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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 7743978" data-attributes="member: 42582">I ran a session of Cortex+ Heroic yesterday.The PCs entered the mountain peaks, still heading north on their quest to find out what is happening to the Northern Lights, and why a terrible winter has fallen.They were confronted by a group of mountain folk - a wyvern rider with a flight of wyverns, and Asgeir their chieftain.The PC swordthane tried to persuade Asgeir to let the group pass (at the table, a social manoeuvre); but Asgeir refused to yield, insisting that the group would not pass, leaving the PC uncertain about what to do next (at the table, a successful reaction with additional DM-side resource spent to inflict Mental Stress on the PC).The situation therefore turned into a combat; and the PC sorcerer cleared the snow from the narrow defile so that the PCs would be able to pass without any assistance from the mountain folk. But neither the wyvern rider nor Asgeir was beaten down: when the wyvern rider was brought down from his wyvern, he tried to stab the sorcerer, who ensnared him with sorcery (at the table, stressed out with mental stress); and the PC troll, who was fighting Asgeir, inflicted physical stress but also emotional stress, and it was the latter that led to Asgeir's defeat (at the table, stressed out via emotional stress), shamed at the realisation that he could stand successfully against this troll.The players then decided that they would persuade Asgeir to lead them through the pass to the next stage of their quest. So the sorcerer roused him (at the table, removing the emotional stress) and then another PC (the troll, the swordthane or both - I can't remember properly) persuaded him to lead the PCs through the mountains. In the fiction, Asgeir took the PCs to the mountain village; at the table, the players were able to get the advantage of a transition scene rather than moving straight on to another action scene. This meant that the PCs were able to heal, and the players could spend XP. The PCs also learned that they would meet the Earth Giant if they travelled further up into the mountains, which gave them the opportunity to prepare various charms to help fight giants.The PCs then struck out, and indeed met the Earth Giant. Again, the swordthane went first. He tried to persuade the Earth Giant to let the PCs pass, but the giant refused (at the table, I rolled a successful reaction for the giant). The troll then tried a different approach (the PC does not have Social expertise but does have Trading expertise): he asked the giant what the price would be for the PCs to pass. At the table, this succeeded, imposing a Name My Price complication on the giant (rated at d8). The Earth Giant then replied "I will let you pass if you promise to defeat the valkyries for me, and stop them taking souls for the gods". At the table, I rolled an action against the troll to impose an appropriate complication on him - but the player rolled a successful reaction, and spent a player-side resource to impose an effect on the giant. In the fiction, the troll retorted that the price being demanded was too high - stepping up the Name My Price complication to d10.Before the negotiations could continue, the PC berserker - who has foresworn attempt to talk and reason, in favour of action - hurled his net at the giant to try and ensnare some part of its body. The giant, however, leapt away (at the table, the reaction - which included the giant's Leaping power - was successful). We decided that this ended the scene.This is illustrative of how social mechanics work, in my experience of them.</blockquote>

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