Dec 3, 2015 8:57 pm
In this thread I'll summarize the main rules of the game. It will be useful as a reference as we play, and a tutorial for those learning to play.
Beats
Each Beat represents a unit of time chosen by the Narrator. The shortest a Beat can be is a second and the longest is a century, and every increment in-between is fair game (e.g. one or more seconds, any number of minutes, an hour, a day, a week, and so on). No matter how short or long a Beat may be in terms of time, each character may only take one significant action once per Beat.
Beats give you a framework within which to describe the action. If the Narrator shifts the Beats down to just a few seconds at a time, you know the pressure’s on and everyone has to pay a lot more attention to the little details (this is common in combat, for example). If the Beats move up to one a minute, then you can rest a little easier and lavish detail on each Beat. Most of the time the Narrator probably won’t even have to announce the Beats; the natural flow of the conversation will suggest them when they’re needed.
Occasionally your character may "catch a Beat" (meaning he or she can take an extra action immediately), or "lose a Beat" (meaning he or she has to sit the next Beat out, taking no meaningful actions at all). These phrases will make more sense as you see them in context elsewhere in the rules.
Breathers
Sometimes the Narrator will declare that you aren’t using Beats for a while — usually right after a part of your story ends, when there’s a logical period of downtime before anything important happens again in the game world. These periods are called Breathers, and there are two kinds of them.
• Short Breathers typically last an hour to a day of game time, while
• Long Breathers can last multiple days, or even weeks or months.
Dice and Rolling
The Dice Pool
The Mistborn Adventure Game uses six-sided dice (the cube-shaped ones you find in most family board games). Each roll is made with to 10 dice, other- wise known as your "pool." The number of dice in your pool varies based on the action your Hero is attempting, and is determined by the Narrator based on the description of your character’s action. A roll begins with a base pool, which is then modified by your traits, the burdens of your target, the tools you are using and the circumstances.
Generally the Narrator starts by choosing the Attribute, Standing, or Power rating that’s most pivotal for the action. You start with the number of dice your character has in the Attribute or Standing, or a number of dice equal to the Power’s rating.
Your pool grows by one die for each Trait that supports an action. This is true whether the Trait belongs to you, an ally, or an opponent, so long as you can justify how they help. Remember, Traits cut both ways. If the Narrator determines that one or more Traits are detrimental to an action, he or she may describe how it hurts your character’s chances and shrink your pool by a die for each Trait that gets in the way.
If your character is using an item that’s particularly well-suited to the task at hand, your pool grows by 1 die. The reverse is also true: some items are, while not absolutely necessary for an action, still very useful, and when your character lacks an item that is clearly desired, or is forced to use an item that’s damaged or broken, your pool shrinks by 1 die. Your pool may grow or shrink by no more than a single die, no matter how many Tools may apply.
Unlike Traits and Props, Circumstances are always and only applied at the Narrator’s discretion. Like Tools, Circumstances only add or subtract a single die. Whether the Narrator adds or subtracts a die depends on the circumstances at hand. If your character faces two or more favorable conditions (e.g. fight- ing from a fortified position with the sun at your back; transcribing a well- preserved manuscript with assistance from a friend) your pool grows by 1 die. If your character faces two or more adverse conditions (e.g. fighting while knee-deep in ash and wounded; transcribing a water-damaged manuscript without useful reference materials), your pool shrinks by 1 die.
The Difficulty
Once your pool is formed but before you roll the dice, the Narrator declares a Difficulty. This is a number ranging from 1 to 5, based on how hard the Nar- rator thinks your character’s task is.
Rolling the Dice
When you roll your dice, the numbers 1 to 5 are read as actual numbers, while 6’s become Nudges (ways to improve good rolls and offset bad ones). Set those 6’s aside for now and look for matching numbers on the other dice.
If the numbers on two or more of your dice match, the number shown on those matching dice is your Result (if you roll more than one set of matching dice, choose one set as your Result — the higher the better).
