Okay, the most recent skill monkey talks about dealing with despair and triumph and how to narrate both events at the same time - but, since it's only a 9 minute segment and it's only just one example (and one perspective on that event), I thought we might have some fun with the idea.

Here's how this'll work - the person in front of your post comes up with a quickie scenario ("trying to walk a wire between two buildings over some guards", to steal Skill Monkey's set-up) and a general success and/or failure roll - "Failure but with a triumph" - and then you come up with how you'd GM it ("You fell off half way across the wire, but landed with the guards facing the other way, and they didn't notice you.")

And then you add your scenario and result, and the person behind you narrates that result and so on and so on. Will this work? No idea - but perhaps we can all get some practice in narrating, get some "Hey, I didn't think of that!" inspiration and see how other people handle interpreting dice.

So by virtue of being the first post, I guess I get to go:

The Scenario:

The Player is trying to buy a new R2 unit from a droid dealer, using the Negotiate skill to get a slightly better price.

The Result:

Overall Success, but both a triumph and a despair.

So, you make the call. . . . !

You buy the R2 unit for a good price (success), and luckily the droid takes a liking to you pretty quick (triumph). Unfortunately, someone else wanted that droid too, and is willing to take it from you (despair).

Scenario

The player is in disguise as an imperial inspector. After showing their ID, the player makes a roll to convince the officer on duty to allow them access to the facility.

Result

Failure, 3 Advantage, 1 Triumph

EDIT: Dang it Doc

Triumph - The droid is not only friendly and helpful, but also has a few extra skill ranks and equipment.

Despair - Because it's also a sleeper for a pirate crew that's going to disable your ship and wait for it's master to show up. (Variable as sleeper for opposing crime lord, ISB, or whatever baddy seems more interesting for the overall campaign)

Scenario:

Players are "bounty hunting" for the run away daughter of a corrupt politician. They are searching the girls apartment, and on a successful perception check get both results...

Scenario:

Players are "bounty hunting" for the run away daughter of a corrupt politician. They are searching the girls apartment, and on a successful perception check get both results...

Result: They find the girl, but alert the swoop gangers she ran away with, and they don't look like the forgiving type.

Scenario:

Initiative is rolled for the previous encounter, and multiple characters roll Triumph with their identical initiative results.

Triumph - they find her (and she's hot).

Despair - she's dead.

Sorry, couldn't resist

Scenario

The player is in disguise as an imperial inspector. After showing their ID, the player makes a roll to convince the officer on duty to allow them access to the facility.

Result

Failure, 3 Advantage, 1 Triumph

The officer says he has to call in a supervisor first, policy and all. Suddenly a call comes over his commlink, there is an emergency and he runs off... leaving the entrance unattended.

Scenario:

You're in a plaza trying to maintain surveillance on a person of interest you've been investigating. A street performer happens by and tries to involve you in their act and a crowd is forming. You try and extricate yourself from the situation without drawing undue attention.

Result:

Success, Threat, Triumph, Despair

I'll do Doc's first:

The guard completely buys the disguise, and will not question it on any future interactions with the character, however, the area is still restricted to the character's presented clearance, and he can't let him in.

Ghostofaman: both triumph and despair?

There's been a sign of a struggle, including enough blood in the apartment that the missing girl may no longer be alive. However, there is a very clear line of evidence, with the girl's personal comlink that includes the identity and contact information of the person who last called her.

Scenario: ship and crew are on a salvage operation approaching a derelict vessel surrounded by lots of debris. A scanning result turns up an overall success, but with one triumph and TWO despair.

Scenario: ship and crew are on a salvage operation approaching a derelict vessel surrounded by lots of debris. A scanning result turns up an overall success, but with one triumph and TWO despair.

Maybe I'm doing this wrong, but practice makes perfect....

Result: Given overall success, they find useful but not awesome stuff with their scan...until that Triumph is rolled and they see there's a load of undetonated torpedoes in the hold. Oh, too bad about those two Despairs, eh? If it were only one, I'd say that the scan upset a centuries-old trigger and started a cascade detonation that will probably blow everything in 100k to smithereens. Oh, but that SECOND Despair. That's where the same electromagnetic disturbance activated the fire control system and targeted the player's vessel.

Scenario:

Initiative is rolled for the previous encounter, and multiple characters roll Triumph with their identical initiative results.

Salted to taste:

The swooper uses his to take an additional maneuver from the get go, draws both his blasters and fires.

The Mechanic PC notices the Swoopers have a Type-6 labor droid in the garage with them, which has a factory safety verbal command override key phrase.... now what was it again?

Scenario: ship and crew are on a salvage operation approaching a derelict vessel surrounded by lots of debris. A scanning result turns up an overall success, but with one triumph and TWO despair.

Ok... that's a nasty one....

Despair: The debris is messing up the readings no telling what's inside the ship

Triumph: There's a clear path to the docking collar, difficulty is -

Despair: The debris includes a space slug nest that migrates to the players ship

Scenario:

The players are on foot chasing a guy in a landspeeder as he navigates a shopping center parking lot to escape. The players make their chase check and fail with two triumphs...

Scenario:

The players are on foot chasing a guy in a landspeeder as he navigates a shopping center parking lot to escape. The players make their chase check and fail with two triumphs...

Just as the PCs are running short of breath and about to lose the guy, a farmer wanders into the path of the landspeeder with his fruit cart. The landspeeder crashes into the cart and a shower of exploding fruit covers the landspeeder and clogs its intakes. The pursued has to leap out and keep running on foot now giving the PCs a chance to maintain pursuit.

Scenario:

Your bothan politico is making a speech before the planetary congress to pass a bill that will reduce trade tariffs on an operation secretly owned by a Hutt to whom he owes a significant Favor Obligation.

Roll Result:

Failure. 5 Advantage. Despair.

Scenario:

Your bothan politico is making a speech before the planetary congress to pass a bill that will reduce trade tariffs on an operation secretly owned by a Hutt to whom he owes a significant Favor Obligation.

Roll Result:

Failure. 5 Advantage. Despair.

The bill fails, but you pass on enough information to the Hutt to allow him to skim undetected from a few slush funds. The Hutt isn't happy that you failed with the trade bill, but he doesn't mind a few extra credits in his coffers. While the Favor Obligation is reduced, he still holds it over you. A few weeks after the bill fails, you receive a note that simply states "How much did that Hutt pay you?", and pick up the Blackmail Obligation.

Scenario: Your assassin has finally lined up their shot on the bounty, some politico that managed to deeply insult a Hutt, and the Hutt wants the bounty dead. The bounty is leaving his office across the street as your assassin lines up the crosshairs and pulls the trigger....

One success, three threat, one despair.

Scenario:

Your bothan politico is making a speech before the planetary congress to pass a bill that will reduce trade tariffs on an operation secretly owned by a Hutt to whom he owes a significant Favor Obligation.

Roll Result:

Failure. 5 Advantage. Despair.

A sector ranger arrives and reveals his ongoing investigation into the Hutt's involvement with the operation (Despair). Scandalized, the congress postpones the vote on the bill until the investigation is complete (Failure). However, the sector ranger privately offers your character protection if you will turn witness against the Hutt (5 Advantages). This allows you to either gain his trust and then betray him to reduce your Favor to the Hutt, or confess and have your Favor be replaced by Bounty as the Hutt puts a price on your head.

EDIT: Argh, ninja'd! Okay, I'll do both.

Scenario: Your assassin has finally lined up their shot on the bounty, some politico that managed to deeply insult a Hutt, and the Hutt wants the bounty dead. The bounty is leaving his office across the street as your assassin lines up the crosshairs and pulls the trigger....

One success, three threat, one despair.

Your first shot strikes the mark squarely in the chest, wounding him badly (1 Success). However, a fast-acting bodyguard shields him from a follow-up shot (Despair essentially triggering the Bodyguard Maneuver out-of-turn) while the others locate your position immediately (3 Threat).

Here's the next one:

While hurriedly abandoning a space station, your Human Force-Sensitive Exile attempts to use telekinesis to surreptitiously speed the loading of cargo aboard the party's ship. Force Move results in a single black pip, and a Destiny Point is spent to use it to activate the power through the Dark Side of the Force. In addition, the Stealth check to conceal the power's use from nearby party members Succeeds once, with three Advantage and one Despair.

Scenario: Your assassin has finally lined up their shot on the bounty, some politico that managed to deeply insult a Hutt, and the Hutt wants the bounty dead. The bounty is leaving his office across the street as your assassin lines up the crosshairs and pulls the trigger....

One success, three threat, one despair.

With the sucess, you hit the target (and since this is a cinematic episode instead of a combat one, I'd probably go with an insta-kill. No hit points mechanics envolved). The threat would be that someone was looking in JUST the right direction, saw you take the shot, and now getting away from the scene will be much harder. The despair - oh, this is evil. You killed the target as they were meeting their family. Suddenly the Target's teenage son is wearing his beloved father's brains all over his shirt.

Congratulations - you now have a new nemesis as this teenager vows to do the same to you!

Scenario:

The characters are preparing to lift off and the group's Face is trying to sweet-talk a customs agent at the space port to not look too closely at the cargo of unlicensed blasters.

Result:

Three overall successes but two threat and despair.

Here's the next one:

While hurriedly abandoning a space station, your Human Force-Sensitive Exile attempts to use telekinesis to surreptitiously speed the loading of cargo aboard the party's ship. Force Move results in a single black pip, and a Destiny Point is spent to use it to activate the power through the Dark Side of the Force. In addition, the Stealth check to conceal the power's use from nearby party members Succeeds once, with three Advantage and one Despair.

