Tied motifs?

[Robert Bohl]

So I have to decide something in Misspent Youth. At the end of the series, you are going to count up the number of motifs The Authority owns and the number the YOs own, and decide who wins based on who has more.

What if they're tied? I have some ideas but I'd love to hear what you think.

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Rob,

I think the simplest way to deal with ties of any kind is first, to think of the conflict as directional, and then, to take your own phrasing literally and say more is necessary to win.

So the directional part seems easy: the YOs are the good guys and the player-characters and all else, so the question is not "which side wins" but whether the YOs win.

And then your own phrasing works perfectly: to win, the YOs need their number of motifs to exceed the Authority's.

Basically, with this in mind, there isn't any such thing as a tie in the first place. The YOs win or they don't. To win, they need more.

(I'm not saying that all tied mechanics should be handled like this. The My Life with Master tie mechanic is a really big deal in that game, for instance. But sometimes I think people forget that they don't have to account for ties unless they want to.)

Best, Ron

[Robert Bohl]

I like that, Ron. It also represents the fact that The Authority starts the game with the deck stacked in its favor. It's also cleaner and simpler than some of the other (enticing) suggestions I've been getting.

[Ron Edwards]

Glad to be involved. Sorry about the delay in replying. No idea why I'm talking like Tarzan.

Best, Ron