[Trollbabe] Multiple Trollbabes in one conflict.

[Jacob]

I’ve scanned the forums and found some great Trollbabe material here, but one question still bugs me. How do you handle multiple Trollbabes in the same conflict, with the same goal?

In a “normal” conflict I could see having one character take the lead and the rest act as support (re-rolls), or even have each Trollbabe roll and all contribute successes to the same series.

Does anyone have any advice for ‘group’ conflicts, where more than one Trollbabe is trying to accomplish the same goal, as a group, or where the conflict is beyond the scope of just one character?

Eventually I can foresee a Big Bad Guy type conflict, and I’d like everyone to have a chance to contribute. One of my players tends to be a spotlight hog, and I’m afraid of him cranking up the Pace and trying to “one-shot” everything he come across. (Yes, I know that’s a silly statement to make, but it wont stop him from trying.)

[John Harper]

I specifically forbid this when I run Trollbabe (and Stranger Things spells it out in the rules). The Trollbabe system resolves the goal of one Trollbabe. It doesn't make any sense to use the system to resolve one goal for two Trollbabes. It would be like rolling to hit in a D&D combat and then saying to the players, "Okay, you both hit him."

Trollbabes can have closely related goals in a conflict, but never the same goal. Just lay down the law and tell your players that this is a part of the system and is non-negotiable.

If the Trollbabes are running around as a group for some reason (this is unlikely) and they tackle an opponent together, they can each play out their own mini conflict. One of them can "Knock him down so he can't run for the bridge," while another wants to "Lop his head off with my axe!" Either of these can succeed, or both, or neither. Both Trollbabes are "fighting" the opponent, but they don't have identical goals.

A word of warning about "Big Bads", too. They almost never get created ahead of time. Instead, a "big bad" is created after a nasty conflict that the Trollbabe loses. The player describes how the NPC is such a badass that it can actually defeat the Trollbabe. The next time that NPC shows up, that's when they're the Big Bad.

[Jacob]

Thanks John!
That helps clarify things quite a bit.

[Ron Edwards]

Uh, except that's not how it works in Trollbabe. What John's describing is a house variant, and a rule for Stranger Things. I have played many, many times with more than one trollbabe engaged in a particular conflict.

The easiest version is when the goals are a little different, for instance, if you have two trollbabes engaged in a conflict and one has "capture the troll" and the other has "kill the troll." You get a free, living troll; a captured, living troll; a free, dead troll; or a captured, dead troll. No problem - the two narrators, whoever they are, just work out the narration together.

You see what's really happening here, right? You're basically running two conflicts by the rules, just simultaneously. It's really easy and prompts absolutely no contradictions unless you bring in gamer-think. Gamer-think is hung up on meaningless distinctions between "I said it goes this way" vs. "You said it goes that way."

Once you understand that, then it's easy even if the trollbabes have the same goals or totally opposing goals.

Let's say both have "capture the troll" as a conflict. I assume no one has a problem if they both succeed or both fail. Let's say one succeeds and one fails, on the first rolls; and the latter chooses a re-roll (just because the player doesn't feel like failing), and fails again to take an injury. Result? The troll is captured, by the first trollbabe, and the second trollbabe is hurt. Very simple.

Now, let's say they have totally opposing goals - one is "convince the troll to come out of the cave peaceably," and the other is "kill the troll dead as a doornail."  I have no idea why this poses a problem. They both roll; they independently take their rolls however far down the respective series they need or want to go. And again, you have four possible outcomes, of [peaceable, living troll], [peaceable but now-dead troll], [hostile, living troll], and [hostile but now-dead troll].

This is a seriously fun, seriously dramatic element of playing trollbabe for me. I have no idea why anyone would have any trouble with it or want to discard it.

Best,
Ron

[Jacob]

Thanks for the feedback, Ron. After running a couple sessions, I can see how it would  work out.

I was wondering about how to handle conflicting, or even opposed, goals, but I think you put it best. "the two narrators, whoever they are, just work out the narration together"

Simple.

[John Harper]

Um, yes. Sorry if I wasn't clear. I love when Trollbabes have conflicting goals. It's awesome.

I personally don't like identical goals for each Trollbabe, but as Ron points out, it can work. The main thing I was harping on was that you roll for each Trollbabe's goal separately, even when they're in the same conflict. But multiple Trollbabes (or Strangers) in one "conflict" is cool. I don't advocate ditching that. When I said "I forbid that" I meant that I forbid all the Trollbabes somehow "pooling" their rolls or "rolling as a team" or some such thing. Each Trollbabe rolls for her own goal and then the outcomes are stitched together, as Ron said.

I obviously am going to need a good example to illustrate this in the ST book.

[Ron Edwards]

Excellent! I thought we were diverging on this point, John, but apparently not.

Yup, each trollbabe player rolls independently. No pooling, no combining, etc.

Best,
Ron