Hazards. Who will feel the effect?

[Indur Dawndeath]

Hi guys,

I'v been playing with 4 or less players until now, but next month we will be 6 players.
Therefore some Travel roles will be taken by multiple players.

The issue is this: A Hazard has been triggered and fx. the Scouts must pass a test of Explore or suffer a wound.
Our 2 Scouts both try and fail. Who will take the wound.
1) Both
2) The one with the worst result
3) All companions
4) Random companion
I think that if everyone suffered from a failed test to overcome a Hazard, then players would be more inclined to spend a point of Hope to help out with the test. On the other hand, if by spending a point of Hope you risk being a target, if say all scouts take a wound if no one succeeds, then players will be reluctant to spend that point of Hope.

How do you handle this?

[Azrael Macool]

Okay, first off, I want to say that it hasn't yet come up for me, so I can only give my opinions in the case of what I would do.

First off, if two people rolled and both failed, I might only have one of them actually get Wounded or whatever. If it's something that negative, I mean. If it were some Endurance loss, I'd probably have them both take it. Though I don't have time to check my books, and it's possible they already give a different answer. I'd probably either roll randomly, or go with lesser result; definitely if one of them got an Eye, they'd be a target. Maybe something like... Lowest roll is the target, and if an Eye is rolled, both are?

I'll admit, I can't seem to recall if a player-hero can spend hope to be able to make a roll for a Hazard if there's someone already in that role. Like... If your scouts fail, can the huntsman spend Hope to try and succeed for them, or would that only work if there were no Scouts to being with? If you can even when there's someone in that role, I would think it was be done to just to try and help out the particular party member affected. In that case, I would also rule that the hope-spender would not become a potential target, except on an Eye or something. It's more the help the other person out. If they can only spend the hope if there was no one in that role to begin with, and if no one attempts to tackle the Hazard, I would probably rule it automatically befalls one of the party at random or something. Maybe all of them, if it was particularly bad.

I also think it bears mentioning, in the specific hazards given in Tales From Wilderland, often a failure affects the entire party. Again, justification for hope-expenditures.

Hope that helps!

[doctheweasel]

If both roll and fail (because it only takes one of them for the whole thing to succeed) then they both suffer the consequences.

[Indur Dawndeath]

From the CORE rules (p161)

Cruel Weather (Scout - Strain)
The Company is surprised by the changing weather and is repeatedly caught in the open by rain or snow. On a failure, the Scout loses Endurance as he continuously work vainly to find shelter

In this Hazard, it seems pretty clear that the Scout is the only one loosing Endurance.
So if there is no Scouts, and this auto fails, then nobody is working to find shelter i.e. no Endurance loss... But the company has no where to sleep, so all take Endurance loss from exposure?
If one player spends a point of Hope to fill the role as Scout, and then fails, he will be the only one loosing Endurance. Who will volunteer for that assignment

I know that normally it is up to the LM to decide the nature of the Hazard, but I am using the Adventure Cards from Hobbit Tales, and I am letting the players narrate the Hazards themselves. Therefore I was looking for something more firm, some system or other peoples thoughts on this.

The system could be:
If no one attempts = All companions feel the effect!
If several companions attempt and fails = All with that travel role feel the effect.
If one companion attempt and fails with an Eye of Sauron = All companions feel the effect of a normal failure.

Or it could be random
Roll Feat Die:
Gandalf = The companion who failed the roll decides who feels the effect
1-4 = All Companions will feel the effect
5-7= All with the travel role will feel the effect
8-10 = Only the one who rolled the lowest on the test feels the effect.
Eye of Sauron = All Companions will feel the effect and there will be a Dangerous meeting or another consequence.

Any comments?

[Falenthal]

If no one attempts = All companions feel the effect!
If several companions attempt and fail = All with that travel role feel the effect.

Just this is how I play it. Some Hazards already have an extra effect if failed with an Eye, so I think there's no need to worsen them anymore.

And, of course, sometimes the LM needs some improvisation, but works well 95% of the time.

[Majestic]

I think it really comes down to what makes narrative sense, based on the particular, specific Hazard the Loremaster has selected, whether or not it affects one companion, several (say, all who failed the test) or all them.