Thinking of a caper up a space elevator. I want a custom move to show why flechette ammo exists (in part). Perhaps the +’s from ammo types is a bit too fiddly. Breach / explosive ammo might just make it that you always get at least the 7-9 result. The main idea is that it’s somewhat risky to shoot anyone, but firing at 4 guards with autofire is especially dangerous.
When you fire a gun with non-flechette ammo in a space station, roll + number of targets. Add +2 if the gun has breach or explosive ammo, +1 if it’s AP ammo.
10+ Catastrophic depressurization! Pressure doors will slam shut to isolate the area now in hard vacuum.
7-9 Slow leak! You just have a little while to plug it, don a vac suit, or get away.
6- You luck out, all is well.
More easily, it could just be a hard MC move in response to a failed Mix it Up?
Could be done that way, sure. The thing is, your NPCs are also probably going to do something if a player flubs a Mix It Up move, or Play Hardball. I don’t want to make 2 moves if there’s a bad roll, with the NPCs fighting back and the environment becoming more dangerous.
To me, it does 2 things: flechette weapons / ammo has another reason to exist. And two, it makes this environment more dangerous than standing around on the Earth. That’s appropriate for space.
Also, I want this to be a risk whether the PCs succeed or not. Autofire or overpenetration can really cause problems even they win the fight.
This is definitely the kind of thing they’d know about before going up the elevator. I wouldn’t surprise them with this crap.
Charlie Vick Be prepared for your players to try and lock some baddies in vacuum on purpose. Cool effect.
Oh I very much hope so!
Maybe what you want is custom move for decompression…
Charlie Vick “The thing is, your NPCs are also probably going to do something if a player flubs a Mix It Up move, or Play Hardball.”
True, though necessarily. If your MC move is to declare they’ve punched a hole in the hull, that’s not just a problem for the PCs, but also for the NPCs. So if they don’t press the attack immediately, it may be because they have other priorities.
“Your stray shot has breached the hull, setting off alarms as you feel the air rushing for the hole. Fortunately, your opponents are too busy donning breathing gear to trouble you just now – but that won’t distract them long, and you can’t breathe vacuum either. What do you do?”
Oh, and I do like the move… just noting that a lot of the time, using an MC move would be fine, because the opposition won’t be in a position to shoot back instantly…
Very true, Simon. Well, unless their security outfits are pre-built with emergency vacc suits. Which, if this was how things worked, and random edge runners can pop up and do horrible things, that’s how I’d run them. But it’s definitely not a hard requirement for a space-based mission within a regular campaign.