Bank: A central reserve of Coins where all spent Coins are returned and new Coins are drawn from.
Bid for Turn: Players bid secretly for the right to frame the next scene. The winner is the Framing Player and can spend the Coins bid during the scene. The losers return their bid to their wealth. Ties are broken by the first player to left of the last Framing Player.
Bidding in Challenges: If Negotiations fail to resolve a Challenge, players Bid. The Challenging player must bid first (openly) followed in order by the other players with the Challenged player bidding last. Each player can bid one or more Coins either in favor of the Challenger or the Challenged (or a new option). The side with the most Coins when no one wishes to bid further wins. If a Fact is being Contradicted the side defending the Fact counts double for the Challenge.
Buying Dice: 1 Coin allows 1 die to be added to or subtracted from any Dice Pool. The rationale for this must be fully justified by the player making the purchase.
Challenge: A means for players to regulate the actions of other players in the game. Any action or behavior can be Challenged. If possible the issue is resolved through Negotiation. If not, it is resolved by Bidding Coins.
Characters: A type of Component describing a person or group of people (where person is defined very loosely). Characters are the most important Component, and the story is told through them. Players can Control any Character in the story, there are no specific Player Characters.
Coins: Coins regulate story power in the game. Players spend them to add Traits to Components, Tenets to the game, and narrate Events in scenes. Additional Coins can be earned from Complications and automatic Refreshment after every scene.
Complication: A Complication involves building a Dice pool for the Complication rolled by the Originator and a Dice pool for any Targets rolled by the Target Players. The most Successes wins and both sides receive Coins to narrate the outcome.
Component: All people, places, and things, and even intangibles can be defined as Components. All Components are collections of Traits which describe it. The more Traits the more Important the Component is to the story. If it is a noun it can be defined as a Component.
Control: The player who Introduces a Component into a scene Controls that Component until it is Taken Over by another player. Only the Controlling player can add, Remove, or Restore Traits to a Component or involve a Component in an Event without causing a Complication.
Create Component: Players Create all Components in the game by purchasing 1 or more Traits for it costing 1 Coin each. The first Trait must be the Component's Role.
Dialog: When a Character Controlled by 1 player wishes to have a conversation with a Character Controlled by another, the two (or more) players can enter into Dialog with the initiating player paying 1 Coin. During Dialog the players speak in the voice of their Characters and pay for any statements their Characters make that they wish to have treated as Fact.
Dice Pool: Both the Complication and the Targets will have a Dice Pool made up of d10s. There may be more than one for multiple Targets but they are treated collectively for purposes of determining the winner. Dice are added to the pools either by Buying them or Drawing them from Traits.
Drawing on Traits: Any Component in a scene can have its Traits Drawn on during a Complication. If a particular Trait applies to the Complication at hand it can add or subtract 1 die to the relevant Dice Pool. Each Trait can provide only 1 die per Complication but can be used in multiple Complications in any one scene.
Edge Dice: If the number of Successes rolled in a Complication are tied, sum the values of each of the Success dice. The side with the highest sum gets a free die of a different color known as the Edge Die. In the event of multiple ties continue handing out Edge Dice until the tie is broken. In the event of multiple target pools award the edge die to the pool with the most Successes. If this is tied, award it to the tied pool closest to the left of the Originator.
Event: Events cost 1 Coin and deliver the action of the story. Each event consists of a single effect, a single Component receiving the effect, and/or a single Component performing the effect. If Components are nouns and Traits are adjectives, then effects are verbs and Events are complete sentences.
Facts: Facts cost 1 Coin and give added leverage in Challenges. A Trait is a Fact assigned to a Component. A Tenet is a Fact assigned to the game itself. An Event is a Fact assigned to a scene.
Fines: Fines are a way of indicating dissatisfaction with the play of another player. Any player can at any time call for a Fine against another player. All other players vote simultaneously “thumbs-up” to levy the Fine or “thumbs-down” no Fine is necessary. The losing party must pay a number of Coins equal to the total thumbs against him to the Bank.
Framing Player: The winner of the Bid for Turn is the Framing Player. He can use the Coins he bid (and additional ones from his Wealth) to frame the Scene. He cannot be Interrupted while doing this. The first Event he narrates ends framing and begins regular play. Only the Framing Player can declare a scene ended.
Group Trait: Any Component can be turned into a group of like Components simply by adding a Group Trait. The number of times the Group Trait is added indicates the relative numbers of the group (not necessarily at a 1:1 ratio). The additional numbers are not treated separately in the game (it is still a single Component) but can be Drawn upon in any Complication where additional numbers would be useful.
Importance: All Components have an Importance which is simply equal to the number of non Removed Traits the Component has. A Component can only be eliminated from the game if a number of Coins equal to this Importance are spent to do so (and can be justified). Likewise an eliminated Component can be brought back into the game if a number of Coins equal to its Importance is spent to do so (and can be justified).
Interrupt: For 1 Coin any player can Interrupt the turn of another player (except during framing) and begin taking his own turn. The interrupted player can finish his immediate thought before handing over the turn.
Introduce Component: Any existing Component can be Introduced into a scene by paying 1 Coin. Only Components that have been Introduced can have Traits Drawn upon for Complications.
Locations: A type of Component describing a place. Locations are one of the first things that must be Established in any scene for 1 Coin.
Loser: The side in a Complication with the fewest Successes is the Loser. The Losing player gets 1 Coin from the Bank for each die rolled plus the value of any Edge Dice rolled. He uses these Coins to narrate the outcome of the Complication, limited by what the Winner narrates first. In the event of multiple Losing Dice Pools, the narration occurs in order from most to fewest Coins received.
Master Component: A Component can be marked as a Master Component for 1 Coin. A Component so marked can never be given a Proper Name and serves as a template for every related Sub Component tied to it. The Traits bought for the Master Component should be suitable for a generic representative of that class or category of Components. A Master Component can not be eliminated unless all of its Sub Components have been eliminated.
Mini Scene: Instead of waiting for the current scene to end and then winning the next Bid for Turn, a player on his turn, can cut to a scene elsewhere to depict events going on concurrently or in flashback. The Mini Scene automatically ends at the end of the player's turn (voluntarily or by Interruption). There is no additional cost for the Mini Scene, but Establishing a Location, Setting a Time, and Introducing Components all cost as they do for framing a normal scene.
Negotiation: Before any Challenge goes to Bidding, players can discuss alternative solutions amongst themselves. If the Challenged player agrees to modify his action to the satisfaction of the Challenger, or successfully convinces the Challenger to drop the Challenge, then the Challenge ends without Bidding.
Originate a Complication: A Complication occurs in one of two ways: 1) when a player who Controls one Component is attempting to effect a Component Controlled by a different player, or 2) when a player wishes to turn an Event described by another player into an obstacle by Buying Dice for it.
Originator: The player who begins a Complication is the Originator. He represents the source of the Complication and rolls the dice related to it.
Possession Trait: One Component can be marked as being a Possession of another Component with a Possession Trait. The owned Component is automatically Introduced whenever the owner is Introduced. The owner's Importance is increased by the Importance of the Possession. The owner can be separated from the Possession by paying to Remove the Possession Trait (if such can be justified in the narrative).
Proper Name: Any Component can be given a Proper Name as a Trait. Like any Trait it can be Drawn on for any Complication in which it applies. It is difficult to conceive of many situations where a mere name would apply to a Complication. However, there is a special rule for Characters (and rarely other Components). Because “named” Characters are always held to be more important than unnamed ones, a Character with a Proper Name can Draw upon that name in any Complication in which they participate.
Props: Any Component that is not a Location or a Character. Typically items, equipment, and gear, but also intangibles like religions or ideologies.
Refreshment: At the end of every scene and before the next one begins, all players receive a small number of additional Coins (typically 5) from the Bank added to their Wealth.
Relationship Trait: Traits can depict family or emotional ties between Characters or a Character and other Component). These Traits can be Drawn upon any time the relationship applies. It is possible for 1 Coin to by both a Relationship Trait for 1 Component, and the corollary matching Trait for the related Component.
Removing Traits: For 1 Coin any Component's Trait can be crossed off of its record sheet. The rationale for this must be fully justified by the player causing the Removal.
Restoring Traits: For 1 Coin any Trait that had been previously Removed can be Restored. The rationale for this must be fully justified by the player causing the restoration.
Role: The first Trait that must be bought for any Component, the Role defines what that Component is or does for the story. This is often a position, or occupation for Characters, but can also be a story based role. Roles can be Drawn on for any Complication in which they apply.
Rules Gimmick: A formal means of proposing optional house rules during the game for 1 Coin.
Scene: A game division in which the Framing Player Establishes a Location, Sets a Time, and Introduces Characters and Props. All players then take turns narrating events within the scene until the Framing Player ends it and a new scene is Framed.
Social Contract: The Social Contract is an agreement between players about how a particular group intends to play. It can include rules on outside distractions, table talk, how loose the players will be with the rules, forbidden topics, pacing, and much more. The Social Contract can be an informal understanding, a formal agreement, or elements can proposed during play as a Tenet.
Story Element: A Story Element is a Tenet which defines the type of story about to be told. Items like genre, theme, setting, mood, and situations. These make up the “type” of story the players want to tell.
Sub Component: A Component can be made a Sub Component of a Master Component by buying a Trait indicating the connection. The Sub Component has access to all of the Traits of the Master Component and each Sub Component is free to Draw on them during Complications. The Sub Component's Importance is determined only by its own Traits, not including those inherited from the Master.
Successes: When the Dice Pools in a Complication are rolled, each die that comes up a 1-5 is a Success. The side with the most Successes is the Winner, the other side is the Loser.
Take Over: For 1 Coin a player can take Control over any Component in a scene currently Controlled by another player. It does not have to be his turn to do this, nor does the Take Over make it his turn. Complications or Dialog are often the result of a Take Over. Alternatively, Take Overs can allow players to avoid Complications if they desire.
Target Player: The player who Controls a Target Component is the Target Player and will roll the dice on behalf of those Targets.
Target: Any Component that is going to be effected as the result of a Complication is a Target.
Tenets: Tenets are rules of the game. They can be Social Contract Issues, Story Elements, or Rules Gimmicks. They define how and what a group intends to play. Tenet's cost 1 Coin and only 1 can be proposed on a player's turn.
Traits: Traits are like adjectives which describe Components. The more Traits a Component has the more Important it is. Traits can also be Drawn on to provide dice during Complications. Traits cost 1 Coin
Wealth: A player's supply of Coins is called his Wealth. Players begin with a supply of Coins at the beginning of each game (typically 25), and this is replenished through Complications and Refreshment.
Winner: The side in a Complication with the most Successes is the Winner. Sum the value of each of the Success Dice plus the value of any Edge Dice that weren't Successful. The total is the number of Coins the player draws from the Bank to narrate the outcome of the Complication.
Wound Trait: A specific kind of Trait that is added to a Component to represent injury or damage of some kind. During the game Events involving the Component should be narrated to take the Wound Trait into account. During Complications the Wound Trait can be Drawn on to provide dice which hinder the Component if applicable. Wound Traits do increase Importance while present and can be healed / repaired by paying to Remove them (which reduces Importance).