duopost: gift economy / tablefill resolution

03 Jun, 2025

Here's a table you can show to your players and keep updating as things happen.

Your players decided they want to try and get the townsfolk to help them with something. They want a whole bunch of wood to make into a huge sled. This is not life-threatening, livelihood-threatening, or impossible, so it's a Minor Request. Roll that d6.

You got a 5-6? Those are (+) results, so: The villagers fulfill the request, and you replace the entry you rolled with this: "Got extra-nice varnished wood (-)". They always go a little above and beyond, if possible, in order to keep the debt alive. If they can't go above and beyond, they go below -- doing worse than they could have, to still keep the debt alive. (They will then try to over-repay it another way, at another time.) If you let the debt die (by repaying it exactly), you get a (-) debt: "didn't play fair (-)", or something like that, and it's permanent.

You got a 2-4? Those are blank results, so: The villagers fulfill the request, and you add this to an empty slot in the Minor Debts column: "Given a whole bunch of wood (-)".

You got a 1? That's a (-) result, so: The villagers refuse the request.

For Major Requests, it's the same, except blank results are refusals instead.

You can, of course, do favors without even rolling on this table. Just adding stuff to it. I encourage you to do so!

Here's another table you can show your players.

Now they're fighting off some freaky snakes after a long trek through a jungle. They have a couple of options here, because everyone's probably going to take a turn. Each option follows the same logic: If you fail, then it happens to you instead.

Option 1: Try to wallop. They roll on the Wallops table, and if they get a (+) result, they score a wallop. A blank result, nothing happens. A (-) result, they take a wallop instead.¹

Option 2: Try to set up a wallop. They roll a d6 on the Edges table, and if they get a (+) result, they add an entry to the Wallops column appropriate to what they're doing (perhaps "well-placed firebomb (+)". If they get a blank, replace that entry with a negative Edge -- perhaps "snakes coiling all over you (-)". If they get a (-) result, add a negative entry to the Wallops column instead.

Option 3: Get an edge. If there's a blank entry, they can just add a positive Edge to one. If all the entries are full, they can roll on the Edges table, and if they get a (+), then they can replace one of the (-) entries with a (+) entry of their choosing. However, if they get a (-) result, one of their (+) results gets flipped to a (-) instead.

Option 4: Alter the goals of the encounter. Usually this means running away. Draw up a new table next to the existing table, if it's unclear whether they could actually do what they're attempting. Left column: Advantages; right column: Ways to Win. If they fail on a Ways to Win roll, the enemy scores a Way to Win instead, which is usually gonna be scoring a Wallop as above.

Whatever they do, after they're done doing it, the enemy takes their turn the same way. I suggest "programming" your monsters so you know their basic combat plans when you bring them in. A typical predatory beast is probably going to go for Wallops right away, and run if the Wallops are even or it takes one or two. An intelligent creature will usually set up Wallops until it has at least a 50% shot, and maybe flee if it loses the Edge race. Etc.

Additions to the system: Toas can roll Battle Dice (BD) during battles. It's a whole second move if you use it. Roll any number of your BD and pick the one result you prefer. Doubles and triples mean collateral damage though. Any BD that comes up 4-6 is burned out until you recharge, which you can only do in villages.

You can stick players with permanent or semi-permanent negative Edges as a consequence for failure or poor planning. You could even give them a negative Wallop if they, like, sustain a horrible injury that could drop them in future combats. Likewise, positive Edges are good for rewarding a good plan, proper supplies, and well-chosen help, and positive Wallops could be given for effective traps, or perhaps particularly dangerous magic weapons. (A typical magic weapon under this resolution mechanic would simply have a power (cuts through armor, glows blue when orcs are near, never misses) and it's up to the players to apply that in play.)

This is all here to support the fiction, primarily. It shouldn't be needed every time you have some kind of challenge -- but really all it is, when you get right down to it, is saying "tell me why you should succeed here vs why you should fail" and counting up to 6 reasons. Likewise, if it doesn't make sense that a character would be able to do something, then they can't, and if it makes sense that they wouldn't be affected by something, then they aren't -- play it by ear.

(Will this make its way into the game? Idk. It's a little silly to go reinventing systems all the time. But it might.)

(Props to Cyber Jazz Fusion for helping me workshop this whole thing. Their Bird With a Sorcerer class was a blast (heh) to play and you should check it out.)