Questworlds has quite a few options for a GM to consider when setting up a game, including types of challenges and progression systems. These are the ones we are currently using in playtest.

“True Grit” Progression.

Use the Directed Progression system from the SRD with the following caveats.

• Abilities and improvements are only awarded in response to a character failing dramatically and then succeeding later at the same task. Essentially, if we watch a character learn something “onscreen” (ie, a dramatic failure and a dramatic success), the GM makes it official and adds it to the sheet. The GM collaborates with the player on naming and style, but determines what rewards to offer and how.
• Rule of cool applies here. If a character does something extraordinary and everyone at the table is like “that should be your thing”, use the flexibility of this system to make it their thing. Don’t go too crazy with this; try to keep these types of awards for things that will show up every session from now on.
• GMs should try to keep the “10 points of value every X sessions” pace. If the players are having an easy time without a lot of struggle for a few sessions, award them a few +2 or +3 bonuses on things they were good at, their community keywords, or remove flaws they aren’t playing. The overall feel should be “I get big dramatic abilities when I take big dramatic risks, and smaller improvements if I play it safe.”
• Since this replaces regular XP points, which encourage players to fail rolls and play flaws, whenever a player plays appropriately with their flaw or dramatically fails a roll, they can gain a Story Point. (Maximum once per session.)
• To give players a feeling of autonomy in their progression, GMs may want to award open-ended advances after significant story milestones. (”You have finally apprehended the Dust Angels gang. Your reputation grows. Everyone, take an additional breakout at +5 based on what you learned this mission.” )

This system should give the game not just a pulp feel but a western one*.* It’s not just about drama and highs and lows; the players are rewarded for struggle and perseverance. If you are running a longer campaign or your players really like to handle their own progression, use the standard Advancement Progression system. It won’t break Bullets and Brimstone; the True Grit system is here to help it keep the frontier adventure vibe.

Story Point Usage

To encourage every player to use their Story Points every session, Story Points should be assigned as one per character, and these refresh back to 1 at the beginning of each session.

Standard Story Point usage applied, player can use a story point to:

• Buy a success on a roll, before or after it's rolled.
• Declare a “story edit” and add some narrative context or details that previously did not exist
• NEW: In addition, players can use a Story Point to “push” an Incredible Power. When using their incredible power in a new way that results in a stretch, the player can choose to “push” and make the roll with no stretch penalty. If they succeed on their roll, they will gain a Consequence related to their action directly after its conclusion. (Default: Exhausted (5))

If using the True Grit system above and awarding story points for failures, refreshing mid-session due to “downtime” should still be allowed, but not simply handwaved as a refresh because there is a break in the story. This is a game about cowboys… so campfires are important.

Optional Rule: The Campfire

Any time the party takes a break and makes a Campfire, the tone shifts to quiet contemplation and camaraderie. In order for a campfire’s benefits to activate, at least two of the following things must happen: