Action Economy

Purpose

This document defines the action economy of TDGS: the structure of time, turns, and actions in tactical situations.

It establishes:

• The Scene (a tactical situation) and Round structure
• Initiative and turn order
• How many actions you get and when
• The difference between Instants and Interrupts
• How simultaneous events resolve

This document builds upon Document 5 (Action Taxonomy). It defines WHEN actions happen; Document 5 defines WHAT actions exist.

The Scene

A Scene is a continuous tactical situation: a combat, a chase, a tense negotiation. Scenes contain Rounds. When the Scene ends, certain effects reset (armor durability, some abilities).

A Scene ends when the tactical situation resolves:

• Combat concludes (victory, defeat, surrender, escape)
• Chase ends (caught, escaped, abandoned)
• Negotiation finishes (agreement, breakdown, interruption)

Between Scenes, entities are assumed to catch their breath, reset their stance, and prepare for whatever comes next.

The Round

A Round is one complete cycle where every entity gets a chance to act. Scenes are made of Rounds.

Rounds have two phases:

Rounds repeat until the Scene ends.

"Time is a lie we agree on. Rounds make the lie useful. Everyone gets a turn. Everyone gets a chance. What you do with that chance is up to you."

Initiative

Initiative determines the order entities act during the Action Phase.

Determining Initiative

Initiative is not rolled. It is determined by stats.

1. Higher REF acts first
2. If REF is tied, higher LUK acts first
3. If both are tied, flip d2 (coin flip)

This order is typically determined once at the start of combat and persists unless something changes an entity's REF or LUK.

Why No Initiative Roll?

Stats are truth. A character with REF 10 IS faster than a character with REF 8. Not "probably faster" or "usually faster." Faster.

Rolling for initiative introduces randomness where none is needed. The faster character acts first. The die confirms reality only when reality is ambiguous (ties).

"You want to act first? Be faster. It's that simple. REF isn't a suggestion. It's the order of the universe."

Resolving Ties

When two entities have identical REF and LUK, flip a d2 (coin flip) to determine who acts first.

When three or more entities are tied after REF and LUK comparison:

1. All tied entities flip d2 simultaneously
2. Higher results act before lower results
3. Any remaining ties flip again
4. Repeat until order is fully resolved

The Instant Phase

The Instant Phase occurs at the start of each round, before anyone takes their normal action.

What Are Instants?

Instants are abilities with special timing. They fire BEFORE the Action Phase, allowing entities to act pre-emptively.

Instants are:

• Granted by Skills, Spells, or Traits
• Declared at the start of the round
• Resolved before any normal actions

Examples of Instants:

• Quick Draw (ready a weapon before combat begins)
• Battle Cry (buff allies before they act)
• Flash Step (reposition before anyone else moves)
• Premonition (gain information before deciding your action)

Instant Ordering

When multiple Instants are declared, they resolve in order of the Instant's REF stat, not the entity's REF.

Each Instant ability has its own REF value defined in its description. Faster Instants resolve before slower ones.

If two Instants have the same REF, use the declaring entity's LUK as tiebreaker, then d2.

Instant REF Source

Each Instant ability SHOULD define its own REF value. This represents how fast the ability itself activates, independent of who uses it.

If an Instant ability does not define its own REF, it defaults to the declaring entity's REF.

Why Instants Have Their Own REF: Some abilities are inherently fast or slow regardless of the user. A "Flash Step" is fast because it's a Flash Step, not because the user is fast. A "Battle Meditation" is slow because centering oneself takes time.

This allows content creators to design Instants that fire in predictable order relative to each other, independent of who learns them.

"The spell knows its own speed. The warrior learns the technique, but the technique was fast before they learned it. Some things move faster than the hand that casts them."

Instants Are Not Interrupts

Instants and Interrupts are different timing mechanisms:

The Action Phase

After all Instants resolve, the Action Phase begins. Entities act in initiative order.

Your Turn

On your turn, you may:

1. Take one ACTION (attack, cast, move, etc.)
2. Take one STEP (free, adjacent movement)
3. Take any number of FREE ACTIONS (simple interactions, etc.)

You choose the order. You can Step before your Action, or after. Not both.

