How Play Works

Underneath all the rules, Einsol's Razor runs on one simple loop you'll repeat all session long. This guide walks you through it, plus how and when you roll the dice.

Before you start

No prior reading needed. If you want the big picture first, "What Is Einsol's Razor?" is a quick two-minute lead-in, but this guide stands on its own.

The game is a conversation

At its heart, playing is just make-believe with a little structure. You imagine you are your character, and you can try anything you can picture. There's no fixed list of moves and no board to slide around. If you can describe it, you can attempt it.

It runs as a conversation between you and the Game Master, the person running the world. We call them the GM. The GM describes what's around you. They ask what you want to do. You tell them. They describe what happens next. Then it starts over. That loop is the whole game, and everything else is built on top of it.

This is the Axiom of Infinite Potentiality in action, the idea behind the game's name: anything is possible. The GM and the dice are just there to decide how your ideas play out.

When do you roll?

Not every action needs dice. If something is easy, or if nothing bad happens when you get it wrong, you just do it. Walking across a room doesn't need a roll. Reading a sign in a language you speak doesn't either.

You roll when two things are true at once: the outcome is uncertain, and it matters. Picking a lock while a guard patrols nearby is a roll. Talking a suspicious stranger into trusting you is a roll. The GM makes that call, and it gets obvious fast.

How a roll works

When you roll, you're making a Skill Check. A Skill is something your character can do, and the game has a set list of them: Stealth, Persuasion, Thievery, Hacking, and many more. Every Skill is tied to one of your six Core Stats, and each one has a number on your character sheet.

Here's the flow:

1. Pick the Skill that fits what you're trying to do. Sneaking past a guard is Stealth. Talking them around is Persuasion. Picking a lock is Thievery. If you're not sure which fits, the GM will point you to it.
2. Find that Skill's number on your sheet. It comes from the Core Stat the Skill is tied to.
3. Roll the d20 and add that number. If your character is trained in the Skill, also roll your bonus die and add it (more on that just below).
4. Meet the GM's target number or beat it, and you succeed.

That's the move you'll make most often: pick the skill, roll, add, compare.

A quick word on training

When your character is trained in a Skill, the game says they have Aptitude in it. Aptitude gives you a bonus die, called your Aptitude Die, that you roll on top of a check and add to the total. It starts small, a d4, and grows as you level up, so the more trained you are, the bigger your edge. You don't need the full details yet. The Core Stats & Rolls guide covers it.

What happens after

Here's the part that makes the game feel alive. Whether you pass or fail, the GM describes what actually happens. Not just "you succeed" or "you fail," but what that looks like in the scene.

And failing isn't a wall. A failed roll pushes the story somewhere new. The lock holds, and now you hear footsteps. The stranger doesn't buy your story, and the conversation turns tense. Falling short keeps things moving, it just rarely moves them the way you hoped.

A quick example

The GM describes a locked door, with a guard somewhere down the hall. You say, "I try to pick the lock, quietly."

That's uncertain, and getting caught matters, so the GM calls for a roll. Picking a lock is the Thievery skill, which is tied to Agility. "Roll Thievery. Your target is 12."

You roll the d20 and get an 11. Your Thievery number is +2, so your total is 13. That meets the target and beats it, so you're in. The GM describes the lock clicking open and the door easing wide.

Roll an 8 instead? Total of 10, under 12. The GM might say the pick slips and snaps, and those footsteps are getting closer. And if your character were trained in Thievery, you'd also roll your Aptitude Die, say a d4, and add it on top, making the lock even more likely to give. Either way, the story moves, and it's your turn to decide what's next.

Quick recap

• Play is make-believe with structure: the GM describes the world, asks what you do, you answer, they describe what happens. Repeat.
• You can try anything you can imagine. If you can describe it, you can attempt it.
• You only roll when the outcome is uncertain and it matters. Easy or harmless actions just happen.
• A roll is a Skill Check: pick the Skill that fits, roll a d20, and add that Skill's number. Trained in it? Add your Aptitude Die too. Meet the GM's target or beat it to succeed.
• Pass or fail, the GM describes the result. Failing isn't a dead end. It pushes the story forward.

Next up

• Core Stats & Rolls: a closer look at the six stats, the full skill list, and how training works.
• Make Your First Character.