If you don’t have three players playing FONs, does the GM burn and play the unclaimed ones, or does the players’ side just have fewer FONs to bring to the table?
The gamemaster burns them and plays them.
See, that’s what I thought but it seems a little odd to me. Having the GM play NPCs who are not only on the Player’s side but actual FONs for them seems to undercut some of the competitive nature of the game.
Well I suppose the game works best/smoothest when all FONs on the player side are player controlled…
BE really does work best with at least three people who are willing to step up to the plate and FON on the PC side. Also, an important factor to remember is that you don’t need to be the giant awesome powerhouse badass of the phase to be the FON, you just have to be at the center of what is going on and be noteworthy. A reporter can be the invasion FON because they that person on the front line being the war correspondent and telling the story. Is there a chance that they don’t have any combat skills? Totally and they leave all of the Take Action roles to the Anvil Lord who was FON in the Usurpation phase.
Remember that the FON is only responsible for the starting Disposition role and being important, they don’t have to be the featured person in every maneuver (and they are not at all in charge of the maneuver roll, that falls to whomever was the star of that particular maneuver).
I posted the same question a while back with this thread http://burningwheel.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5599 . Check out Luke’s reply to that one. I used that strategy too. Much gleeful accusation of cheating flew back and forth.
Luke’s words ring with knowledge and wisdom.
Oh yeah! That was good advice!
Shit. Now I want to play and do that.
Okay, that’s some good stuff. As a non-GM in the upcoming game I consider myself forwarned and forearmed. 