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Message: <blockquote data-quote="aramis erak" data-source="post: 8161218" data-attributes="member: 6779310">I don't mind players exercising reasonable situation agency. It saves me having to parse their intent...Player Agency is required to some degree to have a role in the story...Player Agency requires limits to be a game and to be useful.Player agency over character capabilities and nature is almost always limited. Otherwise, you get Callahans¹ on LSD.Player agency over character attempts is vital in RPGs where the characters are personally owned, but it need not be unlimited.Most games do not grant ungated player agency over outcomes - that's what rolls/cards/point-spends/budgets are for.Player agency over situations is highly variable in value. If it's limited to starting situations, it can get buy in. That's a default mode for many Fate games.If it's active with rolls, as in BW with Circles and with location-based  wises rolls, it's useful but can step on others' toes.If, like Burning Empires, it's a budgeted resource, it's powerful for getting what the player wants done attempted... and since BE, like BW, is fail-forward complicated-successes in many cases....Burning Empires has a scene budge system...Building Scenes a player frames for his character, and at their discretion, others, and up to 3 actions requiring rolls. (those actions are big-sweep things, like marshalling your troops for a battle, or installing backscatter radar scanners on the castle.)Color scenes are in character monologue or description. It can set up for providing help but cannot itself do anything requiring a roll.Interstitials (poor name, IMO) is a scene with two or more characters interacting. No rolls allowed.Conflict Scenes: use Duel of Wits, I Corner Him and Stab Him With My Knife, or Battle sequences.Each session, each player gets 1 color, 1 interstitial, and either a building or a conflict scene.The GM gets 1 color per figure of note on the opposition not played by a player, as many interstitials, and as many building scenes, but may swap 1 (and only 1) builder for a conflict scene.Each scene is framed by its owner, with some caveats:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If you're doing a color scene, you may invite others to be present, but they have to agree. Other scenes, you may invite, or may force them.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If you want to force someone, that's a circles roll. They get to oppose it. And one Circles roll doesn't actually count against the rolls limit.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The table can override the framing if it's way out of line...</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You cannot force a conflict. </li> </ul>Note also: Anything that affects another's abilities or status requires a roll.The combination makes for a lot of agency - but it also makes the game harder to play, because you cannot force a conflict. Nor even force someone to be set up for a conflict.</blockquote>

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