Any advice on resolving Social or Mental Conflicts? I’ve been using Take Down, but it doesn’t always feel “right”. And for clarification, I’m talking about using Influence to Fast-Talk a cop, or Charm a doorman, or even Intimidate or Terrorize Mooks.
Any advice on resolving Social or Mental Conflicts?
Any advice on resolving Social or Mental Conflicts?
I would think it would depend on what you want to accomplish.
If you are trying to neutralize a threat (fast-talk the cop into putting the gun down, or scare the mooks away) then it would be Take Down.
If you are trying direct a situation against opposition (like sweet talking that doorman into letting you in and they don’t want to let you in), you might go for Seize Control.
If instead what you are doing would be dangerous, i.e. there are unwanted consequences in failing (sweet-talking the doorman into letting you in because you are being pursued by gangsters and you want to hide from them in the swanky hotel), then that would be Defy Danger.
If you are trying to protect another (scaring the mooks away from closing in on that little old lady they were harassing), that might be Serve and Protect.
If you are trying to get answers (fast-talk the cop into revealing who he/she is on the take from), then that would be Gather Intel (or maybe Examine).
If you are helping someone else do something (standing menacingly behind your friend while they are trying to get the mooks to cooperate), then that’s Aid or Interfere.
If you trying to mend or create bonds in your normal life (buttering up the doorman of your building because he’s a guy you see every day and you want him to be chummy with you(, that might be Fit In.
If you are using one of your powers in a new way to be able to do the action (you are using your Super mimicry to modulate your voice into brain bending disturbing sounds while running at the mooks to scare them), you might have to do a Push move before one of the above actions.
Scott Hamilton Thanks for the suggestions! I did try Seize Control, but wasn’t sure if that was the best overall fit and now I see why.
It would definitely depend on what they’re trying to do like Scott talked about above. I usually let the players’ Bond with the City (or Law Enforcement as the case may be) determine how civilians or police, etc. react to and see the players. It’s going to be a lot harder to get a favor from someone who views them as a public menace than someone who views them as the savior of the city.
Also consider that you don’t always need a move for every situation, if no moves are triggered then the fiction just continues on and you make a call based on what you know about that NPC. What their motivation is, what they’re thinking is sometimes hard to come up with on the fly, so that’s why I usually use the Bond to help me out in those cases. It also shows the players that their Bonds actually matter as well, which is always good.
Kyle Simons Yeah, I agree, Kyle. I often like to back up a hero’s banter with a roll, just to give some love to Influence. Many players often disregard social skills/stats and I think, as a guardian of your city, being able to smooth-talk your way out of a situation is often a good thing! =)