Fria Ligans forum

I really like the Push mechanic in the FL games... they can create a tense "push your luck" decision with the resulting triumph or despair.
I do have some trouble for a narrative perspective though. While I can certainly understand how pushing a roll for some long-term activities could be narrated. For example, taking a risk while climbing a cliff-face or really trying hard to persuade someone by resorting to spurious arguments that could easily backfire.
I find it much harder to explain how more instantaneous actions, say, a rifle shot can be pushed and what the potential damage could represent. I mean you don't know that the shot has missed until it has missed at which point it's too late to get a do-over.
"Oh crap, I missed... I try harder and roll again and, umm, hope I don't... strain my shoulder from the recoil?"

Anyone got some ideas how to present this to my players... I know they'll ask

Normal damage points represent fatigue, bruises, and flesh wounds - painful, to be sure, but not fatal.

A skill roll (game mechanics) is not done until you have rolled and pushed if you like to. So it isn't so that you climb for a bit, fall down, push and then climb again, it is one action, one climb attempt. As a game mechanics you have to roll the dice twice. The character here simply gave everything he had in the action instead of just a normal safe and controlled action.

The damage you take from a failed push sometimes represent a bruise, sometimes a flesh wound, sometimes fatigue.

I think it's super situational. If you pushed a shot while being shot back at, maybe you stood your ground and tried to land a hit while ricochets from incoming fire bloodied your shins. If you pushed a shot while behind a rock, maybe you tried to climb over it to get a better angle but fell. Maybe you kept firing and firing and did some hearing damage.

The way it's handled in the rules, I interpret "damage" more as "pain." Heals easily, not necessarily a sign of anything serious -- but too much and you might pass out or give up.