Post by admutt in SPACE BOUNTY BLUES comments

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Another excellent time was had by all, but one thing I noticed during play is that players were flipping back and forth between pages 7 and 12 whenever they were trying to figure out which Trait applied to a roll. I think the issue there is that the language is a little bit different when comparing one section to another.

And then Traits are only mentioned in the HEAD section (Describe your character’s attempt and roll 2D6 +TRAIT, plus your EDGE BONUS and STYLE BONUS), so players would then go back to flipping between pages 7 and 12 to confirm the definitions.

Maybe the information on page 12 should be folded into pages 6 and 7? The SOLO and HEAD sections could then use the same formula set up, and if you can fit the instructions for the STYE BONUS onto page 6 somehow, then everything that might get added to a roll is on one page.

Afterthought: Should a character's TROUBLE be treated as a -1 if it's an issue during a roll?

The Nerdy Paper Games of Rob Hebert4 years ago

Hmmm... What do you feel is different about the descriptions of the Traits on pp. 7 and 12? They should cover the same situations and uses.

I'm working on the one-page player aid today, which has a character sheet and the descriptions of the Traits, so that will hopefully remove the need to flip around so much.

Regarding the Trouble, I wouldn't give a penalty for it coming into play (it might disincentivize bringing them into the fiction). In fact, it's more likely for a PC to get a bonus for it, as it can trigger a Flashback. In other words, you're incentivized to complicate your character's Solo with backstory.

admutt4 years ago

The Traits seem more <specific> on page 7, more <defined>;

HARD is used to...
- Harm with fist, foot, or weapon
- Resist force or fatigue
- Threaten with violence

SHARP is used to...
- Read a person or a situation
- Notice an important detail or potential clue
- Reason with someone or through a problem

SMOOTH is used to...
- Avoid harm or detection
- Manipulate with charm or dextrous coordination
- Maneuver a vehicle or around obstacles

Page 12 seems more <generic> while at the same time not covering quite the same ground as page 7;

- If they use force or threats, they roll +HARD
- If they use perception or intelligence, they roll +SHARP
- If they use charm or dexterity, they roll +SMOOTH

I think this became noticeable when my group was focused on making very obvious Social Threats in our games (along the lines of, "I will go to the IRS and show them the proof of your real earnings - they will be up in your business, auditing you so fast, your head will spin");

If we're only looking at page 12, that's not really what we think of as charm, so it's not SMOOTH, right?

But does that mean it falls under HARD? Seems like it, from the description of HARD on page 12.

But, according to page 7, HARM is all about the physical and violence, right? So, that's not right either.

But page 7 does include "manipulate" as part of SMOOTH, so yes, we're back to using SMOOTH for the roll.

Hmm...maybe just a tweak to the wording on page 12, though?

- If they use violence, physical force, or physical threats, they roll +HARD
- If they use perception or ~~intelligence~~ reasoning, they roll +SHARP
- If they use social interaction to charm, threaten, or manipulate, they roll +SMOOTH.
- If they use fine physical skills to avoid, manipulate or maneuver, they roll +SMOOTH.

It's a bit nitpicky, I realize, but deciding on a Trait was the roughest part of the game so far - specially with players used to games with huge skill lists (D&D, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, Fate, and so on).

admutt4 years ago

But I guess the more important thing is that the Traits are defined in detail on Page 7 during Character Creation, mentioned in slightly different detail on Page 12 for the Solo roll, and then only referred to on page 15 for the Build-Up roll.

I feel like there's consistency missing there, and instead of adding more text to page 15, I think it would be better to have Page 12 refer to Traits in the same fashion as page 15 while having them completely defined on page 7. This way, players only have one page to go looking for when we can't quite remember what the Traits cover.

The Nerdy Paper Games of Rob Hebert4 years ago (1 edit)

I would still say that threatening someone with turning them in would be +Hard. “Do this or else something I’ll make something bad happen to you” has the finesse of a sledgehammer.

The Traits are more like Approaches in Fate, as opposed to abilities in D&D. Hard can be social, emotional, or physical. You can even be a +Hard hacker, who uses brute force tactics to break through firewalls and password protections.

ETA: It's also totally fine to play a little loose with the Traits. If someone has a good argument for why they want to use +Smooth instead of +Sharp for a particular action, I say let them. It won't hurt anybody.

admutt4 years ago

Ah! Yes, I do like FAE's Approaches approach. I hadn't considered that SBB's Traits were to be handled that way; they don't read that way to me. Now I'm thinking that the descriptors and examples in the SBB rules are TOO specific. :)

The Nerdy Paper Games of Rob Hebert4 years ago(+1)

lol it's certainly a fine line. I appreciate you unpacking it to the extent you have :)

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