RPGaDay: Push

I'm running Alien tonight, so I guess I'm going to talk push mechanics.

Most of the games I've played don't have them, so I first encountered the idea in Coriolis.  The idea that if you didn't like the result of your dice roll you could just roll again was a tough one to get used to.  In Coriolis, pushing a roll means the GM gets a darkness point that they can use to make things difficult at a later point.  They function rather like the destiny points in FFG Star Wars from the GM's end.  Thematically I like it a lot - you're asking the Icons for help now but you'll have to pay for it later.  It does rather put pressure on the GM to make use of them, although at the same time it's quite a scary prospect knowing the GM has a giant pile of darkness that could be unleashed at any moment.

Since then I've played a few more of Fria Ligan's Year Zero Engine games, and what really impressed me is that the push mechanic is different depending on what game you're playing, and serves to support the theme of the game.

The original Mutant: Year Zero has a lot going on dice-wise, but pushing a roll means you risk (or if you've already rolled badly, guarantee) either temporary stat damage or gear damage.  It really emphasises what a dangerous world this is; your equipment is built from scrap and could disintegrate at any moment, while the most resilient of bodies and minds can easily be brought down if pushed too far.

At the other end of the scale is Tales From The Loop.  This world is scary and upsetting, and as a kid, these are the things that are a threat to you, hindering you in everything you do.  But ultimately you're going to survive, because that's what kids do.

But my favourite is Alien.

Unlike most YZE games where pushing is likely to result in you having fewer dice to spend on future rolls, in Alien you get more.  Each time you push, your stress increases by 1, and each point of stress adds to your dice pool.  Stress gives you an edge, as the adrenaline pumping through your system makes you stronger, faster and sharper.

The trade-off is that as your stress level goes up, so does your risk of panic, and the likely severity of that panic.  High stress means your chances of shooting that monster are much higher, but so are the chances that instead of the short controlled bursts you were supposed to be using, you empty your entire magazine into the thing while screaming your head off.

The end result is tension in every dice roll, as success or failure takes second stage to control or panic.  And that's why it's my favourite push mechanic - because it's both supportive of the game's mood and themes, and so thoroughly tied into the game mechanics as a whole.