A Pick-Up Game Worksheet

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B38sUusc114SZl9qM3JYczVTUE85Q2VSZ0Z0SlVZdw/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-31vnujnYGauifC5B6X3OrA

I don't remember where I picked this up, just found it again in my notes

Answer the Reporters’ Questions, Who, What, When, Where, How and Why?

The PCs are a random collection of people on a train

The conflict or problem? An experiment gone wrong strands them on another version of Earth where all they have is the section of train car that came through. There were casualties and gruesome deaths, but the climate is more or less the same as they left behind, a little cooler but the same season, similar flora and fauna… People?

Others? There are 2d6 survivors, some of whom are the PCs; in fact, divide up the train survivors between the players so that they’re playing multiple characters. Folk are probably going to die!

All of this takes place in? An alternate US state, perhaps Ohio or PA

Places- The wreckage from the train, the nearest stream, pond or lake. This is forested. 

How can the conflict or problem be resolved, Win, Twist or Fail? 

Epic Win- Best Outcome

Twisted Result- Something good, but something bad, too 

Epic Fail- Worst outcome

Why are the players involved (and individually)? 

Risks & Rewards- Conflict is resolved with dice as needed, and each contest or feat represents a risk and a reward, as proposed by the player(s). Frame the contest with a desired outcome, the reward, and a risk, something bad, then roll for each. The reward die will show a 'high', for success, 'low' for a fail, or a 'middling' for a mixed result; likewise the risk may be successfully avoided on 'high', dealt out and resolved on 'low', or remains hanging over your head on 'middling'. 

The risk and reward should be similar; perhaps we let the dice decide and roll d%, getting a 78. The risk is high, but so is the reward... Roll against the 78 and the higher the better for reward, the lower the better for the risk. Roll 76, a near miss so you get some reward, but you roll a 17, way under for risk and take some fearsome consequence. You could run a GM-less game for a few players where the group suggests things and uses the dice to randomly decide events with this system of risk/reward. Is there a chance animals will bother them in the night? If the players agree there is, how much? Roll versus that and come up with a risk, fearsome predator, versus a reward?