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Gambles

Most of the things character do during a story require no mechanical adjudication. For these tasks, the desired result is achieved with no meaningful risk of negative consequences. For these sorts of activities, the player indicates what their character wishes to undertake or achieve and they work with the GM to describe the results. If the distinction between failure and success is not interesting - for example, a situation where a character might simply retry until they succeed - no mechanical resolution is needed.

For some tasks, however, the GM may indicate that success for the character is sufficiently uncertain, and the consequences of failure sufficiently meaningful, that undertaking the task is a gamble. For these situations, a mechanical method of generating a result is used, as outlined below.

Step 1: Initiation

The player outlines a desired result for the character. This involves indicating the character's goal, determining which of the character's resources (e.g. advantages, abilities, equipment, powers) are relevant, and describing, in general, how those resources might be used by the character to achieve the desired result.

Step 2: Clarification

The GM determines the difficulty and describes potential consequences of the action.

	Failure		Success
	Critical	Overall	Overall	Critical
Common (2)
Normal	6%	15%	84%	19%
1 WP	4%	9%	90%	26%
3 WP	3%	6%	93%	32%
Hard (3)
Normal	16%	45%	54%	10%
1 WP	14%	33%	66%	16%
3 WP	12%	23%	76%	23%
Difficult (4)
Normal	22%	75%	24%	3%
1 WP	23%	62%	37%	7%
3 WP	22%	50%	49%	13%
Overwhelming (5)
Normal	25%	91%	8%	0%
1 WP	28%	84%	15%	2%
3 WP	30%	74%	25%	5%
Two Common (2,2)
Normal	18%	57%	42%	7%
1 WP	18%	44%	55%	13%
3 WP	16%	33%	66%	19%

Easy - 1 Effect

Easy tasks only require one effect. This means that any sufficiently-simple task can be performed merely by rolling a single die above the target number. Many basic tasks that require little attention are easy tasks: holstering or unholstering a weapon, moving a small distance, popping out of cover, activating a communications system, and so on. Typically a GM shouldn't ask for a roll for an easy task unless it's being taken as part of a multi-action.

Adding an easy action to an attempt reduces the probability of success by about 1 to 3%, depending on the difficulty of the other actions. Adding a second easy action can reduce the probability of success by another 5 to 10%

Examples:

• Driving normally for most people.
• Speeding through light traffic in a police car with sirens blaring for most police officers.

Common - 2 Effect

Using a piece of equipment or supernatural ability to do what it was designed to do is typically a common task. A common task is one that might regularly be performed by someone with the equipment and training of the character with a moderate chance of failure.

Adding a common action to an attempt approximately halves the probability of success.

Examples:

• Speeding through traffic for most people.
• Seriously injuring someone with a gun for people with firearms training.

The probability of a four-person team all succeeding at a common difficulty task is approximately equal to the probability of one person succeeding at a hard difficulty task.

Hard - 3 Effect

Hard tasks are within the preconceived range of ability of a piece of equipment, skill, or power, but represent an advanced or otherwise more difficult form or use.

Examples:

• Speeding against traffic for a good driver
• Overtaking an average person through traffic for a good driver.
• Killing someone with a gun for a person with firearms training.
• Knocking someone out with a blow to the head for someone with basic hand-to-hand skills.

The probability of a two-person team both succeeding at a hard difficulty task is slightly better than the probability of one person succeeding at an overwhelming difficulty task.

Difficult - 4 Effect

Examples:

• Jumping a motorcycle into a helicopter by a reasonably skilled motorcyclist.

Step 3: Going for It

The player decides whether they wish to go forward with the gamble or to accept a failure condition so as to not risk a critical failure.

Team Work

Two or more people working together can make a task easier. As always, consider the specific situation and the powers involved, but two people working together on the same task might each experience a difficulty of one less if the two of them work together.

Bolstering

An attempt may be bolstered using WP, representing the extra effort that a character might put into some actions. The WP is not spent, but bet. On a success, the WP is retained, though no extra is gained. On a failure, the WP is lost. Betting 1 WP gains an attempt an extra die while betting 3 WP gains an attempt two extra dice.

Step 4: Resolution

All attempts use 8 dice, rolling against a target number of 5.

Calculating Effect

Criticals

A critical is rolled when a set of ones is rolled. In the case of a multi-action where some actions succeed and some fail, at least one of the failures should be considered a critical failure.

Success

If the required effect is produced, the desired result is achieved. The GM incorporates this result into the chain of events.

Critical Success

A critical success is a success where a set of ones is also rolled. The character gains a point of WP and, if possible, the GM provides them with a minor bonus to their action.

Failure

If the required effect is not produced, the desired result is not achieved. The GM provides a different result based on the logic of the situation. This is not necessarily a negative consequence, merely the in-game effect of someone attempting to accomplish something and failing to do so.

Critical Failure

A critical failure is a failure where a set of ones is also rolled. The character loses a point of WP and, if possible, the GM describes an additional negative effect beyond just failure. A critical failure doesn't have to imply a complete impasse, merely an additional obstacle that needs to be dealt with.

The WP must be lost from either the general pool or a goal that is related to the action. If the character doesn't have suitable WP to lose, the GM, if possible, should impose an additional, significantly negative effect.

Combat and Common Skills

Damage

Damage is a temporary negative, representing an additional required action on all relevant rolls. If an arm is slightly hurt, or more seriously hurt on someone who is particularly tough, an additional minor action might be required for firing a gun. With a moderate head injury, an additional common action could be applied to all attempts. With a serious leg wound, an additional hard action could be applied to all attempts to move.

An attempt to perform an action while injured can have consequences. A failure to succeed on the injury action means that the character wasn't able to cope with the injury, which implies a negative consequence to the injury: bruised muscle becomes sprained, and hard to use, or a stitched wound reopens. A critical failure would be even more serious. A success on an injury action with a failure on the primary action means the wound is kept safe, but the primary action fails or critically fails.

Healing damage is resolved through the story, with skills coming into play where appropriate.

If an opponent is hurt, this should be applied to their actions by the GM and may reduce some difficulties in dealing with them. For example, chasing down a man with a leg wound should be easier than chasing down a healthy man.

Fatigue

Fatigue becomes more of an issue as people exert themselves longer. If a character's fatigue starts to become an issue, add an additional action to the attempt to represent the effect of fatigue, with a difficulty determined by the character's ability to cope.

Advantages

Advantages influence actions, either by making them easier, or by making something possible. An advantage might be a skill or talent you possess, it might be a piece of equipment, or it might be a magical advantage. Using an advantage simply requires including it in the description of your action. The GM should take this into account when figuring out if the action is possible and what the difficulty of the action is.

An advantage is typically given a name and described in a few words or sentences, depending on the complexity of the advantage. The more powerful the advantage, the longer the description should probably be.

Types

Advantages come in three types: minor, significant, and major. This type indicates the expected influence of the advantage on the game. Advantages can often have limitations associated with them, which should be taken into account when deciding how powerful they are. The importance of a limitation depends on how frequently the limitation can realistically be expected to occur in the campaign.

A minor advantage is one which provides only slight assistance, or which provides a substantial edge in very limited circumstances.

A significant advantage is one which frequently provides meaningful assistance, or which provides a decisive edge in the right, very limited circumstances. The ability to look like someone else, the ability to hide in shadows, the ability to craft magical artifacts, powerful firearms, the ability to monitor someone's emotions, the ability to bind a contract, a disintegration gun, absorbing skin, human strength telekinesis.

A major advantage is one which frequently provides a decisive edge or powerful assistance, or an overwhelming edge in limited circumstances. The ability to read someone's thoughts, the ability to read someone's memories, the ability to teleport yourself,

Cost

Players are given charges in return for completing in-game objectives, as a source of magical power, to represent new wealth, or anything else the GM desires. A minor charge can be used to purchase a minor advantage. A significant charge can be used to purchase a significant advantage. A major charge can be used to purchase a major advantage. Five minor charges can be combined to make a significant charge. Five significant charges can be combined to make a major charge.

Example Advantages

Advantages can represent anything: physical prowess, mental acuity, skills, equipment, magical powers, professions, social contacts, financial resources, etc.

Perception

• [Minor] Equipment: High-Quality Binoculars. These have excellent optics, allowing good vision from far away.
• [Minor] Skill: Tracking. You know how to follow a trail.
• [Significant] Power: Eye for Talent. You have the magical ability to sense when someone else is a talent, though not always what it is (this might be the benefit for a critical success).
• [Significant] Talent: Perceptive. You're more aware of your surroundings than most people.
• [Major] Power: See the Past.

Professions and Professional Skills

• [Minor] Profession: Computer Programmer.
• [Minor] Craft: Carpentry.
• [Significant] Profession: Bodyguard. You can handle yourself in a fist fight, are decent at reading a room, and have some skills applicable for intimidation.
• [Major] Profession: FBI Field Agent. A profession can be a major advantage if it's determined to include, as this might, crime scene investigation, advanced driving, firearms training, and so on. If limited in the description to, for example, merely knowledge of FBI procedures, with any other benefits handled through other advantages, that could be a minor advantage.

Telekinesis

• [Minor] The ability to gently move and manipulate light objects within your line of sight.
• [Minor] Having a telekinetic arm that's as strong and long as an actual arm.
• [Significant] The ability to use small objects normally anywhere within your field of view.
• [Significant] The ability to powerfully repulse someone near you.
• [Major] The ability to manipulate any object normally anywhere within your field of view.

Weapons

• [Minor] A knife or dagger.
• [Significant] A handgun.
• [Significant] A rifle or shotgun.

Willpower

General Pool

All characters have a general pool of WP which recovers after a rest of a few hours. For most characters this is 5 WP, but additional amounts can be purchased with a major charge.

Rearranging WP

WP can be rearranged during an extended vacation. For every two points of WP removed from one drive, one point can be added to another. An extended vacation lasts for at least a week, and might need to be longer, or contain a solid justification for life reprioritization, if significant WP changes are being made.

Delta Green

Paradox

Vulgar actions increase the difficulty of a roll by creating a second action that has to be attempt along with the first. The difficulty of this second action is represented by how vulgar the effect is and how many witnesses there are. A failure on this action results in a paradox effect, with a success meaning that cohesion of experience between the character and the witnesses is maintained.

Extended Probability Table

	Failure		Success
	Critical	Overall	Overall	Critical
(2)	6%	15%	84%	19%
(2,1)	6%	16%	83%	19%
(2,1,1)	9%	22%	77%	16%
(2,1,1,1)	15%	39%	60%	11%
(3)	16%	45%	54%	10%
(3,1)	16%	48%	51%	9%
(2,2)	18%	57%	42%	7%
(3,1,1)	19%	58%	41%	6%
(2,2,1)	19%	59%	40%	6%
(2,2,1,1)	21%	68%	31%	4%
(4)	22%	75%	24%	3%
(3,2)	23%	77%	22%	3%
(4,1)	23%	77%	22%	3%
(3,2,1)	23%	80%	19%	2%
(4,1,1)	24%	85%	14%	1%
(3,2,1,1)	24%	87%	12%	1%
(2,2,2)	25%	89%	10%	1%
(5)	25%	91%	8%	0%
(4,2)	25%	93%	6%	0%
(3,3)	25%	94%	5%	0%