🎬 What Are Moves? Actions with Consequences
In traditional RPGs, you might say "I want to pick the lock" and roll a skill check. In Root RPG, you "Attempt a Roguish Feat" and the dice don't just tell you if you succeed - they tell you what interesting thing happens next, regardless of success or failure.
Real-World Analogy: Think of moves like improv comedy rules. In improv, there's no "failed" scene - every response, whether it goes as planned or not, becomes material for the next beat of the story. Root RPG moves work the same way.
🎯 Basic Moves: Your Core Toolkit
These are the fundamental actions any vagabond can attempt, regardless of playbook. They form the backbone of Root RPG gameplay.
🎪 Attempt Roguish Feat
When you try something daring, tricky, or dangerousRoll: 2d6 + Finesse (or +Might for physical feats, +Cunning for mental ones)
You fail, and face a consequence
You succeed, but choose a complication
You succeed with style
Roll Result 8 (Partial): "You snag the keys perfectly, but the guard's coin purse jingles as you bump it. Choose one: you can escape cleanly but he'll notice the missing keys in moments, OR you can cover the noise but now he's suspicious of you specifically."
🧠 Figure Someone Out
When you study someone to understand their motivationsRoll: 2d6 + Cunning
They notice your scrutiny
Ask 1 question, they ask 1 of you
Ask 3 questions from the list
Questions you can ask:
- What are they really feeling right now?
- What do they want from me?
- What do they wish I would do?
- How could I get them to _____?
- What are they not telling me?
Roll Result 11 (Success): GM reveals: "He's terrified but trying to hide it (feeling), he wants you to escort his caravan but won't say why (want), and he's not telling you that he's smuggling Alliance weapons hidden in grain sacks (secret)."
💥 Wreck Something
When you break, destroy, or damage somethingRoll: 2d6 + Might (or +Cunning for sabotage, +Finesse for precision)
You make a mess but don't achieve your goal
Choose: quick & obvious, OR slow & subtle
You wreck it perfectly
Roll Result 7 (Partial): "You can jam the loading mechanism so it breaks spectacularly during battle (quick & obvious), OR you can subtly weaken key bolts so it fails gradually and seems like poor maintenance (slow & subtle)."
🎭 Trick Someone
When you lie, bluff, or manipulate someoneRoll: 2d6 + Charm (or +Cunning for elaborate cons)
They see through you and react badly
They believe you, but want something first
They believe you and do what you want
Roll Result 8 (Partial): "The captain believes your story but says, 'Prove it - what's the current diplomatic password?' You'll need to give him something convincing or this could go badly."
🤝 Persuade Someone
When you try to convince someone through honest argumentRoll: 2d6 + Charm
They dismiss your argument
They'll do it if you meet their condition
They're convinced and act on it
Roll Result 9 (Partial): "The commander considers your words about medical neutrality. 'Fine, but only if you personally vouch for their conduct. If they betray us, their blood is on your hands.'"
⚔️ Weapon Moves: Combat with Consequence
Combat in Root RPG isn't about hit points and damage numbers - it's about narrative positioning, tactical choices, and meaningful consequences. Every weapon attack can change the story.
🎯 Combat Flow Example
⚔️ Engage Sword to Sword
When you attack with a melee weaponRoll: 2d6 + Might (or weapon stat)
Your attack fails and you face danger
Choose 2: deal damage, avoid harm, impress/frighten
Choose 3 options
• Quick: Can trigger "Quick Strike" move for positioning
• Precise: Can target specific areas or objects
• Forceful: Can "Overwhelm" opponents with raw power
• Dangerous: Always deals extra harm but may break
🏹 Target Someone
When you attack with a ranged weaponRoll: 2d6 + Finesse
Similar to melee combat but with different tactical options like taking cover, targeting from concealment, or suppressing enemies.
🤼 Grapple an Enemy
When you fight without weaponsRoll: 2d6 + Might
Focus on controlling position, restraining foes, or creating opportunities for allies rather than dealing damage.
🏛️ Reputation Moves: Politics in Action
Your standing with the various factions isn't just flavor - it's a mechanical resource that opens and closes doors throughout the Woodland.
🎖️ Call Upon Reputation
When you leverage your standing with a factionRoll: 2d6 + Prestige with that faction
Your reputation doesn't help, and may even hurt
They help, but it costs reputation or resources
They provide significant aid willingly
Roll Result 9 (Partial): "The border captain recognizes your name with respect. 'Sir Talon, you may pass, but I must ask - will you carry this sealed message to the commander at Rookwall? It's a matter of some urgency.'"
