LOS INFORMES DE 1644

There are a number of ways in which Story Points can be used in the game.

Some Qualities, such as Connections, Followers, and Influence, require the use of Story Points in order to gain their benefits.

A character can use a Story Point to re-roll any skill check immediately after it is rolled. The character must abide by the results of the re-roll, regardless of whether they are better or worse.

A player can spend a Story Point to gain a sudden insight into his character’s current situation. For example, if the players seem unclear as to what they should do next to move the story along, one or more of them could spend Story Points in order to have their characters receive sudden, special insights from the Director to advance the story. The Director

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should make these insights fairly obvious, not cryptic, so as to justify the use of Story Points.

Certain specific Qualities also use Story Points to give hints or assistance. The general insights gained by spending Story Points as described here should not be as useful as those gained by those Qualities.

Example: Despite collecting a number of clues about the whereabouts of the headquarters of the Cartel of the Iron Lords, the player characters are unclear as to how they should proceed. Cannon McCabe’s player decides to spend a Story Point for an insight. Suddenly, Cannon remembered something he heard one of the Cartel’s goons say in a previous confrontation. The Director tells the group that the Cartel has moved their headquarters to a downtown skyscraper. Based on earlier clues they had uncovered in the story, the group now knows where to go.

A player can spend a Story Point to make minor modifications to his circumstances in the current scene. For example, a character is pushed off a rooftop. The player spends a Story Point and states that his character lands on a fire escape only one floor down, but out of sight of his opponent. The Director decides this is reasonable and allows it.

Normally, Story Points cannot be used in combat.

However, if the Director deems a combat sufficiently critical to the character or the story, he can allow the use of Story Points to modify rolls in a fight. Keep in mind that this can significantly lengthen a normal combat, especially if a lot of Story Points are available for use.

In combat, a Story Point can be used to re-roll any roll. As above, the character must keep the results of the second roll, regardless of whether the result is better or worse.

A Story Point can also be used in combat to give a Special Move an Element it does not normally have for a single use. This needs to be explained in some appropriate narrative way. For example, it might be difficult to describe a crescent kick attack suddenly gaining the Ranged Element, but perhaps the Fighter launches the kick into thin air and his ki projects a wave of force at his opponent. If the Element desired counts as more than one Element normally when building a Special Move, the Element costs an equal number of Story Points.

Finally, a Story Point can be used to recover 1d4 plus Power Level in points of lost Life Bar or 1d10 plus Power Level in points of lost Fighting Spirit. This cannot bring Life Bar or Fighting Spirit above the character’s normal starting totals.

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4. Basic Moves, Special Moves, and Super Moves

Special Moves are one of the defining characteristics of fighting video games. Aside from their distinctive appearances, what makes players choose to play and master particular characters are an appreciation of their Special Moves, in both their visual flair and their specific combat application. This chapter explains the distinction between the different kinds of moves that Fighters can use in combat, as well as provides rules for designing unique Special Moves.

With these rules, characters can throw blasts of destructive ki, launch punches and kicks that send their opponents flying high into the air, turn invisible during combat, and use attacks designed to work around any defense. The system is designed to be flexible enough to duplicate almost any effect seen in a fighting video game.

The term “move” refers to a specific form of attack – it may be as simple as a jab or roundhouse kick, or as impressive as the massive emanations of destructive ki that describe a character’s Super Move. In exceptional cases, a “move” might also be a special form of non-attack action available to a specific Fighter.

Most moves need to be designed by the player or Director as individual, unique options for a specific Fighter. This is done by “building” the move as a series of Elements and Liabilities that define how the move is used in combat. Some moves may simply be more accurate or damaging than others, while others may provide special options or allow the move an exception to a normal rule.

Definitions

Basic Moves are the attack forms available to all characters. They represent all the “normal” attacks used in hand-to-hand combat, such as punches, kicks, elbows and head butts. Generally, these moves have the same game mechanics for all characters, no matter how they are defined by the player.

Special Moves are the unique attacks of a particular character. They are acquired by spending Move Points both at character generation and when a character advances in Power Level. The Move Points spent determine the level of the Special Move, which in turns establishes how many Elements can be used to build the Special Move, which describes the move’s mechanical role in combat. The actual visual description of a Special Move is very important, for it is these moves that define and characterize a Fighter and his martial arts style.

Thus, regardless of the move’s game effects, it is up to the player to provide appropriate and interesting descriptions for his Special Moves.

Super Moves are a particular kind of Special Move.

In most ways, they are the same as regular Special Moves; however, they are made up of more Elements, they are a little more damaging, they have a couple Elements and Liabilities available that are not available for regular Special Moves, and a Fighter needs to accumulate Super Energy in combat before he can use a Super Move.

These are the three primary kinds of moves in the game. Future supplements will detail many additional options for Basic, Special, and especially Super Moves.

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This chapter also presents additional rules options:

modifying Basic Moves, rules for Basic Taunts in combat, Basic Throws, and a special form of Combo called an Attack String, which can be used to better replicate the Special Moves found in many 3-D fighting games.