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Is it fun to plan a heist?
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<blockquote data-quote="Blue" data-source="post: 9334631" data-attributes="member: 20564"><p>From the Blades in the Dark rulebook:</p><p></p><p>ACT NOW, PLAN LATER</p><p>In roleplay gaming, spending a bunch of time planning can be really boring and</p><p>pointless. You have a long talk about a dozen “what if” scenarios that never come</p><p>to pass in play. All the points and counter-points about hypothetical situations</p><p>turn out to be wasted time. Instead, move on to the action—and then “plan”</p><p>using flashbacks or downtime actions instead.</p><p>Plan with a flashback when the engagement roll goes wrong. You’re about to</p><p>break into the museum of antiquities but the engagement roll comes up 2—</p><p>your crew is suddenly accosted by the patrol of moonlighting Bluecoats who</p><p>are working as security. Oh no! We should have planned for this! Nah, just call</p><p>for a flashback.</p><p>“Let’s have a flashback to the night before for a setup maneuver. We see Silver</p><p>Consorting with our Bluecoat contact, Laroze. Maybe she was able to get some</p><p>dirt on the local Bluecoat officers that she can use for leverage now—for better</p><p>effect if we Sway him to look the other way...”</p><p>See how this is a much more badass form of planning? You could have discussed</p><p>the merits of Consorting with Laroze ahead of time, just in case, in an endless</p><p>debate of risk and reward. Or, you can wait to see the trouble you’re in, then</p><p>flashback to a preparation that exactly applies to the situation at hand—making</p><p>your character look terribly clever and cool. Much better, yeah? One of the reasons</p><p>why the PCs have all those stress boxes is so you can do sly retro-planning</p><p>maneuvers like this. Sure, this business with Laroze is a little far-fetched, but</p><p>that’s okay. That’s what the stress cost is for. Pay the stress for the flashback and</p><p>you have a perfect plan ready to go.</p><p>Your flashback doesn’t undo the result of the engagement roll—it isn’t time travel.</p><p>Instead, you attempt to address the current bad outcome by making a roll as</p><p>normal, except in this case the action takes place in the past. The bad engagement</p><p>roll still matters—you’re in a bad spot—but by using a flashback for your action</p><p>you can show how your earlier planning helps you deal with it now.</p><p>As long as you have stress to burn and a fun idea for a flashback, you can deflect</p><p>or block some of the trouble from bad engagements after you see what they are,</p><p>rather than trying to anticipate everything beforehand.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Blue, post: 9334631, member: 20564"] From the Blades in the Dark rulebook: ACT NOW, PLAN LATER In roleplay gaming, spending a bunch of time planning can be really boring and pointless. You have a long talk about a dozen “what if” scenarios that never come to pass in play. All the points and counter-points about hypothetical situations turn out to be wasted time. Instead, move on to the action—and then “plan” using flashbacks or downtime actions instead. Plan with a flashback when the engagement roll goes wrong. You’re about to break into the museum of antiquities but the engagement roll comes up 2— your crew is suddenly accosted by the patrol of moonlighting Bluecoats who are working as security. Oh no! We should have planned for this! Nah, just call for a flashback. “Let’s have a flashback to the night before for a setup maneuver. We see Silver Consorting with our Bluecoat contact, Laroze. Maybe she was able to get some dirt on the local Bluecoat officers that she can use for leverage now—for better effect if we Sway him to look the other way...” See how this is a much more badass form of planning? You could have discussed the merits of Consorting with Laroze ahead of time, just in case, in an endless debate of risk and reward. Or, you can wait to see the trouble you’re in, then flashback to a preparation that exactly applies to the situation at hand—making your character look terribly clever and cool. Much better, yeah? One of the reasons why the PCs have all those stress boxes is so you can do sly retro-planning maneuvers like this. Sure, this business with Laroze is a little far-fetched, but that’s okay. That’s what the stress cost is for. Pay the stress for the flashback and you have a perfect plan ready to go. Your flashback doesn’t undo the result of the engagement roll—it isn’t time travel. Instead, you attempt to address the current bad outcome by making a roll as normal, except in this case the action takes place in the past. The bad engagement roll still matters—you’re in a bad spot—but by using a flashback for your action you can show how your earlier planning helps you deal with it now. As long as you have stress to burn and a fun idea for a flashback, you can deflect or block some of the trouble from bad engagements after you see what they are, rather than trying to anticipate everything beforehand. [/QUOTE]
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