A few thoughts on “setting effect.” I’m looking at page 22 of the quickstart version 4 print friendly version. Either I have it wrong, or the example does.
When I have run Blades in the Dark, I have not discussed setting the effect “level” as part of the expectations I share with the players. (I think the example MEANS to talk about factors, not effect levels.)
As I see it, a player character tries to do something, and what we intend the result will be BECOMES the full effect. If they get limited effect, the result is less than what they were trying to do. Greater effect is more than what they were trying to do.
The effect is what they were trying to do. What that means can be adjusted up or down, but that’s the full effect.
This is where I get itchy in assigning limited effect or greater effect before the dice are rolled.
The advantage of a fiction first system is that the “effect” has no independent meaning. “Full effect” is you get what you were after when you made the action roll.
As GM, that means I can negotiate for what “full effect” represents. Take the example in quickstart 4 printer friendly version page 22. In the example, the GM says the situation is difficult, so he will have a limited effect.
In previous versions, what I would do there is to say that the situation is difficult, so if you’re successful the most you can reasonably hope for is to convince him to give you the amulet in exchange for something, and the terms are not likely to be favorable.
If the player and the GM are cool with that, then you roll; if you get a failure then the conversation is over and you don’t get what you want. Limited effect might be the conversation continuing, but the position escalates to desperate. Full effect would be bargaining for the amulet, but at a steep cost. Critical success would be to get the amulet in exchange for a minor cost, or a symbolic act.
In the current version on page 22, the GM pre-ordains that the player is aiming for a limited effect because of challenges. What happens when the player rolls a limited success? Is there a subsection there of limited success within limited success? Unlikely. More likely, the GM is not being clear, and the action will have a -1 effect due to the potency of the boss’s backup. (So, just say THAT.)
I like the idea that the “effect” is what the player is trying to get out of the situation, and not modifying that with game terms until the roll comes out.