Actor Advancement

In a long-running campaign, where Players control the same Actors over a period of time, it is rewarding psychologically, and thematically to the story unfolding in the game that Actors evolve over time. Although Actor Advancement is a Core Rule, it is optional, because if your group is just playing a one-shot Scenario for the evening, or just test playing the game rules, the fact that the Actors involved advanced afterward may be unimportant. But if you are running a persistent campaign, it is recommended that the GM award Experience Points (XP).

Actors are awarded 1 XP per Conflict in which they prevail. The GM should confirm whether or not they have prevailed in the Conflict if it is ambiguous. For example: if opponents were defeated by elimination (e.g. a group of goblins were all killed by the player Actors), it is obvious and players should just add +1 XP to their Actor Sheet without the need for the GM to say anything. Other times, it may be less obvious, and the GM should clarify if XP was awarded or not.

When the determination of whether or not the PC's have prevailed in a Conflict is ambiguous, the GM should adjudicate by considering A) what are the Actor personalities, B) what are the objectives of the current Scene, Scenario, or Adventure?

For example, if in the above Scene with the merchant, the Actors were all bad guys (aka “evil”), maybe assaulting merchants and guards is how they get things done, “what's the problem?” Maybe the GM awards +1 XP for the Conflict. On the other hand, even if they are bad guys, if the objective of the Scenario was to infiltrate the city unnoticed to tail an important nobleman, then assaulting guards and merchants is a fail.

• GM — you win credibility by being impartial and considering a variety of factors. You MUST explain your rationale when awarding or not awarding XP to Players, although they may not agree, or may have a different rationale.
• Players — you may have a different rationale than the GM. Too bad. Their adjudication is final, and RPG's are not a democracy. You win by learning how your GM thinks, and using that to your advantage…

The formula for Actor Advancement is:

XP * Multiplier = 1 Build Point Award

The simplest way of running a Core Rules game is to set Multiplier defaults to 1. That means that after each successful Conflict a Player adds 1 Build Point to their Build Budget, and they can allocate their Build Points accordingly after each Conflict. That is great if the game is a one-nighter to see how far the Player Actors can advance in one night, but may be disadvantageous if the GM's goal is to facilitate a long-running campaign where PC Actors evolve and advance over years in real life, because, after the introductory adventure, they are all already god-level entities…

The GM must set an XP Multiplier that is right for the type of game the group intends to play. Remember that the Dominance rules suggest a 33% chance of success between two equally matched opponents in any given Conflict (rock-paper-scissors), so the GM should not assume every Conflict will be successful when choosing their XP Multiplier. Here are some guidelines based on the Game Time that the group has agreed upon:

• Multiplier=1 (1 XP=1 BP) –the default that is suitable for “popcorn” games where a single Scene is played: best for learning the rules, or test play. Drink beer, have fun, play one night like poker to see who wins by having the highest Build Budget at the end of the night.
• Multiplier= 0.1 (10 XP = 1 BP) – This is suitable for Adventure-based play, where the involved Players will play multiple Scenes (Conflicts) that are all part of a single Scenario, and multiple Scenarios complete their Adventure. Players must win 10 Conflicts to gain 1 BP, and 9 BP are needed to increase 1 Rank (90 successful Conflicts = 1 Rank). This is a good Multiplier if you intend your players to gain ~ 1 Rank per ~9 game days. After 9 days of play, assuming 10 successful Conflicts per game day (multiple hands each) you may assume your Player Actors will gain a Rank.
• Multiplier= 0.01 (100 XP = 1 BP) – This is a glacial pace, suitable for a masochistic GM, where the game will consist of multiple Adventures (each consisting of multiple Scenarios, that consist of multiple Scenes (Conflicts)). Players must win 100 Conflicts to gain 1 BP, and 9 BP are needed to increase 1 Rank (900 successful Conflicts = 1 Rank).

The GM is encouraged to fine tune the XP Multiplier that is right for their game, and any number is possible that works for your game advancement pace: 2, 0.5, 0.05, etc.