Scene
Also called: Scenes, Once per scene
Definition: A continuous stretch of play in one place with one purpose. It ends when the place changes, time skips roughly 10 minutes or more, or the question it was about is answered. Once-per-scene limits reset at the start of a new scene; Mettle refreshes at the start of each session.
A scene is a gunfight, a tense negotiation, a search of a burned-out depot. The Marshal opens and closes scenes, and a scene ends when one of these happens:
- The Place Changes: the party moves somewhere new.
- Time Skips: the story jumps forward roughly 10 minutes or more, the same stretch a Short Rest needs.
- The Question Is Answered: the thing the scene was about is settled. The fight is won or fled, the deal is struck or refused.
Combat and Scenes. A fight and its immediate aftermath are one scene. When the Count stops, the scene does not end until the party moves on or takes time to recover.
Ending Scenes Early. Players can ask to move on, but the Marshal decides when a scene closes. Calling a scene over just to reset a once-per-scene ability doesn’t work. If the danger hasn’t passed, the scene hasn’t either.
(See also Beat and Mettle.)