thread: 2005-06-02 : Immersion
On 2005-06-04, Neel wrote:
Valamir: no, the bids are really, really important. Look at the rules again—what actually happens is determined by who has to Take the Blow. It's not whether the Dogs win their conflicts that determines what the theme is, it's what happens while they do so.
An example: Elijah, a Dog, has rescued Joanne Rutter from her mother, Elizabeth, who's a sorcereress and heretic. Now he's trying to capture the mother, and the stakes of the conflict are whether Elizabeth escapes or not.
The GM says Raises with something like, "When Elizabeth shouts, 'You stole my Joanne, you bastard, but you won't get us both!', and when Elijah comes forward she pulls the trigger and splatters Joanne's brains all over his coat." If Elijah's player has the dice to Block, then he can narrate protecting Joanne with his coat. If he doesn't, then he either has to Take the Blow, letting Joanne die, or he has to Give, and let Elizabeth get away. This is a Pyrrhic victory, at best.
Now, when you're out-diced, trying to find a Raise that will make the other guy Give is pretty much your only shot at winning the conflict. It's also really cool, from a story perspective. But unfortunately, getting into a position to do so requires a lot of dice-management thinking.
