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TomPleasant
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Narratively explaining damage

Wed 06 Feb 2019, 12:42

Important point: I'm looking for advice and guidance. I'm not being critical of the rules!

Forbidden Lands is my first experience with the MYZ system. I'm having difficulty being able to narratively justify damage, and how much damage, from some pushed rolls.

I understand the concept of risk from pushing a roll, but other RPGs will have damage from failed pushed rolls as one option, along with making the situation worse.

For example, you push a Scouting roll and become Wits broken, which means 'paralyzed by fear and confusion' until the next day. Or you push a Healing roll and become Empathy broken, means "you break down in despair or self pity".

So, what I'm asking for is:
  1. suggestions for how to make these failed push rolls more realistic
  2. does anyone ever rule (as a GM) that sometimes a failed pushed roll doesn't damage an attribute, but just makesthe situation worse? 
 
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Dudde
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Joined: Sun 28 Jan 2018, 16:49
Location: Södertälje

Re: Narratively explaining damage

Wed 06 Feb 2019, 14:03

I will try to answer the questions, but I'll do it in a roundabout way by telling you how I interpret the rules regarding this in my own game.

Pushing to me isn't the "i try and then I try again, but even harder"-version that the rule suggest. Instead I think of it more as a single attempt where things seems like they are going from bad to worse. The damage a character takes from pushing a roll (and getting those darn skull-results) is from the long struggle, the drawn-out struggle against the elements, the complications, and the stress of being worn down.

Also make sure that these rolls are the significant ones, the ones that REALLY matter. Then the pushing of a roll and the consequences of that become more apparant story elements.

That was for question 1, I think.

2. I don't do that - you make the push and you suffer the damage. You can always decide NOT to push.

Hope this helps!
"Whenever I encounter a problem I can't solve, I throw a molotov-cocktail at it, and then I have a NEW problem instead."
 
Rasmus
Posts: 79
Joined: Mon 27 Aug 2018, 18:20

Re: Narratively explaining damage

Wed 06 Feb 2019, 14:48

Like the above suggestions :)

In my oppinion, ”realistic” is a matter of perspective. First of, you shouldnt push if its not important enough to risk suffering damage and risk becoming broken, right? So, if a player wants to push a scouting roll I mak sure he/she is invested. I might ask what makes this roll so important for her? Whats at stake? Her pride? Fear of something? This will help us describe the consequences of a botched roll. I dont have to do this often, just once in a while when the players want to push an ”undramatic” roll. Understand me correctly, I often want them to push since it creates story - I just want them to be emotionally prepared for the risk involved.

Which brings me to another great thing with the pushing rules (IMO). In the most interesting stories, whether its in books, movies, TV-series, the protagonists fail, succeed, fail again and so on. This is also true for roleplaying. When the scout fails his roll, something interesting happens. The story takes an unexpected turn. Sometimes for the worse. The storytelling aspect of the game becomes more fun when we allow for our awesome heroes to fail. In most other game systems it ends there. With this engine the player get a chance to raise the ante, so to speak. The risk of suffering damage from pushing a roll gives the player a choice between failing in an interesting way or risk a push - if the player chooses to push she has made a concious choice, in effect, that ”I want this scene to be about me succeeding or failing at a potentionally higher cost”.

Hope my ramblings make sense.

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