Firstly, it’s worth reading A Discovery of Tradecraft if you haven’t done so already. The article deals with Tradecraft in general, but it angles toward its value for plugging the gaps in Abilities.

What is a Mark?

I recommend thinking of a Mark as plot armour or steps toward finding a means to defeat an enemy or obstacle (in the example from A Discovery of Tradecraft, Gallowglass is not strictly an enemy, but while he distrusted Matthew for consorting with a witch, he wasn’t going to be any help).

It often happens in books or TV that a series has an enemy that appears and faces off against the good guys but isn’t defeated in one encounter. Imagine a series where a vampire is the enemy.

You need to:

• Rob the creature of the earth from its resting place [Magic],
• Discover the cult protecting the creature [Access], and
• Have possession of a special mirror to reveal it isn’t human [Kit].

You need to have all of these things sorted BEFORE you can fight and destroy it, and each Mark is bought by expending that type of Tradecraft.

Wrong Again

A common question is what happens if you start a mission, but make the wrong choice of Tradecraft. And how do you know what the right one is, anyway?

Well, that all becomes part of the investigation/adventure, as the Agents uncover the vulnerability, assistance, and/or means of identification to handle a threat. These don’t all come at once.

Effectively, realising that the vampire might have a vulnerability, as explained above, means that for Session Two, the group chooses Magic and then depletes the Mark to acquire the specific knowledge during the course of play.

What about session one? What happens when you don’t understand the true nature of the threat?

Well, most of the time, you have to assess the proposition and hope you choose well. But, you cannot be certain that you will choose the perfect Mark. It’s the responsibility of the Game Moderator to play the part of the “handler” for the briefing — whether that’s Mister Garland, a minion of Walsingham’s secret service, or somebody else — offering what foresight they can in explaining the mission. There’s no imperative to state you’re up against a vampire. Or, maybe the signs point to a vampire-like creature, but the truth of it is that a Zmaj Vuk lurks behind the scenes.

A Plan of Action

But, for the moment, assume that it is a vampire, Session One might just turn up a plan of action without real progress being made toward defeating the creature. If you choose Kit for Session Two, you might acquire the mirror. Access? You work out what cult is assisting the vampire, and find a way to neutralize their involvement.

In the end, it will take four adventures to resolve the story, but you might have other adventures in between. Imagine that this is like TV, and there are eight episodes, perhaps, but only four of them feature the vampire. The rest might reference it, but it doesn’t make an appearance.

That said, even if the vampire doesn’t make an appearance, you can still strike off the Marks if the events in those adventures allow. It’s a narrative flow that both the table and the GM should support. It’s meant to be a way to battle an enemy that cannot be laid low by force alone but by the clever accrual of items and knowledge defined as a mechanic within the game.

In a session, a player can use all kinds of personal resources generated at the genesis of their character. A simple thing like coming from the same town as someone, for example, can sway a decision or a reaction. If the character possesses a Swiss Dagger, they will have different options than someone with an Astrological Compendium.

Abilities are selected after you roll on the tables to determine your Occupation, Association and Focus. Those three rolls provide a list of eight possible Abilities, from which you can choose three.

Those three Abilities provide you with more depth to understanding your character, shape their presence within the setting, and provide a loosely defined skill set. It’s the skill set that’s worth considering, as both a player and a Game Moderator (GM).

Know What You’re Doing

When you have an Ability, a situation might seem to present a challenge to someone without any expertise but be simple for you.

For example, if you possess Infiltration and plan to enter a location without being noticed, both player and GM alike might argue that no challenge exists. You have the expertise to know how to act, dress and carry yourself – it’s there in your Abilities.

Without that Ability, the GM might set a Challenge to determine whether you fit in or stand out like an intruder.

Here, your selection of an Ability is rewarded by setting you apart from everyone else. Your character’s Abilities allow them to shine in situations where others will face a struggle.

Experience Makes You Grow

When you have an Ability and a situation presents a Challenge that could be open to anyone but on which you have an edge, then an Ability can offer a Step Up – or, possibly, prevent a Step Down.

If you and a colleague both search for a secret door but you have Observant, the GM will call for an Intellectual Challenge from both players, but offer you a Step Up.

