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Thanks for the kind words! I think you've grasped the feel and scope of a small narrative game like this quite well. This note about 'scene actions' isn't vital to making the game work. All it does is give the players a little incentive, and the GM a little gentle advice, as you've already guessed.

On the player side, I wouldn't emphasize this too much. Let them do what feels natural without worrying if their actions are 'appropriate' for the time of day. But if it lines up, the Virtue roll already sort of accounts for these small fictional advantages--making a plan to sneak around in the dead of night sounds like +1d8 for being prepared to me!

That said, I think I like this note better when it's applied on the GM side, as subtle inspiration. I know when I'm GMing any system I'm always scrambling to come up with cool ways for my NPCs to stay active and build more interesting situations for the players to tackle. If you're ever unsure what some dangerous character does offscreen, or what they're doing when the players stumble across them, those 'scene actions' might have the answer!

Thanks again for commenting. It's so heartwarming to hear that years after I made this dinky little one pager, people are still trying it out! (And sometimes struggling to understand it!) I'm just glad it made an impression.

Those are all great questions I struggled with, owing to the one page restriction. In a little game full of experiments, the dueling subsystem is probably the least successful one. The only goal I really set out to accomplish was to create flavorful momentary clashes in between drawn out standoffs, the points where you decide whether you even want to fight, or talk, or trigger a virtue in some other way. Ultimately, it's all up to the GM, and if I had room to explain it, I'd write something like this:

'Discuss with the players the details of the confrontation, where they stand, and what they're preparing to do. NPCs wear their intentions on their sleeves and always take advantage of their strengths. Positioning and momentum are determined by the lead up to the fight, who is best suited to the environment, and who is taking the initiative and being proactive. If the player isn't clearly better in these circumstances, give it to the NPC.'

The duel actions never result in obvious outcomes when paired off, which may reflect a certain messiness to fights, but may not make for the best gameplay. I suggest letting both fire off as 'strongly' as possible. Duel rolls should usually result in a hesitating standoff, or both parties getting badly wounded, or one party getting thrown on the ground while impaling the other party. I would love to have a compelling back and forth mechanic for swordplay, but this just wasn't the game for it. All you have to do is let things be dramatic!

Thanks for the kind comments, I really appreciate it.

Thank you!

When I saw your entry I thought 'oh no I'm a filthy THIEF', but you took political role playing in a completely different direction.  I tried to capture what I like best about hidden information in a structured way, but I love how VotS cuts through that red tape to a degree and directly bases its outcome around the group's social dynamic.

Good luck with the contest!

The mechanics seem to enforce a really solid equilibrium between player and narrator.  I love how the mundane setting and accurate description of the dangers gives the narrator a lot of challenges to work with.  Heck, given that the items are all necessities, the process of character creation alone is enough to create an entire threat arc for a game.

Very solid entry, good luck!