4. Drama
4.1 Chapters
Every gaming session of the Micronauts RPG is called a Chapter, and a set of Chapters that tells a complete adventure is considered a Story Arc.Each Chapter should begin with a recap, and end with a cliffhanger, as described below. Start each Chapter with a theme song, if you have something appropriate - it'll really put the players in the mood for Space Opera.
4.2 Metarules
In a game of Micronauts there are a number of metarules that modify the way the game is played in order to make it more fun, and in order to make the game play more dramatically appropriate. This section details the metarules, which are never more important than the One Rule: The most dramatically appropriate outcome is always preferred.4.3 Grit & Guts
These are two scores a player-persona earns for heroic play - both in and out of the game.- Grit is earned for being a survivor, overcoming obstacles and forcing yourself to do things you don't want to do. Anything, in fact that took true grit.
- Guts are earned for plucky heroics, making hard sacrifices, and generally forcing yourself to do something that took guts.
4.4 Previously On The Micronauts...
Every new Chapter of Micronauts should begin with the recap. This is a snappy summary of the events leading up to the previous cliffhanger, exactly as would precede a TV show. Only the major details are covered, but there's enough for everyone to remember what was going on.The first person to volunteer to do the recap, earns a point of Guts.
If no-one volunteers, all players roll their Enigma dice. Their target is the number of weeks since they did the recap, and if they make it they don't have to recap. If all the players make it, the Gamesmaster recaps. Otherwise, whomever failed their Enigma roll recaps, and earns a point of Grit.
Either way, the Gamesmaster should feel free to interject anything they consider relevant to the recap.
In general, the players may talk until the Gamesmaster prompts them for action. At this point, any player may spend a point of Grit to extend the conversation a bit further.
The Gamesmaster may continue to demand more Grit until the players are out of Grit, at which point they must act.
It costs a point of Guts to attempt a retcon, and it only succeeds if the Gamesmaster's target number is met on an Enigma roll.
Example
Remember that 11 and above allows highly unrealistic results to occur.
Example
The player gives up a point of Guts and rolls D12 + D12 + D10 + D6 and gets 12, 12, 3, 4. The second 12 is worth +1 so the result is D13! Well, what do you know... Bug does have a lockpick after all.
When duelling immunity has been invoked, no other persona may interfere with the outcome of the duel without spending a point of Guts.
A persona can be in one of six states:
Alternatively, players may spend a point of either Grit or Guts to avoid the injury entirely.
When a persona is wounded, the die with the most number of sides is dropped from every dice pool they form.
Example
When a Disabled persona says something, whatever is said is that persona's last words (for the time being, at least). As soon as they've finished speaking, they sigh or groan and fall unconscious.
If they decide to cut off their last words mysteriously in the middle of a sentence, they earn a point of Grit - two if the persona's Fate is Mysterious - at the Gamesmaster's discretion.
Whomever declares that they must be rescued first earns a point of Guts - two if its particularly appropriate to the persona's Fate - at the Gamesmaster's discretion.
Until that point, the player takes over one of the Guest Star characters (adding additional traits to make them into a complete persona, if required) and that is their persona. Such substitute personas are known as Special Guest Stars.
Missing personas turn up at the Gamesmasters discretion. The earliest they can return is in the first Chapter after they went missing.
Which villains return, and which are dead forever, is a choice the Gamesmaster makes on a case by case basis. Generally it's a good idea to keep the ones the player's enjoy, and replace the ones they don't.
When a hero is Believed Dead, the No HC metarule applies, unless the player wishes to retire the persona. In this case, they can leave a body, and when they come back they'll have to be a twin sibling, or a clone, or some other contrivance to let them back in.
When a hero is Believed Dead under the No HC metarule, it is treated exactly as when a hero is Missing: the Gamesmaster promotes a Guest Star to a Special Guest Star for the player to take control over.
If it is dramatically appropriate, the Gamesmaster may allow the persona to avoid entering these states at an appropriate cost in Enigma downgrades - one downgrade for each step up the status ladder (e.g. Believed Dead to Missing is one step; Missing to Wounded is three steps).
Example
Bug's player decides that they don't want to be without Bug for several weeks, and consequently downgrades Bug's Enigma from D10 + D6 to just D8 (first downgrade is D6 to D4; second is D4 to no second die; third is D10 to D8).
He survives the blast, but is mortally wounded, and with his newly downgraded Enigma, he is in less of a position to take any further risks.
