The Callousness of Mechanistic Warfare

At its core, Iron Dice of War has players rolling several dice and counting the ones that show 6 or higher. This count is then compared to a target number based on how difficult the task is, and if the number of 6s is equal to or higher than that, the action is successful.

# Preview

* To attempt an uncertain action, *Test* the character's ability by rolling [Attribute] number of dice, of [Skill] size
* 6s and above are *Advances*
* Add or subtract a number of *Advances* equal to the roll of a *Luck Die* (d7-4)
* The number of *Advances* needed for *Success* is the Test's *Difficulty*
* *Difficulty* starts at 4 for Standard/Prolonged Tests, or [opposition's Advances]+1 for Opposed Tests
* *Bonuses* can decrease the *Difficulty*, while *Penalties* can increase the *Difficulty*
* Method taken to accomplish task determines its *Effectiveness*, which may add or subtract *Advances*
* One *Advance* shy of the *Target* is a *Dilemma*, a costly or partial success
* Fewer *Advances* than a *Dilemma* is a *Failure*
* Two or more *Advances* beyond the *Target* is a *Victory*, with every two excess *Advances* granting a *Victory Point*
* Zero or less *Advances* is a *Disaster*, a costly or dangerous failure
* To increase the chances of success before a roll, the character can spend a point of *Fire* to *Struggle Against Fate*, adding the results of a Willpower (Resolve) Test and ignoring the *Luck Die* and *Pain* penalties
* If not enough *Advances* were scored on a roll, the player can spend a point of *Fire* to *Redouble* his efforts and reroll the dice pool of the *Test* (though not the *Luck Die*)

# Core Mechanic

## Dice Pool

To resolve uncertain or important outcomes of character efforts, the Iron Dice of War system has players roll a dice pool of varying dice size based on their characters' **Attributes** and **Skills**.

### Attributes = Number of Dice

The **number of dice rolled** is set by the character’s Attribute rating. Anything that penalizes Attributes can decrease the number of dice rolled, such as **Pain** and **Complications** inflicted by Wounds, as well as penalties due to low or depleted **Vitalities**.

The only way to increase the number of dice rolled on a Test is to declare intent to **Struggle Against Fate** before the dice pool is rolled.

### Skills = Size of Dice

The **size of the dice rolled** is determined the character’s Skill, which is already measured in a die size. For instance, “d6” means rolling a 6-sided die, “d8” means rolling an 8-sided die, etc.

> These dice sizes are increased in increments of 1 even though there are no odd dice in most standard physical dice sets. This is for online use where rolling a d7 is as easy as typing in “/roll d7,” but in a real life game of Iron Dice of War, simply round down to the nearest actual die size when rolling (i.e. use the intermediary dice sizes as a half-step for character progression purposes only). At Skills above d12, continue to roll a d12 until reaching d16, at which point count 5s as also being Advances. Then upon reaching d20, count 4s as also being Advances (or move up to rolling d20s).
>
> Or just use a dice roller bot on a smartphone.
>
>

## Advances

Every **dice that rolls a 6 or higher** is called an "**Advance**." Each Advance is a measurement of applied competence, working toward exceeding the challenge of the task to attain success.

Additionally, the number of Advances rolled on any given Test can be modified by several different sources:

* The **Luck Die** directly adds or subtracts Advances from the results of the roll
* The Bolstered or Hindered [ADD HYPERLINK] Conditions from Support or Disruption Actions
* **Effectiveness** can add or subtract Advances from the results of the roll if applicable

## Luck Die

Representing the randomness of real world conditions, is the Luck Die. This is a die that is added to every roll of Attribute and Skill, and is a d7 minus 4. That is to say, a seven-sided die with four subtracted from its result. This puts the range of the Luck Die from -3 to +3, making it a net neutral force that can equally help or hinder any actions.

For the most part, all the Luck Die does is add or subtract Advances from the result. But some situations are prone to misfortune creating severe ramifications, and in those cases a result of 1 on the Luck Die may do something more. This will always be clear, because the cause will explicitly mention something that happens upon "rolling a 1 on the Luck Die."

And finally, the results of the Luck Die are used to determine the effects of injuries.

## Difficulty

Narratively, Difficulty is the amount of competence required to successfully accomplish a given task.

For any Test, the amount of Advances required to achieve a baseline acceptable result is its **Difficulty**, and it is the **number of Advances needed to achieve a result of Success**. Extra Advances beyond Difficulty increase the quality of the outcome, while insufficient Advances results in either a Dilemma, a Failure, or a Disaster. See **Outcomes** below for a more detailed explanation.

### Starting Difficulty

A completely average task without any complicating or beneficial circumstances has a starting **Difficulty of 4** on its Test.

### Final Difficulty

Final Difficulty for a **Standard Test** is determined by:

* Starting Difficulty of 4
* + any **Penalties**
* - any **Bonuses**
* If higher than 8, halve any Difficulty increases beyond the first 8

For an **Opposed Test**, the Final Difficulty is instead dependent upon the opposition's performance:

* Difficulty starts at [Advances scored by opposition] +1
* + any **Penalties** that only hurt the player character
* - any **Bonuses** that only help the player character

### Difficulty Higher Than 8

On **Standard Tests**, if the totaled Difficulty after adding in all Penalties and subtracting all Bonuses is greater than 8, all extra Difficulty beyond 8 is halved (rounding down). This does not apply to Opposed Tests. See the table below for an example of how this works:

 10-11
 12-13
 14-15
 16-17

### Difficulty 0 Tests

Generally a task with a base Difficulty of 0 is considered a sure thing, and would not need to be rolled; it can simply be assumed to happen successfully. Occasionally however, there can be instances where extenuating facts (such as a terrible Method or other sources of Setback) make the result uncertain, and in these cases the Test should be made as normal.

On the other hand, there may be times when a Test with a final, modified Difficulty of 0 may still be rolled. This is usually done when the degree of success is important rather than whether or not the effort is successful. In such cases, a Difficulty of 0 means that the outcome will always be at least a Success so long as the result is not a negative number of Advances after the Luck Die has been added to the result. A negative number of Advances in this case is simply a Failure rather than the usual Disaster.

# Outcomes

## Overview

 **Success** | [Difficulty] Advances
 **Dilemma** | [Difficulty-1] Advances
 **Failure** | [Difficulty-2 or less] Advances
 **Disaster** | [0 or less] Advances

## Victory

*Two or more additional Advances beyond the Difficulty*

A Victory is an outstanding Success that achieves the intended goal of the action and more. In addition to the baseline Success, **every two excess Advances** beyond the Target grant the character a **Victory Point**.

For example, if the Difficulty is 4 and the Test scores 6 Advances, the character has one Victory Point. If the character scored 8 Advances on the same Test, he'd have two Victory Points.

### Victory Points

Victory Points grant extra benefits or provide a better position for future actions. This advantage must make narrative sense and be described how it takes place. This can be proposed by the player or offered by the Game Master, but here are the commonalities up for selection:

* **Improved Outcome**: Gain a narrative advantage with GM approval such as an increase in scope or degree of accomplishment.
* **Greater Effect**: Spend Victory Points on **Weapon Tags (ADD HYPERLINK)**.
* **Increased Impact**: Victory Points can be spent to increase the effect of an attack, depending on the nature of the attack.
* **Employ Technique**: Use a **Talent (ADD HYPERLINK)** that relies upon Victory Points.
* **Undermine Opposition**: Apply penalties to enemy efforts.

Keep in mind that the number of Victory Points required for a desired effect may be greater than one depending on the specific option.

#### Victory Point Notation

Any Test that has specific advantages associated with scoring a Victory will list them under the Victory result. The ✠ symbol is used to represent a single Victory Point, and if the advantage requires more than one VP, it will list the number required. If the VP cost contains "repeatable" after it, then it can be taken more than once, as many times as desired, so long as the result has enough Victory Points to take it several times.

Examples:

* ✠ (1 VP): This advantage can be taken a single time for one Victory Point
* ✠✠ (2 VPs): This advantage can be taken a single time for two Victory Points.
* ✠ (1 VP, repeatable): This advantage can be taken as many times as desired, each time requiring one Victory Point.

## Success

*Advances equal to the Difficulty*

A Success results in achieving the goals that the character set out to accomplish.

## Dilemma

*One Advance less than the Difficulty*

A Dilemma means that a hard choice must be made. A Dilemma result can either be a costly or dangerous success, a limited success, or a failure that provides an advantage for a further attempt.

Many Tests will state what the options are for a Dilemma, but in the case that they do not, the Gamemaster can create some options based on the following guidelines, and allow the player to choose one:

* **Costly Full Success**: Achieve a full success but at a cost or consequence or Penalty, such as using up supplies or spending a **Vitality [ADD HYPERLINK]**. If there is no other available cost, the Game Master can always gain a point of Menace [ADD HYPERLINK].
* **Lesser Success**: Achieve a limited version of the goal intended. The exact nature of this incomplete success can be suggested by the Game Master, but must always be more than a complete failure.
* **Advantageous Failure**: Fail at the task, but acquire a fleeting boost for an ally or oneself. This provides a Moderate Bonus (a -2 Difficulty bonus) on any related roll that could feasibly be helped by the effort and is undertaken within a short period of time.

## Failure

*Two or three fewer Advances than the Difficulty*

A Failure is the inability to accomplish the character's goals or make any progress toward them. This always comes with a cost, be it suffering an injury or exhausting the character or wasting resources or – at the very least – spending time and effort to no effect.

## Disaster

*A number of Advances equal to or less than 0*

A Disaster is a Failure that also results in something terrible happening. A Disaster might be a normal Failure plus an additional negative consequence or setback occurring, but it might also be a Failure with an amplified version of the cost that a Failure usually entails.

A Disaster occurs when zero or fewer Advances has been rolled on a Test. This is after the result of the **Luck Die** has been added to the total, as well as any effects which subtract Advances from the results of the Test.

# Determining the Challenge

While the **initial Difficulty** for **Standard Tests** is set at 4, not all tasks are equally easy to complete. This is modeled by modifiers which can increase or decrease the Difficulty of the Test according to their magnitude.

There are two types of such modifiers: Penalties (penalties acting against a character) and Bonuses (bonuses benefiting a character).

Additionally, another method of making a Test more or less likely to succeed is Effectiveness, a potential bonus or penalty depending on the character's methods. Unlike Penalties or Bonuses though, Effectiveness directly adds or subtracts Advances to or from the results of the Test.

## Penalties

Penalties increase the Difficulty of a Test. Multiple Penalties can apply at the same time, all adding to the Difficulty according to their value.

Many rolls will explicitly state what level of Penalty is being applied as a result of specific circumstances. But outside of those delineated instances, some descriptive qualifiers for each level of Penalty can be found below:

* **Minor Penalty**: +1 Difficulty. Slight diversions, subtle nuisances, unfavorable conditions, or scant problems
* **Moderate Penalty**: +2 Difficulty. Tolerable distractions, small setbacks, poor conditions, or modest pitfalls
* **Major Penalty**: +4 Difficulty. Serious interruptions, troubling quandaries, awful conditions, or significant challenges
* **Extreme Penalty**: +6 Difficulty. Impeding disruptions, severe impairments, dreadful conditions, or crushing adversity

## Bonuses

Bonuses reduce the Difficulty of a Test, down to a minimum of 0. They counteract Penalties as a result of the addition and subtraction being able to cancel out. As with Penalties, multiple Advantages can apply at the same time to simultaneously reduce the Difficulty by their separate values.

Below is a list of descriptors to grant a feel for each level of Bonus which can be applied to a Test when not explicitly stated what the effect of a bonus is:

* **Minor Bonus**: -1 Difficulty. Small conveniences, favorable conditions, or minute assistance
* **Moderate Bonus**: -2 Difficulty. Appreciable boons, good conditions, or helpful contribution
* **Major Bonus**: -4 Difficulty. Significant windfalls, optimal conditions, or beneficial collaboration
* **Extreme Bonus**: -6 Difficulty. Astounding godsends, flawless conditions, or invaluable support

## Effectiveness

The base Difficulty of a task is determined by its essential level of Challenge, but the specific way a character goes about by a particularly advantageous or harmful method. Effectiveness is a way to modify the number of **Advances** scored on a Test higher or lower based on the efficacy of the approach being taken to go about attempting the action.

Effectiveness is a subjective measure that the Gamemaster can assign after hearing how the player intends for his character to go about doing something. It can be used to reward clever thinking or application of relevant facts or objects to make a Test easier. But likewise it can be used to punish poor methodology that doesn't take into account the facts of the situation.

Generally, Effectiveness will range from a -2 Advances penalty for poor plans or ineffective methodology, to a +2 Advances bonus for especially intelligent approaches or creative solutions. Anything beyond that will most often be a guaranteed **Failure** or **Success** respectively, but on rare occasions it is possible that a greater penalty or bonus might be assigned instead.

# Improving the Odds

## Overview

When facing extremely consequential or difficult tasks, or actions outside of one's usual strengths, simply relying on the required Attribute and Skill might not be acceptable. In these instances, a character can strive to rise to the occasion through one of the following two options. Doing either will deplete **Fire**, one of the important **Vitalities** that keep a man going, but that might be preferable to the consequences of failure.

Here is a quick summary of the two forms of exemplary exertion:

**Struggle Against Fate**

* Intent to *Struggle* against the odds **must** be declared before rolling the main Skill Test
* Player spends a point of **Fire** and invokes one of the character's relevant Convictions as fueling the Struggle. Has the following effects:
	+ Ignore any Pain penalties from injuries
	+ Roll a Willpower (Resolve) Test
	+ If the Conviction is tangentially related to the nature of the Test, add the Advances scored minus 2 (minimum 0) to the results of the main Skill Test
	+ If the Conviction is directly related to the nature of the Test, add the full Advances scored to the results of the main Skill Test
	+ Do not roll the *Luck Die* for either the Willpower (Resolve) Test or the actual Skill Test

**Redouble Efforts**

* Intent to *Redouble* the attempt can be declared after seeing the results of a Test.
* Player spends a point of **Fire**. Has the following effects:
	+ Reroll the exactly same Attribute/Skill dice pool, even the Advances
	+ The *Luck Die* is not rerolled, keeping the number it rolled the first time

## Struggle Against Fate

When the virtues one holds true drive one to act with purposeful intention, man can accomplish greatness far beyond his tangible limitations.

If one of the character's Convictions compels him to pursue an action, the player can decide to fight against the whims of chance to fight for that which he believes. To Struggle Against Fate means to follow one's beliefs through through any hardships, and the first step is to explain which of his Convictions is applicable to the current situation and how it inspires his plan of action.

A Struggle Against Fate must be declared before any dice are rolled. The relevance of a Conviction inspiring the Struggle Against Fate is assessed by the GM, and must be at least tangentially related to the circumstances surrounding the Test.

After describing the efforts of the character, the player spends a point of **Fire**, and **ignores all Pain penalties** from suffered injuries. This represents the adrenaline surge that accompanies such a monumental undertaking.

Then the player makes a Willpower (Resolve) Test with 0 Difficulty and no Luck Die rolled. The GM declares if the Conviction is tangentially or directly related to the purpose of the Test, which determines the benefit applied from the Willpower (Resolve) Test:

* If only tangentially relevant, the player subtracts 2 from the number of Advances scored on the Willpower (Resolve) Test before adding them as bonus Advances to the result of the main Skill Test. The bonus Advances can never be negative, though they can be reduced down to 0 after subtracting 2
* If directly relevant, the player adds all of the Advances scored on the Willpower (Resolve) Test to the result of the main Skill Test

And finally, the player **does not roll the Luck Die** for a Test that is being enhanced by a Struggle. This is the only instance when the Luck Die is excluded from a Test that is not the opposition in an **Opposed Test**. In the event that the Test does require the result of the Luck Die (such as when determining Complication from a Wound), roll a d7 and use it for those purposes, even though it is not to be added to the result of the Test.

## Redouble Efforts

Sometimes a character attempting to succeed at something important may find himself floundering at a critical moment when failure really isn't an option. In these circumstances, he might be able to accomplish his goals by pulling upon deep reserves to Redouble his efforts and push past his limitations which would drag him into failure.

After a player has rolled his dice pool on a Test, if the number of Advances rolled was insufficient, he can decide to spend a point of **Fire** to Redouble his attempt. This allows the player to **reroll the exact same dice pool**, discarding the first roll results as if it never happened. However, this **does not redo the roll of the Luck Die**. The first result for the Luck Die still applies to the rest of the dice pool which is rerolled.

A character can only Redouble an effort once per action, and the better of the two results is the one that counts. Redoubling can be used on actions that have been made a Struggle Against Fate, but only the main Skill Test may be rerolled, not the Willpower (Resolve) Test for bonus Advances.

# Types of Tests

## Standard Tests

The most common type of Test is that of a character attempting to accomplish something, with an unclear outcome, which will call for a one-time roll of a **dice pool** determined by that character's Attribute and Skill, along with the **Luck Die**. Any Test that does not require repeated and consistent efforts and is not being actively opposed by another party will be a Standard Test.

Standard Tests all have a starting Difficulty of 4, but this can be modified by **Penalties** and **Bonuses** as assigned by the Gamemaster or applied by the circumstances.

The method of notating a Standard Test is as follows:

> Attribute (Skill) [+Penalty Difficulty penalty or -Bonus Difficulty bonus, if applicable] Test.
>
>

> So a first aid effort to clean a contaminated (+2 Difficulty Penalty) open Wound might be written as: "Intellect (Medicine) [Contaminated (+2 Difficulty)] Test".
>
>

## Opposed Tests

Whenever two parties are working in opposition, the task becomes an Opposed Test. In Opposed Tests, the **Difficulty** of the Test is determined by the efforts of the adversarial party working at odds with the character. When an enemy or competitor is doing something that is opposed to something a character is attempting, the GM rolls for the non-player character first. If the roll is between two players, the GM has the more passive (i.e. the non-initiating) player roll first.

The Test that sets the Difficulty does not roll the **Luck Die**. Only the player character (or the more proactive of the two player characters) rolls the Luck Die.

There are two special rules to remember for Opposed Tests:

* The **Difficulty for an Opposed Test is set to the number of Advances the opposition rolled, plus 1**.
	+ This means that a tie in the number of Advances rolled results in a **Dilemma**, and **Success** requires scoring more Advances than the opponent.
* A **Disaster** only happens if the character rolls **4 fewer Advances than the Difficulty**, or worse.
	+ This means that the Opposed Test is a Disaster if the player character scores 3 fewer (or worse) Advances than the opposition did.

Bonuses and/or Penalties might affect both parties equally, in which case they cancel out. But they might only affect one party (at least for the current Test), in which case they should be applied once to increase or decrease the Test's Difficulty in the direction that they hinder or assist the opposition. That is to say, Bonuses and Penalties always apply to the side which rolls first, as a plus or minus depending upon whether they help or hurt that character's efforts.

The method of notating an Opposed Test is as follows:

> Attribute (Skill) vs Attribute (Skill) [+Penalty Difficulty penalty or -Bonus Difficulty bonus, if applicable] Test.
>
>

> So a player character attempt to sneak past a sentry keeping watch for infiltrators would be written as "Intuition (Stealth) vs. Intuition (Awareness) Test". If there was considerable light that made sneaking harder, it might be written as "Intuition (Stealth) vs. Intuition (Awareness) [Light (+4 Difficulty)] Test". Meanwhile if there was darkness making the stealth effort easier, it might be written as "Intuition (Stealth) vs. Intuition (Awareness) [Darkness (-2 Difficulty)] Test".
>
>

## Prolonged Tests

Some actions simply cannot be completed in a single undertaking. Long-term projects, extended efforts, or ongoing actions all might be more complex or time-intensive than what can be accomplished right away. Additionally, such tasks might not be harmed by a lack of immediate progress, such that **Failure** does not end the effort, but merely increase how long it might take. In such cases, the Gamemaster might call for a Prolonged Test.

There are a number of unique terms for Prolonged Tests which will be explained in brief:

* **Headway**: Progress made on the project, generated by successful Skill Tests
* **Complexity**: The amount of Headway needed to complete the prolonged task
* **Time Period**: The amount of time that must be spent working on the project in order to make a Skill Test
* **Quality**: The measure of refinement that determines the final condition of the Prolonged Test's outcome
* **Passive Rating**: The Difficulty for each Skill Test as set by opposition if the Prolonged Test is being resisted.

### Difficulty

Prolonged Tests have a **starting Difficulty** of 4, and **Penalties** and **Bonuses** modify this Difficulty. **Effectiveness** modifies the number of **Advances** scored on each Test as usual.

#### Opposed Prolonged Tests and Passive Rating

If the Prolonged Test is also an Opposed Test against a resisting force, that opposition's Passive Rating for the relevant Skill becomes the Difficulty. Passive Rating is determined as the average number of Advances expected to be scored on a Skill Test. The formula is: [Skill - 5] / [Skill] \* [Attribute] (rounding normally).

So an opposition with a 10d12 **Dice Pool** would have the Passive Rating of: ([12-5] / 12) \* 10, which comes to 5.83, rounding normally to 6. This Passive Rating of 6 becomes the Difficulty for each Prolonged Test, instead of the usual 4.

### Skill Test

Whenever a character spends an amount of time equal to the Time Period working on the extended task, the player can make a Skill Test to determine progress made on the project. The player may suggest which Skill would be relevant to the current part of the project, or the Gamemaster can choose one. The Skill used for subsequent Tests can change throughout the course of the project.

The results of each Test can make progress on the task, measured by generating Headway:

* **Victory**: Generate 2 Headway, and:
	+ ✠ (1 VP, repeatable): Generate 1 additional Headway
	+ ✠ (1 VP, repeatable): Increase Quality by 1

* **Success**: Generate 2 Headway

* **Dilemma**: Choose one:
	1. Hurried: Generate 2 Headway, but lower Quality by 1
	2. Slow: Generate 1 Headway

* **Failure**: Lose 1 Headway

* **Disaster**: GM chooses one:
	+ Accident: Lose 3 Headway
	+ Blunder: Lose 1 Headway and lower Quality by 2

If Headway ever drops below 0 as a result of Failures or Disasters, the Prolonged Test fails and cannot be reattempted without a significant change in the circumstances.

### Complexity and Time Period

Complexity determines the amount of Headway required to complete the task.

The Time Period sets the pace for how long each stage of a Prolonged Test takes.

### Quality

Quality is relevant for Prolonged Tests involving creating or fixing something. Quality can be increased by Victories on the Skill Test, in lieu of additional Headway. It can be decreased through Dilemmas and Disasters. Upon completion of the project, the final Quality amount accumulated during the Prolonged Test is added up and compared to the Complexity of the task, according to the table below:

 Two thirds of Complexity (rounding up)
 One third of Complexity (rounding up)
 Between positive or negative one third of Complexity (rounding up)
 **Positive Quality** | One third of Complexity (rounding up)
 Two thirds of Complexity (rounding up)
 Equal to or higher than Complexity

The Quality ratings generally represent narrative descriptions of the caliber of the end result. In the case of equipment or trade goods, each level of Quality will provide a tangible upgrade to the stats or value of the created item. This might be reducing a negative trait generally associated with the piece of gear, or improving a positive trait, and can be determined between the Gamemaster and the player.

In some cases, there may be a Quality floor which serves as a fail point if the Prolonged Test drops to that level of Quality or below.

### Notation

> The method of notating a Prolonged Test is as follows: Attribute (Skill) [+Penalty Difficulty penalty or -Bonus Difficulty bonus, if applicable] {Complexity, Time Period, Material Requirement (if any)} Prolonged Test.
>
>

> So an attempt to build a makeshift battering ram tool might be written "Intellect (Mechanics) {Complexity 6, 1 minute Time Period, 2 metal scrap and 2 lumber} Prolonged Test".
>
>

# Example Scenario

Alfred is standing watch at his post and unbeknownst to him, a Gallian scout is sneaking up on his position!

The GM rolls the Gallian scout's Stealth and only rolls 1 Advance, terrible!

Because this is an **Opposed Test**, the Difficulty is equal to the opponent's Advances plus one, plus any additional sources of Difficulty. That makes for a base Difficulty of 2 to notice the scout. Luckily for the Gallian, the darkness of night provides quite a bit of help due to it being a Major Penalty, adding +4 Difficulty to the Test, for a **total of Difficulty 6** for Alfred to beat.

Since Alfred has an Intuition of 10 (Average) and an Awareness of d12 (Competent), his player rolls ten d12s. This is because his Attribute (Intuition) determines the number of dice he rolls, and his Skill (Awareness) determines the size of those dice. He also rolls the **Luck Die** of d7-4.

## Success Scenario

Alfred rolls: 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, **6**, **6**, **9**, **9**, **12**. The Luck Die rolls: 5.

* **Advances**: Five dice rolled a 6 or higher, so he got five Advances.
* **Luck Die**: The result of [5] has 4 subtracted from it, for a modifier of +1 Advance.
* **Result**: Because Alfred achieved six total Advances and the Difficulty was 6, he met the Difficulty and achieved a full **Success**.

Alfred catches the sight of a man-shaped shadow slinking forward near a gap in the barbed wire. What he does with that information is entirely up to him.

## Dilemma Scenario

Alfred rolls: 1, 2, 2, **6**, **6**, **8**, **8**, **9**, **10**, **11**. The Luck Die rolls: 2.

* **Advances**: Seven dice rolled a 6 or higher, so he got seven Advances.
* **Luck Die**: The result of [2] has 4 subtracted from it, for a modifier of -2 Advances.
* **Result**: Because 7-2 is 5, which is one shy of the Difficulty of 6, Alfred achieved a **Dilemma**.

Alfred's player has to make a tough choice between a costly success, a partial success, or creating an advantage.

The GM presents him with a couple of options:

* Alfred could see what is out there, but his own movements would be noticed by the mysterious entity lurking out there.
* Or maybe Alfred only hears something rustling against the barbed wire near his post, but not able to discern what it is.

## Failure Scenario

Alfred rolls: 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, **8**, **12**. The Luck Die rolls: 6.

* **Advances**: Only two dice rolled a 6 or higher, so he got two Advances.
* **Luck Die**: The result of [6] has 4 subtracted from it, for a modifier of +2 Advances.
* **Result**: Unfortunately, 2 Advances plus 2 from the Luck Die results in 4, which is still less than the Difficulty of 6. It isn't even enough to achieve a Dilemma by being one under the Difficulty, which means that Alfred's Test result was a **Failure**.

Alfred doesn't notice the scout sneaking up on him. Perhaps he's distracted, looking in the wrong direction, or busy smoking.

## Disaster Scenario

Alfred rolls: 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 5, **8**, **9**. The Luck Die rolls: 2.

* **Advances**: Two dice rolled a 6 or higher, so he got two Advances.
* **Luck Die**: The result of [2] has 4 subtracted from it, for a modifier of -2 Advances.
* **Result**: After subtracting the -2 Luck Die result from his rolled two Advances, Alfred scored a total of zero Advance. This makes his attempt a **Disaster**!

Alfred accidentally fell asleep while staying on watch, and is vulnerable to a surprise attack by the Gallian scout sneaking up on him, completely unaware...

## Victory Scenario (through Redoubled Efforts)

Alfred rolls: 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, **8**, **12**. The Luck Die rolls: 5.

* **Advances**: Only two dice rolled a 6 or higher, so he got two Advances.
* **Luck Die**: The result of [5] has 4 subtracted from it, for a modifier of +1 Advance.
* **Initial Result**: Because Alfred only achieved three Advances and the Difficulty was 6, Alfred would have received a Failure.

However, because Alfred's player believes this to be an important roll, and his Luck Die did not roll poorly enough to undermine a reroll, he decides to spend a point of Fire to **Redouble** his attempt. This allows him to reroll his dice pool, but not the Luck Die.

Second roll, Alfred rolls: 1, 1, 2, **6**, **6**, **7**, **7**, **8**, **11**, **12**.

* **Advances**: This time Alfred rolled seven dice at 6 or higher, so he got seven Advances.
* **Luck Die**: The original Luck Die result of +1 remains in effect.
* **Final Result**: Eight Advances is two more than the Difficulty of 6, which means that Alfred achieved a **Victory**! This gives him one Victory Point to improve his Success.

Alfred's hyper-alertness is mentally exhausting, but it pays off. Alfred's player decides to spend his Victory Point on Improved Outcome. And so Alfred catches the sight of a man-shaped shadow slinking forward near a gap in the barbed wire, spotting the Gallian scout without being seen in turn. It is now up to him what to do with this information and the advantage he has secured.