How do you guys like to include setback dice to keep your players in check? Currently, I've been putting them in poor environments that award two black dice such as a snowstorm (1 for cold, 1 for visibility) or toxic atmospheres (1 for hot, 1 for bulky environmental gear).

Do you guys have a favorite "go to" for adding in the black dice?

I don't have a "go to", but visibility is common, followed by weather. First time in a place, or in a situation, is another. Random NPC "first impressions" of a PC can be another. Often setback comes out of previous story elements, e.g.: "You failed your Charm roll, the NPC is suspicious and he might tell his friends. You get a setback while dealing with the locals here until something happens to change it." Generally when designing an encounter I'll try to come up with additional reasons to add setback.

Trying to do something fast under pressure is a classic setback. Not for combat, of course.

When I GM I try to have a setback for many of the rolls, if not for anything other than to see my player's little faces light up as they triumphantly state that they have a talent that gets rid of that setback. It's good to let them feel they've got a lot of use out of that talent

9 minutes ago, Kymrel said:

It's good to let them feel they've got a lot of use out of that talent

This is always a good thing to remember, since it's one of a GM's lesser duties to give players an excuse to use those things they spent experience upon. Seems to be a good strategy to forget who has those sorts of talents, because people are smart and they know when you're pandering to them. I like to add setback dice as part of each session's sliding difficulty curve, but sometimes it's easy to forget to do that. (However, apparently it's even harder for me to remember to add adversary upgrades even though I write notations in RED CAPITALS at the tops of my NPC cards.) Maybe you'll have an easier time. Good luck!

Also combat is significantly less deadly and autohit when there are setbacks affecting the sides.

A rule of thumb that I use, and I stress that other people use too, is that if you are going to give someone a hard check(3 purple dice) you instead give them an average check(2 purple dice) with 2 setbacks. Sometimes an average check could be turned to easy with two setback but that's up to the GM. Hell, I even include setbacks on initiative checks if they can make sense.

I almost never have problems thinking of reasons for introducing the setback dice, have the PCs been going while without describing themselves resting or eating or drinking? Have they been drinking alcohol? How fast are they doing something? Are the under some kind of pressure? Quality of the tools or workspace? Does the story have to do with them? That leads back to pressure. And so on and so forth.

Basically if the check is not in an ideal situation there should be setback, and in most of my games there is no ideal situation.

I always have a list of things that can add boost and setbacks for different types of encounters. For example, I'm currently working on how I run Stealth Encounters, and I've got the following options:

• Alertness: If the guards (or whoever) are asleep or otherwise occupied, the PCs get a Boost; if they're actively looking for intruders, the PCs get a Setback.
• Visibility: Poor visibility can add up to 3 Boosts to the PCs' checks; good visibility can add up to 3 Setbacks (although most of the time 1 is most common).
• Noise Levels: Lots of noise can add 1-2 Boosts to the PCs' checks; a quiet environment can add 1-2 Setbacks.
• Range: If the PCs are attempting to sneak at Long or Extreme Range, they get 1 or 2 Boosts, respectively; if the PCs are sneaking at Short Range, they get 1 Setback.

In practice, this tends to come out at 1-2 Boosts and 1-2 Setbacks on each check. So many talents affect Setbacks* that I really think it's important to make sure they're a part of the game - if you're not handing out at least 1 Setback on 50% of the checks, you're short-changing the PCs who have those talents and, at the same time, making life too easy for those that don't have the talents.

* Annoyingly, looking through the talent list, Stealth was literally the worst example I could have picked, as I don't think there's a single talent that reduces Setback dice on Stealth checks. But you get the point.

3 hours ago, edwardavern said:

* Annoyingly, looking through the talent list, Stealth was literally the worst example I could have picked, as I don't think there's a single talent that reduces Setback dice on Stealth checks. But you get the point.

I suppose tha makes sense, I can't think of any instances off the top of my head where a particularly talented sneak would reduce the effect of specific contextual affects - you'd just be being more stealthy in general.

I will not apply Setbacks, if...

1. the environmental circumstances are perfect,
2. the equipment is just the exact, adequate tool and in perfect working order,
3. there is now rush or distraction,
4. the agent is in a perfectly calm emotional state,

etc.

Otherwise: There will be Setbacks!

I had a laugh when one of my players used Brace to remove the setback from weather (booming thunder, flashes of lightning, high winds, and pouring rain)--on his Leadership check! He described it as taking a pose and slowly drawing in his breath before shouting his orders while silhouetted by the flash of the lightning and finishing just before the boom of the thunder.