The Exile gets nervous and irritated at the slow place of the loading, and pushes a bit too hard with Force Move. The container crashes into place, barely missing two party members. The Exile stammers about how the container 'slipped' as the two crewmen grumble and get to their feet, but they don't press the issue. A third crewman glares hard at the Exile, not seeming to buy the Exiles story, and says "Be careful, next time. I'll be watching...." As the Exile turns and walks away, the third crewman mutters, just loud enough for the Exile to hear, "....jedi...".

Scenario: Things never go smooth. Your crews latest job ended up with a shoot out, a lift-off under fire from the local space port, and an Imperial Star Destroyer bearing down on your ship. The radio crackles as the Imperials demand you hold your position and prepare to be boarded. You decide to skip getting detailed coordinates from the navicomputer and smoke the jump. Your astrogator punches in some rough coordinates into the hyperdrive, the pilot hits the 'go button' and.....

Two success, one threat, one despair.

Triumph: You purchase an exeptional R2 unit with really special or unique features.

Despair: Its a stolen R2 and his boss will came soon or later after you XD

From Desslok

"With the sucess, you hit the target (and since this is a cinematic episode instead of a combat one, I'd probably go with an insta-kill. No hit points mechanics envolved). The threat would be that someone was looking in JUST the right direction, saw you take the shot, and now getting away from the scene will be much harder. The despair - oh, this is evil. You killed the target as they were meeting their family. Suddenly the Target's teenage son is wearing his beloved father's brains all over his shirt.

Congratulations - you now have a new nemesis as this teenager vows to do the same to you!"

A D&D game that my brother was in was trying to spring someone from some small town jail. As they entered the town, they noticed a fair/carnival/farmers market going on...lotsa people. The paladin even bought a cuple flowers from one of the kids at the market. The group decided to 'hit the door like titans', bashing into the jail, killing anyone there, and springing the prisoner. The jailbreak goes off, but with one hitch. As the characters unlock the prisoners cell, the little girl who sold the paladin the flowers wanders into the front door, sees the captain of the guard dead on the floor and wails, "DAAAAADDDYYY!!!!!"

Scenario: Things never go smooth. Your crews latest job ended up with a shoot out, a lift-off under fire from the local space port, and an Imperial Star Destroyer bearing down on your ship. The radio crackles as the Imperials demand you hold your position and prepare to be boarded. You decide to skip getting detailed coordinates from the navicomputer and smoke the jump. Your astrogator punches in some rough coordinates into the hyperdrive, the pilot hits the 'go button' and.....

Two success, one threat, one despair.

The ship makes the emergency jump to get out of Dodge and find themselves in a neighboring system by an asteroid belt. Coming out of the jump too close, the ship bumps one of the asteroids (system strain - threat) and disturbs a flock of mynocks that see the ship as dinner (despair).

Scenario: Having just pulled off a heist on Coruscant, your thief character is racing for the getaway airspeeder. Security forces show up and the driver starts to pull away from the platform to start building speed figuring you can jump the distance.

Result: Your Athletics check... FAILS! but you roll a Triumph.

The ship makes the emergency jump to get out of Dodge and find themselves in a neighboring system by an asteroid belt. Coming out of the jump too close, the ship bumps one of the asteroids (system strain - threat) and disturbs a flock of mynocks that see the ship as dinner (despair).

Scenario: Having just pulled off a heist on Coruscant, your thief character is racing for the getaway airspeeder. Security forces show up and the driver starts to pull away from the platform to start building speed figuring you can jump the distance.

Result: Your Athletics check... FAILS! but you roll a Triumph.

You sprint forward and jump as the airspeeder pulls away. You land against the speeder, hard (suffering a few strain), but managing to get enough of a grasp to be able to pull yourself into the airspeeder on the next round.

Scenario: Your slicer has managed to get some quality time with a Hutt's computer network and is looking for whatever files they could sell for a profit. With a final command, your slicer unlocks a file and....

one success, 3 advantage, 1 despair.

Scenario: Your slicer has managed to get some quality time with a Hutt's computer network and is looking for whatever files they could sell for a profit. With a final command, your slicer unlocks a file and....

one success, 3 advantage, 1 despair.

You've accessed his "hit list", an account of grudges both settled and unsettled (1 Success)! There are several prominent figures on the list who could provide substantial monetary gratitude for the warning you could provide (3 Advantages), but the Slicer also spots a friend or family member listed as "in progress" (Despair)!

LugWrench, you are quite kind with your Failures (or perhaps I am quite harsh with them). I would have put Liloki's thief in the following situation after that roll:

While clinging to a speeder bike plummeting through the upper levels of Coruscant's skyscrape, you make a Brawl check against the Security guard piloting it, and achieve two Successes, three Threat, and both a Triumph and a Despair.

