Rules Reference
This is a ultra-lightweight hack of Forged In The Dark, meant for finite arcs and one-shots, adapted here for a semi-GMless experience.
There are three kinds of Clocks: Quick, Regular, and Slow, but all the same length: 6. Regular clocks just tick up each time they are triggered/advanced. Quick and Slow clocks roll a die when they are triggered, and note the result. If the result has not been rolled before, mark it as already rolled. If it has already been rolled for a Quick Clock roll, the Quick Clock completes. If it has been rolled for a Slow Clock, nothing happens, unless all six results have been rolled, and then the Slow Clock completes.
Characters get ten syllables/dice to describe their powers and abilities. When a character acts, they roll the most relevant power/ability's rating in dice, taking the highest result. 6 is an unmitigated success, multiple sixes are better. 4-5 is partial success, but with a Consequence depending on the group Position. 1-3 is a failure, and requires 2 Consequences.
They start with several Clocks:
A Quick Bad Clock for health (preventing your character from getting removed from a Scene)
A Slow Bad Clock for deaths (if filled, your character's arc is ended, and must "retire" for a time, to be discussed with the GM)
A Slow Good Clock for a character-specific project or goal in the world.
A Regular Good Clock for advancement
Each player can have up to six Good and six Bad clocks. Similarly, each Scene will have up to six Good and six Bad Clocks.
Upon a character's Health clock completing, they are allowed one more roll with a bonus die as a Wraith in that Scene before they dissipate and are resurrected with full health at a Great Lantern of the player's choice. They may be resurrected with full health with a comrade's successful roll to do so. If they make their Wraith Roll and dissipate, their Advancement clock triggers, and they roll on their Death clock.
Advancement Clocks also trigger on particular roll results, as a research/practice goal, or as above as a result of death/re-forging. If a character gets a success on 2 or fewer dice, or a failure on 3 or more dice, that character's Advancement clock triggers. If a character's Advancement Clock fills, they may increase a power/ability rating or add a new one at 1 die.
The game will track the group's Position in a broad sense as Safe, Risky, or Dangerous. The worse things are, the longer the list of potential Consequences:
Safe Lose Position, Advance or Start a Bad Scene Clock
Risky Suffer Harm (or anything from Safe)
Dangerous Advance or Start a Bad Group Clock (or anything from Risky or Safe)
Successes can advance the story, starting or advancing that Scene's Good Clocks. Success can also earn Advancement, and improve the group's Position.
Position also governs what kind of Clocks can be started. Safe starts Quick Good Clocks and Slow Bad Clocks, Dangerous starts Quick Bad Clocks and Slow Good ones, and Risky Clocks are always Regular.
The game will also have a limit of six group-wide Plot Clocks, all Slow. Completing a character project or an adventure will trigger one of these Clocks. If a "bad group clock" is filled, it is permanent. If a "good group clock" is cleared, it is made permanent, or may be erased along with an incomplete Bad Clock. If at any point, all group clocks are Permanent and all incomplete Clocks are Good, the party will decide whether to re-set and keep going w/ bad clocks inspired by the remaining problems, or have an Epilogue.
If at any point, all characters are "retired", the game ends with an epilogue, but the world carries on as best it can.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:01, Mon 12 June 2023.
