Game Mastering UNFINISHED

Skill Rolls

The Crossroads System is designed so that most of the rolling is done by the Players, but that the GM can roll if they want to.

When players make Skill Rolls, there are a number of outcomes. At first it may seem daunting to new GMs, so below is a table below of example outcomes that might make it much easier to begin, helping you to keep the action moving before you are fully able to improvise on the go.

Results can be summarised as follows:

Success	Value	Name	Description
(2)		Great Success	Action Success, with additional benefit.
(1)		Success	Action Success
(0)		Partial success	Action Success, but with a complication
(0)		Compensating failure	Action Failure, but with a benefit.
(−1)		Failure	Action Failure, and possibly an additional complication.

Player Choice

Players should usually be given choices if possible.

When a player scores a 0 on a Skill Roll, they are given a choice between Partial Success and Compensating Failure.

When given a benefit or drawback from a Skill Roll, players can also be given a choice.

Example:

• A character attempts an attack and the Result is 0.
• They may choose between Partial Success and Compensating Failure
• Partial Success - Pick one:
• The attack succeeds but only partially and gains d1 on damage.
• The attack succeeds but the attacker has left themselves open and gains d1 on their Avoidance Rolls next turn.
• Compensating Failure - Pick one:
• The attack fails but the opponent has been left exposed and will have d1 on Avoidance Rolls until their next turn.
• The attack fails but the attacker notices a weakness and will gain a1 on their attacks next turn.

Something always happens

Even on a failure, something always happens. Characters should rarely try something only to get a "nothing happens" result. If this does happen and the action simply causes nothing to happen, have something else trigger. A new threat appears or escalates.

If a certain action has assured success or failure, there is no need to make a Skill Roll.

Simple Example:

• A character attempts to pick a lock:

0		Partial Success	The character picks the lock but their tools break.
0		Compensating failure	The character fails to pick the lock but they notice a nearby window.
−1		Failure	The character fails to pick the lock and their tools break.

Additional Example:

• A character attempts to climb into a guarded house:

0		Partial Success	The character climbs the wall but the noise alerts a guard.
0		Compensating Failure	The character fails to climb the wall but they overhear important information.
−1		Failure	The character fails to climb the wall and the alarm is raised.

For more specific results, see the Tables Section.

Entangled by Fate

Upon entering a Settlement

Balance of Fate

Gain Fate die when the players use Fate Die

• GM Actions:
• Force a reroll
• Force disadvantage (Complication)
• Add a Threat
• etc

Building Encounters

While Encounters should typically be built according to the story, some example Encounters can be found on the Encounter Examples Page. This may be useful for gauging the difficulty of certain encounters and deciding what enemies might be faced.

Random Encounters (change pic?)

Roll 2d6, during the day choose the lower and during the night choose the higher.

Roll	Encounter	Day %	Night %
1	NPC	30	3
2	NPC	25	8
3	Event	20	14
4	Threat 1	14	20
5	Threat 1	8	25
6	Threat 2	3	30
7	Threat 2	-	-
8	Threat 3	-	-
9+	Threat 4	-	-

Regions:

• City
• Town
• Farm
• Road
• Path
• Forest
• River
• Mountain
• Coast
• Swamp
• Cave

Mountain

Examples of Play???

While Encounters should typically be built according to the story, some example Encounters can be found on the Encounter Examples Page. This may be useful for gauging the difficulty of certain encounters and deciding what enemies might be faced.

Also Character Examples Page. This may be useful for understanding how character creation works.