There's a twist, however! The nameless NPC security guard is actually a plot-related NPC (or even a PC in disguise!) and the GM is trying to avoid the death or maiming of either combatant!

I'm still getting the hang of the dice system, so this thread is actually pretty helpful for me. I tend to see failure + despair results as 'Yes, you failed, and you're gonna feel it in the morning'. Another thought I had, after I posted it, was that the sudden impact threw off the driver for a moment, letting one of the guards line up a shot against the very helpless thief.

I'm still getting the hang of the dice system, so this thread is actually pretty helpful for me. I tend to see failure + despair results as 'Yes, you failed, and you're gonna feel it in the morning'.

I agree on both counts.

While clinging to a speeder bike plummeting through the upper levels of Coruscant's skyscrape, you make a Brawl check against the Security guard piloting it, and achieve two Successes, three Threat, and both a Triumph and a Despair.

There's a twist, however! The nameless NPC security guard is actually a plot-related NPC (or even a PC in disguise!) and the GM is trying to avoid the death or maiming of either combatant!

Hmm. The active combatant makes decisions on Triumphs and advantages, so you really just have to hope that the player doesn't just auto-activate a crit or something.

For myself, you hit the guard hard, (insert player's decision regarding triumph here, probably a crit because it's the easy answer). However, he was a canny fighter and slaps a binder on your wrist as he takes the hit, slipping the other end over a handle as you both fall back. Unfortunately, in your struggles you strike the controls of the speeder and the engine starts to sputter, going into shutdown.

Okay, these are kind of fun - so I'm going to take a crack at several!

Scenario

The player is in disguise as an imperial inspector. After showing their ID, the player makes a roll to convince the officer on duty to allow them access to the facility.

Result

Failure, 3 Advantage, 1 Triumph

The players are barred from the facility, but the officer of the day doesn't raise the alarm or turn them in (the advantage) - and as they slink away, tail between their legs, they spot a back door that was propped open while a tech went out for a smoke break.

Scenario:

Players are "bounty hunting" for the run away daughter of a corrupt politician. They are searching the girls apartment, and on a successful perception check get both results...

Lets see - how about, while they don't find the girl, they do get a message from her for her room-mate that says "I'll be staying with my mom at the lake cabin until this blows over". Unfortunately a rival bounty hunter (one who is probably going to kill the target) already heard the message and is 6 steps ahead of them.

Scenario:

The players are on foot chasing a guy in a landspeeder as he navigates a shopping center parking lot to escape. The players make their chase check and fail with two triumphs...

Okay, so the players lose sight of the speeder in the parking garage as it quickly outpaces them. However, they do spot the speeder racing out of a lower level of the garage (triumph 1) who promptly t-bones another speeder, forcing him to flee on foot (advantage 2). Now they just have to get down there!

Scenario:

You're in a plaza trying to maintain surveillance on a person of interest you've been investigating. A street performer happens by and tries to involve you in their act and a crowd is forming. You try and extricate yourself from the situation without drawing undue attention.

Result:

Success, Threat, Triumph, Despair

Okay, the success means that you keep the target under surveillance while slipping away into the crowd unnoticed. I might, assuming that the players were working as a team on this, go with the one character with the busker is made by the target - but is distracting enough that he remains focused solely on them and not noticing the others following along. Also, since the act went over so well with the crowd that the Busker splits the take after the show.

Scenario: ship and crew are on a salvage operation approaching a derelict vessel surrounded by lots of debris. A scanning result turns up an overall success, but with one triumph and TWO despair.

That one is easy: Not only do you get a pretty good idea of the area, but you pick up a cargo of Precioustainium on the sensors! However there's another team of salvagers about to make off with it. Oh, and you didn't notice the chunk of hull plating that just imbedded itself in your engine, requiring expensive repairs (plus perhaps a drop in power) when you get back into drydock.

Whoop - gotta get back to work. That's enough for now!

I'm bumping this thread, mainly because I appreciate the aid it's giving me as I consider my own game. Additionally, I thought this http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/100503-skills-questions-examples-of-difficulty-setback-upgrades-some-uses/ would be appropriate to the topic as it comes at the same topic from the other direction.

Maybe I'll contribute when I've finished watching and dice pool building The Fifth Element.

I've enjoyed this thread, because there seem to be multiple ways to interpret the dice. In the scenario I posted, there were at least three different responses, none of which were the same as what I would have chosen.

Love this system.

Let me get the ball rolling again.

Scenario: It's a swoop bike chase through the busy streets of Coronet City! You've managed to offend some ganger at the Fel Swoop Cantina, and now he and his buds are chasing you at high speeds. The traffic is particularly dense, so you're rolling using "Stellar Phenomena" difficulty. The result turns up 3 net successes, 4 threat, 1 triumph, 1 despair.