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Books If you're creating your own genre in which to set a
Chronicle, then you'll need to put some thought into how
you wish to handle the Scaling of the various Traits in that
Setting.
METHODS OF SCALING
There are two methods you may use to Scale
Quantified Traits within Theatrix. The first method is
called 'Scaling by Range', and the second is called
'Scaling by Norm' You may use either method on each
individual Trait, without regard to the method used on any
other Trait. Scaling by Range allows an individual to
possess any score on the standard Range, from '0.0' to
'10.0'. Scaling by Norm, on the other hand, limits an
individual to a small Range of values, based upon the
'normative' (that's average) value for that role's genetic or
racial inheritance. In other words ...
Scale a Tralt by Range - When you'll be
representing a single racial group, as in a
Chronicle where all the characters are normal
humans, and you wtsh to emphasize the
differences between the individuals.
Scale a Trait by Range - When a Trait will
be unrelated to any group affiliation, and
again, you wish to emphasize the differences
between individuals.
Q Scale a Trait by Norm - When you'll be
dealing with several distinct groups in the
same Setting, and you wish to emphasize the
differences between the groups, ie. you don't
want the humans arm wrestling the Titans.
Scaling By Range
As stated above, Scaling by Range works best when
you wish to emphasize the differences between individu­
als within a Setting. So, for example, if we Scaled
Strength by Range, using the martial arts school example
given under 'Scaling', a score of '0.0' might represent the
Strength of a small child, a '3.0' might represent the
average human Strength, and a '1 0.0' might represent the
Strength of an Olympic class weight lifter. All the values
in-between would be set accordingly.
Scaling by Nonn
As stated above, Scaling by Norm is a good method
to choose when you wish to emphasize the differences
between groups within a Setting. This method works well
for example, when you're dealing with several different
32 Theab1x - The Core Rules
races of aliens in a space faring genre So, If we Scaled
Strength by Norm, using the Galaxy spanning starship
example given under 'Scaling', you might set the norm of
human Strength at '3.0', the norm for the Strength of a
warlike alien race at '6.0', and reserve a score of '10.0' for
those horrifically strong alien guest stars who are meant
to tackle the Chief Security Officer. Strong or weak
specimens of any race may lie somewhat above or below
the norm, but usually not by more than a single point So
a particularly strong member of a warlike alien race might
have a Strength of up to '7 0', given this example.
IF THE MOUNTAIN WON'T GO TO MOHAMMED
Whichever way you choose to Scale each Trait, you
really only want to concern yourself with Scaling the
useful Range. The purpose of Scaling Traits is to produce
representative numbers. And the reason we use numbers
Is to make decisions about those Traits easier However,
many decisions can be made without reference to a
number at all. For example, In a fight between a man of
normal Strength and a large rampaging locomotive tram,
there's no reason to bother attempting to Scale the
locomotive's 'Strength'. If the Actor doesn't have her
character do something really neat, like jump out of the
way, that character is squashed. End of story. The
locomotive's Strength can be said to be 'Off the Scale'
Attempting to create a Scale to handle all possible
interactions is counter-productive and will actually de­
crease a Scale's usefulness.
If you're using a genre where stopping moving trams
with your bare hands is something that's likely to happen,
like in a super-hero comic book, then your highest useful
Strength may be well above that of a moving train. In that
case, your '1 0.0' mark may represent a Strength literally
capable of moving mountains. For each Trait, try to focus
in on the maximum value that you're likely to allow. That
is, the maximum value that any of the major roles could
possibly possess of a Trait. That point becomes that
Trait's '10.0' mark for the Setting. Anything much above
this mark can simply be counted as 'Off the Scale' If two
locomotive trains ever clash, you're pretty safe in just
describing (storytelling) the outcome. It's only when your
Actors take on even semi-reasonable odds that you'll
need the numbers. The numbers then help to provide a
sense of Continuity and fairness to those actions and
outcomes involving the Actors' personas.
THE DECIMAL POINTS
All Quantified Traits m these rules may take values
from '0.0' to '10.0', wh1ch means that you can use the
decimal points to assign values like '6.5', or '7 2' to any
Trait, allowing a finer degree of control. That gives every
Scale a Range of over 1 00 values. We give our examples