Topic: [Galactic] Question about the Goals update
Started by: Doyce
Started on: 8/18/2006
Board: Dog Eared Designs
On 8/18/2006 at 4:15am, Doyce wrote:
[Galactic] Question about the Goals update
Over here, Matt said:
Pursuing goals as written in the game is a little hazy. This update tightens it up nicely and provides a good visual resource for dramatic escalation.
For each goal, there's now a little record track on the sheet. I'll upload a revision of that. To complete a goal, like, say, "win the love of Spacefarer Steve," you have to win three conflicts in relation to that goal. If you lose three before you win three, you've failed at that goal.
The tracks should give play a kind of sports playoffs tension, so that you naturally escalate the importance of conflicts and make them fit the bill.
Regardless of whether you succeed or fail at a goal, you gain a connection. However, if you fail, the GM (maybe with some help from the others) comes up with a consequence of your failure, something that makes you say, "oh, that's terrible. I wish I had succeeded at my goal."
Questions:
1. Is there an updated sheet? Doesn't matter a ton, but would be cool. Ze playtest zip-file, she is gone, so I'm askin'.
2. Clarification: Regardless of whether you succeed or fail at the goal, you get a connection, but you *DO* need to succeed in order to apply that Goal's related Adversity Die to the planet in question (to either Harmony or Security), yes?
On 8/18/2006 at 4:26am, Doyce wrote:
Re: [Galactic] Question about the Goals update
Replying to myself because I forgot something.
Doing the math on the new Goals track, I'm wincing at how long the first set of planets is going to take.
- I've got three Captains.
- Each has a planet with three adversity dice, plus the main conflict.
- Assuming they succeed at every conflict (har), that's 9 scenes per player, plus a final scene to wrap up the Conflict on the planet, making 10 scenes per player, 30 scenes total, assuming 100% conflict success on the part of the players. Worst case (2/3 or 3/2 win/loss ratio before the Goal is resolved) is 16 conflicts per player for a total of 48 for the group, before the first set of three planets is done and we're ready to move on to the next set -- call it an average of about 39 scenes before these initial Planets, their conflicts, and the Captain's related Goals are all wrapped up.
I've never considered myself particularly slow on scene changes, but... wow that's a lot.
Tell me if I'm missing something, because I'm looking at that and thinking each "round" of planets is going to run somewhere between 2 to 4 sessions to play through...
Well, just tell me if I'm missing something there.
On 8/18/2006 at 1:48pm, Matt Wilson wrote:
RE: Re: [Galactic] Question about the Goals update
Doyce:
As I was a-sayin' in the main Galactic thread, big revisions in the works. That's why the playtest files are down.
Quick answers, in case you want to play anyway...
1. Yes, I but I don't know where offhand.
2. No. You get all the rewards, including planet stuff, no matter whether you succeed or fail. I have a twist to that in the works, but really success and failure is more about narrating sucky consequences than collecting goodies.
3. All planets in revision will require two goals, not three. There is no final wrap-up conflict scene. The new goals rules replace that.
Conflicts in the playtests where I've been present haven't taken more than maybe 5-10 minutes per player, so figure one hour of play for each captain in the group.
This should play like PTA. You should start turns and find the conflict right away.
On 8/18/2006 at 2:48pm, Doyce wrote:
RE: Re: [Galactic] Question about the Goals update
Matt wrote:
Quick answers, in case you want to play anyway...
In case I want to... the words are English, but they don't make sense in that order. :) I'd love to have a ballpark idea regarding how Goals and the planetary Conflict are changing, so I can rough-in something during the session this Saturday, but if not, I'll deal -- it's still a good time to play around with the mechanics.
2. No. You get all the rewards, including planet stuff, no matter whether you succeed or fail. I have a twist to that in the works, but really success and failure is more about narrating sucky consequences than collecting goodies.
Good to know. I think I can work with that in broad terms without seeing the rewrite, but I'm going to LOVE seeing your examples of sucky consequences. :)
3. All planets in revision will require two goals, not three. There is no final wrap-up conflict scene. The new goals rules replace that.
Cool. Sans further information, I'll probably just check with the players and we'll drop one of the three goals, make both the 'survivors' d6, then retrofit in the changes when they come out.
You're comments on the conflict timing is well-taken -- I got to thinking of each 'scene' in terms of a InSpectres "scene, skill check, and potential move toward mission success", and realized it wasn't going to be a big problem.
On 8/18/2006 at 4:06pm, Matt Wilson wrote:
RE: Re: [Galactic] Question about the Goals update
I got to thinking of each 'scene' in terms of a InSpectres "scene, skill check, and potential move toward mission success", and realized it wasn't going to be a big problem.
That's a really good way to think about it.
Re: goals and consequences, that's pretty much as you see it on the wiki. Failure means you got what you needed, but not what you wanted, if that makes any sense.