A couple of questions:
1. Is there a place that specifies which districts each faction operates out of? I know some of them denote a specific turf under their details, but some do not. I’m wanting to introduce Ulf Ironborn as a potential client for my crew of assassins, but I’m wondering where I can find his HQ (The Old Forge Tavern). I’m happy to set it down anywhere I need it if that’s the expectation, but if there is a specified district that would be helpful. For that matter it would be helpful to know which factions operate where as the PC’s enter those areas.
2. I’m still having a little trouble grasping factors with regard to Effect. If I understand correctly, the default Position/Effect is Risky/Standard. So any given factor (Potency, Quality, Tier, Scale) would move the Effect up or down. I know that Tier can be greater than 1, but can Potency, Quality, or Scale be higher than 1?
Some examples: A Tier 1 PC comes up against a Tier 2 Red Sash. That would set the situation at Risky/Limited, correct? If the Red Sash has a fine weapon, that would further drop the Effect to Zero? Do the factors effect Position at all, or just Effect?
Example 2: Same situation as above, but now the PC uses Not To Be Trifled With. Would that give him Potency vs the Red Sash, effectively bumping him back to limited Effect?
Example 3: Carrying on from example 2, now the PC pulls a fine sword of his own, bumping the Effect back up to Standard. But then four more Red Sash gang members show up. So that’s 1 vs 5, but the PC is using Not To Be Trifled With, so he’s still on equal footing with them, so no change, right? Still Risky/Standard? What if another two guys show up making it 1 vs 7. Would the Scale then drop the situation back down to Risky/Limited?
Oh crap, I’m just re-reading the example on page 29 where a single PC is facing off against a large group and it looks like Scale DOES affect Position. I’m having a hell of a time with this. Any advice would be most welcome.
1. No, there’s not. Set it down anywhere you need it.
2. There’s no need to get anxious about position. Read the brief descriptions under the positions and decide which description best describes the situation the PC is currently in. (Desperate: You overreach your capabilities. You’re in serious trouble.) Scale affects position in the book’s example because skirmishing against a large group means you’re in serious trouble.
Effect is somewhat complicated, so I get stressing about that. Firstly, yes Quality and Scale can both be greater than 1. As for Potency, it’s never been clear to me, but I usually allow it to be greater than 1 as well.
Example 1: I don’t usually compare Tiers of 1 person vs 1 person, personally. It gets a bit wonky, plus I think Tier already affects effect indirectly through Quality. Stacking both Tier and Quality into effect considerations essentially does the same thing twice. Additionally, I’d never say a NPC has a fine weapon because they are only supposed to have what their Tier supports. Having fine weapons is a PC privilege. That said, your calculations themselves here are correct.
Example 2: Not To Be Trifled With technically reads that you can engage a small gang on equal footing, not engage an individual with an advantage, so rules as written, probably not. That said, whether you want this ability to work in the way you proposed here is up to you and your table, and as GM I usually allow it to work that way. If you allow it to work this way, then your conclusion is correct.
Example 3: If he was getting an advantage from Not To Be Trifle With when facing one individual, then when 4 more Sashes show up, he loses that advantage, and effect would drop back down by one. If more Sashes show up and the PC is effectively fighting a Tier 2 gang, then the PC is outmatched in scale by 1 level (instead of 2 levels because of Not To Be Trifled With), meaning his effect should drop appropriately.
If you have clarifying questions, I’ll gladly answer them.
Cool. Thanks very much for the reply. I’m about to run our game tonight; if I have more questions I’ll post them.
One thing I read that helped a lot when I was first starting out: Position tells you how bad the situation can get, and Effect tells you how good things can get. So think about the position fictionally: how bad could it get in a 1 vs 7 fight when the 7 are master sword fighters? Pretty bad. How good could things conceivably go? Not at all. It’s probably starting out at Desperate/Zero.
But now what if the 1 is the Hulk or John Wick? Well, it still might go poorly for the 1, but it will definitely go better than before, so it might be Desperate or Risky/Standard.
In either case, the system is designed to follow the fiction and fail gracefully, so you’re not going to have much trouble so long as the events make sense in the moment.