Hey Masksperts, I ran into a question during our last (amazing) campaign of Masks:
Does the “take a move from another playbook” advancements and/or the “use an ability from another playbook” moves let you target the Nova’s burn/flares? If so, how would that work? Would they start with the standard 4 or would it be less?
The GM ruled it a no (since one of the other sheets specifically calls out that you can grab burn/flares as an advance), plus it was another player asking so I don’t really have a dog in this fight, but I’m curious. How would you handle that?
Thanks!
We let the Beacon take it with the starting flares. Turns out he was incredibly lucky…superpowerfully so.
Go for it if it makes the character more interesting.
I’d say yes to Nova’s move, since “Take a move from another playbook” doesn’t exclude anything, and Burn is a move; the only catch is it says Choose 4 Flares at the start of the game, but I think it’s just bad wording: after all, if I change playbook in a Nova I still choose Flares, despite not being at the start of the game.
As for the abilities, I think not: “abilities” are the normal powers, those listed under Look: Burn isn’t an ability, is a move, so it can’t be used as an ability from another playbook.
If you allow someone to take the Nova’s Burn as a move along with 4 flares (like Novas get at the start) then no Doomed would take the “get Burn and 3 flares” advancement. Maybe if someone wants to take it as a move from another play book give them 1 or 2 flares (they need something to spend the generated points from burn on)?
That’s true, the point (for me) is that I see the Doomed move as a limited version of “Get a move from another playbook”, so the Doomed gets four of those advancements (three “get a move” and one limited “get Burn”) instead of three.
The Doomed could use one of their “get a move from another playbook” to get Burn, that’s true; that meaning they wouldn’t be able to use that advancement to get another move, so to get just a Flare more they are giving up a whole move and a whole advancement (the “get Burn” one). Their choice, I’m fine with it either way.
So for me it’s something more (I can get Burn without using on it one of my “get a move” advancements), not something less.
I’d take “get Burn” advancement; I will take it (since I’m playing a Doomed), if nothing change, maybe my next advancement, so I’ll be able to keep “get a move” for another move.
Mauro Ghibaudo I saw the Doomed advancement as a more powerful version of “get another move” as the two playbooks have themes of tons of power (with different flavoring) so it makes sense to have a stronger one tying them together.
Sounds like two different readings where they both could work. I took it as my first advancement for my Doomed, but then my “take from another playbook”s have been spent on the delinquent’s stuff.
If you exclude Burn from “another move” then yes, being able to get it is powerful, but I’m not sure this exclusion is meant to be.
Nova’s and Doomed’s powers are just means to and end, the playbooks’ themes; to me, that advancement isn’t to have a stronger playbook tying Nova and Doomed together, since the point of playbooks isn’t to be strong – it’s to be interesting and thematically coherent.
If the whole point of saying “Nope, not Burn” is the Doomed has an advancement giving it to them, then what about The Bull’s Heart? The Nova has an advancement for it. What about Sanctuary (the Legacy can take it)?
If the point is that Burn is so defining of a playbook (it’s Nova’s only move), than what about Legacy? It’s also very linked to a playbook. Each and every playbook has something defining it, it just so happens Nova’s defining trait is their only move.
I think the point here is fictional positioning: can I get the Protege’s Fireside Chat? Sure, if in fiction I have a Mentor. Can I get the Legacy’s Words of Past? Sure, if I have someone that’s like a legacy. And so on.
In the advancement there is nothing saying some move is excluded, so I think the only exclusions are from fiction positioning: can you get Burn? Sure, if it makes sense in fiction.
I could be wrong, we don’t have the complete rules, and as I said I’m not sure about the “at the beginning of the game” part (although I think it’s just bad wording); but if Burn is to be left out, then I can see other moves, too – Legacy, The Mask, just to name a few.
(And yes, letting people taking Burn opens the problem of Nova’s theme – two people with Burn in the game, the Nova could lose spotlight; but this is true also if just the Doomed take it with a Nova in play. So if the problem is another PC having Burn and taking Nova’s spotlight, then the Doomed’s advancement is a potential problem per se.
Can people take Burn? I’d say yes if there is no Nova in play; I’d discuss it with Nova’s player, if any; I’d love an official answer to this anyway XD
Tagging my fellow players, who could be interested in this: Mario Bolzoni Steve DeCarli Fabio Succi Cimentini and our Nova – Nicola Urbinati.)