Games

This is the ability to play a game
well. It includes knowledge of rules,
etiquette, and tournament regula-
tions. You must specialize in a partic-
ular game; possibilities include tradi-
tional board games (such as chess, Go,
hnefatafl, and mankala), card games,
war games, and computer games.
Many cultures regard the ability to
play one or more games skillfully as a
worthwhile social accomplishment.
People often stake vast sums on
games, and it might be possible to
earn a living as a professional gamer.
Games may also be played to settle
disputes. In a fantasy world, a power-
ful monster or wizard might even
challenge a hero to a game – with his
life or the lives of his companions at
stake!
Knowledge of the rules of a given
sport is also a Games skill, but unlike
other Games skills, sports specialties
only allow you to judge an event. To
play, learn the associated Sports
(p. 222) or Combat Sport (p. 184) skill.
As a referee, roll against skill to adju-
dicate a match, spot a subtle foul,
determine the winner in a “photo fin-
ish” situation, etc. As an athlete, you
can use Games to make an Influence
roll (see Influence Rolls, p. 359) when
dealing with a referee or judge, but
this use is always at -3 or worse.
When you take a sports specialty,
specify both the sport and the league
or tournament type; e.g., Games (NFL
Football) or Games (Olympic Judo).
The rules of different leagues within
the same sport default to one another
at -2.
Modifiers: Cultural Familiarity
modifiers (p. 23). Long-lived games
have a body of knowledge that grows
through time; therefore, when gamers
from different times compete, the
player from later in the timeline gets
+1 to effective skill.