First session annoyances

[blaster219]

So we had our first session. It was basically just a 1 session minievent to get players used to the rules. There were a couple of things that could've gone better, but as a Watcher, the biggest annoyance was how one player managed to combo the following SFXs

Control Form - SFX Reaching Block - Spend 1 PP to take physical stress intended for a nearby character.
Body of Clay powerset - SFX Invulnerable - Spend 1 PP to ignore physical stress or physical trauma unless caused by water

Pretty much, it was impossible to inflict physical stress (on anyone) throughout much of the Action Scene due to the fact that every time this happened, he'd combo those two SFXs. Grrr.

[Doc_Nova]

First...that costs 2 PP to implement...were that many opportunities rolled, or did they take d4s on their distinctions? That's an expensive move to have happen again and again.

Second, easy work around: hit them with mental or emotional stress...or, hit them with a binding complication that handicaps their ability to do a reaching block...or an area effect (if you allowed it for all possible targets, that'd be a CRAZY expensive action...and likely really cool to narrate). There are a number of ways around that combination, not the least of which is PP availability.

[salsa]

You can never use the same effect more than once unless described in the effect (like Area Attack). So no, he wouldn't be able to block everything.

[blaster219]

I think 75% of the time they took Distinctions as negatives. And also rolled lots 1s. Plus from 2nd round onwards we used the recent "errata" about allowing use of a Scene and a Character distinction as long as one is negative and one is positive. I think, I might rescind that errata as they have enough dice as it is. So as it was, it was rare that any of them were below 2PP for more than a single action. Because of that, and some choice applications of powers targetting enemy traits they had a very easy time of it. Not that that's a bad thing. I just need to upstat things a little more to withstand their bucket of dice attacks

Trust me, I gave him a very dirty look, stopped giving him PP for every opportunity he rolled, but that's about the limit of the GM wrath I invoked.

Like I said, it was very much a "let's get to know the system" session.

[MidnightBlue]

Yeah...they get an easy intro...but then the villains catch onto them.

The next time...those villains should be ready.

"Ah oh...here comes our new recuit into The Dastardly Spoilers...The Super Soaker! Did you mess in your pants or is that just your clay body washing away?"

Superman's a bad, bad mutha...but it seems that everyone he fights for any period of time either learns his weaknesses or just happened to luck into attacking him with those weaknesses.

It happens to every hero eventually.

I say it's time for the heroes to be shown their own weaknesses...in the interest of keeping them from getting TOO cocky that is.

[Cam]

You can always spend doom to separate this guy from everyone else. How far does that reaching block reach?

Colossus has this combo, but with him it's clear that he has to be in the general vicinity of his ally to take their physical stress for them.

Cheers,
Cam

[GabrielK]

And also rolled lots 1s.

Also remember that if multiple opportunities get rolled during an action, you don't necessarily have to give a PP for each one. You could just give out 1 PP and step up that die as it goes into the Doom Pool.

But otherwise yeah, I'd go with the suggestions of non physical stress and/or complications.

My players actually had the opposite "problem" in our first session. They couldn't keep their PP stocked up. As soon as 1 or 2 came in, it would get spent almost immediately.

[babel2uk]

Plus from 2nd round onwards we used the recent "errata" about allowing use of a Scene and a Character distinction as long as one is negative and one is positive

I thought the errata was just that you could include a Scene Distinction as well as a personal Distinction in the roll, not that one had to be positive and one negative.

[MidnightBlue]

Plus from 2nd round onwards we used the recent "errata" about allowing use of a Scene and a Character distinction as long as one is negative and one is positive

I thought the errata was just that you could include a Scene Distinction as well as a personal Distinction in the roll, not that one had to be positive and one negative.

I know Cam posted on this forum that it was a positive and a negative, but I'd have to search to find the post.

[Cam]

My preference, if we're going to allow you to use both a character Distinction and a Scene Distinction, is for you to pick one as a d4 + PP and one as a d8. It doesn't matter which is which. If you want to use two as d8s, spend a PP.

Cheers,
Cam