Drama Deck

TORG uses drama cards to mimic the ebb and flow of action in an adventure story. The gamemaster deals a hand of four cards (hand size varies based on number of players)to each player, but does not deal himself a hand. The rest of the cards are placed into the drama deck. When cards are discarded they are placed face up into the discard pile to the side of the drama deck. When cards are flipped by the gamemaster they are placed in front of the deck in the action stack.

During normal scenes, when the player characters are searching a room, discussing amongst themselves, etc., time passes about the same rate in game as it does in real life. At these times, cards may be played at any time during the scene.

During a scene that involves a chase, combat, or other conflict, action is divided into rounds. During a scene with rounds, only one card may be played each round. Each round the gamemaster flips a card from the drama deck and places it on the action stack. Even if the action is not combat and is not proceeding in 10-second incriments, the gamemaster might still flip cards to mark the beats and to regulate the amount of action each character performs in a given part of the scene. The cards affect the flow of the action by giving initiative to one side or another, and by introducing additional dramatic elements.