Tag Groups & Improvement
Tags never float free on the sheet. They live in tag groups — a theme that binds two tags and one weakness into a single flavourful bundle.
Anatomy of a group
Every group has:
| Part | Count | On a roll |
|---|---|---|
| Theme (title) | 1 | Names the bundle |
| Tags | 2 | Each called tag: +1 |
| Weakness | 1 | Invoked: −1 + 1 improvement point |
A starting character has four tags in two full groups — both weaknesses already written.
Items in your inventory are not part of a group. They may still touch the dice: one item per roll, ±1 if it helps or hinders (see The Core Roll). Extra gear in the description is flavour only.
What makes a good theme
The title is the glue. It should make the two tags and the weakness feel like one facet of the character, not a shopping list.
Trail Craft — Reads the terrain · Moves unseen — Fears open water
The Longshot — Dead-eye shot · Holds the line — Slow to trust
Good themes are 1–3 words. The tags inside stay three words maximum (four as a stretch): snappy, broad enough to fire in many scenes, specific enough to know when they don't apply.
Improvement points
- Each time you invoke a weakness on a roll, mark 1 improvement point.
- Points are banked during the scene and applied at the end of the scene.
- At 3 improvement points, you spend them on one new tag or one new weakness — then the pool resets.
- Using an item on a roll does not earn improvement points.
Spending rules
| Your groups | What you must / may buy |
|---|---|
| Any group has 2 tags and no weakness | Must spend on that weakness. |
| All groups are full (2 tags + weakness) | May buy a new tag → this starts a new group. |
| A group has only 1 tag | May buy its second tag. |
| A new group has 2 tags and no weakness | Must buy its weakness next. |
You cannot start a new group while any existing group is incomplete (missing its second tag or its weakness). Finish what you started before opening a new front.
Growth path for a new group
- Spend 3 points → write the theme + first tag (group opens).
- Spend 3 points → write the second tag.
- Spend 3 points → must write the weakness.
- Only now may the next 3 points open another group.
Writing a new tag or weakness
Keep the same house style: tags are short phrases; weaknesses are one sharp line the table can invoke in play. Write the theme first if you're opening a group — it tells you what the tag and weakness are for.