Game mechanic: Challenge/Focus/Strike
Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 11:39 am
In this game, all events will have a Challenge phase, a Focus phase, and a Strike phase.
Each event is divided into multiple instances containing 1 to 3 players. If you don’t want to join any existing instance, you can start a new one by posting a new thread. However, you may only participate in one event per game day.
Each event instance should have its own thread. Each player participating in that event instance should (eventually, over the course of the event) have 1 post for Challenge, 1 post for Focus, and 1 post for Strike. Additional posts purely for RP are also permitted.
No more than 3 players can join each instance. A player who attempts and fails the “Challenge” phase is not counted towards this limit; only players who pass “Challenge” phase are considered to successfully join.
Challenge phase
The Challenge describes the conditions that allow or disallow your character to join this event. Your “Challenge” post indicates that you have joined the event instance.
This may require your character belong to a certain clan, possess a certain advantage or skill, or so on.
Joining some events may cost koku, honor or glory.
There may be multiple options to meet the Challenge; usually, meeting any of these options is sufficient to join.
Some events may allow players that have already joined to invite additional players that don’t otherwise meet the conditions to join. To qualify for this, the inviting player must explicitly state in the event thread that they are inviting your character.
Some events may have a challenge that requires making a roll to join the event. If you fail the roll, you may not attempt to join any instance of that event again, even if invited by another player. You may join an instance of a different event.
No more than 3 players can join an event instance.
No player may join more than one event per day.
As soon as any player starts the “Focus” phase, no more players may join that event instance.
Focus phase
Your “Focus” post indicates how your character is working towards the successful completion of the event. You may only Focus in an event if you have already joined the event (i.e., met the Challenge successfully).
As soon as any character makes a Focus attempt in an event thread, no other players may do the Challenge phase in that thread (i.e., no one else may join).
You aren’t obligated to wait on other players before starting Focus phase; you can attempt an entire instance of the event solo if you so choose.
There will generally be multiple options for Focus attempts for the Focus phase. Please clearly indicate which option you are using in your “Focus” post.
Most Focus attempts will be Skill rolls, e.g. “Agility/Athletics TN20 to pass”.
Some Focus attempts may be attack rolls, allowing certain stances and techniques to be used in a pseudo-combat. (This is not a real combat, but behaves like a single round of combat.)
Some Focus attempts may automatically pass if you have an appropriate advantage or technique e.g. “If you have The Perfect Gift you may automatically pass”.
Some Focus attempts may not be allowed if you have a particular disadvantage, e.g., “Awareness/Games: Sadane TN20 to pass; you may not choose this option if you are Obtuse”.
Some Focus attempts may have penalties if you fail, e.g. “Reflexes/Defense TN20 to pass; take 2k2 damage if you fail”.
You may suggest other options for Focus attempts to progress a specific event in the OOC forum. I may accept them if I find them reasonable, but I make no promises.
To participate in the event, you must try exactly one Focus attempt, which should be in your “Focus” post for the event thread. You don’t get to make more than one Focus attempt; succeed or fail, you can progress to Strike phase.
We suggest that, time permitting, you allow other players in your instance to make Focus attempts before you move to Strike phase. However, if another player has made an early Strike attempt, it does not block you from still making your own Focus attempt if you haven’t made one yet.
Strike phase
Your “Strike” post indicates whether your character(s) succeed at the event. You must make a Focus attempt before making a Strike attempt.
The Strike phase is usually a skill roll.
Some events may give you a choice of different skill rolls you can make; you can only attempt one of the options, although different players in your instance may make different choices.
As a rule, if you failed your Focus attempt, you must call 1 raise for no effect on your Strike roll or automatically fail.
As a rule, for each other player in your event instance that succeeded at a different Focus than the one you attempted, they give you a FR for your Strike roll. (This is meant to encourage people to try different Focus attempts rather than all doing the same one.) Only Focus attempts prior to your Strike may be counted for this - other players' Focus attempts after your Strike do not retroactively give you free raises.
Some events may have benefits for calling raises on your Strike roll.
Remember that you can only call raises or benefit from FRs on skilled rolls.
Completing the event
Once every player in the instance has made their Strike attempt, the event instance is considered completed. It is possible for some players to succeed while others fail in the same event thread. The GM will verify the players’ event rolls and rewards or penalties are applied. Roleplaying posts may continue in the event thread, if desired.
The event instance is also considered completed when the game day ends (day change). Any player who has joined an event instance but has not made a Strike roll by the end of the game day will be considered to have failed their Strike roll. The GM will verify the players’ event rolls and rewards or penalties will be applied.
Most events will award 1xp whether you succeed or fail. Succeeding will usually have additional rewards, and may have story effects. Failing will sometimes have additional penalties.
Void points and CFS
You may spend Void Points during an event for any of the normal uses: improving rolls, reducing damage, etc. However, you may not spend more than 1 Void Point per phase, and you may not regain Void Points during an event thread by any means (unless the event description specifically allows it).
Unlucky and CFS
If you are Unlucky, please apply an Unlucky reroll to any Fear check you make, or any event roll you make that has TN20 or higher (including the effect of reducing the TN with free raises; i.e. don’t use it on a TN20 roll where you use a FR to reduce the TN) until you run out of Unlucky for the current session.
