Conflicts are high-stakes situations where the outcome is uncertain and failure has consequences. In Netghosts, there is no separate "combat mode" with a different set of rules. Instead, the core mechanics of dice rolling and action resolution are simply applied with more focus and intensity.
Combat Flow
Combat in Netghosts is designed to be fast, fluid, and narrative-driven.
- Turn Order: Turn order is flexible. Typically, players decide among themselves who goes when, and the Facilitator inserts enemy actions at dramatically appropriate moments. If order is unclear, the decision should be based on the fiction: who is in the best position to act?
- Actions: On your turn, you can take one significant action (like attacking, defending, or using a special ability), move, and take any number of minor actions as the fiction allows.
Team Attacks
When multiple characters want to combine their efforts into a single, powerful action, they can perform a Team Attack.
- Cost: Performing a Team Attack costs one Positive Token.
- Execution: All participating characters contribute their relevant Tags to a single, combined dice pool. One player rolls for the group, and everyone shares in the success or failure.
- Increased Dice Cap: Team Attacks raise the dice cap by +1 for each participant beyond the first (up to a maximum of +3). A four-person Team Attack can roll up to 9 dice, even without Evolved cards.
Team Attacks are perfect for dramatic moments of coordination, allowing the whole team to strike as one, cover each other's weaknesses, and achieve something greater than they could alone.
Enemy Structure
Enemies in Netghosts are built differently from player characters. They have three key components:
- Limits: Instead of a single health bar, enemies have Limits. These are named Meters that represent different ways to defeat them. For example, a ghost might have a "Defeat" Limit for combat, an "Exorcise" Limit for spiritual cleansing, and a "Console" Limit for emotional resolution. This provides multiple valid paths to victory.
- Tags: Just like players, enemies have Tags they use to make attacks, defend themselves, and influence the scene.
- Gimmicks: A Gimmick is a special ability that defines what makes an enemy unique. It often creates tactical dilemmas for the players, such as an enemy that gets stronger when a player is healed.