Statistics:Posted by AlexJall — Wed Mar 30, 2022 3:27 pm
Scale of Play
Any reference to “individual combat” or “rounds” refers to the default scale of 6-second combat rounds. In order to represent the action at larger scales, a new unit of game-time called the “turn” will be used. A turn is an abstract length of time in which the player characters’ party and each group (ship or company) of gamemaster characters may take a coordinated action. The exact length of each turn will vary according to the current action of the game. The player group may move and take one major coordinated action each turn, similar to the combat round, except movement generally occurs throughout the turn.
At the beginning of each turn, the gamemaster will summarize the current situation or conflict. The players should then briefly discuss their intentions for this turn, decide on their group’s movement or action, and communicate this to the gamemaster. The gamemaster will then decide on any gamemaster character group movements or actions before narrating the scene, calling for tests, or asking for individual player actions. When resolving large-scale turns, it is often best to not ask individual players’ intentions until the scene has been set and the player character group’s action has been chosen. Individual players may always declare a Decisive Moment to directly respond to the action (see next section).
Some examples situations and recommended turn lengths are given here. Short range chases, called engagements, and ship-to-ship combat (including boarding battles or mass combat) occur in 1-minute turns. Exploration of adventure-sites (dungeons, kaers, or ruins) or pursuits through these sites occur in 10-minute turns. Long-distance pursuit or outdoor exploration may occur in 1-hour turns. Travel in possibly hostile territory occurs in 4-hour turns (called a "watch"). Travel may also occur in turns lasting 1 day or 1 week each, as the needs of the campaign require.
Because the length of a turn may change during a game session, it is essential for the gamemaster to communicate these moments to the players. For example, “Last turn the boarding maneuver was successful, placing your team of adepts along with a unit of air-sailors aboard the enemy vessel, and causing 3 initial casualties and 2 deaths among their ranks. The enemy succeeds on their Morale test and refuse to back down — so we are zooming in to combat rounds. Roll your Initiative!” or “After another hour of trailing the pirate vessel through hazardous fog, you succeed in cutting their line and closing to engagement range. A chase begins as they try to speed out of range of your cannons. Turns are now 1-minute long, roll to engage the enemy!”
Decisive Moments
Players will often want to respond to the current situation directly when the scale of play is larger than the 6-second combat round. These individuals may leap into action during times of hazard, including ship combat, often performing feats of such daring and perfect timing that they alter events that would otherwise be catastrophic. A crewman may save a comrade from serious injury or death at the last moment, pulling them from collapsing rigging, putting out fires, clearing tangled lines and tackle before they wreak havoc on the deck, noticing dangerous terrain features, or responding to other hazards.
Characters may use this option once per turn to take two 6-second combat rounds worth of actions in order to respond to the hazard, and players taking Decisive Moments at the same time may work together. For hazards other than combat, each acting character suffers a Hazard Damage test (step 6 plus the current Severity, see Hazards below) to represent the risk and consequences of leaping into a dangerous situation. When taking a decisive moment in combat, allow any gamemaster characters that are nearby 2 combat rounds of actions to respond to the characters. Use the Initiative step of all characters as their Initative result unless an ability requiring a test is used (Air Dance, etc).
It is recommended that gamemasters limit the number of Decisive Moments that gamemaster characters take per turn, to half the number of players present at the game session or less. Normally, only important gamemaster characters will take Decisive Moments, as this places the spotlight firmly on the player characters to influence events.
If the players are really invested in the outcome of a situation, it is best to shift scales to 6-second combat rounds and play out the scene in that mode. The gamemaster can then use the ship and mass-combat rules to track events outside the player’s direct influence (see Using Combat Rounds with Mass Combat in the Advanced Mass Combat Rules).
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