Hi everyone. I need some help preparing my next session of US. My main issue right now is to get the players using their archetypes moves and unique skills more.
I’m having problems specially with the oracle and the predictions he gets at the start of the session, no one is really sure when and how this move should happen during play and I am having difficulties coming with situations where they could use it. He picked the one the let’s them choose mortality as a second faction and is proving useful to help other players advance their characters though.
The other players are more or less using their moves, the fairy haven’t used her magic yet because it seems to expensive to the player (maybe harder moves that force situations where their magic powers would be an easy answer is a good idea?) but is using the other moves.
It’s possible to have a character whose desperate need isn’t so difficult to achieve that it pushes them into really serious compromises, but you might re-focus on that for a moment. What is keeping the fae from getting what they desperately need? Perhaps whatever that is, it becomes more active/aggressive, or another force intervenes to become a new, difficult obstacle. Why does the fae desperately need the thing they need? Maybe some bad consequences start to occur because they don’t have it, pushing them into a more difficult situation. The start of session move is a complicating factor, but the desperate need is the overall character push.
If the oracle makes a prediction that’s too esoteric, that’s fine – they don’t get the benefit of their powers then. They’re having visions about shit happening in Indonesia or the year 2525. Sucks to be an oracle sometimes. Remind the oracle’s player that THEY are the ones that make their visions relevant.
It’s possible to have a character whose desperate need isn’t so difficult to achieve that it pushes them into really serious compromises, but you might re-focus on that for a moment. What is keeping the fae from getting what they desperately need? Perhaps whatever that is, it becomes more active/aggressive, or another force intervenes to become a new, difficult obstacle. Why does the fae desperately need the thing they need? Maybe some bad consequences start to occur because they don’t have it, pushing them into a more difficult situation. The start of session move is a complicating factor, but the desperate need is the overall character push.
If the oracle makes a prediction that’s too esoteric, that’s fine – they don’t get the benefit of their powers then. They’re having visions about shit happening in Indonesia or the year 2525. Sucks to be an oracle sometimes. Remind the oracle’s player that THEY are the ones that make their visions relevant.
The Oracle’s main power is a little wacky, and it requires the player to really grok what the power allows them to do. Here’s an example that might be helpful:
At the start of session, the Oracle rolls a 10+. They get to hold 2 for the session. During the session, the following exchange happens:
MC: Yeah, you’re sitting in your apartment, talking with the Fae when you hear a loud noise outside. You look out the window to see a guy with a gun get out of a wrecked car. He must have driven directly into your car!
Oracle: Oh, shit. Do I know this guy? I’ll put a name to a face.
MC: Cool. He’s Wild.
Oracle: Argh. I’ve got a -2 in Wild. [rolls snakeyes] Uh, total miss.
MC: Yeah, you’ve never seen this guy before. He looks directly up into your window though. And points. At you.
Oracle: I’m going to spend one of my hold. I say “Oh, no. I saw this moment in my dreams last night. That demon is going to kill me. Right here. Right now.”
MC: Awesome. [The MC was totally planning for this guy to be mad at the Fae, but we’re playing to find out what happens.] Tell us about the vision, and remember that everyone now gets +1 ongoing to keep it from coming true…
Is that helpful?
The Oracle’s main power is a little wacky, and it requires the player to really grok what the power allows them to do. Here’s an example that might be helpful:
At the start of session, the Oracle rolls a 10+. They get to hold 2 for the session. During the session, the following exchange happens:
MC: Yeah, you’re sitting in your apartment, talking with the Fae when you hear a loud noise outside. You look out the window to see a guy with a gun get out of a wrecked car. He must have driven directly into your car!
Oracle: Oh, shit. Do I know this guy? I’ll put a name to a face.
MC: Cool. He’s Wild.
Oracle: Argh. I’ve got a -2 in Wild. [rolls snakeyes] Uh, total miss.
MC: Yeah, you’ve never seen this guy before. He looks directly up into your window though. And points. At you.
Oracle: I’m going to spend one of my hold. I say “Oh, no. I saw this moment in my dreams last night. That demon is going to kill me. Right here. Right now.”
MC: Awesome. [The MC was totally planning for this guy to be mad at the Fae, but we’re playing to find out what happens.] Tell us about the vision, and remember that everyone now gets +1 ongoing to keep it from coming true…
Is that helpful?
That was really helpful.
The main problem I think is that the oracle keeps forgetting about the holds. The first session was pretty uneventful so I let it slide, but he hasn’t spent a single hold no matter the situation they are in. Should I remind them about this kind of thing during play or before the game? Maybe prompt them when I think it’s a good moment to use it?
