I’ve been focusing on an older version of the rules, because my players asked for less change in the sands beneath their feet as the game went on. Therefore I haven’t really looked at the new draft until today. Would you believe I have thoughts?
I really don’t like changing desperate, risky, controlled, to desperate, daring, dominant. Alliteration is a really horrible thing to do to new people who are trying to figure out how things work. The words sound alike. It takes the brain an extra push to process where it falls. And it feels precious to me. My two cents? Desperate, risky, controlled communicates WAY better.
This is so tiny it is minute, but… on page 11, under “Choose your action” the text says the choice of action will usually be obvious, but explain it anyway. I really dislike the use of the word “obvious” in rules and in role playing games generally, because “obvious” is so rarely unquestionably clear to everyone. Different people find different things obvious. So when you note in an offhand way that OF COURSE this is clear, then for those who do not find it to be, they are on defensive ground. Easier to omit it. That goes for anywhere it appears in game books, in my opinion!
PLEASE standardize either “segment” or “tick.” Same with standardizing language for “limited, standard, or great” in the action outcome descriptions, with effect, and everywhere else it appears.
It may help to be explicit that all Factors work the same way and swim in the same waters, it is an interconnected subsystem. Quality, scale, and potency are three ways to add or subtract it. That idea is there if you ponder, but to make that explicit would help. It has helped me in explaining it to players. (I still have reservations about how it works, but that’s my own hangup and I’ve aired it sufficiently.)
For Engagement, I miss the potential consequences and how many apply. The new idea that “the defenders are in control” is vague and unhelpful to me (but not unworkable.) Also, getting an advantage on the first roll is much less useful than getting an advantage to bank for some useful point in the heist. The first roll is pretty much never the most important. Just an opinion.
The Teamwork section talks about “moves on point.” We talk actions everywhere else. Do we really need to go Apocalypse World here?
I still don’t like that for a team action everyone rolls and the team keeps the best roll, not the roll of the person on point. (I only air it again because I’m looking for changes and that’s one I hoped to find.)
I think it would be useful to be explicit that doing a backup:assist also means that the person spending a stress doesn’t have to roll, and therefore takes a stress but is guaranteed not to add stress to the leader. This has been significant in games I’ve played.
We give experience to reward behavior. Why are we giving experience to cause problems because of your character’s personal issues and needs? Is that behavior we want to encourage? I get that there is tremendous excitement in the community about how wonderful it is to fail, but I also suggest this is a cooperative game, and having someone rewarded for increasing the difficulty for others is counter to how I enjoy other players.
I think it is interesting that spending a Coin increases the bracket of the roll by one in down time. There it is in the system–and as far as I know, this is the ONLY way it appears in the system. So better tools can’t reduce the risk of failure–but spending money can make failure impossible.
It might be more useful to the game’s storytelling to note that you can keep up to 4 Coin ambiguously, but if you keep more, you must specify where, and it may be vulnerable to being stolen. “You can’t keep more money” is a strange abstraction.
I feel like the game is going the right direction raising the ceiling from 2 to 3 on action ratings. What if that idea were to go by the wayside as being needlessly restrictive, and in its place, you would have to use your crew to get access to additional special abilities? You still control training for some sweet powerful stuff, but instead of +1d, it is abilities others aren’t going to have unless they are similarly trained. You could build training entities (individuals or groups) around their factional special abilities that can’t be acquired with “Veteran” (unless a rogue teacher shares them) or a playbook.
I still feel Vice is upside-down, but that’s a broken record and I’m content to move on. I still don’t like the unfettered good of Vice as an asset. I still think it’s a bizarre abstract to get better and better at clearing stress until you just retire, bam, non-negotiable. If anyone wants to talk about that we can elsewhere, I’ve got my own ideas on that front.
Actions! I really like Hunt, Study, Survey, and Wreck. Personally I feel Attune should be about connecting to the supernatural; demons are present in the setting but left out of this. Maybe note it could be used to operate enchanted equipment (something everyone might try to do.)
Command. I feel the word almost hits the mark, but not quite. Really, it’s more “Delegate” isn’t it? The main force of the action is on helping gangs plan how to do what you assign them to do, or any NPC you give a job to. You could use Sway for intimidation for those not your underlings, but for your underlings it’s about helping them succeed (especially when you are not present!)
Tinker still bothers me, but we can note that one as sufficiently aired and move on. =)
I am pleased to see the game advises playbooks are not unique. Hooray!
I think there are other interesting ways heritage and background can be used, but they are pretty harmless as they are, so that’s fine. It doesn’t detract from the game to use them to inform a couple action points.
I like the addition of a rival.
I will make special abilities a separate post.
Again, I really offer this in the spirit of trying to be helpful. The game is not broken, my opinions are not always what is best for the game, and I don’t want to rule the world. =) On the other hand, I do have perspectives and reasons for opinions, and even if the game doesn’t change in my direction, it can often be helpful to reflect on reasons and to see things from another point of view. Thank you for considering my viewpoint, and good luck as the game continues on!