Boon and Bane terminology

[DickNervous]

I have no issue with Boon and Bane. But then I also play the Pathefinder Adventure Card Game and they use those terms throughout the game where Boon = anything that is good/beneficial and Bane = anything that is bad/harmful/evil/needs-to-die.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Victor Von Doom uses boon and bane. He is sci-fi.

 

[-Daniel-]

To be honest, this just does not seem like an issue to me. Boon and Bane just a game mechanic not something I expect to hear my character say. I would say just leave this one as is.

 

[TrippyHippy]

I'm not sure why saying 'advantage'/'disadvantage' needs to be precluded on the grounds that the term is used in D&D already. I mean, so what?

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Where's my D20? D&D has used them for decades.

 

[Stainless]

Of course. Bonus and Penalty. Not sure why I didn't think of this as they are terms used frequently in bioinformatics which is my field of endeavour.

 

[First Age]

It was independently house ruled from Mongoose's revisions. Bane and Boon have been used before in other RPGs. Just not with 6-sided most of the times.

They are 'Bonus' and 'Penalty' for the 2D6 9+ to succeed Barbarians of Lemuria.

Bane and Boon doesn't evoke the right feel for me either and prefer the BoL take. In fact you should probably swap terms. :wink:

 

[-Daniel-]

I do find it interesting that we are more concerned by the terms being used than by the mechanic itself. Does this mean we have a consensus that the mechanic itself is good?

 

[vladthemad]

Where I live, we say boon and bane.

Rivendell?

HA!

But seriously, I'll agree that boon and bane aren't really words that seem to fit the feel of the genre or the book. In my forty plus years being alive living all over the U.S., I can honestly say I have never heard anyone use those two words in a conversation. Maybe I can envision a crotchety old moonshiner might actually use them, but definitely not your typical nerdy, overly wordy roleplayer.

Gaming at the table, I can't imagine many groups saying "You suffer a boon from the flickering lights while trying to search the room." or "You gain a boon due to your superior set of tools while trying to repair the drive." They will probably say "You suffer a penalty..." and "You gain an advantage...", no matter what the terminology might be in the book. So if the terms aren't likely to be used during game play, why use the terms in the book at all? I'd opt for disadvantage/advantage, bonus/penalty, or something else that is much more generic and therefore less likely to break the suspension of disbelief during play.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Model Emily Ratajkowski: "Blurred Lines video is 'the bane of my existence'"
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/04/emily-ratajkowski-blurred-lines-video?CMP=fb_gu

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Gaming at the table, I can't imagine many groups saying "You suffer a boon from the flickering lights while trying to search the room." or "You gain a boon due to your superior set of tools while trying to repair the drive." They will probably say "You suffer a penalty..." and "You gain an advantage...", no matter what the terminology might be in the book. So if the terms aren't likely to be used during game play, why use the terms in the book at all? I'd opt for disadvantage/advantage, bonus/penalty, or something else that is much more generic and therefore less likely to break the suspension of disbelief during play.

That's what +/- 1DMs are for. This is an example of a referee not understanding how the Mongoose Traveller mechanic works in the first place.

 

[Rockymountainnavy]

That's what +/- 1DMs are for. This is an example of a referee not understanding how the Mongoose Traveller mechanic works in the first place.

But under Difficulty, Boon/Bane and DMs on p. 61 that all changes.

Dice Modifiers: In general, these should be regarded as being 'hard-wired' into the rules, and only applied if they are listed in a Traveller rulebook or supplement.

Boon and Bane: If an exterior factor is influencing the task, for better or worse, then a Boon or Bane is applied.

For example, Weather on p. 78 states, "High winds and torrential rains cause a Bane to all skill checks made in the teeth of the weather...."

Page 61 actually changes a lot. I am still unclear as to how the Boon/Bane is used in the Core Mechanic.

 

[vladthemad]

That's what +/- 1DMs are for. This is an example of a referee not understanding how the Mongoose Traveller mechanic works in the first place.

