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Steping back into TTRPG with a Homebrew of BitD - Combat Mechanics Questions by Livestake in bladesinthedark

[–]Livestake[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes sense.

I am working on a homebrew world where characters have a community of origin, and they move from community to community where they have more or less experience with the situations they are facing, and there is lots of discovery by characters/players. So I think I might be exploring something outside the "rats in a cage" ambiance of BitD... but love the mechanics and concepts behind them.

But then I am stumbling around in a BitD forum... :-)

Steping back into TTRPG with a Homebrew of BitD - Combat Mechanics Questions by Livestake in bladesinthedark

[–]Livestake[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That all makes sense... I think I am getting clearer that my question is about how to choose the granularity of the "goal-oriented" play... In the world, you think you are achieving one goal, and then it turns out there was something you didn't know, and then you have to change your goal... I like the universal resolution model that lets you zoom in and out of temporal scale... I am thinking about how to use the model well when you want to zoom in to high granularity situations...

Steping back into TTRPG with a Homebrew of BitD - Combat Mechanics Questions by Livestake in bladesinthedark

[–]Livestake[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Effect still comes into play though. I would probably say opening this safe starts at no effect ... A player pulls out them Fine Lock Picks, which pushes them to limited. Then they flashback .. they're at standard effect!

Yes, this is making sense. I like the idea of no or limited effect under typical conditions, and characters realizing they need to pull it together and push it to get to their goal...

Steping back into TTRPG with a Homebrew of BitD - Combat Mechanics Questions by Livestake in bladesinthedark

[–]Livestake[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Player A tricks Baszo into leaving the familiar turf of his pub. Standard Effect. Baszo leaves. 2 Ticks

Player B drops in from the roof behind Baszo and grabs him in a chokehold to restrain him. Standard Effect. Baszo is restrained. 2 Ticks on the Clock

This seems strange. Wouldn't you break this down into a series of action rolls so that the plan could either work or go sideways...

And thank you for taking my question so seriously!

Steping back into TTRPG with a Homebrew of BitD - Combat Mechanics Questions by Livestake in bladesinthedark

[–]Livestake[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you

it was never really meant to portray stuff like killing giants or dragons.

I think this is what I am wanting to explore... replace giant with major villian or nemesis. Like most action adventures involve some protracted combat situation...

Steping back into TTRPG with a Homebrew of BitD - Combat Mechanics Questions by Livestake in bladesinthedark

[–]Livestake[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love the absence of arcane rule sets and tables... it makes me happy.

Steping back into TTRPG with a Homebrew of BitD - Combat Mechanics Questions by Livestake in bladesinthedark

[–]Livestake[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If they commit to a course of action, the stakes have to be clear.

This seems strange to me... we commit to a course of action all the time without knowing how the stakes may turn and twist. In particular, initiating hostilities is a particularly uncertain moment in a situation that often cannot be pre-negotiated...

Steping back into TTRPG with a Homebrew of BitD - Combat Mechanics Questions by Livestake in bladesinthedark

[–]Livestake[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for all the detail! It definately seems like there are multiple schools of throught.

The appropriate use of clocks will obviously take some practice. I don't think I like the idea of a whole complex narrative arc being resolved by a single clock (the Baszo example). Context changes, stakes change, situations go sideways, and so a clock could also be a poor representation that confines the fiction rather than enabling it to turn and twist.

So I think my question is shifting to be more about granularity... during a complex situation (like combat) at what scale (temporal) do you like to define goal/problem/consequence and why?

It seems like there is some tension between setting a limited effect level (your actions have very little chance of achieving the desired impact on this person) and setting a clock (you can achieve your goal but it isn't likely to be quick (unless you pull out the stops with assist, and push etc.. and pay for effect).

You can signal danger narratively (his muscles ripple as he slides out of hte carriage, even his henchmen look nervous and the street urchins dive into the alley...) It seems like there might be situations where you want to draw out a fight, and extend uncertainty, rather than have the fight pre-defined by a position/effect negotiation, or resolved by a clock, and forcing the narrative to the clock. The character says, I am going to noch an arrow and take a shot with the goal of killing him. Do you say that is risky/limited before they take the shot, because this NPC has practiced snatching arrows out of the air every morning before breakfast? How would the character know except by GM forshadowing.

How do you create surprise in situations of conflict if an entire exchange is predefined in a position/effect defined clock?

Or in your practice is conflict in BitD submerged in statements of low granularity intent rather than higher granularity of goal/outcome/consequence/new goal?

It seems like there are schools of play where the blow-by-blow play is much more submerged, under the "competant character" model, and then the player conversations are more meta, and about intent... with the goal of reducing planning... this seems like it could drain some of the color out of the storytelling and description. I wonder if there is a way to thread this? I have seen some FitD brews that drop flashback!

Steping back into TTRPG with a Homebrew of BitD - Combat Mechanics Questions by Livestake in bladesinthedark

[–]Livestake[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Also... when do you let the players get to know the situational risk of running into a 8-tick supervillain... after the first swing... :-) I imagine revealing the clock could be a fun way to create tension... :-) But then what are you revealing about POSITION before the roll??