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Message: <blockquote data-quote="aramis erak" data-source="post: 8150585" data-attributes="member: 6779310">It's not. Usually it's a player to player decision, not the GM's. When the player finally gets to a point that the GM decides needs a roll, or has an idea for an alternate direction, that the GM gives the "Or"... the player does, in BW, always have the option to walk away from both, or to accept the GM's alternate, without rolling.And, in running BW, there have been a few cases where I gave a fail result that the player found more interesting than their initial declared outcome, and so narrated their failure without bothering to roll for it.The key of BW is that once a roll process is started, there are several outcomes:1) player "walks away" from the declared action. The failure result does not apply. Nor does the success.2) player opts to roll.2a) Player fails the roll, gets the GM's failure outcome2b) player passes the roll, gets their stated outcome3) player opts for failure, gets the GM's stated failure outcome4) player and GM agree to revise the outcomes and continue.Every time the player does something the GM thinks needs a roll, the GM is REQUIRED to allow them to walk away from the triggering action.Example of walk away.Player: "I pick his pocket while he's sleeping on the bench"GM: "That's going to require 3 successes"Player: "Uh, nope. I note something feels odd, and stop before my hand is in his pocket."Example of negotiation:P1: "As I'm wandering through the city market, I'm  looking for a swordsman for hire."GM: "that sounds like a circles roll"P1: "I was thinking assassin-wise because I need to pay my dues. And find a job."GM: "Oh, okay. so you expect there to be an assassin in your guild. If you fail, your dues are too late, he's got paper on you."P1: "can we make him from a different guild? I still want to be able to pay my dues."GM: scans the table, sees some nods. "Sure. But then it really feels more like circles with a bonus die from your Assassin-wise. Say, 3 Successes"Note: At this point, the player has several choices: the GM's original on a failed assassin-wise a guild collector, or a circles to get the right assassin, or even to back down, and not pay his dues this scene. Or to see if he can tweak it more...P1: "Can we make the assignment "alive only?"GM: "Oh, all right..."P1: Circles 4, +1 Assassin-wise.P2: "I'm helping by pointing out the guys the guards are keeping an eye on, using my Guard-wise 4" (hands a die to P1.P3: "I'm helping by making the correct «check-in» sign, assassin-wise 4" hands a die to P1.Non-negotiated example:P1: I'm sneaking into the castle, through the postern gate and into the courtyard, trying to get to the princess' room unnoticed.GM: Makes a mental note of who would be where, and what the best perception roll is en route. "Opposed roll, 6 dice. Failure will be caught in the sneaking."P1: rolls dice (But could have chickened out if he'd wanted to.)" "5 successes, 2 of them sixes...GM rolls. "6 Successes."P1: "spending artha for the 6's" roll of the two comes up 4 and 6, grabs another for the added 6, gets a 1P1: "As I enter the princess' room..." (Note: the GM doesn't have to say anything - the stakes were clear from the beginning. Success, he's at the princess' room. Fail, he's caught somwhere inside the castle.)BW presumes narrative-first play, lots of say-yes, and only when things obviously are going to have fails do you go to the dice.  But, once you trigger the process, it's always, "Pursue your idea via dice roll, accept my Idea as GM, or abandon both and do something different"BW almost doesn't need a GM.</blockquote>

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