When a combat scenario is likely to last more than a couple rolls, when play moves to maps and miniatures, or when seconds count in the narrative, the GM should place the action tracker card on the table within everyone’s reach. During this scene, PCs place action tokens on the tracker (see “Placing Action Tokens”), and the GM spends those tokens to activate adversaries (see “Adversary Actions”).

Placing Action Tokens

When the action tracker is in use, your character can still make moves at any time. However, whenever you use an action (including any move that says “Use an action” or requires an action roll), you must place a character token on the action tracker and resolve the action, ending your move. As a PC, your tokens aren’t limited—they’re just used to track how many times the GM can activate adversaries—so if you ever run out, you can grab more.

After you end your move by placing an action token, the GM or another PC might act, or you might decide to make another move. You and your fellow PCs can still act in any order you like, following the narrative—but remember to pass the spotlight around the table to ensure everybody has a chance to act. If another player hasn’t placed any tokens on the action tracker recently, consider letting them make a move before you do anything else.

Example: Emerson places a character token on the action tracker (bringing the total tokens on the tracker up to three), then makes a roll to strike an enemy he’s in melee with. When he gets a success with Fear , he describes how he swings his sword overhead and down, dealing 12 points of damage. However, because the roll was with Fear, play moves to the GM. They can make a move, either in response to Emerson’s character or elsewhere in the scene.

What Counts as an Action?

You only place a token on the action tracker when you’re either making an action roll or using another move that tells you to “use an action” (certain features, switching weapons, etc.). For example, unless your consumable says it uses an action, you can use it without a token. As always, the GM can decide certain moves require an action token when it keeps the spirit of the rules aligned with your unfolding story.

Adversary Actions

When the GM makes a move (usually after a player fails an action roll or rolls with Fear), they can spend one or more tokens from the action tracker to activate that many adversaries. When the GM spends a token, they remove it from the action tracker and return it to the token’s player.

An activated adversary can take most any action your PC could, but most of the time, they’ll do one of the following:

• Move within Close range and make a weapon attack.
• Move within Close range and use an adversary action.
• Clear a condition.
• Sprint Far or Very Far away on the battlefield.

Once the GM decides to stop spending action tokens, play returns to the PCs. The GM can spend a Fear to place two additional tokens on the action tracker (then spend one or both of them on adversary actions), or they can spend two tokens to gain a Fear. See “Using the Action Tracker” in chapter 3 for full rules on how the GM uses the action tracker.

Example: After Emerson’s attack roll with Fear in the example above (see “Placing Action Tokens”), play moves to the GM. The GM takes all three tokens off of the action tracker, spending the first to end the Vulnerable condition on a nearby adversary, who breaks free from the vines that were binding them. The GM spends the next token on the adversary Emerson just hit with his sword, describing the enemy’s warhammer being pulled out of the mud and swung at Emerson’s ribs. The enemy succeeds on the attack, then rolls for damage and totals it up for 9 physical damage. This falls within Emerson’s Major threshold, but he marks two armor slots and reduces the damage down to 5, only taking 1 hit point. With the last token, the GM describes an adversary sprinting all the way across the battlefield to get to the massive bell that would call in reinforcements. As the adversary prepares to ring it, the GM turns back to the players, asking, “What do you want to do?”