Difference between revisions of "Deliberation"

Revision as of 23:19, 18 January 2016

Outside of encounters, game play is a free form back and forth between the referee and the players. The referee determines and describes the state of the world and the denizens who inhabit it. Players describe how their characters act upon that world. The outcome of those actions is determined by the rules, and then the referee interprets how that outcome affects the state of the world and how the denizens react. It sounds complicated, but it boils down to conversational exchanges like:

• Referee: "The inn is loud and raucous, filled with rough looking characters drinking wine and eating hearty meals. There looks to be a tea house in town as well, more refined but also more expensive. What would you like to do?"
• Player: "What's the name of the inn?"
• Referee: "There's no sign, but a passerby will tell you it's called the Beast Turtle's Den."
• Player: "With a name like that, I'm definitely stopping there."
• Referee: "Excellent. The food smells passable, and there's plenty of wine. How would you like to make your entrance?"
• Player: "What do you mean?"
• Referee: "Do you want to try to slip in without gaining any attention, bluster to the crowd about how tough you are and that you should get the best seat? Anything like that."
• Player: "Oh, nothing fancy. I'll just sit down at an empty table, and maybe scan the crowd to see if anyone looks interesting."
• Rules: One of the uses for a sense check is perception. The referee notes this and asks the player to roll a check against sense. The check succeeds.
• Referee: "Four men at a different table are armed. They could be Valiant, but more likely they are bandits who live nearby and ply their trade on the roads away from town. Against the far wall is a lone man with a scar over one eye and a large, exquisite looking sword slung across his back. He appears to be appraising you as well."
• Player: "I'll give him a slight nod and then wave someone over to take my order."
• Referee: "He nods back, and goes back to drinking. It looks like the only server is a young woman, either the owner or likely the daughter of the owner. She sees your wave and heads your direction, but before she arrives she's grabbed by one of the four armed men as she passes their table. He says something rude to her and his fellows laugh heartily. What do you do?"

Deliberation keeps going back and forth like that among all the players. The rules only enter deliberation when needed, and help set the expectations of both the referee and the players for what types of actions are likely to succeed, and what kind of outcomes can be expected. Although the referee is the final arbiter, players are encouraged to negotiate their actions and results. You can say what you want to happen, or offer alternatives for a failure.

• Pro Tips: Ask questions. The referee won't fill in every detail, only the ones that seem most relevant. The answers to your questions can create new options. You can describe what your character says, or just say it. There's no best way to do it, just what is more comfortable and fun for you. Don't be afraid to negotiate, and try to open up opportunities for other players to affect the situation.

Modes

Most of deliberation is description punctuated by occasional checks or complications. Deliberation should be suspended for an encounter if a battle, chase, dispute, or raid begins. There are also four special modes of deliberation that add emphasis to special developments.

• Dilemma: A difficult choice with long-lasting consequences.
• Expedition: Exploration or travel through dangerous regions.
• Investigation: Finding clues and solving mysteries.
• Romance: Finding and losing love.

Time

Time flows freely during deliberation, and only really matters if there's an outside limit. If the band only has three days to stop a deviant ritual then it matters how long it takes them to get to the site. Measure time in days. For anything smaller use a check or a complication to beat a deadline. Characters can perform up to three projects each day. The second project, if used, has a penalty on any check and the character is automatically exhausted. The third is set aside for rest, but if used for work any checks suffer 2 penalties and the character must make a grit check or fall unconscious for a project. The penalties accumulate until the character stops and rests for a full day. Travelling on foot, a character moves half their speed in regions each project. A vehicle simply moves regions equal to its speed each day.

Rest

A character may rest once a day. Resting involves eating, drinking, and sleeping, so it requires shelter and supplies. Finding a place to rest in a populated region is a tier 0 service, so anyone but a strapped character doesn't need to check. Supplies only need to be tracked if scarcity is a concern. Resting eliminates the exhausted state and allows a recover strength check to heal hits or eliminate a disease. If you don't do anything but rest all day you gain a bonus to this check. If there's no time or scarcity limit just assume rest occurs until all recovery is completed.

Cooperative Narration

The referee is the final arbiter for details in the game world, but not the sole source of information. They can and should defer some details to the players, especially players who aren't directly involved in the current event. When a player asks a question, feel free to have a different player answer it, or a part of it. Answer with a different question, answered by the players. If an answer is inappropriate you can overrule it, but as much as possible try to let the answers stand. The result adds a layer of surprise and fun for the referee as well, and can memorably affect game outcomes.

• Pro Tip: This technique is especially useful when creating impressions for incidental characters the players meet. A few surprising answers can turn a stock denizen into an intriguing new character with a life of their own. If you are using the Reflex deck, each card has a prompt and a possible answer for impressions to aid this process.

See Also

• Check
• Complication
• Encounter

Version 2.5.2
©2014 Frameworks Games

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