A Game of Magic and Passion • Revised

Brennan Taylorwriting, layout

Jennifer Rodgersillustrations

Jonathan Waltonrevised layout

Mortalcoil

Copyright © 2006, 2008 Brennan Taylor/Galileo Games.

All rights reserved.

Cover illustration © 2006 Jennifer Rodgers.

Interior illustrations © 2006, 2008 Jennifer Rodgers.

Typeset in Adobe Garamond Pro, Greyhound, and VirileSolid fonts.

Printed in the United States of America.

Book design by Brennan Taylor and Jonathan Walton.

Indexed by Krista White.

ISBN 1-887920-03-X

http://www.galileogames.com/mortal-coil

Table of contentsfoReWoRd 1The NeW edITIoN 2NoTeS ANd ThANKS 3

Chapter One: Introduction 4The BooK 5The PlAyeRS 6

The GM 7The ThReShold of CRedIBIlITy 8ToKeNS 9

Using Tokens 10Committing Tokens 10Spending Tokens 10Sacrificing Tokens 10

ChAPTeR oNe SUMMARy 11

Chapter Two: Theme 12The TheMe doCUMeNT 13

Tone 14Setting 15The Supernatural 16Setting Magic level 18Situation 19Villains 21

ChAPTeR TWo SUMMARy 22

Chapter Three: Character 24ChARACTeR CoNCePT 25PASSIoNS 26

Types of Passions 27Starting Passions 28

STARTING ABIlITy 30fACUlTIeS 32

Starting faculties 33

APTITUdeS 33What does an Aptitude Cover? 35Why Shouldn’t I Pick the Widest Aptitudes Possible? 35Starting Aptitudes 36Supernatural Aptitudes 37

STARTING PoolS 38Starting Action Pool 38Starting Passion Pool 38Starting Power Pool 39Starting Magic Pool 40

SUPPoRTING ChARACTeRS 41how to Build Supporting Characters 41

ChAPTeR ThRee SUMMARy 43

Chapter Four: Magic 46MAGIC ToKeNS 47

Magical facts 51Supernatural Aptitudes 52

PRICe 53Backing facts with Rules 54Supernatural Items 56Recovering Magic Tokens 57Gaining New Magic Tokens 58

ChAPTeR foUR SUMMARy 59

Chapter Five: Conflict 60WhAT IS A CoNflICT? 62SeTTING GoAlS 63

Independent vs. opposed Goals 64Conflict Rounds 65Multiple Sides in one Conflict 66

BASIC ACTIoNS 67how Actions Relate to Goals 68Choosing Actions 68

CoMMITTING ACTIoN ToKeNS 69extra effort 71helping 74The Reveal 74

Matching Actions 75Actions outside Conflict 77

CAllING oN PASSIoNS 78opposing a Passion 80Passions in Play 81Changing Passions Through Conflict 82Recovering Spent Passion Tokens 83

ITeM effeCTS 84ACTIoN ReSolUTIoN 85

desperate Reactions 87harm 89harm effects 90

fATIGUe 93ChAPTeR fIVe SUMMARy 97

Chapter Six: Power 102PoWeR ToKeNS 103

Replacing Action Tokens 103Replacing Magic Tokens 104Changing a Character 105Gaining New Magic Tokens 106Adding Nonmagical facts 106Bringing Characters into Scenes 107Setting Scenes 108The GM’s Power Pool 108Power Token Awards 109

ChAPTeR SIX SUMMARy 110

Chapter Seven: Play 112PlAyeRS BUIldING SToRy 113

Getting What you Want as a Player 114Sharing the Spotlight 114your Character’s Passions 115Conflicting Passions 116Creating facts 116Using your Power Tokens 117

TeChNIqUeS IN CoNflICTS 118Side Bets 118

Changing Passions as a Goal 119how to Use faculties in Conflicts 119Bringing a Gun to a Knife fight 121

ChAPTeR SeVeN SUMMARy 122

Chapter Eight: The GM 124The GM’S Role 125BUIldING SToRy fRoM ChARACTeRS 126

Using the Theme document 127SCeNe fRAMING 128

Keeping Things exciting 129AdJUdICATING CoNflICT 130

Setting Goals for Supporting Characters 130determining opposing Actions 131Shaking Things Up 132Players in a Rut 133

USING MAGIC ToKeNS 134USING PoWeR ToKeNS 135ChAPTeR eIGhT SUMMARy 136

Appendix I: Inspiration 138

Appendix II: Example Conflicts 140

Appendix III: Sample Characters 166

INDEX 169

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O day and night, but this is wondrous strange!And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.There are more things in heaven and earth,

Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

William Shakespeare

forewordIt’s appropriate that Mortal Coil is a game about magic, because there was something magical going on the first time I played it.

I met Brennan Taylor for the first time at GenCon in 2006. yes, we’d met online before, but this was our first meeting in person. Similarly, I’d read Mortal Coil, but I’d never gotten the chance to try it out. When he sug-gested that we play a game of it, I jumped at the chance, but when I showed up at the embassy Suites to actually play, I got nervous. I was going to sit down with five people I respected but I’d never gamed with before, and I was desperate to impress them. Would they think I was a good player? Would I be able to figure out what they thought was fun? Would they ever want to play with me? But as soon as Brennan pulled out a blank sheet of paper and asked “What sort of game do we want to play?” all that stress disappeared. And that’s when the magic started.

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In “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” Mickey Mouse floods his master’s house when his magic takes on a life of its own. A similar thing happened to us that night. When Judd Karlman said, “I just don’t want a game where I have to kill my mother,” we had no idea that our brainstorming would end up creating a game about a magical punk band in an alternate 1970s (in New Amsterdam, no less). But it worked. Suddenly I was caught up in the grungy exuberance of flaming Taft, the greatest doomed band ever. All my anxieties, all my worries, were washed away. for three hours we just jammed, building off each other and creating something we all bought in to. It’s a game we still talk about years later.

When I look back it, I realize that what made it work so well was that the tools in this book provided us the means to tap into that magic. Gaming is mediated social interaction. The genius of Mortal Coil is that it lets you figure out how it’s mediated. Starting with the creation of the theme document and continuing through play as you spend magic tokens, this game makes you figure out what you, as the players at the table, want to do. Then, it gives you the power to do it. That’s collaboration of the highest order, and when it’s firing on all cylinders, it’s magic.

So why not put a little magic in your gaming? The worst that can happen is you ended up with a flooded living room.

– Paul Tevis

The new editionWelcome to the new edition of Mortal Coil. Since its original release, Mortal Coil has been played by groups all over the world. I’ve been getting feedback from all these players over the last couple of years, and I noticed some of the same questions kept coming up again and again. Although many people read and played Mortal Coil with no input from me, many others tried and got stalled out or had difficulties. I came to believe that the rules needed some clarification, and began work on this new edition.

All of the extra material available in this edition can also be downloaded for free on the Galileo Games web site (www.galileogames.com/mortal-coil). If you purchased the original edition of Mortal Coil, you do not need to spend any additional money to gain access to the extra information

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contained in this edition. If you are interested in having the additional text all bound together in a pretty package, as well as seeing two new pieces of art by the talented Jennifer Rodgers, then pick up this edition. Just know it is not required to play the first edition of the game.

– Brennan Taylor

notes and ThanksThis game would not have taken its current shape without the influ-ence of the online community of game designers known as The forge (www.indie-rpgs.com). Special thanks go to master game designer Vincent Baker for his insight on game design in general. Thanks also to Russell Collins, Jared Sorensen, Nathan Paoletta, Mayuran Tiruchelvam, Keith Senkowski, Alexander Newman, and especially Thor olavsrud for his bull’s-eye suggestions.

Special thanks to Clyde Rhoer and doyce Testerman for additional cri-tique of the revised edition.

This game owes a great deal to other games, and I have shamelessly stolen concepts that I enjoy from many of them. These inspirational games in-clude Universalis, Dust Devils, Primetime Adventures, My Life with Master, Burning Wheel, Sorcerer and its supplements, and Conspiracy of Shadows.

I want to thank my dedicated playtesters, Bill Segulin, eric hicks, Michelle Malloy, Jason Ang, Jon hastings, Jason landrian, Radek drozdalski, Michael Miller, Kat Miller, Michele Mishko, Glenn Vandenberg, Charlie hogan, Mindi hogan, A.J. hernandez, david Stone, and Charlie Spicer for all of their input and enthusiasm, as well as the online originals, Bryan himebaugh, frank Schildiner, Jason Brethauer, Teresa Shannon, and Krista White. Thank you all for showing me how good this actually was.

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Chapter One: Introduction

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Mortal Coil is a role-playing game of magic and passion. The goal of Mortal Coil is the creation of a shared world of the supernatural, and a strong style of narrative, novel-like play. A role-playing game is one in which you create a story together with your friends, and the rules of Mortal Coil are designed to help you do this. While playing Mortal Coil, most of the players will take on the role of one character, while one of the players, the Game Moderator or GM, will present challenges to these characters and portray the supporting cast in the story. The larger group of players will represent the protagonists of the story and will work with the GM to create the conflict and action.

The BookThis book is designed to lead you through the process of creating and playing a game of Mortal Coil, step by step.

º This Introduction provides some basic information to help you use this book.

º The second chapter, Theme, instructs you on how to begin to build the world of magic in which your story will take place.

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º The third chapter, Character, shows you how to create the people who will populate and explore your new world.

º The fourth chapter, Magic, describes how you shape the magical events that surround the characters in your game.

º The fifth chapter, Conflict, helps you build the conflicts on which all stories thrive.

º The sixth chapter, Power, provides tools for you to influence the fic-tional events you imagine.

º The seventh chapter, Play, tells you how to interact with Mortal Coil as a player and gives you tips on how to get the most out of your game.

º And the eighth and final chapter, The GM, instructs the Game Moderator player on this special role in the game.

The PlayersMortal Coil is a game, and therefore has players. everyone sitting around the table during a game of Mortal Coil will be a player. Most of the play-ers will have a single character they created, and their task is to portray this character during the game. one player has a special role, the Game Moderator or GM. his duties are described in a bit more detail below.

Just because a player has created her character and has the task of portraying this character at the table does not mean that she has complete control of the character. other players are allowed to influence the character during play, and may use conflicts to make another character feel or act a certain way. Also, players wishing to add details to the game relating to their own character will also have to gain the consent of the group (see Threshold of Credibility, below).

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The GMThe Game Moderator, referred to hereafter as the GM, is a player with a special role. Since each of the other players portrays a single character, there is a lot of open area that is not covered. The GM takes on the role of the world at large, including any supporting characters not portrayed by another player. The GM has a big task, but since the story told in a game of Mortal Coil is about the players’ characters, it is not as overwhelming as it might initially sound.

The GM plays an important part in the group’s overall story or situation. The GM’s job is to make sure that the world presents challenges and dif-ficulties for the players’ characters. Good story emerges from conflict, and things that are easy are often boring. The GM will ensure that the players’ characters struggle to win their achievements by providing adversity, in the form of villains, rivals, and difficult situations.

The GM will also take the role of rules arbiter when a conflict arises in the fictional world of the game and the rules are used to determine the out-come. The GM will often present challenges from supporting characters in these situations, but must also be mindful of her role as a judge during these scenes. GMs should be impartial and adjudicate the conflicts with an eye not only toward logic, but also toward drama.

There is more information for the GM in Chapter 8, complete with in-structions and advice for this special player.

Throughout the book you will find examples after almost every rule. For con-sistency, I will use the same two example gaming groups throughout. The two groups should give you a feel for the different things you can do with the system.

The first group consists of three players: Jason, Krista, and Michelle. Michelle is the GM for this group.

The second group has five players: Bill, Eric, Michael, Kat, and Russell. Bill is the GM for this group.

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The Threshold of credibilityA game of Mortal Coil is a group effort requiring a high level of collective agreement among the players. No one player (including the GM) has the authority to make a sweeping decision about any character (even his own) or the game world at large without at least some input from the other players.

Group consensus is required when someone does one of the following:

• introduces a new fact into the theme,

• changes a character by adding a new aptitude or passion,

• attempts to use an aptitude in a conflict,

• introduces a supporting character, or

• sets a scene or adds details to an existing scene.

These things all have something in common. When you play Mortal Coil, you are building a fictional world with your friends. When someone adds something new to this world, any player at the table has the opportunity to object.

Mortal Coil is not a competitive game; it is meant to be a collaborative one. When a player raises an objection, discuss it among yourselves and come to a solution. As you come to understand what your group is willing to accept, it establishes a threshold of credibility for new information to be added to your story.

Please note: A veto is a strong power for any player to invoke. Make sure that you use it appropriately. No one likes to play with someone who blocks everything that comes along. The purpose of the threshold of cred-ibility is to ensure that no player is left unsatisfied by the story told by the game. objections should be about what is fundamentally appropriate for your group’s game. you should not object to something just because it’s going to hurt your own character in some way. The purpose of this rule is not to protect individual characters, but rather to protect the story. Any objections you raise need to be based in the agreed framework your group develops for your game, as discussed in the next chapter, Theme.

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Here are three examples of players invoking this rule:

Jason is playing a supernatural investigator character. He wants to introduce the fact that magic leaves telltale traces that can be detected by a trained investiga-tor, who can then follow them back to their source like a bloodhound. The GM, Michelle, objects and invokes the threshold of credibility: “This is going to make it too easy for you. We wanted magic to be mysterious, and it takes a lot of the mystique out of it if you can just trail magicians right back to their hideout every time.” The rest of the group agrees with Michelle, and Jason needs to approach the situation in a different way. He makes a counter-proposal: Magic leaves telltale traces, but an experienced magician can create a false trail or cover his tracks. Only inexperienced, careless, or desperate magicians will leave a clear trail that can be easily followed. Michelle agrees that this is a good change that resolves her objection, and the new fact is accepted.

Bill, the GM, has set a scene in a darkened warehouse. At the back of the ware-house, the players encounter a tentacled horror from Beyond. Russell objects, invoking the threshold of credibility: “I thought we agreed to avoid Lovecraftian details and stick to actual historical mythology. This needs to be some other kind of creature, based on real folklore.” Bill edits the scene, transforming the horror into a monstrous three-headed dog—a change that serves his purposes just as well.

Jason’s character runs into trouble as he investigates the office of a suspicious police detective. The detective has concealed evidence under a password on his computer. Jason decides to add “computer hacker” to his character in order to get past the obstacle. Krista, another player, invokes the threshold of credibility: “You said that your character was an old-school guy, used to using shoe leather rather than technology. I don’t think he would have spent enough time around computers to be a hacker.” Jason nods, and tries to think of another way to get at the info he needs.

TokensAll action in the Mortal Coil system involves tokens. Tokens can be poker chips, go stones, beads, cardboard chits, or any other type of easily visible object that players can move around on the table during play. you will need four distinct colors of tokens—about ten of each color for every player in the game.

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The four types of tokens are as follows:

º Action Tokens: Use these tokens when your character wishes to per-form a task.

º Passion Tokens: These tokens represent the powerful passions that drive each character’s actions. Use them when you call upon these pas-sions.

º Power Tokens: These tokens are wild cards. Use them in place of other tokens or add them to other types of tokens. They also help perma-nently improve your character.

º Magic Tokens: These tokens activate all magical effects in the game and can even create new magical facts about the game world.

Using TokensThere are three different ways to use your character’s tokens.

º Committing Tokens: A token is committed when you assign it to a particular action. Committed tokens are still in play, and are regained after the completion of the action to which they were committed.

º Spending Tokens: Tokens are spent if they are temporarily taken out of play. Tokens are typically spent to represent fatigue, injury, or to mark off resources that are refreshed or replenished in between sessions of play. Spent tokens can be regained when specific conditions are met. These conditions vary depending on the type of token.

º Sacrificing Tokens: A token can be sacrificed, in which case the token is permanently removed from the game. only certain types of tokens are sacrificed, usually to add new facts to the world constructed in the game. Power tokens are always sacrificed, as these are a short-term resource available to you as a player.

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chapter one Summary

The PlayersMost players take the role of a single character and guide that character through the fictional world of the game.

The GM portrays supporting characters and presents challenges to the other players through the game world.

The GM also acts as an arbiter between the rules and the other players, and adjudicates conflicts within the game.

The Threshold of CredibilityAny player, including the GM, may veto a change that affects the fictional world of the game by invoking the threshold of credibility.

The threshold of credibility is set by the player with the most demanding or rigorous standards.

TokensThere are four types of tokens used in Mortal Coil: action, passion, power, and magic.

There are three uses for tokens: committing, spending, and sacrificing.

• Committing a token is used to declare actions.

• Spending a token temporarily removes it from play.

• Sacrificing a token permanently removes it from play.

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Chapter Two: Theme

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The theme is probably the most important part of creating your own game of Mortal Coil. It sets a baseline of expectations for the game by describ-ing the setting, the nature of the supernatural, and the feel of magic in your game. All of the players, including the GM, should discuss what they want and don’t want in their game. If one player is thinking disturbing supernatural horror and another is thinking of lovelorn teenage wizards in a magical academy, it is likely at least one of the two will be upset when play begins and one of these visions is not respected.

the theme documentThe theme document is where you will record all the ideas and guidelines that you and the other players come up with (both at the start of the game and during the course of play). It is the backbone of any game of Mortal Coil. As you are playing, any of the players can refer to the theme docu-ment to back up their statements, whether they are adding something to the world or arguing against the addition of a new fact or event.

one player should take responsibility for recording the group’s thematic decisions in the theme document, as it is the foundation upon which your game will be built. Since all players will have a nearly equal influence when

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play begins, it is important for everyone to be “on the same page.” The initial brainstorming and decision-making forms the constitution of the game; any subsequent decisions must take place within its framework.

Any player can veto something added to the theme by another player by pointing out how it clashes with or violates something already set down in the document, both at this step and later in the game.

Toneone of the most important things you can establish with your theme is the tone of the game you are about to play. Tone is the general feel of your game world, whether it is bleak, gritty, hopeful, transcendent, or surreal. As you discuss the basic tone, feel free to bring up books and movies that are similar in feel, and try to list words that evoke the feel you are after. your group should settle on a general tone that can be described in large part with four or five words.

The first group begins to discuss their game’s theme. Michelle says, “I’d like something a bit spooky, a sort of X-Files vibe.”

Jason: “I like that, but I want to make sure that we can do something about the scary stuff, so creepy but not depressing.”

Krista agrees, adding, “I’d like to see a realistic tone to balance out the supernatural.”

Michelle writes “Creepy but not depressing, realistic, X-Files” on the theme document as the game’s tone.

The second group’s discussion begins with Russell saying, “I want a sort of low-down tone, maybe a bit bleak.”

Eric says, “I don’t want the game to get too bleak, or I might have some trouble playing. I’m just not into depressing.”

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Bill suggests, “Let’s make the game very supernatural, maybe a fantasy setting.”

Russell: “I’m not so sure about that...”

Kat says, “Let’s keep it grounded in the real world but have some really strong supernatural elements.”

After a bit more discussion, they settle on “low-down but magically powerful” for a tone.

SettingThe next step when building the theme document is to decide where the game will take place, and the time period in which it will be set. It could be anywhere and anywhen. A Mortal Coil game could be set in Sumeria five thousand years ago, or in your own hometown this year.

fantasy or science fiction settings would work as well, but be sure to care-fully define the world if using an imaginary one. determine the basic premise of the game. Is it historical? A fantasy?

What is the general idea of the game? like a studio pitch, can you sum up the concept in a nice, punchy sentence?

The first group turns to setting. Krista: “Let’s go with the X-Files idea and make supernatural investigators working for a government agency.”

Jason and Michelle both like that idea and decide to set the game in the modern day with supernatural elements. They decide there is an official agency that secretly deals with supernatural incidents. Michelle writes “government agents deal with the supernatural” on the theme document.

The second group continues their discussion. Bill suggests, “How about you all portray powerful sorcerers or magical practitioners of some sort.”

Russell: “I don’t think I really like that.”

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Michael: “How about we are all ancient gods, just living like normal people in the real world, something like American Gods by Neil Gaiman.”

The other players like the idea, but it still isn’t fitting with Russell’s idea for the game. Rather than have a game that Russell doesn’t want to play, the group negotiates. Russell comes around at the suggestion that the main setting be a seedy bar, and that despite their vast powers, the gods mostly just hang out, drink, bicker with each other, and all around act like normal people. They have lost their followers and therefore lost their purpose. This doesn’t seem too depressing to Eric, and he agrees. Russell likes the gritty tone, and that makes him happy as well. Bill writes “old gods slowly going to seed in a dive bar” on the theme document.

The SupernaturalAfter the overall concept is settled, define some basic parameters regarding the supernatural. Answer the following questions:

º how common is magic?

º What general feel should magic have: horrifying, weird and powerful, commonplace?

º What sorts of creatures do or don’t exist in this world?

º Can players create magical beings of their own design, or should they stick with those from folklore?

º Who knows about magic: a select few, the general population, only folks with traditions that relate to it?

º how is magic learned and taught?

º Are some people innately magical, or can anyone access it?

º Are there places of magical power?

This is where players can express their own individual desires about how the game should work, like “no vampires,” or “stay away from lovecraft.” Mortal Coil can create a great mood when the players are in agreement on the basic framework. Apart from strong desires, however, avoid describing specific beings or powers during the theme document discussion. It is good

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to generate a general “feel” of magic at this time, such as mental powers, or sorcerers earning magic from demonic bargains, but the specific strengths and drawbacks of these powers will be settled later as the game is played, through the use of magic tokens.

As a general rule, do not note down anything that would require the ex-penditure of a magic token during the theme document discussions (for details on magic tokens, refer to the Magic chapter, page 47). If someone comes up with something at this stage that seems like it would require an expenditure of magic tokens, put that off until character creation, or even until formal play begins.

The first group discussed the supernatural. Krista: “Going back to the X-Files idea, why not have magic that’s out there but most people don’t know about it.”

Michelle elaborates, “Yeah, magic should be powerful but subtle. The super-natural rarely leaves a trace when it’s gone.”

Krista adds, “A few people can learn how to use it, but it’s rare.”

Jason agrees with the direction, but adds, “I don’t want to see any Lovecraftian monsters or concepts. I just played Call of Cthulhu and would like to get away from that.”

Michelle notes everything down on the theme document under the heading “supernatural.”

Having agreed on a theme of old gods, the second group discusses the supernatu-ral. Russell again pushes for a grittier level of magic, but Michael says, “I liked the idea of vast godly power.”

Bill agrees, “Yeah, the gods should have powers that seem godlike. Their rage should be awesome to behold.”

Michael says, “Because they are here, wasting away in a seedy bar, I think their powers are diminished or don’t always work.”

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Eric says, “Sure, an earthquake that used to shake a city will now only shake a city block.”

Bill: “That sounds good. They retain their godly powers, but they are local in scale.”

Russell says, “I can live with that.”

Bill: “Are we sticking with just gods, or do other supernatural beings exist?”

Kat: “I think other beings exist, like nymphs and satyrs. Those are a big deal in Greek mythology and the gods are always chasing after them. They should be around.”

Michael says, “The gods should be able to transform themselves, like into ani-mals or elements, as well.”

Bill: “Hold on to that thought, Michael. That’s a fact about magic that should be established during play. We want to stay away from specific powers at this point.”

Everyone agrees on that, and Bill determines the group is done with this phase. He notes down the parameters of the supernatural in the theme document.

Setting Magic Levelyou have the ability to determine how much or how little magic will im-pact your game. When setting up a new game of Mortal Coil, the players should discuss the basic level of the supernatural they desire in their game. Since magic tokens are used to introduce and define magic, the number of tokens available to each player will have a powerful effect on the tone of the game.

º Low Magic: each player starts with 5 magic tokens. The GM gets 5 tokens, plus 1 token for each player. This will create a game where magic is rare and valuable.

º Moderate Magic: each player begins with 10 to 15 magic tokens. The GM gets the same number of tokens, plus 2 tokens for each player. A game at this level will have more common magical events.

º High Magic: each player begins with 20 magic tokens. The GM gets 20 tokens, plus 4 tokens for each player. Magic will be quite common in this game, and most play will revolve around powerful magic.

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you may also set the magic level somewhere in between these levels if fine-tuning the level suits your world and theme better.

These levels are also set for a multisession game. If you are playing in a single-session game, use the following guidelines instead:

º Low Magic: each player starts with 2 magic tokens. The GM gets 2 tokens, plus 1 token for every 2 players.

º Moderate Magic: each player starts with 4 magic tokens. The GM gets 4 tokens, plus 1 token for every 2 players.

º High Magic: each player starts with 6 magic tokens. The GM gets 6 tokens, plus 1 token for every 2 players.

The first group’s setting is a world with hidden supernatural events investigated by government agents. They decide it isn’t exactly low magic, because they want a fairly regular diet of the supernatural, but it’s not high magic either. They agree on moderate, and since this is a one-shot session, that’s all they need to decide.

The second group is playing a longer game. This is a world of old gods, so the group decides that they’d like to see magic pretty regularly. Russell still doesn’t want a really high magic game, so they decide on a moderate magic setting. In a long term game, the group needs to decide where in the moderate range they fall. Russell pushes for a lower value, and the group decides on 12 magic tokens for each player. The group agrees this should be enough to do some fun magical things without tipping the game too far away from what Russell wants.

Situationyou have created a theme and setting at this point, and defined the basics of magic in your game world. Now, you need to discuss the significance of these things. What is your game’s situation? What issues are the characters going to address through their actions? What questions will they answer

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with their choices? This is what you would discuss if you talked about theme in a literary context, and since Mortal Coil is about creating a story with your friends, you should answer similar questions here.

decide on a central conflict in the game. What is the big question the set-ting asks? It could be as simple as destruction against survival, but there are usually deeper levels of meaning to conflicts that exist in a story. freedom versus stability, youth versus tradition, nature versus civilization. or even good versus evil are examples of the type of big conflict the group should be thinking about at this step.