Unused Actions

If you do not use your Action, it is lost. There is no banking, no conversion to defense, no carry-over.

Use it or lose it.

"Every turn is a choice. Every choice is a loss, the other things you could have done. That's not a flaw. That's tactics."

The Anatomy of an Action

When you take an Action:

1. DECLARE: State what you're doing and your target
2. INTERRUPT CHECK: Opponents may use Interrupts (if available)
3. RESOLUTION: Roll d20 + modifiers against threshold
4. MAGNITUDE: If successful, determine how much (damage, duration, etc.)

This sequence applies to all Actions, whether attacking, casting, persuading, or anything else.

Interrupts

Interrupts are reactive abilities that fire in response to something else.

What Are Interrupts?

Interrupts allow an entity to act outside their normal turn, in direct response to another entity's action or event.

Interrupts are:

• Granted by Skills, Spells, or Traits
• Triggered by specific conditions
• Resolved immediately when triggered

Examples of Interrupts:

• Parry (when attacked in melee, deflect the blow)
• Counterspell (when a spell is cast, attempt to negate it)
• Opportunity Attack (when an enemy moves away, strike them)
• Dodge Roll (when targeted by an attack, evade)

No Free Interrupts

You do not get Interrupts by default. An entity with no relevant Skills or Abilities has no Interrupts available.

When attacked, your REF IS your defense. If you want to parry, dodge, or counter, you need to learn how.

"INTERRUPTS ARE NOT FREE. INTERRUPTS ARE NOT GIVEN. INTERRUPTS ARE EARNED. EVERY PARRY, EVERY DODGE, EVERY COUNTER, SOMEONE HAD TO LEARN IT. SOMEONE HAD TO PRACTICE IT. SOMEONE HAD TO BLEED FOR IT. THE UNTRAINED? THEY JUST BLEED."

Interrupt Limits

Each Interrupt-granting ability specifies how many times it can be used. Limits are typically:

• Per round: Resets each round
• Per scene: Resets when the Scene ends
• Per day: Resets after long rest

There is no base Interrupt pool. Your limits are defined entirely by your abilities.

Interrupt Timing

When an Interrupt is triggered, it resolves immediately, before the triggering action completes (if relevant).

Interrupt vs Interrupt

If an Interrupt triggers another Interrupt, resolve them in order declared (defender's Interrupt first, since they're responding).

Readied Actions

The Ready action (from Document 5) creates a special case: an Action that becomes an Interrupt.

How Ready Works

1. On your turn, declare Ready (costs your Action)
2. State your trigger and your held action
3. If trigger occurs before your next turn, your held action fires as an Interrupt and resolves immediately
4. If trigger does not occur, your action is lost

Readied actions are the primary way for characters WITHOUT Interrupt-granting skills to still react to events.

Delay

The Delay action allows you to act later in initiative order.

How Delay Works

1. When your turn comes, declare Delay (free)
2. Specify when you want to act ("after the wizard" or "at the end")
3. Your turn moves to that position this round
4. At the start of next round, your position resets to your natural REF order

You cannot delay past the start of the next round. If you keep delaying, eventually the round ends and you lose your action.

Step Timing

You get one Step per turn, free. You choose when to take it.

If you need to move further than one adjacent position, use the Move action instead.

Simultaneous Events

Sometimes multiple things happen "at the same time." TDGS resolves these in order.

Same Phase, Different REF

If two events happen in the same phase but from entities with different REF, higher REF resolves first.

Same Phase, Same REF

If two events happen at exactly the same time from entities with the same REF:

1. Compare LUK
2. If still tied, flip d2

Mutual Destruction

If two events would each prevent the other (both attacks would kill both combatants), resolve in REF order. The faster entity's action completes first.

There is no "mutual kill" unless both have identical REF and LUK, in which case flip d2 to see whose action completes first. The other may not get to complete theirs.

"Someone is always faster. Even if it's luck that decides, someone wins that coin flip. There is no true simultaneity. Only resolution order we haven't determined yet."

Summary Tables

Scene and Round Structure

Turn Structure

Timing Types

*Each ability specifies its own limits: per round, per scene, or per day.

Document Status

This document defines the action economy for TDGS. All timing, turn structure, and action sequencing in the system conform to the rules established here.