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<blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 9845495" data-attributes="member: 6785785"><p>Yes, there’s a difference between a player actively seeking to position things to his character’s strengths than “just describing it that way”. I mean… things can be positioned such that a guard cannot reasonably be sneaked up upon. If that’s the case, Prowl is off the table. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>That the actions intentionally have some overlap is different than “unclear situations happen constantly”. </p><p></p><p>Like look at the more social-based stats: Command, Consort, and Sway. Most social interactions allow for any of them to be deployed, right? One is being forceful, one is being friendly, and the other is being persuasive. But won’t the circumstances of the interaction matter to which may be the most effective? Or the most to provoke a strong reaction? Commanding an underling makes a lot more sense than trying to Command a Bluecoat, for example. I would expect most tables to grasp this idea pretty well right away. </p><p></p><p>I’m not sure what makes combat so different. Like, you have a good Hun? Okay… trying to position your character in a place to take advantage of that makes sense… but it requires action of some kind. Maybe there’s a burned out building nearby that overlooks the area where the Score is taking place. Okay… how does the scoundrel get up there? Don’t they have to climb? Do they need to make a roll of some sort to do so? Or deploy gear? Or are they free to simply say “I climb up the ruin and then shoot using Hunt”? </p><p></p><p>Are there any details provided ahead of time that would constrain player action declaration in this way? Or does player action declaration then prompt the GM to present a decision point for the player? If neither of these things is true, then why not?</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Well, the GM can offer input, no? When I get the impression someone’s really stretching a justification to use a given Action because it’s higher I just say “Really? Does this feel a bit weasely to you?” or something similar. </p><p></p><p>And why can we trust a GM to pick a reasonable action, but not a player? </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>No, trying to manage all the different elements is part of the game. But so is knowing that you won’t manage them all. At some point, there’ll be a hard decision to make between clearing Heat or Recovering from Harm… and the player will have to pick which one is more important. That’s just part of the game. </p><p></p><p>Embrace danger… embrace the scoundrel’s life. Follow the fiction. Don’t be a weasel. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>In open combat. Facing off with an enemy. Prowl is when you sneak in some way. If a PC and an opponent are looking at each other… think Obi-Wan and Vader… neither should be using Prowl. They’re clearly about to Skirmish. </p><p></p><p>That multiple Actions can be used for combat purposes does not mean that they’re just interchangeable and the player is just free to choose which one. The situation in play matters. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Sure… this is what Set Up Actions and Group Actions are for.</p><p></p><p>So if one PC is trying to distract a target to help the other PC sneak up on them, that sounds like a Set Up Action to me. I’d have the first player make a roll for the distraction (I’m imagining Sway or maybe Consort for that) and the result would then determine a shift in Position/Effect for the sneaking character. </p><p></p><p>Players coordinating like that is great… but it’s up to the GM to properly take the situation and then use the mechanics to resolve it in a satisfying way.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hawkeyefan, post: 9845495, member: 6785785"] Yes, there’s a difference between a player actively seeking to position things to his character’s strengths than “just describing it that way”. I mean… things can be positioned such that a guard cannot reasonably be sneaked up upon. If that’s the case, Prowl is off the table. That the actions intentionally have some overlap is different than “unclear situations happen constantly”. Like look at the more social-based stats: Command, Consort, and Sway. Most social interactions allow for any of them to be deployed, right? One is being forceful, one is being friendly, and the other is being persuasive. But won’t the circumstances of the interaction matter to which may be the most effective? Or the most to provoke a strong reaction? Commanding an underling makes a lot more sense than trying to Command a Bluecoat, for example. I would expect most tables to grasp this idea pretty well right away. I’m not sure what makes combat so different. Like, you have a good Hun? Okay… trying to position your character in a place to take advantage of that makes sense… but it requires action of some kind. Maybe there’s a burned out building nearby that overlooks the area where the Score is taking place. Okay… how does the scoundrel get up there? Don’t they have to climb? Do they need to make a roll of some sort to do so? Or deploy gear? Or are they free to simply say “I climb up the ruin and then shoot using Hunt”? Are there any details provided ahead of time that would constrain player action declaration in this way? Or does player action declaration then prompt the GM to present a decision point for the player? If neither of these things is true, then why not? Well, the GM can offer input, no? When I get the impression someone’s really stretching a justification to use a given Action because it’s higher I just say “Really? Does this feel a bit weasely to you?” or something similar. And why can we trust a GM to pick a reasonable action, but not a player? No, trying to manage all the different elements is part of the game. But so is knowing that you won’t manage them all. At some point, there’ll be a hard decision to make between clearing Heat or Recovering from Harm… and the player will have to pick which one is more important. That’s just part of the game. Embrace danger… embrace the scoundrel’s life. Follow the fiction. Don’t be a weasel. In open combat. Facing off with an enemy. Prowl is when you sneak in some way. If a PC and an opponent are looking at each other… think Obi-Wan and Vader… neither should be using Prowl. They’re clearly about to Skirmish. That multiple Actions can be used for combat purposes does not mean that they’re just interchangeable and the player is just free to choose which one. The situation in play matters. Sure… this is what Set Up Actions and Group Actions are for. So if one PC is trying to distract a target to help the other PC sneak up on them, that sounds like a Set Up Action to me. I’d have the first player make a roll for the distraction (I’m imagining Sway or maybe Consort for that) and the result would then determine a shift in Position/Effect for the sneaking character. Players coordinating like that is great… but it’s up to the GM to properly take the situation and then use the mechanics to resolve it in a satisfying way. [/QUOTE]
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