I’m looking for some advice, superfriends.
One of my players is playing the Transformed. His backstory involves a tragic accident in a science lab (duh) so he was going for a super smart kind of character (Beast and Cyborg).
Last session he had his character try to hack a security system. It was totally out of his list of avilities, but it was cool so I let him but the only move that really made sense was unleash your powers.
Was this the right play? Should I have made a custom move maybe? Is there another move maybe from a diff playbook (hurry up the Brain!) that I should encourage him to take on advancement? What would you have done?
Thanks!
Having him use an advancement to get another Archetype’s Move (maybe the Outsider’s Alien Tech) or create his own might be the best way.
I had a similar situation with my Bull character who had a criminal past as part of her backstory. I ended up taking the Delinquent’s Criminal Mind Move as one of her advancements to help cover that.
p 58
If the characters are just using their regular abilities to solve a problem— running from a threat with no special powers, for example, or trying to drive a car into an enemy—then it’s not unleashing your powers. e GM just says what happens based on the ction. If you want to try to take control over what happens, use your powers to solve problems!
“…he was going for a super smart kind of character (Beast and Cyborg). “
That was the plan all along? Then, totally add it to the character’s list of powers. Remember what’s written on the playbook are only sugggestions. (If that, most are just what the characters on the show who fit the archetype had.)
They’re looking to you to know what happens — make some GM moves.
I would ask what the narrative effects of this action succeeding and failing. Then take the result that moves the story forward and say that’s what happens. If your player later gains a move or ability that gives them more control of the outcome then let them roll it.
sometimes you don’t need exactly a special move. Sometimes you need just is improvise a little. Have you read the labels? You might get surprised by what the labels can do besides the regular moves. For example, you could ask for a Superior roll based only on Superior label description:
“Superior: seeing yourself as smart, capable, crafty, and quick. Other people see you as superior when they think you’re the smartest person in the room,an arrogant and egotistical jerk. You see yourself as superior when you think you’re cleverer than everyone else, and when you know exactly what to say to make the people around you do what you want.”
And of course you could use the good and ole 10=full success, 7-9 partial sucess and ask to the players which kind of bad consequences could happen on a 7-9 or at a miss.
As Alfred Rudzki says – they’re looking at you, so you make a GM move. You may be nice, and give them what they want, or do something else. But yeah, I don’t think this qualifies as an ability.
No way Rafael Sant’Anna Meyer; not how Masks works. You roll for Moves only.
The thing that I think a lot of people, in general, get tripped up by in Masks, AW, DW, etc is all of that gray space in between Moves. When you say something that triggers a move, you go to the dice or whatever… you follow the instructions! When you say something that doesn’t trigger a move, you…??? The answer is: keep saying things. If it’s something that has got everyone looking for more GM input, or is a golden opportunity, then you pick something off the GM Move list and say that. It’s probably not something vicious, but you say it anyway.
“I hack the computer!”
“Do you have Hacking?”
“Well, no, but my mentor has Hacking, so I probably know something or have a gadget to help?”
“Hm. Okay, sure, so… that’s not a power, so this isn’t a move. Hmmmm. Okay, so here’s what happens…” and you make a GM Move to keep the Fiction going.
Alfred Rudzki sometimes a move is extremily limiting for a single skill soluction. Sometimes you need to improvise to make the things work. There are nothing more frustrating to a player to listen “can I do X to solve this proposed dillema?” and you simply answer “No, because the system don’t give you tools to solve it” or “No, because the system don’t have anything which predicted this kind of situation”
I think saying, “No, because the system don’t give you tools to solve it” or “No, because the system don’t have anything which predicted this kind of situation” is a bit reductive.
In a game I’d be more likely to think about if this is a task I think the character could accomplish, whether or not this would be a good time to pass the spotlight to another player with an ability more suited to overcoming the obstacle, and whether the obstacle is supposed to be a speed bump or a roadblock.
If I don’t have a good reason to block the player I would just let them succeed. If I do have a reason to block the player I would never phrase it in mechanical terms.
I’d be more likely to say something like, “The security system is too tough for you to crack, but you think you and the Nova might be able to force the door open.” or “This system doesn’t conform to what your used to, but you think you recognize some characters from the Outsider’s language.”
Rafael Sant’Anna Meyer who said “say no”??? No move does not equal “say no.” No move means GM makes a move. Like I already said.
Depending on how important getting through the security system is, I’d either have him just do it if it isn’t vital or throw together a basic custom move for it. Something like roll + Superior, on a hit you get through and on a 7-9 it is limited or you set off an alarm or leave a trace. And on a miss you don’t get through and one of those bad things happen.
His knowledge doesn’t need to have a mechanic attached to it, unless he is going to be doing it really regularly. And then I’d just make a dedicated custom move for it. He already has the ability to hack based on his backstory, he shouldn’t absolutely have to spend an advancement to be able to use it.
But he only has basic understanding and thus wouldn’t be able to do as much as someone with the hacking power could. If he wants to be able to hack the supercomputer of a techno-genius villain, his basic understanding isn’t going to help much.
I agree with 1of3 here. If he can do it because he’s a genius kid, then he’s employing a fictionally established superpower, even if it’s one that’s not actually written on his sheet. And since he’s using it to overcome an obstacle, then Unleash is the appropriate thing to do.
If he wasn’t a genius kid and there was no clear answer to what happens next, then make a GM move. “Make them pay a price for victory” or”Tell them the consequences and ask” are good ones in these situations, but the individual playbook moves can sometimes work well too.
Unless he’s using a superhuman ability to hack the computer, the GM move you’re looking for is “tell them the consequences and ask.” What’s at risk? Is there a chance of the breach being detected, summoning security? Will it take time, forcing the rest of the team to rush?
Is there no interesting consequence beyond “you’re locked out?”
Just let them.
Unlike other games, Masks doesn’t have a “do something risky” move, and with good reason. You’re “being a fan” of the character. The character is good with computers. Let’s see him hack that system!
Rafael Sant’Anna Meyer: You don’t need a move for everything that happens. There’s not a “breathe” move either, but the PCs don’t die of suffocation. Moves are there to push the story in unexpected and interesting directions, providing limited and provocative choices, not to simulate the world.