A Challenge represents a moment of tension where something meaningful is at stake. This might take the form of crossing unstable terrain, persuading a rival, or engaging in direct conflict. A Challenge is not simply a test of success or failure—it is a moment where the world shifts in response to action.
Every Challenge establishes stakes and consequences, how the world may react through Escalation, and—during Physical Conflict—who holds control through Position. Combat resolves its consequences through the Physical Conflict procedure.
Presenting the Challenge Copy link
Each Challenge begins with the WorldKeeper defining the Moment before it is acted upon.
The WorldKeeper describes what is at stake, clarifying what can be gained, lost, or changed. They identify who is involved, whether it is a single Hero or the group as a whole, and outline any pressures present in the scene, such as environmental danger, time constraints, resistance, or opposition.
All Heroes act at the same time. Each Hero declares one Keyword that describes how they approach the situation.
Types of Challenges Copy link
Not all Challenges resolve in the same way. Some are immediate and decisive, while others unfold over time.
An Instant Challenge is resolved in a single draw. It represents a moment that can be decided quickly and does not use the Position board.
Physical Conflict may unfold over repeated Clashes and uses the Position board to track changing advantage. Social Conflict normally resolves in one exchange, with one optional Press Further after an Opening; it uses neither a Social Position board nor an Impact/Wear draw.
Setting the Difficulty Copy link
For a Challenge against a fixed obstacle, the WorldKeeper assigns a Difficulty, typically ranging from 3 to 8. In a Clash, compare the two participants’ totals instead. For an unanswered attack, establish the Difficulty and hit stakes before drawing.
Difficulty does not predetermine success or failure. Instead, it establishes how demanding the situation is and how much effort will be required to overcome it.
Choosing the Moment Copy link
After the Challenge is presented, each Hero chooses how committed they are to the Moment. This decision determines both the Risk they take and how their actions will influence Escalation.
Choosing a Moment is a declaration of intent. It reflects not only how the Hero approaches the situation, but also how much they are willing to risk in order to shape the outcome.
A Prepare approach represents careful observation or preparation. It uses the Prepare consequence tier and does not change Escalation on its own. However, if multiple Heroes act together cautiously, Escalation increases slightly as the world continues to build pressure.
An Advance approach represents steady, balanced action. It uses the Advance consequence tier and causes Escalation to shift slightly in either direction depending on the result.
A Breakthrough approach represents decisive, forceful action. It uses the Breakthrough consequence tier and causes larger shifts in Escalation. When multiple Heroes act together in this way, they can stabilize the situation slightly. Travel Roles provide narrative guidance only and grant no additional Versatility or Breakthrough benefit.
In ordinary nonconflict Challenges, the chosen Moment determines the consequence bag used and how the world responds. Physical and Social Conflicts use their own resolution procedures.
Performing and Drawing Copy link
Once each Hero has chosen their Moment, they resolve their action.
First, the Hero determines their Performance. This includes their base Performance, applicable token contributions, and any WorldKeeper Favor resolved through the general Favor rules.
Next, the Hero compares their total Performance to the Difficulty. If the Performance meets or exceeds the Difficulty, the action is a success. If it does not, the action fails.
For ordinary nonconflict Challenges, the Hero draws a token from the consequence bag associated with their chosen Moment. Each token is double-sided: Wear applies on success and Impact on failure. Physical Conflict uses the resulting Position consequences; short Social Conflict uses its comparison, Opening, and optional Press Further without an Impact/Wear draw.
The Hero reads the appropriate side based on their result. The same token produces different outcomes depending on how well the Hero performed.
Applying the Outcome Copy link
For Instant Challenges, the result is applied immediately. Wear represents strain, effort, or minor cost, while Impact represents consequences, damage, or complications. The WorldKeeper interprets how these results appear within the story.
Physical Conflict can unfold through repeated Clashes and uses the Position board. Social Conflict normally resolves in one exchange, with one optional Press Further after an Opening; it does not use the physical Position consequences.
Escalation and the World’s Response Copy link
After all actions have been resolved, Escalation is adjusted based on each Hero’s chosen Moment.
Breakthrough actions create the largest shifts, Advance actions create smaller shifts, and Prepare actions maintain stability unless group behavior increases pressure. These adjustments reflect not just what the Heroes achieved, but how their actions influenced the stability of the situation.
Escalation tracks the world’s response. As it moves toward FOR or AGAINST, it enables Events at certain thresholds. These Events do not occur immediately. Instead, they are triggered later through the passage of Time, allowing consequences to emerge naturally within the flow of the game.