4.1.0 Update: Revisiting Support Options

Crits Disabled

If you were there, then you know. RIP Towed. I thought this may be a way to emulate the Nat 20 feeling, but based on player feedback SWS is preferred despite the fact it is much harder to achieve. We're going back to the drawing board with this one.

Interact Clarification

Interact's primary use is for Modifying the Context of details. An Interact action is not required each time a player picks up, moves or uses an object. Interact is to be used when using a detail that would require a form of Challenge. For example, picking up an axe from the ground should not require Interact, but pulling an axe from a stump could. For DM's attempting to use Interact to pad action economy, remember to include a challenge because narratively no-one wants to spend their whole turn picking up an item. In regards to players giving each other items, this should be decided within the context of the story. Obviously you don't want players hot potatoing gear during tense moments, but if there is no reason a player couldn't reasonably hand something to someone else, why not? As a guideline, if players are breaking character to power game, that is cause to not allow it. Apart from that, unless it’s really important to the tension of the scene, probably best to just let it through.

Encourage

Challenge the Scene Morale by Meeting 4

If Victorious, Unlock an Aspect in the Reflection Phase

For every 3 above the Required Total, another Aspect is Unlocked

Encourage Design Thoughts

Encourage is going to be a constant WIP for 2 primary reasons. Firstly, determining appropriate averages for how many Aspects a player should be able to unlock is important to the feel of the game. I want players to feel they can play "healer" archetypes, play Encourage most of the time and be rewarded for it. Meet 4/RT3 allows for progression for that archetype as well. Secondly, the narrative permission for skills when Encouraging. Any skill may be used to Encourage in theory, but in practice, players are using skills that don't match the story they are telling. It also seems as if Influential skills have broad enough narrative permission that they will almost always apply. My opinion on this is that certain cards will have skills that work best with them i.e. Intuition and Sense, but it has been brought up to me and thus will be monitored. Skill Context is a mess in general, not just Encourage.

Encourage Game Feel

Awful Feeling: 0 or worse

Poor Feeling: 1 Aspect

Alright Feeling: 2 Aspects

Good Feeling: 3 Aspects

Great Feeling: 4 Aspects

Encourage Augment

When Action Card Augments get more attention, this feels like a perfect example of how it could benefit a playstyle based around a specific action.

Encourage Upgraded

Static | Augment | (X) BP/MM

This character’s Encourage Challenge is only required to Meet 3

Encourage Data (For Nerds)

Help Discussion

In the Priority Phase, Gain Highest Priority

In the Reveal Phase, Players may Trade Priority

While this card is in Priority, you may Lock your Traits to add to any roll a Player makes this turn. When another Player is Challenging an Enemy, if you Lock an Aspect to Help them, and they are Victorious, Unlock one of your Traits.

Help is currently in a place where depending on the circumstance it is either fun and helpful or useless and boring with no middle ground. The helpfulness of moving a character up Priority is often subjective and hard to gauge meaning it cannot be the central appeal of the card. When a player is Helping a Challenge, the Challenging player often has access to plenty of their own Aspects and Tensions, meaning the Helping player is usually only required to boost their roll when the group is deprived of resources, in which case, they are better off using Encourage.

Where changing this card gets complicated is bolstering the cards' interactivity to make it more exciting or at least happen more often. Adding modifiers or bonuses isn’t the answer here because that simply makes the card more powerful and not more exciting. Making this card universal will hopefully help its Game Feel.