Worldlines Wiki

This section provides tools, guidance, and philosophy for running Worldlines. This is not a rigid instruction manual—it's a resource library for creating the kind of game your table wants to play.

19.1 Core Principles for Game Architects

The Galaxy Doesn't Care

What This Means:

Encounters are not balanced by default
Players can stumble into situations they cannot win
Retreat and negotiation are valid (sometimes only) solutions
Consequences persist—killing the wrong person creates enemies, destroying faction property triggers retaliation

How to Implement:

Don't scale every encounter to party level
Present situations with natural logic, not game balance
Allow players to gather intelligence before committing
Make fleeing or talking viable strategies

Scarcity Creates Tension

What This Means:

Credits are limited, expenses constant
Equipment wears out and breaks
Ammunition matters, fuel costs stack up
Choices between needs create drama

How to Implement:

Track maintenance costs and downtime expenses
Make equipment degradation visible and consequential
Present missions with clear rewards but real costs
Force trade-offs between safety and profit

Actions Have Weight

What This Means:

NPCs remember how players treated them
Factions track standing and respond accordingly
Legal consequences accumulate across sessions
Betrayals create permanent enemies

How to Implement:

Keep notes on significant NPC interactions
Update faction standing regularly
Let Heat accumulate naturally from criminal activity
Show consequences in later sessions (bounty hunters, denied services, faction retaliation)

Mystery Invites Engagement

What This Means:

Not everything needs explanation
Unanswered questions drive curiosity
Temporal anomalies, Qintari motives, Drildec disappearance—these are features, not bugs
Players create their own theories and investment

How to Implement:

Drop hints without immediate payoff
Create multiple possible explanations
Let some questions remain unanswered
Build on player theories when interesting

19.2 Running Combat

Before Combat Starts

Establish Stakes:

What happens if players lose?
What happens if they flee?
Can they negotiate instead?

Set the Scene:

Describe environment, cover, hazards
Note enemy positions and numbers
Indicate escape routes if any
Mention environmental advantages/disadvantages

Clarify Objectives:

Enemies may not fight to death
Players don't need to eliminate all opposition
Tactical victory (securing objective, escaping) counts as success

During Combat

Track Resources:

Energy expenditure per turn
Ammunition consumption (if tracking)
Equipment wear from intensive use
Environmental hazard accumulation

Maintain Tension:

Enemies retreat when logical
Reinforcements arrive if plausible
Environmental hazards activate
Time pressure increases (alarm countdown, approaching patrols)

Use Momentum:

Winning team coordinates actions
Enemy tactics reflect intelligence and training
Undisciplined enemies act chaotically
Professional forces use cover and suppression

Status Effect Application:

Don't forget to apply ongoing effects (Bleeding, Exhausted)
Track status effect durations
Allow recovery attempts as appropriate
Describe effects narratively ("The wound keeps bleeding—you're getting lightheaded")

After Combat

Immediate Aftermath:

Allow First Aid and stabilization
Quick salvage/looting (time-limited)
Assess equipment damage
Check for pursuit or reinforcements

Short-Term Consequences:

Apply exhaustion if combat was prolonged
Note equipment wear
Track ammunition expended
Injuries requiring medical attention

Long-Term Consequences:

Heat increase if authorities involved
Faction standing changes
Witnesses and recordings create complications
Dead enemies have friends, families, organizations

19.3 Encounter Design

Designing Balanced Encounters

Use Combat Rating (CR):

Calculate party CR: sum individual member CR
Design encounters with total CR within 50-150% of party CR
Below 50%: Easy victory, possibly boring
50-100%: Challenging but winnable
100-150%: Dangerous, requires tactics
Above 150%: Overwhelming, retreat likely necessary

How to calculate combat rating:

Consider Tactical Elements:

Cover availability: Alters difficulty significantly
Enemy equipment: Armor and weapons matter more than numbers
Environmental hazards: Add complexity without adding enemies
Escape routes: Presence changes player decision-making

Designing Unbalanced Encounters

When to Use:

Demonstrate faction power
Create memorable "oh shit" moments
Force creative problem-solving
Teach players that fighting isn't always the answer

