Player's Handbook · Chapter 4

Rolling Dice

TINS uses six-sided dice for all rolls. The aim for a player is to roll under a target number, set by their skill level or Matrix stat. Usually this is a number from two to five. If you roll equal to or less than this number, you roxxorz and may state this to your fellow players.

Every time you test a skill, you roll one die for your skill. If you are doing anything remotely physical — and are in the Matrix — you may also roll another die for your Matrix stat. It's best to have a different colored die for this, as you will be making these rolls all the time (in fact, almost always) and you need to be able to tell them apart easily. If your skill roll or your Matrix roll succeeds, you have succeeded at your task. However, a Matrix success is always better than a skill success, in terms of game effect. If both rolls succeed, hey, you're a complete badass, and you and the GM should work out an outcome to demonstrate that.

Sometimes, what is being tested is purely your ability to mold the Matrix (e.g., doing the leap). In these cases, simply roll one die, trying to get under your Matrix stat. This is called a Matrix Test. A test purely on a skill is a Skill Test. Testing with both dice is a Standard Test, and unless specified otherwise, should be assumed to be the default. Likewise, the dice rolled for the Skill and Matrix rolls are hereafter called Skill Dice and Matrix Dice, respectively, and successes on these rolls are labelled as a Skill Success and a Matrix Success. Getting both is called a Double Success.

That all sounds very confusing, so let's try to simplify it a bit:

  • Characters have a Skill level (of which the default is 3) and a Matrix stat.
  • To make a Skill Test, the player rolls one die and tries to get equal to or less than their Skill level. If they do, it is a Skill Success.
  • To make a Matrix Test, they roll one die and try to get under or equal to their Matrix stat. If they do, they have achieved a Matrix Success.
  • To make a Standard Test, they roll two dice — making a Skill Test and a Matrix Test simultaneously. This is the default test. For the meaning of successes and failure on this test, see below.
Manual updated Aug 24, 2026.