A good start is to set up some sides to the central conflicts in your game. It is all right (and, in fact, desirable) to have more than one. These con-flicts create inherent tensions within the world that will provide excellent impetus to your stories. Players may choose a specific side, or may find themselves torn between multiple sides of a particular conflict, creating drama as they are forced to choose and compromise, or are driven to ever-more extreme acts in service of their principles.

once you have settled on the situation with your group, go back to the theme document. Add details or change the ones you have written to re-flect the situation your group is interested in.

The first group discusses the situation for their game. One of the situations they discuss is obvious: human agents versus the supernatural. That’s built into their premise. Then they talk about other possible tensions, such as secrets versus the truth, and perhaps higher ups in the government wishing to use the supernatu-ral for their own nefarious purposes. These all sound like good meaty conflicts, and are written on the theme document.

The second group has to discuss this step a bit longer. Their basic premise of old gods going to seed seems to lack a bit of conflict. If the group is not careful, they will end up with a very static situation and the players will be at a loss for what to do. Realizing this, Bill pushes them to come up with some tension. Some ideas get thrown around: abandoning godhood versus clinging to your old powers,

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sticking with the traditional ancient rivalries between gods versus evolving new relationships, and conflicts between different religious traditions. These are all good and can create some excellent situations in the game, so Bill writes them down on the theme document.

VillainsNow that you have established the basic facts of your world, and set up a situation in which your characters will find conflict, you should deter-mine what the opposition is. Who are the characters that will oppose the players’ characters? What adversity will they face when you start playing? each of the different conflicts should have a face on each side, whether an individual or an organization. At this stage, a simple list of villains will help players craft their characters in a way that is tied in to situation.

To start, the first group creates a couple of supernatural threats. An ancient magician trying to destroy the agency by controlling other supernatural beings and a vampire from the old west, only recently reawakened from the desert. For secrets versus the truth, the opposition is the agency’s policy not to reveal their true work to anyone, even other government groups. This isn’t really a character, but it’s an important detail. Another villain is created, a higher ranking official in the agency, who wishes to gather magical artifacts and take secret control of the agency and perhaps the government itself. These all seem pretty good, and are noted on the theme document.

The second group discusses possible villains. Other ancient gods are the obvious choices, and various names are batted around: Jupiter, Odin, or Set. The group decides that they will settle on particular gods as villains once everyone has created a character and they all know what other gods would be appropriate. Someone else then suggests that they have some villains that are other types of creature, like Scandinavian dwarfs. This works for everyone, and they come up with a svartalf villain named Norin. Lastly, they decide there is a modern priest of some ancient religion who is trying to get his gods to exert their power and take over again. These all get written down on the theme document.

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chapter two Summary

The Theme DocumentRecords all ideas and guidelines that the players come up with.

Any player can veto something added to the theme by showing how it contradicts the tone or some other fact already recorded in the theme.

ToneThe general feel of the game world.

SettingA one-sentence “movie studio pitch” that describes the game world.

The SupernaturalBasic parameters and restrictions on magic, in keeping with tone and setting.

Magic tokens are not spent at this phase of the game, so no details requiring magic token use should be specified yet.

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theme

Setting Magic LevelChoose from three levels of magic: low, moderate, or high.

• low Magic: 5 magic tokens/player, +1/player for the GM.

• Moderate Magic: 10-15 magic tokens/player, +2/player for the GM.

• high Magic: 20 magic tokens/player, +4/player for the GM.

for a single-session game, use different guidelines for magic level.

• low Magic: 2 magic tokens/player, +1/two players for the GM.

• Moderate Magic: 4 magic tokens/player, +1/ two players for the GM.

• high Magic: 6 magic tokens/player, +1/ two players for the GM.

Situationsdetermine what issues the characters will address through their actions, and what conflict(s) will be present in the game world at the start of play.

VillainsA basic list of villains to get players started when crafting their characters.

each of the principles discussed in situation should have a representative, either a person or an organization.

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Chapter Three: Character

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Now it is time to move on to the next question. you have created the theme; your game world is ready for the protagonists to inhabit it. Who are these characters? What do they do in this world? of these characters, who are you, and how do you fit in?

each of the players aside from the GM will create a character of their own and will take on this role in the game. There are several steps you need to take to build this character. Use the character sheet at the end of this book, or download one at the web site (www.galileogames.com/mortalcoil). This sheet has spaces for all of the characteristics you will need to note down about a character, and it also includes spaces for the tokens you will be using in the game.

character conceptTo start, come up with a quick (preferably one-sentence) description of who you are, like “a frail old man who has been alive for centuries using magic,” “the naïve art student,” or “an ancient god of the underworld mas-querading as an ineffective stockbroker.” This is your character concept. Note this down on your character sheet in the space provided. This gives you the initial shape of the character and allows you to fill in the details as you move through the process of creating a character.

C H A P T E R T H R E E

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The two players from the first group come up with character concepts. Jason creates Karl Eckhardt, a jaded veteran agent. Krista creates Lucy Torres, a green but hotheaded agent.

In the second group, Eric decides to play Loki, a trickster god running out of tricks. Michael decides to play Sedna, a goddess of the sea turned trucker. Kat decides to play Pele, a volcano goddess bitter about the changes to the world. Russell decides to play Pluto, a god of the underworld scraping by as a shabby stockbroker.

We’ll look more closely at Jason’s character, Eckhardt, and Kat’s character, Pele.

PassionsCharacters in Mortal Coil are, first and foremost, defined by their passions. Passions are the things that are most important to the character, that drive her to act. These are used in play to bring drama to your portrayal of a character, and they define her motivations and connections to other indi-viduals. your portrayal of the character in the game should be driven by these passions, and the GM will also use them to present situations where your character’s desires and beliefs will be challenged.

It is especially important to make sure your characters’ passions relate both to the passions of other characters (both those of other players and those taken by the GM) and to the overall theme of the game. This is absolutely essential to a good game of Mortal Coil. Passions are the most powerful tool both you and the GM can use to emotionally tie your character into the story. you should make sure that at least one of your character’s pas-sions (or better, two of them) relate to another player character or to the main situation of the game (this last must be done with the group’s help, of course).

Passions should be written as a sentence. A passion fear: ‘Spiders’ or love: ‘Nancy’ are very bland, very broad, and don’t convey much information to the GM or the other players. Try to make them more specific and more personal. Instead of fear: ‘Spiders,’ make your passion fear: ‘Spiders hide in dark places and are just waiting to bite me.’ Instead of love: ‘Nancy,’ try

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love: ‘Nancy is worth any sacrifice.’ Now the other players have a much better idea of what is motivating the character, and the GM has some clues on how to provide situations that will work with these passions. you can bet a character with these passions will encounter some dark holes he needs to stick his arm in, and that Nancy will need just a little blood, darling, and he’d do that for her, wouldn’t he?

Types of PassionsThere are four types of passions that describe the powerful emotions that motivate your character. These include the following:

º Duty: A duty is something that your character feels obligated to do, for whatever reason, but does not truly enjoy. duty is generally pur-sued out of some sense of higher responsibility, a feeling that some things take priority over emotion. duties could include things as di-verse as family, the priesthood, service to another individual, loyalty to one’s organization, or an abstract principle (journalistic integrity, for example), etc. “Must” is a great word to describe a duty passion.

Sample Duties: I must fulfill my priestly vows; I must take care of my father until he dies; I must never let my brother down.

º Fear: A fear is something that terrifies your character and motivates her quite strongly out of aversion. fear motivates the character to avoid the object of the fear, or, if that is not possible, to cower or bargain in attempt to avoid harm (real or perceived). fears can include phobias, other individuals, or more abstract things such as loneliness, abandon-ment, etc.

Sample Fears: I won’t ever be alone again; I am terrified of enclosed spaces; do whatever it takes to keep Mr. Sampson from getting angry.

º Hate: A hate motivates your character through his loathing and long-ing to destroy something or someone. This passion is similar to fear, but your character is motivated to attack instead of avoid. your char-acter will do what he can to harm, hinder, or otherwise damage the object of his hate. This attack need not be overt. The character Iago in othello is an excellent example of a character who hates, causing his enemy’s downfall by pretending to be a friend. hate could be directed

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at an individual, the mob, drug dealers, one’s self, certain nationalities or skin colors, the police, an activity, etc.

Sample Hates: Vampires are abominations and cannot be tolerated; get the cops before they get you; no one else cares about me, so why should I?

º Love: A love is someone or something that your character cares deeply about. As with duty, your character is motivated to act selflessly toward the object of her love. your character will willingly make sacrifices on behalf of her love, and will help and protect the object of her love. of course, just because you love something doesn’t mean it loves you back. love can also inspire jealousy. love can be directed at an indi-vidual, a group, an activity, some abstract concept (art, for example), one’s self, etc.

Sample Loves: Sarah is my reason for living; there is no higher calling than music; Mother is the most amazing person alive.

When choosing passions for your character, you are not required to choose one of each type. you can even choose two or more passions of the same type if you desire. The four types are provided to guide and inspire you when writing your character’s passions, not to restrict you.

Starting PassionsAll characters have five points to spend on their passions. These points should be distributed among the things your character cares about. It is rare and really rather unhealthy for an individual to have only one passion.

A character’s passions, even if he has five 1-point passions, represent things he cares about. Because they appear on his passion list, he feels strongly about them in some way. That is why passion ratings begin at “strong” at rank 1. even a rank 1 passion is important to the character. The rankings of the passions are listed below:

º 1: Strong. This passion is your character’s calling. This passion moti-vates her on many levels, and she will go out of her way to make time for this passion.

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º 2: Powerful. your character’s depth of feeling has increased for this passion, and she makes sure some part of her life revolves around this passion.

º 3: Profound. your character devotes most of her time and energy to the pursuit of this passion. This passion has become the main focus of her life, but she still has room for other things.

º 4: Feverish. your character is nearly consumed by this passion. It is constantly in her thoughts, and she rarely takes any action not some-how motivated by this passion.

º 5: Obsessive. your character is completely ruled by this passion. She thinks of nothing else, and every action she takes is considered through the prism of this passion. Passions of this level are extremely pathologi-cal and unhealthy.

Jason thinks a bit about the situation and Krista’s character and takes the fol-lowing passions:

Duty 1: I have to keep people safe from magical threats.

Fear 2: Lucy will get killed like my last partner.

Hate 2: Those damn bureaucrats always keep us from finishing the job.

As you can see, he has aimed one passion at another player character, and cre-ated another motivation, the hate, that will bring him in direct conflict with the agency and eventually the villain within the agency that was created in the theme document. His third passion motivates him to do his job. These are good passions.

Kat creates some passions for Pele:

Love 1: I am secretly crushing on Pluto.

Fear 2: If I get too angry, I’ll lose control and destroy everything.

Hate 2: Outsiders come in and ruin everything.

Kat takes a look at these and sees some potential problems. The first love passion

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points at another player character, so that one works. The fear is pretty vague, and thinking about it, Kat realizes that it will probably push her toward taking no action instead of taking positive action. That could kill some of her fun, so she decides to change it. Thinking about the last one, she realizes it’s a bit vague as well and will be hard to implement, so she decides to change it too. Her final list looks like this:

Love 2: I am secretly crushing on Pluto.

Love 1: I like to lose control, the damage I cause is someone else’s problem.

Hate 2: Norin always comes in and ruins everything.

She switched the value on the first and second passion because the crush on Pluto now seems more interesting to her. The second passion is a love of destruction, which will motivate her character to act and cause all sorts of problems. That should be fun. And now the last passion points at a named supporting character, which ties Pele into the situation.

Starting abilityonce passions have been defined, you should have a pretty good feel for your character already. Next, round out your character by describing the specific things he can do.

Characters can begin the game at any of four different skill and experience levels. Most characters are assumed to begin at a relatively unskilled level. The GM should look at each player’s character concept and decide whether that character has experience and ability above the assumed baseline and modify that character’s starting level accordingly. This call is up to the GM, with input from the players, of course.

The upper two levels of character skill are special, and they represent a supernatural origin for the character. This makes them subject to the threshold of credibility (page 8). The GM has the authority to decide at what level a character starts play, but if another player objects to either the ancient or ageless categories, they can use their veto at this point. It’s important that everyone be on board with the starting power levels. The difference between a novice and a veteran is not as significant as the differ-ence between these and the supernatural starting levels.

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The more powerful a character is at the beginning of the game, the more restricted he will be during play. lower level characters begin with an ad-vantage in power tokens, and also have greater room for growth. higher level characters will end up basically static.

The following rankings determine starting ability:

º Novice: The default starting level, for characters with average faculty and aptitude. The vast majority of the people in the world fall into this category, as they have not done anything extraordinary in their lives to this point (anything requiring peak physical and mental abilities or intensive, long-term training).

Novices begin with 5 points in passions, 10 points in faculties, 7 points in aptitudes, and 5 power tokens.

º Veteran: This indicates characters who have had intensive training and who consistently have been in situations requiring peak physical and mental ability; such people include athletes, soldiers, martial artists, expert debaters, con artists, and the like.

Veterans begin with 5 points in passions, 11 points in faculties, 9 points in aptitudes, and 3 power tokens.

º Ancient: These characters have lived longer than a normal human lifetime, either through sorcery, because they are undead, or by some other unnatural means. Ancient beings must be at least 100 years of age, and must be sustained by some means to avoid the deterioration of time.

Ancients begin with 5 points in passions, 13 points in faculties, 13 points in aptitudes, and 1 power token.

º Ageless: This indicates the character is an immortal being who has been around for thousands of years, such as an ancient god, an angel, or an immortal fairy being. If you are playing an immortal being more youthful than this, choose one of the three starting ability levels above, as this level is reserved for only the very oldest of beings.

Ageless characters begin with 5 points in passions, 15 points in facul-ties, 15 points in aptitudes, and no power tokens.

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Jason looks at the list. He’s described his character as a veteran agent, and Eckhardt is not a supernatural being, so he decides to make him a veteran starting level. Even though he is older, he is in top form because of the many supernatural threats he regularly faces. Michelle agrees.

Kat looks at the list as well. Pele is a goddess, so she chooses the ageless starting level. All of the players’ characters in her game will be starting at this level.

facultiesfaculties describe four areas of ability that all characters possess. faculties are rated according to each character’s individual ability. They all describe some mental or physical characteristic of your character. These include the following:

º Force: This measures your character’s size, strength, and physical pow-er. Big characters, tough characters, or those who are merely strong should have a good force score.

º Grace: This measures your character’s poise, quickness, beauty, and perception. deft characters, agile characters, or those who are light on their feet should have a good Grace score.

º Will: This measures your character’s force of will, mental fortitude, and sheer cussedness. determined characters, focused characters, and those who simply refuse to give up should have a good Will score.

º Wits: This measures your character’s quickness of thought, cleverness, and ability to make mental connections. Smart characters, quick-thinking characters, or those who are able to come to swift conclusions should have a good Wits score.

The number of points assigned to each of these faculties indicates your character’s relative strength in that area. your character can have no more than 5 points in any particular faculty. faculty levels are described as follows:

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º 0: Lacking. your character completely lacks any capacity whatsoever in this area.

º 1: Disadvantaged. your character is subpar in some way.

º 2: Average. your character has a normal level of ability in this area.

º 3: Talented. your character transcends average ability.

º 4: Exceptional. your character’s ability is well above average.

º 5: Peak. your character is in top form, and has few, if any, rivals in this area.

Starting FacultiesNovice characters have 10 points to distribute among their faculties. More experienced characters have more points to distribute. Veteran charac-ters gain an extra point to distribute among their faculties for a total of 11. Ancient characters start with 13 points, and ageless characters start with 15.

Jason’s character is a veteran. He takes his 11 points and distributes them as fol-lows: Force 1, Grace 2, Will 4, Wits 4. Jason figures Eckhardt is a bit physically feeble due to age, but his mental abilities are sharper than ever.

Kat’s character is ageless. She has 15 points to distribute, and she assigns them to her faculties as follows: Force 5, Grace 3, Will 5, Wits 2. Kat figures that Pele, as a goddess of volcanos and violence, will have strong physical ability and powerful force of will. Her easy rage does make her vulnerable to trickery, so she deemphasizes Wits.

aptitudesAptitudes describe your character’s vocations and avocations. Aptitudes are characteristics, skills, and habits that your character has picked up over the course of her life through training and repetition, or just through natural

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gifts. your character is further defined through her aptitudes; choosing them wisely will considerably flesh out your character. Aptitudes are rela-tively general, such as “outdoorsman” or “physician.” Characters may share some aptitudes, but even aptitudes of the same name or similar names will often be very different from character to character.

An aptitude is a noun that describes a profession or ability. Aptitudes are not verbs. Marathon runner is an aptitude, running is not an aptitude. Safecracker is an aptitude, lockpicking is not an aptitude. The sentence, “My character is a blank,” should sound natural if you have chosen prop-erly. There is no set list of aptitudes; you may use whatever makes sense for your character.

Sample Aptitudes: Sharpshooter, occult scholar, cop, orator, burglar, foot-ball player, liar, knife thrower, barroom brawler, video game player, runner, arm-wrestler, etc.

feel free to include adjectives to modify the aptitude. An aptitude called “vicious killer” is appropriate, for example.

Jason tries out his choices for Eckhardt. Eckhardt is a veteran supernatural investigator and government agent. He chooses “supernatural investigator” and “government agent” as two aptitudes, along with “mentor” and “cynic.” Jason thinks all of these will work, as they are all nouns. He tries them out. “Eckhardt is a supernatural investigator.” That works. The others fit as well.

Kat picks some aptitudes for Pele. She decides that she is a “volcano goddess,” and that Pele also knows how to put them away at the bar. Coming up with an aptitude for that is a little tougher. Drinker? Drunk? Kat doesn’t want Pele to be trashed all the time, so maybe not. How about “barfly?” “Pele is a barfly.” Yeah, that works. Pele is also a brawler, as a goddess of violence, but Kat wants to spice that up a bit. “Pele is a ruthless brawler.” That’s also good. She adds “ruthless brawler” to the sheet. Pele is also the goddess of the dance, so there should be something related to that as well. Dance doesn’t work, it’s a verb. “Dancer” will do.

As with faculties, characters can have up to 5 points assigned to any apti-tude. The number assigned determines your character’s general skill in the aptitude.

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º 1: Novice. your character has an edge over those with no aptitude, but otherwise does not have more than a passing familiarity with the aptitude.

º 2: Competent. your character is comfortable using the aptitude, and can consistently use it successfully.

º 3: Skilled. your character’s level of training transcends average ability. Most tasks performed using the aptitude are routine, and your char-acter inserts a bit of his own flair in the performance of the aptitude.

º 4: Expert. your character’s aptitude is far above average, and your character has developed new techniques. others in the field respect and emulate your character.

º 5: Master. your character is considered to be one of the masters of his craft. Among those who practice the aptitude, your character is likely to be known as among the best in the world.

What Does an Aptitude Cover?how wide-ranging are aptitudes? That is generally up to group consensus. Aptitudes should be assumed to be useful in any task that could reasonably be considered routine for a real-world person described by the aptitude. Some include more skill sets than others, obviously. An expert knife-thrower is not going to have as many distinct applications of his skills as an expert physician. When playing, you will propose the use of an aptitude for a particular conflict. If the rest of the group agrees that it could reasonably apply, you are welcome to use it. The more specific your aptitude, the less resistance you are likely to get. A skilled surgeon is going to have a better argument for the open-heart procedure you are proposing than a plain old skilled physician will.

Why Shouldn’t I Pick the Widest Aptitudes Possible?The general or specific nature of an aptitude matters only when it is being tested against someone else with a similar aptitude. Whenever two apti-tudes are directly opposed, the character who possesses a narrower, more specific aptitude gains a +2 bonus in the conflict (bonuses are explained

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in the Conflict chapter, page 61). during a conflict, the GM will decide if your aptitude is broader or more specific than your opponent’s. Because of this rule, choosing an aptitude is a balancing act between broad applicabil-ity and a narrow, powerful focus.

Jason’s character, Eckhardt, gets in a physical conflict with a supporting char-acter, Duncan. Both have pulled pistols on one another, and Jason has the Government Agent aptitude. He argues, and Michelle agrees, that Eckhardt would have some basic training in firearms as an agent. Duncan, however, has the Gunman aptitude. Shooting people for money is what he does for a living. In this case, a one-on-one test of pistols, everyone easily agrees that Gunman is a more specific aptitude than Government Agent, and so Duncan earns a +2 toward success in the conflict.

Starting AptitudesNovice characters normally have up to 7 points to distribute among their aptitudes, and cannot be anything more than skilled (3 points) in any one aptitude. Veteran characters gain 9 points to distribute among aptitudes, and can assign any level to their aptitudes they wish (up to 5). Ancient characters start with 13 points, and ageless characters start with 15. Ancient and ageless characters may also assign any level to their aptitude they wish (up to 5).

Jason’s character, eckhardt, is a veteran, so he starts with 9 points to dis-tribute among his aptitudes. As a veteran, he can assign up to 5 points to any individual aptitude. he allocates the points as follows: Supernatural Investigator 4, Government Agent 2, Mentor 1, Cynic 2.

As an ageless character, Kat’s character Pele has more points to work with. She has 15 points to distribute among her aptitudes, and she does so as follows: Volcano Goddess 5, Barfly 2, Ruthless Brawler 4, dancer 4.

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Supernatural AptitudesCharacters may end up with some supernatural aptitudes, such as “vam-pire” or “magician.” These are treated just like regular aptitudes, except you must activate the supernatural ability by spending a magic token the first time you wish to use it in a session (see the Magic section for complete details, page 52). once a supernatural aptitude is activated, you may call on it again as often as you like in the course of the same session without needing to spend another magic token.

In Jason’s lower-powered game, his character is merely a normal human being investigating the supernatural. None of his aptitudes give him any particular powers.

Kat’s character Pele, however, is a goddess in a higher-magic game. She decides that her Volcano Goddess aptitude is definitely supernatural. During play, she wishes to use one of the powers that Volcano Goddess confers. She spends a magic token. She may now use any Volcano Goddess powers for the rest of the session. She does not need to spend another magic token to do so.

A supernatural aptitude by itself does not allow a character to do anything until it is defined, which also requires the use of a magic token. for ex-ample, sorcerers may be able to smell the lingering effects of magic. This is a fact about sorcerers, and until someone establishes it in play by sacrificing a magic token, sorcerers in the game do not possess this ability. Additional facts about supernatural aptitudes may be added at any time, by any player, and should be added to the theme document.

Specific abilities conferred by supernatural aptitudes are not set during character creation. you may have some ideas what the aptitude allows you to do, but these are not added to the theme document until play actually begins.

Make sure any supernatural aptitudes are clearly marked as such on the character sheet. No other action needs to be taken at this time, but the threshold of credibility applies to the creation of supernatural aptitudes. They must fit with the definition and description of magic provided in the theme document.

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Kat’s character, Pele, wishes to use her magic to cause a minor earth tremor. Up to this point, no one has explicitly stated that volcano goddesses even have this power. Kat will sacrifice a magic token and create that ability for volcano goddesses.

Starting Poolsyour character has four pools of tokens, as described in the introduction. The final detail you need to add to the character is to determine the size of these pools. each one has different requirements, described below.

Starting Action PoolThe number of tokens in your character’s action pool is equal to 3 plus his highest faculty.

Eckhardt has a 4 in both his Will and his Wits faculties. These are his highest faculties, so Jason adds 3 and notes that Eckhardt has a starting action pool of 7.

Pele has a 5 in both her Force and her Will faculties. As the highest faculties, she adds 3 for a result of 8. Kat notes this in her character’s action pool.

Starting Passion PoolCharacters start each session with a number of passion tokens equal to the number of passions they possess. If your character has three passions, she has three passion tokens. A character with only one passion has only one token. The value of the individual passions is not considered when assign-ing passion tokens.

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Eckhardt has three passions. Jason notes 3 in his character’s passion pool.

Pele likewise has three passions. Kat notes 3 in her character’s passion pool.

Starting Power Poolyour character’s starting power pool is determined by starting level. Novice characters begin with 5 power tokens, veteran characters begin with 3 power tokens, ancient characters begin with 1 power token, and ageless characters begin with no power tokens. Additional power tokens must be gained through play.

Jason’s character is a veteran, so he begins play with a starting power pool of 3.

Kat’s character is ageless, so she begins play with no tokens in her power pool.

The GM also starts with a pool of power tokens to use for all of the sup-porting characters. The GM’s pool refreshes at the beginning of each ses-sion, and the GM is never awarded power tokens during play. The GM’s pool of power tokens is equal to one token for each player in the game (including the GM herself ), plus one additional token for each ancient or ageless character in play.

In our first group, there are three players including the GM. Both characters are mortal, one is a veteran and the other a novice. The GM gets 1 token for each player, and has a total pool of 3 tokens.

In the second group, there are four players plus the GM for a total of five players. The GM gets 1 token for each player, for a total of 5 tokens. Bill then notes that all four player characters are ageless. That’s an additional 1 token each, so his starting pool for this game is 9.

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Starting Magic PoolStarting magic tokens are determined by the level of magic set for the game.

º Low Magic: each player starts with 5 magic tokens. The GM gets 5 tokens, plus 1 token for each player.

º Moderate Magic: each player begins with 10 to 15 magic tokens. The GM gets the same number of tokens, plus 2 tokens for each player.

º High Magic: each player begins with 20 magic tokens. The GM gets 20 tokens, plus 4 tokens for each player.

you may also set the magic level somewhere in between these levels if fine-tuning the level suits your world and theme better.

If you are playing in a single-session game, use the following guidelines instead:

º Low Magic: each player starts with 2 magic tokens. The GM gets 2 tokens, plus 1 token for every 2 players.

º Moderate Magic: each player starts with 4 magic tokens. The GM gets 4 tokens, plus 1 token for every 2 players.

º High Magic: each player starts with 6 magic tokens. The GM gets 6 tokens, plus 1 token for every 2 players.

In the first game, the group is playing a one-night session. They use the single session guidelines, and Jason and Krista note down 4 magic tokens. The GM counts the players, three, including herself. She gets one token for every two players, so she gets one extra token. She notes down 5 magic tokens.

