Your character is, first and foremost, is defined by their concept.
4 entries for your concept. I recommend a minimum of 6 words for each and using adjectives to get the most out of them
Narrative format Think about your concept in a narrative format:
From this description, we know that Darin has trouble with authority, likely has some old enemies and friends on Mars, is motivated by money and the next score, keeps a rifle close at hand, and likely has some business sense but needs his friends to dig him out of trouble. Etc.
Your concept provides
This last point is, mechanically speaking, the most important. When deciding if your character has an item/weapon/knowledge/contact/resource/skill or can perform a particular action, always first look at your Concept first. Using Darin as an example, he would likely need help navigating a library and appearing respectable at formal party. He would have no problem with a fist fight or striking up a conversation with another vet. Advanced mathematics and long periods of quiet are likely beyond his abilities.
Three cases when deciding if your character has an item/weapon/knowledge/contact/resource/skill
As players advance, they gain an equal number of strengths and weaknesses. When a player chooses a new strength, the player must choose (or is assigned) a weakness roughly on the same “magnitude” of the strength. The weakness and strength do not need to be related.
Starting, players have 1 strength and 1 weakness
Examples:
Actions in this game typically rely on one of the following skills:
(Two types of knowledge and a mental, physical, and social skill)
Skills range from -2 to +3. -1 is average for a common human, 0 is average for a relevant professional, and +3 is bordering on legendary.
Starting, players assign +2, +1, 0, -1, -2 to the skills of their choice (Optional, +2, +1, 0, 0, -1)
Your character either possess or has access to any reasonable equipment that makes sense for their Concept or the Narrative.
Anything else should be discussed with the Table (the GM and other players) and written down here.
Examples: Spaceship, power armor, large bank account, scientific laboratory, etc.
Characters do not “level up” in the traditional sense. They sometimes gain a new strength AND weakness, and much less frequently gain a +1 to add to a skill.
For all actions, make sure it makes sense for your character, narrate what you are doing, determine what Skill is relevant, ask if there are any costs/penalties/bonuses, and roll 2d6 + relevant skill + bonuses/penalties
Most actions fall into one of two categories. It is a mostly positive act or a mostly negative act. This is despite the outcome or the intended provided justification. (E.g. killing someone to save thousands is still a negative act).
this needs a serious rethinking
| Basic action name | Succeed/fail | vs. PCs | vs. NPCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build up - Heal, repair, comfort, etc | Success | You achieve what you want. (You and your ally both gain a bonus token) | You get what you want or contribute toward what you want (You gain a success token and a bonus token) |
| Partial | Choose: You mostly get what you want (you both gain a penalty token) or You don't quite get what you want (you both gain a bonus token) | You don't quite get what you want (You gain a success and a failure token) | |
| Fail | You do not get what you want and the GM tells you what happens. (You and your ally both gain a failure token). | You do not get what you want or don't contribute toward what you want (You gain a failure token and a penalty token) | |
| Tear down - Break, injure, sabotage, etc | Success | You achieve what you want, and you tell your opponent what happens. (You gain a bonus token, and your opponent gains a penalty token) | You get what you want or contribute toward what you want (You gain a success token and a penalty token) |
| Partial | Choose: You mostly get what you want (you gain a penalty token and your opponent gains a bonus token) or You neither get what you want (your opponent get a bonus token) | You don't quite get what you want (You gain a success and a failure token) | |
| Fail | You do not get what you want and your opponent tells you what happens. (You gain a penalty token and your opponent gains a bonus token) | You do not get what you want or don't contribute toward what you want (You gain a failure token and a bonus token) |
Examples
Costs are intentionally left vague. They are typically made clear before an action is attempted (but not always) as a consequence for failure. For example, the security alarm will go off if the guard sees you, your allies will abandon you if you embarrass them, you will not get paid for your mission if you don't arrive on time, etc.
There are two types of tokens: Success/failure tokens are managed by the GM. Bonus/penalties are managed by each player.
Some actions are performed by a group or require multiple rolls. The GM first decides, based on the number of players, the number of successes required and makes this known. The players work out a strategy, and the GM lets them know the costs of failure. The players first narrate their actions up to some critical point, all roll and combine their success and failure tokens in the center of the table. If the number of tokens match or exceed the requirement, the players win. If below, the players lose. Regardless of the outcome, failure tokens are given the GM. Excess success tokens cancel out Failure tokens.
The GM collects failure tokens and uses them to provide narrative disadvantages to the players. This includes introducing a security camera to a back alley, blocking off the easy escape route, raising the cost of a particular action, etc. The GM does not need a failure token to invoke a player's Penalty token.
Each game, a player always has a total of 5 bonus/penalty tokens. If a bonus is gained or penalty used, exchange a penalty for a bonus. If a penalty is gained or a bonus used, exchange a bonus for a penalty. Each game typically starts with 3 bonus and 2 penalty tokens per player or as the GM says. Only 1 token may be applied for each player's action.
Bonus tokens are used by a player and
Penalty tokens can be a player or by the GM against a player.
Earning tokens :
When filling a
bridge
below decks
At the beginning of the first session, address the following: