Ok, here’s a couple of doubt about “Take Watch” and ranger’s “A safe/safer place”.

Ok, here’s a couple of doubt about “Take Watch” and ranger’s “A safe/safer place”.

Ok, here’s a couple of doubt about “Take Watch” and ranger’s “A safe/safer place”.

Here comes an example: party is on a mission, in a neutral/hostile territory. They make camp for the night, and they should “Take Watch”. 

Question n.1: Does every character have to roll for the watch? Or, should I choose just one of them (randomly?) because I chose that in his watch turn “something approaches the camp” (that text seems the condition that triggers the move)? In the latter case, there’s a fair method in the rules to choose the one, and I can’t see it?

Question n.2: It’s fair to say “There are no enemies around, so this night passes quietly”, or I HAVE to roll for watch, ’cause it’s in the Make Camp move?

Question n.3, about the Ranger move: is this the meaning of the move?: “when the ranger choose the place for the night and manage his friends and their watch turns, then everybody will get a +1 if they have to roll for the move Take Watch”.

… Or I’m wrong about all that!? 😀

I’d love to get the official words of Mr. Sage LaTorra and his fellow Mr. Adam Koebel . Arigatou

9 thoughts on “Ok, here’s a couple of doubt about “Take Watch” and ranger’s “A safe/safer place”.”

  1. n1: Yes you choose. There is a fair method. It’s called Be a Fan of the character. 

    That means sometimes you will 

    Give an opportunity that fits a class’ abilities

    (like letting it approach when the high WIS Ranger has watch)

    Sometimes you will

    Show a downside to their class, race, or equipment

    (and let the low WIS Paladin roll it) 

  4. n1: there might also be a bond between 2 characters about protecting them or relying on their help. You could choose to engange that bond and allow them to actually protect them and roll watch (or fail and get their freind into trouble)

  5. 1) each character who is on watch when something approaches the camp gets to roll. Most likely each character will take watch once per night, because that’s normally how watch duties are split in small parties (so everyone gets to sleep for part of the night).

    The fair method if you want to randomise it is rolling a die, as has been the case with every random encounter table ever, but you should consider the fiction first to see if randomising is even necessary (i.e. intelligent enemies are likely to attack in the dead of night).

    2) Make Camp doesn’t trigger Take Watch, they have completely different triggers. Take Watch only triggers if something approaches camp while a character is on their watch, so if nothing approaches camp it doesn’t trigger, the player doesn’t roll and the watch is uneventful.

    3) the trigger for A Safe(r) Place is “when you set the watch,” i.e. when the Ranger determines the watch order. Nothing else factors in the trigger (there’s no need for the Ranger to pick the encampment or manage anything). If the Ranger sets the watch order, the trigger is fulfilled and everyone gets the bonuses (including the Ranger), so +1 to your Take Watch roll for A Safe Place, and an additional +1 forward the next day for A Safer Place.

  6. You only roll Take Watch if something approaches the camp. You determine what, if anything, approaches the camp based on the fiction. You as the GM know the world, you can determine what might approach the camp. You also decide when. A giant bat might approach the camp at dusk, a thief in the black of night, etc.

    Of course as a GM you can use a random table to help decide those things if you like. Make up a random encoutner table of Things in the Night in Blackwood and just roll on it as often as makes sense.

    When you Make Camp you decide who takes watch, but the roll only triggers if the camp is approached while that person is on watch.

    When the ranger sets the watch (says who watches and when) they get a bonus to the roll should someone approach.

  7. Thanks Sage. About the move “Special Trick”, working with your animal companion means “when you are doing something included in his trainings”, or is it a simple “when the animal is with you giving support just in the fiction”?

    And, finally, about the move “Unnatural Ally”: does with +1 Instinct come a new weakness?

    Thanks in advance.

  8. ‘Working with your animal companion” is judge off the fiction. It probably does take trainings into account, sure.

    Unnatural Ally should come with a new weakness, but we weren’t clear on it and it’s not critical.

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