Hey there! I ran my first BITD game last week and we had a blast! However, I’m wondering about something. My players got a job, and before the engagement roll I let them do a few prep work - i.e. scouting the place, getting intel on the target … which translated into one or two bonus die on the engagement roll.
Is it necessary ? Or does it unbalance the engagement roll ? Is there another approach ? As flashbacks during the job, maybe ?
I always prefer a short round of legwork to help give the job some context (basically each char gets a turn to say what they’re doing to prepare for the job). I see the engagement roll as the escape valve to prevent analysis paralysis.
– Ben
This is perfectly alright. It is after all what Gathering Info is about (see page 36) and how it’s most often used; to prepare a bit for the score. Gathering info is not planning, but it can be close. It should not degenerate in overly long planning for the score.
Flashbacks during the score is OK too, of course. Both approach are compatible.
hey, thanks for the answers.
@A.D.1066 obviously my experience is rather limited, but I really like how engagement roll makes the narration start on the first obstacle. Coming from many years of Shadowrun, this is so refreshing.
@A_B I wasn’t clear on gathering info - gotta read that again, thanks!