How does Event Countdown work in CRAWL!?

Question

Complete rules for Event Countdown in the CRAWL! tabletop RPG system, covering all mechanics and procedures.

Iron Brothers Games · Accepted Answer

Encourage Cleverness: The events on the table are designed to be solved in a way that doesn't involve combat. When players encounter a Spoor/Foreshadowing event, reward them for using skills like Assess or Bushcraft to understand the threat and avoid it, rather than rushing into a fight. This will encourage the kind of clever, resource-conscious play that Crawl! is all about. Event Countdown Table: | Value    | Event Description                                       | |----------|---------------------------------------------------------| | 20       | Quiet! Momentary calm…                                  | | 19       | Supply Pressure                                         | |          | - Make a Supply Check                                   | | 18       | Environmental challenge                                 | |          | - Difficult terrain                                     | |          | - Weather complication                                  | |          | - Navigation complexity                                 | | 17       | Resilience Check                                        | |          | - Failure: Gain 1 Affliction Point                      | |          | - Represents mounting psychological strain              | | 16       | Spoor/Foreshadowing                                     | |          | - Tracks                                                | |          | - Distant sounds                                        | |          | - Environmental warning signs                           | | 13,14,15 | Supply Pressure                                         | |          | - Make a Supply Check                                   | | 11,12    | Distant Encounter Signs / Foreshadowing                 | |          | - Spoor, footprints, echoing voices, etc                | |          | - Potential threat detected                             | |          | - Hints of possible interaction                         | | 10       | Discovery! Roll d6:                                     | |          | 1-2: Resources - Dead adventurer's pack, water,         | |          |      old supplies. Make Delving check to salvage,       | |          |      success gains 1d4 Supplies                         | |          | 3-4: Information - Map on corpse, journal,              | |          |      carved warnings. Learn one useful fact             | |          |      about this area                                    | |          | 5: Opportunity - Weak ceiling, gas pocket,              | |          |    working mechanism. Reveals environmental             | |          |    advantage usable once                                | |          | 6: Wonder - Something beautiful but probably            | |          |    deeply weird and wrong                               | | 8,9      | Close Encounter Signs / Foreshadowing                   | |          | - Spoor, footprints, echoing voices, etc                | |          | - Potential threat detected                             | |          | - Hints of possible interaction                         | | 6,7      | Supply Pressure                                         | |          | - Make a Supply Check                                   | | 4,5      | Minor Encounter                                         | |          | - Roll on Encounter Table                               | |          | - Consider terrain, previous events                     | | 3,2,1    | Resilience Check                                        | |          | - Failure: Gain 1 Affliction Point                      | |          | - Represents mounting psychological strain              | | 0-       | Major Encounter. Reset to 20                            | |          | - Consider terrain, previous events                     | Interpret with a Purpose: The table provides excellent prompts, but you, as the GM, should always interpret the result with a specific narrative purpose. What kind of tracks are they seeing? What is the weather complication that is draining them psychologically? Make the event feel personal to the current situation. Player Communication: Don't hide the Countdown value. Let the players know the current number. This transparency builds suspense and allows them to feel the mounting pressure. When they succeed at a major task and you announce, "You made it, but the Countdown just hit 5," they will viscerally understand the stakes. Procedure: The Event Countdown is a GM tool that represents the “hand of the game world” as an escalating source of tension. Procedure The Event Countdown represents the mounting pressure of wilderness, dungeon, or urban environments. It tracks the accumulation of tension, potential encounters, and resource strain. 1. Starting Out  The Countdown starts at 20 each session. 2. Triggering the Countdown  Consider triggering when the party moves through major areas of a dungeon, Camps overnight… at the GM’s discretion  When triggered, the GM spend Chaos token(s) from the Fate Pool to roll an Event Countdown die  Die size scales with Chaos tokens spent:  1 Chaos token = D8  2 Chaos tokens = D12  3 Chaos tokens = D20 3. Rolling and Resolving  Roll the appropriate die and subtract the result from the current Countdown value  Resolve the event at the new Countdown value  When the Countdown reaches 0 or less, reset to 20 and a major Encounter occurs

