Assets and Complications

[Atombomb]

Okay, I am starting my 1st adventure this evening with my family.
My wife will be playing Black Widow, my oldest son wants Dead Pool. And my youngest daughter wants Storm.

My question before I proceed with tonight's game is about Assets and Complications.

Now I understand a Complication is just a way of turning an effect into...an event, rather than stress.

For example, a player could jam the door on the security guards office trapping them, rather than fly in the room and engage them in combat with her roll.
So she is still using a single effect die, and not adding an extra die to effects?


Now Assets.
Now an asset is where I am having some major issues.
So far I have gathered it's a way of sharing a die with a fellow player.
Spend a PP and that player can use the die in their next action if it pertains to the way the asset was created?

So Deadpool knocks out the lights in the room (gets a d8 effect) so Black Widow with her night vision goggles can use that to her advantage on her turn?
Or is that just taking advantage of a complication?

And did I read Assets are also changes in the way a hero could create stress in the future?

Like the Thing ripping a telephone pole out of the ground and using it as a weapon for the remainder of the fight?

And if that is the case, do I just add the die for the pole in my pool rolls until I give up the pole?
Or I spend an attack on the pole as the Watcher with one of my villains to remove it?

Man, I hope I made that clear. Still reading the manual to see if I can grok it eventually.

Just woke up. Going to go apply an asset (If I understand it correctly) to my morning by making coffee to increase my chances of comprehending.

[Atombomb]

All righty, I think the d6 Coffee Asset my wife gave me is working now.

A complication is like an asset in reverse. Like wrapping Hellfire goons in a steel girder.
Or locking guards in in their office before they could flow out and press the attack.

Or as the Watcher, doing the same to my players to slow them down or add a die of complication that I can use against them in my roles against them.

An Assest is creating a die that can be used by others, or yourself.

Like Black Widow rolling against the doom pool to toss a free gun to Deadpool to add a d6 to his rolls until the transition phase.

Or the thing grabbing a phone pole, which he acquires rolling against the doom pool? Or is it considered a done deal since he is so stinking strong?

If successful, he gets the extra d8 during his turn to add to his pool?

[EldritchFire]

The basic premise to remember is that assets and complications both lend mechanical support to what's happening in the narrative. In your example of The Thing ripping out a phone pole, let's look at what happens.

Mechanically, Ben's player rolls vs. the doom pool to create the asset phone pole dX, where the dX is your effect die. If you succeed, you now have one more die to roll in your pool when smacking villains. If the roll failed, Ben still has the phone pole, but there is no mechanical weight to it. I mean, it's not like The Thing will fail to rip a pole out of the ground!

Complications are like specific stress. Normally Stress is broad, physical, mental, or social. A complication is more focused. Wrapped in steel i-beam, dazed, buried in rubble, whatever sound cool. Until that complication is removed, it adds a hinderance to whoever has the complication and might prevent certain powers from being used. For example, if you're buried in rubble d10, it's not likely that you can fly away, right? I mean, you can use your flight power in an action to reduce/remove the complication, sure, but you're not going to be able to use flight in a reaction dice pool.

The one thing about assets is that they are usable by one character. When Ben Grimm pulls up a phone pole, only he can use it. If Colossus throws Wolverine for a fastball special, only Wolverine can roll the fastball special asset in his pool. Complications can be used by anyone, as long as they're acting against the character with the complication. If a Doc Oc is buried in rubble, Spider-Man gets to add that complication to his dice pool as well as the Punisher!

I hope that makes sense, my caffeinated beverage d8 still hasn't kicked in!

-EF

[chaosnet]

And don't forget Resources...

These can be created during Transition Scenes using your Specialties and by activating a Watcher Opportunity "Hey, good thing I brought this Sonic Pepper Spray...Venom is going to HATE this!". Resources can also be abstract..."Captain America drills his team and creates (several) Well Trained D8 resources for Hawkeye, Ironman and Black Widow (at the cost of 3PP).


Also remember to think outside of the box when creating assets as they exist outside of purely physical narration.

"I dart inbetween the boxes in the warehouse to the the drop on El Villaino."

This could be considered creating a "Get the Drop on El Villaino", or "Flanked", or some such.

If you have an especially stealthy character, they could have a Distinction of "One with the Shadows", or "Sneak Thief", but they could also have a Construct-ish SFX that gives them +D6 and +1 Effect Step when creating Stealth Assets.

[Supplanter]

And don't forget Resources...

These can be created during Transition Scenes using your Specialties and by activating a Watcher Opportunity "Hey, good thing I brought this Sonic Pepper Spray...Venom is going to HATE this!". Resources can also be abstract..."Captain America drills his team and creates (several) Well Trained D8 resources for Hawkeye, Ironman and Black Widow (at the cost of 3PP).

I think that, mechanically, Resources can only be used by the hero that creates them. If not, though, Black Widow's actual Resource would be "Feel Good About Myself for Humoring Captain America D8." Cause she's just that much of a badass.


Jim

[Atombomb]

WOW THX!
I Love you guys!

Not in a goofy way...but in a Viking way.

[konate]

What are some other examples of resources you've used or seen used in game? We've used complications and a few assets, but no one has attempted to create resources yet. I guess we could use some better examples, I suppose.

[EldritchFire]

What are some other examples of resources you've used or seen used in game? We've used complications and a few assets, but no one has attempted to create resources yet. I guess we could use some better examples, I suppose.

Any specific specialties you have in mind?

-EF

[Supplanter]

What are some other examples of resources you've used or seen used in game? We've used complications and a few assets, but no one has attempted to create resources yet. I guess we could use some better examples, I suppose.

Versus Zzzaxxx the other night, I bought a Business Master resource via Opportunity to have THE FINEST PORTABLE CAPACITOR MONEY CAN BUY D8 in the trunk of the Jag.

Don't think of it as some kind of prison. Think of it as Zzzaxxx's new home.


Jim

[Duck Call Lass]

In an online game, I activated a Watcher opportunity to give my character the Resource "Good Media Coverage d6" based on her Psych Expert. There were news helicopters nearby and I was showing off for the audience.