More Player Best Practices

Torchbearer The Tavern
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Continued from here: https://www.burningwheel.com/forum/showthread.php?14693-Player-Best-Practices

I Am Wise is not Help
o Using the I Am Wise rule (Torchbearer, page 21), players can grant an ally +1D to any test related to the wise. This is done in place of help, but it is not help. As a result, you may use I Am Wise to grant an ally +1D even when Afraid. You may also use a Wise to grant +1D when your ally is using an instinct.

Laborer is your friend
o The Laborer skill is one of the most useful skills available in Torchbearer. It can help with a wide variety of tasks as long as you’re willing to do the scut work while your companions do the “important” stuff. Unsurprisingly, characters with the Laborer skill frequently find themselves in the running for the Teamworker award. If your character didn’t start with the Laborer skill, look for opportunities to use it via Beginner’s Luck!

Optimize your instincts
o Instincts are an excellent source of Fate points, but they’re also an excellent source of free tests! Make sure you’ve written your instinct to take advantage of both. You want an instinct with conditions that come up frequently and that result in a test you can pass (so you can help the party and earn Fate). As a rule of thumb, you want an instinct that comes up twice a session or more frequently. My current character’s instinct is “Always brew elixirs in camp,” allowing me to use Alchemist to create elixirs in camp that alleviate my comrades’ conditions. I’m also fond of instincts like: “Always seek out a site with potable water when it’s time to camp.” I’ve also seen instincts like “always scout ahead” played to good effect.

Hire Porters!
o You can hire porters in the tavern (Torchbearer, page 89). For the measly cost of increasing one character’s lifestyle maintenance by 1, you can hire porters that will provide +1D to all Laborer tests AND can carry 6 slots worth of inventory for you. It’s a steal! Sure, they’ll run in the face of danger, but you can always gather them up afterward.

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Thought this thread might “Need a little salt…”

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Tap Nature and Attack at range
o Cost: 2 Persona and taxing Nature by 1.
o Prerequisites: You have a ranged weapon (Eldritch Darts is nice), they don’t. Decent Nature rating. Applicable wise (optional but extremely powerful). Help (optional but risky otherwise).
o You may now safely Attack on action 1 against a wide variety of opponents. If Attack versus Attack is, well, versus, then against a non-crushing number of opponents who don’t have like Nature 10, you are almost certain to succeed, taking off some (or all!) disposition. Barring tricks or ranged weapons of their own, your Attack cannot be effectively countered - it will temporarily have enough dice to force through Attack, Maneuver, or Defend and will of course crush Feint. If you manage to have an applicable wise, Of Course! this move is likely to end lesser Kill / Drive Off conflicts with no compromise.

Plan for the Prologue
o You may recover one of Hungry & Thirsty, Angry, Afraid, or Exhausted, in that order. Or recover 1 point of taxed Nature.
o Make sure you eat before the session ends if you think you’ll deliver the prologue next time and have Angry, Afraid, or Exhausted!
o Always have some character with a taxed Nature in case you end the session without anyone having Angry, Afraid, or Exhausted.
o Remember who delivered the prologue. Their conditions/Nature will not be candidates for freebies next session.

Copper, copper everywhere
o Copper is annoying to carry. It can be much more valuable to use during some adventures as a gift, bribe, or even distraction
o GM best practices: put lots of copper around in adventure locations that are far from town! :evil: