A Charge RPG Extra to make the world feel more alive - By René-Pier Deshaies The World Extra is a additional mechanic that is mostly useful if you want to make a custom Powered by Charge game that feels unique. This extra also requires the GM to use a standard deck of playing cards.

World Extra Rule

During sessions, the PCs will go on missions to accomplish objectives. They will then come back to their H.Q. to debrief, rest and recover. At the start of a campaign, or every time the PCs come back to their H.Q., the GM draws **3 **hook cards**** of a standard deck of playing cards.

The first card tells us about something related to [Theme #1].
The second card tells us about something related to [Theme #2].
The third tells the GM what the PC's next mission is going to be.

The GM can use those hooks to create narrative threads for the PCs to explore and bring life to the world.

Designer Note
Change the themes to match your game's settings.

A game about a the crew of a space ship trying to make ends meet could have: The Ship / The Crew / The Next Job.

A game about a thieving crew could have: The Crew / The Other Factions / The Next Score.

A game about super heroes fighting crime in a metropolis could have: The City / The News / The Next Crime

1st Card: [Theme #1]

- Ace: [prompt] - 2: [prompt] - 3: [prompt] - 4: [prompt] - 5: [prompt] - 6: [prompt] - 7: [prompt] - 8: [prompt] - 9: [prompt] - 10: [prompt] - Jack: [prompt] - Queen: [prompt] - King: [prompt]

2nd Card: [Theme #2]

3rd Card: The Mission

Once the 3 cards are drawn, the GM uses the prompts on the first two to explain what happened while the PCs were away. The PCs can then spend time exploring those threads as they see fit. When the PCs are ready for their next mission, the GM makes a mission roll. To do so, the GM looks at the 3 cards they've drawn, and builds a dice pool of 1d6 for each red card (♥ ♦). If there's no red card, roll 2d6, and select the lowest number. The result of this roll tells us what is going to be the initial risk the PCs will find themselves in when starting their next mission.

On a 1-3, the PCs start in a high risk situation.
On a 4-5, the PCs start in a moderate risk situation.
On a 6, the PCs start in a low risk situation.
On a 66, the PCs start in a low risk situation, and gain some additional benefit.

The GM introduces the mission to the PCs, and they decide how they will approach the situation. Once they've decided on a strategy, the GM cuts to the first scene of the mission using the result of the mission roll to describe the PCs current risk level. Once the mission is over, the PCs go back to their H.Q., and the loop starts anew.

Example
The PCs just got back to their space ship after pulling a very successful heist. As they come back, the GM draws 3 cards from a deck of cards. The GM then reads the 3 prompts associated with the cards

The AI: The AI of the ship just discovered sarcasm. (Red Card)

The Ship: There are no more food-tubes in the kitchen. (Black Card)

The Next Score: A bounty was just put on a group of crazy pirates near the asteroid belt. (Red Card)

The GM then gradually reveals those narrative hooks to the players as they interact with their ship. When the PCs are ready to start their next mission, the GM rolls 2d6 (one for each red card). They get a 4, so the mission will start with a moderate risk situation. The GM then thinks about a way to make the bounty on the pirates more complicated. They decide that when the PCs arrive, there will already be another crew of scoundrels there trying to catch the bounty as well.

Recap
When the PCs go back to their HQ, the GM draws 3 card from a standard deck of playing cards. Each card gives a new story prompt to the GM to make the world feel more alive. To determine how the PC's next mission is going to start, roll 1d6 for each red card that was drawn. The result of this roll tells us what is going to be the initial risk level the PCs will find themselves in when starting their next mission.

On a 1-3, the PCs start in a high risk situation.

On a 4-5, the PCs start in a moderate risk situation.

On a 6, the PCs start in a low risk situation.

On a 66, the PCs start in a low risk situation, and gain some additional benefit.

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