Group Actions with Controlled Position

Forged in the Dark Band of Blades
1

Hi everyone,

Interesting question came up in my last BoB session and wondered if I could have assistance - this is also a rule in other FitD games too but posting here as it was this game in particular I was playing.

The rules state that on a 1-3 on a controlled action you have the unique opportunity to try again at a risky position, and if you do you reroll with any bonuses you obtained from devils bargains, pushes or assists from the first roll.

The problem is with group actions and the stress costs they can accrue. Let’s say it’s gone particularly poorly. A 4 person group action was controlled but everyone rolled 1-3 as their highest roll so the leader takes 4 stress. They chose to try again at a risky position so everyone rolls again. I can see a few options here:

  1. The stress costs from the first roll still apply and we roll again. Potentially the leader could get ANOTHER 4 stress if things go badly

  2. This is effectively a re-roll at a risky position. Any pushes or devils bargains are still applied but we basically start afresh. The 4 stress from the first roll doesn’t happy and maybe we’ll get luck in this risky roll.

Would really appreciate some guidance or even an official ruling on this. One of the examples could see the leader taking 8 stress on a very unlucky (but controlled) group action. If 1 is correct then it makes seizing the risky opportunity in group actions VERY undesirable (seeing as a minor consequence will almost never be as bad as 8 stress from one action!!)

Thanks!!

2

The 4 stress happened nonetheless, so option 1.

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3

There is a third possible option: you keep the stress from the failed rolls, but don’t take additional stress from the re-rolls. This is similar to how it works with other elements of seized opportunities in that you don’t pay stress to push a second time, you keep the stress you already paid; and/or you don’t take another bargain, you keep the one you made.