2026-06-14 23:50:32muragami:
Remove tests and strings
regulus/rudimentary rules.md ..
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Difficulty: The Difficulty of a Check depends on how high the Director sets the bar for success. The Director should think in terms of reasons, each of which is one aspect of the Check that makes it harder to pass. The basic rule is that for each reason that hinders the character, add 2 to the target number, never exceeding 16. To continue the ‘tickets to the gala’ example, if the Director decides it is ‘THE gala of the year’, that would be a reason to increase the target from 10 to 12.
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## Tests
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## Club, Diamond, Heart, and Spade Cards
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A Test resolves a simple question in the fiction. A Test is warranted for simple situations. Complicated ones are resolved with Contests and Challenges above. Usually, the framework for a Test is the player asking the Director a question. Here is an example:
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::: info
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==Director==: Iris sits at a bar, admiring the assortment of liquor behind the bartender, when suddenly a drink is slid in front of her by Evan, an associate of hers with a less-than-stellar reputation.
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==Iris’ Player==: Can Iris identify the drink and if it might be doctored?
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==Director==: Possibly, does anything on your sheet give you Means?
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==Iris’ Player==: She has the quality: Impressive Extra-Sensory Perception?
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==Director==: Sure, that works. Roll a die 3+ or mark down Luck to succeed automatically.
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==Iris’ Player==: I’ll roll. That’s a 5, made it!
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==Director==: Iris gets a flash of Evan getting the drink from the bartender a few minutes, a sweet kind of concoction Evan thinks Iris might like, no tampering at all.
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Tests are a simple die roll that succeeds on 4+ at the start. If a player has clear Means to succeed, decrease the target by one: 3+. If they can leverage more, reduce again: 2+. If the Director feels the test is particularly hard or unlikely, they may shift it up one: 5+ to start.
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Success means the character gets the answer to their question properly and accurately. Failure means the character gets the opinion of the Director instead, for better or worse.
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**Luck**: For any test a player may opt to mark down Luck to succeed without rolling, or mark up Luck to fail without rolling.
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## Strings
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Strings are the main way in which the rules support the core idea of narrative matters. A String at its core is a short phrase or single sentence with impact on one or more characters. Let’s explore a simple example String: ‘Hunted by Inspector Luther’. This String establishes a narrative state or condition. Now let’s attach a character to the string, after a colon: ‘Hunted by Inspector Luther: Iris’. This means that Iris (player character) is affected by the String's condition.
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The Director has implicit authority to introduce Strings into the game, though they should also be willing to allow dispute and resolution via Contest or Challenge if a player can make a valid argument for that case. Players can introduce Strings into the game via the Yes! (and Yes!!) results in Contests. This occurs at the end of the Contest or Situation (enclosing the Contest).
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If a Player wants to introduce a String outside the result of a Contest, the Director should decide if it’s possible. If so, then the Director should set up fictional conditions that must be achieved to establish the String. Let’s explore how that works with an example.
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::: info
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==Director==: Iris returns to her room on Arctus 3, thinking idly about the precarious situation she has gotten into: Inspector Luther is clearly hunting her down, but at least he isn't on this haven right now.
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==Iris’ Player==: Could Iris be protected by a local Empire security officer?
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==Director==: Hmmm. Ok, that is interesting for sure. You'd want to create a String for that, like: 'Empire security officer Decipher protects Network Operatives: Iris'.
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==Iris’ Player==: How does that work? I mean, what do I do to make that happen.
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==Director==: How about you meet with Decipher or his assistant, and we roleplay that out?
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==Iris’ Player==: Sounds good to me!
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==Director==: Iris makes a vidcall and sets up a meeting with Decipher's assistant Kris on Miranda. Miranda is a true neutral place where the power is all in the hands of Operatives, for better or worse.
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Strings can be marked (each a markdown or markup) and have a level. When a String is introduced, it is level 0. Strings that conflict and are of the same level don’t resolve, but the Director and player can use them as Means or leverage in Contests & Challenges. Strings that exceed the level of another trump them. When a String has three marks, they are removed, and it resolves. If it has more markup marks, it increases by one level of truth. If it has more markdown marks, it decreases one level of truth. If a String hits -1 level of Truth it becomes a special String called a Lie that the Director gets to use in play from that point on.
