Suspense

and the Fickle Hand of Fate

Table of Contents

There are moments in every protagonist's life that the outcome of an action cannot be known. These events, from the mundane to the life-changing, are the life's blood of drama. Uncertainty, especially where one's destiny or ultimate success or failure hangs in the balance, creates the suspense that makes for a compelling story. It is true that nobody likes to fail, but it is our failures and what we learn from them that shape us most.

In order to simulate these situations, we use dice to represent the Hand of Fate. No matter how talented or skilled an individual may be, there is always, however minimal, a chance to fail any given task. Sometimes our failures are due to matters beyond our control, sometimes because of a desire to push our skill to the limit. Either way, things happen, and the dice can help us sort it all out. Perhaps they do not tell us why, but they can tell us what.

Actions, Rolls, and Challenges

Attribute Rolls

Occasionally, a character will wish to perform an action for which no Skill is possessed. If this is a Basic Skill, then an Attribute Roll is required. Simply roll 1D10 and shoot for less than the Attribute. Remember that Zero results in a Critical Roll.

Critical Rolls

Please refer back to Basic Mechanics for the lowdown on Criticals.

Adding injury to insult, we have the Critical Failure. Yes, slipping on the ice and landing upon one's face is unpleasant and likely painful. Cracking aforementioned ice and falling into the hypothermia-inducing waters below is a potentially deadly situation. Unforseen complications, cosmic rays, or simple bad luck can turn a critical patient into a lump of cold clay and a world-class neurosurgeon into a malpractice defendant. If and when any roll produces a natural Zero, something bad is likely to happen. These "bad things" should be tailored to fit the situation, but it should be sufficiently terrible that there is no doubt that a Critical Failure is, indeed, a very Bad Thing.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are miraculous successes, fluke wins, and lucky breaks. There is a chance, however minimal, that anyone can do anything. The Critical Success reflects this. Any time a roll turns up a natural Nine, it is cause for celebration. Not only is the action generally successful, no matter what it is or who rolls it, it is usually going to be wildly successful. In the case of the doctor/patient scenario, not only wil the surgery be a total success, the patient will actually experience a gain in intelligence or other mental faculty and the doctor may well be presented an award from his or her local medical association. It is up to the Narrator to decide the why's and wherefore's of the situation.

Criticals do not effect only Standard Rolls. Extended Tasks and Contests are not immune to this rule. If a natural Zero or Nine is rolled during the course of an Extended Action, that Action is either a total and immediate success or failure, according to the accompanying Critical Roll. The probability of either roll is less than one percent (0.5%), making them sufficiantly rare to be cause for such special treatment.