Scenes are made out of vignettesA vignette should be an insightful description, that conveys meaning, information, quality about what is happening/will happen/has happened.
It moves the Scene along by giving context to all players
The players decide the direction.
I, GM will try to make things interesting for you.
I can't give you details of your own character, that's your job. I only describe what happens or what is reasonable for your character to do.
You have to make the scene move forward, to progress as a journeyman, on a quest to deliver your
Crab team-mates and the
Godess' Cargo safely
If players are not moving towards this, the game won't move forward. The players must narrate explicitly what is reasonable.
The way they phrase this is as "intent":
First they should ask what is a reasonable action to do.
For example, a player might phrase an attempt at fighting like so:
EXAMPLE OF A FIGHT SCENEGM
"3 switch-blade punk sickos start throwing bottles at you"
Dangerbeard Thunderclaw
IC:"I draw up to these 3 sick fuckos and get ready to beat them down."
GM
OOC: "Fine. This uses Fight and they seem pitiful, so the challenge is 4. You use 3*d2 instead of a d6 because there's no chance of critical failure.
3*d2 is because you've Fight3.
Roll = 4. You could have got 5 or 6, but you didn't score that high, so you meet the challenge, but it wasn't exceptional.
4/6 = 2/3, so let's say you kill 2 of them.
You bust 2 of them in the head and pulverise them both. The remaining one flees or tries to. Feel free to narrate that how you like"
Dangerbeard Thunderclaw
IC"I'm a whirling mess of Smashing Crab Fist. I smash their heads open in a blink with my pincers. The other guy shits himself and fucks off."
EXAMPLE OF A DRIVING SCENE WITH SOME FIGHT SCENES IN ITGM
OOC: Technowizard is driving the truck in the desert on a long road. 8 Giant Eagles as big as cars draw near and attack the truck with Dive Bombs.
Black Shelled Technowizard
OOC: I start driving, like evasive maneuvers I guess
GM
OOC: Okay, the Giant Eagles are pretty dumb, and the truck is pretty fast, so the challenge rating is only 3. Because you're on a plain there's little chance of critical failure, so I won't use a d4. Your driving skill is 2, so I'll roll 2*d2
The result is 4. It was a moderate success. You drive the truck into the one of the Giant Eagles and splat it. Now one of the Giant Eagles is dead. Narrate it how you like.
Black Shelled Technowizard
IC: The long desert road is stretching before me, when gnarly Giant Eagles as big as cars appear out of nowhere and start battering the truck with their wings, claws and beaks. Technowizard doesn't like that shit, so he starts swerving left to right, and he thumps one with the truck and gives it an explosive concussion. It falls to feathery pieces and falls to the road"
Dynamite McGee the next player
OOC Where they at? I want to throw my shurikens at them
GM
OOC 4 of them are flying around the back, and 4 of them are flying around the front.
Dynamite McGee
OOC "That leaves the driver vulnerable to attack through the windows.
IC"I haul ass from the rear of the truck into the cabin. I unroll my Steel Shurikens from their wrap and start hurling them at the Giant Eagles around the front of the cab"
GM
OOC: Okay, this is lift-throw and your tier is 2. However, your character is already good at throwing dynamite, so you have reasonable chance to hit.
If your lift was 3 your shurikens would tear them to shredded mangled pulps. As it is, your shurikens probably sever body parts.
You are making a dangerous action such as flinging shurikens from the cab, so I'll roll a d4. There is a chance of critical failure, such as harming the Driver, The target score is 2.
Dynamite McGee
OOC: Okay, I don't want to do that, I just throw them from my window at any eagles there. Any eagles there?
GM
You can see and hit 2 eagles. The target score is 2. You use 2*d2 so automatic success. You can roll to get higher than target, up to 4 but using a d4.
Dynamite McGee
OOC: Let's go with 2*d2, automatic success. I don't want to risk a critical failure, The eagles might attack me!
GM
OOC Automatic Success, but about half your potential. You kill only one of the eagles, probably. Narrate the whole thing how you like.
Dynamite McGee
IC I hurl the shurikens and an eagle gets cut in half. The other one squawks annoyedly.
GM
IC: While Dynamite McGee was doing that, 4 of the giant eagles land on the roof and start tearing it open.
Bobby Montoya next player
IC: I get my shotgun and fire it at the ceiling, trying to hit the birds
GM
IC: You don't need to roll for success, seems quite simple for your Crab to do so it's an automatic success.
IC The truck's reinforced roof soaks up the blast of most of your shots. 1 of the giant eagles gets blown to pieces. The other 3 manage to open the truck roof and 1 more joins them. The 4 eagles above you are trying to get in and are attacking.
Franco Sweety next player
OOC: How many birds are left, and where? what are they doing?
GM
OOC:
1 on the right near the drivers cab
4 on the roof directly above all the crews heads
1- killed by shuriken
1- killed by shotgun
1- killed by driving
Franco Sweety
OOC: If I jump, can I punch them?
GM
OOC: It will be use Fight2 with d4. You'll probably kill 1-2 at best, and if you hit 1, critical failure, all the birds will attack at you. Seems fair?
Franco Sweety
IC: "I leap in the air and do a flying uppercut! SHORYUKEN!"
GM
OOC
Target is 2
Score = 2 you do a shoryuken and turn a giant eagle into pulp. After this, the eagles get ready to attack the crew. Narrate that how you like.
Franco Sweety
IC "I catch the bird with my pincer and it explodes in an expanding cloud of blood and gore. The other Eagles move in to attack the us!"
GM
IC: The eagle attacks you guys and pulls off Danny Badman's arm. Danny and the remaining Crab to take a turn, Princess Bubblegum, can attack the eagles now, both together if you choose.
Danny Badman
OOC Can we do a team attack?
GM
OOC Yep. What you guys want?
Danny Badman
OOC How about I throw her at them, and she uses her special power of exploding?
GM
OOC Okay, seems likely. She needs to rest after using Explodin'! and there's a chance of critical failure, you might hurt other crabs in the vicinity
Princess Bubblegum
OOC Well I don't want to do that then! Can we use scrap to fight them off? I want to use an iron fencepost.
Danny Badman
OOC Me too!
GM
OOC Okay, both of you do that using Fight! Your combined Fight is 5. You probably 2 to 4 of the birds.
Target = 6
Roll = 3*d2 + 2*d2 = 4 and 3. You pulp 2 of them.
One or both of you narrate it.
Danny Badman
OOC Bubblegum can narrate mine. She must mention that Danny growls and makes a barking sound as he does it. Okay?
Princess Bubblegum
IC "Bubblegum and Danny both pick up steel fenceposts and set about beating the ever loving tarnation out of the birds. Danny does it with his 1 remaining arm and pincer, all the while growling deeply and letting out short sharp barks of anger."
OOC Good enough Danny? Jus' tell me and I'll edit it :p
etc.