Author: Paul Drussel

I’ve run a few sessions now (which have been thoroughly enjoyable) and we get the ‘fiction first’ premise of playing which works really well when on a score. However we get a bit of a disconnect once we’re in Downtime as that’s very much a “you have 2 things you can do (or more if you spend coin/rep)”, which is invariably clearing stress plus something else.

As there’s really only one way to do each of the things in Downtime that part, for us anyway, becomes led by the mechanics.

i.e. “I need to clear my stress so I’m going to go gambling” and not “To wind down after the job I take my share to the Red Leviathan and throw bones with One Eyed Jake. Oh, i guess that means I get to clear some stress”

Or “I need to recover my wounds so I’m off to the physicker” and not “I’m fucked! I book a session with Agamemnon the Physicker, so that means I get to do the Recover Wounds action”

Or “I’m 1xp short to advance Resolve, I train in the lair” and not

Or “Our Heat is way too high, I reduce heat by spreading a rumor it was the Lost who hit the Crows” and not “I’m going to spread rumours to implicate the Lost in the raid on the Crows, heh, that means I get to roll to Reduce Heat”

I’ll concede that things not covered by the above has potential to be led by the fiction as it could end up being a Long Term Clock, Acquiring Assets or Gathering Info depending on what it is.

We’re also finding the transition from being on the score to downtime a bit sharp. Like, “you’ve stolen the statue of awesome power from the Crows and made your escape back to your hidden lair” (sorts out Payoff & Heat, rolls for and roleplays the resolution of the Entanglement) “Now you’ve dealt with the entanglement of the bloodied message of your beaten to a pulp Spirit Trafficker contact from the Crows that means we’re in downtime now, what do you do?”

Should I not explicitly state that they’re in Downtime? I guess you have to as technically at that point they’re not on the Score any more as payoff/heat/entanglements has been done.

Should we accept that when it comes to Downtime it’s more of a “pick what you want to do, then roleplay it out or just hand wave it in the case of Training”, with the actual fiction first stuff happening when they’re on a Score?

(Summoning Drew Harpunea as he’s one of the players)

Question regarding a crew of Cultists.

Assume they begin with an Artifact/Supplication, much like in the quick start Thieves starting with a hunting ground?

Anyone have an idea what they can be used for mechanically?

I’m thinking using their quality as teamwork for related occult actions but wouldn’t mind knowing the official slant on it.