Questions about Hx useage

[lin_fusan]

I have a couple of questions about the usesage of Hx:

1) I had assumed that if two characters were in the same charged situation, they couldn't Read a Sitch separately, so one had to help the other. Is this right?

2) I had another situation where three characters were sneaking through an enemy encampment. The Battlebabe was on "point" to sneak through, and I had the seconf character roll Hx to assist, but should I have had the third character roll to assist in order to participate?

i find out that I learn something new every time I run this game!

Thanks!

[Michael Loy]

With (1), separate characters absolutely read the situation, every man for himself.  The answers to the questions aren't going to be the same for each character, and only the person who did the read gets the +1 bonus.  So everyone who's interested should make their own unique read.

For (2), it depends on what was going on.  It sounds like you figured that the battlebabe could act under fire to lead the others through the camp?  She's the only one who needed to roll, then.

It doesn't hurt for the others to help, though, and you would imagine that they'd be doing their best to help keep from getting caught ... probably it would have made sense for each of them to roll, if they're actually contributing in the fiction.  If they're just kind of dawdling along after the battlebabe, though, then maybe not.  To do it, do it ... roll to help whenever you're concretely helping.

Remember that, theoretically, helping rolls and hindering rolls are declared before the main roll's dice hit the table.  You don't need to be strict about that, but that way it still makes sense for two people to help, even though only one hit will count.  It shouldn't be, Dude A rolls to aid the battlebabe and gets a hit, so Dude B goes, "Ok, it doesn't do any good if I help, so I don't."

[Christopher Weeks]

Wait, one character can totally help another character read the sitch.  If that's what's happening in the fiction, then that's what's happening.  But I'd agree that it's not what I normally see in play.

[Glendower]

1) I had assumed that if two characters were in the same charged situation, they couldn't Read a Sitch separately, so one had to help the other. Is this right?

Two characters can read the same charged situation separately.  Their questions can get different answers, based on their playbook, moves, and relationships they have with the situation in question. If the characters want to do their moves separate, then they are able to do so.

If the one character wants to help one another character read a charged situation, they can, but they do have to explain how they are helping.  Unfortunately, the helping character does not get to ask the questions, and does not get the +1 forward when acting on the information.

The helping option is a good one to those characters that have high Hx but low Sharp.  Alternatively, those with low Hx and high Sharp are more likely to read charged situations separately.

[gravity]

Once, my dear operator Fox helped her fellow battlebabe read her, as Fox really wanted the battlebabe to understand how hurt she was because of the battlebabe's violent actions and related coldness and detachment. It was a lovely scene.

[Joe Beason]

In our last session my PC helped another PC read a person with whom they were having an audience of sorts.  I pictured it as the other PC doing most of the talking while my PC would occasionally quirk an eyebrow, make a comment, etc.  Kind of double-teaming.

Good Cop/Bad Cop: one PC rolls +sharp while the other rolls to help.  On a 10+, choose 2.  On a 7-9, choose 1.

- the Bad Cop received the benefit of going aggro with a 10+.
- the Good Cop received the benefit of seducing/manipulating with a 10+.