You often hear about the “problem” of players in games like that one with 5 editions just bleeding tension by taking rests all the time. Which might not actually be a problem, but also, I do think it means there might be a missing mechanic that incentivizes riskier delving.

This is a first draft of a mechanic for Torchbearer 2e by Thor Olavsrud and Luke Crane that replaces the Grind and attempts to do this.

This mechanic could probably be adapted to any system that uses dice pools looking for n successes (so Genesys, but not Blades in the Dark, because it only looks for a single success out of the pool).

(Heads up: I’ve watched/listened to lots of TB actual play, but have not played. I’m trying to find folks to playtest this).

Momentum for Torchbearer (draft 1)

Momentum builds as the Characters delve deeper. Instead of ticking The Grind, the GM will tick Momentum after any successful Test as the players Build Momentum.

Players mark Conditions in the usual order when Momentum reaches increments of 5 (effectively the Grind ticking over as usual).

Players may Ride Momentum on any test, to do things like add dice to their roll, and momentarily changing their Might or Precedence. When they do so, they risk granting Traitorous Momentum to the GM.

Building Momentum

Momentum ticks whenever the characters succeed on a test or in a conflict. Ticking Momentum increases it by 1.

Failed tests do not tick Momentum.

Whenever Momentum reaches an increment of 5 (5, 10, 15, etc…), the characters take a condition in the same order they would when the Grind ticks over.

Riding Momentum

In any test, a character may choose to add Momentum to their roll.

When you Ride your Momentum, add dice to your pool equal to the Momentum, and roll. On a success, if your Momentum is 5 or more, choose 1, if your Momentum is 10 or more, choose 2:

• Increase your Might or Precedence by 1 (may be chosen twice)
• If your Test succeeds, reduce Momentum by 1 (costs 2)
• Add +1s to your roll (may be chosen twice, can only be used to increase the Margin of Success)

Roll the Momentum dice separately, or in a different color. Any wyrms are given to the GM as Traitorous Momentum. Do this after spending Fate or Persona to reroll.

Tilting at Giants

Players can use Momentum to make it posisble Kill, Capture, Convince etc by changing their Might or Precedence temporarily.

If a character chooses to increase their Might or Precedence, the conflict captain may choose to tilt at giants, and restate the team’s goal in light of their changed Might or Precedence. This cannot be done when rolling disposition. No artificially inflating your hardiness. Momentum carries you far and fast, but you are still as fragile as you are without it.

As soon as this is done, the characters open themselves to the consequences of the more deadly or dangerous conflict, and remain so even when not riding Momentum. Not all rolls must be made riding Momentum for this conflict, but…

Once the choice is made to tilt at giants, the players must make the final blow to their opponent–the blow that removes their last point of disposition–riding Momentum and they must choose to increase Might or Precedence by the amount required to make the kill, capture, convince, etc possible.

If the final blow does not ride Momentum, or does not have the girded Might or Precedence necessary to achieve the lofty goal, the conflict captain chooses either to sacrifice the goal for something within normal reach, or to leave the opponent with 1 point of disposition, allowing the conflict to continue, until this requirement can be satisfied.

The choice must be made before the final blow, unless the final blow is also the first blow of the conflict.

Bleeding Momentum

Making Camp will bleed your Momentum, reducing it by 10.

You may also spend a check to further reduce it by 10.

Traitorous Momentum

Whenever a player rides their Momentum, any wyrms amongst the Momentum dice are granted to the GM as Traitorous Momentum.

The GM may spend this Traitorous Momentum in the following ways:

Momentum only ticks on success… so are the players getting fewer Conditions?

Because Momentum only ticks on successful tests, GMs might worry that characters are running longer. You can give them conditions more often when they fail a test if you want, but this is OK for now.

Once they start giving the GM Traitorous Momentum, the GM is going to be able to push back harder, and sometimes even when the dice haven’t been rolled, or on unqualified success.

Managing Momentum

TODO

• abilities (or a class?) specializing in increasing and decreasing Momentum
  • or is it options for Maneuver? or something similar?

Playtest questions

• should all wyrms be given to the GM as Traitorous Momentum after the Test is resolved, not just the Momentum wyrms?