Enigma dice do not recover automatically, they must be bought back with Grit & Guts, and they can only be bought back at the end of a Story Arc.
Players may help the Gamesmaster out - anyone who assists in creating a memorable cliffhanger earns a point of Guts.
Spend Grit to:
Spend Guts to:
Outside of Chapters, players may spill their guts to improve their traits, that is spend Grit & Guts.
The cost of improving a trait is equal to the number of sides of the next die in the sequence (D4, D6, D8, D10, D12) multiplied by the number of dice already in the pool (not including species die).
Example
It is possible to buy an extra die at a cost of 4 x (number of die in pool + 1). The new die is always a D4, but it can be upgraded at the end of future Chapters.
Example
Certain considerations apply:
4.5 Dramatic Time
Conversations in the game can take far longer than realism would allow. In combat, players may discuss what they are doing, and even if a bomb is going to go off in thirty seconds, the players can still squeeze out a two-minute debate.
4.6 Retcon
Another impressive feat of temporal plot manipulation, the retcon (short for 'retroactive continuity') makes minor changes to what happened in the past to account for events which could have occurred, but which were not stated to have happened.
4.7 Duelling Immunity
When two personas are fighting in a one-on-one duel, a player may assert duelling immunity at the cost of one Grit. Gamesmaster may assert duelling immunity whenever they consider it appropriate.
4.8 Status
A persona's status indicates both the state of their injuries, and their current dramatic state. Status changes when players are wounded, usually as a result of combat, but also from falling, being caught in explosions and just about anything else that could kill or maim an ordinary mortal.
In general, the Gamesmaster determines which state a persona moves to after an incident which by all rights should have maimed or brutally killed anything human.
4.9 Wounded (Skimmed Dice)
Being Wounded is worth a point of Grit, if the injury was dramatically appropriate (for example, if it fits with the persona's Fate).
When wounded, his Precision pool would be D6 + d8.
His Blast pool would be D4 + d8.
His Precision-Blast pool would be D12 + D6 + D4 + d8.4.10 Disabled (Last Words)
A persona who is disabled can continue to be lead around by other heroes, but they cannot act in any way - no Task Rolls are allowed. They remain disabled until either they are healed, or until they say anything.
4.11 Captured (Instant Rescue)
When a hero is Captured, the player's may immediately try and rescue them.
4.12 Missing (Special Guest Stars)
When a hero goes missing, that persona must be out of play until at least the next Chapter.
4.13 Believed Dead (No Habeas Corpus)
When an archvillian is Believed Dead, there is never a body. This is known as the No Habeas Corpus metarule, or No HC. If there is a body, it should disappear before the end of the current Chapter after the villain's death. This is vital, since no good archvillain is ever dead forever.
4.14 Cheating Death
Whenever a persona becomes Captured, Missing or Believed Dead, they must downgrade their Enigma dice. This means they must replace one of the dice in their Enigma pool with the next dice in sequence (D12, D10, D8, D6, D4) - in effect, losing 2 sides from that Enigma die.
4.15 The Cliffhanger
At the end of each game session, the Gamesmaster has an obligation to end on a cliffhanger. If the Gamesmaster has any pride, they should aim for a classy cliffhanger. The rest of us can aim for one of the following:
The Gamesmaster is encouraged to be as creative as possible with cliffhangers.
A dangerous new opponent is revealed!
The players have walked into a trap!
"Commander Rann - I'm your father!"
"You now have thirty minutes to reach minimum safe distance..."
The heroes have escaped, but as the scene fades there's a glimpse of something sinister in the shadows...
A severely injured hero... will they live, or die? For sessions which end with a persona who is Disabled at the end of the session.
A daring rescue is going to be needed. For sessions which end with a persona who is Captured at the end of the session.
The heroes find a clue that might lead them to their lost ally. For sessions which end with a persona who went Missing in the last session, or who have been missing for even longer.
I thought you were dead! For bringing back personas who have been Believed Dead for at least one complete session.
For the end of a Story Arc. Everything ties up nicely, except for one or two matters which clearly point towards a sequel.
4.16 The Credits
After every Chapter comes the credits. (Play your favourite theme song, if you have one). This is the point players are rewarded for play.
Players and Gamesmasters are encouraged to come up with new ways of earning Grit & Guts, and new ways of spending it.
4.17 Spilling Your Guts (Improving Traits)
For the purpose of improving traits, Grit and Guts are treated as equivalent - you may spend either to make up improvement costs.