6 thoughts on “Is the Spider’s fine cover identity meant to be defined each time it is marked?”

  1. I’d play that it’s one specific identity, so that there’s more chance of building up stories and complications and other stuff around that identity.

    … but if that cover was compromised, or if they needed a different fine cover for a particular score, I’d allow a long term project to establish a new one.

    i.e. the “fine cover” grants the ability to have a fine cover. But creating new ones, or changing the existing one, is still an in-game activity.

    And I wouldn’t be a jerk about it. They’re marking off the cover, so they’re “paying” for the use of it – if they’re doing something big, I’d use their “one already established” cover, but if they wanted to mark it off for something minor like flashing a bluecoat badge (when their cover wasn’t already a bluecoat) I’d allow that sort of stuff too. I just wouldn’t expect that not-really-properly-established bluecoat cover to hold up to scrutiny. (i.e. desperate rolls, or complications about being discovered)

    That seems to cover the middle ground where they can have their ultra-cool-people-aren’t-going-to-see-through-this cover, but is also allows seat-of-the-pants heists where they use a different cover and get busted because they’re pretending to be an inspector, and the target notices that they’re wearing the wrong sort of boots.

    Random thought: What might be interesting is if the Spider’s “fine cover” is actually their real identity, and they’ve kept their crimes hidden enough that their identity isn’t associated with their wanted posters.

  2. I’ve always had it defined as a specific identity. It seems like an awful lot to get redefined every time you check it off, since it includes stories, rumors, relationships, etc. I would totally allow a player to alter minor details or change it entirely with a fairly simple LTP though.

  3. The Crew I run for leans very heavily on Leverage as a touchstone, so I absolutely allow the Spider to pull a different identity out of their hat every time they use it on a score. I am keeping careful notes on which NPCs get which identity, though, in case there’s ever a chance of a second encounter – it might get awkward.

  5. argh: all such good responses!

    My thoughts are that some items (like this one) seem to require they be fluid, nebulous benefits to be useful – and the nature of the Spider identity seems to be a bit defeated if it doesn’t change each time as needed.

    However, I struggled with making a determination last session because a consistent cover identity also serves a narrative much better – and this seems more likely to be the intention of the item’s design than the alternative

  6. Mark. Fiction determines position. You can easily have an Acquire Asset action flashed back to or something to set up new score-specific identities to keep it light and easy but have one overarching identity. That way you keep your stable identity, but you can easily swap out (whereas another char like a cutter might need a project clock … or perhaps an AA at a different level, this one might be boosted).

    Figure out what works in your game. ^_^ I’ve played it differently at a few tables. Generally we’ve done it Leverage style where the spider walks in under cover and they can influence the heist spinning together around them. But don’t let that determine what works for your table ^_~

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