[TSoY] parallel action priority, task difficulty and other confusing things

[Corvus69]

hello this is my first post here. I actually registered just to ask these questions.

I study TSoY and I really like it. But there are things that really confuse me.

1.

It is highly important to distinguish whether actions are perpendicular or parallel ahead of time and be very clear about it. The first time you use Bringing Down the Pain, it could be confusing. You see, with a normal ability check, you really can resist someone attacking your character by talking them out of it. That's because the entire conflict is at stake. In Bringing Down the Pain, the only things that can resist someone attacking your character are attacking them back or blocking their blow. That's because that roll's stakes are that one task.

I understand that if try to strike opponent with sword he cannot try to talk me out or take other nondefensive actions . BUT:

If the two sides of a conflict cannot decide on actions - if one keeps changing theirs depending on the other - it is up to the Story Guide to resolve this. Hopefully, it can be resolved through player negotiation. If not, the side who wants a perpendicular action must take a defensive action.

I consider sword attacking a perpedicular action and talking out or singing a parallel action.. but according to rules, if I want to take perpedicular action and opponent wants parallel, I have to take defensive action... so it means that if he keeps making parallel actions, I simply cannot attack him. Do I understand it correctly?
My logic tells me that perpendicular action should have priority. That if I want to attack him, he HAS TO defend and not try to alk me out or sing or whatever...


2.

A Marginal success is all that is needed to succeed at any task in the game.

In the first edition some tasks needed better than marginal success to succeed. but now it doesnt matter if i roll to climb small tree or mt. everest. I still need to roll 1. and if I'm well equiped and its sunny day according to rules Story Guide cannot assign penalty dice.

One penalty die may be assigned if circumstances render a task especially difficult or if the character is ill-equipped.

I just dont understand why was this decision about all tasks having same difficulty made. there should be reason, but I just dont see it.


3. this is only minor but in BDTP example:

Up until this point, the action has been taken care of by a simple ability check. According to the check, Emily wins, and Tela will sneak up on Gael, giving Emily three bonus dice to perform an action that uses that advantage.

why did Emily got three bonus dice?



thank you for answers.

[oliof]

If the two sides of a conflict cannot decide on actions - if one keeps changing theirs depending on the other - it is up to the Story Guide to resolve this. Hopefully, it can be resolved through player negotiation. If not, the side who wants a perpendicular action must take a defensive action.

I consider sword attacking a perpedicular action and talking out or singing a parallel action.. but according to rules, if I want to take perpedicular action and opponent wants parallel, I have to take defensive action... so it means that if he keeps making parallel actions, I simply cannot attack him. Do I understand it correctly?
My logic tells me that perpendicular action should have priority. That if I want to attack him, he HAS TO defend and not try to alk me out or sing or whatever...
Quote

In the first edition some tasks needed better than marginal success to succeed. but now it doesnt matter if i roll to climb small tree or mt. everest. I still need to roll 1. and if I'm well equiped and its sunny day according to rules Story Guide cannot assign penalty dice.

One penalty die may be assigned if circumstances render a task especially difficult or if the character is ill-equipped.

I just dont understand why was this decision about all tasks having same difficulty made. there should be reason, but I just dont see it.
Quote

Up until this point, the action has been taken care of by a simple ability check. According to the check, Emily wins, and Tela will sneak up on Gael, giving Emily three bonus dice to perform an action that uses that advantage.

why did Emily got three bonus dice?

[Frank Tarcikowski]

[Corvus69]

yeah thanks

just one another confusing thing

from gestalt method of group BDTP

Whenever a character is broken, her player falls out of the group Pain-Bringing.

shouldnt be this sentence like this : Whenever a character is *past* broken, her player falls out of the group Pain-Bringing.  ? because broken characters can go on if they have enough pool points.

[Eero Tuovinen]

That's right.