Jeff here, back with another game preview update as the days tick down to launch. Another big thank you to everyone who has followed the teaser page!
"I hardly think a few birds are going to bring about the end of the world."
Last time, I wrote about the core resolution mechanism (4d6 dice pool), and a little about attributes (athleticism, composure, reasoning). For this post, I wanted to go over some ways PCs can help shift the odds of a test more in their favor. I briefly mentioned these last time, but let's talk more about expertise, items, and assisting.
When you make a character (PC) for We're in Danger, you not only rank your attributes, but you also pick an expertise. An expertise is a specific skill or field of knowledge that your PC can always count on, even in the most dire of circumstances. It's the ability that your PC is known for, the type of thing other people might come to you about. Some examples:
Automotive Repair. Maybe you work as a mechanic at a local body shop.
Skateboarding. Maybe you've played every edition of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and have a dozen scars from your skatepark days.
Poetry. Maybe you pissed off your parents by studying literature instead of engineering in college, and now you're a local celebrity at open mics.
There is no exhaustive list to choose from, and PCs are encouraged to devise their own expertise to help flesh out their character. Mechanically, an expertise can contribute one automatic hit on a test where the attribute applies. Since the core resolution mechanism is about balancing hits and fumbles, having that extra hit even before rolling can be hugely important. Plus, it's always a fun time to hear players "make a case" for why their expertise should apply!
Items are another tool a PC can use to bend the odds in their favor. During character creation, a PC identifies two items they always have at their disposal. One is appropriate and the other is inappropriate. An appropriate item could be something they need for their job or school. Mechanics might have a toolbox. A skateboarder has their board. An inappropriate item doesn't have to be illegal, but it should be something that a friend might judge you about, could cause a little trouble if the cops found you carrying it, or it's simply something you keep secret for fear of ridicule. It could be a bag of weed or a switchblade; it could be spray paint cans for tagging; it could be the writings of Kierkegaard that you're hiding from your meathead friends. Items, just like expertise, should say something about who your PC is, and how they function in life.
Mechanically, items let you manipulate the result of a single die after you roll. For each item that applies to the nature of your test, you can increase a single die result by +1. That means you could turn a 4 into a 5, and score a hit. Or, it could mean turning a 3 into a 4, and avoiding a fumble.
The final tool a PC can use to bend outcome is assisting. On a test, a fellow PC can elect to help you, assuming they can explain how and justify it in the scene. If a friend assists you, that means you get to roll 5d6 instead of 4d6, AND it means you count any rolls of 4, 5, or 6 as hits. It's quite powerful, but can be a little risky at times since rolls equal or under your attribute rank still count as fumbles. Also, assisting isn't free. Your assistant has to voluntarily take 1 strain to do so. Well-timed cooperation can be the key to turning around confrontations and overcoming obstacles.
Items and expertise don't just help with the roll, they also define your PC. They ask you to think about who your character is, and how others see them. And, assisting is a tool to bring the party together to overcome difficult obstacles. Who do you help? When do you help them? And are you willing to strain yourself to do so?
Hope that was interesting! In another 10 days or so, I'll drop a new update and go over another aspect of the game. Remember, you're welcome to drop into the Adventures in Lollygagging Discord to ask questions, or just post them here. And, let me know if there are particular topics you'd like me to cover!
