#xp actions

Link to the Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine RPG, on DriveThru

Link to Fortitude: the Glass-Maker’s Dragon, on DriveThru

Hi!

Let’s finish up our discussion of Creature of the Light. You can find the first three parts here, here, and here!

You’ve noticed that something’s a little different in your corner of the island, or you’re playing something a little different, or you’re about to steer something sharply left or right of the way that it’s been played.

At such a time you may roll your Awareness or your Hero to better understand how the two stories reconcile.

Here’s what happens.

On a matchless “critical failure,” you’re not really able to appreciate the difference/change—which is too bad, because there’s a hidden threat lurking behind it. Talk to an appropriate player or the GM about what that threat might be.

On failure or success, there’s a threat associated with that difference—a threat that arises because things are different where you are, or as a balance or reaction to things being different. Talk to an appropriate player or GM about what that threat might be.

On failure, you’re not aware of it. You’re motivated to post meditatively about the things that the threat, well, threatens.

On success, you earn an XP, and have a premonition that hints at the threat to come.

On triples, you don’t have to face a threat—you can just claim an XP. If you do face a threat, though, you can open a Hero Issue. Either way, there’s a sense that your divergence from the way of things in the past or elsewhere makes sense, is real and important . . . at least locally.

Quadruples or quintuples tend to make your divergence from canon more important, more standard, more influential—often, the new default. They also offer the benefits of a triple.

Issues

It’s a constant struggle to stay above water. Do you have enough food? Enough water? Enough resources?

In short, are you making progress, or falling behind?

To find out, roll your Physical Action, Self-Care, or (in) Over your Head.

Here’s what happens.

On a matchless “critical failure,” you’ve screwed something up. You can open a Complex Issue.

On a failure, you feel an impulse to post about your current levels of resources and your efforts to track them (which may wind up overriding the impulse to actually gather and manage them.)

On success, you earn an XP and learn about something you can do to keep your head above water. Describe a project that might be running low on resources—or “basic survival,” if you don’t have anything like that—and ask another player or the GM to explain what you could do to find more.

On critical success, in addition to the XP, there’s an abstract sense that this step in your life story is going to be important. You can open an (in) Over your Head Issue.

 Quadruples and quintuples work as a triple. In addition, there’s a tendency for something related to this—the resource you find, the project you’re finding it for, or something you find while gathering that resource—to be important or central to the campaign.

Issues

You notice that you’re interested in what someone else is experiencing on the island.

At such a time you may roll your (in) Over your Head, Self-Care, or Awareness.

A matchless “critical failure” means that you feel disconnected from those events. You might not even believe in them. You may open an Isolation Issue.

On failure, similar things and events may show up where you are.

On success, you can earn an XP if you ask a question about their experiences, putting yourself in a frame of mind to gracefully accept an answer given.

On triples, your question is really nostalgic—in addition to the XP, your question will inspire other players with an impulse to mention memories of events from their past. You may open an (in) Over your Head Issue.

Quadruples and quintuples represent a truly insightful moment—if possible, in addition to the benefits of a triple, your question will lead the character to a revelation about their circumstances.

Issues

The fifteen circumstances where you can roll an XP Action are as follows:

Communication

Meaningful Communication: . . . when you’re having that

Need—Spotted!: . . . when you’ve identified someone’s needs

Request: . . . when you want to make a request

Strong Feelings: . . . when you feel something strongly.

Distress

Anger/Judgment: . . . when you’re feeling angry/judgmental.

Stress: . . . when your world is out of order.

Unmet Needs: . . . when you have unmet needs

Other Reactions

Not Up For This: . . . when you’re just not up for empathy/NVC right now.

Acting in the World

Definitive: . . . when you’re taking a big step or risk

Exploration: . . . when you’re exploring something

Pleasant Work: . . . when you’re doing something ordinary in the world

Readiness: . . . when there’s no time to communicate, and you must use force

There’s More Here: . . . when you might be able to learn more about something

Trouble: . . . when you’re in trouble!

Unpleasant Work: . . . when you’re doing something because you “have to.”

Being Introduced for Active Playtest

Attention: . . . when your attention is caught by someone’s adventures.

Divergence: . . . when something’s different where you are, or is about to be.

