So, as a player, I like when GMs give us some control of describing how things are playing out (based on the results of the dice). The overall story is their baby, but I like to embellish a good roll when I can.
As a GM, I've found my players are more like labradors looking for a cookie after they roll the dice - wanting me to describe everything that happens in eager anticipation. I don't mind this (it's part of why I became GM), I'm just curious how everyone else handles these things and what your players are like.
Do you like having full control of the narrative?
Do you prefer giving your players control of the narrative when it's their results?
Are you just there as moderator/NPC controller and let the players narrate fully?
Taking or handing off the reins of narration
It really depends on the situation. For example in WHFR 2nd Edition, I got multiple crits on an enemy during the attack, if the GM let me describe the results, that's fine. But if I sliced a terminal on Cloud City and got multiple successes, as a GM I wouldn't allow the player to download the plans to the Death Star.
As it stands now, most of the players I've had were fairly novice, so they would tend to roll the dice and look to me for the results. They'd calculate damage on attacks and spend Advantage on Strain relief, Boosts, and weapon qualities; but outside of that, it would fall to me to tell them how things shake out.
I've been okay with that so far. I think the biggest fear might be that they'll interpret the dice "wrong" (as if I'm not just making things up as I go). I'm hoping with experience they'll get comfortable with taking control of their own rolls.
If they ever did try to hit an absurd "I win" button on a roll that didn't call for it (like downloading Death Star plans from a Cloud City computer), I'd probably just play off the PC's hastiness in the spirit of, "yes, but ..."
"Plans to the Death Star!? Oh, man, those'll be worth so much to ... oh ... wait a minute ... yeah, this is just an advert for 'Breath Star chewable mints' ... on the plus side, though, you get a free sample if you complete a short survey ..."
It's definately different. I like it. Advantage/disadvantage is easy enough with the charts. It's triumph and despair that I'm unsure of. I sometimes worry that as a player I go too far when detailing my triumphs. For example, while conducting a chase scene on speeder cars, I scored a success while shooting one of the guys shooting back. I narrated it as he fell into the driver which caused the car to swerve and hit a pillar. My goal was just to halt it's movement for a bit to where we could catch up. GM decided to go with it nosed into the ground and stopped, so pretty much the same effect. But that one triumph turned a chase scene into dead stop. I'm sure once I'm more comfortable with the system I'll get a better feel for just how significant a triumph/despair should be.
On a side note, since the GM narrates the threat/despair of PC rolls, how many GM's out there allow the players to narrate the threat/despair rolls of the NPCs?
I am happy for players to narrate the NPCs threats/despairs. I would probably be more stringent and use common sense if they get out of hand with their narration when it comes to nemesis NPC's. With minions and/or rivals I am bit more laid back and let them enjoy their brain juices working on creating the imagery of how that NPC just went down. I want to encourage rather than the opposite.
99% of my current group is really really new to EotE but veteran players of other systems. We have one guy in our group that is new to tabletop RPGs as a whole. So that is great to have some brand new ideas coming into the game.
We are all still getting used to the whole narrative dice thing, but yes, the players tell me what they want to do on their rolls for multiple success', advantages and triumphs. I get all the bad things...
When they describe their advantages and triumphs I still have the final say and arbitration of said actions. Sometimes we work together to come up with the end result too. For example our last adventure, a scene in now called the Triumphant Non-Chase. We were doing Beyond the Rim and some bad guys were in this speeder cart, kind of like the golf cart things at the airport.
I wanted this to be thrilling race through a crowd of people, getting caught up into crowds, people screaming and running when the shooting starts, gaining ground, loosing ground, money flying into the air, and perhaps some innocents getting shot or being used as a shield by the baddies (real movie image stuff), but no. It all got ruined by the dice...
Arihmon was that lucky shooter...You dirty BLEEEEPPPPPP
I don't look at a triumphant as being like a "crit" from other systems.
Other wise the developers would have called it a critical hit. When these bad boys come up it can be game altering or at least encounter altering. these are major things that happen!
On a Triumphant blaster shot the player said how about the driver slumps or steps on the E-brake stopping the cart. In my head I am picturing a lever you pull up (I drive manuals) I suggested how about you hit the passenger and he slumps on to the steering wheel and the driver has to try to pry him off as the sled grinds it's nose into the ground stopping. They said awesome, lets go for it. (same effect as what they player wanted, just a little different description) Well, here it is their own words from our adventure log.
https://edge-of-the-empire-6.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/beyond-the-rim
*BtR Act 1 Spoilers ahead*
As they arrive the immediately notice two security guards unconscious just inside the door. Across the bay they see four rodians loading IT-3PO into the back of a hover sled. They take off out of the main bay doors, shoving their way through the crowd, and the chase is on. Gregis always quick on the draw manage to drop one just as the sled passes through the doorway. Vash and Taven take off after the sled. Taven gets caught up in the crowd (Disadvantage w/ success) but muscles his way through to get a few clear shots dropping another rodian. Vash dodges through the crowd, to get in range. He manages to score a solid hit (Triumph w/ multiple sucess') on another rodian who falls into the driver causing the hover sled to nose into the ground and grind to a halt. Rhenn follows quickly behind, flashing an identity badge he loudly proclaims himself as a security officer. So silver is his tongue (triumphant leadership roll) that an off duty Sector Ranger steps out from the crowd and ensures that the sled is no longer an option for the rodians. Jorann manages to work his way through the crowd a moment after. Unfortunately, the crowds on The Wheel are either so used to events like this or simply detached that just go about their business and the rodians manage to slip away into the crowd before our heroes arrive. The sector ranger introduces herself as Tarra Lawborn, a yellow skinned Twi’lek.
Moments later two security guards arrive demanding to know what was going on. Vash quickly tells them how they had found their employers offices trashed and when they arrived at the hanger they saw IT-3PO being grabbed by the four rodians. Jorann shows the guards the feed he downloaded (earlier success w/advantages) from the IsoTech offices corroborating the story. Tarra corroborated what she saw and gives the guards a good description of the rodians. The guards thank us for our assistance and radio to have the Yiyar’s ship locked down.
IT-3PO thanks the heroes for the rescue and informs them that Reom and Shira had managed to escape with the message pod before the YiYar clan could capture them. The droid then followed our intrepid band back to their ship as they set off to find the Sal Na-la-or.
Side note, not to hijack the thread, but DVeight, everytime i see your name now I have to pronounce it "Deav-eight" thanks to GMChris
For overall story, I only plan up to a point and then let it go, assuming the players will take over and guide it in the direction they want to go. However, day to day, I try to split the balance: probably about half the time I let the players decide how they want Advantages and Triumphs (and occasionally Threat and Despair, if they have a good idea) to play out. The other half, I make the call.
Sometimes, to increase the tension, I won't tell them what happened because it's not immediately apparent.