Author: Alden Strock

What are the limits of the “take something from them” option in Directly Engage a Threat?

When my players use the Directly Engage move, on a hit, they have a habit of coming up with stuff like “I want to take something from them. Can I take their vitality? What about their sight? Can I take their secrets? Or their will to fight? Or their powers?”

I’ve been nixing anything that would end the fight before the villain’s conditions are all checked, but I’m not sure how far to let them stretch the definition of that option. (At least one player has vitality draining powers and psychic abilities, so some of these requests are somewhat reasonable.)

So clearly, “I want to take their sight” is actually “temporarily blind them” which is basically “create an opportunity”, or maybe “impress, surprise, or frighten”.

Is “take information/take a secret” a reasonable use of the option?

If they try something like, “take their self confidence”, could I let them pick which of the villain’s condition get’s marked? (Insecure, in that case).

What if the villain doesn’t have anything worth taking (and i can’t invent something off the top of my head)? Do I just say “there’s nothing here to take, choose another option).

(I love my players, I love how creative they are, and that’s why they drive me crazy. 🙂 )

Very excited about this game.

There’s a superhero concept I’ve been keen to play for a while, and I’d love to hear some thoughts about how to make it workable in Masks. My conundrum is that I’d like to try a more introspective and conflicted version of The Bull, with a bit of The Nova’s fear of their own powers.

For this particular hero, I was thinking of re-writing The Love and The Rival to be The Balm and The Tormentor.

____ is your Balm. They helped you maintain control when you were on the edge.

____ is your Tormentor. They provoked you into doing something you deeply regret.

I’d be interested to hear what people think about that notion. Thanks.