Escalation

[Ginger Stampley]

I believe it's all in the narration.  Taking the Blow is specifically seeing with three or more dice and results in fallout.  Narration doesn't cause fallout in and of itself.

Yes, I see that. But the question was, if you don't react, isn't that the sort of narration you use for Taking the Blow? I was trying to get at the question of what happens if you react, because if you say a Block or a Dodge is doing something that gets your escalation dice, then the mechanics are answering the question for you in a way I was guessing Vincent didn't intend.

Tony's answer gets at what I really want to know as a follow-up question, though, so I'm good.

[Sean]

Well, this is weird

The example in the game text says that when one side escalates the other rolls dice right there on the spot, even if it's not their see or raise or anything. So I took that to mean it's the situation that gets escalated, not the actions of any given player, and so that's where the dice come from. "But I'm not using my body" isn't an appropriate response to "it's a situation of physical conflict" now. And if anyone wants, the situation gets escalated.

I can see how you might let it be the person rather than the situation that gets escalated, maybe that lets you make more of a statement. I prefer it the way the game example goes because otherwise your stats become more like big d6 traits; they stay clearly separated this way.