How can a watcher encourage more teamwork?

[JesterOC]

The Team and Buddy associations allow for heroes helping heroes. However so far I have had no players give an asset to another. I think mainly because they seem to do OK by themselves anyway (and thus not worth a roll, or plot point). I imagine that the main form of help that is given is healing in nature since you are not allowed to heal yourself in combat without a SFX.

I think the main problem is that players don't want to spend their action just to add one die to one player's pool (for as little as one roll in many cases), when they could just apply stress to the target which allows all players to add that value to the pool.

So I have been trying to think of ways to encourage helping. The only thing I can think of is encouraging the use of the Area effect SFX for a plot point free way of gaining an extra effect die, and then instead of assigning it to the target for stress, instead give it to a hero as an asset. For instance, Captain America tosses his shield, it hits the main guy, then it bounces back and brushes back a minion to give a buddy who is flanking the bad guy a clear shot.

While it works for free, but it also only will last one round, which is kind of weak when stress or a complication lasts much longer. If the player wanted to he could use the extra die to have the shield bounce back and hit the main target again, this time leaving with with a ringing in the ears complication which will help others more often and longer.

Are there any other tricks you use to encourage helping in the game?

[Johnny Awesome]

I think even when you're meta-gaming there can definitely be times when it just makes sense to build an overwhelming attack by giving an asset to a team mate. Especially a D12.

[Shingen]

I think even when you're meta-gaming there can definitely be times when it just makes sense to build an overwhelming attack by giving an asset to a team mate. Especially a D12.

Sometimes a challenge is in order; have the villains make a bunch of assets to kick their butts and they may join in.

Also, handing out trauma and scene complications right out the gate might necessitate helping, too.

[Lindharin]

Remember that assets don't have to last just one turn, if the narrative makes sense they can last up to the end of the scene without needing a PP.

Beyond that, are you trying to encourage teamwork generally, or the asset mechanic specifically? While assets work well in some situations, I personally think complications are often a better choice, but they can still be used in ways that are very teamwork-oriented both narratively and mechanically. It seems to me that complications are more effective as a mechanical teamwork tool than assets (or even stress, in many cases) when the team is fighting against a single foe, since everyone in the party can benefit while you can still often bypass defenses like Invulnerable. Assets seem to work better if the receiving character is preparing to unleash an area attack, or has been saving up some PP for a single massive attack against a hard to hit foe.

If you are primarily looking to focus more on general teamwork, not just assets in specific, then my first thought is to encourage narrative teamwork first, without worrying about the exact mechanics. For example, take the classic Fastball Special with Colossus throwing Wolverine at a sentinel. The example in the book might be Colossus giving Wolvie an asset, but there are other ways to treat it mechanically that might appeal more to your players. Maybe Colossus wants to deal physical stress instead, and argues that a few hundred pounds reinforced by adamantium with adamantium claws makes a pretty good thrown weapon in its own right, and just happens to also leave Wolvie in a position to follow up with his own attack. That gives both characters narrative justification to attack a giant robot's critical systems which they can't trivially reach on their own, and makes for fun teamwork in the description without leaving Colossus' player feeling like he wasn't directly contributing. Then, once they start thinking of narrative teamwork opportunities like that, start suggesting alternate mechanics. Maybe he inflicts a "face full of Wolverine" complication on the sentinel, which Wolvie can benefit from on his turn, and if Wolvie does stress on his turn then the sentinel is suffering from both a complication and stress which the rest of the team can all benefit from. (There's been an errata saying you can use both in the same pool). And then remind Colossus' player that he could also spend a PP to also give Wolvie an asset with a second effect die, etc.

Not sure if any of that helps, but hopefully there is something worthwhile in it...

[Johnny Awesome]

Yeah. There are options.

I was merely speaking to the mechanics of the Fastball Special type attack.

If Wolverine manages to Stunt from a Watcher Opportunity and gets a D12 from Colossus, he can make a pretty wicked pool.

Likely D6 Buddy, D8 Distinction, D8 Strength, D12 Claws, D10 Master, D10 Stunt, D12 Colossus = 2D12 + 2D10 + 2D8 + D6. Something nice will usually come from that.

[JesterOC]

Thanks folks. Lots of great examples here.

I also got feedback from Cam (on G+) which I will share here as well.

Sometimes your single opponent is too tough for you to take on individually, making applying stress just too hard to do. That's a good opportunity for one character to give support to another. Plus, when the doom pool isn't very large but the bad guy is tough, it's so much easier to roll vs doom than the other guy. Give the players situations where they're forced to assist, or send one guy in to do the heavy lifting, instead of just opening it up for everyone to go nuts at the same time.
-Cam

I think as a rule of thumb of when best to use assists (mechanically speaking ) is as follows.


When the villain is about the same power level as you, use complications or stess because they let everyone use them.
When the villain is very powerful, the PC is heavily injured, or the doom pool is very low. Go with assists to give assets.
When the fiction does not allow a PC to fully utilize their powers (No ranged weapons, or target has special protections against the PC's attack type) use as assist to create an asset that will overcome that limitation.