Hey people! I have a few questions about the game.
1) How do I introduce a new player character after the first session of play? I’m asking this because I’m not sure how this would affect the relations between the other characters.
2) How do you handle the use of the “comfort & support” move in your game? Last session my players kept using this move like healing potions and I felt that didn’t have the emotional meaning that the move requires.
3) how do you handle the “power negation” power from the delinquent playbook? I think this could be very overpower during the game.
Anyway, thanks in advance.
We have a player with power negation, and it doesn’t feel overpowered so far. After all, she still often has to roll to use it to do anything important, and if the roll fails, so does the attempt.
We’ve kept the exact parameters a little vague, so we have room for a range of outcomes: she definitely has to touch people physically, and it varies how long it knocks out their powers once she lets go.
But, in general, if players seem to be using moves/abilities to circumvent the spirit of the game (teens growing into their powers, and making mistakes/struggling), I’d talk to the players about what their goal is, rather than worry too much about the mechanics.
If folks mostly want to win, they’ll find ways to munchkin. In our group, we want our characters to grow, so people get excited about misses, too, because they set up good story.
Ok!
1) in session 0, my PC use to attach strings to other npc, so when I introduce new PC in session N I tend to put that npc in relation so all pc tend to be 2ndGrade-Entangled.
2) what they do to confort ? Maybe go to disco ? Wow beautifull location for an hard move ! They coming out ? Wow put their partner on the spot at the wrong time… Is not drinking potion is about live a situation.
3) like every other power… 10 ? Ok negate power 7-9 negate but at cost 6- ? Bad time baby!
1) There are guidelines for this (see page 119).
2) For a move to happen, you have to meet the trigger conditions. If the player just say “I comfort him”, that’s not good enough. It sort of talks about this a bit on page 70. (Saying “good job” isn’t good enough). Conditions can be a real problem, so it should be available to the heroes, but if each player is triggering it more than once a session, you may want to raise the bar/demand more out of the players.
3) It’s just another power that works in a specific fictional way. Depending on how it is used, it may require a Directly Engage a Threat, Unleash Your Powers, and Defend move.
Most abilities are open to a lot of interpretation. If you find the character is doing whatever they want with their power to the level it’s not fun, you may need to define in the fiction of the world how the power works. How long does the power negation last? Is it limited to certain types of tagets (e.g., only negates mutant powers, etc.)? Does it require flesh-to-flesh contact a la Rogue?
3bis) all power are super! When you control critters you can destroy a villain with bites… Powers are only color in masks…masks is about teenager and angst and feeling…not about superpower. Trust me 😉
1) I’d give the new player ties to a couple of already established NPCs so it doesn’t feel like they are coming in out of nowhere, unless they’re playing nomad. Also talk to your players and see if anyone wants to have some connection to this new person.
2) To add to previous comments, if they are having heart to hearts in the middle of the fight have villains take advantage to either attack or obtain some objective while the heroes are hugging it out.
3) If you find that power negation is feeling OP throw some tech or skill based villains at the group, this can even work for mundane weapons.
Thank you all for the comments. It was very helpful.