PBTA : Multiple Failures

#1

Gooday!

So recently I ran Monster of the Week and in one scene the heroes rolled 3 6- results.

I had one as The ooze critters surround them so they can’t get out without interaction. The 2nd as they got damaged by the ooze as some got on them. The third I saved and once they dealt with the threat, I had an NPC (that they bonded with earlier) run in upset-his telepathic link/dependence to the ooze was damaged.

At the time I thought I was creative with variety and showing there is more than just Us vs Them, conflicts have ongoing effects etc.

But the players were very surprised I didn’t waste someone or atleast lop a leg or two off.

Have I tried to give depth when there should not be? Was I being a wimpy MC?

#2

Would wasting someone or lopping their leg off have been a useful thing to move the narrative along?

I think “deal damage” has a place as a hard move, but failure should mostly mean that the story gets more complicated and the group’s goal become harder to attain. Just throwing damage at the characters might achieve the latter, but not necessarily the former.

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#3

We had a long series of failures in a Zoomed-in scene for our Legacy game this weekend. Thing went from bad to worse to worseterest. Late in the sequence @walter died, leaving behind a corpse containing secrets. Then @aryramsey went back to try to salvage that material and died. Then @darren contracted a fatal plague and @patrickK symptoms from that plague got worse. It was amazing.

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#4

You’re not being wimpy if everyone agrees it was fun and you were following the game’s principles. I never played MotW personally so I don’t know what they are and all.

I might be a little pulled back on my assumptions if you were all telegraphing this ooze as a threat and made it clear this was life and death and you pulled your punch when I failed my roll to escape or dodge or whatever… but it doesn’t sound like that was the case. You did fine and talking to your group about it after is the right call. I appreciate you sharing that story and reflecting on your game! I’m sure many others have been in your shoes. I certainly have been before (and still do from time to time).

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