Why might a GM take the opposite route of protecting you from a Step Down?

Perhaps the characters find themselves in a situation where they have to show present a display of skill and failure is more likely to show them for fools. Maybe in a grand party, the group dance calls for the precision of movement and poise – so, the GM asks for everyone to make a Physical Challenge Stepped Down, except the character with Dance who can make an unmodified roll.

Knowledge Opens Doors

A final situation might arise where possession of an Ability is essential to have a chance of achieving anything at all.

For example, scouring an alchemists library in search of a specific occult text on an obscure subject might only be possible if you possess Occult Lore. There are hundreds of books and you have limited time to search before discovery, so Occult Lore is like a passport to even entering the Challenge. There’s no Step Up because the Ability makes it possible, not easier.

The same might apply to professional skills or sciences, like Dentistry or Anatomy. Without the Ability, the GM might be loathe to allow a Challenge at all – or, they might Call to Fail. stating that if you progress with the attempt you will inflict damage on the subject and likely achieve nothing advantage, like soaking up blood rather than staunching the flow.

Considering Abilities

So, in summary:

• Possession of an Ability might allow you to do something without a Challenge, whereas others would roll
• Having an Ability may give you the edge, and a Step Up, or make you less likely to do something catastrophic, and offset a Step Down
• Sometimes an Ability is like having an invitation to participate; without it, you don’t get to roll at all, but with it you face a Challenge without any advantage

On the Discord, Guybrush asked:

Could someone please confirm whether or not someone can receive multiple step-ups or step-downs if multiple circumstances are given? e.g., d4 could be stepped up twice to a d8.

Now, as it happens, a part of this answer ties into the excellent four-part Dee Sanction Actual Play posted by Alun Rees, so stick with me!

The GM may increase or ease a Challenge’s difficulty because of environment, preparation, or enemy potency. But, broadly speaking, that step change — whether Advantage or Disadvantage — relates to one of each thing.

For example, if an Agent has fine tools and spent a week planning, that’s preparation – the GM can give one step up. It’s dark and stormy – so, the GM can give one step down from the environment. Prep and assistance – well, in that instance, maybe two steps up.

However, the GM should consider whether, if there are two steps up, is it worth rolling? Are they sufficiently prepared that it would be too easy to warrant a challenge?

The same goes for bad stuff. Lose all your die to steps down—it means a Call to Fail. But, maybe, that amount of Disadvantage should make the task impossible.

The bit that nudged me from watching the Actual Plays was this — Abilities DO NOT usually add Steps. The possession of Abilities makes things possible — which is why an Agent has a few, and generally, none will duplicate across a team.

The section of the Core Rules on page 22 — Step-Up and Step-Down — provides notes about the sources of advantages and disadvantages (as above, including prep, environment, and potency of a foe) and highlights that without an Ability, the GM can judge a task impossible.

The dice mechanic of the game already makes Agents capable — on a D6, they have a 66% chance of success.

A Challenge to fake a document for someone with Intellectuall D6 and Counterfeit does not roll a D8; it rolls a D6. Without Counterfeit, it wouldn’t be possible; or, perhaps, the GM might allow it with a Step-Down or make it a Call to Fail and leave the player to decide whether to risk success at the cost of certain peril, or accept outright failure.

That last option isn’t called out in the book, but a GM has the right to consider it. An impossible thing might be achieved at some considerable cost — generally more than just a Hit; something tangible that escalates the threat would be far preferable. In that instance, the GM offers a Call to Fail, outlines the nature of the peril and allows the player — and probably the Table — to make or deny that Call.

A ‘Mare Scenario

Agents Julian Dunham and Isabel le Bone arrive at The Gorgon in the shadow of the southern gate of London Bridge — laden with spikes surmounted by the mouldering heads of choice traitors — to meet their contact, a Clerk by the name of Thomas Strelley. He isn’t amongst the revellers, so they ask the patron of the inn and find Strelley has rented a room.

The agents ascend and can hear strangled gasping behind the door, so Isabel aims a kick at the centre of the door, busting it open. Inside, Strelley is asleep on his bed, foam bubbling around the corners of his lips. On Strelley’s chest, the grinning weight of a Mare, dark opalescent eyes wide at the intrusion.

