Quick Charge Extra

A Charge RPG Extra that simplifies the game for a reduced "time to table"

- By René-Pier Deshaies


Quick Charge is an extra that simplifies the core rules of Charge so that it's easier to pick-up and play.

Use it for a quick one-shot, to introduce the Charge to new players, or simply because you prefer those streamlined rules.

Some text was copied over from the rest of the game to make this Extra stand on its own, but here's a quick rundown of the modifications for the Charge veterans reading this:

  • There's only 2 character details: the concept and the appearance.
  • The action list was reduced to 6 actions. Start with 4 action dots at character creation:
    • Muscle: you your force to move, overcome or wreck the obstacle in front of you.
    • Finesse: you employ dexterous manipulation or subtle misdirection.
    • Move: you quickly shift to a new position or get out of danger.
    • Study: you scrutinize details and interpret evidence.
    • Talk: you reassure, socialize or influence with kindness, guile, charm or argument.
    • Focus: you concentrate to accomplish a task that requires great strength of mind.
  • The effect rating is determined by the action roll's result:
    • A 66 gives a +3 effect.
    • A 6 gives a +2 effect.
    • A 4-5 gives a +1 effect.
  • The consequence rating is determined by the action roll's result:
    • A 1-3 creates a +2 consequence
    • A 4-5 creates a +1 consequence
  • Progress clocks are filled using the effect rating of an action roll.
  • Danger clocks are filled using the consequence rating of an action roll.
  • The stress clock is also filled using the consequence rating of an action roll.

Quick Charge

Character Creation

Characters are defined by descriptive traits called details. These highlight who they are, and what is important about them. Those details aren’t just information to give the character color, but should be the aspects of the character that we pay attention to in the story. They are also used as a guide to know the different narrative liberties that a character has in the fiction.

When creating a new character, write down their:

  • Concept: an elevator-pitch version of who the character is.
  • Appearance: what the character looks like, what they wear, etc.

Actions

When a PC needs to overcome an obstacle and there is a risk, they use one of their actions.

At character creation, players assign 4 action dots among the following action list:

Assign 4 action dots in:

  • Muscle: you your force to move, overcome or wreck the obstacle in front of you.
  • Finesse: you employ dexterous manipulation or subtle misdirection.
  • Move: you quickly shift to a new position or get out of danger.
  • Think: you scrutinize details and interpret evidence.
  • Talk: you reassure, socialize or influence with kindness, guile, charm or argument.
  • Focus: you concentrate to accomplish a task that requires great strength of mind.

Condition

A character's condition is tracked using a clock divided in 4 segments called the stress clock ⨁.

When they get hurt, that clock gets filled.

When the 4 segments of the stress clock are filled, the PC is taken out for the scene, and their stress clock is cleared. Because they were taken out, the next scenes should handle how the character's recovery is going to happen in the fiction.

Rolling Dice

The game uses six-sided dice. You roll several at once, which we call a dice pool, and read the single highest result.

  • If the highest die is a 6, it's a full success. Things go well. If you roll more than one 6, it's a critical success and you gain some additional advantage.
  • If the highest die is a 4 or 5, that's a partial success. You do what you were trying to do, but there is a consequence.
  • If the highest die is 1-3, it's a bad outcome. Things go poorly. You don't achieve your goal, and suffer a consequence.

If you ever need to roll but you have zero (or negative) dice, roll two dice and take the single lowest result. You can’t roll a critical when you have zero dice.

Most of the game's mechanics revolve around this basic format.

Action Rolls

When there's a challenge that needs to be overcome, and there's a risk of failure, a player makes an action roll.

The number of dice to roll depends on the action the character is doing.

The action roll acts as double duty. Which means that it resolves what the PC is doing, as well as the NPC.

Here's what happens when a player makes an action roll:

1. Player Sets Their Goal

The player states their goal and, which action they are using.

2. The GM explains the risk

You would not be rolling if there were no risks. So the GM should explain to the player what they are getting themselves into.

3. Player Evens the Odds

The player decides if they want to even the odds.

They can either

  • Push themselves: Consume 2 momentum to get +1d6 or an improved effect rating.
  • Add tension to the scene, to get +1d6.

They can also receive assistance from another PC for an additional 1d6.

4. Roll the Dice

Finally, the player rolls the dice, and the group judges the result.

