Fade to Black

Description

Chicago: The City That Never Forgets Alright, let's talk about the city. Not the shiny postcards or the grand tales, but the Chicago that’s a character in its own right. It's a sprawling, hungry beast of a metropolis, and every street, every alley, every whispered secret is a part of its dark soul. This isn't just a place where things happen; this is a place that makes things happen. The city is a mosaic of flickering neon and impenetrable gloom. Walk the bustling Loop, where the rain-slicked asphalt reflects the hurried footsteps of a thousand desperate souls. Duck into the desolate industrial zones, where rust-eaten factories cast skeletal shadows over forgotten train tracks. On the South Side, the smoky jazz clubs pulse with a mournful rhythm, a soundtrack of loss and fleeting joy. This city is a labyrinth that rewards the sharpest minds and swallows the naive whole. One wrong turn can put you in a dead end, or worse, a shallow grave. This is a world of moral ambiguity, where the line between hero and villain blurs in the smoky haze of a backroom. The city is a bleak place, yet moments of hope, however small, can shine through the darkness like a single match struck in a pitch-black alley. This is a place where corruption is a constant, infecting every level of society from the beat cop on the corner to the fat cat in City Hall. Trust is a rare commodity, and betrayal is often the final act of a long-running play. You’ll be haunted by your past, a shadow dogging your heels as you grapple with the question of whether you're in control of your own fate, or just another pawn in the city's inescapable game. To truly understand this city, you have to experience it with all your senses. This is the sting of a cold wind blowing off the lake in the dead of night, carrying the faint, metallic scent of ozone before a storm. It's the acrid tang of gunpowder after a shootout, sharp and unforgettable. It’s the sweet, sickly aroma of cheap whiskey and fear, a common cocktail in the city’s dives. Listen for the mournful wail of a saxophone from a jazz club, or the distant, lonely rumble of a train. In the archives of the old library, you can smell the musty odor of old paper and forgotten secrets. The taste of a hot, black coffee in a greasy spoon diner at 3 a.m. is the bitter truth of it all. These are the details that bring the world to life, making your choices feel real, and the danger visceral. Fade to Black is a narrative-first game, and we've honed the system down to the bone so the tension never breaks. When the outcome hangs in the balance, a handful of dice will carve your character's fate. Whenever your Lead Character attempts something where the outcome isn't a sure thing—trying to sweet-talk a tough guy, picking a tricky lock, or dodging a wild punch—your Game Master (GM), or Host, will call for a Basic Roll. This is your character's moment of truth. What You Need: A handful of standard six-sided dice (d6s). Building Your Dice Pool: The number of dice you get to roll is determined by your character's relevant Attribute value, plus a bonus die for any applicable Maneuver they possess. Attributes: These are your core strengths, the fundamental evidence of your character's abilities.Wit: Your cunning, perceptiveness, and ability to think on your feet. Reflex: Your speed, agility, and physical grace. Grit: Your courage, endurance, and sheer stubbornness. Maneuvers: These are the specialized tricks and talents your character has picked up the hard way. When you use one of these, it adds 1 additional die to your dice pool, giving you an edge. Interpreting the Roll: The Cold, Hard Facts After you roll your dice, you look for successes. A roll of 4 or 5 is a Success. Each one of these is a step toward your goal, a sign that your training and instinct paid off. A roll of 6 is a "Push." This is a critical success—a success with an added narrative advantage. This isn't just about succeeding; it's about doing so with style, with a clever move, a lucky break, or a particularly brutal flourish. The Host will work with you to describe how this Push adds a new twist to the story. A roll of 1, 2, or 3 is a failure. You came up short. The door didn't open, the thug didn't buy your lie, and the punch connected. The GM's Word: The Host sets the number of successes you need to accomplish your task, from a simple one-success action to a daunting three-success challenge. It's their call on how difficult the city makes things for your character. Character Progression: Using BP Your character isn't static. Every encounter, every victory, and every brutal defeat leaves a mark. This is tracked through Build Points (BP). Earning BP: The Host might award you BP for exceptional roleplaying, clever solutions to impossible problems, significant narrative contributions, or simply surviving a harrowing encounter against all odds. Spending BP: Your character spends BP to grow.Acquire New Maneuvers: Each new trick you learn costs 2 BP and adds another die to your repertoire. Other Advancements: The Host might allow you to spend BP on other unique advancements, though this is rare and a significant part of your character's legacy. So there it is. The basics are in place. The city is calling, the shadows are lengthening, and your story is waiting to unfold. Now you know the language of the game and the way your character will navigate the shadows. *Note: These are out of Alpha and moving into Beta. That means they are still mechanics and systems focused. We will move into formatting and graphics when we finish Beta stages. Thank you for your understanding.

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