The Rules
The PhasesTurns are split into two phases: Research and Action.
During the research phase each team will vote upon a new topic to study. This can either be an Exploratory Research into a new field, or it can be a Design for a new piece of equipment, unit, spell, or other item. Exploratory Research can also be used to learn more about aspects of the world, granting your team further insight into a particular facet of this world, or the world's adjacent.
The next phase is the Action Phase. During the action phase each team will decide what it's short term goals are. Each team may specify two actions per Action Phase. This may include taking a territory, conducting a heist, starting a business, or doing all manner of supernatural activities. While the options are varied and numerous, in most cases you'll have quest goals to work towards. Unless otherwise stated, each action may be preformed by up to five units.
These phases a 5d20 to determine success. Generally this will establish the percentage of success of your actions, using the following as a guide. Most actions will fall near the middle, with especially great and bad results being outliers.
1-10: Extreme Failure
11-20: Complete failure
21-30: Harmless failure
31-40: Mild failure
41-50: Partial Success
51-60: Mild Success
61-70: Success
71-80: Great Success
81-90: Bonus Success
90-100+: Overshoot
Quests Quests are general objectives with set rewards, given to each team by NPCs. They may range from kidnapping an enemy, to unearthing an ancient artifact, to clearing out a werewolf den. While each team is ultimately trying to control the city and complete Pinnacle Quests, these serve as side objectives which may provide unique benefits, information, or designs.
Pinnacle QuestsPinnacle Quests are long, complex, or otherwise difficult multi-part quests which, if completed, will win you the game. From summoning Cthulhu to invoking the wrath of the pope, these quests are by no means easy, but serve as a second pathway to victory.
Territory, Control, and VictoryThere are a large number of individual sections of Twilight City, and each one is up for grabs. Each territory is split into two sections. If you control both sections of the territory, you will gain a special bonus for controlling that area. In classic tradition, if you manage to take every section of the city as yours, you win the game.
UnitsThere are a variety of units for teams to discover and utilize in setting up their strategy. Units are split into Cultists and Enlisted Units. Cultist units are the main workforce of your cult, able to be deployed each turn during action phases. For the most part this will be your classic Acolytes, unless you have discovered other useful units. All cultist units are reusable, unless they die during the action phase.
Most Enlisted units are assigned to locations, or used in actions. Once a unit is assigned to a location,
it cannot be moved. Other units may provide bonuses to actions or research, increasing your odds of success, and are consumed upon use.
EquipmentEquipment is the tools, weapons, and items that your Acolytes and other units will be using during the action phase. In most cases, equipment is reusable and will provide bonuses to specific actions. Units can equip up to three pieces of equipment at one time.
CombatIn the inevitable case that the two teams end up running into eachother, combat will occur. Combat will be a series of five contesting 1d20 rolls with modifiers. Winning three out of five rounds will force the opposing side to flee. Winning four rounds will kill the opposing unit. Winning five our of five rounds may result in capturing the enemy unit or other miscellaneous shenanigans.