Hi ! First post, And sorry for my english, this is not my native tongue.
I will try to be clear in spite of my difficulty in expressing myself in English. I will run very soon a campaign for 7th sea and I understand the game system in general. On the other hand, I have some difficuties to understand how, using the game system of course, create risk and consequences when the situation in which players find themselves is not a physical action, like a investigation scene in an abandonned place. It is written that players roll dice only when we considering that the scene carry a risk, but I do not feel the need to make everything dangerously physically. How would you throw the dice in a situation where the danger is absent but the evidence may or may not be found ? A scene where players must think and investigate (Because I do not want to give them all for free)
Thanks for the answer !
P.P.
Successes:
Generally your successes here are finding the 'clues'. I assume you have several in mind and not all of them are critical to moving the story along (If they are, they should just be given out).
Some potential Opportunities:
1) Gather additional information about each "clue".
For instance, they may find footprints as the Success (1 Raise) but there may be an opportunity to figure out if they are male/female sized, what type of boot/shoe, and what type of dirt.
Another clue might be that a book is missing on a bookshelf (1 Raise) but opportunities include identifying the type of book it was by analyzing the surrounding books, the use of the book (based upon dust prints), etc.
2) Speed. If time is of the essence, each Raise could mean the clue is found/analyzed faster (allowing them a better chance of catching someone)
Some potential Consequences:
1) If they are investigaint incognito or stealthily, avoiding the consequence of getting caught or seen
2) If there are other people around, avoiding the consequence of having someone else contaminate the evidence
3) If they are alone, there is always the chance that investigating one clue means they damage the scene for another clue, so finding each clue could need to avoid the consequence of destroying another clue
4) False clues...you could the consequence of finding 2 clues and not knowing which is real
These work better if you don't tell the players exactly what each Consequence is but give them a sense..."It's possible that your finding each clue would result in contaminating the area for another, so there's a consequence." or "There are a lot of potential clues, there's a consequence(s) of finding false clues in your search)
John
The system is Heroic, as are Dramatic wounds. There is also chance that your actions create non-damaging consequence. F. ex. some enemy take notice on players, they lose some Wealth they have, or something like that. False clues is an aption. There is also on option that they end up in a dark alley and someone tries to rob them, thus consequence is combat scene with chance of physical violence.