Social Encounters
You can
Most situations don’t require a violent solution. An
amiable solution is (almost) always possible.
Establishing Encounters
When two or more characters speak with each other, the
group may decide to begin a social encounter. When a
social encounter begins, establish the actor and reactor.
The actor is the person that engaged the social encounter,
while the reactors are everyone else involved in the
social encounter. When a social encounter begins, the
actor chooses one play to start with.
Encounter Plays
Social Encounters are composed of these four plays.
Each play has a stated attribute which must always be
used in the attribute combinations for its checks. Not
every play has to be used, and plays can be used in any
order. The actor chooses one reactor to use the play on.
Whenever an actor uses a play, a reactor may contest
the play by making the same check as the actor, turning
the check into a contested check. Whoever wins counts
the difference between their successes and their
opponent’s successes, using that number as their number
of successes for determining the results of the play.
Whoever lost then becomes the actor. If there was a tie,
the actor remains the actor, but neither actor nor reactor
benefits from the play.
If a reactor does not contest a play, then the actor can
either choose to use another play, or choose another
character who then becomes the actor and picks a play.
For each consecutive play an actor makes, they suffer a
Bane on any checks made as part of a play. These Banes
disappear when someone else becomes actor.
A character may repeat a play, but repeating a play
forces you to use only the stated attribute for any check’s
attribute combination within that play, causing you to roll
only that attribute. Both choosing a play as an actor and
contesting a play as a reactor counts as using a play.
Approach (WLL)
As the name suggests, you approach the character,
establishing a basis for future plays. Roleplay how you
present yourself and what your initial interaction with the
reactor is, then make a check using that roleplay to
determine the second attribute in the combination.
This check determines the reactors reaction.
spend individual successes to give yourself or a character
of your choice a Boon on their next play, or you can
spend all of your successes to increase the rating of a
helpful leverage you are benefiting from by 1.
Assess (EMP)
Here, you strike up simple conversation with the reactor
in hopes of gathering basic information about them, such
as their mood or their occupation, that you can use in
future plays. Roleplay that conversation and then make a
check, using that description to determine the second
attribute in the combination.
This check determines how much information you
can gather from the reactor. You can spend individual
successes to give yourself a Boon on your next play, or
you can spend all of your successes to decrease the rating
of a harmful leverage you are suffering from by 1.
Inquire (EMP)
With this play, you are trying to delve deeper and
discover secrets or important facts about the individual.
Roleplay or describe the direction of your conversation
and then make a check, using that description to
determine the second attribute in the combination.
This check determines what information you can
gather. For each success, you may ask one of the
following questions about the reactor’s secrets, you may
learn one of the reactor’s character traits, or you may ask
the GM 1 question about the character.
• Does the reactor have any secrets?
• What is a lock the reactor has on a secret I know?
• What is one leverage for a secret the reactor has
which I know exists?
• What is a fact I know about which the reactor has a
secret connected to?
If you used this play after the reactor spoke to you, you
can spend a success to determine if they were lying,
concealing information, or speaking to truth.
Command (WLL)
Now you are trying to force a reactor into doing as you
say. Roleplay or describe how you manage to coerce,
intimidate, sweet talk, or otherwise command the reactor
and then make a check, using that description to
determine the second attribute in the combination.
This check determines how much you can coerce the
other character into doing. You can either convince them
Settle (WLL)
Unlike the command play, where you are trying to order
to do one small task with each success, or spend all of
someone, here you are coming to a mutual agreement.
your successes on larger tasks, following these costs.
Roleplay or describe how you bartering or debate and
• A simple task which risks no injury, such as then make a check, using that description to determine
forgetting you came by or handing over an item to the second attribute in the combination.
you. (1 success)
This check determines how many aspects of the deal
• A task which may result in some kind of temporary you can establish which the reactor must agree to. For
harm, such as opening a gate for you against orders each success, you can determine one aspect of your deal.
or keeping a temporary look out for you. (2 success) What that aspect is will depend on what the deal is.
Example aspects may be cost (when purchasing goods),
• A task which will likely result in some physical
duration (when hiring someone), or the specific favors in
harm or lingering non-physical harm, such as giving
their vehicle over to you or helping you hide return (if you are trying to get someone to help you).
evidence of a crime. (3 successes) If the agreement is still unreasonable, the reactor
may disagree without needing to contest.
• A dangerous task which risks notable physical harm
or lingering harm of some other kind, such as giving If the reactor does agree to the settlement, however,
you sensitive information about their faction or both you and the reactor gain an instance of leverage
superiors or lying in court to aid you. (4 successes) with a rank equal to the number of aspects the reactor
A task cannot go beyond the above risks and cost unless agreed to. If the reactor is a PC, they also gain 1 Fortune.
the GM allows for otherwise. Additionally, this play is
not mind control. The GM may decide that a task is
unreasonable or that an NPC will simply not comply.
