Examples Of Play
A set of rules, some Abilities and a list of Perks is all well and good, but it’s a bit abstract and doesn’t really show you how the game is supposed to work. So I thought it was probably worth just going through a few things, to give you an idea of play and hopefully inspire you to play the game too.
If you need a recap of the rules and things, you can find the other posts here.
You’re in a bar…
It’s a role playing game trope for sure. You can substitute bar for tavern, nightclub or whatever, but basically the characters meet up in a drinking house of some sort and a bar brawl erupts.
Rock Hammer is at the bar, trying to order a beer. He’s a weather worn archaeologist that usually carries a revolver. As the first bar stool splinters across the back of a drunk hoodlum nearby, Rock reaches for his revolver and realises it’s still on the dresser in his hotel room.
The GM says, “One of the brawlers hurls a half empty bottle in your direction. What do you want to do?” Rock’s player says, “I’ll duck out of the way.”
The GM and the player both roll 2d10. The brawler adds their Ranged Combat Ability to the roll, while Rock adds his Reactions Ability.
Rock has picked up a couple of points in Reactions since he started and so adds 2 to his roll of 10 (7+3) for a grand total of 12. The brawler isn’t particularly skilled and has no points in Ranged Combat, so just gets whatever he rolled, which in this case was also a 10. Rock just managed to duck his head in time to avoid the flying bottle, which smashes against the row of optics behind the bar.
Rock’s player decides to retaliate and grabs a bottle that’s sitting next to him on the bar. He aims and throws it straight at the brawler who threw the last bottle at him. Again both the player and the GM roll 2d10.
Rock’s player just got lucky. He rolled a double 10 and so rolls a third and a fourth d10 for a total of 32 (10+10+5+7). When he adds his Ranged Combat Ability of 3, he has a grand total of 35! The GM rolled a total of 19 (15 plus a Reactions Ability of 4). Sadly not enough to dodge Rock’s bottle and as the NPC is not a named character it knocks him out.
The GM describes the action, “The bottle flies end over end and the guys eyes open wide as it comes spinning towards him. He’s like a rabbit caught in the headlights. There is a resounding thwack as it smacks him right on the forehead and he goes down, knocking over a couple of chairs in the process”.
The characters celebrate with a tequila once things have calmed down.
The Great Escape
The characters are transporting an ancient artefact that Rock found during a dig. Unfortunately a group of mercenaries are trying to steal the artefact and are in hot pursuit. Rock is busy driving the jeep the characters are using, so the GM and Rock’s player are rolling against each other to simulate the chase.
Felicia Bishop is in the back of the jeep and can see the mercenaries drawing closer. As Felicia has points in Psychic and the Telekinesis Perk, her player asks if there is anything nearby that she can use to obstruct their pursuers. The GM says there are a few things she could use and then lists them. There are a stack of crates which look like they might topple anyway, so the difficulty is only 15. There is also a parked Fiat 500, which although small is still going to be more difficult than the crates. So the GM decides that it will be at difficulty 30.
Felicia’s player thinks moving the car is going to be too hard for her character to do, but then has an idea. She asks the GM, “Can I release the handbrake and put the car into neutral and then give it a nudge towards those crates, so they all collapse and cause a really big mess in front of the mercenaries?”
The GM likes that idea and says it’ll still be quite hard (difficulty 20), because she can’t see the handbrake or the gear stick, but because it sounds quite cool he’ll allow her to add her Mind Characteristic to the roll as well as her Psychic Ability. Felicia’s player says, “Cool” and makes the roll.
Felicia has a Psychic Ability of 7 and a Mind Characteristic of 4 and her player rolls a 9 (5+4). Added together that makes 20! Just enough to get the car rolling into those crates and for the characters to make their escape!
Wrapping Up
It’s not all action by any means, but it’s a useful way to explain the dynamics. Also it’s worth remembering that good role play and just plain cool stuff that everyone finds fun should be rewarded. I mean, that’s why we play games right? With that in mind, the GM is probably going to award Felicia an extra Development Point for that stunt with the Fiat 500 and those crates.
Hopefully this short post has given you a taste of the game play. If you feel inclined to take Here Be Dragons for a spin, I would love to know how you get on in the comments.
