L. Fate Moves

In solo and co-op play, the fate moves mediate the result of other moves or serve as inspirational prompts for your story. When you face the outcome of a move, want to know what happens next, or have a question about people, places and events external to your character, the fate moves help you discover an answer.

In guided mode, your GM represents the whims of fate. They can reference these moves as they like, but they can also decide the outcome or direct the question back to you.

There are three key aspects of using the fate moves:

• Instinct: If an answer to a question or the result of a situation is obvious, interesting and dramatic, make it happen.
• Randomness: You can roll on random tables to generate a result or answer a question.
• Inspiration: You can use creative prompts, such as those included in the oracles chapter to guide your story.

This is one of the most common moves in Chalksworn. Make this move when directed to by the outcome of another move, or when the current situation naturally leads to a cost through your choices or actions.

First, choose an option as described in the move. You may determine the outcome yourself, Ask the Oracle to decide between two options, or roll on the table. In guided play, you look to your GM for a ruling. Whatever choice you make, always follow the fiction. If a dramatic outcome springs to mind immediately, go with it.

Next, envision the outcome. What happens? How does it impact the current situation and your character? Apply the outcome to the fiction of your scene before you determine any mechanical impact. Focusing on the narrative cost leads to deeper, more dramatic stories.

Finally, apply any appropriate mechanical penalty:

• If you face a physical hardship or injury, Endure Harm and suffer -health.
• If you are disheartened or frightened, Endure Stress and suffer -spirit.
• If you lose equipment or exhaust resources, Sacrifice Resources and suffer -supply.
• If you waste precious moments or are put in an unfavorable position, Lose Momentum and suffer -momentum.
• If an ally or companion is put in harm’s way, apply the cost to them.

When in doubt, suffer -2 from the appropriate track.

Most situations can impact both the narrative situation and your mechanical status. But, a result might also be purely narrative without an immediate mechanical cost. An initial failure might introduce a complication or force a reactive move (such as Face Danger). A failure on a subsequent move can then introduce a mechanical penalty. In this way, failures build on each other, and the situation gets riskier and more intense.

The narrative and mechanical costs you endure should be appropriate to the circumstances and the move you are making. Scoring a miss on Take Decisive Action implies a greater cost than if you fail to Clash within that scene. For dramatic moments and decisive moves, up the stakes.

Once you’ve resolved the outcome, envision what happens next and how you react. You are not in control. The situation is more complex and dangerous. You may need to respond with another move to restore your advantage and avoid further cost.

Rolling Matches

If you rolled a match on a move, and the outcome of that move tells you to Pay the Price, you can consider rolling on the table instead of just choosing an outcome. This fulfills the promise of the match by introducing a result you might otherwise not have considered. When in doubt about what a result on the table might represent (for example, “a new danger or foe is revealed”), you can Ask the Oracle. However, rolling a match on the Pay the Price table itself doesn’t necessarily have any special significance.

In solo or co-op play, use this move when you have a question or want to reveal details about your world. In guided play, the GM may use this move to answer their own questions or inspire the story of your game session.

Draw a Conclusion

The most basic use of this move is to simply decide the answer. Think it over for a moment (or talk it out with others at your table), and go with what seems most appropriate to the current situation and introduces the most potential for drama and excitement.

Your first instinct is often the right one. If it leapt to mind, it’s probably a good fit for the current situation. But, if your initial impulse doesn’t really excite or interest you, give it more thought. Wait for an “aha” moment.

If you’re still not sure of the answer, or want to put things in the hand of fate, you have some other options...

Ask a Yes/NO question

The first option is to ask a simple yes or no question.

• You can ask a binary yes/no question and leave the answer open to fate.
• “Is this steading inhabited?”
• “Do I drop my saber?”
• “Is there somewhere I can hide?”
• “Do I know the way?”
• “Would they consider this trade?”

Decide the likeliness of a ‘yes’ answer, and roll your oracle dice to get the result. For example, if you rate the chance of a ‘yes’ as ‘unlikely’, you must roll 76-100 for a yes. Otherwise, the answer is no.

Pick Two

The next option is to ask a question and pick two viable results.

• “Do I drop my saber or my revolver?”
• “Is it in the Thickwood or the Weeds?”
• “Does the elder bearboar try to pin me down, or does it bite?”
• “Am I attacked by a horror, or a beast?”
• “Is this a formidable foe, or a dangerous one?”

You rate one of those as ‘likely’, and roll on the table. If it’s a ‘yes’, the answer is your likely pick. If not, it’s the other. Use this approach when the answer is more open-ended, but you have a couple of options in mind.

Spark an Idea

The final option is to seek inspiration through an open-ended question.

• “What happens next?”
• “What do they want?”
• “What’s this place look like?”
• “What do I find?”
• “Who or what attacks?”

If you’re in a game with other players, you can talk it out. Brainstorming together will lead you to interesting answers you might not have thought of on your own.

You can also the other provided oracle tables to help inspire an answer. Or, use your preferred tools, such as an online generator for interesting names, or a set of tarot cards or rune stones for visual inspiration. When asking an open-ended question, use tools which offer a spark of inspiration instead of a definitive response. Your creative mind will lead you naturally from an abstract concept to a relevant answer, adding exciting and surprising dimensions to your story.

Questions Upon Questions

You can come back to the yes/no table and ask a follow-up question to clarify or affirm a result. However, you should avoid leaning too heavily on asking questions (or this move in general). Don’t let one question snowball into a series of more specific questions. Even when playing solo, oracles should be the spice of your game, not the main course. Ask a question or two, decide what it means, and move on. When in doubt, follow your gut. Your first instinct is probably the right one. Go with it.

Rolling A Match

A match on your oracle dice when rolling on the yes/no table should trigger an extreme result or narrative twist. This can mean an all-caps “HELL YES!” or “HELL NO!”, or a yes or no but with an interesting or dramatic complication.

When you’re unsure what a match might mean, you can roll on another oracle table for inspiration. If you’re still left scratching your head, just move on. Resolving a match is not a requirement. It’s just a way to introduce narrative turning points that lead you along unexpected paths. Head down the rabbit hole, but don’t get stuck in it.

Oracles and Guided Play

In guided play, your GM is the oracle. You won’t make this move unless you are talking things out and need a random result or a bit of inspiration. Your GM can use this move (or ask you to make it) to help guide the story.