Another problem is that the wording makes it seem that spending a hold actually puts you in more danger than it helps, and the oracle is the more squishy character in the group.
That was really helpful.
The main problem I think is that the oracle keeps forgetting about the holds. The first session was pretty uneventful so I let it slide, but he hasn’t spent a single hold no matter the situation they are in. Should I remind them about this kind of thing during play or before the game? Maybe prompt them when I think it’s a good moment to use it?
Another problem is that the wording makes it seem that spending a hold actually puts you in more danger than it helps, and the oracle is the more squishy character in the group.
The Oracle spending a hold is one of the few ways you can actually get free +1s without any real compromises, and you don’t even really add any risk to the situation (you always only ever deploy it when the risk is already present.)
The Oracle spending a hold is one of the few ways you can actually get free +1s without any real compromises, and you don’t even really add any risk to the situation (you always only ever deploy it when the risk is already present.)
As a general rule, I always try to remind players about cool stuff on their playbooks. 🙂
As a general rule, I always try to remind players about cool stuff on their playbooks. 🙂
Oracle can spend the hold to declare terrible thing is about to happen that he has any interest in stopping. It does require Oracle must put herself in way of danger a bit but doesn’t require that the terrible thing always wants to kill her.
But even more than getting +1 ongoing, this moves allow player to get direct influence on the story being played. This is a reward in itself.
A willingness to put one’s PC in danger is quite needed to play PbtA games well, it makes game more personal (and emotional) and interesting, tell it to your players and maybe they will come to understand it in some time.
Fae powers are costly but give cool result without a roll. You just flip your hands and you are covered by illusion. It very nicely illustrates that power has it’s costs. You might highlight sometimes -> sneaking away from Boris goons might be risky, but if you throw some illusion to cover your back you can just do it.
P.S. It is not your MC job to give player opportunities to use their moves, portray the world, play NPCs, it is player job to decide how they will respond.
I love when my players have some agenda on their own and I can play their opposition as well as sometimes make a move from my threats as well.
I find pushing players toward their corruption moves very interesting, ask or force Fae to lie (PC is hiding an NPC A in their’s car trunk, another NPC B stops him and asks do you know where NPC A is?), ask Oracle to tell false prophecies (NPC offers help to PC but only after he tells NPC wife that).
Oracle can spend the hold to declare terrible thing is about to happen that he has any interest in stopping. It does require Oracle must put herself in way of danger a bit but doesn’t require that the terrible thing always wants to kill her.
But even more than getting +1 ongoing, this moves allow player to get direct influence on the story being played. This is a reward in itself.
A willingness to put one’s PC in danger is quite needed to play PbtA games well, it makes game more personal (and emotional) and interesting, tell it to your players and maybe they will come to understand it in some time.
Fae powers are costly but give cool result without a roll. You just flip your hands and you are covered by illusion. It very nicely illustrates that power has it’s costs. You might highlight sometimes -> sneaking away from Boris goons might be risky, but if you throw some illusion to cover your back you can just do it.
P.S. It is not your MC job to give player opportunities to use their moves, portray the world, play NPCs, it is player job to decide how they will respond.
I love when my players have some agenda on their own and I can play their opposition as well as sometimes make a move from my threats as well.
I find pushing players toward their corruption moves very interesting, ask or force Fae to lie (PC is hiding an NPC A in their’s car trunk, another NPC B stops him and asks do you know where NPC A is?), ask Oracle to tell false prophecies (NPC offers help to PC but only after he tells NPC wife that).
Pawel Solowczuk That was really interesting and helpful to read. It’s true that their are playing a little to safely.
I noticed that pushing them to their corruption moves makes for interesting play too. The oracle predicted the future of a npc. Since then they are always asking for predictions when they meet because it came true the first time. Sometimes he just tells whatever to make the npc go and focus on whatever he is doing at the time.
Pawel Solowczuk That was really interesting and helpful to read. It’s true that their are playing a little to safely.
I noticed that pushing them to their corruption moves makes for interesting play too. The oracle predicted the future of a npc. Since then they are always asking for predictions when they meet because it came true the first time. Sometimes he just tells whatever to make the npc go and focus on whatever he is doing at the time.
Love it, Karibul! I usually write down everyone’s corruption trigger so that I can try to create situations as a GM in which they might incur corruption. Great ideas. 😀
Love it, Karibul! I usually write down everyone’s corruption trigger so that I can try to create situations as a GM in which they might incur corruption. Great ideas. 😀