Hi all, + Magpie games,
Recently some friends and I started playing a Masks campaign ( we are having a blast!) and we have encountered a situation that needs qualification. Namely, how do we handle powers like Regeneration, Healing, and Vitality Absorption. Narratively we understand the intent of these abilities, but mechanically we have had a few snags.
Do abilities like those above have a game mechanic/effect, and as such how would that work? Do they remove conditions? and…. if not what is the purpose for having them. By that I mean if we can just describe a broken bone, as a result of ‘taking a powerful blow’ as an example, and we can just narratively justify the recovery of a broken bone, why would we need a power like regen, or healing (like a sanctuary) or vitality absorption? Do powers like Sorcery (cosmic control/powers), or Emotion Control allow for the removal of conditions?
Anyway, we figured we would bring the question here to all of you because you must have had something in mind when the game was developed, and those that are playing might have had a similar concern/question.
Thanks,
Jim
What’s the purpose for having a blast when you could just throw a rock? They’re a narrative tool, I think.
Those powers change what a character can do in the fiction. For example if two characters are hit with the same attack, the one with out regeneration might be asked to take a powerful blow while the one with regeneration makes it through just fine.
As for using powers to fix conditions I’d say you could maybe use them as justification for the comfort or support move. But I think the more interesting question is what the other heroes think of their teammate manipulating their emotions to make them more “combat ready”.
I would say before players choose powers that “Emotion Control” doesn’t work on teens
Although I understand what you are conveying about taking a powerful blow, I disagree, because taking a powerful blow requires the player to make a roll, and then to justify the outcome narratively. There is no mechanic to excuse the player from making the roll because they have ‘regeneration’ or to modify the outcome because they have a similar ability, or any ability for that matter.
Unless you are saying that the GM looks at your ability set from a narrative POV and decides you don’t need to make the roll. If that is the case, then it seems extremely subjective in my opinion, and I can see other players becoming upset and concerned about balance issues. I mean anyone can justify their power excluding them from taking damage/a condition if they are clever.
As far as just being a narrative tool, I find that a little loose on mechanics. I mean without some sort of structure to objectively arbitrate conflict, we might as well all sit around the table and tell a communal story, and not even roll dice. I get that ‘how you do damage’ doesn’t really matter except as a narrative tool .. so yeah, it makes no difference whether you throw a rock, or blast, or beat someone with a teddy bear, but in a world where the only ‘damage’ you take is an emotional condition … what I am asking is there an intention or mechanic implied by powers that heal, to remove conditions with the use of an ability.
As an example, in an old school rule game it was/is acceptable for a character to have a way to remove damage. In our game, the GM and I had a great discussion about the fact that a power that removes conditions in this game, would break the game.
If this isn’t the intention of those powers, I don’t see the need to include them in a list of abilities because we don’t need an ability to ‘narratively heal’, we can just say it happens. They seem meaningless. At least an ‘attack’ power is the vehicle to justify the ‘directly engage an enemy’ or ‘unleash your powers’ moves regardless of what the attack is.
So I guess that is the essence of this query, … is the only way to remove a condition through comfort and support or to perform an action to remove a condition as dictated by the text included in the condition description?
Thanks for responding, I am truly appreciative. I would love to figure this out, or to gain a new understanding of how something like this would function.
+ Gary Anastasio
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To answer your question, I’m pretty sure that abilities don’t allow you to remove conditions. Especially because damage isn’t the only way conditions are afflicted.
Just guessing here, but is this a fairly early foray into narrative games for you? Most of your concerns seem to be coming out of the notion that combat balance is important to the game, and that’s not really the case; the game is about the drama that unfolds as young heroes come into their own. It’s not about punching supervillains and saving hostages; it’s about how punching supervillains and saving hostages makes you feel.
Mechanically, all powers work exactly the same: they inform the fiction, and provide a framework for triggering moves. From the Beacon’s archery training to the Transformed’s impenetrable armor to the Nova’s fundamental control over cosmic energy, that’s what they all do–and take that as a reminder that the Beacon and the Nova are designed to be played together. Just like Robin and Miss Martian work together in Young Justice, because like Masks that show is about character drama, and you don’t need everyone to be on the same power level for that.
What you do need is for everyone to be on the same level when it comes to the character drama that’s at the heart of the game. That’s why conditions are all emotional, it’s why clearing them requires specific character actions that feed into the drama even more, and it’s why your friend is right: allowing powers to wipe away conditions without taking those dramatic actions would break the game.
So to answer your question: no, those powers don’t have any extra mechanical effects. They inform the fiction, they inform how you trigger moves, and that’s it. Yes, there are a lot of judgment calls involved, like deciding that a gunshot is a powerful blow for Robin but Superboy can just shrug it off, but that’s inherent in narrative systems like the Apocalypse Engine. If you are willing and able to buy into that, to set aside concerns about who hits harder and focus on all the juicy teen angst, you’ll likely have a much better time with it.
As for why regeneration and the like are ‘needed,’ that’s easy: some people think they’re cool! Playing Wolverine and getting back up after being beaten into a pulp is just as much fun as playing Cyclops and blowing things up with your laser eyes, depending on who you ask.
I do wonder about an emotion control power though
Eadwin Tomlinson I would say emotion control triggers a provoke or comfort and support move against another player or simply a way to inflict a condition with an engage a threat move. If you are trying to fear the villain they mark the afraid condition if you are successful. My feeling is always let the narrative direct the action and trigger moves .
Eadwin Tomlinson Play it like Miss Martian’s mind control in season 1 of Young Justice. If you’re going to Emotion Control a bad guy, they’re going to have a chance to fight back inside their mental landscape, or by distracting you with a brick to the head, or what-have-you. Emotion / Mind control should probably not be the “directly apply labels, OP” ability in Masks, especially when it isn’t in the source fiction it’s drawn from.