One of the things that defines me as a GM is that I can't leave things well enough alone. My players and friends accuse me of being unable to run something right out of the box, without modifying things to suit my style of game, or just what I think is cooler. I have one thing to say to all of that:

Guilty as charged.

But I don't see this as a bad thing, and mostly I don't think my players do either. I mean, most good games are based on, even outright state, the mantra - 'This is your game. If a rule or some content isn't working for you, throw it out or change it'. So I do.

And you should too. So I hope to present a series of hacks, tricks or cool things that I have tried, or toyed with from other games that I have enjoyed, adapted to BASH and BASH-SF.

Todays Hack: Hard Choices:

This is a core mechanic from Apocalypse World by way of D. Vincent Baker's Apocalypse Engine game system. The part I am referring to here is the notion of three end states of task resolution. In most games you have a success/ fail split. In the Apocalypse Engine, there is a third option, a Hard Choice, which happens when the dice are not really high or really low, but hanging in the middle.

The rolling player can opt to accept a failure on the roll, or can succeed at the task at hand at a cost of some sort - presented to the player as a Hard Choice by the GM. So a Hard Choice to notice an ambush in time might be that the character can either leap into cover OR yell and alert his companions, but not both. If it is not obvious, the GM runs down what either option means to the situation and the player gets to choose.

How do we Hack this for BASH?

IN BASH, A Hard Choice needs to be derived from the final total, after the roll is applied to the Multiple for Stat, Power or Skill. To Apply the Hard Choice Mechanic, any roll that is low, but within 5 of the target number, becomes a Hard Choice.

In play this livens things up quite a bit.

Mondragon, lurking on the warehouse rooftop, can't make out what the thugs below are discussing. A Hard Choice arises with his Stealth roll, and the GM allows him to hear what is said, but at the cost of giving away his presence as the old tin roof crackles underfoot at an inopportune moment. Nearby, Kraken grapples with the watchmen on the Docks, the player rolls a Hard Choice. The GM offers Kraken the opportunity to do damage to the minions, but suffer their attacks simultaneously. Hoping to take them out quickly and quietly, Kraken's player accepts, but he could have played it safe and refused, or possibly spent sufficient Hero Points to raise the roll from Hard Choice to Full Success.

Stay Tuned for another Fast Hack, coming soon to a d-infinity page near you!

Art is by the extremely talented Nunchaku.