In Shinobigami, whenever a character performs an action for which the outcome is uncertain, an Action Resolution is used to determine if the action is a suc-cess or failure. Action Resolu-tions can also be described as skill checks or challenges.
During the game, ninjas should be attempting to perform a myriad of extraordinary feats.
They may be trying to figure out someone’s secret or break into a compound riddled with security systems. They may be trying to convince others to join their cause or unwittingly fall into someone’s trap. This is when an Action Resolution is used.
1) Skill Determination The Master determines the skill most suitable to the challenge at hand. There are often situations where the skill will be determined by the rules.
2) Skill Confirmation Each player involved in the Action Resolution con-firms whether or not they
have the determined skill circled on their character sheet.
If a character has the skill circled on their character sheet, they will have a high chance of success. If the character does not have the skill circled, they must use a different skill instead. The player then finds the closest skill on the character sheet to the determined skill: this is the skill they will use. Using the originial skill as a start-ing point, count the number of squares it takes to reach the replacement skill. Each white square inbetween the Categories counts as 1 square, but a square that has been filled in with black does not count.
3) Target Number Confirmation
The target number is the number that a character is trying to meet or exceed when rolling dice; the higher the number, the lower the chances of success will be.
If, in 2) Skill Confirma-tion, the character was deter-mined to have the deterdeter-mined skill circled, their target number is 5. If, in 2) Skill
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Confirmation, the character was determined not to have the skill circled, the target number becomes 5 + the number of squares counted to the replacement skill.
4) Roll the Dice
Roll 2d6. If you meet or exceed the number deter-mined in step 3, you succeed in the Action Resolution. If the number rolls below the target number, you have failed.
Action Resolutions are always handled in this manner.
There are 3 circumstances that may alter the way that Ac-tion ResoluAc-tions work, detailed below.
2.02 Modifications
2.03 Special Results
There are certain times when the Action Resolution roll will be modified. When attempt-ing an action that has a higher chance of success, the roll will receive a positive modification.
When attempting something with a lower chance of success, the roll will receive a negative modification.
When the roll has been modi-fied, the roll, along with any modifications, must meet or exceed the target number. On a success, the sum of the roll plus
There are two special results that can occur when rolling dice: Fumbles and Specials.
or minus any modifications is called the Achievement Value.
Fumble: A Fumble represents a time when a character has failed in an unthinkable manner.
During a Resolution, a result on a roll of 2d6 that is the same or lower of a set value is consid-ered a Fumble. This set value is called the Fumble Value.
Even if the Achievement Value of a roll meets or exceeds your target number, but is the same or lower than the Fumble Value, that character has Fumbled.
During Drama Scenes and during the Plot phase of a Battle Scene, the Fumble Value is 2. At any other portion of a Battle Scene, A character’s Plot Number becomes their Fumble Value.
If the Fumble has occured during a Drama Scene, roll 1d6 to randomly determine a status effect from the Fumble Chart.
If the Fumble has occurred dur-ing a Fight Scene, your char-acter will automatically fail on all rolls for the remainder of the combat round.
31 Special: A Special represents
a character succeeding spec-tacularly in their endeavor. A Special occurs during a Resolu-tion when, on a roll of 2d6, both dice show a 6 (a natural 12).
If your character rolls a Special, you may recover either 1 Life Point or recover from 1 status ailment.
If the Master feels that the replacement skill seems unnatu-ral or ill-fitting for any reason, the Master may ask the player to explain how they intend on using the skill in the situation at hand. The player must then ex-plain how they intend on using the skill for the Resolution.
If the player explains satis-factorily, the Master should al-low the skill to be used without further question. If the player is unable to think of a way to use the skill, they must use another skill: if the subsequent skill is further away from the chosen skill, the resulting target number will also be higher.
2.03 Master’s Decision When a character must choose a replacement skill for an Action Resolution, it is pos-sible for a Master to call the validity of the replacement skill into question.
Fumble Chart
1 You feel a bit strange. For the rest of the cycle, all of your Action Resolutions have a -1 modifier.
2 Oh no! You lost 1 ninja tool.
3 You’ve spilt the information! The secret assigned to you for this session is revealed to all characters.
4 You’ve let your guard down! The action fails and you lost 1 Life Point at random.
5 It was a trap! You’ve been caught up in your opponent’s plot and suffer 1 random status effect.
6 Phew! That was close. Nothing really happens.
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3 - Session
A single game of Shinobiga-mi is called a session.
A session typically starts with the Master describing the situation. The players listen to the description and think about how their characters would react. A session moves along in this fashion, bouncing between the Master and each player.
A single session is broken up into 3 parts: the Introduction Phase, the Main Phase, and the Climax Phase. For more infor-mation on each phase, please read each respective section.
3.01 Session Preparation There are two kinds of prepa-ration necessary for a game of Shinobigami: the day before and the day of the game.
Day Before: By the day before the session, the Master must create the scenario. For more information on scenarios, please see section 10. The Mas-ter must also decide what rank the characters should be.
The players must create their characters for the game. It doesn’t matter if the players use characters from a previous session, as long as they meet the rank decided by the Master.
Day Of: The players gather around a table headed by the Master. The players should have their character sheets checked by the Master. Players should take care to handle their character sheets in such a way that they kept out of sight of the other players.
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4 - Cycle
Cycles are used in Shino-bigami in order to ensure that each player gets an equal part in each session. Basically, each character gets 1 scene per cycle in which they are the main char-acter. The actions available to a character may change depend-ing on the phase of the game.
Actions such as consulting with friends or looking around and other easily performed actions can occur without restriction.
What constitutes a character’s main action is explained fully in the Main Phase and Climax Phase sections.
To begin a cycle, play usu-ally starts from the player on the Master’s left, with each player their turn in order. Each player’s turn is called a Scene, and the player who is starring in the Scene is called the Scene Player. Once the Scene Player’s turn is finished, play then moves to the next player on their left.
If the Master or players so wish, they may change the order in which players take their turns.
Once all players have had a Scene, that cycle is over and a new cycle begins.
4.01 Master Scenes
4.02 Completed Actions The Master may interrupt the player’s scenes with a Mas-ter Scene. During the MasMas-ter Scene it is the Master’s turn;
the Master becomes the Scene Player.
During a Master Scene, NPCs important to the scenario may make actions. Other situations for which there are no specific rules may occur with the Mas-ter’s discretion.
When a player completes their Scene, place a die on the illustrated portion of the char-acter sheet. This shows that the player has completed their action for the cycle. A charac-ter sheet without a die on the illustrated portion of the char-acter sheet, on the other hand, shows that the character has yet to complete their Scene. This way it is easy to see which play-ers have yet to complete their actions. Once a cycle begins anew, please remove all dice from the illustrated portions of the character sheets.
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