How Often Can You Use an Advantage?

By defendi, in Rules Questions

We got into a discussion this weekend. I had my characters in a drinking contest and both characters had an advantage that would affect the primary roll. So it didn't really matter in this one case, but the player assumed that an advantage couldn't be applied to every new instance of the roll in a single encounter. He assumed you could only apply the advantage once per scene. By a strict reading of the rules, I think it can be applied to every roll, they just don't want you applying it twice to the same roll. I went with once per scene as my call at the table, but I wanted to put it to the forums and see if anyone had figured out a clarification I'd missed.

Rules don't limit the amount of times you can apply an Advantage in any given scene. Maybe more detail on the scene and the Advatange being invoked in particular?

I don't see anything that limits uses per scene.

I would think one simple drinking contest only requires one check.

But maybe if they have a number of competitions, the same advantage might apply to subsequent checks.

Unless you want to structure it like a strange intrigue... Which could be highly amusing. Like maybe if your rhetorical points exceed your focus, you pass out drunk. Something goofy like that. Haven't thought it through.

The player may have referred to the sidebar page 62, in the part that describes the “discrete” application of advantages (which is not the default assumption of the game): “As a general guideline, no advantage or disadvantage should apply more than once per scene in this model, except at the GM’s discretion.”

Hah missed that. Thanks for pointing it put!

Whoops double post.

Edited by sidescroller
Overlord says so

Hah missed that. Thanks for pointing it out!

Edited by sidescroller
Typed quack lie. Trusted autocorrect. Mikes stakes

I love that idea about a drinking contest as an intrigue challenge. That the folks involved are all getting less and less in control of themselves and its about who lets compromising information slip first. Everyone involved keeps drinking in the hopes that they'll get some information out of the other people at the table, but each round it's just as likely that they'll be the one who ends up blabbing something they shouldn't or being more forthright with their opinions than is wise and maybe end up getting blackmailed.

That just feels like an incredibly dramatic way to run it.

13 hours ago, sidescroller said:

I don't see anything that limits uses per scene.

I would think one simple drinking contest only requires one check.

But maybe if they have a number of competitions, the same advantage might apply to subsequent checks.

Unless you want to structure it like a strange intrigue... Which could be highly amusing. Like maybe if your rhetorical points exceed your focus, you pass out drunk. Something goofy like that. Haven't thought it through.

This.

A distinction like 'strong head for sake' would apply to any check to consume unwise quantities of alcohol.

But, unless there's a very good reason, you should only be making said check once in a scene.

You could just as easily adapt a duel into a drinking contest. Outburst/finishing blow = throws up and passes out.

From what I see, the limit is "once per roll"...

8 hours ago, AK_Aramis said:

From what I see, the limit is "once per roll"...

The 'once per scene' bit comes in in the "When to Apply Advantages and Disadvantages to Checks" sidebar on page 62.

To be fair, we've only ever looked at the 'creative application' approach, so it's less of an issue, if you can give me a convincing reason it's relevant, it works.