Iron Brothers Games · Answer

Compared to Dungeons & Dragons 5e and Old-School Essentials (OSE), CRAWL! simplifies mechanics while maintaining tactical depth. Encourage Cleverness: The events on the table are designed to be solved in a way that doesn't involve combat. When players encounter a Spoor/Foreshadowing event, reward them for using skills like Assess or Bushcraft to understand the threat and avoid it, rather than rushing into a fight. This will encourage the kind of clever, resource-conscious play that Crawl! is all about. Event Countdown Table: | Value    | Event Description                                       | |----------|---------------------------------------------------------| | 20       | Quiet! Momentary calm…                                  | | 19       | Supply Pressure                                         | |          | - Make a Supply Check                                   | | 18       | Environmental challenge                                 | |          | - Difficult terrain                                     | |          | - Weather complication                                  | |          | - Navigation complexity                                 | | 17       | Resilience Check                                        | |          | - Failure: Gain 1 Affliction Point                      | |          | - Represents mounting psychological strain              | | 16       | Spoor/Foreshadowing                                     | |          | - Tracks                                                | |          | - Distant sounds                                        | |          | - Environmental warning signs                           | | 13,14,15 | Supply Pressure                                         | |          | - Make a Supply Check                                   | | 11,12    | Distant Encounter Signs / Foreshadowing                 | |          | - Spoor, footprints, echoing voices, etc                | |          | - Potential threat detected                             | |          | - Hints of possible interaction                         | | 10       | Discovery! Roll d6:                                     | |          | 1-2: Resources - Dead adventurer's pack, water,         | |          |      old supplies. Make Delving check to salvage,       | |          |      success gains 1d4 Supplies                         | |          | 3-4: Information - Map on corpse, journal,              | |          |      carved warnings. Learn one useful fact             | |          |      about this area                                    | |          | 5: Opportunity - Weak ceiling, gas pocket,              | |          |    working mechanism. Reveals environmental             | |          |    advantage usable once                                | |          | 6: Wonder - Something beautiful but probably            | |          |    deeply weird and wrong                               | | 8,9      | Close Encounter Signs / Foreshadowing                   | |          | - Spoor, footprints, echoing voices, etc                | |          | - Potential threat detected                             | |          | - Hints of possible interaction                         | | 6,7      | Supply Pressure                                         | |          | - Make a Supply Check                                   | | 4,5      | Minor Encounter                                         | |          | - Roll on Encounter Table                               | |          | - Consider terrain, previous events                     | | 3,2,1    | Resilience Check                                        | |          | - Failure: Gain 1 Affliction Point                      | |          | - Represents mounting psychological strain              | | 0-       | Major Encounter. Reset to 20                            | |          | - Consider terrain, previous events                     | Interpret with a Purpose: The table provides excellent prompts, but you, as the GM, should always interpret the result with a specific narrative purpose. What kind of tracks are they seeing? What is the weather complication that is draining them psychologically? Make the event feel personal to the current situation. Player Communication: Don't hide the Countdown value. Let the players know the current number. This transparency builds suspense and allows them to feel the mounting pressure. When they succeed at a major task and you announce, "You made it, but the Countdown just hit 5," they will viscerally understand the stakes. Procedure: The Event Countdown is a GM tool that represents the “hand of the game world” as an escalating source of tension. Procedure The Event Countdown represents the mounting pressure of wilderness, dungeon, or urban environments. It tracks the accumulation of tension, potential encounters, and resource strain. 1. Starting Out  The Countdown starts at 20 each session. 2. Triggering the Countdown  Consider triggering when the party moves through major areas of a dungeon, Camps overnight… at the GM’s discretion  When triggered, the GM spend Chaos token(s) from the Fate Pool to roll an Event Countdown die  Die size scales with Chaos tokens spent:  1 Chaos token = D8  2 Chaos tokens = D12  3 Chaos tokens = D20 3. Rolling and Resolving  Roll the appropriate die and subtract the result from the current Countdown value  Resolve the event at the new Countdown value  When the Countdown reaches 0 or less, reset to 20 and a major Encounter occurs

Event Countdown

Encourage Cleverness

Event Countdown Table

Interpret with a Purpose

Player Communication

Procedure

Experience the Unified d20 Roll