I’m gearing up to run my first game of BWG. We’re planning on sticking to the Hub & Spokes for the first session, as recommended in BWG, and then exploring the subsystems in later sessions.
My current sticking point is with the consequences of tests - specifically, physical conflict. I’d like to have injury as an option (in particular if there’s a failure on a test following something like “I bash him out of the way so I can rush up the stairs!”). But there aren’t any rules for injury in the Spokes, or at least none that I can find. Since we’re avoiding the Rim for now, I’d like to stay away from Anatomy of Injury. So I’m not sure how to treat these sort of consequences.
Is it reasonable just to say, “If you fail you’ll have a 1D disadvantage on all physical tests going forward” when we define the test? Should I use margin of success/failure to define the disadvantage? Or is there something else I should use?
Sounds good to me, depending on your intent. If its to run someone off, or beat him unconscious, or even to kill your opponent, and the roll succeeds, then that’s what happens.
If you want the injury as a side effect of the intent, you seem to have a good approach for it. Injuries in Anatomy of Injury are basically disadvantages… and the lasting ones are dice penalties, so -1D and -2D sound reasonable. Comparable to what a Light Wound or a Midi Wound would be with the full system, so that seems fine.
If enough penalties accrue, say, equal to the lowest stat that the character has, he drops unconscious, which is also consistent with the rest of the subsystems.
Welcome to the forum and BWG! (and kudos for actually following instructions and playing the Hub first )
Obstacle penalties go pretty far when you’re avoiding the injury rules. “If you fail, you fall and sprain your ankle. You’ll be at +2 Ob to speed tests until you have a chance to ice it down,” or something along those lines. I’d avoid giving penalties to dice pools, because at that point, you may as well be using the injury rules anyway.
With the exception of full-on injuries, BW gives increased Obstacles as penalties, and increased die pools as bonuses. I’d give a +1 Ob or +2 Ob while the injury persists (similar to Shaun).
It sounds like increased obstacles are the way to go, to keep things simple. I’ve now read the Bloody Versus and Injury sections. I might use the former if there’s a climactic fight, but I found reading both to be useful guidance for how to set advantages and obstacles in any combat tests I hand out.
The first session is on for tomorrow night, I am looking forward to it…
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