Calling for Action Rolls¶

After a player describes a move they want to make during the game, you might decide an action roll is necessary to determine how the scene progresses. Use this guide to determine what to present the player, choosing whichever option best fits the situation:

• Let the PC guarantee success in exchange for a consequence. If there is an opportunity for an interesting consequence, offer the player that outcome in exchange for performing the move without a roll; should they agree, the PC succeeds and you narrate the repercussions. For example, rather than rolling to see if a PC can jump from one roof to another, you might allow them to automatically succeed in exchange for being noticed by bystanders on the street beneath them.

• Establish the stakes. If a move is particularly difficult or dangerous and offers interesting consequences for success or failure, establish the stakes for the roll so that the player knows what to expect. Once everyone is aligned, ask the player to roll and shape the fiction around the results. For example, you can inform a player who wants the PC to leap across rooftops that they'll jump without alerting anyone on a success, but a failure will mean they crash into the streets below, suffering heavy injuries. This empowers the player to take informed risks and lean into the fiction.

• Make any guaranteed consequences. If a move is particularly difficult or dangerous, and if it will certainly have repercussions regardless of whether the PC succeeds or not, tell the player about those repercussions before the move occurs. If the player wishes to proceed with the move, ask them to roll and narrate the consequence without compromising on your repercussions. For example, you might tell a player who wants their PC to jump from the roof of a burning building to safety that the roof will collapse in the attempt. Even if the roll succeeds spectacularly, narrate the building groaning and collapsing in on itself, preventing anyone else after from performing the same move.

Experiences Impact Fiction¶

When determining whether or not a roll is necessary, always consider a PC's Experiences and narrative history. For example, if a PC has the "Expert Climber" Experience and they're attempting to scale a wall with no danger around, you might decide they don't need to roll—they can just do it, if the climb would be tricky due to weather, but you don't want the story to focus on what happens if they fall, you might offer them the option of marking a Stress in exchange for climbing without a roll. A character's history should lessen their need to roll things they're experienced in—you should introduce rolls only when circumstances fall outside of their Experience, such as the PC trying to climb while archers rain arrows down from parapets above.