If this play is used on a PC, the player may decide
whether or not they agree and will follow. If they actually
intend to follow, they gain 1 Fortune per success spent on
determining the task they must do and may consider a
task a short term goal if it seems appropriate.
Convince (EMP)
You are trying to bridge a gap of understanding or a
disagreement. Roleplay or describe how you try to make
the reactor understand you and then make a check, using
that description to determine the second attribute in the
combination.
This check determines what points you can come to
understanding upon.You can spend individual successes
to get the reactor to agree with or understand one idea
that you present to them, or you can spend all of your
successes to create a shared idea or agreement, which
becomes a rank 1 instance of leverage both you and the
reactor have and can use.
Leverage
At times, a character may have some kind of notable
advantage or disadvantage over another character within
the same social interaction. These advantages are called
helpful leverage, while the disadvantages are harmful
leverage. They impact the checks made during plays.
An instance leverage is rated on a scale of 1-3. This
rating can increase or decrease with specific actions and
plays, and helps to determine other aspects about that
particular instance of leverage.
Helpful Leverage
When you use a play, and you incorporate an instance of
leverage into your description or roleplay, that leverage
becomes helpful leverage for that play, and you may
benefit from that helpful leverage on any checks made as
part of that play.
Benefiting from helpful leverage on checks grants
you a number of Boons equal to the leverage’s rating on
those checks. Once during a social encounter, you can
use a helpful leverage in order to push a roll that is part
of a play. Doing so prevents you from benefiting from its
Boons for the remainder of the social encounter.
If you use a helpful leverage to push a roll and you
roll a consequence, the rating of the helpful leverage is
decreased by 1. The consequence describes why such a
decrease occurred instead of placing another penalty.
If you have multiple instances of helpful leverage
which benefit you during a play, you can only choose one
to apply to that play.
Harmful Leverage
When you use a play, a reactor may incorporate an
instance of leverage into the description of how they
react and how it impacts your actions. That leverage
becomes harmful leverage for that play, causing you to
suffer from the effects of that harmful leverage on any
checks made as part of that play.
Suffering from harmful leverage on checks gives you
a number of Banes equal to the leverage’s rating on those
checks. Once during a social encounter, as part of a
check, you can try to overcome an instance of harmful
leverage you are suffering from as part of that check.
When you try to overcome an instance of harmful
leverage, you first make your check as usual, suffering
from the Banes given by the harmful leverage. Then you
reroll all of the successes you rolled as part of this check.
If you still succeed at the check, you decrease the rating
of that instance of harmful leverage by 1, and can no
longer suffer from it for the remainder of the social
encounter. If you fail at the check, the harmful leverage’s
rating does not change.
If you have multiple instances of harmful leverage,
only the highest one which the reactor applied to your
play impacts that play.
Leveraging Traits
Traits are a unique source of leverage in that the
character who owns the trait determines if their trait
applies as helpful or harmful leverage to any give play,
regardless of whether or not the actor/reactor knows the
trait, and what the rating of that trait is.
If the character is a PC and the trait is their Sin, they
can give it a rating of up 4 instead of 3.
If a PC grants a trait as helpful or harmful leverage
in a way which reinforces their trait, they gain 1 Fortune.
Similarly, if they grant their Sin as helpful or harmful
leverage in a way which reinforces or goes against their
Sin, they gain 2 Fortune. This gaining of Fortune is done
as described per the Fortune chapter rules (pg. ___).
Favors
Note that, whenever a character uses the convince play,
they may forgo any checks and instead choose a level of
task and offer a favor to the reactor in return for
completing the task in order to garner their cooperation.
A favor is a specific task which the reactor requires
the actor to perform. The scope of the favor should be
roughly equal to the scope of the task the actor asked of
the reactor. Make note of the success cost of the task the
actor asked of the reactor. If the actor has an instance of
helpful leverage which applies to this situation, it reduces
that success cost by its rank. Conversely, if the actor has
an instance of harmful leverage which applies to the
situation, it increases that success cost by its rank. Use
this new success cost to determine the scope of the favor.
A reactor may simply deny this offer instead of
contesting it. If they accept it, however, they gain an
instance of leverage which has a rating equal to the
success cost of the task the actor asked of them. This
leverage can only be used on the actor which gave them
that favor. A reactor may require the favor done before
they try the actor’s task, or may call in the favor later.
