For some reason this has never really occurred to me until now, but when giving mission briefings how much detail, if any, should I be giving on the rewards/penalties for each mission?
I re-read a few key sections in the book, including the example on pg 230 and I didn’t see any explicit reference to actually explicitly telling the players what the rewards/penalties for the missions are.
I’ve always just gave them that information. But I’m finding that there are times where the rewards feel a little spoilery and don’t make sense until something specific in the mission happens.
Specifically I’m looking at the special missions for Gallows Pass and a lot of the listed rewards (the prisoners turned recruits, the true fire, and the blessing) don’t make a lot of sense to reveal before the Legion actually pursues the mission.
When Stras was running for us, he always told us the penalties and rewards in advance. Usually he’d couch them within the narrative of the mission itself. For things that might not be obvious, he’d often say things like “and you figure” or “you’ve heard that most likely” as ways of connoting that while we wouldn’t strictly know the benefits or penalties in advance, we could probably piece it together.
I guess that when those times come, then it’s perfectly all right if you’re a little more vague.
But I would argue that every rpg is played on two levels, the player’s level and the character’s, and the player is allowed to know things the character doesn’t, and conversely. If the argument is “Fictionaly, the characters should not know the details of the rewards/penalties”, then you could also say that fictionaly, they should also not know if it’s a recon, assault, supply or religious mission. But then how would your players do for the engagement roll and required specialist rules?
In the end I would say that it’s not a real problem if you “hide” a bit of the rewards, because then they will feel like a positive cherry on the cake when you reveal them. But Don’t hide the penalties, the player need them to decide which one of the three missions to drop…
I ask myself the question: “How would they narratively know about this mission?” Is it gossip brought in by refugees? A scout returning from assignment? A vision from your Chosen? Old passages in the Annals from Legionnaires who came here before? Then I provide information from that perspective. I also had the cannibal mission, when I did it I said:
The Annals speak of an old fortress in the mountains that the Legion once used during the Godswar. Refugees say that many of their friends have fled there seeking protection, but they are worried because no one has heard from them since. If there are as many refugees as they say, the Legion may be able to recruit new soldiers or trade essential goods. Investigate this old fortress.