I've run a few games and generally take a flexible interpretation on scenes ending. It just feels like strife evaporates during the game so quickly that passions have little mechanical value so far, beyond narrative exposition, and I want them to be more relevant. I'm not running a political high tension court drama mind you, but I wouldn't mind treating strife (mental exhaustion and emotional pressure) more like the recovery from fatigue. Does anyone else have similar experiences? I don't think I'm misinterpreting anything.

Well, yes, Strife does have a tendency to become negligible. Your case isn't even that bad, it gets considerably worse when the players figure out the more creative Strife-avoiding methods ("active" Passions, Unmasking loopholes, Opportunity shenanigans, result resourcing, etc).

My gaming group tried to make Strife more meaningful but we had to realize that the game balance was rather wobbly here: our "Harsh Strife" changed the flow of play quite drastically. So I wouldn't advise to tackle Strife unless you are prepared for more sweeping changes.

7 hours ago, T_Kageyasu said:

I wouldn't mind treating strife (mental  exhaustion and emotional pressure  ) more like the recovery from fatigue   . 

Hi, I’m not sure I understand that bit very well, because I thought Strife and Fatigue are equally easy to recover from... they both drop back to half of your Composure / Endurance, respectively, at the end of each Scene...

In addition, Strife can be removed via Passions and Unmasking while Fatigue can be removed via application of Medicine and bedrest (2*Water per night is pretty good). Both can be toned down with opportunities during checks, though it works more effectively for Strife (only a weaker Water option with martial skills or in downtime for Fatigue).

But all in all, it seems that the cycle should be quite similar among the two... oscillating between half and 100% of your capacity until you have the opportunity to settle down for a day or two. Passions are mostly good to go back below 50% between scenes and have a bit more of a buffer for the next one.

19 hours ago, Franwax said:

Hi, I’m not sure I understand that bit very well, because I thought Strife and Fatigue are equally easy to recover from... they both drop back to half of your Composure / Endurance, respectively, at the end of each Scene...

In addition, Strife can be removed via Passions and Unmasking while Fatigue can be removed via application of Medicine and bedrest (2*Water per night is pretty good). Both can be toned down with opportunities during checks, though it works more effectively for Strife (only a weaker Water option with martial skills or in downtime for Fatigue).

But all in all, it seems that the cycle should be quite similar among the two... oscillating between half and 100% of your capacity until you have the opportunity to settle down for a day or two. Passions are mostly good to go back below 50% between scenes and have a bit more of a buffer for the next one.

Thanks AtoMaki and Franwax. If you don't mind me asking as a follow up, how strictly do you enforce honor loss from unmasking? Combat is one of the few times it's considered acceptable, and we haven't yet been in many social / political scene where it really would matter.

This area is deliberately fuzzy, and with good reason. My advice: just start with the suggestions in each unmasking description and apply the clan-based modifiers depending on which tenet of Bushido was defied for the Honor part (page 301). Enraged is the least strict, I think, as long as you do it in a skirmish or mass battle when your life is in the balance. This should not incur any loss in most cases.

For the others, characters may lose a few points of Honor or Glory here and there, but it’s nothing they cannot recoup with good roleplay if they really care for it. Someone should only become an infamous madman if they allow it to happen (I.e. go out of their way to unmask in every scene and do nothing to compensate or make amends).

10 hours ago, T_Kageyasu said:

how strictly do you enforce honor loss from unmasking?

We are very strict about Honor gains/loses, but Unmasking rarely factors into it for one reason or another: either the loss is negligible or the actual events have the character come out of it with a net Honor gain .

On 12/13/2018 at 5:46 PM, T_Kageyasu said:

Thanks AtoMaki and Franwax. If you don't mind me asking as a follow up, how strictly do you enforce honor loss from unmasking? Combat is one of the few times it's considered acceptable, and we haven't yet been in many social / political scene where it really would matter.

Most specify Honor or Glory or both, save challenge.

The amount is always the rank of the social taken.

• Bend Principles is Honor - Violation of Righteousness
• Expose an Opening - No honor or glory loss - just trading off a -1 TN vs you for a -1 Tn on your next.
• Challenge another: The usual wager of glory and honor.
• Outburst: Automatically a glory hit for the lack of self-discipline. While not stated as such, look out for breaches of Compassion (if attacking someone's capabilities, true or not), Sincerity (if it's not true or is true but intentionally inurious), Honor (If you're making stuff up), Courtesy (if you're the host and verbally abuse the guests, or are a guest and abuse the host or the locals).
• Panicked Retreat: Stated to be HR Honor and GR Glory - both for Cowardice.
• Rage - in social circumstances, it's HR Honor and GR Glory, as you come unglued at someone. Similar to outburst in terms of which honor areas. The glory hit is lack of self control. In a combat circumstance, it probably isn't an honor hit... and the glory hit is likely to apply only if your side loses.

A few others that have been used by my players:

• Inappropriate shedding of garments. HR honor for lack of decorum (Honor). In combat, +3 Glory if survive the fight.
• Break down into tears: GR Glory for public emotion.
• Mute Withdrawl into self: Wasn't sure myself on this one, but the player took it as a Glory hit for lack of decisiveness.