Section 4 of 4 · 3 pieces

The layer nobody notices

Initiative, the exploration turn and the reaction roll are the parts nobody quotes. They are the machinery that keeps exploration a system rather than a description.

The layer nobody notices
Initiative, the exploration turn and the reaction roll are what stop a session becoming an unstructured conversation.
The reaction roll
Deciding an encounter's disposition by dice removes it from the referee's mood, which is a deliberate transfer of authority.
The exploration turn
A unit of time that makes resources tick — light, rations, wandering checks — and turns exploration into a system.

A game master's screen seen from behind with notes taped inside — Taped notes: initiative, the turn and the reaction roll, in the form a real table keeps them.

The other three sections

Every piece on the site, in one list: the full index.