Gun & Slinger: Mechanics

doing things & resolution (p. 32 in book, 17 in pdf):

  • all checks, attacks, etc. are determined by a modified game of go fish
  • pairs are kept face down in front of the player, known as the “cache”
  • when your hand is empty, draw 3
  • steps to a check:
    1. player attempts an action
    2. maestro calls for a check
    3. player “go fish”-es (asks the other player or maestro for a particular card)
      • if they have the card: the requestee must answer truthfully and must hand it over
      • if they do not have the card: the petitioner draws from the deck
    4. maestro declares the check’s cost
    5. petitioner can then:
      • pay with a pair from their cache or…
        • note: pairs have their single-card value (e.g. a pair of 5s is only worth 5, not 10)
        • total value paid is the pair’s value + relevant stat + aid from other player
          • once per check, the other player can aid the petitioner by describing their aid and paying a single from their hand, adding its value to the total paid (e.g. other player aids with a 2, adding 2 to the total paid)
      • request a bargain or…
        • player can pay a face card to the maestro for a baseline success
        • if the player is unable or unwilling to pay a face card, it becomes a blind pay. this blind pay cannot result in a standard success, if the blind pay succeeds there must be a complication
      • accept failure
        • failure results in gaining 1 braid
  • MAESTROLESS check steps
    1. one player flips deck’s top 3 cards
      • if a face card is revealed it must be chosen and players must act as if the maestro played it
    2. other player selects one of the 3 to set the check’s difficulty
    3. follow steps as normal
  • blind pays (always used for attacks but can also be used at maestro’s discretion for simultaneous gun & slinger actions). steps:
    1. maestro calls for a blind pay and sets difficulty
    2. maestro flips deck’s top card to reveal the modifier
    3. players each play a single face-down
    4. cards are revealed and total is calculated (gun’s single + slinger’s single + modifier)
      • face cards are worth 10
      • aces are 1 or 11 determined after reveal
    5. one player may choose to add their relevant stats
    6. in order to succeed: [difficulty]≤[total]≤21 (>21 = busting)
      • 21 exactly is pure success
  • MAESTROLESS blind pay steps
    1. deck’s top card is flipped to set difficulty
      • difficulty = 21 - card value
    2. next card in deck is flipped as modifier
    3. follow steps as normal
  • face moves: face cards do not pair with themselves
    • king: can be used to succeed at any check, including the other player’s
    • queen: (wild card) can be paired with any single to produce a pair
    • jack: play one at any time to draw 3 cards
    • aces: a major success with an extra effect:
      • you gain extra insight: pose a question to the table and collaboratively answer
      • you gain or maintain the upper hand, determined collectively
      • your result improves remarkably

combat & action (p. 42 in book, 22 in pdf):

  • not turn based
  • shooting
    1. gun and slinger must both agree to shoot
    2. both draw a card
    3. make a blind pay to shoot
      • baseline difficulty for attacking (with or without the gun) is medium difficulty 5-8
    4. a single hit defeats regular enemies (may be more if twist-touched or armored)
    5. upon defeating the enemy:
      • if by gunfire: gun draws a card
      • if otherwise: slinger draws a card
  • harm
    • when slinger fails to avoid a hit, mark 1 scrape
    • if scrapes are exceeded, add a major injury
    • exceeding 2 major injuries is fatal
  • death
    • not necessarily permanent – the twist can bring pcs back but there is a strange and noticeable transformation, both internally and externally
    • permanently mark 1 twist track point

character & player advancement (p. 68 in book, 35 in pdf):

  • braids are gun & slinger's resource spent for character advancement
  • players share a pool of braids
  • gaining braids
    • always gain a braid when failing a check
    • given out at maestro’s discretion (e.g. completing noteworthy tasks, doing cool shit)
      • MAESTROLESS: when characters lean into runes and agendas
    • at the end of each session, answer the following as a group and mark a braid for each yes
      • did you barely make it out alive?
      • did your legend grow?
      • did you create avoidable trouble for yourself?
      • did you learn the world's deeper secrets?
  • spending braids
    • 5 braids
      • create a new trinket or tool
      • declare a new fact about the surrounding world
    • 10 braids
      • give yourself a new stat, starting at 0
      • grant yourself a new ability, move, or other character specific capability
    • 15 braids
      • raise a stat by 1 (max 3)
    • gun-specific
      • strengthen connection
        • limited → complex: 10 braids
        • complex → substantial: 15 braids
      • gain a new rune
        • cost = current runes + 2
    • slinger-specific
      • gain a new sense
        • cost = current senses + 2
      • raise twist capacity
        • cost = current capacity + 3
      • remove twist marks
        • cost = 2 braids per mark
      • discover a new word
        • cost = current words + 1

maestro (p. 70 in book, 37 in pdf):

  • using cards
    • maestro does not make pairs, cards remain in hand used as singles to make moves (introduce new elements and complications to the story)
    • always go fish before making a move
    • card played reflects new element's intensity
      • can translate to a check for the players, but not necessarily
    • maestro face moves
      • king: separate gun and slinger
      • queen: gun & slinger lose something valuable
      • jack: someone receives a major injury
      • ace: immediately raise the stakes
      • suits matter for theh maestro face moves
        • hearts: the environment
        • diamonds: the twist
        • spades: the antagonist
        • clubs: dealer's choice
  • jokers call the thing that hunts