Types of Rolls
There are three types of rolls:
• Challenges, when a character tries to do something that’s difficult or well, challenging without direct opposition from another character, like climbing a high wall, making an important speech, or using magic in a difficult way
• Contests, when two or more characters compete against one another, as in a chase, when bribing a reluctant noble to keep his mouth shut, or using Allomancy to yank a sword from a foe’s hand
• Conflicts, when one character tries to harm another physically, socially, or emotionally
Beats
Each Beat represents a unit of time chosen by the Narrator. The shortest a Beat can be is a second and the longest is a century, and every increment in-between is fair game (e.g. one or more seconds, any number of minutes, an hour, a day, a week, and so on). No matter how short or long a Beat may be in terms of time, each character may only take one significant action once per Beat.
Beats give you a framework within which to describe the action. If the Narrator shifts the Beats down to just a few seconds at a time, you know the pressure’s on and everyone has to pay a lot more attention to the little details (this is common in combat, for example). If the Beats move up to one a minute, then you can rest a little easier and lavish detail on each Beat. Most of the time the Narrator probably won’t even have to announce the Beats; the natural flow of the conversation will suggest them when they’re needed.
Occasionally your character may "catch a Beat" (meaning he or she can take an extra action immediately), or "lose a Beat" (meaning he or she has to sit the next Beat out, taking no meaningful actions at all). These phrases will make more sense as you see them in context elsewhere in the rules.
Breathers
Sometimes the Narrator will declare that you aren’t using Beats for a while — usually right after a part of your story ends, when there’s a logical period of downtime before anything important happens again in the game world. These periods are called Breathers, and there are two kinds of them.
• Short Breathers typically last an hour to a day of game time, while
• Long Breathers can last multiple days, or even weeks or months.
Dice and Rolling
The Dice Pool
The Mistborn Adventure Game uses six-sided dice (the cube-shaped ones you find in most family board games). Each roll is made with to 10 dice, other- wise known as your "pool." The number of dice in your pool varies based on the action your Hero is attempting, and is determined by the Narrator based on the description of your character’s action. A roll begins with a base pool, which is then modified by your traits, the burdens of your target, the tools you are using and the circumstances.
Generally the Narrator starts by choosing the Attribute, Standing, or Power rating that’s most pivotal for the action. You start with the number of dice your character has in the Attribute or Standing, or a number of dice equal to the Power’s rating.
Your pool grows by one die for each Trait that supports an action. This is true whether the Trait belongs to you, an ally, or an opponent, so long as you can justify how they help. Remember, Traits cut both ways. If the Narrator determines that one or more Traits are detrimental to an action, he or she may describe how it hurts your character’s chances and shrink your pool by a die for each Trait that gets in the way.
If your character is using an item that’s particularly well-suited to the task at hand, your pool grows by 1 die. The reverse is also true: some items are, while not absolutely necessary for an action, still very useful, and when your character lacks an item that is clearly desired, or is forced to use an item that’s damaged or broken, your pool shrinks by 1 die. Your pool may grow or shrink by no more than a single die, no matter how many Tools may apply.
Unlike Traits and Props, Circumstances are always and only applied at the Narrator’s discretion. Like Tools, Circumstances only add or subtract a single die. Whether the Narrator adds or subtracts a die depends on the circumstances at hand. If your character faces two or more favorable conditions (e.g. fight- ing from a fortified position with the sun at your back; transcribing a well- preserved manuscript with assistance from a friend) your pool grows by 1 die. If your character faces two or more adverse conditions (e.g. fighting while knee-deep in ash and wounded; transcribing a water-damaged manuscript without useful reference materials), your pool shrinks by 1 die.
The Difficulty
Once your pool is formed but before you roll the dice, the Narrator declares a Difficulty. This is a number ranging from 1 to 5, based on how hard the Nar- rator thinks your character’s task is.
Rolling the Dice
When you roll your dice, the numbers 1 to 5 are read as actual numbers, while 6’s become Nudges (ways to improve good rolls and offset bad ones). Set those 6’s aside for now and look for matching numbers on the other dice.
If the numbers on two or more of your dice match, the number shown on those matching dice is your Result (if you roll more than one set of matching dice, choose one set as your Result — the higher the better).
Types of Rolls
There are three types of rolls:
• Challenges, when a character tries to do something that’s difficult or well, challenging without direct opposition from another character, like climbing a high wall, making an important speech, or using magic in a difficult way
• Contests, when two or more characters compete against one another, as in a chase, when bribing a reluctant noble to keep his mouth shut, or using Allomancy to yank a sword from a foe’s hand
• Conflicts, when one character tries to harm another physically, socially, or emotionally