Afraid
Character Sheets
A character sheet lists a background, one of: Veteran, Investigator, Attached, Entangled.
A character sheet lists four stats: Acuity, Body, Heart, Will. Rate stats in d6s, 2-5 or so.
A character sheet lists some number of traits, which you'll name yourself. Traits are the character's specific strengths and weaknesses. Rate stats in dice, 1-3, various sizes.
A character sheet might list a bond, maybe more than one, which you'll name yourself. A bond is a thing the character does or doesn't do, from which she draws strength. Rate bonds in dice, 1-3, various sizes.
A character sheet lists some number of relationships with other people, whom you'll name yourself. Rate relationships in dice, 1-3, various sizes. It also lists some number of unassigned relationship dice.
A character sheet lists the character's belongings, which you'll name yourself. Rate belongings in dice, 1 or 2, various sizes.
And a character sheet lists four circumstances: Alone, In Trouble, Lost, Unprepared. Each circumstance will be true or false; they'll change frequently.
Creating Your Character Sheet
The background you choose gives you your options for stats, traits, bonds, relationships, belongings and circumstances.
Veteran
You've fought monsters before; at least one, once.
- Stats: 12d6
- Traits: 2d4 2d6 1d8 2d10
- Bonds: you may assign one trait die to a bond, if you want.
- Relationships: 1d4 4d6 1d8
- Belongings: you may have one or two supernatural weapons.
- Circumstances: choose one to be true, not unprepared. The rest are false.
Investigator
You have a professional reason to be involved: social worker, doctor, pastor, reporter, cop, detective, researcher.
- Stats: 14d6
- Traits: 1d4 3d6 2d8
- Bonds: none.
- Relationships: 4d6 1d8
- Belongings: normal; no supernatural weapons.
- Circumstances: choose one to be true, not lost. The rest are false.
Attached
You care about the victim personally.
- Stats: 11d6
- Traits: 1d4 3d6 1d8 1d10
- Bonds: none.
- Relationships: 1d4 2d6 3d8 1d10
- Belongings: normal; no supernatural weapons.
- Circumstances: choose one to be true, not alone. The rest are false.
Entangled
You care about the victim personally, but your relationship with the victim and the victim's other friends and family is problematic somehow.
- Stats: 13d6
- Traits: 1d4 3d6 1d8 1d10
- Bonds: none.
- Relationships: 4d4 2d6 1d8
- Belongings: normal; no supernatural weapons.
- Circumstances: choose one to be true, not alone. The rest are false.
Understanding the stats:
You'll roll acuity alone when your character is researching or studying.
You'll roll acuity plus heart when your character is talking with someone.
You'll roll body plus heart when your character is doing something physical, but not fighting.
You'll roll body plus will when your character is fighting.
You'll roll acuity plus will when your character is deliberately attempting murder.
Assigning dice to stats:
Assign a minimum of two dice to each stat.
Naming traits:
Name fewer traits than you have available trait dice.
For instance: light sleeper, bald, good cook, vicious, I've killed a man, nobody's bigger than me, I have beautiful eyes, I'm proud, I'm a librarian, I once carried my sister out of a house fire, not easily spooked, sarcastic demeanor, I can read people's fates in their eyes, Tarot reader, fat, "let me at 'em."
Assigning dice to traits:
Assign a minimum of one die and a maximum of three dice to each trait.
Do not assign mixed dice; assign only dice of the same size. Bad: 1d61d8; good: 2d6.
However, if the trait is supernatural, give it an additional d4, not from your available trait dice. This die doesn't count against its maximum.
Naming bonds:
Only if you chose veteran may you name a bond.
There are three kinds of bonds: bonds of conscience, bonds of tradition, and bonds of nightmare.
Bonds of conscience, for instance: I never lie, I'm faithful to my lover, I give money to beggars, I protect children, I treat everyone with dignity.
Bonds of tradition, for instance: I pray 5 times daily to Allah, I pay a 10% tithe on all the money I earn, I never cut my hair, I wear a yarmulke, I don't eat meat, I dance in each May.
Bonds of nightmare, for instance: I sleep days in a coffin in the earth of my homeland, I keep my heart in a funary jar, I kill puppies for satan, I cut out my own eyes for power.
Assigning a die to a bond:
Only if you chose veteran may you assign a die to a bond.
Assign only a single die, from your available trait dice.
If the bond you name is a bond of nightmare, the die you assign it must be a d4.
If the bond is supernatural, give it an additional d4, not from your available trait dice.
Naming relationships:
Name only one or two relationships.
For instance: my brother, Anne, Benjamin, my aunt, Pstor Whitall, this veteran I saw once begging in the road, my second grade teacher.
Assigning dice to relationships:
Assign a minimum of one die and maximum of three dice to each relationship.
Do not assign mixed dice; assign only dice of the same size. Bad: 1d61d8; good: 2d6.
