Wrapping my head around multiple effects

[kipling]

Newbie, new account, signed up to ask this but will I hope be around for more later.

I am confused about many things, but right now I want to ask about multiple effects. (Unless of course it turns out this is not best done by multiple effets, but we assume it is.)

The line on OM52, "You can’t inflict the same type of stress with
two or more effect dice," confuses me. Maybe it's a typo, because it's in conflict with the example of Cyclops blasting the Sentinels: they both take Physical stress from it.

It doesn't make sense to me that one Sentinel in this example takes mental stress or something from the widened attack.

Or suppose it's, say, Daredevil, J. Random Supervillain, and two thugs (not a mob). Daredevil wants to take the thugs out fast--they have guns--so he's going to throw his billy club so it bounces off one thug and hits the other. Very comic-booky. Yes, Daredevil has to pay the PP for an extra effect die, but it seems silly to me that they can't both cause physical stress.

And the game clearly simulates comic books. So either I've missed something or there's a typo and I haven't read about it.

What really happens here?

(Sigh: if I had to build a pool, it would probably be Solo (D10), Protector (D8) assuming the scene happens in Hell's Kitchen, Billy Club: Weapon (D6), Hypersense: Enhanced Reflexes (D8), Combat Expert (2d6))

Second, and this might be in the book but I just noticed it: I don't understand the SFX Rebound. Wouldn't that particular SFX be better used to hit two targets? It specifies one.

Anyway, I'm sure there are simple answers. Can you help with my various mental blocks and inabilities to imagine?

(Oh, and hi.)

[N01H3r3]

The line on OM52, "You can’t inflict the same type of stress with
two or more effect dice," confuses me. Maybe it's a typo, because it's in conflict with the example of Cyclops blasting the Sentinels: they both take Physical stress from it.

As far as I can tell, the sentence is missing its end - it should be "You can't inflict the same type of stress with two or more effect dice to the same target". So, you could use two effect dice to inflict physical stress on two different targets, but you couldn't use two effect dice to inflict physical stress twice on one target.

[EldritchFire]

The line on OM52, "You can’t inflict the same type of stress with
two or more effect dice," confuses me. Maybe it's a typo, because it's in conflict with the example of Cyclops blasting the Sentinels: they both take Physical stress from it.

As far as I can tell, the sentence is missing its end - it should be "You can't inflict the same type of stress with two or more effect dice to the same target". So, you could use two effect dice to inflict physical stress on two different targets, but you couldn't use two effect dice to inflict physical stress twice on one target.

This. As long as each effect die is for a different target, go for it!

-EF

[Cam]

Right. It's intended to keep people from inflicting two or more dice of the same type of stress on a single target.

Cheers,
Cam

[kipling]

Thank you; that clarifies that one.

Now I'm going to spend the night thinking about the SFX Rebound and single targets. What is it modeling?

[Duck Call Lass]

Thank you; that clarifies that one.

Now I'm going to spend the night thinking about the SFX Rebound and single targets. What is it modeling?

That it's harder to dodge Captain America's shield when it's going BOING BOING BOING BOING all around you from multiple angles.

It's the same SFX as "Burst."

[Newtsy]

The line on OM52, "You can’t inflict the same type of stress with
two or more effect dice," confuses me. Maybe it's a typo, because it's in conflict with the example of Cyclops blasting the Sentinels: they both take Physical stress from it.

As far as I can tell, the sentence is missing its end - it should be "You can't inflict the same type of stress with two or more effect dice to the same target". So, you could use two effect dice to inflict physical stress on two different targets, but you couldn't use two effect dice to inflict physical stress twice on one target.

What about one type of stress AND a complication to the SAME target?

In our session last night running Act 02 of the mini-event in the Basic Game book (all new players and Watcher to this game) the player using Colossus stated he wanted to "break one of the T-Rex's legs and push him over at the same time". My first reaction was to indicate this as a Complication, but player clearly stated he wanted to hear bone snapping which says to me "Physical Stress". I was having difficulty getting myself to decide how best to resolve the desired outcome in game terms, so I figured I would compromise by stating that if he was successful in causing enough physical stress (D8 or higher) the T-Rex would be effectively knocked over. This doesn't automatically assume a Complication effect, does it? The rules state that Complications don't lead to Trauma. They don't saying anything about not leading to Stress, but I guess it's not too much of a stretch to infer that because you have work your way up the Stress tree to get to Trauma using Complications precludes causing Stress ... or is it?

I'm reaching out to fellow fans of this awesome game and hoping someone out there wouldn't mind sharing his or her thoughts on how you might resolve this particular action.

As always, thanks!

~N

[Supplanter]

What about one type of stress AND a complication to the SAME target?

In our session last night running Act 02 of the mini-event in the Basic Game book (all new players and Watcher to this game) the player using Colossus stated he wanted to "break one of the T-Rex's legs and push him over at the same time".

Legit. Just costs the player.

The player is after two fictional consequences, physical injury and a takedown. He can have both for a successful action roll. The question is, which condition will have mechanical weight - the injury, the takedown, or both? For free, he can get one or the other - applying his standard effect die as D[N] physical stress OR a D[N] YOU TOTALLY FELL ON YOUR ASS LOL! complication. If he's willing to spend one PP for a second effect die, he can have D[N] physical stress AND a D[M] complication.

In any of these cases, the T-Rex really does get its leg broke and falls over. In the case where the player spends a Plot Point, both facts become material.


Jim

[N01H3r3]

What about one type of stress AND a complication to the SAME target?

That should be fine, I think. Or two different types of Stress. Or two different Complications.

In our session last night running Act 02 of the mini-event in the Basic Game book (all new players and Watcher to this game) the player using Colossus stated he wanted to "break one of the T-Rex's legs and push him over at the same time". My first reaction was to indicate this as a Complication, but player clearly stated he wanted to hear bone snapping which says to me "Physical Stress". I was having difficulty getting myself to decide how best to resolve the desired outcome in game terms, so I figured I would compromise by stating that if he was successful in causing enough physical stress (D8 or higher) the T-Rex would be effectively knocked over. This doesn't automatically assume a Complication effect, does it? The rules state that Complications don't lead to Trauma. They don't saying anything about not leading to Stress, but I guess it's not too much of a stretch to infer that because you have work your way up the Stress tree to get to Trauma using Complications precludes causing Stress ... or is it?

How you resolved the T-Rex sounds fine, to be honest. It's one of those situations you can handle in a variety of ways.

In this instance, you chose physical stress (it's injured) and a narrative that includes it being knocked over (it has to deal with that narrative, but it isn't a complication). It could have been dealt with using two effect dice, if the player was willing to go that far, to create both physical stress and a "knocked sprawling" complication, the latter of which the T-Rex would probably spend an action overcoming and leaving it vulnerable in the mean time. In the latter case, being knocked over is significant enough to the narrative to give it some 'weight' in the form of a dice rolled against the T-Rex. In the former case, it's colour applied to the situation without requiring mechanical backing.

Complications can be used to take someone out, just like Stressing them Out - a "Webbed Up" complication from Spider-Man, stepped up beyond d12 takes someone out as surely as pushing their Physical Stress beyond d12 (though without causing Trauma).