Adversarial Trials

In still other societies, trials are a
Quick Contest of Law (Criminal) skill
between the prosecution and defense,
in the presence of a judge and possibly
a jury. If the accused chooses to
defend himself, he is at -1 to -3 due to
his emotional involvement. (The say-
ing “The lawyer who defends himself
has a fool for a client” is often true!)
Record the results of the Quick
Contest, and then make a reaction roll
for the judge or jury (as appropriate).
Modifiers: A bonus equal to the
defense’s margin of victory, or a penal-
ty equal to the prosecution’s margin of
victory, depending on the victor; +2 or
more if the player roleplayed a com-
pelling defense; +1 to +3 if the evi-
dence supports the defendant, or -1 to
-3 if it supports the prosecution; +1 or
more for a plausible alibi; -1 or more
for bad publicity; -2 if the defendant
jumped bail (see Bail, p. 507); -3 if an
eyewitness placed the defendant at the
crime scene; any bonus or penalty for
the defendant’s Reputation.
The reaction is the verdict: a reac-
tion worse than Neutral means
“guilty”; a reaction better than Neutral
means “not guilty.” Neutral reactions
go to the side that won the Quick
Contest. If that was a tie, the result is
an acquittal.
In the case of a conviction, pun-
ishment is left to the GM, playing the
part of the judge. See Criminal
Punishment (below) for ideas. If a PC
behaves in a way that truly deserves
punishment, the GM should not feel
obliged to get him out of it, even if
the penalty is serious.