Masks: A New Generation of Heroes

Game Master Cwethan

I think I'm starting to get how to do this.... heh heh heh.

@Tectonic

I'm a big fan of what you're doing with her. In-fact, it's really interesting to see Tectonic and Wingblade fight at the same time like this. Both characters struggle with being dangerous, but they handle it completely differently. Tec doesn't have full control of her abilities, but she wants to be, and she hates herself every time she lets loose. Meanwhile, Wingblade does have full control of her abilities, but wants to let loose and be herself, because she loves what she is.

Atoms: Awesome observation. You're right; there's a very cool dichotomy between the various characters, and how some are mirror opposites of each other is just too neat. And man, you're going to be going through some stuff -- looking forward to how that plays out!

How much Team do we have in the Pool currently?

The Team Pool currently has 2 in it. Could I change my action to spending one from the Team pool to help Tectonic?

You can do that as an add on if you can justify it speed, time wise

@Wingblade
Thank you! I'm looking forward to it too.

@Ghost Dragon
You didn't miss with your Defend. 6 usually is a hit.

I thought 7 was the lowest number for a hit.

I only realize it now but...I realized I missed the chance to play Alex Mercer from Prototype with the "Biokinesis" power. Another time, perhaps.

I love reading everyone's stuff, I really do. You guys all type very intriguing and interesting pieces of story.

I thought 7 was the lowest number for a hit.

You're right! I just double checked. My mistake. The book says this:

I only realize it now but...I realized I missed the chance to play Alex Mercer from Prototype with the "Biokinesis" power. Another time, perhaps.

I love reading everyone's stuff, I really do. You guys all type very intriguing and interesting pieces of story.

Biokinesis could also be used to write up a Superman-type character, as self-Biokinesis, because his powers are limited by imagination/self-imposed limits and are fueled by his body processing yellow sun radiation.

Same here on reading everyone's stuff. You're all excellent.

Biokinesis could also be used to write up a Superman-type character, as self-Biokinesis, because his powers are limited by imagination/self-imposed limits and are fueled by his body processing yellow sun radiation.

But...but...the tentacles :P

Sorry everyone, work has picked up a bit and I need to drop a few games.

Thanks for the game everyone and keep having fun.

Understood, Imagine :( Sad to see you go, but RL comes first. Good luck with work!

Writing an MoT is harder than I thought, having to follow the script and everything. I'm kinda wishing I had chosen the mutation advancement instead, because what I had in mind for that would be really helpful (though of course, him using sudden new abilities to save people would be a Defend roll).

Still thinking things out. I'd appreciate some input though, especially from DM Default.

Remember that just because you unlock moment of truth, doesn't mean you have to immediately use it. If this game were a movie, the Moment of truth should be the climax where the hero's archetype is solidly exemplified.

Also, no defend roll needed. This is your moment of truth, you get to explain what happens. All I ask is you don't Hijack other PC's in your narrative.

If you change your mind and want to take a different advancement, that's also an option.

As for ideas if you wanted to use your Moment of Truth, though it may be dangerous, stepping out of your suit is always an option....

Awww, but my emo/alien relationship! </3

Be safe Imagine and take it easy, hope you're able to get R/L sorted.

Take care!

Considering asking around for an 8th member so we can have even teams of 4, thoughts?

seven is plenty, but for the split missions like this its easier to have pairs and such.

Well I think we're doing fine, but... More players means more interactions and more gameplay. The game's system is surprisingly good at handling lots of players, though it is a bit work-intensive on the DM's part.

Sorry for the delay in posting the Moment of Truth. Hope it was worth the wait.

I think an 8th member would be good, but as an NPC and not a player. For instance, it'd be really cool if Eldritch's sister, Elaina, started developing abilities after he lashed out at her with his power, and they're only just now manifesting (or she's had them for a while and been hiding it until now).

I'd be fine with an 8th member as well. Player or NPC, either or.

More people is more fun, as long as you feel comfortable with the game default.

Heads up everyone, I'm going to be out for the weekend and won't be able to post.

EDIT: Also, I've been reading the rulebook a little more closely and I've come to realize something. In a previous post I mentioned that I thought a 6 was a hit, 7-9 is a weak hit, and 10+ is a strong hit. The truth is though, as Ghost Dragon pointed out, any 7+ result is a hit. That's important because, well, take Defend for instance.

DEFEND When you defend someone or something from an immediate threat, roll + Savior. For NPC threats: on a hit, you keep them safe and choose one. On a 7-9, it costs you: expose yourself to danger or escalate the situation.

