Basic Concepts

The golden rule

If you have played other games, you might be used to the idea of rigorous, precise rules to follow. This game is different: the players are free to think outside of the limits of the rules and attempt anything which seems reasonable within the game fiction.

Because of this, there will inevitably be situations which aren’t covered by the rules, or where the rules as written don’t work well or are open to interpretation. In such a situation, the GM makes up new rulings, and what they decide overrides anything written in this rulebook.

Rounding numbers

When the result of a division is not a whole number, you must round up unless otherwise specified. For example, 9 ÷ 4 = 2.25, which is rounded up to 3.

Rolling dice

Dice are indicated as dX, where X is the number of sides. A set of dice includes a d4, a d6, a d8, a d10, a d12, and a d20. Many d10s show a ‘0’ instead of a ‘10’ on one face: in this case, consider any roll of ‘0’ as a ‘10’. To roll a d2, d3, or d5, roll a d4, d6, or d10 respectively and divide by 2.

The dice should be rolled openly. Only the GM may occasionally roll secretly, if seeing the result might spoil the experience for the players.

When something has an X:Y chance of happening, it happens on a roll of X or less on a dY. For example, a 3:8 chance happens on a roll of 3 or less on a d8.

Tracking time

Time is an important resource for adventurers, and many good scenarios incorporate mechanics to introduce time pressure for the players. For simplicity’s sake, time in the game is tracked using the following abstract units rather than real-world units:

• Rounds represent a few seconds.
• Stretches represent a few minutes.
• Watches represent a few hours. A day is divided into 3 watches: morning (from sunrise), afternoon (from noon), and night (from sunset).

Scenes

The game is played over several scenes, representing events happening at a specific place and time, such as the exploration of a dungeon or an encounter in the wilderness.

Scenes are played across several rounds. During a round, the group of players and the GM alternate activating one of their characters or passing. Each character can only activate once per round. The round ends when both the players and the GM pass consecutively.

When activated, characters can move and then perform a round action (anything taking a few seconds), in that order. They can also perform any number of quick actions (anything taking a few instants) while moving, before the round action. Multiple characters can activate together to collaborate on the same action.

Characters can also choose to perform a stretch or watch action, in which case the scene ends and time fast-forwards to the beginning of the next stretch or watch.

Overland travel

When the player characters travel across long distances, the game is played in overland mode, during which time is tracked using watches.

During a watch, each player character can perform a watch action such as travelling, resting, or visiting towns. They can also perform any number of quick, round, and stretch actions, within reason.

Characters may perform the same action together to avoid being alone in case of dangerous encounters. GM characters aren’t closely tracked during overland play, and are assumed to act behind the scenes.

Downtime

At some point, the players will have to enter downtime for a few days to rest, heal, and improve. Downtime lets the players almost completely reset their characters for a fresh start. It is also an opportunity for the GM to update the state of the game world and present new significant events.