Further Roach Gameplay question

[Myrmidon]

Further Roach Gameplay question

1. It's player A's scene.  They assign a Pembertonian of note (one who must appear during this event) to player B.  Can player A narrate freely that Permbertonian is assisting them in this scene?  Or does player B, who is assigned the role of that NPC, get to choose whether or not to assist or oppose player A?


2. What die should be rolled for Permbertonians of note?  Are they all considered Luminaries as they are socially important people at the college?  Or do they vary in their die size?


3. What is the threshold for getting to invoke an enthusiasm or a expertise in a scene? 

Example 1:
   Player A is a Professor of Music.
   Player B is a Professor of History. 
   It is Player A's scene and the stake is whether a rich and conservative benefactor decides to donate money to the Music department (if Player A succeeds) or to some other portion of the school (if Player A fails).  Player A narrates that he attempts to impress the benefactor with how grand it would be to stage a Wagnarian opera.  Player B gets involved and tries to oppose this action and narrates that he is intending to queer the deal by citing historical use of Wagner by the Nazi party.

Can Player A and B both roll an extra personal die for invoking their expertise in this scene?

Example 2:
   Same scene as Example 1.
   Player C has the Enthusiasms of Manipulation and opposes Player A in this scene.  He narrates how he finds a tipsy coed that he happens to know has a crush on the handsome Professor of Music (player A).  He states that through misleading statements and subtle hints he convinces her that Player A reciprocates her affections and manages to send her staggering toward the unfolding scene.  He narrates the embarrassment that ensues when she stumbles into the midst of the discussion, spills her drink on the benefactor and clings to player A as she giggles into his ear.

Can Player C roll an extra personal die for invoking their enthusiasm or Manipulation in this scene?  Can Player C roll a die for the NPC they manipulated into helping them in this scene?

4. Is it kosher to narrate a past action to affect the current scene?

Example 3:
   Same scene as Example 1.
   Player D is opposed to Player A.
   Player D narrates how he spiked player A's wine with a sleeping pill earlier in the evening, which is just taking effect now and causing him to appear sleepy and bored in the benefactor's presence. 

   Can player D roll a personal die for his influence in this scene, even though he introduced a past element?

[Jason Morningstar]

Great stuff!

1. It's player A's scene.  They assign a Pembertonian of note (one who must appear during this event) to player B.  Can player A narrate freely that Permbertonian is assisting them in this scene?  Or does player B, who is assigned the role of that NPC, get to choose whether or not to assist or oppose player A?

This isn't completely clear, but on p.43-44 it is discussed.  The intention is that the person who receives the Pembertonian's die gets to decide how they will roll it, with complete control over that NPC in the scene.

2. What die should be rolled for Permbertonians of note?  Are they all considered Luminaries as they are socially important people at the college?  Or do they vary in their die size?

Decide as a group when an individual comes up - based ontheir power and status within the University.  Obviously Bantam Whaley (a mere student) is an Average Joe and John Acton-Gerard is a Luminary.  The real edge case tends to be Reverend Talley, who can be characterized as either.

3. What is the threshold for getting to invoke an enthusiasm or a expertise in a scene? 

Again, there is no hard and fast rule.  I tend to err on the side of permissiveness, and others are more strict about narration.  I'm happy if an enthusiasm or expertise adds an engaging detail for someone else to build off.

4. Is it kosher to narrate a past action to affect the current scene?

I don't see why not, as long as you aren't deprotagonizing another player character without their consent.  Flashbacks are entirely allowed. Thanks for the questions!

[Steve Segedy]

I don't know whether the examples you've used are imagined or actual gameplay, but they sound like perfectly great scenes to me.  This is exactly the level of crazy I enjoy in a Roach game- excited and escalating, but still within the realm of academic intrigue and not quite yet crazy with the roaches.

1. It's player A's scene.  They assign a Pembertonian of note (one who must appear during this event) to player B.  Can player A narrate freely that Permbertonian is assisting them in this scene?  Or does player B, who is assigned the role of that NPC, get to choose whether or not to assist or oppose player A?

This isn't completely clear, but on p.43-44 it is discussed.  The intention is that the person who receives the Pembertonian's die gets to decide how they will roll it, with complete control over that NPC in the scene.

Jason is right, of course, which is why you want to be careful about who you pull into a scene to play an NPC, and why in general it's good to develop at least short-term alliances.  If your enemies want to cause you trouble, make them buy their way into the scene!