Basic Rules

Initial Glossary of Concepts

• Statistic. A statistic (or ‘stat’) is a blanket term for the qualities of a character or object. These each have a numeric Value.
• Value. A value is the number ascribed to a Statistic, defined above. When resolving based on a Statistic, use its Value.
• Dice. The HEARTS system uses two types of physical dice: six-sided (D6) and ten-sided (D10). It also uses one-hundred sided dice, through a combination of two ten-sided dice.
  • A number in front of the ‘D’ indicates how many dice of the stated size (D6, D10, or D100).
  • When rolling 2D10, treat a ‘0’ or ’00’ on each die as the value ’10.’
  • When rolling two ten-sided dice 1D100, designate one as the ‘tens-place’ and the other as the ‘ones-place’ before rolling. Then read the digits sequentially, such as ‘7’ and ‘2’ becoming ’72.’
    • ’00’ and ‘0’ are treated as zeroes, unless it occurs on both die simultaneously; this is treated as ‘100.’
• Roll. A ‘Roll’ means to physically or digitally roll the specified combination of dice and tally them into a Value. This Value is used for Damage, resolving Checks, selecting from a table, or most other uses in the HEARTS system.
• Check. A ‘Check’ means to make a Roll, as above, specifically to resolve an Action or Task that involves at least one Skill, Characteristic, Trait, or Consumable. A Check may be made singly, or opposed against another Check.
• Action. An ‘Action’ is an attempt by a character to achieve a result in one or two steps, typically within a short time frame such as a Round (10 seconds). Example: Attacking with a Spear.
• Task. A ‘Task’ is an attempt by a character to achieve a result through an extended effort that is time-consuming, complex, or both. This is often measured in minutes or hours, but may also encompass days. Example: A carpenter repairing a leaky roof.
• Fractions. In the case of a fraction, always round up to the nearest whole number unless specified stated otherwise.

Player Roles

There are two defined roles for a player to take or fill:

Player-Character (PC)

PCs are the protagonists of the game. The full party of PCs is the Main Character, not any individual PC.

This player role is responsible and accountable only for a single character. They consider a situation and determine how they decide to respond. They guide their character is they grow. They become invested in their struggles, lament their failures, and exhort their successes.

They have the greatest context of the internal workings of their character; as such, they are most often the primary referee in all considerations as to the character’s internal state and intentional efforts.

The PC Role is best for players who want to explore a character as they experience the world and try to keep it safe.

Player-Singer (PS)

PSs represent a future character singing the legend of the PCs, whether fiction or fact. They are not the Main Character; rather, they are every other character. This includes the world and beyond.

This player role is responsible and accountable for the world and additional characters within. They provide situations, adversaries, and allies to PCs and adjudicate their response. They guide the world as it grows around the PCs. They become invested in PCs struggles, lament their failures, and exhort their successes.

They have the greatest context of the external implications of a situation, and internal intentions of NPCs; as such, they are most often the primary referee in all considerations as to the external results of Actions and Tasks attempted by PCs.

The PS Role is for those who want to explore a world through the effort of characters trying to keep it safe.

Non-Player Character (NPC)

An NPC is any character that is not a PC. These characters are allies, adversaries, or apathetic to the PCs and their efforts. These characters may act as a PC in another story, but that story is not the one told in this game.

Rolling Dice

Unless specified, all dice roll in open view to all players. All players, PC or PS, should know their capacity to succeed or fail.

A Closed Check, made out of view of one or more players, should only be used if the gameplay between the characters would be better represented with these players unaware of the result. Example: Highwaymen attempting to ambush PCs a roadway, or one PC attempting to deceive another PC.

Making Checks

When to Make a Check

Most actions and tasks performed by characters are automatic and do not need a Check. They decide the course of action or task to complete, and perform it with competence in a typical or expected time. This assumes the following:

• The character has sufficient Training, Tools, and Time to perform the action or task.
  • If any of these are missing, they must make a Check.
• The character is not under pressure, threat, or other duress.
  • If any of the above apply, they must make a Check.

The additional expectation to make a Check is one of Reason and Worth.

• There must be a Reason why evaluating Success or Failure has Worth with respect to the attempted action or task.

Types of Checks

Different types of Checks roll different dice, and have different possible modifiers:

• Skill Check. Roll 1D100. Has Levels of Success.
• Characteristic or Trait Check. Roll 2D10. Does not have Levels of Success.
• Consumable/Quantity Check. Roll 1D10. Does not have Levels of Success.

Assisting on Checks

One character may assist another in performing an Action or Task if there is a reasonable method to assist available:

• The assisting character must be able to explain or describe how they will assist the Skill Check.
• They must have the relevant Skill for the attempted assistance.

By assisting, the character will provide a Skill Bonus equal to the tens-place of their Skill to the Skill level of the character attempting the Action or Task.

Example: A character attempting to climb a rock wall with Athletics-44 may be assisted by their rope handler, who offers to pull them up as well. The rope handler has a Brawn of 67, so provides a +6 bonus to the climber’s Athletics; the climber will make an Athletics Skill Check with effective Athletics-50 to scale the rock wall.

Additional Successes – Skills Only

After a Skill Check is made, any remaining Successes scored beyond the first apply compounding, linear bonuses.

Example: In combat, additional Successes when making an Attack both increase the damage dice and allow selection from a table of additional Effects.

Example: During Expeditionary Travel, each Success scored on the Watch Lead’s Skill Check grants the traveling party +1 Watch Action to spend.

Opposed Checks

When one character resists the efforts of another, or when one character has an internal struggle, they make an Opposed Check.

Combat Example: Character A attempts to Attack for full damage, Character B attempts to Deflect and negate damage. Each scores a Normal Success, canceling out to a Tie; Half Success in both means each will halfway Succeed. Character A does half-damage on their Attack, as Character B has half-way Deflected it.

Internal Example: Character A stands at the entrance to the building where the people were taken. It is dark and ominous, causing a dilemma of their instincts between Cautious and Empathetic. Cautious instincts tell them to flee, either for help or personal safety; Empathetic instincts tell them to push inward to try to save the people from further suffering. They make an Opposed Trait Check, and Succeed on both their Cautious and Empathetic Traits. They will find themselves compelled to push inward to save the people, but to do so in a way that minimizes personal risk. Through their Caution, they move slower and more carefully through the building, but this extra time may end up costing more lives to the dangers within.

Check Modifiers

Any Check may be modified in multiple ways.

A Static modifier is a bonus or penalty Value added to the target of the Check, such as a character’s Skill Value.

Example: Character A provides a Static Bonus of +6 to Character B’s Athletics-44 Skill, raising it to Athletics-50, for a climbing Check when they assist by using their Brawn-67 to pull them up with a rope.

A Success modifier is a bonus or penalty Value added or multiplied to the Successes scored from a Check.

Example: When holding a meeting with a party of PCs about dangers on the western border, the Councilman’s Concern-2 means each Success they roll against the PCs on the topic are doubled.

A Challenge modifier is a bonus or penalty multiplier to the target of the Check, such as a character’s Skill Value.

<To Be Completed Shortly, TTRPG Game Sessions Call>