Burn luck to win initiative? Tell player how much to burn?

[kleefaj]

One of my players asked if he could burn luck to win an important combat encounter. He rolled his initiative first before the opposing side and wanted to know the opposition's roll before burning so he'd know how much luck to burn. I said he'd have to gamble on the amount of luck to burn because he needed to decide before or after his roll. He decided not to burn.

And on that note, do you tell a player how much luck they need to burn if they miss a DC roll?

[Ravenheart87]

One of my players asked if he could burn luck to win an important combat encounter. He rolled his initiative first before the opposing side and wanted to know the opposition's roll before burning so he'd know how much luck to burn. I said he'd have to gamble on the amount of luck to burn because he needed to decide before or after his roll. He decided not to burn.

I would handle it that way too.

And on that note, do you tell a player how much luck they need to burn if they miss a DC roll?

"You need a little bit more to succeed."
"Will 2 points be enough?"
"Yes."
"Okay, I burn 2."

[GnomeBoy]

Do you roll in the open, so that even if you don't tell them what they need, they can make a guess-timate?

I usually just say what they'd need to burn; haven't run into any negative issues with that.

[kleefaj]

Do you roll in the open, so that even if you don't tell them what they need, they can make a guess-timate?

I usually just say what they'd need to burn; haven't run into any negative issues with that.

I'm getting better at rolling in the open. I still forget sometimes. But I've said, "If you burn two Luck you'll make it."

[GnomeBoy]

I feel like not knowing how much Luck to burn is ...unlucky.

"I'll burn 7! Just to be sure" ...yeah, but really you only needed to burn 2...

It's not the character burning the Luck. The fluxuations in Luck are swirling eddies in the cosmic effluvia, not anything that's under the character's control. The character may be desperate to hit or to make a jump, and there's plenty for players to guess about and not know for certain -- once they know what they want to do, and they fall short on the die, why not just let them know how to make it up? Better that, than that they never burn any Luck because they don't want to gamble it...

I want players to burn Luck, so it'll bite them when they need it and have spent it! But seriously, if they spend a little here and a little there, and it gets to where they are less and less comfortable with spending it for fear of really needing it and having none to spare, I think that makes for a nicely arced feeling of impending doom/"things are getting tougher".

[JudgeTim]

I always tell the players the target number. First, I figure they’re either lucky or they’re not. Second, I subscribe to the belief that games are more interesting when you give the players information, and they’re less likely to get salty about me being adversarial.

[Raven_Crowking]

i let the players know how much Luck they have to burn.

[mAc Chaos]

I don't let them know the target number. Eventually they figure it out, or spend enough to be "safe," which suits me fine.

[catseye yellow]

i am usually pretty much open about numbers need. as much as for my sake as for theirs. keeps me honest.