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# Introduction

A set of rules and guidance
Which make it easier to create and run
Challenging Narrative Role-Playing Games
Conducted among friends
Created by uzalu

Git | License

# Characters

Characters are anything which might attempt and fail to do something.

To start playing a campaign, each Player only needs a rough concept of their Character.
Further Character details can be added later, as needed.

## Character Sheet

This section requires more work, specifically more complexity rating separation in both the descriptions and the example itself. Consider using a table to show the example and the explanation line-per-line next to each other.

Characters are recorded using only 2 types of information: Modifiers and Sources.

Record your Character like this:

# Character: Roger
Strength +4
# Ring of Perception x1
Perception +3

# Character: Roger
The Character Source, which includes the Character's name.
The name could be left blank if the Player hasn't thought of one yet.

Strength +4
A Modifier with scope "Strength", and a Bonus of +4.
This will improve the Character's performance in Checks which benefit from "Strength" by 4 points.

# Ring of Perception x1
A physical item in the Character's possession. This Source has a Quantity (x) of 1, meaning the Character currently holds 1 of them.

Perception +3
A Modifier provided by the Source above ("Ring of Perception").

### Modifiers

This section requires more work.

Modifiers are any attribute of a Character which increases or decreases their chance of passing a Check.
For example: skills, damage, buff and debuff effects, etc.

Modifier names define the 'scope' they are relevant in.

### Sources

Sources are anything which can provide Modifiers to a Character.
For example: items, buffs and debuffs, or the Character themselves.

## Character Creation

This section requires more work.

## Campaign Limits

This section requires more work.

Each Campaign can impose limits on which Characters can participate.
The common means to do so are detailed below.

## Balance

This implementation is somewhat inelegant and is likely to change.

This section requires more work, specifically better detail levels, and some character-sheet examples.

Balance is the current points spent improving a Character.
It starts at zero, and can go negative.

Any Modifier or Source which is intended as a permanent part of a Character counts towards Balance.
This includes everything the Player chooses.

Modifiers contribute their total value to Balance, meaning the sum of their + and - values.

Some Sources can also contribute to Balance, which are usually custom packages of Modifiers, such as racials. These are usually defined alongside a Balance-cost.

On the Character Sheet, a Modifier or Source which contributes towards Balance can be marked with a letter b at the end of the line to make this easier to track.

Sources with a custom Balance-contibution can be marked as, for example b+4 or b-2 for plus 4 and minus 2 Balance respectively.

The Storyteller should set a Balance limit for each campaign.
If a Character's Balance exceeds that limit, they are not allowed to participate in the Campaign.

The recommended default limit is 25.

## Cognia

This section requires more work.

Cognia is a measure of the mental weight required to include this Character in a campaign accurately.

Balanced-for Modifiers and Sources with - values increase Cognia (1 per Modifier/Source).

Players are naturally motivated to remember Modifiers with + values, but not so for the - values. Given this, the Storyteller needs to always remember which Modifiers may apply, not just during Checks but during any interaction to which the Modifier might be relevant.

A Campaign with 5 Player-Characters, each of whom have 3 Negative Modifiers, would require the Storyteller to reliably remember 15 Modifiers at all times. This would be difficult, and thus this mechanism helps regulate this potential excess.

The Storyteller may set a Cognia limit for each campaign.
If a Character's Cognia exceeds that limit, they are not allowed to participate in the Campaign.

It is recommended to start with a conservative Cognia limit of 2 per Character.

# Tasks

Anything a Character can attempt to do, but might not complete successfully is a Task.
Tasks are usually used with Checks, and don't need to be recorded otherwise.

Most Tasks are implicit, are communicated as part of a Check, are Ephemeral, and only have a Workload rating.
For more advanced Tasks, such as a long project, it may be worth communicating the Task explicitly.

Tasks are recorded as Sources, and defined by the following information:

- Workload rating
- Ephemeral or Persistent
- Complexity rating (Defaults to 0)
- Current Progress (Starts at 0)

## Workload

The Workload of a task is the total Progress required to complete it.

The Storyteller may choose to tell Players the Workload, especially if the Character would be able to ascertain it.

## Ephemeral or Persistent

Ephemeral Tasks either Succeed or Fail as soon as they are progressed.
Most Tasks are Ephemeral.
Ephemeral Tasks don't usually need to be recorded.

Persistent Tasks can exist in a partially-completed state, and can be progressed by multiple Checks over time.

## Complexity Rating

A Task's Complexity Rating is the minimum Success Rating required to make any progress in it.

