I’m just now starting to really hook onto the notion that BE players are stating things and making them true through successful rolls. This seems to be a primary function of the -wise skills, yes? (That and giving you FoRKs all over the place of course). I’m wondering what the limitations of this whole quantum approach to play might be.
A common Vaylen skill is Human-wise. Does this mean a Vaylen can make a (non-precedent-breaking) statement about Humans and make it true? Or just Human culture? Anything having to do with Humans? Same with Child-wise: I guess if it doesn’t break the fictional precedent set in the game, then anything goes, right? Things like…childhood games on this planet, or favorite toys or sugary cereals. Could my humans make Vaylen-wise rolls to introduce new facts about the Vaylen that don’t directly contradict canon? (They’re allergic to soy products! Mandate tofu in everyone’s diet and keep an eye on the allergic reactions!)
I was contemplating a skill someone mentioned in passing in one of the forums here: Vaylen Conspiracy-wise. Would a roll on that let you create facts about the actual Vaylen conspiracy? (Roll one: All communications between the on-planet Vaylen and their masters in deep space occurs through this single, unguarded transmission tower. Roll two: Signals to jam that tower!) Or just the conspiracy theories floating around?
In terms of tactical use of this it’s-real-if-you-roll concept, does anyone have good hints or tips? My players could really use it. I have some ideas but I’d like to get confirmation that, yes, this is the correct application of this concept:
-
Using a -wise to establish a fact the character now knows that can implicate a character in a crime. Let’s say my wild-eyed conspiracy theorist uses his Building scene to make a Dark Shattered Underbelly-wise roll. He wants to make true the “fact” that Vaylen agents have been hulling random vagrants…and that he’d seen it done! It’s not a theory, it’s not some crazy idea, it’s a fact. Is this how it’s supposed to work? What would the Ob be for that sort of thing? Can you really use your -wises to make the other side make stupid mistakes like allowing someone to see a field hull?
-
More directly, could I make it true that I know color soldier A is hulled (Anvil-wise, roll 1), then make it true that his chain of command knows it (Soldiering, roll 2), and then charge all officers on that base for conspiring with the enemy (Imperial Law-wise, roll 3)?
-
On that note, using a -wise to establish facts that will cause problems to anyone belonging to a group. My foppish Noble uses his Noble-wise to know, for a fact, that a fellow court member is a pedophile. True? I guess in this case it’s trivial because I couldn’t do that to a FoN or another character – I could only do it to a color character, a relationship or someone I’d paid for somehow.
-
Are established, “owned” characters in fact immune to this sort of tactic? I can’t find that anywhere in the rules but it seems understood on the forums. Or can I edit someone’s character if I can beat them in some kind of Versus test? I have no idea what you’d roll against to make it true your bathtub is full of Naiven.
Anyway, whatever tactical insights or corrections to these examples anyone could make would be great. If I’m right, this both simplifies and greatly complicates the next turn.
p.