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Eris wrote: ↑Sun May 11, 2025 5:43 pm GM: Yes, it's reasonable for the Bathhouse to be the start of the Carouse lead by Vesper and Band.

They're coming to back to the Shield and Trident right? Elizabeth was planning on joining them, but she had no need for a bath. She expected folks to bathe and then come to the Trident.

archolewa wrote: ↑Sun May 11, 2025 5:44 pm

Eris wrote: ↑Sun May 11, 2025 5:43 pm GM: Yes, it's reasonable for the Bathhouse to be the start of the Carouse lead by Vesper and Band.

They're coming to back to the Shield and Trident right? Elizabeth was planning on joining them, but she had no need for a bath. She expected folks to bathe and then come to the Trident.

Very likely, to get their costumes and instruments if nothing else. I expect Vesper & Band to put on quite a performance in several taverns to kick off their Carousing. It's only later when things will dissolve into chaos and debauchery.

Eris wrote: ↑Sun May 11, 2025 6:41 pm

archolewa wrote: ↑Sun May 11, 2025 5:44 pm

Eris wrote: ↑Sun May 11, 2025 5:43 pm GM: Yes, it's reasonable for the Bathhouse to be the start of the Carouse lead by Vesper and Band.

They're coming to back to the Shield and Trident right? Elizabeth was planning on joining them, but she had no need for a bath. She expected folks to bathe and then come to the Trident.

Very likely, to get their costumes and instruments if nothing else. I expect Vesper & Band to put on quite a performance in several taverns to kick off their Carousing. It's only later when things will dissolve into chaos and debauchery.

Yes, indeed. When first encountered they were fresh (well hardly! ) back from the sewers and so were in armour. Elizabeth must reason that they will return to their rooms to change before going out carousing.

Is there a limitation on how many luck tokens we can have banked? Is it a single one like inspiration in 5e? Or unbounded like Fate tokens in Fate? Or something in between?

archolewa wrote: ↑Mon May 12, 2025 9:17 pm Is there a limitation on how many luck tokens we can have banked? Is it a single one like inspiration in 5e? Or unbounded like Fate tokens in Fate? Or something in between?

I asked this once, too, but didn't get a clear answer.

Here are the printed rules on Luck Tokens... To answer Rex's question in the game thread: No, it's implied that we don't start play with a Luck Token. We have to earn them.

The answer to archolewa's question above is Yes: it's like 5e inspiration, so you can only have one at a time. If we were playing otherwise, that would be a definite rule change.

And here's my question, which requires an interpretation of the RAW... If I have a Luck Token and I know I'm about to earn another one, can I quickly transfer my existing Luck Token to a character who doesn't have one?

Example (from the Hot Times thread): Ferd enters the Shield & Trident with a Luck Token and Robin enters also, but he doesn't have one. They sit down with Daisy and hear her rousing tale about tomb robbing and goblins. GM rolls for Daisy's ability and finds that Ferd will earn another Luck Token. Question: can Ferd give Robin his luck token, so that they each end up with one?

Don't get me wrong, I love luck/karma mechanics and game systems that use them. FATE and Savage Worlds both allow you to bank unlimited numbers of Fate and Bennies, respectively. It is a great tool to encourage players to try bold risks and, more importantly, to roleplay their PCs' quirks and weaknesses. However, it also shifts the tone of the game because along with making smart choices and playing to your strengths, managing the resource of Luck becomes very important to in-game success.

FWIW I think we may have previously stacked them with no detriment to the game (you've either got none, one or two).

This may sound generous (and I suppose it is) but more than that it's a PbP friendly mechanic. At the table you'd physically "play" the token (at least notionally) but because in PbP the chronology of players' posts may not necessarily be the same as the in game chronology of characters actions (which Luck tokens and their expenditure/replenishment are tied to) it helps if there's some leeway here.

As you observe this also avoids the legal "Luck Token shuffle" between PCs (which would keep the token in play just as "stacking" them does) but entails so much less redundant posting and book keeping.

archolewa wrote: ↑Mon May 12, 2025 9:17 pm Is there a limitation on how many luck tokens we can have banked? Is it a single one like inspiration in 5e? Or unbounded like Fate tokens in Fate? Or something in between?

Sorry, I didn't get back to you. I've changed that for this game. You can stack Luck Tokens and spend them at will for YOUR rolls (or to make me reroll), but unless you do it as part of YOUR turn you can't give a Luck Token to another player or use it to benefit another player.



With the way PBF works, or at least how I'm running things, you pretty much have to call the use of Tokens when you post an action. If the token turns out to have not been needed, I don't use it, you keep it. We've had players do the provisional add Luck Token more than once in a single action post. If they aren't needed, no harm, if they are they get used up during a turn they stop being helpful at that point.

The only restriction is you can't use TWO Luck Tokens on ONE roll. More than one during an entire action, but only 1 per roll, say...once to hit and once to improve damage, like in the example below. First, BTB, then the way I'm doing things.
 

1. FTF: I roll to hit!
2. GM: That's a miss.
3. FTF: Dang! I really need to hit that Orc, so I want to use my Luck Token!
4. GM: Okay, that's your one Luck Token...this time you hit the Orc.
5. FTF: Rolling for damage...dang only a 1! Anybody want to give me one of their Luck Tokens?
6. FTF2: Okay, reroll that damage!
7. FTF: Woot! Rolled an 8, much better.
8. GM: Orc falls dead, but two more move in to take his place. FTF and FTF2 you're out of Luck Tokens for now.

 
In PBF that's 8 posts, can't have that, slows down the game way too much. So in this game....
 

1. PC: I roll to hit, and if I miss I'm using one of my Luck Tokens because I really want to hit that Orc! Damage will be 1, rats! I'm using that second Luck Token to reroll the damage...8, much better!
2. GM: Okay, the first roll missed, so you had to use the Luck Token...and the second roll hit the Orc. You use your second, and last, Luck Token reroll damage to get that 8 damage. Your out of Luck for now. The Orc falls dead, but two more move up to take its place.

 
...two posts, much better. Player action, GM response.

Obviously, more roleplaying in the action/response posts, but that's the drift.

Awesome, thanks everyone.

Agreed, thanks everyone.

Thanks Eris, good explanation and a solid call. I think it really does work better with play by post.

I also would like to offer a similar thought on this one:

I'm going to get more strict on Inspire rolls from now on, though. It is supposed to be One target in
near gains a luck token, per Performance. A story really should be one performance, I think, so really only one target (picked by the performer or the Ref if the player doesn't specify) gets the token for a story. Otherwise with 3 bards floating around there are going to be more Luck Tokens banked up than all the rolls attempted.

It doesn't say per performance but I understand the logic. It says one person per roll. That's a different dynamic because it is "roll until you fail" like other classes abilities - cleric healing spell, ranger potions, etc. Vesper has had good rolls and didn't fail. Ferd wiped out pretty early and had to wait for a long rest. Ultimately, these abilities are literally a gamble to use and the more you use them the larger the chance you fail and don't have it later when you need it more. That's all working as intended.

I would suggest you not limit this further for Bards. Right now, we're focusing on specific appropriate opportunities - campfire songs, tavern tales, etc. - and doing the bunch of rolls at once to provide benefit to the group broadly that they can use later. If limited to one person per Performance, the Bards start hogging screentime more often. Shared narrative spotlight is super important in play by post - it is important to me to both benefit the group (at my own risk by gambling the rolls), have well-placed scenes instead of constant roll-grubbing, and that the narrative spotlight moves fairly to non-bard PCs.