When are the dice rolled? All things Narrative?

[Don D.]

Lets say the minion is bringing the baker back to the Masters abode in the  rain as ordered and on the way back there is a flash flood sweeping them both up.  How is this played out?  If the minion doesn't have a MORE THAN that would help in this situation is it GM Fiat as to what happens?  Are the dice ever rolled in this case?  How is a scene like this played out, where the action is purely Man VS. Nature?  Do the dice have to be rolled in each scene?

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

The way I play, every scene that is not a Horror Revealed gets a roll.

In your case, you should treat the flash flood just as if it were a malevolent character who is trying to hurt the Minion and the baker. The Minion must use the sorts of rolls which are available to him or her: Violence, Villainy, or conceivably, trying to get Love from the baker (by trying to save him).

I never use GM fiat in My Life with Master to resolve conflicts. In my view, this harms the entire experience of the game.

By "conflict" I mean something very specific however - when the Minion or what the Minion cares about is threatened. That's why Horror Revealeds get no dice roll, as they cannot harm a Minion or a Connection.

Best,
Ron

[Don D.]

I see, that makes sense.  I would probably use Violence because of the possiblility of physical harm (ala weariness loss).  I can see Fear working for the Minion since Fear represents the Master's (and by association the minion's) intrests over the environment.  I CAN'T see how self-loathing would help in this case though.  I also dont see how a point of self loathing would be gained if the roll succeeds. Hmmm. Maybe because it would have been better for the baker to have died then be delievered to the master and the minion knows that.  And because the "flood" is using reason to oppose, it would represent the townspeoples intrests that the baker die rather then be delivered to the master for who knows what tortures await.  Now that I think about it it seems like perhaps self loathing figures in because it shows how animalistic the minion fights to overcome the obsticle and deliver the baker to the master.

[Paul Czege]

Hey Don,

One thing to consider is that there isn't much room in the game for surprising players with traditional environment-derived obstacles and performance-based threats. Scenes are about conflict, not obstacles. Abducting the baker is a meaningful conflict, and so the dice are consulted. If the minion is unsuccessful in the abduction, that failure is roleplayed with creative input from both the GM and the player. And maybe that's where the flash flood comes in.

"I'm too strong for him, and easily wrestle him out into the yard. But in the downpour we fall, and he slides away from me in the mud and darkness."

Use obstacles like this, creatively, to avoid deprotagonizing a minion the player has characterized in a certain way ("strong and powerful"), and not as tests.

Paul

[Don D.]

Do you roll the dice ONCE per scene (near the end)?  What if there are other obsticles that must be surpassed to get to the object?  An example would be guardsman patrolling near the house.  I guess you could narrarate how the minion avoids them all (in the shadows) and gets to the baker but what if the minion is big and clumsy and not the sneaky type (but big and strong)?  Would you just narrarate how he easily 'dispatched' a couple guardsman on his way to the bakers house?

[GB Steve]

Do you roll the dice ONCE per scene (near the end)?  What if there are other obsticles that must be surpassed to get to the object?  An example would be guardsman patrolling near the house.  I guess you could narrarate how the minion avoids them all (in the shadows) and gets to the baker but what if the minion is big and clumsy and not the sneaky type (but big and strong)?  Would you just narrarate how he easily 'dispatched' a couple guardsman on his way to the bakers house?

There is only one roll per scene in my games.

You could break it down in to two scenes, on dealing with the guardsmen and the second with the baker.

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

Often just one roll is involved in a scene in our games, but the following situations might arise as well.

1. A scene builds into a situation requiring a new roll and everyone at the table seems excited to see it resolved immediately. This happens rarely.

2. More than one Minion is present in a scene and the situation calls for a roll from each of them. This tends to happen more frequently as play goes on.

Best,
Ron

[Don D.]

" A scene builds into a situation requiring a new roll and everyone at the table seems excited to see it resolved immediately. This happens rarely. "

Could the scene be put on hold just before the second roll is made and complete it as a new scene?

"More than one Minion is present in a scene and the situation calls for a roll from each of them. This tends to happen more frequently as play goes on. "

If there is more than one Minion in a scene it's still considered the scene of the first minion right?  So it seems like the second minion could only "help" the first. (Unless of course they are working at cross purposes)

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Don,

The answer to your first question is Yes. It just so happens that rarely, it seems more fun to keep proceeding with the scene and conduct a second roll. It's a very painless decision in practice.

Regarding the second question, I'd like to see what Paul has to say, but it strikes me that the scene could include any of the following with very little stress or difficulty in terms of applying the system:

a) Two Minions performing different actions which don't directly interfere or help one another

b) One Minion helping another

c) One Minion hindering another

Best,
Ron

[Paul Czege]

Hey Don,

Yeah, Ron has it exactly right. Helping, hindering, Violence, Villainy, Overture, etc...a minion can have his own conflict resolution within the context of another minion's scene. Just make sure it's wrapped with some roleplay and input from the player that so it feels like its own advancement in that minion's story.

Paul