I forgot to mention that Obligation, as a meta-currency, can also be used by players to buy out of an interrogation. As an example, if the players agree to a 10-point Favor Obligation, the GM can write in that an Imperial official ends their interrogation for his own purposes. This allows players to retain agency even when the characters realistically have none.

So I have decided to just RP the Torture, as many have said taking away agency from players seems to blow. So I'm going to just lay it all out in the description of the scene. They will take obligation for the scene and some strain before being dumped onto Kessel. Being as Kessel is where the next leg of their story begins, it's probably best to thematically leave their character's spiritually broken but not the players.

On ‎7‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 6:41 PM, HappyDaze said:

Discipline isn't rolled as it's the resisting skill. Advantages (and Triumphs) on the Coercion test can be used to boost improve subsequent interrogation rolls with a Boost (or even an Upgrade in the case of a Triumph) as the interrogator learns the cracks in the subject. Likewise, Threat and Despair can benefit the subject.

Also, while Discipline is the resisting skill, the active skill can be Coercion (when threats are used), Deception (playing mental games of trickery with the subject), or Leadership (if the subject still owes some loyalty to the same organization as the interrogator).

As for setting them up with no agency, they had agency a plenty until they were captured. They could just as easily be dead. They don't automatically deserve an easy out--if they want to get out, they have to come up with something and earn it.

This would be true if the characters were doing the torture... again - something to be careful of at most tables. You're better off letting the characters/players do the rolling. There's nothing worse than rolling the dice and telling a player 'you're hosed...'

On the flip side, having the player roll that despair or triumph is an entirely different story.

It's also a chance for the characters who pumped xp into Cool, Resilience, etc... to have their day... but I still say that most of this should be handled narratively. You've already planned out the next chapter - it's based on Kessel. What's important is how much they give up on the way...

7 hours ago, Bishop69 said:

This would be true if the characters were doing the torture... again - something to be careful of at most tables. You're better off letting the characters/players do the rolling. There's nothing worse than rolling the dice and telling a player 'you're hosed...'

On the flip side, having the player roll that despair or triumph is an entirely different story.

It's also a chance for the characters who pumped xp into Cool, Resilience, etc... to have their day... but I still say that most of this should be handled narratively. You've already planned out the next chapter - it's based on Kessel. What's important is how much they give up on the way...

I'm not a fan of the misguided belief that the players should do all of the rolling. I always have the one controlling the character using the active skill, be it a PC or NPC, do the roll. In an interrogation, the one conducting the interrogation is the character using an active skill, and the target of that action resists with Discipline, but they don't make a Discipline check as the rules say that the resisting skill instead sets the Difficulty for the acting skill's check.

In a game, there's nothing wrong with the GM rolling the dice and telling a player that they're hosed. It happens with combat and critical hits all of the time

On 19.7.2017 at 4:34 AM, Endersai said:

No, that's what I'm talking about.

It's a single pass fail which completely strips agency, and it doesn't let the PC for example say on a successful discipline check use a setback-laden deception check to misdirect the interrogator. And, if that works, it could fundamentally change the nature of the interrogation.
I'm also not sure you thought this through too; if it's one day for interogation as a check. So what does a failed Discipline check with 2 advantage and a triumph look like?

And aren't you just basically setting them up so if they get a net failure with no advantage/triumph, they have no agency?

Few thoughts from my blurry mind.

You are kind of simplifying and building opposing sure win vs no win situation (sorry if this came out a blunt or condescending, last days at work before vacation, much hurry, such rush, brains jelly). But I agree in many levels with you. Personally, I would give PCs opportunity to do something after each day of torture (and/or even during torture). Kind of building a race, do PCs break first, or can they outwit the torturer. They could deceive a guard to take them to medbay by pretending to be sick (and skip one torture day), try to overcome a guard and escape or something else. There is some player agency as long as PCs can do something to try to overcome the situation. Also, GM might decide beforehand that there is limited amount of torture sessions (After 5 sessions, torturer decides these individuals don't have any information worthwhile his time). I wouldn't put PCs to perpetual torture cycle. What's the point of faking player agency if outcome is decided beforehand?

IMO, more important point generally is what's the point of torture for the story. And how large part of story he wants it to be. That bothers me on OP's question, as he didn't tell us what he wants to achieve with torture scene. If it's just to get some information from PCs, then what's the actual metagame reason (GM doesn't need that information)? Is it to justify NPC actions later? To make players feel they resisted something? To build a story? To build hate against NPCs? To show notoriety of empire? To have one different encounter? Most of these can be achieved in other ways. Personally I might solve the whole situation in one roll, and narrate based on it. Or handle it as social combat, if players would want that. After all, torture/interrogation scenes in movies were only small part of whole movie, at least when measured in time. Consequences were more important.

BTW, Order 66 podcast had Jay Little (original game designer) talk about social combat in episode 6 ( http://podbay.fm/show/276381727/e/1362370343?autostart=1 ) and there were example of interrogation situation. Basically (simplified version) it was both parties making social skill checks, and applying successes as strain damage to opponent, and when other party's strain threshold was exceeded, it meant a victory for other party. Worth listening to OP. He could probably use it as given in podcast. Mechanics are there. At least that would preserve the player agency.

Play a Coldplay or Hanson album as a little real-life torture. Refuse to stop playing it until they fess up. Add some RP'ing rolls for the PC's.

(Possibly, Slayer, instead.)

5 hours ago, DurosSpacer said:

Play a Coldplay or Hanson album as a little real-life torture. Refuse to stop playing it until they fess up. Add some RP'ing rolls for the PC's.

(Possibly, Slayer, instead.)

Adel. Pure torture. Or Shatner singing...