• add a Team to the pool
• take Influence over someone you protect
• clear a condition

If you defend someone and roll, say, an 8, you resolve it like this.

Another example is Directly Engage A Threat.

DIRECTLY ENGAGE A THREAT When you directly engage a threat, roll + Danger. On a hit, trade blows. On a 10+, pick two. On a 7-9, pick one.

• resist or avoid their blows
• take something from them
• create an opportunity for your allies
• impress, surprise, or frighten the opposition

If you directly engage and roll 10, the move resolves like this.

I'm only just realizing this now and I feel very dumb.

Um, Tectonic is unconscious.

Um, Tectonic is unconscious.

Back from my trip! Atoms will point that out!

Oooh, sorry; didn't realize Tec was back to being a meatbag.

Fixed

Sorry for the lack of updates, my schedule has me out of the house (and away from my source books) largely from 8:30am - 11:30pm. Goes on for another couple weeks, but should be able to sneak in an update here or there in the meantime.

Oh yeah! Eldritch and Atoms both have influence over each other and we're definitely telling each other who they are. Not to mention that Eldritch in his last post is definitely telling Atoms how the world works. "They'll forget, they'll all forget the good we do the moment we do something bad. It is human nature, it is just the way we are." Of course, it's up to DM Default as to what labels actually shift. And as a side note, while I absolutely believe that what Eldritch is saying here meets the threshold for an influence label shift (+Savior and -Something else), I don't think that what Atoms said in my earlier comfort/support move meets that same threshold. Atoms just wasn't engaging Eldritch on the same level that The Nova is now. Again though, that's up to DM Default, who might see it differently.

I'm going to post in Gameplay later today. Before the scene ends I'd like to not only respond to Eldritch, but also do something in regards to Tectonic. I haven't had the chance to mention it in the fiction yet, but Atoms wants to accompany Tectonic to wherever they're going to treat her. Atoms remembers the conspiracy stuff surrounding their first mission together, and the fact that she's some kind of military experiment, and he isn't about to just hand her over to someone and let her be unguarded in her current state.

I'm confused about rolling a 10+ on provoking a PC. It says that they add a Team if they do what I want, and mark a condition if they don't. But why would both happen if I get a 10+? You can't do both. You're either doing as I say or not, so why would you mark a condition (something negative) for doing something that's generally positive?

That seems really odd to me.

My interpretation, provoking a fellow pc can be for both good and bad reasons, if you legitimately are trying to do the right thing or you're trying to get back at them. The "add a team" and the "condition" are both a positive and negative effect, so in the cases where you're extra good at provoking them, you may have unintentionally evoked a strong emotion in them.

For example, you may have wanted to rile Tectonic up so she would get her head into the fight and cooperate more (wanting to add a team), but you unintentionally said something she was sensitive too (perhaps a light playful insult about her sister), which causes her to hold some ire against you, though she may cooperate.

All right, so it's a doube-edged sword. I get it. In that case, can I leave off Eldritch from my Provoking speech? He was pretty much on board, so I hate that I may be giving him a condition accidentally. (Although we would get a Team from it -- huh. Tough choice.)

Are we going by the individual number, or the Team number? My individual number is a 9, so I need to know if I'm marking a condition or not.

Hey, I'm all for more conditions. Give me more of that sweet, sweet burn!

FYI, if you are full on conditions and can't take anymore, you are effectively removed from the scene. (example: unconscious, storming off, fleeing, etc.)

In this situation, I would accept the roll for everyone roll with individual modifiers though its unconventional since you're addressing a group rather than specific individuals. But it makes sense to me since you're making a plea to your team as a group, and not addressing them individually in turn.

Done. Ghost Dragon feels guilty for thinking about his secret identity when there's someone's life on the line.

Hold up guys. You're doing it wrong.

The Basic Moves page says,

For PCs: On a 10+, both. On a 7-9, choose one.

• if they do it, add a Team to the pool
• if they don’t do it, they mark a condition

Basically, the PC gets a reward if they cooperate and a penalty if they don't. To use an example, lets take Atoms earlier provoke against Wingblade, where he was trying to get her to laugh. Lets say I rolled a 10+ back then.

If Wingblade laughs, then good feelings all around and the team is drawn closer together. Add a Team.

If Wingblade doesn't laugh, then wow, awkward, Atoms' joke hangs in air. Wingblade marks a condition for it. Maybe she's Angry that he made a joke at a time like this, maybe she didn't respond because she's Afraid of what's ahead, maybe she feels Guilty for ruining the team's good mood, or perhaps she feels Hopeless or Insecure because she feels she'll never be a normal teenage girl.