Resources: . . . now and then.

So if your character is feeling bad, take a moment to figure out whether you’re feeling angry or judgmental, or if you have unmet needs, or if your world is out of order. If you’re just chatting, keep an eye out for meaningful communication, spotting people’s needs, making requests, and strong feelings. If you’re not up for NVC stuff, but that’s a purely in-character feeling, you might try the Not Up For This action and see where it leads you!

Meanwhile, the last seven actions are there for your adventures on the island. When you’re playing through those adventures with a GM, or making them up, keep an eye out for opportunities to learn more about something in the world, take a big step or risk, do something ordinary, be in trouble, explore, or do something because you “have to.” And if you might need to use force—well, check whether you really need to use force! There’s an action for that, if you really do.

I don’t have a problem with your crossing the streams a little—making a request of an NPC, in your adventures in the world, or doing the unpleasant work of replying to someone’s post—but I’m not expecting you to do so until you’re familiar with the actions.

You’re engaged in meaningful communication with someone.

At such a time you may roll your Communication or your Mystery. Here’s what happens.

A matchless “critical failure” lures you into saying something thoughtless.

On failure, you feel an impulse to share a secret or otherwise make yourself vulnerable.

On success, you can earn an XP if:

You attempt to reflect someone else’s feelings. Paraphrase what you’ve understood from them, and ask if that’s correct. They’ll either give you an honest answer, or write [HONESTY IMPOSSIBLE] before replying.

You ask someone else to paraphrase what they understand you to be saying—to reflect it back to you. They’ll do so, prefacing it with [HONESTY IMPOSSIBLE] if they can’t do this honestly IC.

On triples, in addition to the XP, the conversation is really good. It’s energizing. You can open a Mystery Issue.

Quadruples and quintuples represent transformative, incredible experiences—you feel like this conversation is life-changing, like it’s full of rich insight. You also receive the benefits of a triple.

Issues

You’ve identified a need behind something you’re saying or something someone else is saying.

At such a time you may roll your Communication or your (in) Over your Head to put that into words.

Here’s what happens.

A matchless “critical failure” means that you fumble. You say something wrong—and can open a Complex Issue.

On failure, you feel an impulse to indicate that you’re paying attention to this/listening (which may wind up overriding the impulse to talk about the need itself.)

On success, you can earn an XP if you:

Paraphrase their needs, and then ask whether you’ve identified those needs correctly, or

Describe the needs behind your feelings, and, then, make a request.

It’s not obligatory, but success motivates your target to respond empathetically—to give you a bit of information, or to seriously consider the request.

On triples, in addition to the XP, there’s an abstract sense (shared by all participants in the conversation) that the needs you’ve articulated are important. You can open an (in) Over your Head Issue. 

Quadruples and quintuples represent a truly insightful moment—in addition to the XP and possible (in) Over your Head,

if you’re identifying someone else’s needs, you can talk to their player for a few minutes about their character’s needs—basically, their player can help you find something really insightful to say. 

if you’re making a request of someone, they probably feel like they really understand you.

Issues

You want something from someone. Maybe it’s feedback—you want to know how they feel about what you’ve said or what they think about what you’ve said. Maybe it’s a request.

At such a time, you can roll Hero or the more appropriate of Self-Care and Communication.

Here’s what happens.

A matchless “critical failure” means that you ask them, or make a firm plan to ask them (if they’re not there). Then you feel this sudden burst of terror—you’re afraid of what they might say! Describe OOC what they could say that would totally wreck you. Then, ideally, go and post in another conversation thread or about something else while you wait for an answer. . . .

On failure, go ahead and make your request. (Or not!)

On success, you can earn an XP if you put yourself in a frame of mind where:

you want an honest answer to a question, or

you want help with something, but only if it can be given “willingly and compassionately”

It’s expected but not required that you follow this up by actually asking them for that, or making a firm plan to do so.

On triples, the frame of mind you find is good. It feels solid. Strong. In addition to the XP, you can open a Hero Issue.

Quadruples and quintuples give you a sense of a cosmic force moving underneath the surfaces of things—a private vision of yourself or the world that makes you feel like whatever the answer is, it’s going to be OK. They otherwise work as a triple.

Issues