If the reactor accepts the offer, then the actor also gains 1
instance of leverage which has a rating equal to the
success cost of the task they asked of the reactor. Only
the reactor can call upon this leverage.
If the actor fulfills their favor, they gain an instance
of leverage which has a rating equal to the success cost
of the task they asked of the reactor, they lose the
leverage give by this favor which only the reactor could
call upon, and the reactor loses the leverage they were
granted by this favor. If the actor is a PC, they also gain 1
Fortune and 1 Shard.
If the actor fails to fulfill their favor, they keep the
leverage given by this favor, and the reactor similarly
keeps the helpful leverage granted by this favor.
If the cost of a favor goes above 4, it is declined.
Joining Social Encounters
A character can join a social encounter that is in progress
by having the current actor make them the actor, or by
using the approach play at any time to make themselves a
reactor, forgoing the check and it’s effects.
Ending a Social Encounter
Because social encounters have no singular goal, there is
no specific circumstance in which they end. Instead,
there are three instance in which a social encounter ends.
First, every player and the GM agrees that the
encounter has ended. Second, when every actor and
reactor has used all of their plays. Third, when all but one
character has withdrawn from the social encounter.
Withdrawing
At any time during a social encounter, you may decide to
withdraw, taking you out of the social encounter and
preventing any actors from using plays on you, and you
from reacting to any plays.
If you withdraw as an actor, describe how you
withdraw and then make a check, using that description
to determine the attributes used. On a success, you with-
draw and no one can react. On a failure, a reactor can use
a play against you as you withdraw. Once the appropriate
check for that play is completed, you withdraw.
If you withdraw as a reactor, you contest the current
play with your withdraw. Describe how you withdraw
and then make a check, using that description to
determine the attributes used. If you succeed, you do not
benefit from the usual success from contesting that play,
but instead get to choose another character to now be the
actor and then immediately withdraw. If you fail, the
actor benefits from their successes on the check as usual,
after which you withdraw. On a tie, the actor remains the
actor and you immediately withdraw.
Plays in Action
Approach
A tough guy steps up, rising to his full height and bearing
an unsheathed dagger. He is using his size and threats of
violence to set the stage, and so uses VIG (2) + WLL (2).
He rolls a 2, 3, 5, 5. Two successes, which result in 2
Boons that he will apply to his next play. He knows he is
dangerous.
• Contested: The gunslinger decides to react. She sits
and coldly watches this display. She measures her
chances of winning against the tough guy if a fight
breaks out. She is using critical thinking and calm
mind to build up confidence against her opponent, so
she uses MND (2) + WLL (2). She rolls a 1, 1, 2, 6.
One success. They take this number and subtract it
from the tough guy’s, resulting in one overall
success for the tough guy (2-1), reducing the number
of Boons granted from 2 to 1. The gunslinger is
confident, but doesn’t want to fight. Because the
gunslinger lost the contest, she becomes the new
actor.
Command
As the tough guy nears, the gunslinger gets ready for
trouble. She tries to psyche out the tough guy by telling
him all the trouble he’s about to find, so she rolls MND
(2) + WLL (2). She rolls a 1, 2, 5, 5. Two successes.
• Contested: The tough guy won’t back down. He
does a few tricks with his dagger in an attempt to
intimidate her, so he rolls AGI (2) + WLL (2). He
rolls 1, 1, 2, 6. One success. This number is
subtracted from the gunslinger’s (2-1), resulting in
one overall success for the gunslinger. The
gunslinger tells him to hand in his weapon.
• Resolving With a Favor: The GM thinks the tough
would consider that a 2 or 3 success cost command,
as he expects trouble inside, so he won’t follow the
command. Out of desperation, the gunslinger offers a
favor. The tough agrees to hand over his weapon. If
the gunslinger follows him and arrests the man he’s
after. He says that the man killed his friend in a
poker game that went sour. The gunslinger takes the
chance and follows. Though they have agreed on the
favor, the gunslinger doesn’t know if she’ll follow it
through yet. With the favor agreed upon, the social
encounter ends.
Assess
Out on a tennis court, an older man is trying to make a
connection with his opponent in between serves. He is
using his knowledge of his opponent and their shared
business to create a sense of familiarity between the
them, so he rolls OCC (2) + EMP (2). His opponent, the
reactor, is suspicious of him after he crossed him on a
business deal, and turns a leverage (rank 2) they share for
being business partners into harmful leverage. The older
man rolls 2 dice total (Occ (3) + EMP (1) – Harmful
Leverage (2)). He rolls 6, 6. Two successes.
• Contested: The opponent contests his play. He tries
to steer the conversation and the older man’s focus
towards the game by outplaying him, so he uses AGI
(2) + EMP (2). He rolls 2, 5, 5, 6. Three successes.
This number is subtracted from the older man’s (2 -
3) resulting in one overall success for his opponent.
His opponent spends this success to create 1 Boon
for his next play. Because the older man lost the
contest, he maintains his position as the actor.
Inquire
Following his opponent’s lead, the older man puts his
focus into the game. While playing, he tries to double
down on the conversation, trying to gather information
about his opponent in a subtle manner, so he rolls AGI
(1) + EMP (2). The previously stated harmful leverage
(rank 2) still applies. As such, he rolls 1 die (AGI (1) +
EMP (2) – Harmful Leverage (2)). He rolls a 5. One
success.
• Overcoming the Harmful Leverage: In a foolhardy
move, the older man tries to overcome the harmful
leverage by convincing his opponent that he’s sorry
for that bad deal, and that he didn’t fully understand
it’s consequences when pursuing it. He rerolls his 5
and gets a 2. Now he has 0 successes, and the
leverage's rating is still 2.
• Contested: His opponent uses this chance to dig into
why the older man made that deal. He presses on
questions that make older man doesn’t want to
answer, so he rolls EMP (2) + WLL (2). He rolls a 3,
3, 6, 6. Two successes. He asks the older man the
following questions, one for each success:
• What did you gain out of it?
• Was the deal worth it?
Convince • Using the Helpful Leverage: She decides to use the
helpful leverage she and the first man established.
A merchant is bartering with two treasure hunters who
She re-rolls all but the 6, turning her roll into a 1, 3,
are trying to get rid of an artifact. One man takes the
4, 5, 6, 6. Three successes instead of just one,
lead, trying to use his field experience to convince the
however she has now rolled a consequence. The rank
merchant of the item’s value by quoting how much these
of that helpful leverage has now dropped from 1 to
items are usually worth and to who the merchant could
0. It can no longer be used. Though she managed to
sell it, so he rolls OCC (3) + EMP (2). The man has
bring herself back on top of the deal, the first man
worked with this particular merchant before and, while
saw through her and no longer trusts her.
they bicker, she trusts him. This familiarity grant him
helpful leverage (rank 1). Now he rolls 6 dice (OCC (3) • Contested (EMP + WLL): The first man then
+ AGI (2) + Helpful Leverage (1)). He rolls a 1, 2, 3, 5, contests, arguing that the deal she has made is unfair
6, 6. Two success. He will try to make the merchant and clearly benefits only herself. He does not relent
under-stand the value of this item with those successes. with these accusations, so he rolls EMP (2) + WLL
(1). He also benefits from the helpful leverage, as the
• Contested (OCC + EMP): The man’s partner,
merchant still trusts him to keep his end of the deal,
however, believes he has undervalued the item and is
even though he no longer trusts her. As such, he rolls
going to contest the first man’s thoughts and
4 dice (EMP (2) + WLL (1) + Helpful Leverage (1)).
experiences with his own, so he rolls (OCC (3) +
He rolls a 1, 1, 5, 6. Two successes. This number is
EMP (1)). He rolls a 2, 4, 5, 5. Two successes. This
subtracted from the merchant’s (3 - 2) for an overall
number is subtracted from the first man’s (3 - 2) for
one success for the merchant. Thought he men did
an overall one success for the first man. Before the
not get to set the terms of the deal, they did manage
next actor is determined, this success is spent and
to keep it from getting out of hand. The merchant
this play is settled. The first man will use his success
uses this success to set the sole aspect of their
to create the following agreement with the merchant:
agreement: that she will offer the men a fair price of
• The artifact is rare and may have considerable 4 Wealth for this artifact. Though the mean would
value if whether of the men say is true. have preferred 6 Wealth, they accept the offer to be
rid of it. With the agreement settled, the social
• Now that the play is settled, the next actor is
encounter ends.
determined. Because the first man’s partner lost the
contest, he becomes the actor. However, he saw how
he messed up the first play and decides to make the
merchant the actor, hoping to set up his partner with
an easy way to reduce and simplify the terms of a
deal down to simply payment.
Settle
The merchant takes the opportunity as actor to try to set
up a better deal for herself. She notices the dispute
between the two men and tries to capitalize on it, driving
a wedge between them and trying to get them to play off
of each other rather than her, so she rolls MND (2) +
WLL (2). She also uses the helpful leverage (rank 1)
developed by her and the first man’s previous dealings,
so she rolls a total of 5 dice (MND (2) + WLL (2) +
Helpful Leverage (1)). She rolls 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 6. One
success. The men caught on to what she was doing, and
now the deal isn’t so clean for her.