So far, my group's main use of advantages is either to regain strain or give the next PC a boost dice. I presume a PC that rolls 2 advantages can use one to regain strain and use the other to give the next PC a boost die, correct?

But what are other creative uses of advantages, assuming the roll did not generate enough advantage for a critical hit?

Thanks!

Sometimes it's more a matter of explanation then mechanical effect. Last game I played I used my Advantage to grab a Nexu's tail so it couldn't bite another party member as easily.

+1 setback on it's next check

You can also use advantages as if they were mini-Triumphs, at least narratively. Figure that 4 advantages = 1 Triumph when it comes to what sort of cool things you can introduce into the narrative, with lower number of advantages being able to introduce something... slightly less cool Note that this doesn't mean that 4 advantages mechanically equals a Triumph; you can't just swap out 4 advantages and get a free Triumph. But as far as the narrative goes, you can pretty much get the same result.

Some things you can do can translate into something already listed on the chart on page 206. For instance, say you want to spend advantage to make your missed shot hit a crate, which falls on an enemy. You could translate that to adding a setback to his next roll, in which it would cost 2 advantage. You could have the same thing happen, but instead of throwing him off balance for his next check, it might hit his legs and prevent him from moving. This could translate to hobbling the enemy, which would be 3 advantage.

Pretty much anything reasonable can be introduced into the narrative by spending advantages. Just use the chart on page 206 as a guideline for advantage cost, or for ideas about what you might want to happen.

I have to agree it's all about how you present the narrative of the advantages. I had a acting like an animal walking around with a grenade in his mouth so he could get near enough to throw said grenade (he rolled a triumph on his deception check). However, he also rolled some threats. So I told him he had slobbered on the grenade enough to make it slippery. Net result he got a free maneuver to aim with his triumph and a set back because of the threats.

I try to encourage them to spend their advantage to "notice" things in the combat that might be helpful or useful, rather then just pew pew-ing away until the bad guys are all down. Sometimes that translates to one of the other options. An example:

Bob shoots at a Stormtrooper and gets 2 successes and an advantage net. He spends the advantage to "notice" something. GM tells him that the lead Stormtrooper is favoring his left side (he's been hit already). Bob now knows that the Stormtrooper isn't doing well, but he also relays the info about the left side to Mike. Mike uses his maneuver to get to cover on the leader's left side. I can either give him a boost die if he shoots at the leader from the weak side (same as spending an advantage) or I can give the leader an extra setback die since he can't move as well in that direction. I'd probably give that choice to Mike.

This is way more involved narratively and thematically then just "I give a boost to Mike." In fact, while it is slowing things down so far in our "training" sessions, I'm always asking "how?" when they give a boost like that. I've gotten answers from: "Uh, I dunno" (way too often, but getting better) to "I try to hit his shoulder to spin him around" to "I hit him as close to his cover as possible, to make him flinch away from it and give the others a better shot."

Encourage the creativity of your players. If they pull it out enough with the narrative in "regular" situations then maybe, just maybe, they won't feel like they have to use it get around or otherwise completely neutralize (in a ridiculous fashion) whatever cool thing you came up with to toss against them.

Sometimes it's more a matter of explanation then mechanical effect. Last game I played I used my Advantage to grab a Nexu's tail so it couldn't bite another party member as easily.

+1 setback on it's next check

This is really cool.

Unfortunately my group, including GM, just wants to keep things moving more. Creative narrative use of Adv/Threat isn't discouraged so much as figuring out a reason for every added Boost or Setback isn't considered "necessary." Feels quite a bit less fun for me but c'est la vie.

My GM is a fussy butt...so we try and explain

I have a seven player group so the blow by blow narrative is sometimes troublesome. Especially when many of the players are too used to video games that just put a "+1" over a friends head and calls it good. But I had a few sessions where I enforced a mandatory description of how they do it. Lots of stupid ideas later the group is better at it. Not great, but better, some still need some help with the scale of just what a boost or setback dice might look like.

I as a GM try to speed things up by tossing in my own descriptions of how it happens when I have a good idea. Helps them feed off of the action rather than the dice pool. If I describe how the storm trooper swings high and misses but they`re forced to backpedal to avoid it, they can then play with that idea.

I definitely play up my nemesis characters, making it clear they are a cut above. Though usually those rolls give you more to work with anyways. Nothing like rolling triumphs either, describing how the nemesis just broke the toughs arm over his shoulder after flipping him on his back and knocking him cold in one move. Had some players discussing surrender after that roll....

Sometimes even I am at a loss for how to describe what happened. Had some players rolling six or seven advantage with no successes, even had three triumphs rolled on a failed check once so far. Though the one that always bothers me is the wash, where they have no un-cancelled anythings good or bad. Nothing to work with, kinda breaks the flow if you had a good one going.

My players slide into walls and get knocked around a lot (strains suffered), or get sweat/blood in their eyes and slip a little in their grip (setbacks added).

The one that is killing me is the Deception skill: