RULEBOOK

The Round — 3-Step System

Every round has 3 Steps. Each step has a Movement Phase first, then an Action Phase. You earn 1 AP per step. That AP accumulates toward your action’s cost across steps — actions resolve the moment their full cost is paid, not at end of round.

How the Round Works

The GM controls the flow. Each round has three steps. Each step follows the same two-phase sequence: movement first, then actions. You do not get AP until movement is resolved.

How it works:

  1. Movement Phase: All players declare and resolve movement. Smallest distances first: 1 square, then 2, then 3.
  2. Action Phase: Each combatant gains 1 AP. The GM solicits actions in descending cost order: 3 AP first, then 2 AP, then 1 AP.
  3. Repeat for Steps 2/3 and 3/3.

Key AP rules:

  • AP accumulates across steps. A greatsword (3 AP) declared at Step 1 receives 1 AP per step, resolving at Step 3 when the full cost is paid.
  • Unspent AP is lost. If you earn 1 AP and don’t commit it to an action, it vanishes at the end of that step.
  • You can split AP across non-consecutive steps — pay 1 AP at Step 1, use your Step 2 AP for defence, pay the final AP at Step 3.
  • Non-magic actions not completed within the round are forfeit. You cannot carry a greatsword swing from round 1 into round 2.
  • Magic can span multiple rounds. Combat Magic covers the details.

Movement Phase

Movement happens before actions at every step. Position must be established before anyone declares what they will do with it. This matters: a greatsword fighter who sees his target step back may not want to spend 3 AP chasing someone he can’t reach.

How it works:

  • The GM asks for movement in distance order: 1 square first, then 2, then 3.
  • Once the GM passes a distance tier, you cannot go back. If you stay quiet when the GM asks for 1-square movement, you cannot then announce 1 square when the GM moves to 2. You either move 2 (at the cost of 2 FM) or stay put.

For FM pools, FM cap, maximum movement per step, and Give Chase, see Movement & Positioning.

Action Phase

At the start of the step, each combatant has gained 1 AP. The GM then solicits actions in descending cost order: highest AP first, lowest last. Declare at the wrong tier and the chance is gone until next step.

How it works:

  1. GM calls 3 AP actions. Any player declaring a 3 AP action must do so now. If nobody declares, the 3 AP tier is closed for this step.
  2. GM calls 2 AP actions. Same rule — if the GM already passed 3 AP, you cannot now declare a 3 AP action.
  3. GM calls 1 AP actions. The fastest actions go last and with the most information — you know everything already declared above.
  4. Magic resolves as a normal action — when its AP cost is fully paid. If a physical action and a spell resolve in the same step, both resolve simultaneously. The caster takes the hit and the spell fires. See Combat Magic.

Forfeit:

A player mid-action can choose to abandon it. The AP already invested is lost — the action is gone, not paused. The freed AP from this step can be used for defence or any other 1 AP action.

Why descending order matters. Expensive actions are declared first, publicly. Everyone hears that Bran is committing 3 AP to a greatsword swing before the 1 AP actions are called. A player with a faster weapon then decides with full information: press the attack, or save AP for defence.

The Mnemonic

“3 times 1, 2, 3 — and 3, 2, 1.”

  • 3 Each step has a movement phase followed by an action phase.
  • Movement declared 1sq → 2sq → 3sq. Ascending order.
  • Actions declared 3 AP → 2 AP → 1 AP. Descending order.

Movement counts up. Actions count down. Remember that, and you have the whole structure.

Round Summary

StepMovement PhaseAction Phase (after movement)
Step 1/3Declare: 1sq → 2sq → 3sqGain 1 AP. Declare: 3AP → 2AP → 1AP. Actions resolve when cost is paid.
Step 2/3Declare: 1sq → 2sq → 3sqGain 1 AP. Declare: 3AP → 2AP → 1AP. Actions resolve when cost is paid.
Step 3/3Declare: 1sq → 2sq → 3sqGain 1 AP. Declare: 3AP → 2AP → 1AP. Actions resolve when cost is paid.

Unspent AP is lost at the end of each step. Actions resolve immediately when their full cost is paid — not at end of step, not at end of round.

Worked Example: Dagger vs. Greatsword

This example walks through all three steps of a single round, showing how movement ordering, action declaration order, and AP accumulation interact.

The cutpurse — Physical Speed 5 (6 FM per round), dagger (1 AP, reach 1 sq). Bran — Physical Speed 2 (3 FM per round), greatsword (3 AP, reach 2 sq). They start with 2 squares between them. The greatsword has reach but cannot connect yet — Bran needs to close 1 square.

Step 1/3 — Movement Phase

The GM asks who will move 1 square. Bran steps back, opening a 3-square gap. He has 2 FM remaining. The cutpurse is now too far for a dagger strike and too far for Bran to reach even with the greatsword. She needs to close 3 squares, which costs 2 FM and 1 AP. She commits — she had figured a big man with a big sword would be slow. The cutpurse has 4 FM remaining.

Step 1/3 — Action Phase

Both players gain 1 AP. The GM asks for 3 AP actions. Bran declares his greatsword attack — intentions are now public. This is a 3-step commitment. The cutpurse already spent her 1 AP on movement. Step 1 ends.

Step 2/3 — Movement Phase

Neither player moves.

Step 2/3 — Action Phase

Both gain 1 AP. Nobody declares a 2 AP action. The cutpurse declares her dagger (1 AP). Bran is committed mid-swing — he could forfeit the greatsword attack to free AP for defence, but he stays committed. The cutpurse gets a free hit: 4 successes at 10 damage each = 40 raw damage. Bran wears leather armor (10 absorption) and has 3 dots in Physical Toughness (15 absorption): 40 − 25 = 15 damage. A minor injury, but noted.

Step 3/3 — Movement Phase

The GM asks about 1-square movement. Nobody declares. The GM asks about 2-square movement. Bran declares give chase — he will follow the cutpurse wherever she goes, direction unknown until she moves. The cutpurse tries to flee: 2 FM + 1 AP = 3 squares. This was a mistake. Bran’s chase closes the gap to 1 square. The greatsword reaches at 2.

Step 3/3 — Action Phase

The cutpurse has no AP left — she spent it on movement. She has nothing for defence. Bran’s greatsword resolves: 4 successes at 35 damage each = 140 raw damage. The cutpurse has 3 dots in Physical Toughness (15 absorption) and padded armor (5 absorption): 140 − 20 = 120 damage. She is unconscious, crippled, and dying. Bran will later compose a short verse about this. It will be terrible.

The cutpurse landed one hit for 15 damage. Bran landed one hit for 120. The dagger is faster — but spending that last AP on fleeing instead of defending was the decision that ended the fight. She should have kept the AP or fled two steps earlier.

Worked Example: The Forfeited Longsword

Tharis starts the round with a longsword (2 AP). He pays his first AP at Step 1. The swing is in motion.

At Step 2, an enemy declares a 1 AP attack against Tharis. The longsword hasn’t resolved — he still needs one more AP. He decides: take the hit while swinging, or forfeit and defend.

He forfeits. The 1 AP already spent on the longsword is gone. This step’s AP goes to defence instead. The longsword swing never happens. Tharis avoids the hit. He sacrificed a full attack to survive one step. The Herald finds this instructive. Tharis trips slightly on his own robes stepping back into guard stance — he was thinking about a patient from earlier and the footwork caught him off guard. But that part is not in the rules.

For the full list of available actions and their AP costs, see Actions . For movement rules including FM pools and Give Chase, see Movement . For spell casting across steps and rounds, see Combat Magic . For how Distraction resolves within this structure, see Distraction .