The second game will be long-running, so they use the regular magic token rules. Each player begins with a magic pool of 20. There are five players in the game, including the GM. Bill gets an extra 4 tokens per player, so he has an additional 20 tokens. Bill combines this with his starting 20 tokens and notes that he has a total pool of 40 magic tokens.

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Supporting charactersThe villains you created during the theme phase should feature prominent-ly on the list of player character passions, but that list should never have been intended to be final and comprehensive. New villains and supporting characters will crop up during the process of creating your character.

every character mentioned in one or more of the player character’s passions who is not a player character himself needs to be created as a supporting character. Also, many additional supporting characters will appear during the course of play.

How to Build Supporting CharactersThe GM’s cast of supporting characters are basically the same as player characters, and are created in the same way. When creating a new support-ing character, choose a starting ability level and assign points as described above. you will end up with a full character with whom the other players can interact. When portraying that character, the GM has access to pas-sions and the supporting character’s action pool, just like the players have access to their own character’s pools. The main difference is that the GM has a general pool of power tokens and magic tokens that all of her sup-porting characters must share, while the players each have their own pool of power and magic tokens.

Bill notes that Kat has mentioned Norin the dwarf in one of her passions. This means that Norin needs to be built as a character. While the players are constructing their characters, Bill quickly puts Norin together in the same way, except that as a supporting character Norin does not have his own individual power or magic pools.

Bill builds Norin as an ageless character as follows:

Norin the Svartalf

Force: 4, Grace: 2, Will: 4, Wits: 5. Action Pool: 8.

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Leader 4, Craftsman 4, Mean Little Cuss 3, Slick Salesman 4.

Hate 3: ‘I’ll bring down all of those hoity-toity gods.’ Duty 2: ‘I’ve got to help my own people get a leg up against the gods.’ Passion Pool: 2.

The unique needs of the GM sometimes require a bit of flexibility. you may not always have time to create a supporting character before play starts. Someone may introduce a supporting character in a scene, or you may need to introduce one yourself to serve some function in a scene. In this case, you can simply create the character on the fly, only filling in the pas-sions, faculties, and aptitudes that are immediately relevant to the scene. Note down whatever values you assign to this character, and if you think she will appear again, fill her out completely between sessions.

Eckhardt is chasing a mysterious figure. As he wheels around a corner, Michelle tells Jason that the figure whirls on Eckhardt and draws a gun. Michelle has not written anything down about this mysterious character, who is a henchman of a supporting character that she has already created in detail. Michelle quickly notes down some relevant stats: Force 4, Gunman 4, and a powerful passion: Hate 2: I hate the cops. This will carry Michelle through the current scene, she thinks, and she can fill in the rest of this supporting character later (if he survives this encounter).

If a supporting character doesn’t have a passion that relates to one of the player characters (or another pivotal supporting character) or to the main plot line of the game, you need to take a very close look at that character. Why is this person in the game, and why does he merit a full character sheet? The game is about the player characters, so make sure you are mak-ing good choices as a GM when you introduce a supporting character.

Bill checks that Norin is built to effectively interact with the characters. He gave Norin a passion of hate for the gods. That alone ought to cause a lot of trouble. Norin should be a good supporting character.

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chapter three Summary

Character ConceptA one-sentence description that sums up the character.

Passionseach character’s passions must relate to one or more of the other characters (player characters and/or supporting characters) as well as the theme.

four types of passions:

• duty: something the character feels obligated to do.

• fear: something that terrifies the character.

• hate: something the character wants to destroy.

• love: something the character cares deeply about.

All characters have 5 points of passions.

Starting Abilityfour different skill and experience levels:

• Novice: 5 passions, 10 faculties, 7 aptitudes, 5 power tokens.

• Veteran: 5 passions, 11 faculties, 9 aptitudes, 3 power tokens.

• Ancient: 5 passions, 13 faculties, 13 aptitudes, 1 power token.

• Ageless: 5 passions, 15 faculties, 15 aptitudes, no power tokens.

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chapter three Summary

Facultiesfour areas of ability:

• force: size, strength, physical power.

• Grace: poise, quickness, perception.

• Will: force of will, mental fortitude, sheer cussedness.

• Wits: quickness of thought, cleverness, the ability to make mental connections.

No more than 5 points in any one faculty.

AptitudesNo more than 5 points in any one aptitude.

May be used in any task that could reasonably be considered routine for a real-world person described by the aptitude.

The character in a conflict with a more narrowly defined aptitude gains a +2 advantage for the action.

Starting Poolsfour pools of tokens:

• Action Pool: equal to 3 plus highest faculty.

• Passion Pool: equal to number of passions (not passion value).

• Power Pool: varies by starting ability; novice: 5, veteran: 3, ancient: 1, ageless: 0.

• Magic Pool: varies by game magic level. low magic: 5, moderate magic: 10-15, high magic: 20. In a one-session game, low magic: 2, moderate magic: 4, high magic: 6.

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character

GM’s Starting PoolsGM’s Power Pool starts each session with 1 token for each player (includ-ing the GM), plus 1 token for each ancient or ageless player character.

GM’s Magic Pool varies by magic level. low magic: 5 plus 1/player, moderate magic: 10-15 plus 2/player, high magic: 20 plus 4/player. In a one-session game, low magic: 2 plus 1/every two players, moderate magic: 4 plus 1/ every two players, high magic: 6 plus 1/ every two players.

Supporting Charactersevery character mentioned in one or more player character’s passions needs to be created as a supporting character.

Supporting characters are constructed in exactly the same way as player characters, but do not have individual power or magic pools.

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Chapter Four: Magic

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Mortal Coil is a game in which magical things can happen. In Mortal Coil, however, the effects of the supernatural are not specifically defined when play begins. Instead, your fellow players and the GM will define magic for your game during theme and character creation, and then continue to define it during play.

Magic TokensMagic tokens are the currency used in Mortal Coil to add magical details to the world. They are either spent or sacrificed to bring magical powers, events, and items into the game.

Spent magic tokens are moved to the spent area on the character sheet. These tokens are unavailable for the player to use as long as they remain in this area. All spent magic tokens return between sessions of play. A session ends after you stop playing and everyone goes home. The next time you sit down to play, the spent magic tokens are moved back to the usable stack.

C H A P T E R F O U R

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Kat has a pool of seven magic tokens:

Kat decides to activate Volcano Goddess, one of her character’s magical aptitudes, in order to use a magic power. She spends a magic token:

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Later, Kat decides to introduce a magical event into the game, the opening of a magical portal to the stronghold of the Svartalf. The existence of the portal had already been established by a magic token sacrificed in an earlier session. She spends another magic token to activate the magical portal for the current session:

At the start of the next session, Kat will recover her spent tokens:

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Kat’s character has seven magic tokens:

Kat decides to sacrifice a magic token to create a new magical fact: Volcano Goddesses can cause earthquakes. The token is taken out of play and she now has six magic tokens:

This token will never return to Kat’s pool of magic tokens. It is gone for good.

Sacrificed magic tokens are removed from play altogether. once sacrificed, magic tokens do not ever return.

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Magical FactsThe most powerful effect a magic token can have is to add a new fact about magic to the game world. Any player, including the GM, may sacrifice a magic token and add something to the game theme. These added details are new facts about how magic works in the game. you may sacrifice a magic token to add something completely new to the game (e.g. “Vampires lurk in the night to prey upon the living.”), or they may be sacrificed in a similar fashion to add further facts about something already on the theme document (e.g. “Vampires can transform into bats.”).

As new facts are added, they are written in the theme document. The theme document will evolve and be refined in this way. As such, it is im-portant to remember that new facts must be consistent with those already present in the theme document. facts must follow the tone and setting details that have been laid out in the theme, and the threshold of credibility definitely applies.

you cannot directly contradict existing facts by sacrificing a magic token. however, you can define them more narrowly. for example, another player creates the fact that angels can inspire debilitating awe in those who view them. you cannot now contradict this fact, but you can add an additional fact that narrows or clarifies this existing ability, such as an exemption from the power for people who have seen demons.

During play, Eckhardt is fleeing from a vampire. All that is known about vam-pires at this point is that they are undead, and that they kill people to suck their blood. Eckhardt flees across a tiny stream, and at this time Jason decides to add a fact to the game world. He sacrifices a magic token and announces, “Vampires can’t cross running water.” This is added to the theme document next to the entry on vampires, and the vampire is unable to follow him across the stream.

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Supernatural AptitudesMagic tokens must also be spent for you to use a supernatural aptitude during play. So long as you are invoking an existing fact, you do not sacri-fice the token, but merely spend it.

once a token is spent to activate a particular magical aptitude, that apti-tude is now available for the duration of the session. As mentioned above, a session ends when everyone stops playing and goes home. from the point you spend the magic token up until the session ends, you may use the magical effects of your supernatural aptitude as many times as you like without spending another magic token.

Kat’s character is a goddess. It has already been established that Volcano Goddesses possess a power that can cause an earthquake with the stomp of a foot, and Kat wishes to shake the building she is in to intimidate the dwarf Norin. Kat spends a magic token, and can now take the action. She stamps her foot and the building shakes.

Later in the same session, Kat wishes to use her character’s power again, this time to collapse the columns around the entrance to the Svartalf ’s stronghold. Since her Volcano Goddess aptitude was already activated earlier, she can use this power without spending an additional magic token.

If you wish to use your supernatural aptitude in a way that is not written on the theme document, you must first add the ability to the theme docu-ment by sacrificing a token as described above. once you have added an ability to your aptitude, you may then activate your supernatural aptitude by spending a magic token and use the new ability immediately. If you have already activated the aptitude with a spent magic token, you may use the new ability immediately without any further expenditure of magic tokens.

Kat decides that Pele needs a new power. She has the supernatural aptitude Volcano Goddess, and Kat wants to give Pele the ability to ignore heat, as would

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befit a goddess who lives in a volcanic caldera. She sacrifices a magic token to create the new magical fact: “Volcano goddesses are unharmed by even the greatest of heat.” She has not yet used a magical power associated with Volcano Goddess in this session, so she then spends a second magic token to activate the supernatural aptitude. Then Kat has Pele walk up to a furnace and use her newly defined ability to thrust her hand inside to recover the key a supporting character just threw in.

PriceThere is only one rule of magic that Mortal Coil specifically mandates for all games. This is a variation on the law of the conservation of energy: All magic has a price that must be paid for using it. Whenever a new type of magic or magical effect is introduced, you must also specify a price charac-ters must pay for its use. This can be almost anything, limited only by your sensibilities, imagination, and the threshold of credibility.

A price must restrict the use of the power in some way. A poor price is one so low that there is no inconvenience to using the power. A good price makes the use of the power something that has significance. In some games, prices may be only a minor inconvenience to the character or a rare occurrence that blocks the power. In others, the prices may be quite high, perhaps so dangerous that powers will be used only rarely. The relative difficulty of the price will depend on how magic was defined in the theme document.

The price for any new fact is always determined by a different player than the one who introduced the fact. If a player introduces a new magical fact, then the GM sets the price. When the GM introduces a new magical fact, a player must set the price. As a general rule, when it is the players’ turn to set the price, the player group brainstorms together and determines the price. If the group cannot decide, there are a couple of ways to determine who has the final say.

A player may buy the right to set the price on a GM-introduced fact by sacrificing a power token. If another player wishes to set the price instead, he may sacrifice additional tokens to take that right away, with the right going to the highest bidder. Players may also buy the right to set the price away from another player in this way, if they wish. only the player who

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introduced the fact is barred from bidding to set the price. Whichever player sacrifices the most power tokens gets to set the price. only the player who wins the bid must actually sacrifice his power tokens.

If no one wishes to purchase the right to set the price, the player with the most magic tokens chooses the price (this will typically be the player who has added the fewest facts to the theme document). If there is a tie, and neither player wishes to sacrifice a power token to take the right, flip a coin or use some other random method.

If any player, even the one who created the fact, has an objection to the final price, she may invoke the threshold of credibility to veto the price.

Michelle introduces a new power for vampires to the theme document, stating that as undead beings, vampires are unaffected by aging. Jason suggests that the price vampires must pay for their unaging status is that they must drink human blood to sustain themselves. Krista thinks that the price must be higher—vam-pires have to kill their victims for the blood to effectively sustain them. Jason likes this, and the players set that as the price. Michelle writes the new fact and price in the theme document.

Backing Facts with RulesSometimes a fact or price will be self-evident and needs no further backup from the game rules. other times, a fact or price must trigger a rule effect in order for it to function meaningfully in your game. When the GM or another player feels that a new fact or price needs some mechanical weight, it is appropriate to back up the fact with a rule.

here are two types of rule effects that are often appropriate:

º Conflict Trigger: With this option, when the fact comes into play, it immediately triggers a conflict with preset consequences. The potential outcomes for the conflict are set when the fact is introduced; whenever the fact comes into play, the appropriate players resolve the conflict.

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Jason creates an artifact, a magical jeweler’s loupe that allows a character to see the true nature of whatever he views through it. Michelle sets the price: Viewing the true nature of supernatural beings is damaging to a mortal’s mind. Everyone agrees that this is a good price, but is somewhat vague. What form does the damage take? Michelle decides to set a conflict trigger. Whenever a mortal gazes through the loupe at a supernatural being, he must initiate a conflict of Will. The consequences will always be the same: If the mortal wins, he will see the true nature of the being he views through the loupe but will suffer no harm. If the mortal loses, he will still see the being’s true nature, but he will also gain a 1-point passion of either Love or Fear for the being he sees through the loupe.

º Bonus or Penalty: With this option, when the fact comes into play, it will confer a +2 bonus or a –2 penalty (see the Conflict section, page 75) upon one or more characters for purposes of a particular action or set of actions. It often makes sense for the price to include an opposing bonus or penalty to counteract the one conferred by the fact.

Kat is playing Pele, the goddess of volcanoes, and she introduces the fact that volcano goddesses have the power to cause those around them to grow more contentious and irritable, leading to fights. Everyone agrees that this needs to be backed up by the rules. Bill proposes that anyone attempting to perform a non-violent action when this power is in effect must suffer a –2 penalty. Violent actions are unhindered.

These two options are not the only way a fact can be backed by a rule. A fact can trigger some other process, such as forcing a character to use a pas-sion token, adding or changing passions on the character’s sheet, or causing an action token to be spent. If the person setting the price feels that a rule is appropriate, and everyone else agrees, just about any game rule can be added to a magical fact or price.

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Supernatural ItemsIf your character has an item with supernatural abilities, you must spend a magic token to activate the item the first time you wish your character to use it, just like a power. The item may then be used in play to confer its magical abilities onto a character, and can be used throughout the same game session without spending any more magic tokens. once the session is ended, the item is no longer considered activated.

Jason wants his character to examine a new supporting character in a scene with his magical jeweler’s loupe to de-termine if the person is in fact a magical being. Jason has not used the loupe so far in the ses-sion, so he spends a magic token to activate it.

Once Eckhardt has looked through the loupe, he puts it back in his pocket. Jason may have Eckhardt use the loupe again later in the same session without needing to spend a magic token.

Items must have a price that goes along with their magical abilities as well, but this price usually affects the user rather than the item.

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Kat spent two magic tokens during the session:

At the beginning of the next session, she recovers all of them, starting fresh:

Recovering Magic TokensIt is important to note that magic tokens are for players, not for characters like some of the other tokens in the game. Spent magic tokens are regained between sessions of play. A session ends when the group stops playing and everyone goes home.

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Gaining New Magic TokensThe only way for you to gain new magic tokens beyond your current sup-ply is to purchase them with power tokens. The cost for buying new magic tokens depends on the magic level of the game.

º Low Magic: Sacrificing four power tokens earns you one additional magic token.

º Moderate Magic: Sacrificing either two or three power tokens earns you one additional magic token. (Which of these levels applies should be set at the beginning of play, when crafting the theme document.)

º High Magic: you can convert power tokens into magic tokens on a one-for-one basis.

Whenever a player purchases a magic token, the GM also gains one or more magic tokens. In low- to medium-magic settings, the GM gets one additional magic token when a player purchases one. If you have chosen the high magic setting, the GM gets two additional magic tokens whenever a player purchases one.

Kat has sacrificed most of her starting pool of magic tokens. She decides she is running low on magic tokens. Since this is a moderate-level magic game, she sacrifices two power tokens to gain one new magic token. Bill, as GM, gains one additional magic token.

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chapter four Summary

Magical FactsSacrifice a magic token to add a new fact to the theme document.

New facts must match the tone of the theme and cannot contradict older facts.

each fact has an associated price.

The player who establishes the fact cannot set the price.

facts can be backed with rules:

• Conflict Trigger: The fact immediately triggers a conflict with pre-set consequences when activated.

• Bonus/Penalty: The fact gives a +2 or –2 to certain characters or actions when activated.

Supernatural ItemsMust be activated with a magic token.

Magic TokensA player resource, not a character resource.

All spent magic tokens are regained between sessions of play.

New magic tokens must be bought with power tokens:

• low Magic: 1 magic token costs 4 power tokens.

• Moderate Magic: 1 magic token costs 2 or 3 power tokens.

• high Magic: 1 magic token costs 1 power token.

The GM gains a new magic token whenever a player purchases one. In a high magic setting, the GM gains 2 each time a player purchases one.

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Chapter Five: Conflict

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The game rules are meant to serve the story in Mortal Coil. you use your tokens to affect the outcome of your character’s actions in the game, al-lowing you a considerable degree of control over these actions rather than relying on the random outcome of dice. you never need to worry about failure due to bad luck on a critical roll.

Supernatural powers and magic spells just work, they do not rely on chance. however, you often will not know how many resources you must expend for your desired result. The drama is preserved because you decide how hard your character will try to succeed.

As in all stories, the major driving force in a game of Mortal Coil is conflict. In a conflict, you will apply your character’s basic ability with his skill or knowledge in an effort to overcome some opposing force, such as another character or characters or some object or situation that blocks your charac-ter’s way to the desired outcome. In short, a conflict is a situation in which your character must take a risk in order to achieve a desired outcome.

C H A P T E R F I V E

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In order for your character to act in a conflict, you must commit at least one action token. A token is committed when you move it out of your character’s pool and place it with one of her four faculties. Committed tokens are returned to the pool immediately after a conflict round, except under special circumstances, and may be immediately reused in a subse-quent round.

There are many ways to use tokens in conflicts, and these are discussed in detail later in this section.

What Is a conflict?A conflict is a particular action or series of actions that requires your char-acter’s total attention. A conflict is any instance in which your character is pitting himself against another character or against the world in general, attempting any action in which the outcome is in doubt and is also es-sential to the story.

for the most part, everyday actions (like shopping, walking, mowing the lawn, etc.) are not conflicts. There is little reason to believe, barring some exceptional circumstance, that your character will fail to perform the task, nor is the consequence of failure particularly interesting or relevant. When tensions rise, when skill and aptitude are required to succeed, when success is important or even vital—this is when conflict occurs.

Eckhardt and Lucy arrive in a small Arizona town. They go to a local motel and check themselves in. Finding the motel and checking in are actions that lack drama, and there is no conflict.

After the characters visit the diner attached to the motel, they return to their rooms. A supporting character has broken in and is rooting through Eckhardt’s luggage. He pauses, hearing Eckhardt and Lucy approach. How will they react to finding him there? Will he try to escape or confront them? This is a conflict.

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Setting goalsWhen initiating a conflict, each player involved must first state the goal his character is attempting to achieve. This is called setting goals, and it defines what your character wants out of the conflict. for example, if your charac-ter gets in a fight in a bar, your goal may be to get out of the fight without getting hurt, whereas the GM may state that the supporting character’s goal will be an injury to your character.

The key to setting these goals is to make sure that the result is interesting whether your character succeeds or fails. either way, something driving the story forward should result. The GM should not set the goals of her supporting characters merely to block your desired outcome, but instead to ensure that if her supporting character succeeds, the character’s actions have actual consequences within the story.

The scope of your conflict should not be overly specific. each conflict will cover a number of individual actions that are aimed at the same goal, but the goal should not be too narrow. for example, each handhold your character grips while climbing a sheer cliff is not an appropriate conflict, instead, your character reaching the top of the cliff in time to stop the villain from throwing your character’s lover over the edge is a more proper conflict. Similarly, engaging in a drunken argument is an appropriate con-flict, but each individual shout, grab, or scuffle within the argument is not.

Some outcomes require certain conditions to be met under the rules. A goal of killing someone is just fine, but even if you win the conflict you may not be able to actually kill the other character. A certain threshold of success is required for that outcome. Keep the mechanical restrictions in mind when creating your goals.

Eckhardt and Lucy have determined that a witness has vital information for them. The witness, a biker’s girlfriend, doesn’t want to talk to them, but Eckhardt and Lucy have tracked her down to a gas station nearby. A conflict begins as Eckhardt and Lucy arrive on the scene.

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Jason declares Eckhardt’s goal in the scene: to get the witness to tell him what she knows. Lucy’s goal is the same.

Michelle then states the witness’ goal: to get Eckhardt to leave her alone with-out revealing anything. The witness’ biker boyfriend is also in the scene, and Michelle sets a goal for him as well: to scare off the government spooks. He’s got secrets he doesn’t want snooping government agents to find out.

Independent vs. Opposed Goalsopposed goals are easy to understand. Two characters are engaged in a conflict, and if one of these characters achieves her goal, the other charac-ter will be unable to achieve his. This is an appropriate setup, and many conflicts follow this form.

Sometimes, though, the two characters will have goals that can both po-tentially be achieved at the same time. These are called independent goals. This is a lot trickier in play. If the characters involved in a conflict have goals that can both be achieved, the first step is to make sure that some other character wishes for the goal to fail. If no one is interested in stopping a character from reaching her goal, a conflict is not called for. Conflicts only occur if there is some sort of active opposition for a goal. If there is no character attempting to block a goal, settle the goal outside of conflict.

once you have determined that another character will be attempting to block a goal, the conflict can commence. The players involved will all be seeking to hinder one another in addition to achieving their own goal. This does make an interesting conflict. All of the characters may succeed in achieving their goals, or all may fail.

you may also find a combination of these situations, especially when there are more than two characters involved in a conflict. Some goals could be opposed, and some could be independent. Although this raises the com-plexity, it is allowed.

Jason and Krista push their characters into conflict with each other. Jason’s goal is to go up to the foreman’s shed and confront him. Krista’s goal is to stop

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Eckhardt from going to the shed. This is a pretty clear example of opposed goals. If either character is successful in achieving his goal, the other cannot also suc-ceed.

Bill’s supporting character, Norin, and Kat’s character, Pele, get into a conflict with each other. Bill’s goal is for Norin to humiliate Pele in front of the other bar patrons. Kat’s goal is for Pele to give Norin the beating of a lifetime. At first glance, these goals may seem opposed, but they are actually independent goals. Norin could receive a savage beating and still humiliate Pele at the same time.

Conflict RoundsConflicts are settled using a series of rounds. Within each round, each character may take up to four actions and attempt to achieve their goals. When a round has ended, all committed action tokens are returned to the characters’ action pools and another round may commence.

often, conflicts will be resolved in a single round of actions. If this is the case, return all committed tokens to the action pool and narrate the results of the conflict. Sometimes, multiple rounds of conflict are required.

To determine if another conflict round is needed, examine each character’s goal at the end of the round. has the character achieved his goal through his actions within the round? If not, has another character taken actions that make it impossible for the character to achieve his goal within the con-flict? If the answer to either of these questions is yes for all of the characters involved in the conflict, then the conflict is over.

If the answer to both questions is no, then another round of conflict is called for. All committed action tokens are returned to each character’s pool, and everyone begins to plan actions for their character. Continue with as many conflict rounds as are needed to determine whether every character can achieve his goal.

Conflicts with multiple players and antagonists are likely to get compli-cated and will probably require two or more rounds of actions before all of the characters’ goals are resolved with either success or failure.

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Using Bill and Kat’s conflict from the previous example, a round of actions has gone by. Pele has soundly beaten Norin to the ground, and has defended herself against his sarcastic remarks by smashing his mouth as he tries to speak. The actions are resolved, and Kat has clearly achieved her goal. Norin has not yet achieved his goal. Even though he lies beaten and bloodied on the floor of the bar, nothing about the results of the conflict prevents him from continuing to pursue his goal. Bill calls for a second round of conflict.

In this round, Norin is hampered by the massive beating he has just endured, but he still tries to croak out some insult that will humiliate Pele. Exasperated by his continuing hectoring, Pele drags him out the back of the bar and slams the door. Norin lies in the alleyway, now out of earshot of the other patrons. He can no longer pursue his goal of humiliating Pele, at least not until he heals up a bit. Bill declares the conflict over.

Multiple Sides in One Conflictyou will often run across the situation where more than two characters have goals for a conflict. first, determine which goals are opposed and which are independent. Make sure that every player involved in the conflict is quite clear about what each of the characters in the conflict wants. once all of these interactions are relatively clear, the players will have a better idea of how they will need to allocate their resources. Conflicts generally need to go for multiple rounds if there are a lot of characters involved.

A conflict has arisen between Pele, Loki, and Norin in the seedy bar where they all hang out. Loki’s goal is to convince Pele to go home with him. Bill decides that Norin’s goal is to call in a favor that Loki owes him and get him to embar-rass Pele. Pele’s goal is to get Loki to humiliate Norin instead.

Bill looks at all three goals. Norin’s goal and Pele’s goal are directly opposed. Only one of the characters can succeed. Loki’s goal is independent to these other goals. It is possible for Loki to humiliate either Norin or Pele, fulfilling the other character’s goal, and still get Pele to come home with him. It will be a lot harder for Loki if he agrees to Norin’s plan, but it is still possible.

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Basic actionsActions are a direct comparison of two or more characters’ abilities. your character will be testing one of his faculties and one of his aptitudes against someone else’s faculty and aptitude. Whichever character has the highest total of faculty and aptitude is successful in the action, with the degree of success depending on the difference between the two totals (explained in detail below).

each action needs to be directed against at least one other character. Generally, you cannot direct an attack action against multiple characters, unless you have some power or item that allows you to affect multiple characters (a blast of flames, an automatic weapon, etc.). you can also take defensive actions, which can potentially apply to any other character at-tempting to harm yours. other types of actions that drive toward your character’s goals are also appropriate, such as grabbing items, running, climbing, etc. depending on the actions of the other characters, these may also end up directed against more than one character.

