W.I.P.
Calling Out Actions
Original Card Text
Keep going until someone describes an action that is Difficult or Perilous or Both; someone else has to point it out and say it out loud!
A scene is open.
Seeker and Eyes are describing the situation.
Eventually the Fetish or another character will do something that could be an action that is Difficult or Perilous or Both. Or Ritual, but let’s cover this later.
This means is that if a character does something that no one thinks is important or interesting, the game simply moves on. Moreover, the person that described the action can’t decide by themselves whether the actions is of a type or another, others have to judge it. Ritual actions are the exception, but let’s cover this later.
Difficult
Original Card Text
Now a 3rd player says… what else they must do to succeed
An action is Difficult when it has a meaningful chance of failure.
Players must thus define specifically what can be done here and now to achieve success. This presents the acting character with a binary choice:
- YES - they do what’s required and the action succeeds
- NO - they refuse and the action fails or is aborted
To do it… you must first give them the little food you have left.
To do it… you must also take the time so search the rest of the house.
To do it… you must break the window.
Perilous
An action is Perilous when it could result in unintended consequences.
Players must thus define specifically what consequence happens here and now if success is achieved. This presents the acting character with a binary choice:
- YES - the action succeeds and the consequence happens
- NO - the action fails or is aborted and the consequence is averted
When a player feels like saying “Wow, wait a second, someone will surely get hurt!” then the action described is Perilous. When this happens, the party that called out the action has to make it clear:
-
who will get hurt
-
in which way they will get hurt
-
how badly they will get hurt
More than one person could get hurt at the same time, and the hurt might be physical or emotional or social or different for everyone involved, as long as it is real meaningful damage, not just a trivial bruise of the ego or of the skin.
Again, this is not a bargain. And the hurt must be such that the acting character can say “Yes, it happens” and accomplish the original action right there and then, or say “No, it doesn’t happen” thus preventing the hurt but also failing/aborting the original action.
What Both Means
When a player feels like saying “Woah there, that’s not easy AND someone will surely get hurt!” then the action described is Both, and has no chance of success. The party that called out the action has free reign describing how the acting character fails and causes hurt, to themselves and/or someone else.
Most action-movie endeavors will easily fall under this category. This is very intentional. As this type of action leaves no room for the acting character to shape the outcome, it is best to offer their player a chance to take the description back before the disastrous outcome gets narrated.
Players might want to stay their course anyway for a multitude of reasons: maybe for dramatic effect, maybe because even in failure and hurt their character will achieve the positioning they desire, maybe because it’s a perfect opportunity to turn the table with a Ritual action (as explained later).
Realism & Balance
None of the above rules is about statistical odds or realistic chances. They are about drama. About interesting and meaningful consequences. Most of all, they are about being willing (or not) to pay a price to do what you want to do.
What is difficult? Tying shoelaces while drunk could objectively be difficult, but unless it leads to immediate consequences that make for an interesting story… don’t bother calling it out. On the other hand talking honestly with someone is a trivially simple action, but social or emotional circumstances might make it difficult (or even perilous!): that’s when we want to see how things go, if they succeed or fail, if success has conditions or costs that might give pause to the character.
What is perilous? Being part of a street brawl should obviously qualify, but what about being rejected by someone? What about failing at something one cares about?
Not every failure and rejection is meaningful and relevant enough to truly hurt, especially since the Fetish lives already a life of hardship. When in doubt the Eyes can and should ask the Seeker for guidance: do you think that your Fetish would care for this? Would they feel hurt by that?
The rules about actions are tools to shape the story into something engaging, dramatic and humane. Players should not (ab)use them to get their way or to prevent bad things from happening to their characters. The Name of God is often a game of dark, bitter and tragic stories, although hope and redemption are always possible … the journey, with all its highs and lows, is what matters.
Be sure to talk about this among players before starting the game, and talk about it again if ever the need arises to get everyone on the same page.
Death and Nastiness
When a Perilous or Both type of action happens there is nothing stopping the players from describing fatal damage… to anyone. Fetishes are the obvious protagonist of the game, but if their actions look like they might lead to an untimely death, don’t hesitate! Kill them off mercilessly. Do the same with any other mortal. Don’t hold back.
This is not meant to encourage a bloodbath in your game. On the contrary it should discourage players from pursuing action-hero scenes and stories… unless they really want to, and are ready to pay the price.
The same should apply to Difficult actions. They are not about overcoming a challenge, as the solution to it is offered within the problem itself!
“To succeed you must first… and also… etc”
“Yes, I do it”
End of the challenge 
No, the aim is to have the character decide if the thing they want is worth doing something they might not want to do, or risking it set up the conditions for potential later drama. It’s about setting a price to be paid either now or later.
(continue…)
Either way, be nasty. Be cruel. Be deliberate. Offer a price that will have the acting character (thus its player) wonder: am I this kind of person? will I do this? will I accept such outcome?
This is the best way to play. And the rules support it in three main ways…
One, character death does not mean game over, as all players will continue to play as Eyes.
Two, the Fetish has final agency in most circumstances, including the apparently desperate ones as will be shown when Ritual actions are explained.
Three, in the Play Together Talk the game explicitly tasks the players to have a care for each other as fellow human beings, if not as friends. Everyone should feel free to express discomfort about some delicate and controversial themes or descriptions, and expect the others to respect this and act accordingly. And in turn everyone should keep an eye on the others to check if the game content “hurts good” like an engaging drama story, or “hurts bad” like a personal problem.
When in doubt, simply ask.