How to run three‑layer clocks at your table with adaptation rules for D\&D, Traveller, GURPS, and BRP
The page at The Märchin Engine is an interactive library of clock‑driven plots built for a three‑layer structure. It lets you:
Clock — A segmented progress track you fill (tick) or reduce (erase). Common sizes: 4 / 6 / 8 / 10 / 12 segments.
Tick / Erase — Add or remove filled segments on a clock.
Layer — The engine runs in three tempos at once:
Threshold (25% / 50% / 75%) — Predetermined beats on a clock that change the situation (new guard route, ritual unlock, last‑stand choice).
Threshold Tap — When a Scene clock crosses 25/50/75%, you tick the Episode clock; at 50% or 75% you may also tick a relevant Meta clock (a faction notices, the season stirs).
Outcome Tap — At the end of a scene, success/failure/mixed results tick a Meta clock (e.g., success → Campaign/Ally +1, failure → Opposition/Season +1).
Echo Action — A player‑initiated conversion: spend table currency (Intel, Favor, Lore, Rep, Salvage, Faith, Clout—use what fits your game) to tick or erase a chosen Meta clock by 1.
Time Drift — At the end of each 30‑minute scene, tick Seasonal +1 and one reactive Faction +1 (pause this during a climax).
Finisher — A finale move unlocked near 75% (e.g., Showdown, Seal the Breach, Stabilize).
Pushback — A listed way for players to erase enemy/faction progress (e.g., “cleanup job erases 2 Heat”).
Seeds — Short, setting‑flavored prompts for Vaesen, Gamma World, High Fantasy, Cyberpunk, Space Opera, Superhero, Modern Investigation.
Inside a plot:
To print physical aids, follow the page’s links to Clock Cards and GM Procedure One‑Pager. ([Ted Tschopp’s Homepage][1])
A) Pick tonight’s Episode
B) Choose 3–4 Scene clocks for the first scene
C) Select Meta clocks to keep visible this session
D) Currency
E) Safety & difficulty
Use these tick magnitudes as defaults:
Apply ticks to the clock that makes the most sense (Objective, Alarm, Hazard, etc.). Keep Episode/Meta taps as described in the plot’s Meta Hooks.
Use your native resolution mechanics; map the result quality to ticks. The tables below keep pacing consistent.
Use normal ability checks / tool checks / attack rolls vs. a DC. Suggested DC bands (tune per tier): 10 easy • 13–15 standard • 16–18 hard • 20+ extreme.
| d20 outcome | Tick guidance |
|---|---|
| Natural 20 or beat DC by 10+ | +2 to the target clock or erase 1 on a threat (GM’s call). |
| Success (meet/exceed DC) | +1 to the target clock. |
| Success at a cost (use 5e’s optional rule) | +1 to target and enemy/hazard +1. |
| Fail by ≤5 | Enemy/hazard +1. |
| Fail by ≥6 or natural 1 | Enemy/hazard +2 (and possibly trigger a threshold effect early). |
Advantage/Disadvantage: On Advantage, you may upgrade one step (e.g., success→+1 plus erase 1 on Alarm or push a small clock). On Disadvantage, downgrade one step (success→success‑with‑cost).
| Traveller Effect | Tick guidance |
|---|---|
| +6 or more | +2 to target or erase 1 on opposition; narrate a decisive technical edge. |
| +3 to +5 | +1 to target. |
| +1 to +2 | +1 to target and minor enemy/hazard +1 (you rushed, left traces). |
| 0 to −2 | Enemy/hazard +1 (you stall or attract notice). |
| −3 or worse | Enemy/hazard +2 (bad jam, loud signature, collateral). |
Boon/Bane: Upgrade/downgrade one row. Effect can also erase 1 on a related threat when it’s +6 or higher.
| GURPS result | Tick guidance |
|---|---|
| Critical success or MoS ≥ 10 | +2 to target or erase 1 on threat. |
| MoS 5–9 | +1 to target. |
| MoS 1–4 | +1 to target and minor enemy/hazard +1 (time or noise cost). |
| MoF 1–4 | Enemy/hazard +1. |
| MoF ≥ 5 or critical failure | Enemy/hazard +2. |
Task difficulty modifiers apply as normal. Use Time Use rules to justify Time Drift between scenes.
| BRP degree | Tick guidance |
|---|---|
| Critical or Extreme (≤ skill/5; edition‑specific) | +2 to target or erase 1 on threat. |
| Hard (≤ skill/2) | +1 to target. |
| Regular (≤ skill) | +1 to target and minor enemy/hazard +1. |
| Failure | Enemy/hazard +1. |
| Fumble (per edition, e.g., 00 or 96–00 at low skill) | Enemy/hazard +2. |
Opposed tests: Compare degrees; the winner applies their tick row; a tie → success at a cost for the acting side.
