Encounter

An encounter adds more detail and drama for pivotal conflicts. Encounters take place on a map, called the zone, which allows for tactical movement and positioning. Time is broken down into rounds, and during each round every character present will receive a turn and be allowed to act. Just like a complication, an encounter uses reflex and is run in exchanges. After each exchange conditions change, which may end the encounter or switch it to a complication. Unlike a complication on each round you gain a full turn instead of just one check.

Exchange

An exchange is a group of five rounds. Complications end after one exchange, but an encounter might continue for several. After an exchange all cards are shuffled before being dealt again, and the situation changes in some way. If a side can expect reinforcements, they arrive at the end of an exchange. A new situation or environment stunt could become available, or a hazard could be added.

Turn

Each round, on your reflex, you get your turn. During your turn you reset your guard, you gain a snap and an action, and resolve any ongoing states affecting you like bleeding or falling. You can do these in any order, so you might use your action to try to grab a ledge before resolving your falling state. Anything that is in effect until your next turn counts as a state to resolve, and regardless of the order you choose you can't do something that conflicts with a current state. So for example if you are down your speed is zero, so if you want to move you have to use your snap to stand up first.

• Resolve any states
• Reset your guard
• Execute your action
• Execute your snap

Guard

Your guard is a special defense you get once each turn to contest any opponent's check against you. You can wait to see the result of the opponent's check before you choose to use your guard. Once you use your guard it's gone until it resets on your next turn. You may have defenses other than your guard, and if so you may use both a defense and your guard to contest the same check. You may use your guard after seeing the result of the defense, and your guard cooperates with the defense check. However, you must use a different type of check for each, so if you parry with your defense you must dodge with your guard. There are special options only available when used with a guard:

• Counter: A special parry that lets you to attack in place of diverting the attack. Roll combat with a penalty, and if you win you avoid their attack and hit with your own.
• Dive: A special dodge that lets you move away from an attack. Roll agility with a penalty, and if you succeed you jump to another area before effects hit. If the attack directly contested you, then you have to win, but most blast attack your area instead of you so you only need to succeed to escape. If you fail you still jump but suffer the effects.
• Retort: A special refuse that cooperates with other defenders. This may stop a social attack aimed at someone else.

Snap

A snap is a very quick act that you may take once each turn. Your snap may be executed before or directly after your full action. Abilities may add new options for your snap. If you do not use your snap it is simply lost when your turn ends. You may give up your action to take a second snap.

• Creep: While hidden, make a subterfuge check or lose 1 decoy.
• Crouch: Use when adjacent to cover. Until your next turn you gain a bonus to dodge attacks the cover applies to.
• Distract: Check appearance as a social attack. If you succeed your target gains interference.
• Fend: Gain an extra parry defense until your next turn.
• Equip: Equip or store items.
• Hustle: Make an agility check and get +1 speed if you fail or +2 speed if you succeed.
• Order: Control the actions of followers who have markers.
• Perceive: Eliminate the nearest decoy or discover new details if you succeed at a sense check.
• Quip: You gain an extra retort defense until your next turn.
• Stand: Eliminate the down state.

Action

Your action is what you spend most of your time doing on your turn. Abilities or the encounter may add new options for your action.

• Aim: Use machinery to attack with a ranged weapon.
• Fight: Use combat to strike an opponent within reach.
• Move: Move your speed across the map.
• Mount: Use wilderness to ride a creature.
• Prepare: Gain a bonus on your next check.
• Recruit: Use rank to assume command of denizens.
• Screen: Abort to defend yourself. See below.
• Steer: Use machinery to control a vehicle.
• Persuade: Use communication to attack with your voice.
• Vanish: Use subterfuge to become hidden, placing 2 decoys in adjacent areas.

Screen and Defense

A defense contests an opponent's check against you. You may declare your defense (and what type) after seeing the opponent's result. Your guard may be used as a single defense. You may abort to screen at any time, and the next time you would get an action it automatically goes to pay for the screen. From the time you declare your screen until the next action you choose (so beyond the one required to pay for the screen) you may use one defense to contest each and every attack which targets you. Thus if you are being attacked by multiple opponents, you can screen to contest them all and still gain an action every other turn. If you have both a defense and a guard you may use both on the same attack and they cooperate with one another, but they must be different types.

