The game uses a wonderfully simple system to determine if I succeed at that complex lock-picking or fast-talking a diplomat:
Declare My Action: I state what I’m doing (e.g., "I'm cracking the safe").
Roll the Dice (d%): I roll percentile dice (two ten-sided dice) to get a result between 1 and 100.
Compare to My Skill: I check the relevant Skill value on my character sheet (called a "Passport"). If my roll is equal to or lower than my Skill value, I succeed!
The Karma Twist: If I roll doubles (like 33 or 77), something extra happens:
Success + Doubles: Good Karma! I succeed with an extra benefit and gain a Story Point.
Failure + Doubles: Bad Karma! I fail, and something extra goes horribly wrong. Perhaps I manage to start a fire while failing to pick that lock.
Failure Pays: My Secret Weapon is Trouble
I need to forget everything I know about being cautious. The Troubleshooters practically rewards me for making a mess of things. This is all thanks to Story Points, the game's secret weapon for influencing the narrative and creating that classic comic book "plot armor."
The best part? I earn these points not by being safe, but by embracing the chaos:
Lean into My Flaws: My character has a "Complication" (a flaw, a code of honor, a bad reputation). When this flaw gets my character into interesting trouble, I earn Story Points.
Get Captured! The biggest payout in the game comes from surrendering or being knocked out and taken prisoner by the villains. This awards a massive 9 Story Points—more than enough to stage a glorious, over-the-top escape later. The game is designed so that fighting to the death is rarely the best or most fun option.
I can spend these points to do amazing things, like Flip a Roll (swap the tens and ones digits of my dice roll) or even Add to the Scene (e.g., spending points to declare, "Hey, wait a minute, I remember I stashed that grappling hook in the chimney!").
Action, Not Lethality
The combat in The Troubleshooters is designed to feel like a high-octane brawl from a comic panel—dynamic, exciting, and generally non-lethal. Characters rarely die unless the player deliberately tries to make it happen.
Instead of death, losing a fight means being knocked Out Cold or, more likely, being captured and tied to a chair while the villain delivers a long, complicated monologue. Remember, that monologue is the cue to start spending those 9 Story Points for a daring escape!
In a hobby often dominated by the grim and the gritty, I find The Troubleshooters to be a technicolor breath of fresh air—a vibrant, optimistic game where the biggest rewards come from diving headfirst into the nearest, most ridiculous predicament.
I can now grab my passport and my trench coat and be ready for adventure!
The combat in The Troubleshooters is designed to feel like a high-octane brawl from a comic panel—dynamic, exciting, and generally non-lethal. Characters rarely die unless the player deliberately tries to make it happen.
Instead of death, losing a fight means being knocked Out Cold or, more likely, being captured and tied to a chair while the villain delivers a long, complicated monologue. Remember, that monologue is the cue to start spending those 9 Story Points for a daring escape!
In a hobby often dominated by the grim and the gritty, I find The Troubleshooters to be a technicolor breath of fresh air—a vibrant, optimistic game where the biggest rewards come from diving headfirst into the nearest, most ridiculous predicament.
I can now grab my passport and my trench coat and be ready for adventure!
You can get Troubleshooters on this website.
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