A coin toss for initiative, each Moment — heads for the Agents, tails for the Mare. The GM states that the Mare inflicts 1 Hit per Moment on Strelley until the Mare moves.

Both Agents have 3 Hits, a Physicall of D6, swords, no armour. The Mare has 5 Hits and D8 Armour.

As player’s make all rolls, both their attack and defences mean they roll their Physicall to determine the outcome. The GM rolls for Hit Resolution by the enemy and can also roll for their Armour if any. An enemy’s Armour protects them if the roll is a 1 or 2.

Moment 1 – Agent’s win initiative

Julian’s immediate reaction is to draw and swipe with his sword. Physicall Challenge to hit, he rolls a 4. However, the Mare’s hide (Armour D8, rolls 1) deflects the blow.

Isabel’s tries to drag Strelley from the bed and topple the Mare. (Phy D6) rolls a 2. The Mare reaches for her arm (0 hits), and Isabel feels waves of fatigue wash over her (GM rolled a 3 on D8 for Hit Resolution; Isabel makes a Phy Challenge to resist — and rolls a 4). She pulls away sharply and slaps herself across the cheek, trying to snap herself back.

The Mare swipes back with sharp fingertips at Isabel (Isabel’s Defence — is a success), but her keen awareness means it misses.

Moment 2 – Agent’s win initiative

Realising the threat posed upon their contact, both Julian and Isabel press their attack — and both succeed in landing a strike without the hide of the Mare protecting it (Armour rolls 5 and 7, so -2 Hits total).

The Mare’s response is ineffectual (Defence — success), so the GM decides to take another approach.

Moment 3 – the Mare wins initiative

The Mare dissipates (the GM uses the Moment to activate the Mare’s Dream Stuff ability), and Strelley lets out a gasp as air streams back into his lungs. He rolls over and falls from the bed, coughing up a puddle of vomit.

Julian kneels to assist him while Isabel shifts about, casting her gaze around to locate any telltale sign of the nightmare spirit.

Moment 4 – the Mare wins initiative

Offended by the interference, the Mare leaps at Isabel but clearly misjudges (Isabel’s Defence is a — success).

Isabel swings back at the creature in response, but her weapon seems to glide through the dream stuff (Armour rolls 2, no harm).

A moment later, Julian is better timed — perhaps the Mare took time to coalesce — and lands a blow (Armour rolls 8, -1 Hit).

Moment 5 – Agent’s win initiative

Sensing that they have the entity on the back foot, Julian’s overconfidence leaves him vulnerable. As he swipes (Falter), the Mare bunches up and barrels into him. Julian tumbles into the bed and cracks something hard against the unforgiving frame.

(GM rolled a 7 on D8 for Hit Resolution, for a Flying Rush attack; Julian makes a Phy Challenge at a Step Down to resist and rolls a 3; instead of -2 Hits and a Consequence of Fallen, Julian only suffers -1 Hit)

Isabel and the Mare trade blows, but the Agent’s blade yet again slides off the creatures hide, but in turn, the Mare misses.

Moment 6 – the Mare wins initiative

… and fades once more (Dream Stuff). The Agents gather their breath — and Julian rights himself from his reclining position across the bed.

Moment 7 – Agent’s win initiative

Poised, the Agents scan the room, standing back to back with Thomas on the floor between them.

When the Mare reappears, it tumbles from above straight down onto Julian’s head. But, unfortunately, Julian fails to react in time.

(Julian’s Defence roll falters, with a 1 on D4 — due to the Step Down forced by the Mare’s surprise attack. GM rolls 1D6+2 — as this is an Attack by the creature rather than a response to an Agent’s falter — and rolls a 4, which means a 6 for the Hit Resolution — Pulverize; Julian takes another wound, -1 Hit).

Moment 8 – the Mare wins initiative

But, the Agents seem to have done enough. The Mare swipes at Julian once more but fails to connect. It glances toward the window of the room, and as the Agent swings (falter), it Makes Distance, crashing through the frame and out into Bull’s Court. Julian rushes to look, but there is nothing to see, just the darkness beneath and the faint silver of starlight reflecting off the Thames, visible between the buildings on the river edge.

Isabel stoops to help Thomas up and worries that this might not be the last time they encounter the Mare — or its master.

‘Mare Averted

In the aftermath, the Agents survived, and the entity escaped. Much of the detail comes from a to-and-fro of Theatre of the Mind storytelling for those at the table. The colour of the moment is important; otherwise, combat becomes a series of soulless dice rolls.

Julian is hurt, losing 2 Hits of 3 to the Mare. Isabel walks away unhurt. Their contact took a Hit from the Mare, but the dice favoured the Agents and saved Thomas from further harm.

The Mare suffered 4 Hits, bringing it close to absolute defeat, but few opponents will ever fight to the death—even supernatural ones. If it hadn’t won initiative and Julian faltered, the Agents might have chalked up a complete victory.

That’s quite straightforward. With multiple foes, the challenge increases and the need to be clear about the situation and the environment might lead you to draw a sketch map. I don’t think you need a full-on battle map; a sketch is enough to place counters down for the Agents and enemy to keep track of their rough locations and engagement.

For the former, The A-Team occurred to me, for some reason, though I can’t account for the precise connection. I had the notion that Saturday afternoon serials had this tendency to gift their characters with talents and connections that didn’t survive beyond the end of the episode.

The latter might well be the montage breakout from The A-Team as well, but it also connected to the notion that often players can’t account for all variable, and sometimes survival depends on pulling a rabbit from a hat. The revelation that saves their skin against an enemy. On the other hand, I also had the notion of End of Level Bosses from platform games that you can’t quite defeat on the first meeting — they survive to return later… and then again after that. You have the chance to recoup and find new weapons and power-up in the meantime, learning from your experience fighting the first time.

A Discovery of Witches

It features in the Recommended section at the back of the book. Season 2, that is. Watch the whole series at your own peril. If you haven’t watched it, do. If you plan to and don’t care for vague spoilers, don’t read on until you’re around Episode 3 or 4.

As an example of Tradecraft, here’s a quick (and inaccurate) synopsis of Episode 2, as a session of The Dee Sanction:

Diane and Matthew start their session of The Dee Sanction. They have been challenged with finding an answer to the question of Diane’s shadowy past and seek The Book of Life to bring clarity — Diane’s very existence otherwise might bring more terrors upon the Realm than the Pope, and King Philip combined.

The players chat and decide that their efforts might best be served by choosing System as their Tradecraft. While the who you know of Access might seem a possibility, it feels like what matters more to influence some obvious parties who could offer assistance.

In an encounter with Father Hubbard, Matthew chooses Politics as a weak spot in the teams’ Abilities — he uses the General Ability approach of Tradecraft to account for that. He manages to convince Hubbard that actions of the past might be resolved by reinforcing the relationship between Matthew’s family and Hubbard empire within the capital.

Over the course of the adventure, Diane uses Politics to swing both the Queen herself and John Dee to believe that a trip to Bohemia to see the Emperor might be worth their patronage — in both cases swinging the power of the Book of Life itself as a lure on the hook and indicating the value in asserting waning influence and power.

In the end, Matthew actually chooses to Deplete the Tradecraft, trading it to remove the Mark that would otherwise make his old companion in witch-hunting, Gallowglass, an enemy. The Mark dissolved, Gallowglass is turned — the GM and Players alike make notes on this point. For the GM, that change in balance will affect future adventures.

As it happens, the Depletion of the Tradecraft before the conclusion of the adventure means that neither Player has the know-how to de-rail Cecil’s suspicions or counter Hubbard‘s decision to raise the attention of Matthew’s father to his consorting with witches. But, perhaps the alliance with Gallowglass will make the difference.

Next Time

There. I hope that that makes some sense. As I say, I can’t ensure understanding in a single example, but I’ve tried. Oddly, I think there might be another comparable example if I walk through the plot of The Expendables 2.

Don’t get me wrong, there does need to be some kind of structure otherwise how can you hand off a system to a random GM and imagine they will find there way. But, too much structure and control can lead to weaker creativity as folk worry themselves about keeping things Rules As Written.

I know a fair few of you will be chuckling and shaking your head at that point, seasoned veterans who haven’t run a game Rules As Written since 1982. However, I can’t write a game on the basis that everyone reading it will be as confident. In putting The Cthulhu Hack together, I have had many questions about detailed mechanics and a wish for lists of carefully balanced monsters—for many, that consistency matters, and they’re not wrong to want that.

As I say, it’s a fine piece of juggling to get it right without getting it too right.

For The Cthulhu Hack, having something too right didn’t make sense because the Mythos doesn’t. It shouldn’t make sense and it proved difficult to communicate that sometimes. In a wide world of games where massive monsters represent surmountable goals, how do you communicate the existence in insurmountable horrors?

Thankfully, The Dee Sanction isn’t too far from the cosmic horror, either. The world is filled with ordinary people facing the emergence of extraordinary challenges. The unravelling of the fabric of the world has cracked open the gates of Hell and far stranger realms and allowed egress for creatures of myth and folklore.

The Dee Sanction core book will not only present a short bestiary of creatures and common enemies but also provide some low-level guidance on how to customise them and create your own. You will have the means to present your Agents with relatively generic antagonists coloured by flare and personality rather than complex rules, as well as creatures fiendish in construction that will challenge through their wealth of powers.

Sometimes balance, other times less so. But somewhere in the mix, there should be a sense to the chaos.

However, sometimes rest is insufficient. Some enemies inflict Consequences that are not as easily healed—such as poison, paralysis, dismemberment, or worse! In this case, the information about the attack will also indicate any practical, alternative means of recovery.

A Consequence will always be something short, memorable and open to a little interpretation in how it might hamper the Agent’s general activities. 

Usually, the character will require special medical care or access to a place of healing; loss of a limb might require regenerative powers, acquisition of some rare herbal concoction, or visitation with a specific angel or entity.

A physical Consequence is called an Injury; a mental or visceral Consequence is referred to as an Affliction. In The Dee Sanction, you might also encounter other lingering conditions, such as Curses, Omens or Burdens.

The setting information will provide additional rules to handle these unusual conditions and searching out the means to make a recovery. Most require additional effort, expense or the passage of time to rest up and heal.

In the meantime, the GM may state a Consequence in support of a Challenge Step-Down—which means you throw a die (at least) one size smaller than normal—or indicate that it makes a Challenge impossible for the Agent to handle. For example, sprinting seems highly improbable with an Injury Consequence of a Broken Leg.

Every day during August, I’ll be writing something new on The Dee Sanction and aim to connect the word prompt of the day with the development of the game. Check out the concept, the list and the graphics over at AUTOCRATIK.

And so it is, that both the Devil and the angelic Spirit present us with objects of desire to awaken our power of choice.

[ Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī ]

Power and objects walk hand in hand. For some, the power imbued within an object arose from association. The very contact that an item had with an individual of significance left a residue or some echo of their soul. Like the bonding of a witch with a familiar or the harmony sought between a gambler and their favourite dice, possession would infuse an object with a preternatural quality accessible to others. If you could find something worn by a saint, then you could leverage the power that the saint exhibited in life. Or at least some aspect of it.

Conversely, the very drive and purpose of the seeker might have something to do with the influence of the object. The sinner who seeks to make use of a holy relic will likely find the task fruitless, whereas the faithful will experience something quite different. In some ways, the power might seem to no longer lie with the object in that case, but that the object serves as a test of focus and resolve, a mirror to the soul of those who would seek to use it. Therein the words of Rumi echo, for in presenting objects of desire we are tested – and in that test we find those worthy and those solely seeking to better themselves at a loss to others.

Doctor Dee on the other hand seems to have seen something altogether different in the power of objects. Relics and items of power neither possessed the power themselves nor served as key to the lock of personal potential. Instead, Dee perceived objects as conduits, a means to harness the vibrations or reflected power that permeated the many layers of reality – surging forth through the supernaturall via the application of the intellectuall to manifest in the physicall, the lowest state of all.

In The Dee Sanction, this reflected puissance manifests both in the Tradecraft of Magic, where characters may use objects to further their ends against powerful entities of the supernatural, or they may seek to harness some fragment of an artefacts potential, rather like a grail – unworthy of the greater power of an object but able to channel some minor fragment. The Black Seal of Doctor Dee, for example, serves as a major artefact, one which the player driven Agents will only rarely use themselves and then only as a means to ward fixed areas against ingress and egress. Mirrors of a certain quality, too, will serve as a medium for communication through the divine ether, like telegrams carried on the words of archangels.

Mechanically, using an object with Tradecraft will strike that from the scarce major tool kit the characters have to draw upon as a group; whereas, the application of fragmentary powers will require attunement of some form, specific to the object, and the Challenging a Resource fitting to the task (and set by the Gamemaster). The cost of the Challenge will inevitably drain the Resource, but the specific format (and explanation) of the object may carry with it specifics (in the form of simple Tags) as to the repercussions of failure. Indeed, many artefacts and objects of significance will have keyed random collections of unfortunate side effects and consequences that arise from ill-guided misuse. Agents beware the frivolous handling of potent curios.

I’m happy with the character generation process. I like it; players like it. In all the sessions of the game I ran, I got positive feedback about the ease of the process in choosing three cards and then working from there. The three cards can, as easily, be replaced with three tables in the rules, so I won’t be tying the GM down to possession of a special deck or anything. However, that would be an obvious and nice thing to offer.

I like the idea of the original success mechanic, so I’ll be sticking to the seven for success. Roll dice, get a seven – succeed. Otherwise, fail. Most of the time. Or, at best, succeed with unpleasant (or dire) consequences. The base mechanic means that characters are decidedly average at most things they do. However, they do have an edge when it comes to anything mentioned on the card.

Instead of adjusting the range to achieve success – I propose that if the player can leverage something from the character’s cards that they get an extra die to roll to get the seven. If they then throw three dice, a seven can come from any combination of two. If they score seven on three dice, they score a special success; they’ve used their raw ability backed up by expertise and excelled at meeting the challenge.

The alternative? Well, this is Elizabethan Europe in the time of King Rudolph and Doctor Dee, so esoteric and angelic support just happen, right?

The players, as a group, have a deck of cards with letters on them. They draw seven cards and have them all at their disposal. If they attempt to do something and they can spell a short word with the available letters that helps them, they can roll an extra die.

Master Gyles Hepton faces off against a burglar attempting to get away with his satchel and all the worldly possessions therein. He isn’t especially tough nor has he mixed with types known for their melted skills, but he can spell RAGE from the letters in the pool. The threat of loss sends him into a fizzing fury and the GM agrees that he can roll an extra die.

If they find themselves in a situation where they could do with a bit of help, but the cards don’t spell anything useful, they might try calling on the Angels. If they can discard three identical consonants and a vowel, two identical vowels and two consonants, or anything combination of five different consonants, they call on angelic assistance and automatically succeed at the action they attempted. Those cards, however, are lost for the remainder of the session – discarded cards leave the game.

Anyone familiar with Enochian Magic and the Great Table of the Earth will broadly know where this angle on the mechanics comes from. It seemed thematically interesting to allow the players to spell out a nonsense word to clear their hand and get more letters to work with for later skill rolls.

Anyway, I’m going to see how it works out in play testing and start to get some stuff down in writing. We’ll see how it pans out.

I have run half-a-dozen convention demo games and run two or three sessions at my local gaming group, but I think I need to up the effort and focus kicking this one into gear and out of the door.

I remain determined, for the time being, with the roll of a 7 on 2d6 mechanic. Without any expertise and under stress, that’s a slim chance, but not impossible. With some skill, the range expands to 6-through-to-8 on 2d6 – which means a better than 40% chance of success.

The game intentional emphasizes the need to use circumstance and expertise to the characters advantage. The team shouldn’t plough on in where even angels fear to tread – this isn’t a Monty Haul dungeon crawl without consequence.

Whether defending Queen and country in Tudor England, fighting the future in Ward 13 or battling the insidious Martian weeds in Red Watch – the characters have a lynchpin role in events that means failure has serious repercussions. They do not have the option to take things lightly, but they also face strange challenges that mean they cannot rely on others to bail them out.

On top of the dice mechanic, I also have the card-based character generation process, which I have found works really well. I have used it at conventions with considerable success. However, I’m keen to provide a more open and story-based option that would ask questions to fill in the answers currently offered by drawing cards from the character deck. With the right questions, I should have the means to tease out both character traits and a coherent connection with the setting/team.

I have further development of the project down as a resolution for the New Year. I plan to keep to it!