How many factors are you typically using?

[Rafe]

I mean, the example of finding the dead grain peddler's body in the snake doesn't seem to like achievement of intent. If they had made the roll, the peddler would be alive.

Not really. The goal is "find the grain peddler" with the side goal of "determine if he's a traitor" (or find evidence of it). Both are achieved regardless of the twist: The peddler is found on a successful Scout check but also found (dead) with the snake twist. After all, Scout doesn't determine state of existence, only finding something/someone. That happens, succeed or fail.

What the twists/conditions do is make it harder to succeed overall by beating down the guardmice over the course of the GM Turn.

[buzz]

Not really. The goal is "find the grain peddler" with the side goal of "determine if he's a traitor" (or find evidence of it). Both are achieved regardless of the twist: The peddler is found on a successful Scout check but also found (dead) with the snake twist. After all, Scout doesn't determine state of existence, only finding something/someone. That happens, succeed or fail.

What the twists/conditions do is make it harder to succeed overall by beating down the guardmice over the course of the GM Turn.

Then what stops the GM from deciding that the grain peddler is dead no matter what the outcome of the roll is? I.e., what's the difference between the player succeeding on the roll and the GM saying he's dead, and the player failing the roll and the GM saying he's dead? Basically, what does "harder to succeed" mean when the players succeed no matter what?

I dunno. BW and BE do not work like this. When you biff a roll, you don't get your intent, period. If you declare your intent and know you get it no matter what, it's just the "cost" that varies, that seems pretty boring. What reason is there not to just ask for the sky every time you make a test?

I mean, conflicts don't work this way. If you lose, you lose, compromise or no.

[Aramis]

The GM deciding that he's dead anyway would mean that some OTHER result would be the twist for failing the search roll. Perhaps a hatching batch of little snakes....

[buzz]

I'm gonna split this to a new thread.