Gameplay

The role of the GM:
- In YOU, the GM will establish scenes in a familiar way, establishing different persons, places, and things for the players to interact with.
- If any of these things hurt or hinder the players in any way however, a cost must be paid by the GM to establish them.

Spice:
- Once established, any person, place, or thing can then be altered with details that either help or hurt the players.
- These details that either help or hurt the players are referred to as Spice.
- Spice that helps the players in some way is referred to as Positive Spice.
- Spice that hurts the players in some way is referred to as Negative Spice.
- Only one detail of Positive or Negative Spice apiece can be determined about an individual person, place, or thing.
- Both the GM or a player can determine details of Spice.

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GMs use of Spice:
- As a cost, if the GM adds Negative Spice to something, they then must award every player with +1 INS (a resource and modifier players use) of whichever type individual players desire.
- If the GM adds Positive Spice to something, this simply gives the party a boon.

Players use of Spice:
- As a cost, if a player adds Positive Spice to something, they must spend 3 INS to do so. This INS can be accumulated across any number of types the player has.
- If a player adds Negative Spice to something, every player will earn +1 INS of whichever type individual players desire as a result.

Performing Actions:
- Every time an action needs to be attempted whose outcome seems uncertain and interesting, a Trait Check will be performed to attempt it.
- Trait Checks can be initiated by the player, or asked for by the GM.

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How to perform a Trait Check:
(Step 1) Determine which of your 6 Traits is most applicable to the action being attempted.
(Step 2) The GM decides whether or not ADV (Advantage) or DIS (Disadvantage) applies to the action the player wishes to attempt, or whether neither of them will apply.
- ADV allows the player to roll the d20 twice, picking the higher of the two rolls.
- DIS forces the players to roll the d20 twice, picking the lower of the two rolls.
(Step 3) Any positive or negative modifiers are applied to the action.
- All of which being: INS (Inspiration), Burdens, Reservations, Assists, and Confidence (each detailed in separate posts below)
(Step 4) The player rolls one or more d20s, applying their modifiers to one or both. The outcome of this roll gives one of several different results the GM will interpret and narrate.

Roll Results:
- (nat1)Critical Failure: Not only do you fail the action, but you do so in such a spectacularly devastating way that the result impacts the entire party. (Every player is afflicted with a Burden.)
- (10 or lower) Failure: You fail the action and are now in an even more dangerous or challenging situation because of it. (You are afflicted with a Burden).
- (11-14) Partial Success: You pass the action, but it didn’t go exactly as you had planned. (You are afflicted with a Burden).
- (15 or higher) Success: You pass the action without a hitch and everything goes according to plan.
- (nat20) Critical Success: You pass the action with such grace and ease that the results uplift the entire party. (You award every other player with +1 INS to the type that governed the Trait you just used to pass the action with).

- Any roll that exceeds 20 or drops below 0 due to modifiers do not count as Critical Successes or Critical Failures respectively. Only the roll of a 20 or a 1 on a die (nat20’s & nat1’s) determine these results.

Inspiration (INS):
- Used as a positive modifier, INS adds a +1 to the result of a roll for every point of it spent.
- INS is earned as either Exertive INS, Decisive INS, or Emotive INS, each of which can only be used for actions that are using either of the two Traits they individually govern.
- Each INS type holds up to 6 INS each and can be stored as long as the player likes until they are ready to use it on something.
- Any INS earned pass the cap of 6 however is lost, so holding onto large supplies of INS risks wasting some that could have otherwise been awarded to you.

The following are all the ways INS can be earned:
- Being awarded it by another player who rolls a Critical Success.
- Being awarded it by another player who successfully passes a Temptation Check.
- Being awarded it by another player who successfully performs an action while using a Reservation.
- Being awarded it by another player that determines a detail of Negative Spice.
- Being awarded it by the GM after they determine a detail of Negative Spice.

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Burdens:
- As a negative modifier, Burdens inflict a -1 to rolls they affect for every point of it a player has.

Like INS, there are three types of Burdens for each of the three Trait types:
- The Injury Burden provides a -1 (up to a total of -3) to rolls for all actions taken using either of the two Exertive Traits: Assertiveness & Boldness.
- The Stress Burden provides a -1 (up to a total of -3) to rolls for all actions taken using either of the two Decisive Traits: Determination & Influence.
- The Fear Burden provides a -1 (up to a total of -3) to rolls for all actions taken using either of the two Emotive Traits: Empathy & Passion.

