What is the mechanical effect of Hold? I understand that it can go up and down, but what’s the benefit of having Strong hold and what’s the downside to having a Weak hold?
I understand the narrative impact and that the game is fiction-first, but one of the things I really like about BitD is that there is a strong relationship between narrative and game. Also, mechanics are a tangible feedback to the players about their choices, and making interesting choices is a key fun factor for my group.
So, what’s the use of Hold?
Here’s how I understand it.
Your hold represents how stable your presence in your current tier is. If you have weak hold and something reduces your hold, you go down to the next lowest tier. That’s bad, because you’ll become more vulnerable to other factions and further away from the crew’s ultimate goal (which, in general, is to rise up the faction ladder without getting forcibly retired along the way).
Advancing your crew can increase Hold or Tier. Hold is easier (doesn’t cost money). I think you also gain hold when you acquire a new “Turf” Claim.
Higher tiers would probably be less likely to notice you or think you are a “problem” if you are holding on to your small pond and not in direct competition with them. Soon as you jump a tier, you bring a lot attention to your gang, and you are expected to keep up with the big kids.
Holding on to your current tier is safe, cheaper, and sometimes helps you establish yourselves a bit more before you take the next step.
Sometimes jumping head-first into a new pool results in a headache ;)
Edit: sorry that wasn’t helpful. You wanted mechanical stuff. Give me a second to come up with an answer, if I have a good one
Penguindigo said it. It costs coin. You also need Hold because a faction could knock you down a tier quite easily if you have a weak hold. Then you have to start over. That’s a lot of coin “wasted” if you have to be moving up and down all the time.
John Harper The discussion about dropping Tier and having to rebuild makes sense. I’d recommend adding more detail around how Hold and Tier can be lost.