Basic Game Mechanics

Resolving Contests with Die Rolls
Each side rolls a pool of ten-sided dice. The pool with the highest single die wins. Compare the rolls to determine the number of Victories, which equal the greater of: In case of a tie, remove both tied dice and consider the remaining dice; repeat as necessary. If ignoring ties leaves your foe with no dice, you get only 1 Victory.
 * The winner’s highest die minus the loser’s highest die, or
 * The number of the winner’s dice which are higher than the loser’s highest die (to a maximum of 9).

Action Rolls, Defense Rolls, and Second Rolls

 * Action Rolls are for making an attack or taking any other action.
 * Defense Rolls are for resisting an attack or other action.
 * Second Rolls add dice to a die pool. A Second Roll cannot change who wins, but it can change the number of Victories. Ignore any Second-Roll which reduces the rolling character’s number of Victories.

Advantage and Disadvantage
With Advantage you count your highest die twice; with Disadvantage you ignore your highest die. Advantage is not stackable.
 * Initiative Advantage doubles your high die only for the purpose of determining who goes first.
 * Hit Advantage doubles your high die only for the purpose of determining who wins the contest.
 * Damage Advantage doubles your high die only for the purpose of determining how many Victories the winner achieves. Damage Disadvantage can never reduce a successful hit to less than 1 Victory.

Combat Rounds
Simultaneous Action Rolls are compared to determine initiative. Then each Action Roll is compared to the target’s Defense Roll to determine success and Victories.

Conceptually all actions begin at the start of the round, and are complete when it is the characters turn to act.


 * 1) Check NPC Morale
 * 2) Each character states her intended action and calculates how many d10 to roll. This action cannot be changed, but it can be canceled before a Defense Roll is made.
 * 3) All PCs and NPCs make Action-Rolls simultaneously.
 * 4) All Stun Damage is removed from all characters. (This reduces the Damage Penalty to Defense Rolls.)
 * 5) The character with the highest Action Roll result performs (or cancels) her intended action.
 * 6) The target of that action makes a Defense Roll. If the target has not already acted in this round, taking damage causes his action to automatically fail (but see Suicidal Action).
 * 7) Both characters make any Second-Rolls (if any) to determine Victories.
 * 8) Repeat steps 5, 6 and 7 for each character in descending order of Action Rolls.
 * 9) “Free Speech” phase: Insults, surrenders, attempts to negotiate, cries for help, etc.

Thresholds
In some cases your Action Roll must exceed a certain Threshold for your action to succeed. If the Threshold is not met there is no need for a Defense Roll.