Gambits and Challenges

A gambit is a type of encounter where you attempt to perform/achieve some complex or significant task/goal where a single check won’t cut it. The keywords are complexity and gravity; a task must have one or both of these to be worth a gambit.

In a gambit, you roll up to three skill checks, against a DC that correlates to the difficulty of the task at hand. If a check beats the DC by higher numbers, you can get more than one success. You get EXP for passing a gambit. This EXP is determined by the player’s tier and the gambit’s DC.

For every 5 over the DC, the check counts as an additional success. However, for every 5 under the DC, the check instead removes a success. This can bottom out to give you negative successes, if the dicebot really hates you. You do not suffer consequences for a failed check in a gambit; any consequences are handed out after all the checks are made.

Between each check, the narrative continues. Your action takes effect, and the encounter evolves accordingly, before rolling the next check.

Once all the checks are made (or you accrue five successes), resolve the gambit. If you have five successes, you fully pass the gambit and do what you set out to do. If you don’t, you suffer a consequence, its severity growing with how many successes you were short, down to total failure if you have no successes. If you somehow have negative successes at the end of the gambit, you take another consequence on top.

You’re allowed to push a gambit by going for a fourth check. However, you roll this check at disadvantage, and you must abide by its results. Pushing a gambit is a desperation move.

Gambits, In-Depth

Opposed Gambits

If there is an active, opposing force, it is an opposed gambit instead. In this, you roll off against an opponent in three rounds of checks instead, trying to get five successes before they do.

In each round, one side makes a skill check, called the opening. Then the other side has the choice of conceding the round, or upping the ante with a counter and making a skill check back. If a counter beats its preceding check, it goes back to the other side to concede or counter, like a hot potato.

When one side fails to beat the check, or concedes, the other side accrues as many successes as checks were made during that round. Then the side that lost begins the next round.

• Developer’s Note (6/17/20): In this way, opposed gambits are like a game of poker, you either fold or raise. You’re not allowed to call, you either raise the Stakes or you quit.

You can push an opposed gambit for a fourth round, but all checks in the round are made at disadvantage. So can the other side, if they wish.

When all the rounds are played (or one side accrues five successes), resolve the gambit. If you have five successes, you win, and do what you set out to do. If your opponent got five successes, you fail and take a consequence on top.

If neither side got all five, compare them. If you have more than your opponent, you suffer a consequence (but not failure) as you achieve your goal. If your opponent has more than you, you fail to do it. If there is a tie, the two of you immediately make an opposed skill check as a tiebreaker, with the winner getting a success. Then resolve accordingly.

Other Gambits

If there is a fixed number of tasks to be done, an overclock gambit may be used. In this, you make a fixed number of rolls, typically three to six, then tally up your successes at the end. If you have ten or more successes (you had enough to fill the gambit clock twice over), you not only succeed the gambit, but gain an additional benefit.

If the gambit’s goal is to forestall disaster, a catastrophe gambit might be used. In this, the gambit gains a success every time the player fails to meet an objective; if the gambit is ever successful, a catastrophe occurs and the forestalled disaster comes into play.

Examples of such can be found in the SMA, as these types no longer strictly key to EXP gain.

Challenges

A gambit’s checks can compensate for or undo each other. This works in social and stealth challenges, where a misstep can unravel your work, or a lucky break can redeem it.

But not all tasks work this way, where your performance in one thing you do can retroactively rewrite the progress of another.

If you have to sail the seas, climb a cliff, unlock the gates, and charm the angry monks to obtain a hidden treasure, failing to unlock the gates doesn’t undo the progress you made by sailing and climbing. Furthermore, each of these things would probably be their own skill checks.

This is called a challenge, where you complete several checks in succession until you achieve your goal. You get EXP for completing a challenge. The EXP is determined by the player’s tier and the average DC of the challenge’s checks.

Example of Play

Let’s look at an example. The player is a troll looking to drive an arms dealer out of town for selling faulty ammo. The DC is 10, and it’s going to be a regular gambit.

The troll grills the dealer about their wares and curious misfires, before pointing a gunblade in their face. This will be one Stakes die. They make a skill check and get 18. They roll their d6 Stakes die and get a 6. So their total is 24.

This is 14 above the DC of 10. They get three successes. If the player had gotten 25, that’d be 15 over the DC, for four successes.

The dealer tries making excuses, and accidentally insults the troll. They respond by pulling the trigger as a bluff, using one of the same faulty rounds the dealer sold them. This was deemed badass enough for two Stakes dice. They make another skill check and get 13. They roll their two Stakes dice and take the highest. 2 and 5, so they take the 5. Their total is 18.

This is 8 above the DC. They gain an additional two successes, which brings them to the five they need to pass the gambit. The dealer trips over themselves throwing back the money, a bit more on top, and promptly flees the town, leaving the troll with XP and the dealer’s money.