Action Cards - Deprecated

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.

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.

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.

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 drawn is x, and his attribute is 3d10. In the d10 column the results are a, b and c. He chooses m and compares it to the task difficulty of n.

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?