- Each Burden type has a cap of 3.
- If a Burden type ever becomes full (3/3) and is afflicted with a burden it can’t hold over its capacity, the type of Burden being afflicted changes to one that can be obtained.

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Reservations:
- If the Trait you are using for a roll has a Reservation whose description requires you to use it, this Reservation will impose a negative modifier of -2 to the roll.
- If you successfully perform the action while using this Reservation however, you will award every other player with +1 INS to the type that you just used and that your Reservation was associated with: Exertive, Decisive, or Emotive.
- You will also earn +1 High-Growth, which can be used to eventually alter the Degree of the Trait you just used that your Reservation was derived from.

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Assists:
- When a player wishes to be helped by another player to perform a Trait Check they may perform it together as an Assist.
- The player acquiring the help from the Assist gains a positive modifier of +2 for the upcoming roll.
- If the action fails, both players involved receive a Burden.
- If it passes, and INS is awarded to other players, the player helping with the Assist (the player who’s not rolling) still obtains this reward.

Confidence:
- Confidence is a positive modifier that when applied provides a +1 to the result of a roll for every point of it a player has.
- When Confidence is used for rolls, it is not spent.
- Confidence is able to be applied to any roll, regardless of the type of Trait being used.
- Only a total of 4 Confidence can be earned.
- Players start with 0 Confidence.
- Confidence, though unable to be spent, can still be lost if the player becomes Incapacitated.
- Confidence is earned after a Trait is altered with Growth.

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Growth:
- Growth is a resource that - when a total of 4 of it is earned - can be used to alter the Degree of a Trait.
- Each Trait earns their own Growth individually.

There are two different types of Growth that can be earned:
- Up-Growth, which increases the Degree of your Trait.
- Down-Growth, which decreases the Degree of your Trait.

- To increase the Degree of a Trait, you will need to begin successfully performing actions while using the Reservation of that Trait. Every time you do, you earn +1 Up-Growth.
- To decrease the Degree of a Trait, you will need to begin successfully passing Temptation Checks with the Trait. Every time you do, you earn +1 Down-Growth.

- Growth is reset to 0 when spent to alter the Degree of a Trait.
- If you earn a type of Growth for a Trait that is different from some you have already collected for it, you add this new Growth, but eliminate all the other Growth of the other type.

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Temptation Checks:
- Temptation Checks are initiated when the player wants to resist acting on one of their Impulses.

Temptation Checks work almost exactly like Trait Checks - being rolled for in exactly the same way - but with a few critical differences:
- Only the player can initiate them, never the GM.
- The "action" being taken during a Temptation Check is to not act on their Impulse. Success results in the character NOT taking an action and fighting off this strong urge to behave irrationally.

- To initiate a Temptation Check, explain to the GM what is tempting your character to act on an Impulse they have.
- With your GM's approval, you will then perform a Temptation Check using the accompanying Trait the Impulse is associated with.

- If failed, the player will be forced to act on their Impulse they were trying to resist, often in a way that is extremely irrational and dangerous.
- If successful, the player will earn +1 Low-Growth, keep themselves from acting irrationally, and award every other player with +1 INS to the type that you just used and that your Impulse was associated with: Exertive, Decisive, or Emotive.

Incapacitation:
- If every single Burden type becomes full, and you are afflicted with a Burden that now cannot be acquired in any of the three types, you instead become Incapacitated.

Becoming Incapacitated has the following effects:
- Restricts you from taking any further actions until an action is successfully performed on you by another in response to the final Burden you could not acquire.
- Removes a single point of Confidence. If a single point does not exist to be removed, the player instead reduces all of their INS across every type to 0.

Based on the final Burden type that was going to be afflicted that could not be acquired, the following will also occur as you become Incapacitated:
An Injury that could not be acquired causes you to lose consciousness, forcing others to either:
- treat your wounds or ailments themselves
- or seek out someone who can give you proper medical care
Stress that could not be acquired causes you to become hostile to friends and foes alike. The party will need to find a way to either:
- calm you down
- or gain back your trust
Fear that could not be acquired causes you to attempt and flee from the scene or give up and leave the other players behind. The party will need to find a way to either:
- settle your nerves
- or convince you to stay