Quick mechanics/narration question

[David Hallett]

Apologies if this has been asked before, but I can't think what to search on to look for it.

We had our first play session the other night (I'm hoping to post write-ups when I get the players' permission), and it was great, even though time was short and we only got to create characters and do one initiation.

One question came up during the initiation that I couldn't answer, though. If a player brings a Trait into play when Seeing, the rules seem to suggest that you should narrate first, then roll dice, and then push some dice forward. But sometimes, you can't know until you roll the dice whether the See will be a Dodge/Block, Take The Blow or a Reverse The Blow. In this case, the player narrated a response and then after rolling, Saw with three dice. And I'm like: well that was cool, but you're Taking The Blow here, so I think you need to narrate that slightly differently. Which was not so easy, as it happened, but we all chipped in and came up with something that everyone thought would do (the conflict was all Just Talking, so we had to think about what it meant to Take The Blow, rather than Fighting, where it would have been clearer).

Is that roughly how it's supposed to work, or are we missing something?

Thanks!

[Darren Hill]

The dice are rolled before the narration is fixed, for precisely the reason you point out.
I would say it's okay for someone to narrate something and then roll the dice, but until the dice are put forward, that narration shouldn't be binding (unless the group's local standards say otherwise, of course).
Remember, a Raise or See is both the narration and the dice put forward - those two events are simultaneous.

[David Hallett]

Thanks Darren.

I guess we just got a bit too stuck on following the order in the rules (e.g. page 80):

— Roll Trait and Thing dice when you bring the Trait or thing into play, incorporated into a See or Raise. Roll the dice after you say the See or Raise, but before you assign its dice.

Good to hear that we're doing what Vincent intended, more or less!

[lumpley]

Yep! Since everyone knows you're gambling on your new dice, everyone's prepared for you to revise if you have to.

-Vincent

[David Hallett]

Thanks Vincent! I feel reassured!