One of my favorite additions to this game is the concept of having relative outcomes that help the GM and the players figure out exactly 'what' happened in a particular situation. Instead of a binary, "you succeed/you fail" paradigm, I really love the idea that your relative success or failure helps to determine the overall outcome of your action. By using a combination of the words, 'yes', 'no', 'but' and 'and', we can use the relative degree to help us figure out the outcome. To quickly recap, these are the "5 Outcomes" in BS&S.Major Success - 3 or more Successes - "Yes, and...."
Not only did you succeed on your action, but you did so well that you got an extra boost to help you accomplish your task beyond your expectations.
Normal Success - 1-2 Success - "Yes....."
A Normal Success means that things worked out pretty much how you planned.
Minimal Success - Ties the Difficulty or Opposition - "Yes, but..."
With a Minimal Success, things go mostly the way you planned, but there is some kind of snag or obstacle preventing a complete success, and usually requires an extra step to resolve.
Normal Failure - 1-2 Failures - "No, but...."
One of my pet peeves in tabletop gaming is the "Nope" answer, because it's frustrating to players, and it can create a dead end that bogs down play and distracts from the game. I like the idea that, if the character is going to fail in their attempt to do something, the GM should offer some kind of lifeline or alternative so that the player has some options to work with.
Major Failure - 3+ Failures, "No, and....."
With a Major Failure, not only did you fail to succeed at whatever you were trying to do, but there's an additional obstacle or hurdle to further complicate matters.
Here's a simple example of a PC attempting to do something, and how each result would change the outcome.
Tigu the Thief has been hired to break into the King's bed chamber in order to find and steal a cursed amulet that appears to be slowly turning the king into a mad tyrant. Tigu has successfully slipped onto the castle grounds, and she cased the grounds long enough to know that she'll have about 10 minutes between guard rounds to run up to the castle wall under the king's bedchamber window, and climb up the wall to the terrace balcony just outside his bedchamber. Tigu will need to use her Thieving Skill, along with her rope and grappling hook, to scale the wall quickly before the guards make their rounds. Tigu calculates that she will have about 3 minutes to find the amulet and scale back down the wall before the guards make their return rounds.Major Success: Tigu scales the wall so quickly that she will have double the amount of time she planned for to find the amulet.
Tigu succeeds in climbing the tower, and she does it so well and so quickly that she has twice as much time as she planned to find the amulet.
Normal Success: Tigu scales the wall easily, and makes her way onto the balcony, pulling up her rope to avoid detection. She's going to have about 3-4 minutes to find the amulet before scaling back down the wall to escape with the amulet. Tigu succeeds in climbing the tower.
Tigu successfully climbs the tower.
Minimal Success: Tigu scales the wall with grace, but as she throws her leg over the railing on the balcony, she accidentally kicks the grappling hook with her foot and it, and the rope, fall to the ground. She's either going to have to try and sneak out of the castle, or find another way down to the ground. Either way, she knows the guards will see her rope and grappling hook when they make their next rounds.
Tigu succeeds in climbing the tower, but her grappling hook has fallen to the ground, so she will have to find another way down, or another way out of the tower.
Normal Failure: As Tigu reaches the halfway point in scaling the wall, her hand and foot slip, and she falls to the ground, but she isn't really hurt (Minor Wound), so she pulls her grappling hook down and retreats back to her hiding spot, waiting for the guards to make their next round before trying again.
Tigu fails to scale the tower, but she manages to retrieve her rope and grappling hook in time to hide, wait and try again or come up with another strategy for getting inside.
Major Failure: As Tigu nears the top of the wall, she suddenly realizes that her knot on her grappling comes loose, and she falls to the ground. Not only does Tigu take a Serious Wound, but her rope lands beside her, without her grappling hook attached, and now she needs to get into hiding and figure out another way into the castle.
Tigu fails to climb the tower, and she is now injured and without her grappling hook.
