Apr 17, 2022 6:38 pm
I will be explaining the rules as they come up but if you need an overview or want to familiarize with them already, here is a summary of the rules, taken from the Core Rulebooks of Tales from the Loop and Things from the Flood.
THE DICE ROLL
You describe how you try to overcome the Trouble, and what you’re trying to accomplish. The GM may ask for more details if she thinks the situation is unclear, or may ask you to change your mind if you are trying to do something impossible.
When you have decided on your action, grab a number of dice equal to your score in the attribute you use. Then, add dice equal to your level in the appropriate skill. If there isn’t a suitable skill, roll only the attribute dice. If you are not Broken, but have a total of zero dice due to Conditions, you still use one die for the roll. Every six rolled is a success. In most cases, only one success is needed to overcome TroubleITEMS AND PRIDE
You may use your Iconic Item for a dice roll, when appropriate (the Gamemaster has final say). It gives you two extra dice to roll.
You can also use your Pride, once per Mystery. It gives you an automatic success. You can activate the Pride after a failed roll, or even after a successful roll to add a success.
DOING THE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE
In rare cases, more than one success is needed to overcome Trouble. You might be trying to do something almost impossible, such as escaping from the cops on your motocross bike, or persuading your dad to stay home from poker night. This may require two or even three successes. The GM should only demand more than one success in the most extreme cases.
FAILED ROLLS
If you roll no or too few successes, your action fails. An unsuccessful attempt to overcome Trouble should never mean that nothing happens. Somehow, the situation changes – probably for the worse. The GM decides what happens. You might need to check a Condition, you might end up in new Trouble, or you might suffer a Complication. Below are some examples:
■ You are caught or become delayed.
■ The robot you have built becomes hostile or your tools break.
■ Your parents are angry with you and ground you for a week.
■ The wormhole to the other galaxy grows and swallows you instead of closing.
PUSHING THE ROLL
When you fail a roll, you may choose to immediately retry the task, by mentally or physically pushing yourself to the limit of your abilities. This is called pushing the roll, and can only be done once per roll, immediately after performing it. You may push a successful roll to be able to buy more Effects.
When you push a roll, you must first check a Condition. Then you reroll all dice not showing sixes. If the reroll is successful, the GM describes what happens. If the reroll also fails, you may not push again. If the Trouble came with the threat of a Condition, you may have to check two Conditions – one for pushing and one for failing.
LUCK
You can spend a Luck Point after a failed dice roll. A Luck Point lets you reroll failed dice, without needing to push (and marking a condition). You cannot spend more than one Luck Point on a single dice roll.
THE DICE ROLL
You describe how you try to overcome the Trouble, and what you’re trying to accomplish. The GM may ask for more details if she thinks the situation is unclear, or may ask you to change your mind if you are trying to do something impossible.
When you have decided on your action, grab a number of dice equal to your score in the attribute you use. Then, add dice equal to your level in the appropriate skill. If there isn’t a suitable skill, roll only the attribute dice. If you are not Broken, but have a total of zero dice due to Conditions, you still use one die for the roll. Every six rolled is a success. In most cases, only one success is needed to overcome Trouble
[ +- ] Example
The Gamemaster: At the bottom of the hole lies a stone tablet with strange figures and characters on it.
Player 3 (Dennis): I pick it up. Do I understand what it says?
The Gamemaster: Not without studying it at the library.
Player 3: Okay, I place it in my backpack and bicycle over to the school library. A while later, I sit at a table covered in books.
The Gamemaster: Roll comprehend.
Player 3: I have mind 4 and comprehend 3, for a total of seven dice. (Rolls the dice.) I get a 6, which means success!
The Gamemaster: When you open a book about Pharaohs, you realize that these are Egyptian hieroglyphics. The tablet must have traveled through some kind of portal from another time. It tells about a monster with shiny, hard skin and long, two-fingered hands that can easily lift a grown man.
Player 3: Do I get what that means?
The Gamemaster: No more than you’ve already figured out.
Player 3 (Dennis): I pick it up. Do I understand what it says?
The Gamemaster: Not without studying it at the library.
Player 3: Okay, I place it in my backpack and bicycle over to the school library. A while later, I sit at a table covered in books.
The Gamemaster: Roll comprehend.
Player 3: I have mind 4 and comprehend 3, for a total of seven dice. (Rolls the dice.) I get a 6, which means success!
The Gamemaster: When you open a book about Pharaohs, you realize that these are Egyptian hieroglyphics. The tablet must have traveled through some kind of portal from another time. It tells about a monster with shiny, hard skin and long, two-fingered hands that can easily lift a grown man.
Player 3: Do I get what that means?
The Gamemaster: No more than you’ve already figured out.
You may use your Iconic Item for a dice roll, when appropriate (the Gamemaster has final say). It gives you two extra dice to roll.
You can also use your Pride, once per Mystery. It gives you an automatic success. You can activate the Pride after a failed roll, or even after a successful roll to add a success.
DOING THE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE
In rare cases, more than one success is needed to overcome Trouble. You might be trying to do something almost impossible, such as escaping from the cops on your motocross bike, or persuading your dad to stay home from poker night. This may require two or even three successes. The GM should only demand more than one success in the most extreme cases.
FAILED ROLLS
If you roll no or too few successes, your action fails. An unsuccessful attempt to overcome Trouble should never mean that nothing happens. Somehow, the situation changes – probably for the worse. The GM decides what happens. You might need to check a Condition, you might end up in new Trouble, or you might suffer a Complication. Below are some examples:
■ You are caught or become delayed.
■ The robot you have built becomes hostile or your tools break.
■ Your parents are angry with you and ground you for a week.
■ The wormhole to the other galaxy grows and swallows you instead of closing.
PUSHING THE ROLL
When you fail a roll, you may choose to immediately retry the task, by mentally or physically pushing yourself to the limit of your abilities. This is called pushing the roll, and can only be done once per roll, immediately after performing it. You may push a successful roll to be able to buy more Effects.
When you push a roll, you must first check a Condition. Then you reroll all dice not showing sixes. If the reroll is successful, the GM describes what happens. If the reroll also fails, you may not push again. If the Trouble came with the threat of a Condition, you may have to check two Conditions – one for pushing and one for failing.
LUCK
You can spend a Luck Point after a failed dice roll. A Luck Point lets you reroll failed dice, without needing to push (and marking a condition). You cannot spend more than one Luck Point on a single dice roll.