Each event is divided into multiple instances containing 1 to 3 players. If you don’t want to join any existing instance, you can start a new one by posting a new thread. However, you may only participate in one event per game day.
Each event instance should have its own thread. Each player participating in that event instance should (eventually, over the course of the event) have 1 post for Challenge, 1 post for Focus, and 1 post for Strike. Additional posts purely for RP are also permitted.
No more than 3 players can join each instance. A player who attempts and fails the “Challenge” phase is not counted towards this limit; only players who pass “Challenge” phase are considered to successfully join.
Challenge phase
The Challenge describes the conditions that allow or disallow your character to join this event. Your “Challenge” post indicates that you have joined the event instance.
This may require your character belong to a certain clan, possess a certain advantage or skill, or so on.
Joining some events may cost koku, honor or glory.
There may be multiple options to meet the Challenge; usually, meeting any of these options is sufficient to join.
Some events may allow players that have already joined to invite additional players that don’t otherwise meet the conditions to join. To qualify for this, the inviting player must explicitly state in the event thread that they are inviting your character.
Some events may have a challenge that requires making a roll to join the event. If you fail the roll, you may not attempt to join any instance of that event again, even if invited by another player. You may join an instance of a different event.
No more than 3 players can join an event instance.
No player may join more than one event per day.
As soon as any player starts the “Focus” phase, no more players may join that event instance.
Focus phase
Your “Focus” post indicates how your character is working towards the successful completion of the event. You may only Focus in an event if you have already joined the event (i.e., met the Challenge successfully).
As soon as any character makes a Focus attempt in an event thread, no other players may do the Challenge phase in that thread (i.e., no one else may join).
You aren’t obligated to wait on other players before starting Focus phase; you can attempt an entire instance of the event solo if you so choose.
There will generally be multiple options for Focus attempts for the Focus phase. Please clearly indicate which option you are using in your “Focus” post.
Most Focus attempts will be Skill rolls, e.g. “Agility/Athletics TN20 to pass”.
Some Focus attempts may be attack rolls, allowing certain stances and techniques to be used in a pseudo-combat. (This is not a real combat, but behaves like a single round of combat.)
Some Focus attempts may automatically pass if you have an appropriate advantage or technique e.g. “If you have The Perfect Gift you may automatically pass”.
Some Focus attempts may not be allowed if you have a particular disadvantage, e.g., “Awareness/Games: Sadane TN20 to pass; you may not choose this option if you are Obtuse”.
Some Focus attempts may have penalties if you fail, e.g. “Reflexes/Defense TN20 to pass; take 2k2 damage if you fail”.
You may suggest other options for Focus attempts to progress a specific event in the OOC forum. I may accept them if I find them reasonable, but I make no promises.
To participate in the event, you must try exactly one Focus attempt, which should be in your “Focus” post for the event thread. You don’t get to make more than one Focus attempt; succeed or fail, you can progress to Strike phase.
We suggest that, time permitting, you allow other players in your instance to make Focus attempts before you move to Strike phase. However, if another player has made an early Strike attempt, it does not block you from still making your own Focus attempt if you haven’t made one yet.
Strike phase
Your “Strike” post indicates whether your character(s) succeed at the event. You must make a Focus attempt before making a Strike attempt.
The Strike phase is usually a skill roll.
Some events may give you a choice of different skill rolls you can make; you can only attempt one of the options, although different players in your instance may make different choices.
As a rule, if you failed your Focus attempt, you must call 1 raise for no effect on your Strike roll or automatically fail.
As a rule, for each other player in your event instance that succeeded at a different Focus than the one you attempted, they give you a FR for your Strike roll. (This is meant to encourage people to try different Focus attempts rather than all doing the same one.) Only Focus attempts prior to your Strike may be counted for this - other players' Focus attempts after your Strike do not retroactively give you free raises.
Some events may have benefits for calling raises on your Strike roll.
Remember that you can only call raises or benefit from FRs on skilled rolls.
Completing the event
Once every player in the instance has made their Strike attempt, the event instance is considered completed. It is possible for some players to succeed while others fail in the same event thread. The GM will verify the players’ event rolls and rewards or penalties are applied. Roleplaying posts may continue in the event thread, if desired.
The event instance is also considered completed when the game day ends (day change). Any player who has joined an event instance but has not made a Strike roll by the end of the game day will be considered to have failed their Strike roll. The GM will verify the players’ event rolls and rewards or penalties will be applied.
Most events will award 1xp whether you succeed or fail. Succeeding will usually have additional rewards, and may have story effects. Failing will sometimes have additional penalties.
Void points and CFS
You may spend Void Points during an event for any of the normal uses: improving rolls, reducing damage, etc. However, you may not spend more than 1 Void Point per phase, and you may not regain Void Points during an event thread by any means (unless the event description specifically allows it).
Unlucky and CFS
If you are Unlucky, please apply an Unlucky reroll to any Fear check you make, or any event roll you make that has TN20 or higher (including the effect of reducing the TN with free raises; i.e. don’t use it on a TN20 roll where you use a FR to reduce the TN) until you run out of Unlucky for the current session.