quote:
Tyrell: ...but this, all of this is academic. You were made as well as we could make you.
Batty: But not to last.
Tyrell: The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long - and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy. Look at you: you're the Prodigal Son; you're quite a prize!
Batty: I've done... questionable things.
Tyrell: Also extraordinary things; revel in your time.
Batty: Nothing the God of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for.
Blade Runner, 1982
This is a quote from the movie
Blade Runner that helps illuminate the following. But I just welcome any chance to quote such a good movie. The quoted conversation kinda goes downhill after that last quoted line.
Very soon, we will showing off our Moves in the game. In Masks, Moves (with a capital 'M') are the core of the rules. A Move is how a character reacts with the environment. Everything that you would use dice with in other games is handled by a Move.
And here is where I would like your input. Let me explain:
In Masks, there are no physical stats. Essentially, you can't be hurt by the rules. You can be emotionally affected in various ways. But you can't die unless the GM and/or player wishes. And, if you can't die then, sooner or later, you are going to grow until your character retires from the game. And the governance of Moves is how the speed of your character' progression towards retirement happens.
See, in Masks, your characters mature until they can't mature any more (in game terms, at least). There will come a point where they have maxed every stat and gained every advantage. And then they leave. There is a Playbook called the Doomed, where the character's arc is to have a tragic ending and leave the game. But every other Playbook also progress towards leaving the game. Their ending may just be a happier one than the Doomed (at least, I hope so).
This is not a complaint, growing up is a hallmark of every Young Adult story, not just teenage superheroes. Coming of Age (and then Going Away) is rightly baked into Masks. The question is, how fast do you want this to happen to your character?
With almost every Move, you either succeed OR you get the experience (Potential) or other resources to eventually succeed. So you move forward with every Move. The more Moves, the faster your character moves towards their final curtain. Less Moves, less often and you don't grow up so fast.
How often do we do Moves? For example, there is a Move called Assess The Situation. It is the character taking a moment to observe the environment and learn from it. In other games, this might be called a Perception or Search Roll. Now some GM's in other games might have players roll Perception only once a 'scene'. Others might have players roll Perception with the introduction of every new character, event or fact revealed. Which approach is right, depends on the GM and the players.
That's just one example about how any scene might call for dozens of Moves or just one, depending on how the party and GM see it. And players don't always themselves degree. So I propose that a player may ask to make a Move any time they think it right. I have to approve such a Move but I very likely will unless there is a compelling reason against it. And I may also offer Moves if the situation calls for it. The first time you journey to a new place, I might allow Assessing the Situation Moves as it makes sense to do so.
One more option, I might allow another player to setup a Move for another player. For example, one player has a 'moment of angst' which is so teen and so Marvel. This is to allow another player to make a Comfort and Support Move for their character to successfully help the first player's character. This allows players to do things for each other and helps them bond.
If players want to use Moves sparingly (
"Stay Gold, Ponyboy!"), I will usually let a character to achieve what a Move might be solving a problem and having a particularly good character moment. This will probably happen after the Movers and the shakers have Moved.
If it seems like this would affect game balance, with some players Moving forward and growing in every way and other not so much, don't worry. Your characters can't die, they can only be slowed down. So if some students have to repeat a semester, they all still graduate given enough time. :-)
Let me know what you think...