Game Code/Resolution System/GMed Scenes

Simple GM Scenes

Summary

The simplified GM style uses the character's card stats and a simple 2d6 roll for resolving challenges.

Rolling

+roll Concept with Card Name

Setting a Target Number

In order to set the 'difficulty' of a task, this is a simple chart. Note that '2' is missing, as we expect people to be skilled at what they do, and a '2' always succeeds.

Target Number (TN)	Difficulty	Ex: Ranged	Ex: Melee	Ex: Scripture	Ex: Physical
3-5	Easy	Shooting someone point-blank	Cutting a training dummy	Answering a highschool level question	Opening a jar of pickles
6-8	Middling	Shooting someone semi-aware and moving	Piercing a Goblin	Answering a college-level question	Bodycheck someone
9-10	Difficult	Shooting someone bobbing and weaving	Wounding a powerful Lander	Answering a professional-level question	Kicking down a door
11-12	Really Difficult	Shooting someone behind very solid cover	Punching a Black rated Monster	Answering a doctorate-level question	Wrestling a Wyvern

Challenge Successes & Health

A challenge has a certain amount of 'successes' it needs to remove a 'dot' of progress. A simple challenge will only have 1 dot of progress. But if you need something to be a 'multi-round task', you can give it multiple 'dots' or 'hp'.

The big thing to keep in mind here is the following:

• If the number of Successes is not reached within a round, the progress resets (to represent momentum upon a task)
• Overage on successes per round does not contribute to Dot / HP progress (to scale something into guaranteed multi-rounds)
• Only allow each Unique Card (by name) to be rolled once per scene.

Examples

A door

Challenge: Door (Physical 7) - 2 successes, 1 HP

This door needs 2 people to succeed in a round to make progress on getting down this door.

Named Soldier

Challenge: John Swordman (Any Combat Concept 8) - 4 successes, 2 HP

'John Swordman' will last at least 2 rounds, and needs 4 people to hit a middling-to-difficult check to 'deal with them'.

Each round, depending on when John's turn is, John rolls Evasion or Shield or similar, to set the Target Difficulty for their rolls to 'avoid damage'.

Opening a Trapped Lock

Challenge: Trapped Lock (Legerdemain 12) - 1 successes, 1 HP

A critical lock that gets in the way of their retreat! If they fail to meet this challenge, you can either make it 'take longer, and the Adventurers all take 1 HP of damage' or add some other complication.

Running an On-Foot GM Scene

Starting things off

At the start of an encounter, each person gets <Rounds> amount of HP.

For larger scenes, it is recommended to use <3>.

@create HP Bar
@parent HP Bar=#809
@set HP Bar=!no_command
drop HP Bar
+hp/help

Creating your own HP bar will let you keep track of progress easily. Players and the GM can add notes.

Running an Encounter

Try to give everyone something to do. If they run out of successes to deal within a round, allow them to do things that lower the Target Number of an upcoming roll.

Searching a Room for Clues

When doing a search through an area, set target numbers to search for clues on multiple things, like a Computer, a Cabinet, etc. If they don't succeed the Target Number, it is okay to say they don't find anything in that room. If it's an important clue, give them another go next round. Or, if they don't find the critical information, have the HP dots represent 'Party Morale', and lower it by 1 for the group for not getting what they expected to find.

Challenge: Written Secrets (Cryptography 11) - 1 successes, 1 HP

Challenge: Search The Room (Searching 9) - 4 successes, 1 HP

Challenge: Open Locked Drawers (Legerdemain 8) - 2 successes, 1 HP

A round of battle

When doing a combat round, consider creating 2 enemies to split amongst. Set their TNs to hit to 7 or 8, and set the successes to 'everyone, half, rounded down, minus 1'. So for instance, if you have 9 players, set your TN at 7, and require 4 successes to overcome the opponent. If they fail to overcome the encounter in that 'round', roll a Combat Concept and set the DC to defend. If the players responding to that Target Number fail to succeed, they lose an HP.

