Attempting to write an advanced move for my almost-complete Swashbuckler and I love this concept, but am unsure of resolution mechanics. Here is what we have:
Heraldry
When you confidently announce your presence and purpose to NPCs, spouting forth your long list of titles and achievements, roll +Cha.
I want to avoid anything like +1 forward, some options more rooted in the fiction would be nice. Any ideas?
On a 10+ people in the area are suitably impressed. On a 7-9 pick one:
They’ve heard of you, but don’t believe you. You’ll have to prove yourself.
Your enemies have been spreading lies about you, which you’ll have to disprove.
They’ve never heard of you.
On a 6-, (I don’t know, maybe a GM hard move)
They tell you their full heraldry spend hold to ask questions and gain insight into how you’re related, who they answer to, or rumors you’ve heard about them/their family.
Forgot to mention that I intended this to be used against both enemies and allies alike. The image of a swashbuckler introducing himself to a dragon before challenging it to a duel is making me laugh.
What are you looking for in this move. Should it be sort of like I Am The Law where you’re announcing that you’re sort of a big deal? Do you want it to be about formalities and information exchange? Could you have multiple heraldry related moves?
“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
Chris McGee Exactly.
Its more about being an attention-seeking show off. Perhaps Heraldry gives off the wrong vibe, especially given that the class is more rooted in lighthearted silliness. How about “Allow Myself to Introduce… Myself” and give a shout out to Austin Powers, a swashbuckler of the modern era.
That name for the move is awesome!
So the point is to get everyone’s attention and be a distraction? In that case, the Big Entrance from Monster of the Week might be a good model:
“When you make a showy entrance into a charged situation, roll +Cool. On 10+ everyone stops to watch and listen until you take concrete action. On a 7-9, pick one character to stop, watch and listen until you take concrete action. On a miss, everyone marks you as the biggest threat.”
Tweak the trigger. Swap +CHA for +Cool. Maybe on a miss, everyone marks you as the biggest threat OR the easiest mark.
Jeremy Strandberg The Dashing Hero has a move wich closely resembles that.
When you spout forth your achievements, roll +cha. On a 10+, gain access to an object, person, or place that is being protected. On 7-9, this, but you’ll have to prove that what you claim is true.
Seems that this would be why you would need to spout your credentials and if you’re not fully successful, you’ll have to duel, argue, or prove yourself in some way and retain those credentials. Kind of like, “I’m the best rapper.” 10+ is like they know your street cred, 7-9 is “yea right, prove it!” And if you do, you keep that cred and get what you need.
+10 Pick Two:
+6 – 9 Pick One and listeners can’t be moved by a your heroic deeds for at least this visit through town.
* The entire crowd believes you and is at -2 to parley
* Create a npc audience member who is enamored by and wants to join your crew. He will be loyal as long as you maintain the facade you portray.
*Anyone who wishes to do you harm bolts for the door exposing them as a threat.
6- DM Hard Move which involves the crowd where one NPC exposes that deed as something trivial, destroying your grandstanding.
Final version, I’m going with:
Allow Myself to Introduce… Myself
When you make a confident entrance, announcing your presence to nearby NPCs, roll +Cha. ✴On a 10+ everyone stops what they are doing and listens, awaiting decisive action. ✴On a 7-9, as 10+, but you’ve drawn the ire of at least a few listeners.
The value here is threefold. Firstly you can stop NPCs who may be in the middle of something fowl, secondly you can buy time to discuss/parley, thirdly it effectively grants you initiative.
Love the move name you went with. I guess I wonder how this is a move, though. What if I just did this, not as a move? Like, tried to interrupt someone. Would the GM say, “they ignore you”? What are you effectively getting from this move on a success?
Damian Jankowski, I think the trigger and the 10+ result works. I picture it like this…
GM: “The cultists are dancing around the alter, the villager tied up and squirming. Their chanting reaches a fever pitch as the high priest steps forward and raises the knife. What do you do?”
Swashbuckler (SB): “I step out from my hiding place and saunter forward. ‘GOOD EVENING! You must be the infamous Borris the Butcher. Well met, well met!”
If the PC has this move, the GM’s like “Oh, cool. Roll +CHA!” Then we see what happens based on the roll.
Without the move, the GM makes a move. I’m thinking “put them in a spot,” myself. Like “Everyone stops for a moment and stares in disbelief, but then they turn and swarm you, screaming to their foul demon-god! WHERE DID ALL THOSE KNIVES COME FROM? What do you do?” (And I bet he ends up defying some danger.)
Pete French: I’m not so sure about the 7-9 result. Having it as the 7-9 result implies ire *won’t* be drawn on a 10+, but whether or not you draw someone’s ire sees like it ought to be based on the emotions and prejudices of the audience.
Did you consider using hold? Like on a hit, everyone stops what they’re doing and gives you their attention as long as you keep talking. On a 10+, also hold 2. While you hold everyone’s attention, spend 1 hold to do any of the following:
– Move to an advantageous position
– Pass something (a signal, a key, a knife, etc) unseen to an ally
– Ask a question from the Discern Realities list
Jeremy Strandberg, great idea.
Yea, see that hold idea actually gains some objective and works pretty well in my opinion. If you 10+ as it was and get everyone to look at you, well, you still have to do something. Whether you defy danger or not, you haven’t achieved anything in my mind aside from a moment to do something else. If that’s the case, why didn’t you already just do what you are going to do now?
Jeremy Strandberg that’s great and I’ve seen it play out in movies just like that. Walking and talking, before they know it he is standing at the lever that drops the drawbridge.