A WORD ABOUT THE DECK

The Matrix is slightly different from other role-playing games in that it uses a deck of playing cards to resolve actions, rather then dice. The basic Target, the Target that everyone uses when there is no modifiers, is 8. For all you statistics boffins out there, this gives the player around a 46% chance of succeeding. If the character has a score of 7 or 9, this chance increases to a hair under 54%. If a character needs to use a skill that they don’t have, they can revert to either of the Secondary Attributes that make up that skill, with a penalty of +2 to the Target. 

There are three types of tests a player may make.  The first, asnd most common, is a straight Target Test. When the player needs to test a Skill or Attribute, they draw a number of cards shown next to their ability level below, with the aim of drawing cards with a value equal to or higher than the Target set by the GM. Unless the Target is higher than 10, all Court Cards count as 10.

Engel, with Pistol: 5 is in hot pursuit of a Cypher who has stolen her phone.  Instead of chasing, Engel’s player elects to drop to one knee and try to shoot him in the leg instead.  The GM takes into account the small moving target, as well as the fact that Engel is aiming from a prone position, and decides that the Target for the shot is 10; a hard shot, but by no means impossible.  Engel’s player draws four cards: a two, two tens, and a Jack.  As three of these cards are equal to or more than the Target, Engel has scored three successes, which is more than enough to put a bullet through the retreating Cypher’s thigh.

Occasionally, the task may by so hard that the Target may exceed 10.  This is where the Court Rule comes into play.  In the instance that a player needs to draw more than a 10, if any Court cards (King, Queen, Jack) drawn during the task, the player immediately draws another card, lays it on top of the first, adding ten to the value of this new card.  This second card does not count towards the player’s total amount of cards drawn for that task.  If this second card is also a Court card, then the player draws again, until they draw a non-Court card.

Hypnos needs to break out of a pair of handcuffs, which, as you’d expect, is no mean feat.  The GM takes into account the fact that Hypnos has taken a few Wounds, and decides that the task will require no less than an 18. Hypnos has a Strength of 8, which allows his player to draw six cards: he draws a three, two fours, a seven, an eight, and a Queen.  He draws again on the Queen, producing a ten, for a total of 20!  With a rebel yell, Hypnos heaves at the cuffs, which snap under the pressure.

The second most common type of test is the Skill Contest.  A Skill Contest occurs when two characters wish to pit their skills against each other.  This occurs most commonly in close combat, but it may happen in any circumstances.
A Skill Contest is resolved in a similar way to a regular skill test.  Each character involved draws card equal to their score, with a target of 8, modified by the situation.  The person with the most successes wins.

For want of something better to do, Engel, Mary and Crunch decide to have a foot-race to see who is the fastest crewmember.  The GM decides that the contest will involve the characters’ Athletics skill.  Crunch has Athletics: 6, which gives him 5 cards to draw against the Target of 8. Mary has Athletics: 4, which gives her three cards against the same Target as Crunch. Engel doesn’t have Athletics at all, so she has to default to her Dexterity: 6 Secondary Attribute, which means that she has 5 cards to draw – the same as Crunch – but at the increased Target of 10.  Crunch draws two successes, Mary one, and Engel three; from this, the GM tells the players that, although Crunch is in better shape than Engel, her natural quickness put her past the post first.

The third test, which occurs least often, is the Opposed Test.  It is used for skills such as Disguise and Camouflage, when the character's actions will affect the Targets of people around them.  In an Opposed test, the character draws cards as designated by their skill score, with the Court Rule active (if the player draws a court card, they draw again, and add the second card to the first).  The highest value from this draw is the Target that other people need to beat in order to best the character.  In this case, modifiers are reversed; ie, a character with a askill score of 7 or 9 may add one to the final score, whereas defaulting will subtract two from the final score.

Not content with beating Crunch and Mary on foot, Engel decides that she wants to prove she's a better shot with a pistol as well.  The GM rules that this will be an Opposed Test, with each character using their Pistols skill.  Engel has Pistols: 5, and Crunch has Pistols: 3, but Mary doesn't have the skill at all; she decides to default to Dexterity: 6.  Engel draws a two, an eight, a nine, and a Queen; drawing on the Queen again, she picks an ace, for a final score of 11.  Crunch lines up, and draws a seven and a nine - Engel is still in the lead.  Mary draws her five cards, picking two threes, a seven, an eight, and a King.  Drawing on the King again, Mary draws another King; drawing a third time, she picks a seven, for a final total of 27.  Once again, the underdog comes through, and Engel retreats to her cabin for a good sulk.

Critical Success or Failure.  If the player draws three Aces or more for one task, the task is a Critical Failure; conversely, if a player draws three or more Kings, the task is a Critical Success.  It is up to the GM to decide what happens if a test comes up as a Critical Success or Failure.