Do not assign most of your relationship dice. List the rest as unassigned relationship dice.
Naming belongings:
Name only your character's exceptional belongings: things that she has that you wouldn't expect her to have, and things that she has that are significantly better quality or worse quality than you'd expect.
Name at most five or six belongings.
For instance: a handgun, a house with a heated pool, a cardboard sign, vestments, my grandmother's sewing machine, great real estate investments, a german shepherd, an extensive library of rare books, a laptop with high-speed wireless.
Assigning dice to belongings:
If it's normal, assign it 1d6.
If it's big or powerful, assign it 1d8.
If it's high quality, assign it 2d6.
If it's high quality and big or powerful, assign it 2d8.
If it's crap, assign it 1d4.
If it's supernatural, assign it an additional d4.
Choosing circumstances:
Choose one circumstance to be true, according to the background you chose. The rest are false.
Name your character and your character sheet is done.
Scenes
One of the jobs of the GM is to cut from scene to scene.
When you frame a new scene for a character, adhere to the character's circumstances.
Alone
Alone means isolated from friends and allies. The character might be literally alone, or might be surrounded by enemies. In order to allow a friend or ally into the scene, the character has to win a conflict whose stakes include the circumstance.
When you frame a scene for a character who is not alone might nevertheless be by herself or surrounded by enemies, but her friends and allies will be immediately available to her. In addition, any other players whose characters aren't alone or lost can ask you to include their characters in the scene.
In Trouble
In trouble means in media res, and not to the character's advantage. Frame the scene to the character already doing something stupid, dangerous, or desperate; having already lost, stumbled, or screwed up; or already trapped, hurt, or incapacitated. In order to get out of trouble, the character has to win a conflict whose stakes include the circumstance.
When you frame a scene for a character who's not in trouble, you can frame her moving toward trouble, but you can't drop her right into it.
Lost
Lost means in a place of your choosing - anyplace of your choosing - not of the player's or character's. Lost also means that there's some barrier between the character and where she'd like to be. In order to reach her destination, the character has to win a conflict whose stakes include the circumstances.
When you frame a scene, ask the character's player where the character goes. If the character's not lost, frame the scene there or in transit; if the character is lost, frame the scene accordingly.
Unprepared
Unprepared means vulnerable, materially: underequipped, weak, sleeping, intent on something else, off her guard. When you frame the scene, say how the character's vulnerable. In order to gather herself or her tools, the character has to win a conflict whose stakes include the circumstance.
When you frame a scene for a character who's not unprepared, she can be surprised or distracted, of course, but with her tools close at hand and her attention quickly focused.
Conflict Resolution
These are different from Dogs in the Vineyards' resolution rules in some important ways. Read carefully!
Name the stakes and the opening arena. Set the stage.
Stakes
Read "stakes" to mean the thing at stake itself, not the possible outcomes. "What's at stake is where I go," for instance; "what's at stake is my survival;" "what's at stake is her trust." The winner of the conflict gets to resolve the stakes: resolve where I go, resolve my survival, resolve her trust.
The people on each side of the conflict may feel free to name their characters' preferred resolution of the stakes. Strictly, however, you aren't committing to that resolution if your side wins. You're speculating how you might resolve the stakes if you win, that's all; idly speculating.
But now here's a nuance: you can name the stakes implicitly by only speculating how you might resolve them. "If I win, he chops your head off with his axe," for instance - what I'm really saying is that your head is at stake.
Once everyone in your group can read the stakes implicit in a declaration of intent, there's no need for any especial formality. Formally, explicitly naming the stakes is useful as a learning tool and when you require absolute clarity; otherwise, feel free to play casual.
The stakes can include changes to the characters' circumstances. Simply include the circumstances - explicitly or implicitly - when you name the stakes.
Arenas
Research or study: acuity only.
Social, talking: acuity + heart.
Athletic: body + heart.
Fighting: body + will.
Murder: acuity + will.
Roll stat dice, relationship dice if you've got any assigned to your opponent or the stakes, and bond dice if you have a true bond.
Take turns challenging and answering (raising and seeing), in best pair order.
If you bring a trait or a belonging concretely into a challenge or answer, roll its dice right then. They're available to you as you make your challenge or answer.
A challenge is an action your character's opponent can't ignore, and two dice.
An answer is your character's response, and dice to match the challenge's.
One die = reverse. Keep the die for your next challenge or answer.
Two dice = block or dodge.
Three or more dice = take it. Take fallout dice equal to the dice you use to answer, of a size appropriate to the details of the challenge.
Non-physical challenge: d4 fallout.
Physical but non-violent challenge: d6 fallout.
Violent but non-murderous challenge: d8 fallout.
Murderous challenge: d10 fallout.
Roll your fallout dice at the very end of the conflict, alongside resolving its stakes.
Group conflicts
Challenge in best pair order.
When you challenge, everyone you name in your challenge has to answer, in best pair order.
