This page gives an overview of the game mechanics used by M.A.R.S. Additional detail for the use of the manual version of the game mechanics is provided in 'The Basics' section of the navigation bar to the left. 'The Details' section provides specific information about resolving game related activities in each of the indicated areas.
NOTE: The pages in 'The Details' section describe the manual game mechanics associated with each of their respective areas of the game, but most of them also include some detail that is only pertinent when G.U.T.S. is being used to manage game data. Any sections of a page which are only pertinent when using G.U.T.S. will be clearly marked.
M.A.R.S. includes a diverse set of playable game scenarios, skills, etc, for which the players will need to determine success or failure. but every game mechanic in M.A.R.S. comes down to answering this basic question for the task at hand: "What's the unit's chance to succeed at that task?".
M.A.R.S. does not track 'classes' or 'levels' like most games do. Instead, each unit in an adventure maintains a list of "things the character can try to do successfully" which are pertinent to the game scenario for that unit.
When creating a new unit, the Game Director and the player will agree on a list of actions for which the unit may wish to determine success or failure during the game. They may add new items to the list as the unit progresses through the game or as new skills are revealed. The list for each unit can be as long as desired/manageable, but may also consist of a small number of very broadly defined 'actions'.
Many actions have an effect on their target units. Where pertinent, each item in the list will specify the type of effect and the minimum and maximum amount of effect from a succesful attempt.
That's entirely up to the players and the Game Director. Some adventures focus on a specific area and break down related activities into multiple distinct actions, each of which must be mastered individually. Other adventures may generalize that entire area to a single success roll.
Each item on the list will be assigned a "% chance for success" based on the unit's background, species, enhancements, enchantments, etc. When the player needs to check for success in that area, he/she will roll a random number from 0 to 99. If the roll is less than the "% chance for success", the unit succeeded at the action.
Units improve their "% chance to succeed", "Min Effect", and "Max Effect" ratings by successes, failures, study, practice, mentoring, and/or for any other reason that the Game Director agrees warrants a bump in the number.
"The values for "% chance to succeed" and minimum/maximum effect are predetermined for each item on each unit's list when the unit is created. Those values will be used for success rolls in that unit's first game session. After each session, the players will update the values on their character sheets for each of the tasks for which their success chance or range of effect have changed. These new values will be used during the next gaming session. When using the manual game mechanics, unit stats are NOT updated during a game session.
Many actions are intended to have an effect on another unit. If the effect of the action is harmful to the target unit, the target unit often has a chance to resist the 'pending-successful' attack. If the target unit has a pertinent "% chance to succeed' to resist or minimize that type of action, the target unit rolls for their success at resisting the effect. If the target succeeds at this roll, it has avoided (or minimized) the effect. If the target's resistance roll fails (completely oir partially), the amount of the effect is then determined.
Most actions which have an effect on their target(s) have a specified minimum and maximum effect. The value for each of those are determined by multiple factors. When a unit succeeds at a hostile action and the target does not resist the action, the player will roll a number in the range from the minimum to the maximum effect. That number is the amount of effect which will be 'directed at' the target unit, but it must still get past the target's 'Damage Reducers' to have an effect on the target.
Players will maintain a list of all the 'Damage Reducers' currently active for their units. A 'Damage Reducer' is anything that may absorb, deflect, reduce, or otherwise minimize any damage that a target would otherwise receive.
Damage reduction may come from armor, magic, potions, technology, powers, or any other source. Some damage reducers may operate continuously, others may need to be 'powered'. Each non-human species may have one or more inherent resistances or immunities to one or more forms of damage, expressed as species-specific damage reducers applicable to all members of the species. The effect from all operational damage reducers is cumulative.
Yeah, pretty much. 'The Basics' section will provide a bit more detail and some examples, but the above sequence is pretty much the way that all activities are resolved in M.A.R.S.