For example, for a Task with a Complexity of 6, if a Check to progress the Task has a Success Rating of 5, no progress is made.
If the Success Rating is 6, then 6 progress is made.

## Progressing a Task

First, run a Check for the Character, to determine the Success Rating in this Task.

If the Success Rating is greater than or equal to the Task's Complexity, add the Success Rating to the Task's Progress.

If the Progress is greater than or equal to the Workload, the Task completes.

### Gradient Completion

As the Progress of a Task approaches the required amount, a less-than-total conclusion can be reached, ending the Task.

This is at the Storyteller's discretion, but should not be done if the Player wants to fully complete the Task.

# Checks

Whenever a Character may fail at something they are trying to do, run a Check.

Checks are usually run to determine the level of success a Character has at a Task.

## Difficulty

The Storyteller determines a Difficulty, usually between 1 and 10.

The Storyteller may choose to tell Players the difficulty, especially if the Character would be able to ascertain it.

The Storyteller may choose to use a range of values, allowing partial success.
This is called Gradient Difficulty.
For example, a Check might give a better result with a Success Rating of 3 than with 1, even though 6 is required for a complete success.

## Performance

This section requires more work, particularly in presentation.

Find Modifiers which are relevant to this Check.
Use the highest Modifier per source, one for positive, one for negative.
The Storyteller determines whether Modifiers are relevant.

Find Modifiers with a relevant + value.
They are relevant if the upside of their scope (name) matches this Check.
The Player chooses one per Source, or the highest per Source for NPCs. The highest one per Source is chosen, or if the Character is controlled by a Player, the Player may choose any one per Source.

### Passing Modifier

If the + Modifiers are too vague for the Check, a specifically-matching Modifier with at least +3 may be required to continue.
The value of this Modifier is not factored into the Challenge.

Find Modifiers with a relevant - value.
They are relevant if the downside of their scope (name) matches this Check.
Use the largest one per Source.

If a Modifier matches weakly, its value can be reduced towards zero, by up to 3 points.

Combine the relevant Modifiers' values to get your Success Rating.
+ values add to the total.
- values make the total lower (subtract the absolute value from the total, ignoring the sign).

### Boost (Optional)

The Character may choose to improve their chances by rolling 6-sided dice.
If the Storyteller agrees, any RNG method the Storyteller can see can be used.

If two 1's are rolled in a single check, no further rolls are allowed, and the result is a Catastrophic Failure.
This incurs a major detrimental narrative side-effect, unless none are applicable.

Otherwise, using the most recent roll, apply the given effect:

6 | ⚅ | Increase Success Rating by 3
5 | ⚄ | Increase Success Rating by 2
4 | ⚃ | Increase Success Rating by 1
3 | ⚂ | No Effect
2 | ⚁ | No Effect
1 | ⚀ | Simple Failure

The Success Rating is compared to the Difficulty, and if it is greater or equal, the Challenge is successful, otherwise it fails.

## Completion

The Storyteller determines the outcome by comparing the Success Rating to the Difficulty.
The result can be failure, partial success, or complete success.

## Success Rating

The Success Rating of this Check can now be used, including to progress a Task.

# Vigour

The contents of this section are in flux.

This section requires more work.

Vigour may be renamed, likely to "Cohesion" or "Stability".

Keep track of a Modifier called "Vigour", which starts at zero, and applies to all Checks.

# Reprieve

This section requires more work.

When a Character enters a comfortable situation, coming from a tense or hazardous one, they gain 1-3 Vigour depending on the level of comfort.

# Collapse

This section requires more work.

When Vigour gets low enough, the Character collapses, and cannot take actions.

# Focus

This section requires more work.

At any time, a Character can spend 1 Vigour, to "switch focus" to a new Modifier named at their choice, which has +2, removing the previous focus.

# Common Tasks

This section requires more work.

This section's title should be improved.

# Combat

This section requires more work.

# Damage

This section requires more work.

# Instant Reaction

This is intended for Characters with human-like sensory systems, in Campaigns running at relevant timescales.

If a Character is confronted by a sudden change of circumstances for which they need to gather information using their senses in preparation for a potential reaction, the Storyteller can initiate an Instant Reaction.

An example of an Instant Reaction scenario is opening a door whilst expecting combat.

The Player is told what they can immediately sense.
This will usually be very vague and general information about shapes, layout, etc.
For Characters with human-like senses, "immediately" means within one tenth of a second.

The Player can either choose to act instantly on the limited information, or wait a tiny bit longer for much more detailed information.
For Characters with human-like senses, the delay should be half a second.