Trusting the dice (was Re: slick little bid plan)

From: Mike Dawson <mdawson_at_...>
Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 13:48:10 -0000

> At 8:55 PM +0000 5/24/04, Mike Dawson wrote:
> >I know narrators aren't supposed to roll against themselves, but
> >this is too interesting not
> >to, especially as the Heroes might choose to get involved in any given round.
>
> You know, it might be better to "script it out" rather than
> figure out the APs and roll. So:

That all sounds lovely, but I never knew how when or if the heroes might choose one side or the other. If they had just tried to high tail it out of there, I would have done as you suggest.

As it turned out, they either tried to help Ice Fist or to hurt the Lunars, though they were (and still are) unsure of the reception that they'll get from the ice spirit. The Babeester Gori started out by successfully motivating the Ice Giant with verbal abuse!

And the rolls cooperated REALLY well. The lunars made steady progress against Ice Fist, unwillingly aided by the Heroes who attempted to hurt the lunars and ended up transferring large amounts of AP to the moon worshippers.

The summoners got Ice Fist to 0 AP just as the heroes realized the ice giant had a binding object around his right arm. The teshnan archer bid big, shot the chain off Ice Fist's arm and thereby dropped the Lunars' coup de grace by a whole mastery.

Where before it had been Ice Fist 2W5 0 AP vs Lunars 8W5 368 AP, now it was 2W vs 8. the lunars bid 60, intent on completely defeating the Ice Giant even on a 1/2 forfeit result.

Ice Fist rolled a 2, and the Lunar magicians rolled a 20. (Really! I have witnesses!) They transferred 180 AP to Ice Fist.
You gotta love that. The lunars still had 200+ but they were on the way down from that point, and their magic was now weak enough that the remaining Heroes could affect and worsen the Lunars' situation.

So my moral is: don't be afraid to trust your dice.

(Unless you're Brad, the guy in my game whose average roll seems to be 17, and who fumbled in his only major action of the night.)

Net result of the crossing point of the Journey of the Egret Warriors and the story of the White Princess's Grooms: Two completely defeated Heroes, (one frozen and another magically torn up by Lunar defenses) one completely frozen and slightly recovered hero, a powerful Fire Essence follower lost, 5 of 6 principle members (and 40+ followers) of the Lunar "Six Summoners And" magical band in the frozen grip of Ice Fist, and the tail end of a big follower melee winding down in the great hall of the Winter Palace.

Next week the heroes find out if Ice Fist is grateful or angry with the Heroes.

Mike Dawson