thread: 2007-08-24 : Poison'd errata and Q&A
On 2010-01-02, FireSoCold wrote:
Right?.So, why would a PC with so many Xs join a captain in a mob fight? Cause in my above example, The Dagger would be totally boned in that fight if even one of those PCs chose not to throw his dice in. One PC who doesn?t fight equals two fewer dice the captain rolls. That could make a difference in the fight and a HUGE difference if more then one PC abstained from the battle as the captain will then have bitten off more than The Dagger can chew. If a PC chooses to not fight on their side, they get two additional Xs, are safe from the consequences of the fight, and that?s the only way a non-captain will be able to retain their Xs after a mob battle. A PC who is pursuing his own agenda will want to use those Xs in a fight in which the player has a chance to retain Xs in an advantageous victory. And even if the group is united under the Jolly Roger at first, there will eventually be deceit and betrayal in order to further their own ambitions and agendas. Otherwise, if all the PCs aided the captain everytime there is a mob fight, the captain?s player will be the only one to ever have Xs from session to session. I think the other players would eventually tire of this and want to retain some Xs of their own. And this is why, as you said: in a conflict like this, PCs don?t often get their ideal case. I see now. It?s all a matter of pursuing your own selfish goals vs. cooperating with the group in order to overcome almost impossible obstacles.
Also, I?ve realized that most battles at sea are going to consist of several consecutive fights. Pursuits inevitably start cannon battles which may proceed to broadside once one of the ships is disabled and there is a possibility of boarding action immediately after a broadsides fight. The PCs will only have Xs for the first fight of any extended conflict right? Realizing that, Xs don?t seem to be the trump card against NPCs that I thought they were. My PCs will still need to choose their fights wisely no matter how many Xs they?ve built up.
Ah, its all starting to make sense now! I think that the answers to most of my questions could?ve been found in actual game play, but I just wanted to get it straight before I ventured into running a game of Poison?d. I do have a few more questions about spending Xs though.
1) If you are a non-captain PC in a mob vs. mob fight, you can spend 1 X at the end of the fight to mitigate any harm to your character due to your side loosing the fight. Is there anything else a non-captain PC can spend their Xs on before they loose them after the fight?
2) Before a fight, a PC has the option of spending 3 Xs to outright kill an NPC. Does this require a success roll? It says then that this affects the GMs dice. How exactly does this affect the GMs dice for the following fight?
3) During a mob fight, the captain can spend at least 1 X to eliminate one non-captain member of the opposing crew from the rest of the fight. Since this rule specifies that this also eliminates that opposing crews dice from the fight and also mentions that this can?t affect the GMs dice, I?m assuming this expenditure of Xs is only useful in a PC mob vs. PC mob fight. Is that correct?
4) Could you please answer my original question about the Cruel Fortune : Accursing?
