[TSOY] Main rulebook clarifications

[Chris Geisel]

During character creation for an IRC game of TSOY last night, some questions regarding the wording of some of the rules came up.

From Character Creation: Abilities

Players have ten points to split among abilities rated at A, with no ability ranking higher than 3. They have six points to split among abilities rated at B, with no ability ranking higher than 2. Three points can be split among abilities rated at C, with no ability higher than 2.

One of the players was convinced that the above meant that each Ability category rated at A got 10 points, each B category got 6 and each C category got 2. IOW 20 pts total for As (10 for Innate and 10 for the other A category). On looking at the text in the cold light of morning, it doesn't seem very ambiguous, but last night I spent a long time looking at the sample characters on the Wiki before determining it must mean 10 pts between all A abilities, in total.

From Playing the Game: BDTP: Damage and Defeat

If a second Damage Check is failed, the character is broken. In order for the character to perform any action, even defense, the player must spend a point from the ability's associated pool, and the player still receives one penalty die to this action. Any successful action taken against the character succeeds when he is broken.

My question is about the last sentence in the paragraph I quoted. I'm confused by the term "successful action". Does this mean that any action taken against a broken character can't be defended against, so that if a 9 or higher is rolled, it's automatically successful? Or does this mean that any action at all against a broken character automatically succeeds?

Again, in the cold hard light of day, it seems pretty clear to me that the former is the meaning, but last night when we were going over the rules, the question of "doesn't a successful action by definition succeed?" came up.

Thanks in advance.

[Victor Gijsbers]

On the first question: I'd say your interpretation is correct.

On the second: doesn't it mean that when you take a successful action against a broken character, you win the conflict and your intention happens?

[Bifi]

But how can the action be successful before the resolution happens?

[Chris Geisel]

I *think* a "successful action" is a contest where the character got a SL (ie rolled over a 9, including modifiers). But therein lies the question.

On another subject, namely BDTP, I'd read this in the main rulebook

This not only allows him to zoom in the imagined camera on this conflict, but is the only way to permanently injure or get rid of a major named character controlled by the Story Guide.

What about permanently injuring or getting rid of a player character? Can that happen on a simple ability check?

[rafial]

What about permanently injuring or getting rid of a player character? Can that happen on a simple ability check?

Only if the player of that character consents.  After all, a player is permitted to Bring Down the Pain at any time.  The GM (and thus an NPC) is not.  This rule allows the player to bypass a major NPC by winning a simple check, with the caveat that the villain may somehow return at a later date, or do a BDtP to get rid of that threat once and for all!

[Clay]

On the second question, my reading would be explicitly as stated in the text.  In other words:

1. The broken character may defend, providing they spend a point or three.

2. If the broken character looses the contested action the victor's intentions are inflicted on the loser.

[Chris Geisel]

Clay, well reasoned. Thanks for the clarification.

Re: BDTP and removing PCs, the rules say BDTP is the only way to remove a named or important NPC. They don't say BDTP is the only way to remove a PC... so one of my players interpreted that as saying that a simple contest can remove a PC. Personally, I think that's counter to the spirit of the game, but I can't find anywhere in the rules that backs that up.

As an aside, the player is coming from games like D&D or V:tM where the DM and players try to outmanuever each other tactically, so the DM does try to "remove" the PCs from play (in some groups). I wouldn't run TSOY like that, but I just thought it was interesting that I couldn't find the text that gave me the impression TSOY shouldn't be run like that.

[rafial]

They don't say BDTP is the only way to remove a PC... so one of my players interpreted that as saying that a simple contest can remove a PC.

Well, a simple contest can remove a PC, if

a) that is what is at stake in the conflict (remember to establish intentions)

and

b) the player of the PC does not dispute the result of the simple contest by Bringing Down the Pain.

The key is that it is not the GM's choice, it is the player's choice.

[Chris Geisel]

Rafial, thats how I read the rules also. It's interesting that the player of mine who noticed this seemed to take it as "Woah! I better be careful then, because the Storyguide can just kill my character."

Thanks for helping clarify, everybody.