faction downtime actions? “Advance their project clocks” and “choose a downtime manouver or two”… are we just ticking one box, making a tier roll, using the manouvers to gain additional ticks past a base tick on their clock?
It seems like, for instance, if you have two factions that each are involved in the current fiction and have same-sized clocks, by simply ticking fixed increments they are stuck in a side by side race forever, or until they collectively collapse upon each other?
It seems like just making one tick per cycle moves faction changes slowly, where determining up to 5 segments potentially per jump would really make an interesting lull-and-race pacing for world events. So, that is definitely a way we can control that pace, but I’m interested to hear how others approach it.
I use fortune rolls for this with the tier of the faction as number of dice. You get variable results from that (1-3: 1 tick, 4-5: 2 ticks, 6: 3 ticks)
Do you discount crits, to keep the progress bound to 1-3? Mainly, I ask because that’s the approach I like personally, it’s just that the possible 5 ticks in one go makes the results very swingy.
The way Stefan Struck does it is what I do as well. But I’m not always moving clocks. Sometimes they get busy with other things (often because the PCs interfere and put other tasks on their agenda).
Also if the players aid them or hinder them I add or remove a tick (two if it’s in a big way).
Note: in asking John to put a bit in about using their tier for fortune rolls.
mike teuscher Don’t know. The creed is: If the fiction is good than do it
I usually tick one segment for each NPC faction clock. If the PCs did something that affects that faction (like if they help either the Lampblacks or the Red Sashes in their war), they’ll get another tick. Then I make sure that the PCs see the results of that progress in-game.
We are still in character creation so I haven’t done it yet but I was planning in rolling their tier but not as a fortune roll. A roll of 1-3 for them will be a consequence and more friction for the gangs in duskwall.
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I’m actually writing this up longform for the 1.6 release of S&V with a big example. I’m with Sean – but I’ve been asked this a ton.
I’ve always found it tricky to pace the NPC factions. I’ve moved their clocks with fortune rolls each downtime, but my ambitious players have said they felt left behind, scrabbling for dirt as the bigger factions make sweeping power plays. Other times, I’ve tried only relying on the players scores, entanglements and devil’s bargains to drive the NPC factions clocks.
I never felt I got the balance right.
I’ve been rolling their tier, in sessions involving more than one score this seems like it could get out of hand quickly tho