When a group NPC challenges, each of its members can make an individual challenge, and all share the same two dice.
When a group NPC answers challenges, the GM's answering dice stand for that round's future answers, up to the number of its members. The GM must add dice to her standing answer if necessary to match subsequent challenges' dice, taking it; or she may set dice temporarily aside from her standing answer if possible, to block or dodge or reverse.
Escalating
When you escalate on your challenge:
Make your challenge, appropriate to the new arena.
Roll the dice for the new arena's stats, if you haven't already.
Your opponent can escalate to match immediately, by committing to respond in kind. Otherwise, your opponent can escalate to match on this or any subsequent answer, by responding in kind.
It's an opportunity for others to join the conflict.
When you escalate instead of answering:
You don't have to answer the outstanding challenge. Instead, make a challenge, appropriate to the new arena.
Roll the dice for the new arena's stats, if you haven't already.
Your opponent can escalate to match immediately, by committing to respond in kind. Otherwise, your opponent can escalate to match on this or any subsequent answer, by responding in kind.
It's an opportunity for others to join the conflict.
If your opponent escalates, you can't later escalate instead of answering if you're responding in kind.
If the game's running in two or more concurrent scenes, cut between them at the moment of escalation.
Giving
When you give:
The conflict ends. Your character's opponent wins the stakes.
You don't have to answer any outstanding challenge.
You get to keep your two best dice for a followup conflict ("cutting your losses").
Ending the conflict
If you give, you lose.
If it's your turn to challenge and you can't or won't, you lose.
If it's your turn to answer and you can't or won't, you lose.
The stakes resolve in the winner's favor.
Everyone rolls their fallout dice and assigns fallout.
Fallout
Fallout roll:
Any 1s: 1 experience fallout.
2-7: short-term fallout.
8-11: long-term fallout.
12-15: injury fallout.
16-19: requires first aid.
20: dead or dying.
Experience Fallout:
Two circumstances become false;
Add a trait or relationship at 1d6;
Add a die to a trait, relationship or tradition;
Change the die size of a trait, relationship or tradition by one;
Add 1d8 and 1d6 to your unassigned Relationship dice;
Add 2d4 and 1d6 to your unassigned Relationship dice; or
Add a belonging to your sheet.
Short-term Fallout:
Give your two best fallout dice to your opponent for the followup, if there is one; or
One circumstance becomes true.
GM only:
Reveal any single fact from your monster writeup. It must be something that the players don't already know.
Long-term Fallout:
A circumstance becomes true;
Lose a die from a Stat;
Change a trait, relationship or bond to d4s; or
Two circumstances become true, plus gain a trait or relationship at 1d4.
GM only:
Give your two best fallout dice to your opponent for the followup; or
Reveal one of the following from your monster writeup:
- The name or face of a victim, slave or acolyte whom the PCs have not yet encountered;
- A bond from the monster's character sheet (not one named for a victim); or
- The specific access that the monster has to a victim or slave whom the PCs have already encountered.
It must be something that the players don't already know.
Injury Fallout:
Choose one Long-term Fallout, and choose one of:
Lose a trait, relationship or bond;
Two circumstances become true;
Lose a die from a stat; or
Require first aid.
GM only:
Give your single best fallout die to your opponent for the followup; and
Reveal one of the following from your monster writeup:
- The name or face of a victim, slave or acolyte whom the PCs have not yet encountered;
- A bond from the monster's character sheet (not one named for a victim); or
- The specific access that the monster has to a victim or slave whom the PCs have already encountered.
It must be something that the players don't already know.
Reflection Fallout
Everyone gets reflection fallout whenever:
A player character dies;
A victim succumbs to the monster; or
A victim's released from the monster.
Reflection Fallout:
Choose one Experience Fallout, and choose one of:
Add two dice to your stats;
Add three dice to any combination of traits and relationships;
Add 1d10 and 2d6 to your unassigned Relationship dice;
Add 3d4 and 2d6 to your unassigned Relationship dice;
Gain a bond at 1d6 (+1d4 if it's supernatural); or
All circumstances become false.
First aid conflicts
The first aid provider rolls acuity + the victim's body for physical first aid, or heart + the victim's will for psychological first aid, plus relationships, bonds and traits as usual.
GM rolls dice for the injury as a nonhuman opponent.
When the provider takes a blow, he or she takes d4 fallout and the victim takes d8 fallout, both.
Only one first aid conflict is allowed in a row; if the outcome demands another first aid conflict, the victim needs real medical care or will die (various forms of psychological death included).
Real medical care:
The victim takes another long-term fallout.
All circumstances become true. The victim is lost (in a hospital unit somewhere), in trouble (drips, monitors, surgery, restraints), unprepared (anesthetized, practically naked) and alone.
Dying:
There are two circumstances under which your character will die.
First, when you roll a 20 for fallout.
Second, when your character's life is at stake in a conflict, and the winner of the conflict resolves that your character loses her life.