Plot: Heist / Infiltration → Episode: “The Job” Scene clocks: Objective 8, Alarm 6, Hazard 6, Exit 4 Meta active: Campaign Goal 12, Seasonal 8, Emerald Court Influence 10, City Watch Legitimacy 8
Scene 1 (Casing, 30 min)
Scene 2 (Breach, 30 min)
Scene 3 (Extraction, 30 min; Episode ≈75%)
“Alarms always spike too fast.” Lower Alarm to 4 segments but soften its thresholds; or make critical stealth erase 1 Alarm.
“Players don’t touch Echo Actions.” Hand out visible currency tokens. Prompt once per scene: “Anyone want to spend Intel/Favor?”
“Meta clocks race past the Episode.” Use the Climax Pause: no Time Drift during the final scene; limit outcome taps to one Meta on the finale.
“Too many clocks on the table.” Cap to 3–4 Scene clocks at a time; keep Meta at Campaign + Seasonal + two Factions.
“D\&D doesn’t do success‑with‑cost.” Use DMG’s optional rule (or simply narrate a minor cost: time, noise, position).
Scene (≈30m)
Episode (8–10)
Meta (8–16)
An example session you can emulate at your own table (D\&D / Traveller / GURPS / BRP friendly)
What you’ll see: a full table read with GM + players, three layers running at once (Scene → Episode → Meta), clocks ticking on‑screen, and choices that feel like TV. I’ll use clean, high‑energy table language in the style of top Actual Play GMs—clear stakes, fast rulings, and celebratory beats.
Players & PCs
System‑agnostic resolution When I call for a roll, I’ll say the result quality we care about at the table:
Use your system’s native mechanics to hit those bands—see the quick mapping in the GM guide. The point here is the tick (filling a segment) or erase (clearing a segment) on a clock.
(The Starling is a world‑famous micro‑sculpture; you’ve all seen the movie.) 0/8 → Beats: Casing → Breach → Extraction → Handoff
Thresholds: at 25/50/75% on any scene clock, something changes. Also, each threshold taps the Episode Arc +1; at 50/75% on certain threats, the Meta may tick, too.
GM (brisk, warm): Floodlights rake the museum facade. Inside, a string quartet bows something expensive. The Starling spins in a glass plinth under a sleepwalking web of red lasers. Waiters orbit. Security wears smiles and shoelace earpieces. What do you do?
Vera (Jules): I glide in on the gala guest list I forged last downtime. Target a curator for small talk—fishing for schedule and guard cadence.
Roll → Success. Tick: Objective +1 → 1/8 (Episode +1 → 1/8) Note: The curator mentions, “After the speech, they recalibrate the grid.”
GM (to table): That’s a clue which arms you against the Hazard later.
Patch (Mason): While Vera distracts, I peel off to the service corridor. I want the laser grid diagnostic—network sniff, no alarms.
Roll → Success with Cost. Tick: Objective +1 → 2/8 (Episode +1 → 2/8) Cost: Alarm +1 → 1/6 (a camera blinks awake)
Rook (Sam): I ghost behind a moving waiter, slip through a staff door, and test the maintenance catwalk above the exhibit—looking for a drop point.
Roll → Strong Success. Tick: Objective +2 → 4/8 (Episode +1 → 3/8) Erase: Alarm −1 → 0/6 (you kill the blinking camera with a felt sticker)
Ash (Priya): I post on the roof with binoculars, counting patrols and marking the safest exit window—preferably a service elevator that opens onto an alley.
Roll → Success. Tick: Exit Window +1 → 1/4 (Episode +1 → 4/8) GM Threshold (Exit 25%): The Service Elevator is perfect now, but… the caterer’s truck will block it after the speech.
GM: You’ve got the layout. The speech is in fifteen. End of Scene 1. Outcome Tap (success) → Campaign Goal +1 (4/12) Time Drift → Seasonal +1 (3/8) & Syndicate Influence +1 (5/10) (they notice you casing)
Echo Action (player‑driven conversion) Vera: I’ll spend 1 Favor to smooth over our camera blip—call in a journalist I know to pull a friendly Watch supervisor away. GM: Love it. Erase City Watch Legitimacy −1 (your vibe lowers public pressure) → 2/8 (pushback on the wrong faction would be weird; you opted to ease heat)
Reframe Layer 1 Clocks for the breach:
- Objective (8): Swap the Starling → 4/8 (from last scene)
- Alarm (6) → 0/6
- Hazard (6) → 0/6
- Exit Window (4) → 1/4
GM: The director taps the mic. As crystal chimes, the laser grid shifts—higher intensity, faster sweep. The crowd tightens around the plinth. What do you do?