📊 Reputation Mechanics Deep Dive
Trusted ally, given important jobs
Known and respected
Unknown or balanced reputation
Mistrusted, watched carefully
Shoot on sight, active bounty
Key Insight: Even negative reputation can be useful! High Notoriety with the Marquisate might make you a valuable contact for the Woodland Alliance.
🗺️ Travel Moves: Journey as Adventure
Moving between clearings isn't just fast travel - it's a mini-game of resource management, risk assessment, and narrative opportunities.
🚶 Travel
When you journey between clearingsFirst, choose your approach:
- Safely: Take time, use more food, avoid exhaustion
- Quickly: Risk exhaustion but save time and supplies
- Stealthily: Avoid encounters but use extra time
Then roll: 2d6 + relevant stat
You reach your destination but face a serious complication
Choose: arrive with a minor problem OR take extra time/resources
Smooth journey, arrive refreshed
Roll Result 6 (Miss): "You make good time, but as you crest the hill overlooking Rootwatch, you see Marquisate soldiers setting up checkpoints on all the roads. They're searching everyone entering town - and you recognize the captain as someone who definitely remembers your faces..."
🧭 Travel Planning Mini-Game
Choose your route from Millbrook to Rootwatch:
Fast but exposed
• 1 day travel
• High encounter chance
• Controlled by Marquisate
Hidden but dangerous
• 2 days travel
• Wildlife encounters
• Requires survival skills
Secret but treacherous
• 3 days travel
• Weather hazards
• Known only to Rangers
🌙 Session Moves: Between Adventures
What happens when the exciting stuff is over? Session moves handle downtime, advancement, and setting up future storylines.
📈 Mark Experience
At the end of each sessionYou mark experience when you:
- Fulfilled your Nature during the session
- Completed a significant goal or mission
- Learned something important about the world
- Suffered a meaningful consequence for your actions
Advancement Options (when you fill your track):
- Increase a stat (max +3)
- Learn a new playbook move
- Gain a new connection with another vagabond
- Improve your reputation with a faction
- Acquire significant equipment or resources
🏠 Clearing Activities
When you spend time in a clearingChoose what you do during downtime:
- Rest and Recover: Clear exhaustion and heal injuries
- Gather Information: Learn about local politics and opportunities
- Work for Coin: Take small jobs to fund your adventures
- Craft and Repair: Maintain equipment and create new gear
- Build Relationships: Develop connections with important NPCs
🎲 The Dice Tell Stories
🌟 What Makes Root's Mechanics Special
⚡ Failure Forward
Every roll advances the story. A "failure" isn't a dead end - it's a plot twist that creates new opportunities and complications.
🎭 Fiction First
The story determines which move triggers, not the other way around. You don't "use" Attempt Roguish Feat - you describe trying to do something tricky, and the GM recognizes that as triggering the move.
⚖️ Meaningful Choices
Partial successes always involve choices. These aren't just "you succeed but take damage" - they're "you succeed, but how do you want to complicate your life?"
🔗 Interconnected Systems
Reputation affects travel, equipment affects combat, connections affect relationships. Every system reinforces the others to create a cohesive experience.
🎯 Practice Exercise: Move Mastery
Scenario Analysis Workshop
Situation: Your group needs to infiltrate a Marquisate fortress to rescue a captured Woodland Alliance leader. The fortress is heavily guarded, but you've learned there's a servant's entrance that might be less watched.
Your Mission: Identify which moves might be useful and how they could create interesting story complications:
- Approach Phase: What moves help you get close?
- Infiltration Phase: What moves get you inside?
- Rescue Phase: What moves help locate and free the prisoner?
- Escape Phase: What moves get you out alive?
- Complications: How could partial successes make each phase more interesting?
Approach: Travel (stealthily), Figure Someone Out (guards' routines)
Infiltration: Attempt Roguish Feat (lockpicking), Trick Someone (fake servant credentials)
Rescue: Persuade Someone (convince prisoner to trust you), Wreck Something (break chains)
Escape: Quick Strike (disable pursuers), Travel (quickly through hostile territory)
Partial Success Complications: "You pick the lock, but it makes more noise than expected - choose: get inside before anyone investigates, OR take time to close it properly but risk being discovered in the halls."
🗺️ Next Adventure: The Political Landscape
Now that you understand how actions work in Root RPG, our next tutorial will explore Factions and Politics - the complex web of allegiances, conflicts, and opportunities that make the Woodland such a dynamic and dangerous place to be a vagabond.
You'll learn about the four major factions, how reputation shapes your options, and how to navigate the treacherous waters of Woodland politics while staying true to your vagabond nature!