Action tokens are required to initiate any conflict. Add the action tokens committed to an action to the faculty and aptitude total to reach the total for comparison. Players choose their actions and allocate tokens secretly, then all of the players reveal their choices at the same time. All tokens are considered to be committed at the same time, and all actions take place at roughly the same time; there is no initiative or turn ranking in Mortal Coil.

A conflict erupts, and Jason tries to determine the actions Eckhardt should take. There is a dangerous gunman and a weasely snitch opposing him. The gunman’s goal in the conflict is to warn Eckhardt off, Eckhardt’s goal is to get one of the two to tell him who they are working for, and the snitch’s goal is to avoid getting hurt.

Jason decides one of his actions will be to intimidate both of the other characters with a drawn gun in order to get them to talk. This may not work on the jaded gunman, but Jason hopes it will take the snitch out of the equation. For a defensive action, Jason decides Eckhardt will dodge behind a desk to avoid being shot if it comes to that.

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How Actions Relate to GoalsWhen choosing actions for your character, you need to remember the goals you stated for the conflict. This can be the trickiest part of the conflict system. The actions your character takes in a conflict should move him toward his goal. Simple goals, such as taking something from another char-acter or harming another character often have easy, obvious actions. More complex goals, like getting another character to admit she still loves you, may require some creative thinking. Just remember the ultimate outcome you desire in the conflict, and work toward that with your actions.

In the situation in the bar, Eric has to decide what actions Loki will take related to his goal of convincing Pele to go home with him. Eric thinks Loki would use his jokes to charm Pele. He also knows that the other characters are going to try to influence his actions, so Eric decides to use Loki’s willpower to brush off their attempts as a defense.

Choosing ActionsThere is a bit of a trick to determining the actions your character should take in a conflict. once all of the players involved have declared their goals, think about how your character would go about trying to achieve his goal.

Some will rely on their mental abilities, others are more physical. you can play to your character’s strengths. If force is your character’s highest faculty, it makes sense that he will almost always try to use his size and strength to solve problems.

It’s important to remember what the goals of the other characters in the conflict are. These goals will give you a clue regarding what they may do. When you choose your actions, pick one that will further your goal, but also remember to choose another action that will help defend your char-acter against the actions of others, if necessary. you really don’t want to get caught out with no defense if another character is acting against yours.

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The GM also has a role in this part of the conflict if supporting characters are present. As GM, you control the actions of the supporting characters. for each supporting character in the conflict, you need to choose actions secretly just like the players. you must also try to anticipate what the play-ers are going to do and use the supporting characters’ actions to help them achieve their goals.

committing action Tokensonce a conflict is initiated, your character uses his faculties and aptitudes to attempt to influence the outcome. In order to bring these to bear on the conflict at hand, at least one action token must be committed. you move one or more action tokens forward, declaring what faculty and aptitude the action token is drawing upon.

your character will often perform several actions in the same conflict. each of these actions must have at least one action token committed to it. your character cannot perform an action in a conflict without committing an action token to do so.

each action taken in a conflict round must use a different faculty. Since you have only four faculties, your character can perform a maximum of four actions at once in a conflict round. So long as there are action tokens in your character’s pool and he is not yet using at least one of his faculties for an action, he can potentially perform additional actions within the same conflict round.

There is no restriction on the number of times you may use an aptitude. each action may use only one aptitude, but you could potentially use the same aptitude for every action in a conflict round.

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Eric’s character Loki will be taking two actions in the conflict. First, he will try to make jokes to impress Pele. Eric will use Loki’s Wits faculty and his Trickster God aptitude for this action. To defend Loki against the efforts of the other characters, Eric will use Loki’s Will faculty and Stubborn Cuss aptitude. Each of these tasks uses a separate faculty and is an action to which Eric commits one or more action tokens:

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When in conflict with another character, action tokens are usually commit-ted to at least one offensive and at least one defensive action. After the re-veal, a character’s offensive action will be matched with another character’s defensive action. If your character is opposing more than one opponent, the GM must decide which actions are aimed at which opponent. often, each offensive and defensive action is aimed at a single opposing character, but depending on the described action, more than one opponent may be affected by an action (firing your pistol will only affect one other character, but knocking down a burning support beam to collapse the roof could potentially affect many other characters). This applies whether the conflict is a debate, a contest of skill, or an all-out brawl. The GM has the final say on which actions oppose which.

Eric’s first action—the jokes using the Wits faculty—is aimed at only one other character, Pele. However, he will use his defensive Will action to defend against both other characters. Michelle agrees that the Will action will apply to both opponents.

Extra EffortIf you believe your character’s basic faculty and aptitude and a single action token are not sufficient to succeed in an action, you may commit extra ac-tion tokens to apply extra effort to the task. Any extra action tokens spent are added to your current faculty and aptitude total for the action.

you must decide how many tokens you wish to commit before the action is revealed. your character may not retry a failed action in the same conflict round, but must initiate a new action in the next round. you must also deal with any consequences arising from the initial failure before you can make a second attempt.

Any character may add extra effort to any of their own actions, and sup-porting characters may add extra effort to their own actions as well.

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Eric knows that one token in each action is definitely not going to be enough. He wants to convince Pele, but he also really doesn’t want to be a pawn in the argument between Norin and Pele. Eric decides to put more effort into resisting their manipulation, but a little extra into his seduction attempt.

Eric is using Loki’s Wits faculty (5) and his character’s Trickster God aptitude (5), plus the action token he has committed to his flirting jokes. This total is 11 already; Eric is pretty sure this will go a long way toward success. Jason decides his character will use only a little extra effort and he commits one more action token to the task. He adds the extra action token to his character’s faculty plus aptitude total, increasing it to 12:

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To resist, Loki has his Will faculty (2) and his Stubborn Cuss aptitude (3), plus the one action token already committed, a total of 6. He adds a lot more effort: five more tokens. These extra tokens increase the total value to 11:

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HelpingMany times, you will want to assist another player in a conflict. you will take an action during the conflict round in which the result will help another character complete his action, such as grabbing someone in a fight, lifting your friend to help him climb up a fire escape, or standing threateningly in the background if your friend is attempting to intimidate someone. The action you take needs to be resolved first, before those of the character you are helping. If you are successful, you will give the other character a bonus to his action.

In a conflict, your helping action is almost always opposed. your helping action must overcome the opposition in order to be useful to the character you are attempting to aid. outside of a conflict, or if your action is unop-posed, you must match or beat a difficulty determined by the GM (see page 77) in order to help the other character.

If you fail, you are no help to the other character. If you succeed, the target character gains a +2 to his action.

Pele is beating up Norin. Pluto, no friend of Norin’s, wants to help the goddess deliver the smackdown. He’s not going to deliver the blows himself; he just wants to aid Pele. Pluto uses an action to grab and hold Norin to make it easier for Pele to pound him. Since he is helping Pele, Pluto’s action is resolved first. He is successful in a physical contest against Norin, and is now holding him, giving Pele a +2 on her “beat up Norin” action.

The RevealIt is important that no one gains any advantage by knowing what an oppo-nent is going to commit by way of tokens. All players should consider and commit their tokens as desired in secret before they learn what the other players have committed. This way, no player gains an unfair advantage over the others by waiting to commit until he has seen other players’ actions. All parties to the conflict should write down their token use or commit their tokens under cover of their hand or some other sort of screen. When

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everyone is ready, it is time for the “reveal,” and all players announce how they have allocated their action tokens.

The reveal is a vitally important part of the conflict rules. everyone must pick a faculty and aptitude for each action they are planning to perform, and decide how many action tokens (described on page 71) and passion tokens (described on page 78) they will commit before anyone reveals the total. All of these decisions must be made before the reveal. only power tokens (described on page 103) can be used after these totals are revealed, so it is important to choose a strategy and allocate tokens carefully.

Power tokens are the only type of token that can be added after the reveal. The use of power tokens is discussed in greater detail in the Power chapter, page 103.

Bill, Eric, and Kat choose their aptitudes and faculties secretly, and each com-mit action tokens behind their hands. Erik’s choices are to use Wits and Trickster God plus two action tokens for charming jokes, and to use Will and Stubborn Cuss plus six action tokens to resist the influences of his opponents. Kat decides to use her Will plus Ruthless Brawler plus two action tokens to intimidate Loki into joining her against Norin. For defense, she uses her Wits plus Barfly plus five action tokens to use her drunken obtuseness to deflect any remarks or verbal attacks. Bill has Norin use Wits plus Slick Salesman and three action tokens to schmooze Loki into turning on Pele, and he will use Will plus Mean Little Cuss and four more action tokens to deflect any incoming attacks with sheer rudeness.

Bill asks if everyone is ready, and when the answer is yes, all three players move their hands away and declare what abilities from their sheets they are using for the action.

Matching Actionsonce each player reveals his actions, the GM has a vital role to play. each of these actions must be matched against the other actions that the char-acters have taken in order to determine success or failure. let logic be your guide. Most of the time, actions will match against one another in an obvious way. Sometimes it may not be as obvious which actions oppose one another, and that is when GM discretion is important.

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If someone is throwing a punch, and another character has allocated for a dodge, it’s pretty clear that the dodge is a defense against the punch. But what about a situation where someone is making cutting remarks? What is the defense against that? After each player has described his actions, as the GM you must think about which actions will make other actions im-possible if successful. If one character’s success makes another character’s success impossible, these actions are opposed. If one character’s action is to stare down a hostile opponent, if she is successful, the other character will be unable to throw that punch he allocated.

As the GM, you are the authority on which actions oppose others. As soon as the reveal occurs, you should quickly take charge and begin opposing actions against one another and adjudicating the result. When there are multiple characters involved in a conflict, it’s very important to make sense of all of the actions and their results. don’t forget the rule that aptitudes that are more specific gain a +2 bonus against those that are more general. you are the final authority on which actions defend against other char-acters’ attacks. listen to the player’s arguments, but make your decisions authoritatively and quickly.

It was revealed that Loki’s actions were charming jokes directed at Pele and stubbornness as a defense; Pele’s actions were to intimidate Loki into turning on Norin and resisting overtures with feigned (or real) drunkenness; and Norin’s actions were to use a hard sell on Loki and to defend himself with brash rude-ness. Looking over all the actions, Bill announces that both Pele’s and Norin’s attacks are matched against Loki’s defense and Loki’s attack is matched against Pele’s defense.

Kat is using Ruthless Brawler against Loki’s Stubborn Cuss, and Bill rules that Stubborn Cuss is more applicable in this situation, giving Loki a +2 in this particular matchup. Likewise, Bill thinks Barfly is more specific than Trickster God, and gives Pele a +2 to her defense in that matchup. The rest of the apti-tudes seem relatively evenly matched.

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Actions Outside Conflictyou may want to take actions when no character is opposing you. These are actions that take place outside a conflict, with no active opposition from another character. Many times, actions outside conflict are not important. Given time and some creativity, a character can probably achieve most of what she wants if no one is opposing her efforts. When time is a factor, or the task she wants to achieve is particularly difficult, there is a simple way to determine success or failure.

Just as you do in a conflict action, choose a faculty and an aptitude and add them together. you may not use action tokens or passion tokens to increase this score outside of a conflict. you may use power tokens to add to this total, however. There is one exception allowing you to use action tokens, described below.

Whether or not an aptitude applies to this type of action is much stricter than it is within a conflict. If the aptitude does not obviously and directly apply, it may not be used in an action outside conflict. This is subject to the threshold of credibility, but the GM also has a veto power if he feels the use of the aptitude is implausible.

once you have determined the total, compare it to this table. When the GM sets the task, he will choose a difficulty from the table. If you equal or exceed the associated number, you succeed in your task. If your total is less than the number, you fail.

• 3: Routine, requiring minimal skill or ability.

• 4: Easy, attainable by most people.

• 5: Harder, requires a bit of fitness or skill.

• 6: Difficult, requiring more raw ability or knowledge.

• 7: Challenging, must be within the characters specific area of expertise.

• 8: Knotty problem, requires great skill and innate ability.

• 9: Not for the faint-hearted, only the top individuals can overcome it.

• 10: Near the limit, requires peak conditioning and masterful skill.

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you can also have quick opposed contests between two characters outside of the conflict system. Just add the faculty and aptitude each character wishes to use, remembering the +2 bonus for narrower aptitudes matched against broader aptitudes, and whichever character has the higher total is the winner.

As mentioned above, there is one circumstance under which a character can use action tokens. If you are falling a bit short of the required difficulty, you can choose to spend action tokens to reach your goal. These tokens represent great fatigue or injury from attempting a task beyond your abil-ity. you may spend as many tokens as you like for this purpose, but they are recovered only after the character can receive rest and healing (see page 95). Action tokens spent outside of conflict cannot be recovered until after the next conflict in which the character is involved.

Jason’s character Eckhardt wants to get into an apartment, but the door is locked. Jason tells Michelle that Eckhardt will kick in the door, he’s in a rush. This isn’t really a conflict, a locked door is just an obstacle not determined resis-tance. Michelle thinks that if Jason can’t kick it in, he will have to take a longer time trying to pick the lock and the owner might return, so the outcome will be interesting one way or the other. It’s just a cheap apartment door, so Michelle sets the difficulty at 5, requiring a bit of fitness or skill. Jason’s character uses his Force (1) and his Government Agent aptitude (2) on the grounds that govern-ment agents often kick in doors. The total is 3, which is insufficient to break the door in. Michelle says, “You’re an old man, and just not able to produce the force necessary to knock it. Sal is coming back in an hour; hopefully you can pick the lock quickly.”

calling on Passionsduring play, your character can call on one of her passions when per-forming an action. If the action has a direct and positive relationship to your character’s passion (for example, she is attempting to help a person she loves, or to hide from something she fears), you may spend a passion token to gain a bonus on this action equal to the value of the passion called upon. Thus, if your character has passions valued at 1 and 4 points,

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respectively, she will gain either a +1 or a +4, depending on which passion she calls upon.

º you must decide to use a passion and add it to your action total before the reveal.

º you can call on more than one passion in the same conflict round, but each individual action can be influenced by only one passion in a round.

º you may also call on the same passion more than once in a session, but each time you call on a passion, you must spend a passion token. When your initial pool of passion tokens is spent, your character can no longer call on her passions during that session.

Norin has the passion Hate 3: ‘I’ll bring down all of those hoity-toity gods.’ Bill thinks this would be a good passion to call on in the current conflict. He’s trying to turn two gods against one another, so he can use the passion on his hard sell toward Loki for a +3 bonus. Before the reveal, Bill moves one of Norin’s two passion tokens into the stack for that action:

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If you choose to call on the same passion more than once, you are required to permanently increase the passion’s value by one. your character’s pas-sions must always total 5, so you must choose a different passion to reduce in value whenever one of your passions increases in value. This does not change the number of tokens available for the current session, but if a pas-sion is reduced to zero in this way, it could change the number of passion tokens available for the next session. you immediately gain the benefit of the new higher value for your passion and can apply this higher value to your current action.

The conflict between Norin and the gods moves into a second round. Bill again decides to call on Norin’s passion of hatred for the gods. He uses Norin’s second passion token to call on the passion for another action. Norin no longer has any passion tokens after this, and will not be able to call on his passions for the rest of the session.

Because this is the second time in the same session Bill has called on this passion, Norin’s hate increases to a value of 4. Since all of the passions must total five, Norin’s only other passion decreases to a value of 1. Norin immediately gains the benefit, and may add a bonus of +4 to his action that calls on the passion.

Opposing a PassionIf your character’s action directly opposes one of her passions (she is trying to face the object of her fear, or betray someone she loves), she must com-mit an extra action token just to perform the action. The GM can ask that you do this a number of times per session equal to your character’s passion value (up to four times for a feverish passion, or two times for a profound passion, etc.).

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Jason’s character, Eckhardt, is facing the deadly vampire behind a string of attacks. The vampire has called up a swarm of rattlesnakes and the serpents have surrounded Eckhardt’s partner, Lucy. Michelle tells Jason that if he tries to do something other than rescue Lucy from the snakes, he will be going against his passion Fear 2: ‘Lucy will get killed.’ Jason decides to attack the vampire anyway, confident his partner will escape. He must commit an extra action token just to perform the action.

Passions in PlayThe higher ranked the passion, the more likely it is that some conflict involving it is going to occur. Characters with a one-point passion will end up involved in a conflict because of it on occasion, and characters with five points in a passion are unlikely to take any actions that do not directly relate to the passion. This may seem strange, since the higher the passion, the fewer passion tokens a character has. This just means you will be unable to mechanically invoke the passion. Passions should be used to guide how you portray your character’s feelings throughout the game, even when the tokens are not used.

Passions are not static. They will rise and fall depending on how they are used and what is important to the character at the time. In short, passions are meant to reflect what the character feels right now.

New passions can be added to your character if some event has taken place during play that you believe will change your character’s passions. If you wish to add a new passion to your character, and the GM and the other players approve, you must spend a passion token and add the new passion to your sheet. Since characters may never have more than 5 points in pas-sions at any time, you must reduce one of your character’s other passions when adding a new one, to keep the total at five. This is the only way you may add a new passion to your character outside of conflict.

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Eric’s character Loki has been humiliated in front of everyone by Norin, who then stood back and laughed. Eric decides that he needs a new passion to reflect Loki’s anger due to the event. He tells the group that he wishes to create a new passion, a strong Hate 1: ‘I’ll make sure Norin gets his.’ Because of the game events leading to this change, everyone else agrees that the new passion makes sense. Eric spends a passion token:

Eric then adds the new passion to his sheet and reduces Loki’s Love 4: ‘I can’t help making trouble’ to a 3.

Changing Passions Through Conflictone of the goals you can have in a conflict is to change or adjust the passions of your opponent. This is a particularly potent goal in terms of the story. you shouldn’t be trying to change passions in every conflict, but on the occasions that you do have this as a goal, the conflict will be very thematically powerful.

you can only make a 1-point change in any passion during a conflict. you can cause one of your opponent’s passions to increase by one point, cause one of your opponent’s passions to decrease by one point, or add a new 1-point passion to your opponent’s sheet.

you cannot change your own passions in a conflict. you have other ways to manipulate your own character’s passions, and changing them can’t be your goal.

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Again, characters may only have five points of passions. Any change that adds a new 1-point passion, or causes a passion to go up by one point, requires that the character lower another passion by one point. If the goal was to lower a passion by one point, the character must raise another pas-sion by one point to compensate, or add a new 1-point passion.

Pele really hates Norin, and she wants her fellow gods to see things her way. She gets in a conflict with Pluto over the dwarf, and states that her goal is to get Pluto to hate Norin as well. She achieves her goal with a lengthy jeremiad on Norin’s many crimes, and Pluto finds himself hating Norin as well. He adds a new Hate 1: ‘I’m going to get rid of that bastard Norin’ to his sheet. He reduces his Love 2: ‘Still in love with Proserpine’ by one, making it a rank-1 passion.

Recovering Spent Passion TokensPassion tokens are refreshed at the beginning of every session, up to the number of passions your character possesses when the session begins. This can change from session to ses-sion, as passions are lost or added.

Kat used all of Pele’s passion tokens last session. When the group sits down to play at the next session, she refreshes all of Pele’s spent passion tokens:

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Eric’s character, Loki, changed in the last session. He used to have two passions, he now has three. This increases Eric’s pas-sion pool to 3. When he sits down to play, he refreshes his passion pool up to three:

Item EffectsSome items will add to your character’s ability to succeed in actions. These bonuses are added to your character’s faculty plus aptitude total to deter-mine the success or failure of an action. When using the item, your char-acter will gain a bonus based on how relevant the item is to the conflict in which it is being used. like other judgment calls of this nature, the players and the GM should discuss whether there is any disagreement. The GM has the final say, but this is subject to the threshold of credibility.

Items that are used for the precise purpose for which they were designed give your character a +2 bonus to the action using the item. Items that were not designed for the use to which they are put, but could be used for the action without any awkward problems, give your character a +1. These bonuses are determined on a case-by-case basis, according to the best judgment of the GM and players involved.

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other circumstances can affect item use. for example, firing a handgun beyond about 30 feet could be considered to reduce the bonus, and if the shooter, the target, or both are moving, the bonus could also be reduced.

Jason’s character, Eckhardt, draws his gun on the gunman and the snitch in an effort to intimidate them. The group agrees that this is one of the precise purposes for which a handgun was designed, so Jason gets to add a +2 to his action.

In a bar brawl, Pele picks up a barstool and bashes it over Norin’s head. This is not really what a barstool was designed for, but it will certainly serve this purpose. Pele gains a +1 in her action.

action resolutionAfter the reveal, and after actions have been matched against one another by the GM, it’s time to determine who is successful. To determine suc-cess, you compare your character’s combined faculty and aptitude total plus adjustments from tokens against your opponent’s total. If your total is greater, your character succeeds. If your total is less, your character fails. If both totals are equal, both characters achieve either a costly or a partial success. The difference between your character’s total and your opponent’s total determines the degree of success or failure as detailed below.

º –5 or more: Abject Failure. your character’s efforts are completely fruitless, and she must suffer the greatest harm that can come to her as a result.

º –3 or –4: Complete Failure. your character does not succeed, and must deal with any consequences of failure.

º –1 or –2: Near Success. your character fails this time, but sees how she could succeed with another attempt. Whether she has the opportunity and tokens for another attempt is a different issue.

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º 0: Qualified Success. your character succeeds, but poorly. There is something wrong with the way she has succeeded—perhaps interfer-ing with another action, succeeding by injuring herself, etc. In an op-posed conflict, both characters succeed, but the outcome will be less than satisfactory for both.

º +1 or +2: Success. your character succeeds, albeit not in any spectacu-lar fashion. The task is done.

º +3 or +4: Complete Success. your character thoroughly succeeds; achieving something a bit beyond what she might have been intending to do.

º +5 or more: Spectacular Success. your character nails the task beyond what might be normally expected. Additional beneficial side effects related to the success of the task may (and most like should) occur.

After Bill decides how the actions match up, Eric’s character, Loki, ends up defending himself against two other ageless beings, both trying to get him to turn on the other.

Eric adds up the result of his action: Will (2) plus Stubborn Cuss (3) plus 6 action tokens. His result is 11.

Bill determines the outcome of Norin’s attack: Wits (5) plus Slick Salesman (4) plus 3 action tokens. His result is 12.

Comparing the two, Bill sees that Norin has succeeded against Eric. He only got +1 against Eric’s total, the result is a simple success. Bill describes how Norin begins putting the hard sell on Loki, gradually convincing him that he should be rude to Pele.

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Desperate ReactionsSometimes, a character will take an action his opponent has not antici-pated, and the defending character will have no action set as a defense. This is exceptionally bad for the defending character. The attacking character must only overcome the defending character’s faculty to succeed, rather than faculty plus aptitude plus action tokens. This is called passive defense.

There is an option if you really need to defend your character in this situa-tion. you may reallocate your tokens to give your character a defense against this unexpected assault. If you commit two additional action tokens from your action pool, you may add one of your character’s aptitudes in defense. If your action pool is empty, you may pull an action token already allocated to another action. however, you may not commit any additional action tokens to also add extra effort to your defense.

If you really need those extra action tokens, you can spend one action token as fatigue to add in your character’s aptitude and also commit as many additional action tokens as needed to your character’s defense.

Jason’s character, Eckhardt, is confronting a gunman and a snitch. Jason com-mitted to two actions: an intimidation against the gunman, and dodging behind the desk for defense. The gunman, however, is not making a physical assault. He doesn’t even pull his gun. Instead, he opts to threaten Eckhardt, an intimidation action. Jason didn’t anticipate a social attack, so he has no action tokens committed to stop the gunman. The gunman uses his Will faculty (2) and his Cold-Eyed Killer aptitude (4) along with his four committed tokens to stare the older man down, but Jason’s character may only use his Wits faculty to resist, since he has no reaction allocated and Will is already being used in the intimidation action. The gunman’s total is 10 (Will 2 plus Cold-Eyed Killer 4 plus 4 action token) and Jason’s is 4 (Wits 4). This is a really bad result for Jason. The gunman could break him with this result, a +6, a spectacular success.

To avoid this, Jason decides on a desperate reaction. Jason commits two action tokens in defense, pulling the last one from his pool and the other from his other defensive action. His character may now also use his Cynic aptitude to brush off the intimidation. He adds his Cynic (2) into the mix. His Wits plus Cynic is still only 6, so he still fails, but this is a less devastating defeat. The gunman has a complete success (+4) rather than a spectacular success.

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Jason decides this still isn’t enough. He takes one of the action tokens from the defensive action and spends it:

He can now commit extra action tokens to his defense. He pulls all of the tokens from his physical dodge and puts them in Wits, raising the total number of action tokens to five. Jason’s total for the action is now 11, and he can resist the gunman’s intimidation.

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HarmSome conflicts will cause mental or physical damage to your character if she fails. In other conflicts, her goal may be to cause harm to another char-acter. Physical conflict can result in harm to the character, but characters suffer harm from mental assaults as well, which cause them to be shaken, demoralized, or suffer a complete breakdown.

The degree of success or failure in the conflict in question should be the primary guide to the level of harm caused or suffered. The players and the GM should decide together which possible harm result makes the most sense based on the current action, keeping in mind the goals set for the conflict. The GM generally has the final say, subject to the threshold of credibility.

º Abject failure (–5 or more) can result in serious wounds, maiming, or even death for the character harmed.

º Complete failure (–3 or –4) generally means a light or serious wound, but could possibly result in maiming if the consequences of failure are high enough.

º Near success or qualified success (0, –1, or –2) generally indicates a scratch or light wound.

you must consider character death very carefully before choosing that re-sult. As in popular fiction, an important character in Mortal Coil does not die unless it serves the story. Characters can die to establish what’s worth dying for, to escalate the conflict, or to make a final statement. Both player characters and supporting characters serve these purposes when they die. A supporting character will sometimes be killed by a player character, and in this case, the player is the one shaping the story with this death. When player characters die, this is generally decided by both the player and the GM together.

The gunman in the earlier example would have soundly beaten Jason’s character if Jason had not spent action tokens to reallocate. At a -6, the damage would have resulted in serious mental harm. His character might have been anguished or even broken (see below).

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Harm Effectsyour character may suffer damage effects multiple times, but only the effect for the specific level of harm is suffered each time. The effects can be suf-fered an unlimited number of times. for example, if your character suffers a light wound result twice, you must spend two action tokens, one for each light wound.

º Scratched/Shaken: your character must immediately spend an action token because of the injury. The token can only be regained with medi-cal attention (first aid) or some other outside intervention (a pep talk in the case of mental harm, for example). Unlike other harm effects, additional scratches after the first do not force your character to spend more action tokens; once a scratch is healed, though, your character must again spend an action token if he receives another scratch.

In a scrap with Norin, Pele lost a physical contest by 1 point. Norin’s slash with the broken bottle put a long but shallow scratch on her arm. Kat moves one action token into the spent pool to represent the wound:

Later, she gets in a fight with another god and loses by 1 point again. Bill rules that she has another scratch, but she does not need to spend an additional action token.

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º Lightly Wounded/Demoralized: your character must immediately spend an action token because of the injury. each subsequent light wound requires your character to spend another action token. The tokens can only be regained with several days of recovery (after medi-cal attention is received in the case of physical harm).

Eckhardt is threatening Sal, a less-than-brave snitch. He succeeds in intimidating the other man, beating him by 3 points. Michelle rules that Sal will be demoralized. He moves a token from his action pool to his spent pool:

Dragging Sal along, Eckhardt confronts Sal’s boss. Sal’s boss uses an action to terrify Sal, succeeding by 2 points. Again, Michelle rules that Sal is demoralized. He moves a second action token to the spent pool:

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º Seriously Wounded / Anguished: your character must immediately spend two action tokens because of the injury. Subsequent serious wounds require your character to spend another two action tokens. The tokens can only be regained with weeks or months of physical or mental therapy.

The gunman opened up on Eckhardt, and he can’t make it through the door in time. He fails by 5 points, and Michelle rules the damage is a seri-ous wound. The bullet passed through Eckhardt’s lung, but is no longer in his body. Bleeding and in great pain, Eckhardt staggers off. Jason moves two tokens from his action pool to the spent area:

º Maimed/Broken: your character must reduce one of his faculties per-manently by one because of the injury. your character must do this every time he is maimed or mentally broken. This is permanent harm; points lost in this way are not recoverable unless they are bought back with power tokens (see page 105).

Pluto has convinced Proserpine to come see him in an attempt to win her back. He fails terribly while talking to her, losing by 6 points. Proserpine lets loose on him with her true opinion, that he is a vile, insensitive, worthless loser, and she stalks off. Russell decides that Proserpine’s words have broken Pluto’s spirit. He reduces his Will faculty by one, permanently.

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º Killed: your character is dead. This result can come about in a non-physical conflict as well, but in such a case your character will usually have been driven to suicide. Note that immortal characters cannot be killed under ordinary circumstances. for these characters, the maxi-mum result is typically maimed.

Pele has finally had it with Norin. His latest prank has cost her a close friend, and she grips him around the neck to choke the life out of him. She gets a spectacular success on the action, beating him by 7 points. Kat tells Bill that Pele really wants to kill him. So, in front of his dwarf cohort and her fellow gods, she snaps his neck.

fatigueAll sorts of activities, whether mental or physical, cause people to become tired. fatigue reflects a combination of factors: mental fatigue, physical exhaustion, emotional shock, the aftereffects of adrenaline, strain from overextending oneself, etc.

As noted previously, if you reallocate one or more tokens during a conflict round, you suffer fatigue, and one reallocated token must be spent. If you use an action token performing an action outside of conflict, the action token is also spent.

Also, your character becomes fatigued if you commit all of your character’s available pool of action tokens at once. Committing all of your tokens in this fashion is called going “all in.” After the conflict is complete, one of the action tokens committed is spent; the rest are brought back into the available pool as normal.

As you might have already realized, you can allocate all but one of your action tokens in a conflict round with no penalty. Most players will allocate all but one action token in every conflict round. This is appropriate, and is good strategic play.

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Jason’s character is confronted by the gunman in a dark alley. Michelle announces the man’s goal is to kill Eckhardt (or cause as much harm as the resolution of the situation will allow). Wanting to avoid this, Jason decides to go ‘all in,’ committing all of his ac-tion tokens to an attempt to talk the man into putting the gun down:

Eckhardt successfully convinces gunman to put the gun down and be reasonable. Now that the de-fensive action is over, Jason brings back all his committed action tokens but one, since he used his entire available pool in one ac-tion. The remaining action token is spent and he cannot recover it until later (Jason views this as an action token well spent):

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Recovering Spent Action TokensAction tokens spent due to fatigue within a conflict are recovered with rest. your character can recover one of her spent tokens by doing something restful or rejuvenating for an hour or two, such as napping, relaxing in a bath, listening to music, or drinking a couple of beers.

Action tokens spent due to harm may not be recovered by rest, but must be regained in the way specified by the particular type of harm.

Jason’s character Eckhardt has gone all in on two conflicts, and currently has two spent action tokens:

He dozes in his car for an hour or so, and one of his action tokens returns to his pool:

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Action tokens spent to achieve an action outside of conflict are considered either fatigue or harm. The first action token spent outside of conflict is always lost due to fatigue, but any further tokens can be ruled as harm by the GM (strained muscles, etc.). These are recovered the same way as fatigue and harm suffered during a regular conflict, with one exception. Characters can never recover these tokens until after their next conflict. This means that tokens spent performing an action outside of conflict are always unavailable for the character’s next conflict, no matter how much rest and healing she has had in the meantime.

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chapter five Summary

ConflictAny situation where the outcome is in doubt and is essential to the story is a conflict.

Goals state the results of success or failure in a conflict.

Goals can be opposed or independent (able to succeed or fail independent of each other).

When all actions are resolved, the conflict round ends and all committed tokens return to the pool.

If all characters have either achieved their goal or have been definitively blocked from achieving their goal, the conflict is over. If not, begin another round of actions.

Basic ActionsAll actions in a round take place at roughly the same time.

your character’s actions should be aimed at achieving your goal.

Actions outside conflict compare faculty plus aptitude against these difficulties:

• 3: Routine.

• 4: easy.

• 5: harder.

• 6: difficult.

• 7: Challenging.

• 8: Knotty problem.

• 9: Not for the faint-hearted.

• 10: Near the limit.

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chapter five summary

opposed actions outside of conflict use a simple faculty plus aptitude comparison.

you can spend action tokens to raise your total outside of conflict, but the tokens do not refresh until after your next conflict.

Committing Action TokensAt least one action token must be committed to take an action.

each action in a round must use a different faculty.

Action tokens committed to an action add to the faculty plus aptitude total.

helping another character adds +2 to the other character’s action if the helping action is successful.

Commitment of tokens is noted secretly and then revealed by all partici-pants at the same time.

Power tokens are the only type of tokens that may be added to an action after the reveal.

The GM matches all actions against one another, determining which ac-tions oppose each other.

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Calling on PassionsPlayers may call on a passion in a conflict by spending a passion token.

Passions give a bonus equal to the passion rank.

each action can be influenced by only one passion.

If a character goes against a passion, he must spend an extra action token just to perform the action.

If a passion is used more than once in a session, it must increase in rank by one point. Another passion must be reduced by one.

To add a new passion, spend a passion token and note a new 1-point passion on the sheet. Another passion must be reduced by one to add the new passion.

Passions can be raised or lowered one point or a new 1-point passion can be added as the goal of a conflict.

Characters recover all passion tokens between sessions.

Item EffectsItems grant a bonus when used for an action:

• +2 if used on the specific task for which it was designed.

• +1 if used on a task it was not designed for, but that it could still serve to perform.

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chapter five summary

Action ResolutionThe difference between totals in an action determines success or failure:

• –5 or more: abject failure.

• –3 or –4: complete failure.

• –1 or –2: near success.

• 0: qualified success.

• +1 or +2: success.

• +3 or +4: complete success.

• +5 or more: spectacular success.

Desperate ReactionsIf an action is unopposed, the defender may only use passive defense. Passive defense is equal to the defending character’s faculty alone.

Committing two action tokens allows a character to add an aptitude to passive defense.

Spending one action token allows a character to use a regular action instead of passive defense.

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FatigueGoing “all-in” and committing all action tokens causes one of the tokens to be spent.

Action tokens spent due to fatigue may be recovered by rest.

Harmharm can be suffered by the loser of a conflict. degree of success or failure determines level of harm:

• Abject failure: serious wounds, maiming, or even death.

• Complete failure: light or serious wounds, possibly maiming.

Near success or qualified success: scratch or light wound. Types of harm and their effects:

• Scratched/Shaken: immediately spend an action token. Additional scratches after the first do not force the character to spend an ad-ditional token.

• lightly Wounded/demoralized: immediately spend an action token.

• Seriously Wounded/Anguished: immediately spend two action tokens.

• Maimed/Broken: permanently reduce a faculty by one.

• Killed: the character is dead.

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Chapter Six: Power

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Power tokens are special tokens that can be used to get a little something extra in various circumstances during game play. They can also be used to add new details to your character, take brief authorial control of the game and bring in the elements you desire to a scene, or even raise your magic token total.

Using Power TokensPower tokens are always sacrificed. They do not regenerate, but new ones are periodically awarded during play. Sacrificing power tokens grants cer-tain benefits, as described below.

To Replace Action TokensA power token can be sacrificed to take the place of an action token that you would otherwise be committing or spending. The result of the action is determined as if the power token were an action token; the action token for which you substitute the power token is not committed or spent.

A power token can also be sacrificed to be used as an action token if you have no action tokens left in your pool. each power token sacrificed in this way acts as a single action token. Applying this rule, you can use power tokens to add action tokens beyond what you would normally have in

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a pool to your actions in a conflict. even if you have only six action to-kens normally, by adding power tokens in conflict you could end up with eight, ten, or even more equivalent action tokens for the conflict round. of course, all power tokens used are sacrificed and have no effect on your normal action pool.

Unlike standard action tokens, power tokens may be sacrificed for use as action tokens after an action is revealed in order to change the outcome of a conflict. When used in this way, the changed outcome should be described in a way that incorporates chance. The power token represents luck when used like this, and the result of the action will reflect some lucky break that your character has had thanks to the expenditure.

Eric’s character Loki is trying to resist the slick words of Norin, but ends up with a total of 11 against Norin’s 12 after the reveal. Eric really doesn’t want to lose this contest, so he decides to sacrifice 2 power tokens to raise his total to 13 and gain success for the action.

To Replace Magic Tokensyou can also sacrifice a power token in the place of a magic token that you would otherwise be spending. The supernatural event is activated; the magic token for which you have substituted the power token is not spent.

A power token can be sacrificed to be used as a magic token even if you have no magic tokens left in your pool. each power token sacrificed in this way acts as a single magic token.

you can never use a power token to take the place of a magic token that is being sacrificed. Power tokens cannot be used to add magical facts to the theme document.

Jason wants his character to use his magical jeweler’s loupe. He is running low on magic tokens, so he decides to sacrifice a power token instead of spending a magic token.

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To Change a CharacterPower tokens can be sacrificed to change your character’s faculties or apti-tudes. These are permanent adjustments to your character and can be made at any time, subject to the threshold of credibility.

Aptitudes may be permanently raised one point by sacrificing a number of power tokens equal to the new aptitude level. Aptitudes can be raised to a maximum score of five. Characters may never have more than 15 points of aptitudes. If you wish to raise a character’s aptitude and the character already has 15 points of aptitudes, you must lower another aptitude by one to do so. Raising the aptitude still costs the normal amount of power tokens. Aptitudes may be improved any number of times, limited only by the maximum rank, total points, and available power tokens.

faculties may be permanently raised one point by sacrificing five power tokens. faculties can be raised to a maximum score of five. Changes to fac-ulties are restricted depending on the starting power level of the character. Novices may change each of their four faculties only once. Veterans may change only three faculties during the course of a game. Ancient characters may only change one faculty, and ageless characters may not change their faculties at all. Generally, such a use of a power token should represent some fundamental change to your character that has occurred in the course of a scene or several scenes.

The only exception to the rule governing faculty increases is when your character has suffered maimed or broken harm. In this case, you can spend five power tokens to restore the affected faculty to its previous level, even if the rules would normally prevent this.

Jason’s character, Eckhardt, has been helping Krista’s character, Lucy, during the course of the session. Jason thinks Eckhardt should be learning more about training and inspiring another person, so he sacrifices two power tokens to raise his Mentor aptitude from 1 to 2.

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Eric’s character Loki is ageless and started with 15 points of aptitudes. After all the brawling that’s been going on at the bar, Eric decides Loki is learning how to fight. He sacrifices a power token to create a new aptitude, Barroom Brawler at 1. Since he already had the maximum number of aptitudes, he reduces one of his other aptitudes, Shape Shifter, from 4 to 3.

To Gain New Magic TokensPower tokens can be sacrificed in order to gain new magic tokens. The cost for buying new magic tokens depends on the magic level of the game.

º Low Magic: Sacrificing four power tokens earns you one additional magic token.

º Moderate Magic: Sacrificing either two or three power tokens earns you one additional magic token. Which of these levels applies should be set at the beginning of play, when crafting the theme document.

º High Magic: you can convert power tokens into magic tokens on a one-for-one basis.

The GM gains one or more new magic tokens whenever a player purchases one. In low-to medium-magic settings, the GM only gets one additional magic token when a player purchases one. If the players have chosen the high magic setting, the GM gets two additional magic tokens whenever a player purchases one.

Krista has sacrificed most of her starting pool of magic tokens. She decides she is running too low on magic tokens, and sacrifices three power tokens she has saved to gain a new one. Since this is a moderate-level magic game, the GM gains an additional magic token as well.

To Add Nonmagical FactsPower tokens have another use. Spending a power token allows you to cre-ate nonmagical facts in your scene. This is very similar to adding a fact to the theme document with a magic token, only in this case you are adding

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a nonmagical fact to the current scene as it is happening. you can sacrifice a power token to introduce a new item or situation to the scene, such as finding a gun in your friend’s glove compartment, or having a supporting character reveal a secret love for another character.

how much leeway a player has when spending a power token is up to your own group, and the same rules that apply to adding magical facts apply here as well. If a player has an objection, the situation should be discussed and possibly adjusted as needed. This use of power tokens is subject to the threshold of credibility.

In a scene in a bar, one of Bill’s supporting characters has opened fire with his gun. Russell thinks this is going to attract the wrong kind of attention, and sacrifices a power token, announcing that the gunfire has been reported and the police are on their way.

To Bring Characters into ScenesSimilar to the way you can bring in items and situations, you can also have any character arrive in a scene by sacrificing a power token. you can insert your own character, another player’s character, or a supporting character into an ongoing scene with this method. All you are doing is introduc-ing the character to the scene. once the character is in the scene, he is portrayed by whichever player normally has control of the character. Player characters are controlled by their own player, and supporting characters are controlled by the GM.

Just like introducing new facts, other players may object if they wish to. This ability is ruled by the threshold of credibility.

Eckhardt is confronting the gunman and the snitch in an office. As the charac-ter’s banter, Krista decides that Eckhardt will need some backup. She sacrifices a power token and says, “As they talk, Lucy comes down the hall outside. Hearing the voices, she moves quietly up until she is outside the door and listens.”

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To Set ScenesNormally, the GM sets every scene by describing the time and place and deciding which characters are present. As a player, you can sacrifice a power token to take on this role. If you sacrifice one power token, you gain the privilege to set the next scene. you determine where it takes place and who is there. The GM then assumes her normal role, and you play through the scene as usual.

The same rules apply to you as to the GM. you must have the agreement of the group when you set the scene, because this power is subject to the threshold of credibility.

After a massive fight in the bar, Bill thinks about what scene to set next. He doesn’t have to make a decision because Eric sacrifices a power token and sets the next scene: “In the dim halls of the dwarfs, Loki appears, walking down toward the empty throne where Norin used to sit. From the shadowed recesses, the forms of hundreds of svartalfar emerge, armed and grumbling.”

The GM’s Power PoolThe GM starts each session with a pool of power tokens. The GM’s pool of power tokens is equal to one token for each player in the game (including the GM herself ), plus one additional token for each ancient or ageless player character in the game. This pool refreshes at the beginning of each session; the GM is never awarded power tokens during play.

In the old gods game, there are four players plus Bill, the GM. All four players have ageless characters. Bill starts with one power token for each player includ-ing himself, plus one token for each ageless character, giving him a total of 9 power tokens.

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Power Token Awardsduring play, the GM and other players will award characters with power tokens. A pool of power tokens equal to twice the number of players at the table (including the GM) should be placed in the center of the play area. during play, when you bring in your passions, perform an especially interesting or innovative action, or create atmosphere for the game in a really evocative way, any other person at the table can nominate you to receive a power token. If the group agrees, the power token is awarded to you immediately and you can use it whenever you see fit. The GM is not awarded power tokens.

When you act in a scene in an especially effective way, take a course of action that seems particularly appropriate for your character, create a de-scription that really brings life to the game world, or perform some task in a spectacular fashion, you should be considered for a power token award. Passions are key in determining if a token is warranted. If you convincingly portray your character’s passion, a power token should always be awarded.

your group will come to a consensus over time regarding what deserves to be rewarded with a power token. This will differ from group to group and game to game, but after a session or two, it will be pretty clear what everyone in the game feels should be rewarded with power tokens.

All players should get at least one power token each session. If the session ends and a player has not received a power token, she may add one to her pool immediately. No single player may be awarded more than three power tokens in a session. If tokens remain in the pool at the end of the session, they are discarded between sessions.

Jason invokes Eckhardt’s passion for keeping people safe and pulls a mine worker safely out of a collapsing tunnel. Krista suggests he get a power token for this, and everyone agrees. He takes a token from the award pool and adds it to his own.

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chapter six Summary

Power TokensPower tokens are always sacrificed.

A power token can take the place of a committed or spent action token.

A power token can take the place of a spent magic token.

A power token cannot take the place of a sacrificed magic token.

Changing a CharacterAptitudes may be raised by one point by sacrificing power tokens equal to the new aptitude level.

Aptitudes may be raised to a maximum score of five.

Aptitudes may be improved any number of times, but a character may never have more than 15 points of aptitudes.

faculties may be raised by one point by sacrificing 5 power tokens.

faculties may be raised to a maximum score of five.

Changes to faculties depend on starting character level:

• Novice: may raise each of the four faculties by one.

• Veteran: may raise up to three faculties by one.

• Ancient: may raise one faculty by one.

• Ageless: may not change faculties.

When a character has suffered maimed or broken harm, the player may spend power tokens to restore the faculty, regardless of the above restrictions.

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Gaining New Magic TokensNew magic tokens must be bought with power tokens:

• low Magic: 1 magic token = 4 power tokens.

• Moderate Magic: 1 magic token = 2 or 3 power tokens.

• high Magic: 1 magic token = 1 power token.

The GM gains a new magic token whenever a player purchases one. In a high magic setting, the GM gains 2 each time a player purchases one.

Scene PowerA power token can be sacrificed to add a nonmagical fact to the game world.

A player can bring any character or supporting character into a scene by sacrificing a power token.

A player can buy the right to set the next scene by sacrificing a power token.

Session Power PoolsThe GM starts each session with 1 token/player, +1/ageless or ancient character.

Main power pool is equal to 2x the number of players + GM.

Power Token Awardseach player is awarded at least one power token per session.

No player may be awarded more than 3 power tokens in a single session.

The GM does not receive power token awards.

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Chapter Seven: Play

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you’ve now read the rules, but now we should discuss how to effectively use them. There are a lot of tricks that can make your Mortal Coil game better. This section is aimed at players controlling characters. The GM player gets her own chapter, which you can find right after this one.

Players Building StoryIf you are playing a character, the game is about you. The players control the protagonists of the story, and the game should revolve around them and what they care about. Although the GM will set scenes and control the game pacing most of the time, you are responsible for helping that along as well. you are not there to passively experience the GM’s plot, you are there to collaboratively guide story and help the GM achieve what you want out of the game.

As a player, you have story power. you can create magical facts with your magic tokens, and these in turn create new things to hang plot on. When you create a fact, you are giving a signal to the other players about things you are interested in the game. By the same token, the other players are doing likewise.

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you also have power tokens. These give you a strong influence on the di-rection of the game. you can use power tokens to set scenes, bring your character or another character into a scene, or even add details to the game world. Use these to move play in an interesting direction and to help the other players do the same.

Getting What You Want as a PlayerNo one should ever have to play a game that isn’t fun. for Mortal Coil to work, it is important to communicate with the other people at the table. you need to be clear about what you want out of the game and what direc-tion you are interested in seeing the game go. If you don’t express what you want, you will end up disappointed, and the other players may not even know they have done something you don’t like.

you also need to listen and pay attention to what the other players are doing at the table. They should be communicating their desires to you as well. you should be trying to help them achieve what they want, just as they should do the same for you.

Mortal Coil has a powerful tool to help everyone do this. The threshold of credibility is there to help ensure that no one is left behind in a game of Mortal Coil. every single player has the ability to veto any contribution to the shared fiction of the game world. Use this power wisely, but remember it is there if the game begins to take a direction you don’t like. Invoking the threshold of credibility is a good opportunity to call “time out” and get the group to have a short discussion about the game and its direction.

Sharing the SpotlightIt’s fun to be the center of attention. Because it’s fun, make sure you aren’t the only one doing it. All of the players should get some spotlight time during the course of a session. If you notice that another player hasn’t been participating in a lot of scenes, use a power token to create a scene for that character, or bring the character into another scene in progress. Try to get your character’s story to intersect with the other player’s. The GM will try to give everyone and equal role, but use your resources as a player to help.

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Your Character’s PassionsWhen you built your character, you wrote down a list of the things that motivate your character to act. These are your character’s passions. The passions you wrote down send a signal to the GM about the direction you’d like your character’s story to take. The GM will be taking inspiration from these passions to drive the story. She’s going to be looking for areas where your passions and those of the other players intersect, either to reinforce a direction, or to bring your characters into conflict with each other. Play will naturally revolve around these intersections.

It’s very important to make sure that the passions you choose indicate a direction you want the game to go. If you pick a passion that points in a direction you, the player, are not interested in, you are going to have a very unsatisfying game. Passions are one of the tools through which play-ers guide play. When crafting passions, first make sure that they motivate your character to act. Passions that go nowhere are going to be boring in play and will rarely come up. Since passions are a potent resource for you in conflicts, if they never factor in, you will never be able to tap into that strength.

The second function a passion serves is to define the character. Characters in a story are defined largely by their motivations. Characters with no mo-tives tend to be boring. Passions communicate very clearly to the other players exactly who your character is. Think about what the passions say about your character as you write them. They are an excellent way to add nuance to your character’s portrayal in the story. A tough-guy character who always presents a hard-bitten and cynical attitude becomes far more interesting and complex when you know he has a passion demonstrating a deep fear of his friends coming to harm.

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Conflicting PassionsPassions can also be used to create great story tension. When two passions oppose one another it leads to conflicts that test them against one another. Basing passions on the central conflicts laid out in the theme document will bring these themes into stark relief during play. Passions might conflict between two characters, in which case the issue will likely be hashed out between the two characters by way of arguments or even full-on conflict. Until one or the other character changes a passion, the tension will remain and continue to come up and drive story.

Another really interesting way to use passions is to create conflicting pas-sions right on your own sheet. Characters can feel conflicted, and having two passions that are mutually incompatible means that your character can’t make up his mind. A character might hate his ex for leaving him, and at the same time still love her. This makes for really interesting choices during play. While in conflicts you can call on one or the other of the conflicting passions, indicating which rules the character at the moment. you can play out this conflict as long as you like, and you may find that the character begins to resolve the conflict as you go. If you use one of the passions more often than the other, that passion will begin to gain the up-per hand and eventually rise at the expense of the other passion, resolving the conflict.

Creating FactsAs a player in Mortal Coil, you have the ability to add things to the game setting through your magic and power tokens. This gives you a lot of power normally reserved for the GM. you can use this ability to really shape the game setting and the events in the story. This is restricted by the consent of the other players, of course, and they all have similar power, but you can nudge things in the direction you are interested in seeing things go using these tokens.

When the theme document was created, there were probably things that inspired you, and when you built your character, you were thinking about direction the magical setting could go. your magic tokens are there to al-low you to continue the creation process through play. you should use the magic tokens to add abilities and powers that help your character, but also

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think about how these new facts build on what has been laid down already. Use your ability to create facts to add detail to the setting that is interesting to you. Build up the world with your contributions and shape and define the setting as you play. With everyone at the table doing this, your group will create a really interesting world and you will probably be surprised at the result.

don’t forget that you can create any magical fact you want with your to-kens. you don’t have to restrict yourself to things that your own character can do. you can sacrifice tokens to change the powers of creatures the GM introduced. you can add restrictions to the powers of vampires, for ex-ample, such as stopping them from entering a house uninvited or crossing running water. This is a powerful tool, and you should not hesitate to use it during play.

Using Your Power TokensAnother resource available to you as a player is your pool of power to-kens. Substituting a power token for an action or magic token is a pretty straightforward use. Using the power tokens to improve your character is also pretty intuitive. Where the real story power comes from is when you use power tokens for scene influence. Judicious use of power tokens to introduce a new scene allows you, as a player, to really drive parts of the story you are interested in. you can highlight aspects of the story that are interesting to you, or bring attention to areas you feel are being neglected by the drive of the story. Introducing characters into an existing scene serves a similar function. don’t be shy about using your power tokens in this way. It gives you, as a player, some serious control over the overall shape of the game. Mortal Coil is a collaborative game, and these resources are there to give you story power as a player.

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Techniques in conflictsThe conflict system is probably the trickiest part of a game of Mortal Coil. There are ways to make conflicts better. As a player, you can use some of these ideas to spice up the conflicts and make sure you get what you want out of the system.

Side BetsA conflict begins and everyone states their goal. you and the rest of the players begin to make bids with action tokens to reach their goal. As you do this, you can take smaller actions that go a bit to the side of your original goal as well. Perhaps you want to make sure that your character’s son gets out of a situation safely. Most of your effort will be devoted to making sure that happens, but maybe you’d also like to make sure your ex-boyfriend looks bad in the process. This is a side bet: you are taking an action to pur-sue a minor goal in addition to the major stated goal. This is an appropriate use of your resources and can make conflicts very interesting.

Pursuing a secondary goal on the side is fine. Just make sure you don’t state a conflict goal in order to fake the other players out. The goal you set up at first should be your main priority. other players can definitely call you on it if you state a conflict goal and then pursue something else entirely, ignoring the main goal.

The danger with side bets is they use some of your resources. you risk failing in your main actions, but there are often several other things your character might want out of a conflict in addition to her stated goal. Consider what will make the conflict more dramatic and interesting for the whole group. If a side bet fills that description, think about throwing one in.

Eckhardt is facing down the gunman and the snitch. Jason wants to keep the gunman from harming Eckhardt; that’s his primary goal. He allocates one action to intimidate the gunman, and another to dodge behind a table to de-fend himself should the gunman open fire. Jason also wants to turn the snitch against his boss, and so he lays down another action to convince the snitch to switch sides. This last action is a side bet, unrelated to the main goal of saving Eckhardt’s skin.

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Changing Passions as a GoalWhen you are choosing a goal for your character, sometimes you will want to use a conflict to force another character to change his passions. This is actually an appropriate goal. Instead of inflicting harm if you win, you are making a 1-point change to the passions on his sheet. you can add a new 1-point passion, or your can cause one of his other passions to rise or lower by one point. The player of the target character decides how this affects his other passions, which will need to be adjusted by one point if the conflict is resolved in your favor.

This can be a really powerful tool in conflicts. Passions are an important part of a character, and getting them to change has a lot of resonance. Some of the best moments in my games have involved a change in passion. Within the game fiction, you are successfully changing another character’s mind or making them feel a particular way.

As the target character, even if you lose a conflict of this sort, you are not without recourse. you can easily manipulate your own passions during play by using one more than once, or adding a new passion to your sheet. If you are not satisfied with the change to your passions after a conflict, you can generally change it back within the same session. Before you do, think of the impact this has within the game. The character’s feelings are being manipulated.

Kat wants to put the fear of Pele into Norin. When Norin provokes a bar brawl, Kat states her goal to add Fear: ‘Pele is going to kill me’ to Norin’s character sheet. Bill thinks this is an appropriate goal, and the conflict begins. Pele wins the conflict, and Bill adds the 1-point Fear to Norin’s sheet.

How to Use Faculties in ConflictsJust about every faculty can be used to both attack and defend. It may seem that force and Wits are attack faculties and Grace and Will are defense faculties, but any of them can be used for either purpose. here are some ways to think about each faculty in turn that can help you come up with appropriate actions in a conflict.

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º Force: It’s pretty easy to think of aggressive actions you can use with force. hitting people, grappling them, throwing them, pushing them, or grabbing things away are all great offensive uses of force. for de-fense, consider that force represents a character’s size and physical toughness, as well as endurance. you can use force to just take a hit and shake it off, or tire an enemy out.

Pluto and Jupiter are in a conflict and Bill anticipates a physical assault. He has Jupiter use his Force to defend, allocating tokens to absorb a hit and not flinch.

º Grace: Grace can be used defensively to dodge, outrun, or outmaneu-ver an opponent. you can also use your balance and agility to move places another character can’t follow. for offensive uses, Grace can be a way to beat an opponent with speed or accuracy of attack, or to move so quickly and decisively your opponent doesn’t have a chance to react. Grace can even seduce another character with your physical movements.

Loki uses his Grace in a conflict with Pele. He knows she’s a better fighter, so he uses a Grace action to sweep her feet out from under her when she goes in for the attack.

º Will: Will has some obvious defense capabilities. Will can be used to resist persuasion through stubbornness, or fend off mental assaults. Will can even be used to resist physical assault just by powering through the pain. for offensive action, Will can be used to intimidate or dominate another character, or to simply browbeat someone into giving up. Will sometimes powers magical effects as well.

Eckhardt doesn’t have very good physical stats, so Jason decides to use his Will to defend against the gunman’s shot. Eckhardt isn’t going to try to get out of the way, but just power through the pain and damage anyway.

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º Wits: Cleverness is a great offense and defense. Wits can be used de-fensively to outthink an opponent, to anticipate his moves and counter them, or to turn an opponent’s argument against him. Using Wits as an offence allows you to dazzle an opponent with a blizzard of words, to devise a clever stratagem that your opponent doesn’t anticipate, or just speak so sincerely and effectively you sway someone to your cause.

Loki is a tricky opponent, and decides that he will use his Wits to his advantage in a fight. His action is to defend himself and retreat, until his opponent is over a puddle of spilled beer, and then make an assault, forcing Norin to slip.

Bringing a Gun to a Knife Fightone of the best ways to win a conflict in Mortal Coil is to do the unex-pected. When you state your goal, the other players are generally going to have an idea of what your actions will be to achieve it. If you come up with an innovative action that achieves your goal but that the other players will not anticipate, you greatly improve your chances.

Maybe the other player thinks this is a mental contest. If you throw in a physical action that furthers your goal, you may catch the other player off guard with no defense. If you get an action in that has no defense, you are likely to dominate there. The other player may have to make a desperate reaction or burn some power tokens to compensate. This is how you win conflicts.

The gunman has cornered Krista’s character Lucy, and he is just going to try to scare her as an attack. Knowing that the gunman has a lot of ability in this area, Krista decides to shake things up. She adds a mental defense against the gunman’s intimidation, but also adds an attack action to kick the guy in the nuts. The gunman had a mental defense in place, but Bill didn’t anticipate the physical assault, leaving him basically defenseless against that action.

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chapter seven Summary

Players Building Storyevery player has a responsibility to help make a game of Mortal Coil work.

Communicate what you want to the other players at the table, and listen to what they are saying in turn.

Remember the threshold of credibility and use it when appropriate.

don’t hog the spotlight, and use your story power to help other players get spotlight time.

Techniques in ConflictsMake the occasional side bet in a conflict to make things interesting.

you can change a passion as a conflict goal. This is a powerful effect.

Use each faculty for both attack and defense.

To win conflicts, do the unexpected.

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Chapter Eight: The GM

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one player in Mortal Coil has a special role. This player is called the Game Moderator, or GM. As GM, you have the responsibility to look at the big picture while playing. each of the other players will concentrate mostly on their own characters, but the GM looks at the rest of the world and the other supporting characters that will take part in the story. The GM is also the arbitrator between the system and the players, and has a responsibility for making things run smoothly in the game.

The gM’s roleThe GM has several responsibilities. The GM will bring the supporting characters to life in the group’s story. each of the other players will portray a single character, but the GM portrays all of the other characters that appear in the game. These characters are called supporting characters because that is what they are. They exist to support the overall structure of the group’s story and to help the players show things about their own characters. like in a literary work, it is always better to show than tell. Use the supporting characters to draw the player characters’ passions in relief and let them deal with the issues and situations that create drama and interesting interaction.

C H A P T E R E I G H T

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The GM also helps the players set the scene, presents challenges to the players, and helps them bring the passions and issues of their characters into play in order to drive the human elements of the story forward. This is a big responsibility, but the GM is not responsible for doing all of this alone. The other players should help the GM by making suggestions, ini-tiating conflicts, and making sure that the issues they want to address are brought to the attention of the other players.

As GM, you truly are a moderator. you have the power to organize what could be a very chaotic situation by announcing which scenes and char-acters are the current focuses of play, especially if it seems as if the group is getting off track. To do this, you must listen to your players. The most important things to these characters are their passions, which are promi-nently listed right on the character sheets. The passions generally indicate where a player is interested in taking his character. only rarely should you try to introduce or push anything that doesn’t relate in some way to at least one of the player character’s passions.

Building Story from charactersCharacters are where the story is in Mortal Coil. The players have created characters who are the protagonists in the story of the game. The scenes and situations within the game should revolve around these characters and their issues.

each player character has passions. These passions relate to what the char-acter wants. Knowing the motivations of the characters is of great value to a GM. you can structure scenes around the passions. See how the passions of different players interact and build scenes around that. Give players strong choices between their passions and present situations where more than one passion, and more than one character, is in play. These passions drive the characters, and so your responsibility as a GM is to ensure they drive the characters to story.

Keeping your focus on the player characters is important. The villains and other supporting characters can add a lot to the story, but remember that the story is not about them. The player characters are the protagonists. If you find yourself favoring a particular supporting character, make sure that the other players are interested enough in this character to justify the additional involvement.

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The players have several ways of signaling what they are interested in without talking about it outside play. These include passions, the theme document, and also their use of power tokens. See what sort of scenes play-ers call for with power tokens, and incorporate the characters and details they introduce with power tokens. This is direct method for players to add things to a scene, and when they use it, as GM you should run with it.

Jason’s character Eckhardt has a passion Duty: ‘I will keep these people safe.’ Looking at the passion, it’s pretty clear to Michelle that Jason is interested in Eckhardt acting as a hero and saving people from supernatural threats. She sets a scene out by a campground. Some local campers are being threatened by a recently awakened vampire, and Eckhardt and Lucy arrive on the scene as a swarm of rattlesnakes crawl into the camp.

Using the Theme DocumentThe theme document is also a very useful tool for you as the GM. This document is created by both you and your players, and essentially defines your game world. When the group built the theme document together, they created a situation for their characters. This is what you, as the GM, should concentrate on. Tie that situation directly into what the characters are doing; make that situation directly relevant to them. Abstract principles are important when they relate immediately to a decision that a character must make.

Players can also introduce new facts into the theme document, as described earlier. When they do so, they are communicating what they want out of the game. If a player creates a fact about sorcerers, that’s generally a pretty good indication that the player wants to have sorcerers become part of the game world and have some impact on the story that is being told. As a GM, you can note what facts are added to the theme and see to it that these facts show up in the game—in most cases, the sooner the better.

Krista sacrifices a magic token to create a new fact: ‘Magicians can control supernatural beings.’ So far, Michelle has introduced a vampire and a colossal

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snake to the game. She knows that Krista is definitely interested in seeing some magician as the responsible party for this supernatural threat, and she adds a magician as a supporting character to her roster.

Scene framingSetting a scene and knowing when to end a scene are perhaps the most important skills a GM can learn in Mortal Coil. Starting scenes and ending scenes strongly influences the pace of play. The GM is mostly responsible for keeping an eye on this process, but all of the players also need to take an active role in this.

All scenes have one of two purposes. A scene can bring out one or more conflicts, or a scene can show some key information that is relevant to the characters and the overall story. Sometimes, it can do both. Set up the scenes to move action forward, and push the group’s collective story. don’t focus too much on the little details—get right to the juicy bits. If the scene starts to drag, either move to resolution or conflict, or else end the scene and move on to the next one.

encourage the players to speak up if there is something they want to re-solve in a scene before it is closed. Remember, the players are responsible for moving the action forward as well.

When you are running out of ideas, talk to the players. have them give suggestions on a new scene. Many times, players will have something they want to do, and getting feedback from them can help you get things mov-ing again. encourage a dialog with the players about scenes and character intentions. Since Mortal Coil is a character-based story, learning what the players are interested in next will help you keep things on track.

The scene is a bar, and Russell’s character, the Roman god Pluto, has just gotten the better of his rival Jupiter in a tense conflict. Pluto and his friend have man-aged to get Jupiter so drunk he passes out at the back of the bar. Conflict over, the players congratulate each other. Bill, the GM, now immediately sets a new scene to move the action along: “OK. The next day, Pluto is in his office, and the door slams open. Stepping inside is none other than Jupiter, and he looks angry.”

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Keeping Things ExcitingThis advice is good, but how do you keep a scene focused and interesting? There are some techniques that make this easier. Think about the books, movies, or TV shows you have seen. one thing all these media have in common is a focus on drama. you rarely see a scene that does not either reveal something about a character or move the story forward. Scenes in Mortal Coil serve a similar function.

one way to make a scene dramatic is to make sure it sets up a situation the characters cannot ignore. The situation should demand to be resolved, one way or another. As a GM, it isn’t your job to have one specific resolution in mind. let the players make their own decisions but don’t let them weasel out of the tough choices. Some players will be happy to pursue scenes that create conflict and trauma for their character, and setting up a scene with inherent conflict will probably be enough for these players. Some players may be more passive and will need some assistance in finding the drama. When you set the scene, think about the potential conflicts the situation and other characters in the scene represent. If the players don’t look for drama, start to escalate the tension within the scene. Pretty soon, you will find that the supporting characters in the scene will try something that the players are not willing to ignore.

The players already provide you with what you need to know about what is important in your story. Passions are the key to interesting sessions. The passion of at least one character should be intimately involved in every scene in some way. Players choose passions for their characters, and these are the things within the game fiction that these characters care about. Aiming the scenes at these passions gives the game a kick because the emo-tions and desires of the characters will be evoked as you play the scene out. Scenes get really interesting if more than one character’s passions come up. Situations where a single character’s passions pull him two different directions also create rich play, and scenes where the passions of more than one character pull in different directions create great drama. Try to get the players to choose between passions—which one is the most important to them?

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Eckhardt is facing down a massive rattlesnake in a warehouse. The night watch-man is gripped within its coils, paralyzed by fear. Eckhardt has the passion Duty: ‘I have to keep these people safe’ and Jason begins to think about what actions he will take to rescue the watchman. Just then, Michelle tells Krista, “As you creep along the catwalk above, you see Eckhardt confronting the snake. A dark figure is up on the catwalk with you, seeming to control the serpent. At that moment, he notices you and turns his attention to you.” Eckhardt also has the passion Fear: ‘Lucy will get killed.’ Jason now has to decide which passion to pursue. Follow his Duty and rescue the watchman, or follow his Fear and try to protect Lucy.

adjudicating conflictAn essential task for the GM is helping everyone make sense of conflict. The blind bidding system used in Mortal Coil can be confusing, and it is not always obvious what should happen when the bids are revealed. That’s where you come in. As the GM, one of your most important tasks is guid-ing the conflict toward resolving goals so that it can end and the scene can move on. There are a few simple things to keep in mind to make the conflicts work really well.

Setting Goals for Supporting CharactersThis is where you can really put the pressure on. As mentioned in character creation, each supporting character noted in a player character’s passions gets its own sheet. These supporting characters are perfect for you to tie the player characters into the story. These supporting characters need to get involved with the player characters, and then draw them into conflicts. Villains at least should have an overall agenda that involves a character. A player character should be a necessary component for a villain to achieve what he ultimately wants. don’t complicate the villains, let them have one main agenda. If you stack on too many, it will start to get hard to remem-ber what each one wants and needs.

Within a conflict itself, supporting characters need a goal. They will be tak-ing actions to achieve this goal just like the player characters. This will help

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you choose actions for the supporting character, and gives the supporting character an understandable motivation. Announce the supporting charac-ter’s goals to the group at the beginning of the conflict right along with the players. This way, players will have a better chance of anticipating the sup-porting character’s actions and attempting to either counter or assist them. Make sure you note down these goals for your own reference, especially if you have several supporting characters involved in the scene.

Sometimes you will have a conflict with a villain along with a group of henchmen or other backup characters for the villain. In this situation, it’s probably best for the henchmen not to have goals of their own, or have the goal “help the boss.” A bunch of minor-league guys don’t all need their own goal and it can get really confusing if you have a gang of six thugs, each trying to pursue a separate goal.

In the old gods game, Norin is the main antagonist. He hates the gods, and thus hates the bar where they meet. Bill decides that Norin’s overall agenda is to destroy the bar. He can take actions to do this physically, by having his people undermine it, and also psychologically, by stirring conflicts between the gods and getting them to fight.

Determining Opposing ActionsActions in a conflict seem a bit chaotic. As GM, your job is to make sense of all this. After actions are revealed, you need to look at each action, take into account the player’s intent, and determine which actions are opposed. This will allow the actions to be resolved.

It may not always be particularly clear which actions are opposed to which other actions. Initially, let common sense be your guide. Players will declare things like, “My character is ducking behind the bar to avoid gunfire.” obviously, this is a defense against any other character firing a gun at the first character. less obviously, it is also a defense against any other action that requires the target to be in the open. Think about the logical consequences of any given offensive or defensive action and match them accordingly.

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Some actions, if successful, will mean that other actions cannot take place. If this is the case, these actions are by necessity opposed to the actions they block. The reason this is stated separately here is that these consequences are not always obvious. one character is about to attack another character, for example, and the second character has a Will action allocated to at-tempt to stare down the first. These may not seem opposed at first, but if the second character is successful, the consequence of success will be that the first character is intimidated and unable to attack. That means these actions are opposed, and the intimidate action is the defense. Make sure you think briefly about the consequences of success for each action on the table and oppose them to the actions they will block.

Pele has two action allocated: to grapple Norin and get him in a headlock, and to fend off any blows that Norin tries to throw. Norin has two actions as well: to duck out of Pele’s reach, and to taunt all of the other gods about their cowardice and get them to join in the conflict. Bill matches Pele’s grapple against Norin’s duck, an obvious pair-up. Norin’s other action is aimed outside the conflict at the other gods present, and since he is trying to get them to participate, this will affect the ultimate outcome of the conflict. Bill allows the grapple to be resolved first, since that has no effect on Norin’s second action, then opposes Norin against the other gods.

Shaking Things UpSometimes players will start to get a bit complacent. Stacking all of your tokens in a single action can sometimes be a winning strategy, but it rapidly gets boring. Games are more fun if there isn’t a surefire win condition. one way to combat this as a GM is to be a bit tricky with your supporting character bids in conflicts. Think about different ways that a supporting character could reach his goal. Sometimes, you can make a physical com-bat move in a conflict a player considers mental. you’ve got a really good chance of having your action go up against no defense, which is very bad for the defender and forces him to switch tokens for a loss. By the same token, sometimes you can make mental actions in a conflict a player may consider physical. do the unexpected, try to keep the players on their toes. It’s always better to have an action going up against no defense. When you

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have even one token for defense you are considerably better off. Make the players hedge their bets and avoid putting all their tokens in one basket.

Loki is confronting Jupiter, a powerful businessman, in the bar. Loki’s goal in the conflict is to pick a fight with the other god, and so he stacks all but one of his chips in his Wits to taunt Jupiter. Bill knows that Eric likes to put all his eggs in one basket and allocates a defense, but he also takes another action: to convince Loki to work for him. This is an unexpected turn of events and one for which Eric has not prepared; it has a high likelihood of success.

Players in a RutAs we mentioned above, don’t let players use the same strategy over and over. Players will often drive directly toward what their character is good at, time after time. If they do this, you should present conflicts that can only be won if they use nonoptimal abilities. If a player has built a scrapper, take him to court. his fighting ability won’t help much if he’ll just get sent back to jail for using it. If a player has a trickster, use a strong-willed villain to take him on with physical force. A combination of mental defense and excellent physical attack power will keep the player on his toes.

don’t use these techniques to just punish a player, however. The goal of the game is to be fun and interesting. Move the conflict to an area where the character isn’t the best in order to keep the game dramatic and exciting, and to make the player think hard about how to win.

Kat almost always tries to use Force to win conflicts, since that is her character’s strongest faculty. Bill uses his supporting character, Sesmu, the owner of the bard, to start a conflict with Pele. He is angry that she keeps smashing the place up and he wants to ban her from the bar. Kat now has to think of what other resources she can use in this conflict, since Force is unlikely to help. If she attacks or threatens Sesmu with force, it just makes him more likely to throw her out.

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Using Magic TokensIn Mortal Coil, everyone has a strong input in world-building thanks to the magic tokens. As GM, you have a significant pool of these tokens to build powers for your supporting characters, and to expand or limit player character powers as well. your input into magic is a big part of the GM’s role.

The chief use of the GM’s magic tokens is to build powers for supporting characters. you have a cast of characters built from the theme document and the player characters’ passions. Many of these supporting characters will have supernatural aptitudes. Use your tokens to define these abilities and create interesting supernatural effects.

you can also use your tokens to adjust the powers of player characters.Although you get to set prices for player-introduced magical facts, your ability to limit these powers doesn’t end there. you can also add caveats and details to the supernatural aptitudes held by players. Remember, when you use a fact to limit a supernatural aptitude, the price is an exception where the power is actually able to work despite the limit.

If you are aggressive with your use of magic tokens, you can really mess with the player’s powers. Keep in mind that the players have even more power than you, in the end. The more you adjust their powers, the more they will use their tokens to mess with yours. depending on the level of competitiveness your group is comfortable with, this adversarial approach can be really fun. do be careful if it seems to upset the players, and the level of competition is something to discuss early and make sure that all of your players are comfortable with the amount of back-and-forth that will exist in your group’s game.

Kat has created the fact that Volcano Goddesses are unaffected by heat. Later, the dwarfs have crafted a special weapon for use against Pele in revenge for the death of their king. Bill sacrifices a magic token to create the fact that the dwarfs can create a magical fire that will burn even volcano goddesses. The players get to set the price, some instance where the fact will not apply, but this fact is added to the theme document.

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Using Power TokensAs a GM, you also have a pool of power tokens. your power tokens are there to make things challenging. The GM’s power tokens are mostly used to add to actions taken by supporting characters. As GM, you already have the ability to set scenes and introduce characters and nonmagical facts to the world. That’s an inherent part of your role. you also don’t need to spend power tokens to improve characters. your supporting characters are already pretty powerful, and you can adjust their abilities if you think they would have improved over time. The remaining use of power tokens is within the conflict system, to replace other types of tokens there.

often, you will find that your supporting characters are plenty powerful and can easily stand up to the player characters. In this case, you don’t need to dip into your pool of power tokens. If your villain is being steamrolled, however, it may be appropriate to dip into your power token pool. Use the power tokens as a sort of pacing mechanism. If your supporting character is a bit weak, but you want to extend the conflict, use the power tokens to give her a bit of juice. If you’ve reached a final confrontation with a big and intimidating villain, and player characters have completely owned him, make him scary again by dropping some of your power tokens into the conflict.

Eckhardt is confronting the main villain in his game, and in the first round of conflict has pretty thoroughly dominated him. Michelle is not quite ready to have the climactic villain fold, so she uses some of her power tokens to bump up the villain’s defenses and increase his offense so that Eckhardt is now on the defensive. This moves the conflict to a second round, which suits Michelle’s sense of drama much better.

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chapter Eight Summary

The GM’s RoleBring supporting characters to life.

help players set the scene.

Present challenges to the players.

help players bring the passions and issues of their characters into play.

Build story from the player characters.

Scene Framingeach scene should bring out one or more conflicts.

A scene can also show key information relevant to the characters or story.

Scenes should set up situations the characters cannot ignore.

Adjudicating ConflictSet goals for supporting characters. Know their motivation.

Match actions after the reveal. This is one of the GM’s most important duties.

Try to keep things unexpected with supporting character actions. do things the player won’t anticipate.

If players do the same thing over and over, try to break them of the habit.

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the gm

Using Magic TokensGive your supporting characters magical powers.

Change, limit, or modify player-introduced powers.

Using Power TokensUse your pool of power tokens to pace the conflicts. Add power if the conflict is too easy.

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Appendix I: Inspiration

appendix IThe inspiration for this game came from many sources. These all have a common theme of magic existing as a subversive and powerful force for transformation, which is also a central theme of Mortal Coil.

Novels, Plays & Stories• The Anubis Gates, The drawing of the dark, on Stranger Tides,

earthquake Weather, and last Call by Tim Powers

• Coraline, Stardust, Neverwhere, American Gods, Anansi Boys, and the Sandman series of graphic novels by Neil Gaiman

• Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

• The dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper

• The hellblazer graphic novels

• The dresden files novels by Jim Butcher

• his dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman

• The harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling

• The Spiderwick Chronicles by holly Black

• The last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

• The odyssey by homer

• The Metamorphoses by ovid

• Journey to the West by Cheng-en Wu

• hakkenden

• fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm

• fairy Tales and Stories by hans Christian Anderson

• 1001 Nights

• The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s dream by William Shakespeare

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Inspiration

Movies & Television• The Company of Wolves

• Prospero’s Books

• Jacob’s ladder

• Spirited Away, The Cat Returns, and Princess Mononoke

• Big Trouble in little China

• Jumanji and Zathura

• Unbreakable

• Sleepy hollow

• The X-files

• Supernatural

• Pushing daisies

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Appendix II: Example Conflicts

appendix IIeach of the rules in the book is accompanied by several examples, but they are not really connected in a full conflict. To go a little further to help you understand the conflict system, here are seven extended conflict examples. There are a lot of different ways a conflict can fall out, and this appendix goes through them from the simplest scenario to the most complex.

A Simple One-Action Conflict between Two CharactersThe most basic and common sort of conflict is a quick head-to-head con-flict between two characters. Michelle is the GM, and she has two players, Jason and Krista.

Jason’s character eckhardt has had it with the corrupt mine owner, and he gets a gun from his car’s glove compartment and marches up to the mine owner’s trailer. Krista’s character lucy steps in front of him.

Krista: lucy says, “you’re not going in there with that gun.”

Jason: “oh, yes, I am.”

Michelle: oK. This is definitely a conflict. Jason, what’s your goal?

Jason: I’m taking that gun with me when I go inside.

Michelle: Cool. Krista?

Krista: he’s going to give me the gun.

Michelle: All right. That’s a simple enough opposed set of goals. Allocate your tokens, and we’ll see whether eckhardt gets to keep his gun.

Both Jason and Krista allocate their tokens secretly. Jason is using his Will of 4, plus Cynic of 2, and puts all but one of his 7 action tokens in. Krista uses her Wits of 3, plus her Bureaucrat of 2, and puts all but one of her 6 action tokens in as well.

Michelle: Ready? oK, let’s reveal. Jason, what’s your action?

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Example conflictsJason: eckhardt is a cynic, so he’s pretty sure he’s gonna need the gun. I’m using that, plus his will to get lucy to step aside. Will 4 plus Cynic 2 plus 6 action tokens is 12.

Krista: lucy is going to appeal to reason and try to talk eckhardt out of this. She has a Wits of 3, plus her Bureaucrat of 2, and I put up 5 action tokens, too. My total is only 10.

Michelle: All right, that means eckhardt is up by 2: a success. he gets to keep the gun. Jason, how does this go down?

Jason: eckhardt says, “Get out of my way, lucy. This guy has refused to budge, and two people are dead because of it. he’s going to shut the mine down once and for all.” eckhardt glares into lucy’s eyes, his resolve is clear.

Krista: “eckhardt, you’re going to get arrested brandishing that thing. What if he has a gun, too? This can only end badly, you know that.”

Jason: With a curt shake of his head, eckhardt brushes past her. She knows she can’t change his mind.

Krista: “dammit!”

Michelle: I think lucy’s shaken by this. Spend an action token, Krista.

A One-Round Multiple Action Conflict between Two CharactersNow, let’s get a bit more complicated. If two characters are in a conflict, they can try more than one tactic to get what they want.

In this scene, Michelle has the mine foreman, a new minor supporting character, confront Jason’s character eckhardt, who is trying to enter the mine.

Michelle: A mine foreman comes out as you rush up to the mine. “hold it right there!”

Jason: This is a conflict. I’m not letting him stop me.

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Michelle: oK. What’s your goal in the conflict? The mine foreman wants you to turn around and go back down to the office.

Jason: I’m getting into that mine, and I don’t have much time. I don’t want him to delay me.

Michelle: Sounds good. These are opposed goals, only one of you can win. let’s allocate.

Michelle and Jason allocate secretly. Michelle decides the foreman is going to get rough with this strange character. She allocates 4 action tokens for the foreman to grab Eckhardt and give him the bum’s rush, using Force 3 and his aptitude Redneck 2. Michelle figures Eckhardt might try to fight back, so she puts two action tokens in Grace 2 to dodge, again using Redneck 2.

Jason knows the foreman probably has the edge in a physical confrontation, so he decides to mix it up a bit. He doesn’t want the foreman to get his hands on Eckhardt, so he allocates 3 tokens to defense, with Grace 2 and Government Agent 2. He then allocates another 3 to Will 4 and Government Agent 2, to show the foreman his gun and intimidate him into letting Eckhardt pass.

Michelle: Ready?

Jason: Ready. let’s reveal.

Michelle: The foreman is going to grab ahold of you, and give you the bum’s rush out of here. “I don’t think you heard me, buddy. This mine is off-limits!” That’s the force action. The Grace action is to defend against you fighting back.

Jason: Good thing I’m not fighting back, then. My Grace action here is to resist any physical assault, and the Will action is to show the guy my gun and get him to back down.

Michelle: Nice! I didn’t see that coming. let’s resolve. your Grace is definitely opposing the foreman’s force. I’ve got a total of 9: 4 action to-kens plus force 3 plus Redneck 2. I figure as a redneck, he knows how to throw down.

Jason: All right, that’s fair. I’m using my Grace to resist, and I figure I’ve gotten in a few scraps as an agent. So, my total to resist is 7: 3 action tokens, plus Grace 2 and Government Agent 2.

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Michelle: ooh, he beats you by 2. here’s what happens: the foreman rushes up to, saying, “This mine is off-limits, buddy!” and he grabs hold of your jacket, shoving you back down the hill. you’re light on your feet, and you’ve been in some scraps before, so you resist, but he’s got a good grip and is hustling you along.

Jason: Crap. Now the other action. he’s got no defense against Will. After he grabs me, I pull out my gun. I’m not aiming it him, I’m just showing him I have it. “I’m more than you can handle, friend. Just step back, and we don’t have a problem.” I’ve got 10 in that action: 3 action tokens, plus Will 4 and Government Agent 2. I’m using the gun, too, so that gives me a +2, right?

Michelle: In this case it’s a +1. A gun’s purpose is to shoot people, and here you’re just using it to intimidate. Guns can certainly be used for that purpose, though, so you do get a bonus. you’re total is 10. he’s resisting with Will only, and he’s just got a 2. you beat him by 8 points, that’s a spectacular success. As soon as the gun comes out, he lets go of your jacket and puts his hands in the air, stepping back and shaking his head. “I don’t want any trouble, man. Take it easy.”

Jason: Good. I sprint for the mine entrance.

A One-Round Multiple Action Conflict between Three Characters Where One Is HelpingSometimes in a one-on-one conflict, a third character gets involved but doesn’t have a goal. Instead, the character is helping one side or the other.

In this scene, Michelle’s supporting character, Sal, a weaselly informer, is trying to seize a letter from Jason’s character eckhardt. Krista’s character lucy will try to help eckhardt.

Michelle: Sal says, “Give me the letter and I’ll see to it that Mr. Wallace gets it.”

Jason: “I think I’d rather give it to him in person.”

Michelle: Sal sidles a bit closer than you’d like. “It’s probably better if I take care of it.”

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Jason: Uncool. I’m going to put the letter back in my jacket pocket.

Michelle: I’m going to call this a conflict. Sal is lunging forward, trying to grab the letter. his goal is to run off with the letter.

Jason: fine. I want to keep the letter, and get Sal to tell me who he’s working for.

Michelle: Nice. let’s allocate.

Krista: hang on. I’m right there. I’m not going to let Sal get away with grabbing the letter and running.

Michelle: oK. do you have a goal?

Krista: No. I just want to help eckhardt.

Michelle: Great. everybody allocate.

Jason decides he’s going to get physical, too. He allocates two action tokens in Force and Government Agent to grab hold of Sal, two in Grace and Government Agent to dodge Sal’s blows, and two in Will and Government Agent to in-timidate Sal into giving up his employer. Government Agent is doing serious duty here.

Krista decides to load all of her action tokens, a total of six, in Grace, to trip Sal when he goes for Jason, helping Jason’s defense. She doesn’t really have an aptitude that applies.

Michelle allocates two of Sal’s action tokens in Force and Dirty Fighter to grab the envelope, and three tokens in Grace and Coward for Sal to run away.

Michelle: everybody ready? let’s reveal. Sal is going to use his force action here to shove into eckhardt and grab that envelope away from him. The Grace is to beat feet after.

Krista: I’m using Grace here to trip Sal and make it easier for eckhardt to defend himself against the grab.

Jason: I’m using Grace to avoid that grab, force to seize Sal, and Will to intimidate him into giving up his boss.

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Michelle: Cool. let’s start with lucy, since she’s helping and the outcome of her action will affect your totals, Jason.

Krista: I didn’t really have an aptitude that applied, so I’m just using Grace. I put six action tokens in it, though, so that plus Grace 3 equals 9.

Michelle: you’re trying to stop him from grabbing, and since you aren’t using an aptitude at all, he definitely gets the +2 bonus for having a more applicable aptitude. his force is only 2, and his dirty fighter is also 2, and he had two action tokens in there for a total of 6, plus 2 due to his aptitude being more appropriate, that’s 8. even with the disadvantage of having no aptitude you get a success. eckhardt gets a +2 against Sal’s grab action.

Krista: Good.

Michelle: oK, eckhardt. let’s resolve the grab. Sal had a total of 6 against you.

Jason: eckhardt’s Grace is 2 and Government Agent is 2 and I put in two action tokens. That’s 8, with Krista’s +2.

Michelle: you beat him by 2, a complete success. Sal sidled forward and lunged at you, reaching for the envelope. you jerk your hand away, just as lucy sticks her foot out to trip him, and he stumbles and misses the envelope. Seeing where this is going, he turns to flee. This is where we resolve your grab and his running action.

Jason: My force is 1, and Government Agent again at 2, plus two action tokens. That’s 5 for the grab.

Michelle: Sal’s Grace is 3, and his Coward aptitude is 1, and he put 3 tokens in to run for it. his total is also 7. he’s going to get away.

Jason: do I still get my Will action?

Michelle: yep, this is all happening simultaneously. eckhardt tries to grab his jacket by the collar, but Sal ducks under the grab and is at the door.

Jason: I put my cop face on and shout, “Sal! Who sent you, Sal! If I don’t find out, I’m coming for you!” My Will is 4, and Government Agent is 2, along with two more action tokens is a total of 8.

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Michelle: yeah, and Sal’s got no defense against that. he shrieks as he runs, and squeals, “you gotta believe me, eckhardt, I don’t want any trouble with you! It was Jakkot. he’s the one who wants the letter!” of course, he doesn’t stop, and he belts off, straight to Jakkot no doubt.

A One-Round Multiple Action Conflict between Three CharactersUp to now, all of the conflicts we’ve been looking at have been between two characters. Sometimes, more characters get involved, and that definitely makes things a bit more complicated. here’s a one-round conflict between three characters, all with goals of their own.

This time, Bill is the GM, with eric, Russell, Michael and Kat as players in a different game. There are three characters involved in this conflict: Kat’s character Pele, eric’s character loki, and the supporting character Norin portrayed by Bill. loki is attempting to hit on Pele when Norin inserts himself into the situation.

Eric: loki walks up to the bar and seats himself by Pele.

Kat: Pele barely glances up. She’s sulking and nursing a beer.

Eric: loki casually begins to converse with Pele. once he’s got her atten-tion, he’s going to pour on the charm. he’s really hitting on her.

Kat: loki? oh, please. Pele’s not interested.

Bill: That sounds like a conflict. I must inform you both, Norin is in the back of the bar with a few of his dwarf thugs, and when he sees something going on he’s definitely going to butt in.

Eric: yeah, it’s a conflict. I’m confident loki’s charms will win the day.

Kat: I don’t know. Norin’s sure to throw some complications in the works.

Bill: All right, what’s everyone’s goal?

Eric: Pele is definitely leaving with me tonight. It may not mean anything, but it’s happening.

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Kat: Norin’s getting involved? I don’t particularly care about loki’s flirting. Pele’s going to try to use loki’s attraction to her advantage, and get a favor out of him to go after Norin.

Bill: Cool. And Norin’s goal is to get loki to humiliate Pele.

Eric allocates Wits and Trickster God plus two action tokens for charming jokes directed at Pele, and Will and Stubborn Cuss plus six action tokens to resist the influences of both his opponents.

Kat decides to use her Will plus Ruthless Brawler plus two action tokens to intimidate Loki into joining her against Norin. For defense, she uses her Wits plus Barfly plus five action tokens to use her drunken obtuseness to deflect any remarks or verbal attacks.

Bill has Norin use Wits plus Slick Salesman and three action tokens to schmooze Loki into turning on Pele, and he will use Will plus Mean Little Cuss and four more action tokens to deflect any incoming attacks with sheer rudeness.

Bill: Are we all ready?

Kat: yep.

Eric: Ready.

Bill: oK, let’s reveal. Norin is a slick salesman, so he’s going to turn his used-car charm on loki and sell him on joining forces against Pele. This other action is his resistance, he’s just going to use his ill temper to rebuff any social attacks.

Eric: loki’s turning on the charm with his Wits action here, he’s going to clown a bit and ingratiate himself with Pele. The Will is to resist both Pele and Norin.

Kat: Pele is using her Will here to browbeat loki into going after Norin. The Wits is to rebuff loki’s flirting with general drunken cluelessness, I’ll leave it up to you to decide if it’s real or feigned.

Bill: Sounds good. loki, your defensive action is going against both Pele and Norin, and your flirting action is going up against Pele’s defense. let’s resolve the other two’s attempts to sway you first.

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Eric: Sounds good. My Will is only a 2, but I am a Stubborn Cuss, and that’s 3. I put in six tokens on this, I really don’t want to be jerked around here. My total for defense is 11.

Bill: here’s what Norin’s got—Wits of 5, and Slick Salesman of 4, plus the three action tokens. That’s 12. That’s a success. looks like he’s got you beat. Kat?

Kat: I’ve got a Will of 5, and I’m using my reputation as a Ruthless Brawler to add to my intimidation, that’s a 4. I put two action tokens in there, so the total is 11. That’s a tie with eric.

Bill: Partial success for both. So, Norin will sway you, and Pele will par-tially scare you. how about your action against Pele?

Eric: My Will is 5, and I am really good Trickster God, that’s also 5. I put two tokens in there for a total of 12.

Kat: My Wits are only 2, and I’m using Barfly, also at 2. I put in five tokens, so my total is 9.

Bill: ooh, so that’s a success for loki. here’s how I see it going down. Pele is going to intimidate loki, but he’s so stubborn he views it as a challenge despite some lingering misgivings about having his arms broken. Norin convinces loki to humiliate Pele, which loki will somehow manage to pull of even while convincing her to leave with him.

Eric: I know how that’s going to happen, and I predict an arm-breaking or two in my future.

Bill: Cool. let’s play it out.

Eric: All right. So, loki turns to Pele at the bar and starts with the jokes. he’s pouring on the charm, trying his best to dazzle her. A lot of the jokes will be at my own expense, that ought to create a bit of sympathy.

Kat: Pele starts to laugh despite herself. She’s warming up to him, certainly.

Bill: here’s how I see Norin coming in. he’s been watching the two of you as you continue to flirt for the last hour or so, and when loki steps to the men’s room he follows him in. he’ll turn to you and say, “you’re making some good progress in there, buddy,” and flash a greasy grin.

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Eric: “yeah, I think so.” I’ll smile, more to myself than anything.

Bill: “listen, pal, I can make it worth your while if you do me a little favor. I’ve got a little something, a nice Rheingold ring, see. Pele has been seriously pissing me off. you make her look bad, and the ring’s yours.”

Eric: “Rheingold, huh? That’s pretty nice.” he thinks about it, a bit too long for Norin’s liking.

Bill: “lemme sweeten the deal,” he says. “you can commission my boys for any one item. If you provide the materials, we’ll provide the labor. Pele’s just gotta pay, right?”

Eric: “you’ve got a deal.” Then I go back out to Pele and try to convince her to head back to her place.

Kat: oK, Pele saw Norin go in there and she’s suspicious. When loki comes back out, she seems less receptive to his jokes. She’s gonna let him take her hand, and then put the squeeze on him. She hisses in his ear, “Norin’s a little bastard, and I saw he followed you into the can. you’re gonna help me see that he gets his, right?”

Eric: loki’s grinning through teeth gritted in pain, and he’ll answer, “yeah, baby, just like you say.” he’s trying to cover as she lets go, but the relief is clear on his face. he’s starting to have some doubts about his deal with Norin.

Bill: So you and Pele end up leaving together.

Eric: yep, and some nasty rumors are going to start up tomorrow, defi-nitely started by loki.

Kat: Man, are you in trouble. Pele’s going to come looking for you the next night.

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A Multiple Round Conflict between Two Characters (with Desperate Reaction)Now we get down to it: the hardest part of the conflict system. What hap-pens when neither character has achieved his goal when all the actions are worked out? That’s when you have multiple action rounds.

Also, in a previous conflict, Jason’s character devastated the mine foreman because he hadn’t anticipated Jason’s tactic. The mine foreman gave up and stepped back, because Michelle didn’t think continuing the conflict was worth it. however, if something like this happens, there is another option to get out of terrible loss, and that is desperate reaction. This conflict also includes a desperate reaction.

In this scene, Krista’s character lucy is ambushed by the dangerous gun-man, and she has to defend herself.

Michelle: As you round the corner, you see the cold-eyed gunman that’s been dogging you and eckhardt this whole time. his pistol is out and already aimed at you. you’re clearly in a spot of trouble.

Lucy: oK. My goal is the get the gunman out of the picture, once and for all.

Michelle: Great. The gunman’s goal is to put you in a shallow grave.

Lucy: high stakes. All right, let’s go.

Krista knows that the gunman is quite good at what he does, and if she doesn’t do something pretty drastic Lucy is going to get plugged. She contemplates how to succeed in this situation, and decides on two actions: First, she will use her Grace and Government Agent to dodge through a nearby doorway, and second she wants to use her Wits and Government Agent again to get the drop on the gunman when he follows her through. She allocates one token to the dodge, and four in the ambush.

Michelle is pretty confident she can get Lucy with a gunshot using Grace and Gunman, and she also takes an action with Will and Cold-Eyed Killer, to defend against any sweet words Lucy may try to use to convince him to let her go. Michelle assigns three action tokens to each.

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Michelle: Ready?

Krista: yes. I have two actions. for the first, I’m going to dodge back through the door to avoid being shot. The second action is to ambush the gunman when he tries to follow me through.

Michelle: oK, I have a Will action here for defense against persuasion, so that’s no good against your attack. My other action is to shoot, and that is definitely directly compared to your dodge action. let’s resolve the shot first.

Krista: oK. My dodge is using Grace, that’s 3, and Government Agent for 2. I assume training for agents includes situations like this. I also have one token allocated here, for a total of 6.

Michelle: The gunman has a Grace of 2 and Gunman of 4, plus three action tokens. That’s a 9, beating you by 3. you’re going to take a serious wound from that.

Krista: That’s oK, actually. I’ll take the hit to get the drop on him. My other action is my Wits, that’s 3, plus Government Agent again, that’s 2, and 4 action tokens. That’s 9.

Michelle: What exactly are you doing as he come through the door?

Krista: I’m tripping him and then knocking him on the head with my pistol butt.

Michelle: Since he had no defense against this, he gets only passive de-fense. That’s just one of his faculties. Sounds like he can use his toughness to resist, that’s force. That’s 4. you’ve got him beat by 5, so if you want you can kill or maim him.

Krista: I just want to knock him out.

Michelle: I’m not so happy with how this turned out. I’m going to do a desperate reaction so you don’t get such a devastating win.

Krista: damn. It was such a good plan. At least now I won’t get shot.

Michelle: he needs to commit two tokens to the defensive action in order to add in the Gunman aptitude. I’ve got one in reserve, so I have

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to use that one, and since I don’t have another held back, I can pull one out of his other action. That puts his defense at 10: force 4 plus Gunman 4 plus the 2 action tokens. your ambush won’t work. however, he only beats you by one in the shooting action, so you only suffer a light wound. of course, now neither of you has achieved your goal, so we’ll move on to another round.

Krista: Not so fast. I’m going to sacrifice two power tokens for my am-bush action. That puts me up at 11, beating him by one. Not the total success I was hoping for, but now I can wound him at least.

Michelle: True. And, because of his desperate reaction, he’s all in. That will make him spend two action tokens this round. you have to spend one because of your light injury.

Krista: And now I’ve got a bit of an edge.

Michelle: yep. We do need another round, still. Although you are both wounded, neither of you has achieved your goal.

Krista moves an action token into the spent column. She now has five total tokens, and she decides to go all-in in an effort to end the conflict. She takes one action to stick her gun in the gunman’s back to try to force him to surrender to her. She’s using her Will for this, plus her Government Agent. She also decides to use her Wits and Investigator to fast talk the gunman into revealing who his boss is. She puts two action tokens in the Wits action, and three in the Will action. She’s not sure the intimidate will be enough, so she decides to call on one of her passions as well. She puts a passion token on the stack, invoking her Fear 2: ‘Eckhardt will think I’m not up to the task.’

Michelle knows the gunman wants to end this conflict quick. It’s turned out much harder than he expected, and he’s down to an action pool of five now, too. She writes another Grace plus Gunman action to shoot Lucy, and assigns two action tokens to that. For defense, she is using Force plus Cold-Eyed Killer to resist physical harm. She puts two action tokens in that, too.

Michelle: Ready to reveal?

Krista: Ready. My first action is to stick my gun in his back and growl, “Put down your weapon and surrender.” The second is to try to trick him into revealing his boss.

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Michelle: Nice side bet. oK, again, he’s got no defense for your second action. his defense was force for resisting physical attacks and you’ve got all social stuff going on. his first action is to wheel and pump you full of lead, though. I think that matches up to your demand for surrender. he can’t shoot you if he’s intimidated into giving up.

Krista: excellent. That’s how I was hoping it would turn out.

Michelle: let’s resolve the opposed action first. you’ve got a passion token there?

Krista: yeah, my fear of eckhardt’s disapproval. I’ve got to prove I can handle this. That’s worth 2, plus my Will of 2, and my Government Agent 2. I’ve also got 3 action tokens in here, for a total of 9.

Michelle: oK, the gunman is again using Grace, that’s 2, plus Gunman, that’s 4, and he’s got two action tokens in here, that comes to 8. you’ve got him beat, with a regular success. I’ll say he drops his gun and raises his arms.

Krista: yes! As I check him for additional weapons, I casually say, “I bet you thought this would be easier, right? he’s gonna be angry at you.” That’s for my second action to get him to slip something. Investigator 3 plus Wits 3 plus 2 action tokens, that’s 8.

Michelle: That’s another passive defense for him. I made some bad bets this conflict. his Wits is only 1, so you beat him by 7. he’s gonna sing like a bird, and won’t even realize he’s doing it. you can trick him into thinking you know everything already.

A Multiple Round Conflict between Three CharactersSometimes a multi-round conflict can involve more than one character. here’s an example of a slightly more complicated multiple round conflict.

In this scene, Jason’s character eckhardt and Krista’s character lucy con-front the frontier-era vampire they have been stalking. They are in an abandoned mine. Michelle is the GM for this group.

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Michelle: you come to the end of the tunnel. Standing in the shadows you see a dusty figure in a long coat and cowboy hat. Around his feet writhe about 30 rattlesnakes.

Jason: oh, crap. We’ve got to get this guy fast, before he can use those rattlesnakes on us.

Krista: yeah, let’s get him.

Michelle: All right, his goal is to feed on both of you.

Krista: My goal is to destroy the vampire.

Jason: Me too.

Michelle: oK, let’s allocate actions.

Jason decides to try to take care of the snakes, and possibly give the investigators a weapon against the vampire. He is going to throw down some kerosene and set it alight between the snakes and Eckhardt and Lucy. For this, he’s using Grace and Supernatural Investigator, and three action tokens. For his second action, he’s going to shout some advice to Lucy to help with her action. He’s using Wits and Mentor, along with three more action tokens.

Krista wants to take the vampire down, so she’s going to tackle him and try to stake his heart. This will use Force and Government Agent, plus four action tokens. She also wants to avoid getting hurt, so she is going to dodge any snakes or vampire bites with Grace plus Government Agent. She commits only one action token to this.

Michelle knows they are going to be aggressive. She has the vampire control the snakes and get them to attack the two investigators. This will use Will plus Vampire, and she puts four action tokens behind it. The vampire will also try to hold the investigators off with his gun until the snakes take care of them. He’s using Grace plus Pistolero for that, along with two action tokens.

Michelle: everyone ready?

Krista: let’s go.

Michelle: The vampire has got a Will action to control the snakes, and this Grace is to move out of the way and cover you with his gun.

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Jason: I’m helping lucy with this Wits action, and the Grace is to knock over one of the kerosene containers and set it alight. I’m sacrificing a power token to say that there are some old kerosene containers down here, left over from when the miners used kerosene to light their lamps.

Michelle: Sounds fair.

Krista: I’m using force to leap at the vampire and tackle him, so I can stake him. I’m using Grace to avoid damage.

Michelle: Jason, the kerosene is your defense. Both of your defensive ac-tions will go against the vampire’s rattlesnake attack. The vampire’s defense goes against your attack, Krista, and since Jason’s trying to help you, we’ll resolve his action first.

Jason: I’m using Wits 4 plus Mentor 2, and I’ve got 3 action tokens here. That’s 9. What’s that up against?

Michelle: The vampire didn’t defend against you shouting plans, so just passive Wits. That’s 3, so you beat him by 6. lucy gets a +2.

Jason: I shout at lucy, “Knock him into the fire!” Then I set the kerosene off before the snakes can reach us.

Michelle: let’s resolve the fire vs. snakes next. he’s got Will 4 plus Vampire 4, along with 4 action tokens. That’s 12 on the attacking snakes.

Jason: I had Grace 2, Supernatural Investigator 4, and 3 action tokens. That’s 9. he beat me by 3.

Michelle: you grab the kerosene and pour it on the floor, then drop your lighter on it. It goes up with a whoosh, but by the time you got it down, the snakes had already surrounded you and lucy. one strikes your leg, you will take a serious wound from that. Krista, what was your defense?

Krista: I had Grace 3 plus Government Agent 2 and just one action to-ken. That’s 6.

Michelle: oh my. he beats you by six, that’s serious. you are going to be bitten multiple times. I’m gonna rule you maimed.

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Krista: That means I permanently lose a point from one of my faculties, right?

Michelle: yep.

Krista: let’s see if I can do anything to him. My tackle is force 2, Government Agent 2, and 4 action tokens. That’s 8, plus 2 from eckhardt’s help. 10.

Michelle: his defense is Grace 3, Pistolero 4, and 2 action tokens. That’s 9. you beat him by 1.

Krista: I’m going to take the hit, and I want to bump up what I do to him. I’m spending two power tokens to beat him by 3 and do a serious injury. I leap at him and knock him in the fire, at least partially.

Michelle: oK, you do. Which faculty are you reducing?

Krista: Grace. It’s now a 2.

Michelle: Well, everyone has been harmed, fairly seriously. The vampire is on fire, eckhardt is beating off snakes, and lucy is wrestling with the vampire next to the blazing kerosene. Still, no one has achieved their goal. We go another round.

Jason: We need to work together to take this guy down.

Krista: We’d better both try to hurt him.

Michelle: oK, everyone allocate actions.

Jason decides to use his Wits for quick thinking along with Supernatural Investigator and pour some more kerosene directly on the vampire. He puts four action tokens behind that, and adds his passion Fear 2: ‘Lucy will get killed.’ He’s down two tokens from his pool, so he’s only got one left. He decides to go all in and use that one for defense, Grace and Government Agent to dodge any attack.

Krista is also looking to deal out some serious damage. Wits is her highest score now, so she uses that plus Government Agent to trick the vampire into rolling into the fire as they grapple. She puts four action tokens behind that. She also

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wants to defend herself, and will use Grace plus Government Agent to avoid a physical attack. She puts one action token there.

