Skill Action
Skill actions are used to resolve unopposed actions by characters that may or may not succeed. It uses a modified blackjack mechanic where players will bet their action (or resource) on a break totaled from the cards in their hand and the cards dealt to the middle by the game master (Flop, Turn & River).
Skill actions are used for single round skills, such as determining hits with ranged weapons, throwing objects or concealing an object on your person. A single successful bet will resolve the action.
Skill Actions can also be used for Compound Skill actions where multiple successful rounds are needed to resolve an action, such as trail craft, street smarts, lock picking or crafting. Successful actions give the player action points for the compound action and once enough action points are acquired the action is successful.
The skill break is determined by the difficulty of the action and the skill of the character. Character skill can be found on the character sheet and rules for difficulty and a break table are included in the specific skill details.
The action may also require a resource, such as a loaded bullet for firing a gun or possession of the materials for crafting. These are bet on the action and are lost if the action fails.
The player taking the skill action must bet the action and any required resources when they think the cards in their hand plus the cards delt by the game master in the next phase of the game will equal or exceed the break from the skill table. When the cards are revealed and summed up if they equal or exceed the break the action was successful and the amount over the break is used to determine the result based on the skill instructions. Typically, the more over the break, the more significant the result.
Conversely, following the action bet, if the sum of the cards in the character’s hand and the delt cards does not equal or exceed the break the action fails, and the action and any resources are lost.
If the action is not bet and the sum of the cards is less than the break, the character may choose to bet on the cards for the next phase of the round. If the sum of the cards equals or exceeds the break the character “busts” and the action does not occur in this round. However, in this instance the resources are not lost.
The action also does not occur if no bet is ever made and the round ends.
| Hand + Delt Cards => Skill Break | Was the Action Bet? | Result |
| Yes | Yes | Success!! |
| Yes | No | Bust – End Action |
| No | Yes | Failure – End Action |
| No | No | Continue to next Phase |
Skill actions are played along with the core round structure and have potential resolution during several phases.
| Phase | Step | Action |
| Action Decision | ||
| 1.a | Characters declare action | |
| 1.b | – Optional – Characters Attempt Reaction | |
| 1.c | Characters pay any action buy-in cost | |
| The Deal | ||
| 2.a | Game Master deals Character action cards | |
| 2.b | – Optional – Players may bet action on the Flop | |
| The Flop | ||
| 3.a | Game Master deal the Flop (3 Cards) | |
| 3.b | Resolve Actions | |
| 3.d | – Optional – Players may bet action on the Turn | |
| The Turn | ||
| 4.a | Game Master deals the Turn (1 Card) | |
| 4.b | Resolve Actions | |
| 4.d | – Optional – Players may bet action on the River | |
| The River | ||
| 5.a | Game Master deals the River(1 Card) | |
| 5.b | Resolve Actions |