Those examples I used of what might give a boon or bane were taken right from the rule on page 59, and as noted on page 61 states boons and banes are from exterior factors influencing a task.

 

[First Age]

That's what +/- 1DMs are for. This is an example of a referee not understanding how the Mongoose Traveller mechanic works in the first place.

Those examples I used of what might give a boon or bane were taken right from the rule on page 59, and as noted on page 61 states boons and banes are from exterior factors influencing a task.

Quite. And if we put to one side the hokey Pathfinder flavour of the terminology, I can see a similar confusion of their application in a game to the conversation above.

I like the mechanic a great deal. When to apply it? Perhaps as I get to know the set it will be obvious, but right now, and as above, I might be looking over my shoulder wondering if a -/+DM should apply rather than a Penalty/Bonus die. It feels like the mechanic is a sweep up rather than a more tightly integrated element to the game. Just a feeling. I like that it is there.

 

[-Daniel-]

I do think it would not hurt to have some expectation setting comments in the book regarding how often boons or banes should be used. I would imagine if they are rare they almost become a form of reward or punishment. If they are too common they loose their "shinny" specialness.

 

[VenomousFiligree]

Page 61 actually changes a lot. I am still unclear as to how the Boon/Bane is used in the Core Mechanic.

Being familiar GMing both BoL and 5e which both use this mechanic, they way I would use it (and this may or may not be how it's intended to be used in Trav) is – think of the base difficulty as to how it might be presented in a written adventure, the author will state how hard the task is, then when the players approach the task, is it easier or harder due to their approach within the narrative. If harder they get a bane/penalty/disadvantage dice, if easier they get a boon/bonus/advantage dice.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Being familiar GMing both BoL and 5e which both use this mechanic, they way I would use it (and this may or may not be how it's intended to be used in Trav) is – think of the base difficulty as to how it might be presented in a written adventure, the author will state how hard the task is, then when the players approach the task, is it easier or harder due to their approach within the narrative. If harder they get a bane/penalty/disadvantage dice, if easier they get a boon/bonus/advantage dice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd1z_GuF7Ug

 

[VenomousFiligree]

Being familiar GMing both BoL and 5e which both use this mechanic, they way I would use it (and this may or may not be how it's intended to be used in Trav) is – think of the base difficulty as to how it might be presented in a written adventure, the author will state how hard the task is, then when the players approach the task, is it easier or harder due to their approach within the narrative. If harder they get a bane/penalty/disadvantage dice, if easier they get a boon/bonus/advantage dice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd1z_GuF7Ug

I switched off when you got your terminology wrong!

"If the character's in a rush.... They make a boon roll..."

 

[-Daniel-]

Regardless of mixed up terms, he is right, the mechanic is not that difficult to follow. For me, the real question is not how to use it but rather, was it needed in the first place. Was there a real need for an additional method to change the probability of a roll?

I really do not care either way, but I do agree, the mechanic is not hard to understand.

 

[vladthemad]

Quite. And if we put to one side the hokey Pathfinder flavour of the terminology, I can see a similar confusion of their application in a game to the conversation above.

I like the mechanic a great deal. When to apply it? Perhaps as I get to know the set it will be obvious, but right now, and as above, I might be looking over my shoulder wondering if a -/+DM should apply rather than a Penalty/Bonus die. It feels like the mechanic is a sweep up rather than a more tightly integrated element to the game. Just a feeling. I like that it is there.

Regardless of mixed up terms, he is right, the mechanic is not that difficult to follow. For me, the real question is not how to use it but rather, was it needed in the first place. Was there a real need for an additional method to change the probability of a roll?

I really do not care either way, but I do agree, the mechanic is not hard to understand.

Agreed, I'm scratching my head as to why it was added to the core rule book. The terminology discussion in this thread aside, the mechanic seems like something that belongs more in the optional rules book than the core rule book.