What skill to impress?

Burning Wheel First Reading
1

In a BW this week, we were trying to impress some Great Spiders. This NPC had been seeking asylum with them and we convinced them that was a bad idea.

The NPC was a summoner and we wanted to do our best to keep him from any doing bad shenanigans so we decided to cut his tongue out. We thought, hey, this could be an opportunity. Maybe the spiders appreciate a show of force and this will show them we’re not to be messed with. And if we can impress them hopefully future dealings will go better for us.

But then we started checking on skill descriptions and nothing really seemed to fit. We weren’t trying to intimidate them. Persuasion didn’t feel right. In the end we went with a will test.

Were we over-thinking skill use and not being broad enough in their application?

2

That really sounds like Intimidation to me. Basically, you showed them what happens to those who cross you - they get hurt BAD. If that’s not Intimidation, I don’t know what is.

3

What about etiquette? It’d require a penalty or a linked test from Spider-wise.

4

If not Intimidation (“show them we’re not to be messed with”), then Conspicuous.

5

Jeremiah, it sounds like you weren’t 100% clear on the intent, which is why it’s hard to pick the appropriate task.

Are you trying to impress them with your power, to make them feel you’re not to be messed with? Intimidation.

Are you trying to impress them with a spectacle that will intrigue them? Conspicuous.

Are you trying to impress them with a gift they will enjoy? Etiquette.

There are lots of other potential scenarios.

6

In this case it was to impress them with a display of power to earn their respect.

Guy: there was a previous BL great spider-wise (that failed) going into that test.

The test failed, so we decided they did respect displays of power, but not brutality, which was how the tongue-cutting was viewed.

7

Probably intimidation, but it depends on your game world. In ours, spiders are very alien. Severing human body parts is pretty normal for them. They wear ears as jewelry.

8

In fact, default great spiders have the Alien trait which makes them very hard to intimidate!