  • On a 66 it's a critical success. You greatly achieve your goal with a +3 effect
  • On a 6 it's a full success. You achieve your goal with a +2 effect
  • On a 4-5 it's a partial success. You achieve your goal with a +1 effect, but there's a +1 consequence.
  • On a 1-3 it's a bad outcome. Things go badly, and there's a +1 consequence.

If the result of the dice is higher than 3, the PC gains momentum from their action except if they pushed themselves.

Momentum

When a player makes an action roll, that roll has a chance generating momentum.

You start every session with 2, and generate more momentum when making successful action rolls.

  • On a 4-5, you gain +1 momentum.
  • On a 6, you gain +2 momentum.
  • On a 66, you gain +3 momentum.

PCs consume their momentum to boost their actions, assist an ally or resist a consequence.

When momentum is spent for a roll, that roll cannot in turn generate momentum.

Boosting Action Rolls

If you want, you can add bonus dice to your action roll by using one of the following methods.

Push Yourself

When you push yourself, you consume 2 momentum per push to gain one of the following bonuses.

  • Add +1d6 to your dice pool.
  • Gain +1 effect rating for your roll.
  • Take action even if you were taken out.

Add Tension

When you add tension to an action roll, you can ask the GM "What would adding tension would look like here?". The GM then offers a consequence, like ticking segments on a danger clock, inflicting stress on your character, or adding more drama to the narrative.

If you accept the consequence, add +1d6 to your current dice pool.

Team work

The PCs can help one another in different ways to assure that the teams overcome the different challenges that are facing them.

Assist

When you assist a PC, you consume 1 momentum, to give +1d6 to their roll. When doing this, you also expose yourself to possible danger.

Protect

When you protect a PC, you step in to confront a consequence they would otherwise face. Describe how you intervene, and suffer the consequence for them.

You can make a determination roll to try to reduce or cancel the consequence.

Set up

When you perform a setup action, you make an action roll to have an indirect effect on an obstacle. If your action has its intended result, any member of the team who follows through on your maneuver gets +1 effect level for their roll.

You choose the benefit, based on the nature of your setup action.

Determination Roll

If a character suffers a consequence that you, as a player, don't like, you can try to resist it.

You do so by calling for a determination roll to see how well you resist the consequence.

Build a pool of d6s by adding +1d6 for each charge of momentum you are willing to consume for the roll.

Once you've decided how many charges you want to consume, roll and interpret the results:

  • On a 1-3, the consequence still happens.
  • On a 4-5, the consequence is reduced.
  • On a 6, the consequence is avoided.
  • On a 66, the consequence is avoided, and you get some other benefit.

Clocks

Clocks are circles divided in either 4, 6 or 8 segments.

Use those to track a task's progress or escalating danger in scenes.

  • When a PC succeeds an action roll, you can tick 1 segment of a progress clock for each effect rating.
  • When a PC suffers a consequence from an action roll, you can tick 1 segment of a danger clock for each consequence rating.

When a clock is filled, a narrative element in the story is now resolved. Either the PCs got closer to their goal, or danger has come to fruition and makes the situation more complicated.

Recovery

As time passes, PCs will get better, and their condition will improve.

If the fiction allows it, once per session clear 1 segment off a PC's stress clock.

Fortune Rolls

When the outcome of a situation isn't certain, and the players aren't involved, the GM makes a fortune roll to see what happens.

Add +1d6 per likeliness level of that thing happening.

  • On a critical success, great results, and something exceptional happens.
  • On a full success, great results.
  • On a partial success, mixed results.
  • On a bad outcome, bad results.

Flashbacks

Players can call for a flashback scene if they want to declare that their character tried to prepare for a certain situation even though it hasn't been discussed at the table yet. That being said, a flashback scene isn’t like time travel and can't undo what was already established in the narrative.

When a player calls for a flashback, the GM looks at the fiction and sets a cost in momentum (from 0 to 2) that the player needs to pay before moving forward.

Afterwards, the player narrates a short scene of what their character attempted to accomplish in the flashback. Depending on the narrative and the character's actions, the GM decides between one of the following:

  • The flashback happens and the character's actions have a impact on the narrative.
  • The flashback happens, but a action roll is required to determine if the character's actions were successful or not.
  • The result of the character's actions are left to chance and determined by a fortune roll.
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