[Capes] Strategy Search

[TonyLB]

Okay, I'm trying something a bit new.  Here is a new Strategy Page for Capes.  This is a very small file.  Just go ahead and download it.

Here are the current rules for Capes (as of Sept. 17).  Note:  This is a large file (between 1 and 2 MB) so you might not feel obliged to download it, as it would be mostly background for understanding where the strats fit.

I'm not thrilled to think that a list of strategies is necessary... I'd like to think that all of these things would become self-evident during play.  But folks come into any game with a lot of pre-conceptions, some helpful and some not, and I'm exploring the idea that this sort of a page may be the best way to quickly address those pre-conceptions.

I'd be thrilled to hear feedback on the page, and whether you think it would be useful.  Beyond that, though, I know that I haven't yet scratched the surface of strategies available in the game.  I'd like to hear how other folks who have looked over the rules would try to take advantage of them.  Maybe some strats revolving around Exemplars?  Or some revolving around conflicts between the drives of two heroes?

I don't know... that's the point.  I can write up the strategies that seem natural to me, but I'm sure there are many others that are sitting squarely in my mental blind-spot.

[Doug Ruff]

Interesting, very interesting.

Tony, do you think that, under the current rules, there is a risk that some players will earn and spend significantly more Story Tokens than others?

If so, then I would consider changing the mechanics for Story Tokens, rather than writing a strategy guide for this aspect of the rules.

Because Story Tokens relate directly to 'spotlight time'. And in a Narrative game, nobody should feel like they can't contribute just because they didn't win enough tokens.

And Quality Villainy (or Quality Heroism) should always be the preferred tactic...

On the other hand, the conflicts themselves are an excellent arena for engaging in strategy, one-upmanship and (most importantly) taunting the opposition every time they lose a Complication or Goal. Because that's a large part of the fun in having Heroes vs. Villains in the first place.*

So I think that a 'strategy guide' for winning Complications or Goals is worthwhile - as it helps to encourage Quality Villainy/Heroism within each Scene.

Regards,

Doug

*Heh, maybe Heroes and Villains are Gamist... and this is a Narrative game about Gamist people... but I'm not sure that my G/N/S Powers are sufficient to explore this idea properly!

[TonyLB]

I think there's more than a risk that some players will earn and spend significantly more Story Tokens than others.  I think it's a nearly absolute, designed-in certainty.  A player who:

[*]Consistently narrates Complications that other people find important enough to Stake on[*]Arranges it so that people can win those Complications, but that it's not easy[*]Actively seeks out and engages with the NPC input being offered by the Editor, and[*]Knows that both winning and losing are part of an important story[/list:u]... is going to get a lot more spotlight time than players who do none of these things.

I am very far from having a problem with that.

EDIT:  Removed a small but humorously distracting typo.

[Doug Ruff]

Hmmm, in other words, you have to earn your right to participate in the Story?

That's quite hardcore, if you don't mind me saying.

Not that I'm necessarily against it, but it could be quite a daunting experience for beginning players, or anyone who has problems manipulating the die-rolling mechanics to generate the desired outcome.

I think that's got a lot of potential for player discontent, unless you are very, very clear about this in the rules. Then anyone who doesn't like that premise can choose not to play.

Regards,

Doug

[TonyLB]

You're right that the rules will be easier for people to digest if they're extremely up front.  So that sounds (to me) like an indirect vote for having a strategy section, rather than just leaving all of that dynamic inherent in the game and not telling anyone about it.

[LordSmerf]

You're right that the rules will be easier for people to digest if they're extremely up front.  So that sounds (to me) like an indirect vote for having a strategy section, rather than just leaving all of that dynamic inherent in the game and not telling anyone about it.

Or having a hard-hitting explicit introduction that says "This is how things work, you have been warned."

Thomas

[TonyLB]

In chat before this actual play experience, Thomas pointed out that many people will more easily absorb these strategies if they see them used (both successfully and otherwise) in an Example of Play.  It's a solid point, and one I'm going to take to heart.

That said, what happened during the game reinforced my belief that this information should also be explicitly described somewhere as "Strategies".  Experienced roleplayers are accustomed to the notion that telling a thematically strong story is something they do despite the rule system, rather than in cooperation with it.  I think that it's important to point out how you make a good story in Capes by ruthlessly manipulating the rules for your personal profit.

For instance, the moment I started describing Actions for Gray Ghost in the hospital scene, I knew I'd made a mistake.  It so happens that I'd also made a dramatic mis-cue, but what I felt immediately was that I had no effective strategy to use GG to earn anything I needed.  

I'm going to lose a net three Story Tokens (one that I spent uselessly, and two points of Love Debt on Zip that are no-way, no-how going to be awarded to me now that he's spent them on the Complication I wasn't backing).  It's not a big loss... I'll still have tons of participation in the game, and plenty of chances to shine.  But it's a concrete loss, and I know exactly how to avoid it the next time I hit a similar situation.


On a less abstract note, three new (to me) strategies became obvious:

[*]Keep any Overdrawn character out of the narrative until there is a Complication where they can Stake that particular Debt.[*]Playing the Exemplar of another hero gives you an advantage toward claiming their Story Tokens... particularly if you choose an Exemplar of a Drive they've already got Debt stacked up on.[*]Playing the same character for both the hero side and the opponent side allows you to run hot and cold (helping, then hindering, then helping) in a way that can be very compelling to the player of the character whose chain you're yanking.  It also gives you the perfect leverage to make the Complication challenging, but then to make sure the hero wins it at the end (so you can have their Story Tokens!)[/list:u]