Michelle knows that the pair of them can probably overpower the vampire, so she decides to lay out some serious hurt. She goes with Grace and Pistolero to have the vampire shoot Lucy, and puts four action tokens there. She also uses Will and Vampire to resist the damage, with one action token, making the vampire all-in since he is down two tokens.

Michelle: Ready?

Jason: let’s do it.

Michelle: oK, the vampire is trying to plug lucy. That’s the Grace ac-tion. he’s using his Will to power through the pain for defense.

Krista: lucy is grappling with the vampire, and is going to trick him into thinking he’s got the upper hand, then roll him into the fire. That’s Wits. She’s using Grace here to avoid the gunshot.

Jason: eckhardt is thinking quickly, that’s Wits, and pouring more kero-sene directly on the vampire. he’s using Grace to defend, but it looks like he doesn’t need it.

Michelle: yeah, the vampire is no longer controlling the snakes, so they are trying to flee the fire. looks like the vampire’s attack goes against lucy’s defense, and both of your attacks go against the vampire’s defense. Simple! let’s resolve the vampire’s assault first. he’s got Grace 3 and Pistolero 4 plus 4 action tokens. That’s 11.

Krista: dang. I’ve got Grace 2 plus Government Agent 2 and one action token. That’s only 5.

Michelle: Well, he is trying to kill you. he’s got you beat by 6, that’s enough.

Krista: We aren’t planning on having another session, so I’m cool with it. This is a nice way to go out.

Jason: oh, man. This is going to mess eckhardt up. he’s using his passion fear of lucy getting killed.

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Krista: Aww.

Michelle: let’s resolve eckhardt, then. The vampire’s defense is Will 4 plus Vampire 4 plus one token, that’s 9.

Jason: he’s tough. I’ve got Wits 4, Supernatural Investigator 4, and 4 action tokens. My passion is rank 2, so that’s 14.

Michelle: That beats him by 5, that’s enough for the kill. Krista, you still want to resolve?

Krista: yeah, I want to see if I was able to do anything to him before I got plugged. I had Wits 4, plus Government Agent 2, and 4 action tokens. That’s 10.

Michelle: Against his 9, so you do succeed, but it’s just a light wound. lucy is rolling around with the vampire, and she manages to roll him into the fire but it just singes him through his coat. he pulls out his Peacemaker and shoves up against lucy’s chest. eckhardt, seeing that, desperately hurls kerosene down on the vampire. he bursts into flame, but a shot rings out at the same time and lucy falls back limp.

Jason: No! I drag her out of the fire and put it out.

Michelle: The vampire continues to incinerate, shrieking and writhing behind you. It’s too late. lucy is dead.

A Huge Complicated Multiple Round Free-for-All between Six CharactersAll right, now let’s stick this all in a blender and hit “frappé.” This is a multi-round conflict involving six different characters, all with their own goals in the conflict. This is by far the most difficult type of conflict to run in Mortal Coil, but it will probably happen at some point.

In this scene, Norin’s gang and Pele and her fellow gods have a final show-down. All four players are involved: Kat with Pele, eric with loki, Russell with Pluto, and Michael with Sedna. Bill is portraying Norin and his gang of dwarfs. Bill has decided that the gang will be treated like a single character.

Bill: Norin stands by the door, his arms crossed, and does he look pissed.

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Kat: That’s it. I’m taking him down.

Bill: As you approach, from the shadows, under the tables, and through the door, a huge stream of dwarfs appears, all standing behind Norin and muttering threateningly. Norin shrieks, “I’ve had it with all of you! Take em down, boys. And we’ll do for this crappy bar, too.” looks like you all have to defend yourselves. Norin’s goal is to destroy the bar, and his boys’ goal is to back Norin up.

Kat: I’m gonna kill Norin.

Russell: I’m going to make sure Pele doesn’t kill Norin.

Michael: I’m defending the bar. I want to throw all these dwarfs out of it.

Eric: I’m not keen on the bar getting destroyed. I’ll be helping Sedna throw the dwarfs out.

Bill: Sounds good. let’s allocate a first round of actions. everyone can treat Norin’s gang of dwarfs like a single character.

Kat thinks a quick direct assault is the best strategy. She knows Pluto is working against her, but also decides to rely on Michael and Eric to keep the other dwarfs off her back. She allocates five action tokens to Force and Ruthless Brawler to leap on Norin, and three tokens to Will and Ruthless Brawler to shrug off any blows that land on her.

Russell knows that Pele is a really tough fighter, so he decides to do something besides physical conflict to help Norin. He is going to use his God of the Underworld to summon up spirits of the dead to block Pele from reaching Norin. He uses his Will along with six action tokens for this. He’s not so wor-ried about attack, but he does allocate one action token in Grace to avoid any physical harm.

Michael doesn’t really care about the Pele/Norin conflict, he just wants to stop the dwarfs from wrecking the bar. He decides to take a barstool and start laying into them, he uses Force and Truck Driver for that. For defense, he plans to power through and uses Will and Truck Driver again. He puts four action tokens in the first action and three in the second.

Eric decides to use his Wits and Trickster God to neutralize the gang of dwarfs. His action is to trick them into thinking he’s on their side, and then lead them

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out the back door and lock them out. He thinks he might get hit, so he uses Grace and Barroom Brawler to avoid that. He allocates one token to defense, and six more to the trick.

Bill has to try to anticipate and defend against actions from all four players, so he’s got his work cut out for him. For Norin, he plans on using Wits plus Leader to direct his dwarfs to the areas of the bar most vulnerable to attack. He plans to collapse the whole place this way. To defend himself, he is going to use Will plus Mean Little Cuss to block physical attacks. He allocates three tokens to the attack on the bar, and four to defending himself.

For the dwarfs, Bill decides they will defend themselves as well, using Will plus Tough Guys and two action tokens. They will also try to help Norin tear down the bar, using Craftsman and Force. He puts four action tokens toward this.

Bill: Are we all ready?

All: Ready.

Bill: oK, let’s reveal. let’s go over all the actions, I’ve got a lot to coordinate here. I’ll start with Kat.

Kat: My force action here is to leap on Norin, and I’m using Will to resist damage.

Russell: I’m next, I guess. This Will action token is to summon up spirits of the dead to block Pele. I’ve got Grace in case I’m attacked.

Michael: I’m just laying into the dwarfs here with force. I’m using Will to shrug off their blows.

Eric: I’m taking another route. I’m using Wits to trick the dwarfs into leaving the bar by the back door, and then I’ll lock them out. Grace is in case someone attacks me.

Bill: Interesting. This is Norin, here. he’s using Wits to direct his dwarfs in bar destruction. he’s also using Will for defense. The dwarfs, here, are using Will for physical defense, and force to destroy the bar. Since the dwarfs aren’t directly attacking any person, I don’t have to worry about any of your defenses. let’s match some actions though.

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Bill: Russell, your action will block Pele, so that’s first. It’s going up against her attack action. If you aren’t blocked, Kat, your attack will match to Norin’s defense. Michael, your attack goes against the dwarf ’s defense. eric, I’m actually treating your action as a counter to Norin’s directions. The dwarfs can be considered to be helping Norin, so if they can succeed, he gets a +2 on bar destruction. let’s start with Russell and Kat.

Russell: Well, I’ve got a Will of 5, God of the Underworld at 5, and 6 action tokens here. That’s 16. I’m spending a magic token to activate God of the Underworld, and we already established I can summon spirits of the dead earlier, so long as I am not under the open sky. The bar definitely counts.

Kat: I’m using force 5, Ruthless Brawler 4, and 5 action tokens on this one. I think Ruthless Brawler is more specific to this situation than God of the Underworld, though.

Bill: I agree. That’s +2 for you.

Kat: With the +2, my total is 16.

Bill: Tied! Well, that means you both get a partial success. I’m going to say that means that Pluto can’t quite stop you, but the spirits rising up get in your way in hinder your attack. you still get to make one, though. Norin just gets a +2 on his defense.

Kat: Sounds fair.

Russell: Sorry, Norin.

Bill: let’s get this smackdown out of the way next. your Ruthless Brawler aptitude is more specific than Mean little Cuss, which is what Norin’s us-ing to defend, so we’ll keep your total at 16. his Will is 4, Mean little Cuss is 3, and he put 4 tokens in there. he also gets that +2 from Pluto’s help. That 13. you beat him by 3, a bad result for him. That’s a serious wound.

Kat: yes!

Bill: Not so fast. This is the final encounter of the night, so I don’t think it’s over that quickly. I’ve got some power tokens left here. I’m going to drop 4 on Norin. That puts him up at 17, so he can avoid your blow.

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Kat: oh, I’ll get him next round.

Bill: yeah, he won’t be able to avoid you forever. oK, now for the other dwarfs! eric, your trickery is directly opposing Norin’s leadership. If you win in this contest, I don’t think they will even get to the part where they start tearing down the bar. let’s resolve that.

Eric: Cool. I’m using Wits, a 5, plus Trickster God, also 5, and I threw in 6 tokens. That’s 16.

Bill: damn. Norin’s got a Wits of 5, leader at 4, and he’s using 3 tokens. That’s just 12. you get a complete success. Sorry, Michael, your attacks are basically moot.

Eric: he can still crack some heads as I’m leading them out, right?

Bill: Sure. We’ll resolve that in a sec. The dwarfs’ action was support for Norin, so they won’t get that action.

Michael: I had force of 4, plus Truck driver 4, and 4 action tokens. That’s 12.

Bill: The dwarfs had a defense of Will, 4, plus Tough Guys, 4, and 2 tokens. They are at 10. you’ll get a few on the way out, and then loki’s trick takes care of the rest. That will leave Norin all alone for the next action.

Eric: Cool. As Norin starts to give the dwarfs directions, I pretend I’m on his side. I’ll shout, “C’mon! I know where the main supports are! follow me!” and rush to the back door. As they crowd out the door, I’ll slam and lock it behind them.

Michael: A couple take their picks to the bar as they go, and I smash them down with a barstool.

Bill: Meanwhile, Pele claws her way through the dead spirits toward Norin. his eyes grow wide with fear as she approaches far more rapidly than he’s comfortable with, and he gets distracted from loki’s trickery. She grabs his shirt, and seems about to pound him into the ground like a railroad spike when he stumbles over a fallen chair as he backpedals. his shirt rips and falls to the ground. Pele’s fist pounds into the fallen chair, and it shatters into splinters, and her fist continues, driving a good four inches through the wooden floor. Next round!

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Michael and Eric both decide to sit out the rest of the fight. They both already got what they wanted.

Russell knows Norin is doomed without his help, so he decides to get Norin out of here entirely. He’s going to create a new power for the God of the Underworld to open a crack in the earth and swallow Norin up. He uses his Will plus God of the Underworld for this, and drops a full seven action tokens in this.

Kat wants to finish Norin. She uses Ruthless Brawler for both actions, and uses Will for defense and Force to attack. She goes all-in, allocating six to the attack and two for defense.

Norin’s dwarf gang is out of the picture, so Bill doesn’t make any actions for them. Norin knows he’s in serious trouble, so he goes all-in as well. He’s using Mean Little Cuss for combat, and he’ll attack by biting her knee, using Force, and he’ll use Will to defend. He puts four tokens in each action.

Bill: Are we ready?

Kat: yep. I’m all-in, using force to cream this guy, and Will to defend against attacks.

Michael: I’m not taking any actions this round. I got what I wanted.

Eric: Me, too.

Russell: I’m creating a new fact. Gods of the Underworld can open cracks in the earth and swallow people up. I’m going to swallow up Norin, so Pele can’t kill him. That’s my only action.

Bill: Cool. The price on this ability is that you don’t know where the person comes back out, nor can you control it.

Russell: Sounds fair.

Bill: oK, last is Norin. he’s going on the offensive, and he’s going all-in too. he’s using force to bite Pele, and Will to defend. I think Russell’s ac-tion needs to be resolved first, though. If he’s successful, Norin’s out of the conflict and Pele can’t reach him. I think this is going up against Pele’s hit. If you can beat that, you get the earth to swallow Norin before her blow lands. otherwise, it will happen after.

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Kat: Pele has a force of 5, Ruthless Brawler at 4, and 6 tokens. That’s 15.

Russell: I’m using Will, 5, plus God of the Underworld, 5, and 7 action tokens. That’s 16.

Bill: you beat her by 1. That’s barely a success, but it’s still a success. Pele draws back her fist for another massive blow, while Norin snarls and leaps at her. As she swings down, a fissure opens in the earth and Norin gets drops in, looking very surprised. The crack snaps shut again, just as Pele’s massive blow slams into the ground. The whole building shakes.

Kat: Pele stands up, her fist glowing red and and smoking like it’s on fire. She turns toward Pluto, rage written all over her face. She starts toward him, lifting her fist against him this time.

Russell: Uh-oh. Pluto backs up, raising his arms to calm her. “hang on a minute, Pele.”

Bill: That sounds like a new conflict.

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Appendix III: Sample Characters

appendix IIIhere are all of the characters used in the examples above with all of their faculties, aptitudes, and passions defined. Some of the supporting charac-ters aren’t fully fleshed out, because their passions never came up in play and were thus never defined.

Eckhardt: Jason’s character.

force: 1

Grace: 2

Will: 4

Wits: 4

duty: I have to keep people safe. – 1

fear: lucy will get killed. – 2

hate: Those damn bureaucrats. - 2

Supernatural Investigator: 4

Government Agent: 2

Mentor: 2

Cynic: 2

Action Pool: 7

Passion Pool: 3

Lucy: Krista’s character.

force: 2

Grace: 3

Will: 2

Wits: 3

fear: eckhardt will think I’m not up to the task. – 2

duty: We’re the only thing between citizens and the dark. – 3

Government Agent: 2

Investigator: 3

Bureaucrat: 2

Action Pool: 6

Passion Pool: 2

force: 3

Grace: 3

Will: 4

Wits: 3

Vampire: 4

Pistolero: 4

horseman: 2

Action Pool: 7

Vampire: one of Michelle’s supporting characters.

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Sample characters

force: 4

Grace: 2

Will: 2

Wits: 1

hate: Cops. – 2

Gunman: 4

Cold-eyed Killer: 4

Unspecified Aptitude: 1

Action Pool: 7

Pele: Kat’s character.

force: 5

Grace: 3

Will: 5

Wits: 2

love: I’m secretly crushing on Pluto. – 2

love: I like to lose control. – 1

hate: Norin aways ruins everything. - 2

Volcano Goddess: 5

Barfly: 2

Ruthless Brawler: 4

dancer: 4

Action Pool: 8

Passion Pool: 3

Loki: eric’s character.

force: 4

Grace: 4

Will: 2

Wits: 5

love: I can’t help making trouble. – 3

fear: I’m not the best trickster. – 1

hate: Norin is a worthless jerk. - 1

Trickster God: 5

Stubborn Cuss: 3

Shape Shifter: 3

fool: 3

Barroom Brawler: 1

Action Pool: 8

Passion Pool: 3

Gunman: Another one of Michelle’s supporting characters.

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Pluto: Russell’s character.

force: 2

Grace: 3

Will: 5

Wits: 5

love: I still love Proserpine. – 3

hate: My brother for his success. – 2

Scam Artist: 5

God of the Underworld: 5

Bookie: 3

lover: 2

Action Pool: 8

Passion Pool: 2

Sedna: Michael’s character.

force: 4

Grace: 3

Will: 5

Wits: 3

hate: I feel like I want to kill liars. – 2

duty: This bar needs to always be here. – 2

love: All of my children. - 1

Truck driver: 4

Sea Goddess: 5

Cruel-hearted Bitch: 4

Mother: 2

Action Pool: 8

Passion Pool: 3

Norin: Bill’s supporting character.

force: 4

Grace: 2

Will: 4

Wits: 5

hate: Those hoity-toity gods. – 3

duty: I’ve got to help my own people. – 2

leader: 4

Craftsman: 4

Mean little Cuss: 3

Slick Salesman: 4

Action Pool: 8

Passion Pool: 2

force: 4

Grace: 4

Will: 4

Wits: 3

Tough Guys: 4

Craftsman: 4

Grouch: 2

Action Pool: 7

Norin’s Boys: A gang of supporting characters.

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INDEX

IndexTerms in this index are listed both conceptually and alphabetically to maxi-mize its usefulness to the reader. If you are looking for a specific term, it will be listed alphabetically. eliminate or reverse adjectives, verbs, and adverbs from terminology when searching. for instance, to find “Basic Actions,” you will look under “Actions, Basic.” for “Choosing Actions,” you will look under, “Actions, Choosing.”

If you are unsure of the terminology you’re looking for, check under these major conceptual headings: Abilities, Actions, Aptitudes, Character Building, Conflict, facts, faculties, Goals, GM, harm, Items, Passions, Story Building, or Tokens. The concepts for Magic and Power are bound up with the use of Tokens, and so are covered mostly in the Tokens category.

Abilities, Starting – 30-33 definition – 30-31 levels – 31 and Supernatural Aptitudes – see APTITUdeS, SUPeRNATURAl see also ITeMS, SUPeRNATURAlActions – 67-78 Basic – 67 definition – 67 defensive – 67, 71 desperate Reactions – 87 Choosing – 68 and facts – see fACTS, and ACTIoNS failure – 85-86 see also, hARM GM and – see MATChING IN CoNflICT and Goals – see GoAlS helping – 74 and Item effects – 84 offensive – 67, 71 opposed – 76, 78, 85, 98, 131-132 outside of Conflict – 77, 97 Actions outside of Conflict difficulty Table – 77 and Passions – 77 Pool – see ToKeNS, ACTIoN, Pool

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Matching in Conflict – 75-77, 98, 136 see also ACTIoNS, oPPoSed Multiple opponents – 67, 71 Number of actions in conflict – 69 Reallocating – see deSPeRATe ReACTIoNS Resolving – 85-86, 131-132 See also ACTIoNS, MATChING IN CoNflICT See also ACTIoNS, oPPoSed Reveal – 74-75 Success – 67, 85-86 Tokens – see ToKeNSAgeless – 31, 43Ancient – 31, 43Aptitudes – 33-38 Bonuses – 35, 76, 78 Changing – 105, 110 defined – 33-34, 35-36 levels – 35 limits – 34, 36, 44 Number of uses – 69 Points, Maximum – 105 Starting – 31, 34, 36, 43, 44 Specific vs. General – 35, 76, 78 Starting Aptitudes – 31, 36, 43 Supernatural – 37, 52-53Bonuses – 35, 55, 59, 76, 78, 84, 98-99 with Aptitudes – 35, 76, 78 with facts, Magical – 55, 59Character Building – 21, 25, 41-45 Player Characters, Aptitudes – 33-38 Concept – 25 faculties – 32-33 Passions – 26-30, 115 Pools – 38-40 Starting Abilities – 30-32 Supporting characters – 41-42 and Actions – see GoAlS and Action pool – 41 and faculties – 42

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and Passions – 41-42, 45, 130 and Power – 135 Villains – 21, 23 Conflict, Actions in – 67-78, 97 see also ACTIoNS Aptitudes in – 35-36, 69, 75-76, 85, 98 Bonuses – 55, 59, 76, 84, 98-99 definition – 62 ending – 65 faculties in – 75, 98, 119-121 GM’s role – 11, 130-132, 136 See also ACTIoNS, MATChING IN CoNflICT Goals in – 63-66, 68, 97, 118, 121 Independent – 64, 97 opposed – 64, 97 In multisided conflict – 66 Role in ending conflict – 65, 97 Side Bets (Secondary Goals) – 118 helping in – 74, 98 Passions in – 78-84, 99 Penalties – 55, 59 Reveal – see ACTIoNS, ReVeAl Rounds, ending – 65, 97 Number of Actions – 65, 69, 98 Timing – 67, 97 and Rule effects (for Magical facts) – 54 and Supporting Characters – see GoAlS Techniques in – 118-121 Desperate Reactions – 87, 100Duty – 27, 43Facts – 51, 53-55, 59, 106-107, 116-117 and Actions – 55, 59 as a Bonus – 55, 59 Creating – 116-117 Changing – 117 as Conflict Triggers – 54, 59 Magical – 51, 59 Price – 53, 59 Rules – 54-55, 59 see also ToKeNS, MAGICAl

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Non-Magical – 106-107, 122, 135 See also ToKeNS, PoWeR and Passions – 55 as a Penalty – 55, 59 and Supernatural Aptitudes – 37 and Theme document – 51, 59, 127Faculties – 32-33, 44 and Actions – see ACTIoNS, BASIC and Action tokens – 62, 69, 98 see also ToKeNS, ACTIoN Changing – 105, 110 and Conflict – see CoNflICT, fACUlTIeS IN defined – 32, 44 levels – 33 limits – 32, 44 Points, Maximum – 34, 44, 105, 110 Starting – 31-33, 43 and Supporting Characters – 42 Types – 32, 44Failure – 85-86, 100 see also ACTIoNS see also hARM, effeCTS deSCRIPTIoNSFatigue – 93, 101 All In – 93, 101Fear – 27, 43Force – 32, 44, 120Goals, defined – 63, 97 Actions, relationship with – 63, 68, 97 and Actions of Supporting Characters – 130-131, 136 in Conflict – see CoNflICT, GoAlS IN Independent – 64-65, 97 opposed – 64-65, 97 Setting Goals – 63GM – 7, 11 and Actions – 69, 71, 75-77, 85, 98 and Aptitudes – 36 and Conflict – see CoNflICT and facts, Magical – 51, 134, 137 Price – 53

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and Goals – 63, 130-131, 136 harm – 89, 96 Passions, using – 80, 126-127, 129, 136 Scene Setting – see SCeNeS and Starting Abilities – 30 Story Building – see SToRy BUIldING Supporting Characters – see ChARACTeR BUIldING Threshold of Credibility – 8 Tokens – see ToKeNSGrace – 32, 44, 120Harm – 89-94, 101 Changing a Character – 105, 110 effects descriptions – 90-93, 101Hate – 27-28, 43High Magic, Multi-session game – 19, 23, 58-59 Single session game – 18, 23, 58-59Items, effects – 84-85, 99 New – 107 Non-Magical – 84 Supernatural – 56, 59Love – 28, 43Low Magic, Multi-session game – 19, 23, 58-59 Single session game – 18, 23, 58-59Magic, Pool – see ToKeNS, MAGIC, Pool Tokens – see ToKeNS, MAGICMagic Level – 18-19, 23, 40, 44Moderate Level, Multi-session game – 19, 23, 58-59 Single session game – 18, 23, 58-59Novice – 31, 43Passions – 26-30, 43, 78-84, 99, 115 and Actions – see ACTIoNS, oUTSIde of CoNflICT ANd PASSIoNS Calling on – 78-80, 99 Changing – 81-83, 99, 119 As a goal – 119, 122 Through conflict – 82-83, 99 Character – 28-29, 42-43, 42, 115, 122 and Conflict – see CoNflICT, PASSIoNS IN

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Conflicting – 116 definition – 26-28, 43 and facts – 55 GM and – see GM levels – 28-29, 43 Points – 31, 43 Maximum – 81, 83 Starting – 28-29, 31, 43 Pool – see ToKeNS, PASSIoN, Pool Recovering – see ToKeNS, PASSIoN, ReCoVeRING Starting – 28-29, 42-43 and Story Building – see SToRy BUIldING, ANd PASSIoNS Types – 27-28, 43Penalties – 55, 59Pools, Action – 38, 44 Magic – 40, 44 Passion – 38, 44 Power – 39, 44Power, Points – 31, 43 Pool – see ToKeNS, PoWeR, Pool Tokens – see ToKeNS, PoWeRReveal – 74-75, 98Scenes, Characters, bringing them into – 107, 111 GM – 128-129, 136 Setting a (Players) – 108, 111Setting (of the game) – 15-16, 22 see also TheMe doCUMeNTSide Bets – 118, 122Situation – 19-21, 23Story Building, GM’s Role – 7, 126-130, 136 Magic level – 18-19, 40 for multi-session games – 19 for single-session games – 18 and Passions – 116, 126-127, 129 Players – 113-115 Theme document – 13-23 Threshold of Credibility – 8-9, 11 and Tokens – 113-114

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Tone – 14, 22 Scenes – 108, 111 Setting – 15-16, 22 Situation – 19-21, 23Success – 67, 85-86, 100Supernatural, The – 16-18, 22Supporting Characters – 41-42, 45Theme Document – 13-23 definition – 13, 22 and facts – 127Threshold of Credibility – 8-9, 11Tokens – 9-11 Action, desperate Reactions – 87 extra (extra effort) – 71-73 Pool – 38, 44 Use (Committing/Spending/Sacrificing) – 10-11, 68-71, 74-75, 77, 97-98 All In – 93, 101 Reallocating – see deSPeRATe ReACTIoNS Recovering spent – 95-96, 101 Committing – 10-11 definition – 9 Passion, Pool – 38, 44 Recovering spent – 83, 99 Use (Committing/Sacrificing/Spending) – 10-11, 75, 78-81, 99 Power, Awards/earning (Players) – 109, 111 GM’s – 39, 45, 108, 111, 135, 137 Pool – 39, 44 Player’s Starting Pool – 31, 39, 43 Session Pool – 109, 111 Using (Committing/Sacrificing/Spending) – 10-11, 103-108, 110-111, 117, 135, 137 Price – see ToKeNS, MAGIC, PRICe Magic – 10, 18-19, 23, 47-50, 59, 134, 137 defined – 47 earning (Players) – 58-59, 106, 109, 111 GM’s – 18-19, 23, 40, 45, 51, 58-59, 106, 111, 135, 137 Pool – 40, 44 Price – 53-54, 59 defining Abilities, Attributes, & facts – 37, 116-117, 134, 137

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Recovering spent – 57, 59 Rule effects – 54-55, 59 Use (Committing/Sacrificing/Spending) – 10-11, 47-50, 59, 116-117, 134, 137 see also fACTS, MAGICAl see also APTITUdeS, SUPeRNATURAl Sacrificing – 10-11 Spending – 10-11Tone – 14, 22Veteran – 31, 43Villains – 21, 23Will – 32, 44, 120Wits – 32, 44, 121