Revision as of 19:49, 16 January 2019

This game comes with a set of action cards, capable of resolving actions from simple to complex in seconds. At first glance, all of the entries may seem daunting, but only a subset of the information will be used in each draw. The fundamental rule of action cards is: One action, one card*. This means that no matter how complex the action, everything you need can be found on a single card.

Action cards derive greater value the more complex a task is. Using action cards for a simple skill check takes a couple of seconds, just like a dice roll. But using action cards to resolve a combat situation involving hit, damage, armor, hit location and possible weapon breakage (and other rare situations) also only takes a few seconds, while doing it with die rolls takes significantly longer. One advantage it offers is that the rarely used rules, like equipment failure and unintended targets, are automatically checked with no extra effort, and stand out when relevant. No extra effort is required from the player.

*There are rare cases when subsequent draws can occur, but they are not mandatory. These additional draws do not increase the complexity of the action, only the magnitude of the result.

Card Anatomy

Action cards are divided into three sections: upper results, lower results and outer edge. Upper results are often referred to as causes, lower results are effects. For example, determining whether a skill is used successfully is an upper result: a cause. Determining the damage a handgun deals to an opponent is a lower result: an effect.

Binary Skill Check

This is the simplest type of action, yet it is also very common. Some examples of binary skill checks are: Can I climb this tree in time? Can I pick this lock? Can I jump across this chasm? Any check that returns a pass/fail result is a binary skill check. Binary skill checks exclusively use the upper results section of the card.

To resolve a binary skill check, find the appropriate die type column and cross-reference the number of dice in the pool. The result is any entry in the given square or higher in the appropriate row. In effect, each square is one die. In this example card, 3d8 could choose 5, 3 or 8.

Example: Sid Scorpio is attempting to outrun a Kyr commando on (some planet) and he comes to a deep crevice in the rock, with a 50 meter fall to a craggy doom below. He knows his only chance is to jump, so he declares his intention. The card is drawn and compared to his attribute of 3d8. In the d8 column the results are 5, 3 and 8. He chooses 8 and compares it to the task difficulty of 7. A success.

That is it! In a simple task like this, nothing else on the card is relevant.

Skill Check With Degrees of Success

More complicated skill checks often involve both a pass/fail element as well as a magnitude of success. They could be instant results like in combat, or extended tasks like decoding a cryptogram or hastily constructing shelter before the storm arrives. Some examples are: I hit, but how much damage? I made my computer roll, how much programming do I get done?

To resolve a skill check with degrees of success, follow the procedure above to determine if the attempt is successful. If it is, find the appropriate row and column pair on the lower results. Note that in this section, lower rows are always better than higher ones (these results are sums of the given number of dice). The number generated is compared to the complexity of the task (or size of target, if combat). Each multiple of the complexity achieves 1 success. Extra effect is lost.

Example: Xenes wishes to bypass a complex security system while trying to escape from a band of pipe wielding thugs. He has a narrow lead, so time is of the essence. The TN of the security system is 5, and the complexity is 6. The Master determines that he needs 3 successes to achieve his goal. He draws a card and checks his Security Systems skill of 4d8, yielding a 9. This is a success!

Now to determine how many successes he achieves. He consults his tools and notes their quality is 5d6. Checking the appropriate box he finds 27, granting him 4 successes at complexity 6. The extra 3 points are lost. However, since he achieveds more than the required number of successes, Xenes is able to defeat the security system in one action.