Challenge: John Swordman (Combat 7) - 4 successes, 1 HP

Challenge: Hajime Ippo (Combat 8) - 4 successes, 1 HP

A Big Boss Battle

When doing a boss battle, use the above rule of thumb. But set the encounter's <HP> to 3 if the boss goes first, or 4 if the players go first. You can balance the pressure by rolling twice, and taking the highest. If the enemy team manages to win a round and has an extra roll or two, you can let them create interference - lowering the TN for 1 round, or maybe making the boss roll twice to attack, and take lowest. Feel out what you prefer.

Challenge: Biggy Bossmang (Combat 8) - 4 successes, 3 HP

Challenge: Right Handmang (Combat 7) - 4 successes, 3 HP

Example Combat

Players roll before they pose, to help the GM prewrite.

Challenge: John Swordman (Combat 7) - 2 successes, 2/2 HP
Challenge: Hajime Ippo (Combat 8) - 2 successes, 2/2 HP

[OOC] Player A says, "Johny, with gun"
[DUTY - INFO] Player A rolls 2d6 + 3 (Ranged with Tremor) for a Total of 9.
[DUTY - INFO] Player A challenged an easy Ranged challenge and Barely Succeeded (9/7) at it.
[OOC] Player B says, "Johny, running in with a sword"
[DUTY - INFO] Player B rolls 2d6 + 2 (Melee with Hammer Strike) for a Total of 14.
[DUTY - INFO] Player B challenged a simple Melee challenge and Heavily Succeeded (14/7) at it.
[OOC] Player C says, "Johny, flame-punching him in the face"
[DUTY - INFO] Player C rolls 2d6 + 10 (Fire with Ragnarok's Wisdom) for a Total of 21.
[DUTY - INFO] Player C challenged a near-guaranteed Fire challenge and Heavily Succeeded (21/7) at it.
[OOC] Player D says, "Jimmy, using my special wind bow"
[DUTY - INFO] Player D rolls 2d6 + 3 (Air with Shock) for a Total of 8.
[DUTY - INFO] Player D challenged an easy Air challenge and Barely Succeeded (8/7) at it.
[OOC] Player E says, "Jimmy, throwing daggers at him"
[DUTY - INFO] Player E rolls 2d6 + 2 (Ranged) for a Total of 11.
[DUTY - INFO] Player E challenged a simple Ranged challenge and Succeeded (11/7) at it.

<player poses follow>

<gm pose>

[OOC] GM says, "Jimmy and Johny are both down 1 HP. They are attacking by means of Fire - so roll Evasion or Shield to defend. They are challenging, so they will take the highest of two rolls."

[DUTY - INFO] Liminality rolls 2d6 + 5 (Fire) for a Total of 12.
[DUTY - INFO] Liminality challenged a near-guaranteed Fire challenge and Succeeded (12/7) at it.
[DUTY - INFO] Liminality rolls 2d6 + 5 (Fire) for a Total of 11.
[DUTY - INFO] Liminality challenged a near-guaranteed Fire challenge and Succeeded (11/7) at it.


[OOC] GM says, "Target Number is 12"

[DUTY - INFO] Player A rolls 2d6 + 1 (Evasion) for a Total of 3.
[DUTY - INFO] Player A challenged a simple Evasion challenge and Heavily Failed (3/7) at it.
[OOC] Player A says, "I got hit. Down to 2 HP."
[DUTY - INFO] Player B rolls 2d6 + 1 (Evasion) for a Total of 3.
[DUTY - INFO] Player B challenged a simple Evasion challenge and Heavily Failed (3/7) at it.
[OOC] Player B says, "I got hit. Down to 2 HP."
[DUTY - INFO] Player C rolls 2d6 + 1 (Evasion) for a Total of 12.
[DUTY - INFO] Player C challenged a simple Evasion challenge and Heavily Succeeded (12/7) at it.
[OOC] Player C says, "Safe."

Challenge: John Swordman (Combat 7) - 2 successes, 1/2 HP
Challenge: Hajime Ippo (Combat 8) - 2 successes, 1/2 HP

<we start again at the top of the round>

General Tips

Prewrite

As poses and numbers come in, start writing up the response ahead of time. Don't wait for the last pose to come in before you start writing your big GM pose.

Succeed Together

As a GM, it is your job to knit and entwine player actions. Especially in a boss encounter. If a character fails a roll, but the whole team succeeded a challenge, set them up narratively to help someone else succeed. Make things feel good. Help the characters interact together.