Making Trouble
Good reporters live dangerous lives; trouble always comes calling eventually. When it does, they’ll have to use their wits and their magic to find their way out.
Explanation
What is it
Trouble is a special kind of scene, where players will be challenged to face danger and risk hardships. It can occur at any time, but usually happens once a reporter’s trouble meter has filled.
Failing to find your way out of trouble will lead to Hardships for your reporter, which could make the ongoing investigation more difficult.
Escaping it, on the other hand, will leave you with empty spots in your trouble meter and more leeway to pursue the investigation.
How it’s done
When trouble comes calling, there are two steps: first you clear the risk that foreshadowed it, then you Face Danger.
Clear a risk
Trouble is usually foreshadowed by Risks; when it comes calling, the editor first tells the player to erase the associated risks from the trouble meter. If it shows up more than once, clear all occurrences. Depending on how the ensuing scene goes, you may replace or escalate the risks, add Hardships, or leave them cleared.
Face danger
Next, the editor will narrate a scene putting a reporter into some kind of trouble. It’s up to the reporter to Face Danger and find their way out of it.
Generally speaking, the more serious the trouble seems, the more reporters should be looking towards escape, rather than fighting off the problem. On the other hand, some trouble might be social, psychological, or economic; it’ll take a clever solution to avoid those.
Notes
If multiple reporters are in the same when trouble comes calling for one of them, it’s up to the editor to decide how to involve them. Sometimes the trouble might be a thing the entire group has to face. Other times it could be limited to just the one reporter.