⚙️ Velvet Chains & Voidlight — Core Moves Codex ✨⛓️🔥

“Roll only when desire or danger reaches critical mass.”

The Velvet Engine runs on three stats:

Engine	Stat	Core Domain
Velvet Chains (VC)	+Heart	empathy, reflection, consent
Space-Pirate (SP)	+Pulse	daring, charisma, rebellion
Prime Empathy (PE)	+Mind	intellect, foresight, pattern recognition

Roll 2d6 + relevant Engine.

10+ — Triumph. You get what you want and hold 1 Hope.
7–9 — Mixed. Choose 1: gain Hope or grant the Guide a String.
6- — Setback. The Guide makes a move; mark a Condition or add 1 Danger.

❤️‍🔥 Basic Moves

🪞 Reveal the Heart (VC)

When you bare your feelings, offer vulnerability, or seek understanding, roll +Heart.

10+: They open up or return your honesty. Both gain 1 Hope.
7–9: They hesitate—gain a String on them, but mark a Condition.
6-: Your honesty stings. The Guide may ask a hard question or twist your words.

⚔️ Defy the Void (SP)

When you take bold action against impossible odds, roll +Pulse.

10+: You blaze through. Hold 1 Momentum (spend for +1 forward).
7–9: You succeed but choose one: spend a Hope, expose an ally, or damage your gear.
6-: The Void hits back. Mark a Scar or lose something vital.

💎 Decode the Echo (PE)

When you read patterns, analyze emotion-data, or commune with the Voidlight, roll +Mind.

10+: Ask three questions from the list below and gain +1 forward when acting on the answers.
7–9: Ask one and mark a subtle unease Condition.
6-: You glimpse too deep; the Guide reveals an unwelcome truth. Questions: What here hides desire? What chain can be broken? What future hums beneath this light?

When you negotiate boundaries, vows, or intimacy (romantic, psychic, or tactical), roll +Heart.

10+: Both sides gain a Consent Token; erase one Condition each.
7–9: You reach agreement, but it costs you a String or a secret.
6-: Misunderstanding breeds tension; the Guide marks 1 Danger.

🚀 Burn for the Cause

When you channel Hope into a communal act (ship maneuver, ritual, or rebellion), roll +Pulse.

10+: The act inspires all. Each ally gains +1 forward or clears a minor Condition.
7–9: Success, but mark one Stress or expose the crew to collateral emotion.
6-: The effort drains you; lose all held Hope.

🔮 Consult the Mirror-Current

When you meditate, commune, or perform a ritual to seek wisdom, roll +Mind.

10+: You glimpse a luminous path; gain Insight hold 1 (spend for a reroll or narrative truth).
7–9: Receive fragmented visions—choose clarity or comfort.
6-: The Current reflects your fears; mark a Shadow Condition.

💕 Support & Strings Moves

🤝 Offer Hope

When you comfort or inspire another, spend 1 Hope to give them +1 forward. If they act on your advice, gain a String on them.

🪐 Spend a String

When you pull on someone’s String, choose one:

Add +1 to your roll against them.
Ask them a question they must answer honestly.
Offer them Hope to forgive a Scar.

💔 Break a Bond

When you reject someone who trusts you, roll +Pulse. On a 10+, sever cleanly but mark 1 Condition. On a 7–9, both lose a String. On a 6-, the wound festers; the Guide marks 1 Danger.

🌈 Conditions & Recovery

When you suffer emotional or physical harm, mark a Condition (e.g., Shaken, Longing, Overclocked). While marked, take –1 ongoing to relevant rolls until resolved.

Clear a Condition by performing the matching ritual:

VC: honest confession or care scene
SP: reckless triumph or expressive art
PE: introspection or mutual analysis

When anyone at the table says the safeword “fiction”, pause play. Recalibrate, edit, or reframe the scene. Upon resuming, each participant gains 1 Hope for reaffirming consent.

🔥 Guide (GM) Moves

Reveal the emotional truth of danger.
Offer a tempting but costly choice.
Show consequences of a broken oath.
Turn their Strings against them, but never without consent.
Present beauty in perilous places.
Ask provocative questions, not commands.

🧩 XP Triggers

At the end of each session, mark XP when you:

Express your Engine’s core value under strain.
Complicate a bond through honest emotion.
Uphold a Consent Codex despite temptation.
Perform a scene of theatrical courage or tenderness.

“Fiction is the safeword, but drama is the pulse.” — Captain Velvet, founder of the Voidlight Armada