Patch: Exploit the recalibration window I learned. I mirror‑spike the grid to open a 3‑second blind arc.
Roll → Success. Tick: Objective +1 → 5/8 (Episode +1 → 5/8)
Rook (quiet grin): Three seconds is a lifetime. I drop from the catwalk, swap the Starling with our weight‑matched duplicate, and vanish behind a curtain.
Roll → Success with Cost. Tick: Objective +1 → 6/8 (Episode +1 → 6/8) Cost: Alarm +1 → 1/6 (a server *almost sees you; champagne splashes)*
GM Threshold (Objective 75%): Hitting 6/8 unlocks the Finisher: “Ghost Walk”—if you can keep Alarm ≤ 3 and Exit < full, the swap holds without a manual glass reset.
Ash: I cut power to one of the lobby spotlights to steer a guard’s gaze the wrong way.
Roll → Success. Tick: Alarm −1 → 0/6 (clean)
Vera (performer voice): I clink my glass, launch into a heartfelt impromptu donor mini‑toast that ends right as the music swells, drawing every eye.
Roll → Strong Success. Tick: Alarm −1 (floor stays cool) → stays 0/6 Tick: Objective +1 (cover is perfect) → 7/8 (Episode +1 → 7/8)
GM (smiling): You are one tick from the swap being locked. The music ends; the service elevator hums—Exit Window 2/4 as staff move trays.
End of Scene 2 Outcome Tap (mixed) → Campaign Goal +1 (5/12) and Syndicate Influence +1 (6/10) (rumors: “someone’s pulling a move at the gala”) Time Drift pauses next scene if we hit a climax. We’re at Episode 7/8—climax next.
Echo Action Patch: Spend 1 Intel from earlier casing to erase 1 on Syndicate Influence—we seed a tip blaming a rival. GM: Perfect. Syndicate Influence 5/10 (pushback lands; they glare at each other, not you)
Climax Rule: We’re at Episode 7/8; pause Time Drift. Only Outcome Taps affect Meta.
Layer 1 Clocks now:
GM: The director unveils the Starling to polite awe. The grid purrs—a final micro‑sweep threatens to notice the mass difference unless you walk out right now.
Ash: I radio, “All green. Move.”
Rook: I drift with a cluster of guests, carrying a covered tray with the real Starling cushioned inside. Timing the sweep, I Ghost Walk toward the service elevator.
Roll → Success. Tick: Objective +1 → 8/8 (FULL) Episode Arc +1 → 8/8 (FULL) Finisher resolves: The swap holds; no glass reset needed.
GM (snapping fingers, playful): The elevator doors start to close… a guard’s hand reaches. “Hey! You can’t—”
Vera (without missing a beat): “Oh, perfect timing—kitchen needs you on the spill by the director’s shoes.” I flash the most earnest smile.
Roll → Success with Cost. Alarm +1 → 1/6 (the guard hesitates but buys it) Exit Window +1 → 3/4 (doors nearly shut; any stall closes the clean route)
Patch: I jam the elevator panel for a fraction longer—keeps it open for Rook, then auto‑sends to service level.
Roll → Strong Success. Erase: Exit Window −1 → 2/4 (you reopen the breathing room)
GM: The car descends. Basement corridor, rubber mats, humming compressors. Loading dock door rolls up to the alley—that’s the handoff.
Ash: Roof to alley zipline. I’m already there to receive the package into the flower van.
Roll → Success. Episode resolved; we cut on the van fading into festival traffic.
End of Scene 3 (Climax) — End of Session
Scene layer created moment‑to‑moment pressure and changed the room at 25/50/75%. Episode layer gave the night a satisfying arc with a Finisher. Meta layer made your actions matter across sessions.
Final clocks:
GM Aside (what I did behind the screen)
You can drop this exact scaffolding into D\&D, Traveller, GURPS, or BRP without rewriting core rules. The clocks carry the drama; your system supplies the texture.
Use the Clock Cards and the GM One‑Pager you’ve already got. Put Episode in the middle, Scene clocks near player hands, Meta at the top edge. Tell your players, “If you make noise, the Alarm ticks. If you’re brilliant, erase something. Spend Intel/Favor/Lore to steer the big story.”
Now go steal the Starling.