Hey all – a question for you. Apologies if it’s already been asked before but I can’t quite figure how to search on google plus yet…especially on mobile.
Anyway:
Gather information. The rules state that this can either be done as a fortune roll or an action roll but don’t go much further. Any tips on when to use a fortune roll over an action roll? Removing all possible consequences and seeing how well some surveying goes seems far less exciting than doing a full action Roll .
Also another minor point – less of a question but more of an observation. There’s been a few times where the rulebook has pointed to something that only exists in the downloadable sheets – things like the gloom and wreck lists for example. This has been a primary source of fuels confusion for me when reading and it might be something to fix in later editions.
The most obvious consequence to use by default is that you lose your opportunity to get the information using your current methods/approach; much like information in real life, more than one person has it or it’s stored in multiple locations anyway.
Getting into position to gather the information in the first place also exposes the player to taking on more consequences through other action rolls.
(All this information is on the first page of the Gathering Information section in the rule book).
You use a fortune roll when there isn’t actually an obstacle for getting the information but it is NOT common knowledge. So it’ really just a way to randomize how much information you can squeeze out of one source at a time (kind of like how not all oranges produce the exact same amount of liquid when they are squeezed for juice.
My players, when I share Doskvol headlines with them, sometimes go “oh, that’s interesting… I want to know more about that.” And I’ll say “okay, are you hunting for answers, or…?”
And if they’re really chomping at the bit, they’ll say “Oh yeah, you know it” and that’s an Action roll. They’re taking action to get the answers.
But if they’re more like “Nah, I don’t have the time for that, I’m just, maybe, picking up another paper and seeing if it says more, or just listening to random chatter at the pub… just, ya know, whatever.” That’s a Fortune roll. They’re not really making anything happen, they’re seeing what they learn through osmosis.
Fortune Roll Gather Info is also good for situations where a player wants to know if their character knows XYZ situation/character/event you mention, but there’s no reason for them to have Studied or Surveyed or whatever prior to the scene. “I don’t know, Cricket, let’s see if you know about the Charterhall Slayings… Fortune Roll time.”
If there’s a question as to whether or not the characters know a thing, we roll. If there’s an obstacle to answering that question (such as Hunting a courier to see where her secret dropbox is or Commanding a Bluecoat to divulge the whereabouts of their hidden stash) we make it an Action roll over a Fortune roll.
I like to think of fortune rolls (of any nature) as my choice (as GM) to disclaim descion making to the dice. If players ask a question about gathering info and I don’t know the answer, or have nothing I want to introduce into the story, then I’ll make a fortune roll – talking it through with my players as I go.
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