An Action Scene occurs in a moment when quick actions and rapid-fire decisions can drastically alter the outcome of a scene. Some common Action Scenes include combat, chases, and escapes.

In an action scene it can be important to provide equal coverage to players to minimize the chances of a missed opportunity and a player getting left-out due to the fast-paced nature of a scene. Many systems handle this with something called an “initiative system” to manage who can go when. Unfortunately, structuring an Action Scene ironically slows down the pace of gameplay and can push unnecessary/unimportant actions as players try to avoid wasting their turns.

Witchgates does NOT have an initiative system, or any separate system, to apply for action scenes. The core system provides everything needed for an action scene to take place.

However, some players may not intuitively grasp how to use the core system in Action Scenes, so here are several guidelines for players and the GM to use during an action scene:

• Generally, players should avoid stacking actions that cannot be done concurrently unless they have a skill that explicitly allows them to. For example, most spells require hand movements, so there’s often an opportunity for other characters to act between a character’s spell casting and other actions. Character movement can often be decoupled from other actions, as characters can act before, during, or after their movement. Simply put, avoid taking multiple subsequent actions before checking if the GM or other players want to act.
  See the below examples to see which ones you find too overloaded:
  • “I cast a spell to distract the monster and then throw my the net over its head.”
  • “I’m going to try running on the wall to cross the gap. While running I’ll unload my gun at as many enemies behind me as I can.”
  • “I want to run at the Ogre to hit him with my greatsword and then see if I can cast a spell to freeze him to the ground.”
• The GM does not need to roll or wait for NPCs to act. A GM’s role involves describing what is happening within a scene, including what NPCs are doing. Essentially setting preparing a new Position (and thus possible consequences) for the PCs’ actions. The players both act on their own initiative and react to what is going on in the scene. Part of the game is the conversation between the GM and players around the events within the scene. The GM will often say “something happens, what you do?” and players may often say “wait wait, can I react to that event?”
  • GM “You hear a click and feel the ground to start to give way, what do you do?”
  • Player “You said the tower west of the court yard is starting to fall. Can I try to get close enough to do something about that?”
  • GM “Two thugs rush you, brandishing daggers. Their movements are sloppy but you notice the third thug hold back and is pulling out a pistol.”
• Some players may purposefully take fewer actions, with fewer things they want to do, while other players may take fewer actions simply because they are quieter, got distracted, or due to one of many other reasons. The GM and players should routinely check around to see if anyone is missing out on an action they want to take.
  • When an action is missed, the opportunity isn’t always lost. Flashbacks can be used to declare actions seconds in the past, given that they don’t undo the actions of other players.
    • Player “Shoot, I really should have melted the door lock while Buffy was distracting the hippo. Anyone mind if I flashback to have been working on that so I’m not behind trying to catch up to everyone?”
    • Player “So while we were running I didn’t realize I forgot to reload my gun. Could I have done that while we were running?”
• When players act against each other, they may wager any combination of Sunesis, Fortune, or Stress to go first. The player going first then ‘sets the scene’ by taking their action to setup a potential result, before the next player responds with their own action to finalize the result. The GM arbitrates position/effect if necessary as per normal.
  • Player A “I want to grab the artifact before Player B. I’ll wager 1 Fortune for it.”
  • Player B “Alright, you set the scene, but I’m still reaching for it.”
  • Player A “I want to swing in and scoop the the artifact up in a football hold and start backing away from B.”
  • GM “Ok, since this is contested and neither of you are greatly hindered, I’d say you’re in a risky position, with a chance of missing it, reaching it at the same time, or even knocking it closer to them. Standard Effect – as far as you know you should be able to pick it up fine.”
  • Player A “I succeeded with a Glance, a 5, so I got it! but… what?”
  • GM “You manage to get to it at the same time B does. Player B, you reach down to take the artifact and as you pull it you feel resistance as A tugs it towards them, what are you doing?”
  • Player B “I hope it doesn’t melt. I want to cast a spell to heat the metal to try to get A to drop it…. and I rolled well enough for the spell to give a -2 penalty to resisting it.”
  • Player A “Fine, I let it go. You get it this time.”