Of course, what actually happened back then is that I rolled between 7 and 9, which meant I had to choose one of the options. The idea there is that the player gets to set the tone of the move. They do what you want and the group benefits, or they don't do it and they suffer. Either way though, the move is supposed to be manipulative.

Here's an excerpt from the book about it,

Provoking someone is one of the main ways to make other characters do what you want. This isn’t just straight up manipulation, though—provoking someone isn’t about trying to convince them to do it, or offering them something they want. It’s about pushing the right buttons to get them to do what you want. Your words don’t have to match your intent, so long as you’re pressing the right buttons.

The current in-game situation is interesting to me because what Wingblade is doing is close to the STAND UP FOR SOMETHING adult move, which is a Savior-based heroic speech/impassioned plea that affects those listening. It's hard to say though, since Wingblade doesn't have access to that move and is using PROVOKE SOMEONE, as to whether it should be one roll, multiple rolls, or maybe even no roll at all (because the move isn't triggered in this case).

I would argue that you can only provoke a someone and not a something. I.E. you can provoke a civilian but not a crowd, and you can provoke Ghost Dragon but not the team. And what Wingblade can do in this case is address the team without making a move, and then use individual provoke moves on specific members who didn't respond/do what she wants. For instance, if North Star doesn't answer, she could provoke him by saying, 'Tycho, I know you can hear me. We need you now.'.

However, Default's ruling also works. It does make sense to use a single roll to affect the team because Wingblade is pushing the same buttons for the entire group.

Ah, I see now. That makes a lot of sense. Basically, on a 7-9, I choose either the carrot or the stick. On a 10+, I get both carrot and stick.

That makes me feel so much better about possibly dishing out a bunch of conditions, unless the gang decides to not step up and be heroes (looking at you, Atoms and Hashtag! ;P).

Can't wait to see how everyone else responds!

So, I don't get the guilty condition? I'm confused.

The way I see it:

I try to provoke a teammate. It's a type of manipulation, but the player still gets to choose whether to do what I want them to. But if I succeed on my roll, I get to choose one of two consequences -- either a positive if they do what I want, or a negative if they don't.

If I roll well enough, both consequences are present. Now, if I'm rolling individually, I only got a 9 for Ghost Dragon, so I would have to choose either the positive or the negative, not both. So basically, if I had said, "Ghost Draagon, add a Team if you do what I say," if you did not, we wouldn't get the Team but you wouldn't add a condition. But going with provoking the entire team and getting the 10+, you would get the condition by not joining us.

But you did, so all is good. No negative consequences.

At least, unless Default comes in and says we're still going to do it the other way. :)

Its so nice to have someone reading the rules with me, since this is my first game DMing Masks, I get confused sometimes, but I have to make a call so...I just kinda do, even if I'm not sure.

------------------------------------------------------------------

We'll go with Deputy Atom's (and most likely the correct) way of interpreting things. However, I'll rescind my previous decision of allowing group rolls for now. As Atoms pointed out, it'd be very easy to blanket-cover groups which might make things swing a bit too much for one roll.

So Ghost Dragon, do you do what she wants? If yes, add a team to the pool, if not then you gain a condition.

EDIT: Dammit, got sniped. But yeah, what Wingblade said. Frankly, you guys are making a great game/story so whatever keeps the metaphorical plot ball rolling.

Okay, then I'm removing the Guilty condition, because I did what Wingblade wanted me to.

*is hit by Wingblade's drama bomb* x_x

I'm not even sure how to respond.

I had originally thought to go with more of a "slow burn" with the tension between our two characters, but it's interesting how the game mechanics seem to push this stuff out in the open.

I don't know how you should respond either, but from Wingblade's perspective, she's seeing this team that she'd been named leader falling apart and she's throwing a tantrum.

Hopefully no one's taking anything personally. :)

Nah, this system encourages drama. It is all good stuff :D

What? Vick wasnt listening.

-Posted with Wayfinder

See, I though we were going to go and form a plan before chasing after someone via interdimensional teleport.

Also, pursuing someone via interdimensional teleport is technically "getting out of there".

Yeah, but Wingblade is clueless about magic and superscience. I'm going with the (probably incorrect) assumption that they need to follow from that spot on the school grounds.

It's all good as long as no one takes things personally.

Shouldn't someone be talking TO the teleporter about interdimensional teleportation?

Shouldn't someone be talking TO the teleporter about interdimensional teleportation?

We are. North Star can open portals. That's why Eldritch and Ghost Dragon are going back to Halcyon High to look for him :P

All jokes aside though, that's a good point!

I can actually only open portals to my sanctuary, not in general.