How to Telegraph:

NPCs warn of danger
Environmental clues (security cameras, heavy armor)
Initial contact demonstrates superiority
Give players information to make informed retreat

Example Overwhelm Scenarios:

Elite military patrol (CR 200% party)
Entire gang responds to territory violation (CR 300% party)
Corporate response team with air support (CR 400%+ party)

Non-Combat Encounters

Social Conflicts:

Use opposed skill checks
Multiple successes needed for complex negotiations
Failure creates complications, not instant failure
Allow players to spend resources (bribes, favors) for advantages

Exploration Challenges:

Environmental hazards require skill checks
Navigation errors create complications
Resource management matters
Discovery rewards careful investigation

Investigation Scenarios:

Clues don't require rolls to find, rolls provide context
Multiple paths to same information
Dead ends exist, require different approaches
Time pressure adds tension

19.4 Creating NPCs

Quick NPC Generation

Level 1 Template:

2 skills at +2
One signature technique
Basic equipment appropriate to role
Simple motivation

Scaling NPCs:

Add +1 to relevant skills per level
Add technique every 2 levels
Increase equipment quality
Deepen motivations and connections

NPC Personality Framework

One-Sentence Description: Examples:

"Burned-out cop who still believes in justice"
"Ambitious merchant who sees everyone as transaction"
"Idealistic revolutionary hiding deep pragmatism"

One Quirk:

Nervous tic
Unusual speech pattern
Distinctive appearance element
Habitual behavior

One Connection:

Relation to faction
Tie to location
History with player or other NPC
Obligation or debt

Memorable NPCs

Create Investment:

Give them personality beyond function
React consistently to player actions
Remember previous interactions
Have goals independent of players

Show Don't Tell:

Demonstrate personality through action
Let speech patterns reveal background
Use body language and reactions
Make them flawed and human (or alien-but-relatable)

19.5 Faction Management

Tracking Faction Standing

Record Key Events:

Mission successes/failures
Betrayals or assistance
Resource contributions
Ideological alignment demonstrations

Update Standing Regularly:

After major missions: ±10 to ±20
After minor interactions: ±2 to ±5
Decay over neglect: -1 per extended period
Betrayals: -20 to -50

Communicate Changes:

NPCs mention reputation shifts
Services become available/restricted
Prices change
New opportunities appear

Using Factions in Play

Create Competing Interests:

Mission offered by multiple factions
Helping one damages standing with rival
Force meaningful choices

Show Faction Personality:

Different communication styles
Varied mission types
Unique rewards and penalties
Distinct operational methods

Make Consequences Visible:

Denied docking due to low standing
Bounty hunters deployed by hostile faction
Friendly faction provides emergency assistance
Rival factions interfere with each other

19.6 Running Downtime

Pacing Downtime

Between Missions:

Allow 1-2 cycles minimum
More for complex crafting or training
Less if time pressure in narrative

During Long Travel:

Ship transit becomes downtime
Allow training, crafting, rest simultaneously
Introduce complications occasionally

Campaign Breaks:

Extended downtime (multiple cycles or interludes)
Handle major character changes
Advance calendar significantly

Downtime Activities

Approve or Adjust:

Not all activities available everywhere
Costs may vary by location
Time requirements flexible for story needs

Introduce Complications:

Use random event tables sparingly
Create complications from previous actions
Tie events to ongoing storylines

Advance Plots:

NPCs pursue their goals during downtime
Factions make moves
Galaxy doesn't pause for players

19.7 Handling Common Situations

Player Death

When It Happens:

Allow final moments
Give opportunity for last words or actions
Make death meaningful, not random

After Death:

Allow consciousness backup recovery if established
New character can be introduced naturally
Deceased character's connections become plot hooks

Split Parties

Managing Multiple Groups:

Cut between groups at tension points
Don't let one group dominate session time
Create situations that encourage reunion

When to Allow:

Multiple objectives in same location
Stealth missions with backup team
Parallel investigations

When to Discourage:

Extended separate story arcs
Leaving one group with nothing to do
Creating GA burden tracking two campaigns