• Dodge: You check agility to contest a physical attack. You can try to dodge any attacks that aren't surprise or social, but still suffer a penalty if the attack is from behind your flank.
• Parry: Check combat to contest an attack within reach.
• Resist: You check heart to contest a social attack.

Zone

In addition to the extra options a turn provides, an encounter takes place on scaled map called a zone. A standard zone is 24 areas on each side, but can vary. An area is the basic unit of measurement on a map, and is one square if the map has a grid, or 1" if not. Your character will occupy one area, and measure areas to move or attack at range. The purpose of the map is to more clearly show relative positions and environmental hazards and opportunities. Miniatures and grids are recommended, but you can use any object (dice, bottle caps, coins) to represent characters and any surface can be a map. If you have adventure tiles, a standard zone is a 3x3 tiles.

• Optional Rule: Map-less Encounters. Need something for this.

Segment

A map may have areas outlined and labeled, or just obviously distinct from other areas. Everything within that outline or distinction is called a segment. A segment is assigned properties, although those same segments might have different properties when used in different encounters. If using tiles, each tile set comes with a list of random properties for the segments. Encounters may call out specific segments and properties to include on the map. Segments or an entire zone may have special options for snaps, actions, momentum, or interference.

Segment	Sample Effect
Cover	Attack lines that cross suffer a penalty.
Ledge	If you gain interference in the area you fall down, if you go down you fall to the bottom of the segment.
Rough	Make a balance check against move or the area costs 2 speed to enter instead of 1.
Slippery	If you gain interference you fall down.
Steep	You must use your climb speed, and it counts as a ledge.
Water	You must use your swim speed and if you gain interference you start to drown.

Setup

When an encounter begins the referee decides which side should setup first depending on the circumstances. If you surprise your opponents they must setup first. If you successfully set a trap you may get to place your opponents for setup. Likewise if you are surprised you may be forced to place yourself first, or be limited to setting up on a specific edge or segment. If tiles in use then certain tiles may be designated as available for placement. Usually you may not place yourself within 5 areas of an opponent or within the same tile. After each exchange fresh participants may arrive, usually along a designated edge.

Movement

When you use the move action you can move a number of areas equal to your speed. Segments may limit you to one type of speed (like swim or climb), otherwise you can use the best and mix and match. For example if you hustle and have Run speed 6 and Jump speed 2, you can move 6 areas during your action and 2 of those areas may be a jump. The hustle snap lets you increase your speed or move a little without using an action. You roll an agility check and if you succeed you may move an extra 2 areas, or just 1 area if you fail. When you finish moving you must designate a facing and establish your flank. You can face anywhere you choose (any angle), then draw an imaginary line perpendicular to your facing. Everything on or in front of that line is front of your flank. Anything behind it is behind your flank. You can't parry or attack behind your flank, and you suffer a penalty when you contest a check from behind your flank.

Move Type	Normal Speed	Notes
Run	4	Default ground movement.
Climb	2	Used in steep areas.
Jump	0	You properties and low obstacles between your starting area and ending area.
Swim	2	Used in water areas.

Overlap

When you are in an adjacent area, essentially touching an opponent, it's called an overlap. If the character is friendly there is no effect. Entering an opponent's overlap ends your movement. Once you are in an overlap, you must make a move check to exit from one overlapping area to another, and your opponents may use a defense to contest you with a dodge or parry. If you fail (or lose) your movement ends. There's no check or contest to exit into an area without overlap. You may not enter an opponent's area, but you may jump over it if you have a jump speed of 4 (2 to go up an area, then 2 to move over the area). Moving through an ally is possible, but counts as an overlap requiring a check.

Endurance

One of the conditions that may change after an exchange is exhaustion can set in. If the referee calls for it, you must attempt an endurance check against your strength score. If you succeed there is no effect, but if you fail you become exhausted. The referee might apply a penalty if your activity has been especially strenuous, or a bonus if you've been holding back. Opponents check as well, and will likely retreat if they become exhausted.

Mode

Modes offer different ways to play an encounter to fit different approaches. The basic structure remains the same between all the encounter types, but different rules are emphasized depending on how you are trying to resolve your conflict:

• Battle - Resolve a conflict with force.
• Chase - Escape a conflict with speed.
• Dispute - Reconcile a conflict with persuasion.
• Raid - Avoid a conflict through stealth.

Note that a single encounter could have elements of some or all of the modes at once, or transition to different modes dynamically, usually at the end of an exchange.

Version 2.5.2
©2014 Frameworks Games

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