Rules Disputes

In the Moment:

Make quick ruling to keep game moving
Note dispute for later research
Favor player interpretation if ambiguous

Between Sessions:

Research official rules
Discuss with players
Establish table ruling going forward
Document house rules

Pacing Issues

Combat Too Slow:

Pre-roll NPC attacks
Group similar enemies
Use average damage for minions
Cut minor enemies from scene

Downtime Too Detailed:

Handle routine activities narratively
Only roll for interesting outcomes
Montage extended periods
Focus on character moments, not logistics

19.8 Creating Campaigns

Campaign Frameworks

Mission-Based (Episodic):

Self-contained jobs each session
Easy entry/exit for players
Less narrative continuity required
Good for casual play

Faction Conflict (Political):

Players navigate faction relationships
Missions impact larger conflicts
Strong continuity between sessions
Diplomatic and combat elements

Mystery Investigation (Story-Driven):

Central mystery unfolds over campaign
Clues and revelations pace story
Heavy narrative focus
Requires player engagement

Exploration (Sandbox):

Players choose destinations and objectives
Open-ended with minimal railroad
High GA prep for multiple possibilities
Strong sense of player agency

Story Arcs

Arc Structure:

Introduction (establish stakes)
Rising Action (complications increase)
Climax (confrontation or revelation)
Resolution (consequences and aftermath)
Transition (lead into next arc)

Arc Length:

Short Arc: 2-4 sessions
Medium Arc: 5-8 sessions
Long Arc: 9-15 sessions
Campaign Arc: 20+ sessions

Plot Hooks and Threads

Create Multiple Threads:

Personal character goals
Faction conflicts
Galactic mysteries
Immediate survival needs

Weave Threads Together:

Character goal relates to faction conflict
Immediate mission reveals larger mystery
Survival need creates faction involvement

Allow Player Direction:

Multiple threads mean player choice matters
Not following one thread doesn't break campaign
Unused threads can return later

19.9 Worldlines-Specific Guidance

Using Temporal Elements

When to Include:

Sparingly—temporal weirdness loses impact through overuse
Major story beats or reveals
LineSeer-focused missions
Late campaign mysteries

How to Present:

Clear but strange
Consequences visible
Player choices matter
Not just "it was all a dream"

Managing Technology

Keep It Grounded:

Technology solves problems but creates new ones
Equipment breaks, requires maintenance
Nothing is perfect or magical
Scarcity drives economy

When Players Innovate:

Reward creative use of existing tech
Allow modifications within reason
New inventions possible but expensive
Balance innovation against game economy

Handling Mortality

Death Should Feel Earned:

Warn of danger through fiction
Allow tactical mistakes to matter
Let desperate gambles be desperate
Don't kill arbitrarily

But Death Should Be Possible:

Stakes feel real when death is possible
Extreme situations have extreme consequences
Don't pull punches too much
Let players feel the weight of survival

19.10 GA Resources and Tables

Quick Mission Generation (d10)

d10	Mission Type
1	Delivery under threat of interception
2	Extraction from hostile location
3	Investigation of suspicious activity
4	Protection/security for important event
5	Sabotage or demolition
6	Negotiation between hostile parties
7	Salvage from dangerous location
8	Tracking and capturing/eliminating target
9	Smuggling past authorities
10	Rescue from captivity or danger

Mission Complication (d12)

d12	Complication
1	Employer lied about danger level
2	Rival crew after same objective
3	Authority presence higher than expected
4	Key information was wrong
5	Contact betrays or disappears
6	Environmental hazard emerges
7	Moral dilemma complicates objective
8	Faction conflict drags players in
9	Equipment failure at critical moment
10	Target more dangerous than briefed
11	Deadline moves up unexpectedly
12	Third party interferes with hidden agenda

Random NPC Motivation (d12)

d12	Motivation
1	Revenge for past wrong
2	Desperate for credits
3	Protecting loved one
4	Ideological belief
5	Faction loyalty
6	Personal ambition
7	Coercion or blackmail
8	Seeking redemption
9	Curiosity or research
10	Survival instinct
11	Glory or fame
12	Boredom or thrill-seeking