GM: You round the corner of a typical rusty Martian hill, only to discover your old nemesis, Eva Schneider, breaking camp with a hulking Martian companion. Eva is dressed appropriately for the cold Martian nights, while the Martian seems to be wearing little beyond his shining, silvery mail. He is, of course, carrying a small arsenal of high-quality medieval weaponry including an enormous battle-axe, a Martian horn-bow, and painted wooden shield.

The two were already reaching for weapons as they heard you round the corner, so nobody has surprise. I'll consider this combat unless you say otherwise. Amalan, you go first.

Amalan: Well, I'm not carrying distance weapons so I need to close range. I sprint towards the big Martian since I know Sylvia will be interested in Eva.

Sylvia: Thanks, you're right.

Amalan: Anyway, can I cross the intervening distance and attack as this action?

GM: Yes, but Eva will have the opportunity to attack you with missile weapons before you get there. But before that happens, Sylvia gets to act. (Karsh will be using a melee weapon, and as an NPC, he will be reacting to Amalan's attack).

Sylvia: Pistol in my left hand, and whip in my right, I shoot at Eva while I close range. My Pulp Archaeologist cliché should cover this.

GM: Very well, Eva will defend by dodging out of the way and throwing one of her fine daggers at you. Roll 'em.

Sylvia: (rolls 3d6) Ugh, 9.

GM: (rolls 16 on 5d6+1, the +1 from Eva's bonus gear) Eva easily anticipates your shot and you lose this round. Describe what happens.

Sylvia: I raise my pistol to fire as Eva crouches low and throws her dagger. Alas, her dagger slices the back of my hand before I can shoot and I drop my pistol. My left hand is now bleeding painfully. (Sylvia subtracts 1 die from Gorgeous Pulp Archaeologist).

GM: Eva chooses not to act against Amalan. Amalan, you may proceed with your maneuver. Karsh will have his axe ready as you close, hoping to take you out before you get there. Oh yes, what type of attack will you making once you close range?

Amalan: I'd like to choose a flying kick.

GM: Well, Karsh is welll-armed and armored and you're cliché is not especially noteworthy for it's unarmed techniques (though they are fine enough against lesser foes). I would assign a lack of proper tools penalty.

Amalan: Well, that's no good. But I like the maneuver so I'll go ahead and use a Lucky Shot as well.

GM: Very well, roll away.

Amalan: (Rolls 3d8, 2d8 for the penalized cliché and 1d8 for the Lucky Shot). 12... pretty average.

GM: (Rolls 20 on 4d6 for Hulking Barbarian) Sorry, Karsh has the better of you. What happens?

Amalan: I don't think I could actually survive a blow from the axe, so I'll say that I draw my sword and charge with a ferocious scream. Karsh lifts his axe and swings as I approach. I notice the axe before it strikes and I duck under. But the move is awkward and I stumble a bit and fall down to one knee. I'm very off-balance.

GM: Given your description, Karsh only inflicts a single die of damage on you. With his potent battle axe, it could have been worse (+1 die damage where appropriate, but Amalan only deducts 1 die from Warrior-Judge as per GM direction). It's now Eva's turn. She'll throw her other dagger at Sylvia, going for the kill. What does Sylvia do in response?

Sylvia: This isn't going well at all. I'm going to use the pain from her last attack to focus my rage and help me change into a werewolf. Hopefully, I'll do it before the dagger strikes and I'll be able to ignore the wound (unless the knife is silver). Assuming I succeed, I will continue forward and rake her with my formerly wounded hand.

GM: That works. Roll vs. Werewolf.

Sylvia: (Rolls 3d10) Aha, 20!

GM: (Rolls 13 on 5d6+1 for Crafty Ninja including the bonus pip from the knife... no penalty for lack of proper tools is assessed since she could theoretically beat Sylvia's transformation). Wounded by your arch-enemy, you have never changed so swiftly. You bat the flying knife away with your right hand (which still holds your iron whip) and lash out with the powerful claws of your left as you charge into melee. Eva barely has time to back away and is left unbalanced as she retreats. (GM subtracts 1 die from Eva's Crafty Ninja cliché) You also need to make a roll to maintain control: TN 7 for Benandanti Witch, TN 17 for Pulp Archaeologist.

Sylvia: (Rolls 2d6) 3 on Benandanti Witch! I'm going berserk!

GM: Finally, it's Karsh's turn. He's going to follow-up with another powerful blow with his axe. Amalan, what do you do?

Amalan: I'm going to try roll out of the way and slash up with my sword. I'll use another Lucky Shot.

GM: Fortunately, Karsh is not going Berserk just yet. Roll 'em.

Amalan: (Rolls 3d8, 2d8 for the reduced Warrior-Judge cliché, 1d8 for Lucky Shot) 16.

GM: (Rolls 10 on 4d6 for Hulking Barbarian. Since that is a failure, rolls 5 on 1d6 for the armor bonus). You execute you move with skill and grace, almost recovering your balance completely. And despite his superior armor, you sword manages to make a shallow cut across his chest. He's pissed off. (GM subtracts 1 die from Karsh's Hulking Barbarian cliché).

GM: Amalan, it's your move.

Amalan: I attempt to kick his legs out from underneath him and stab him with my sword as he hits the ground.

GM: Karsh will try to keep his feet through sheer muscle and will power. He'll then take a couple of tremendous swings at you with his axe. He's in a rage, so he'll be double-pumping his Hulking Martian Barbarian cliché. You want to pump?

Amalan: No, but I'll use my last Lucky Shot. That axe is scary.

GM: Then roll 'em.

Amalan: (Rolls 3d8, 2d8 for her reduced Warrior-Judge cliché, 1d8 for the Lucky Shot) 16 again.

GM: (Rolls 16 on 5d6, 3d6 for reduced Hulking Barbarian, 2d6 for the double-pump) Neither of you can gain an advantage. You fail to bring Karsh down with your trip maneuver, but you do easily manage to duck under his wild swings of the axe. You're still a little off-guard from the first attack, though, and Karsh's rage looks likely to run out of steam. (GM deducts 1 die from Karsh's Hulking Barbarian cliché for the pump).

Sylvia?

Sylvia: I swing my Iron whip to entangle Eva so that I can bring her forward for another rake of my left claw.

GM: Eva will attempt to scurry past you, closer to Karsh and towards one of her knives. Seriously rattled, her movements lack the grace of her Ninja training and instead will draw from her Hard to Kill Henchman cliché. She'll pump it once as well. I assume you're not pumping? Roll.

Sylvia: No pump. (Rolls 3d10 for Werewolf) 15, decent.

GM: (Rolls 20 on 4d6, 3d6 for Henchman, 1d6 for the pump) Using every ounce of willpower and determination, Eva manages to avoid your attack and scrambles for the knife. You'll lose a cliché for the round so describe how it happens. (GM deducts 1 die from Eva's Henchman cliché for the Pump).

Sylvia: But she didn't make an attack.

GM: You're right, my bad for not describing one. No cliché loss for you. However, it is now Eva's move. She knows she's mismatched against a rampaging werewolf, so she'll tap Karsh on the shoulder, duck behind as he turns, and execute a Ninjitsu takedown on Amalan. Amalan, the attack is actually against you.

Amalan: Well, I'll step back as Eva approaches into our melee and attempt to stab her with my sword before she can get close. GM: Roll against you Warrior-Judge cliché.

Amalan: (Rolls 2d8 for her reduced Warrior-Judge cliché) 11.

GM: (Rolls 12 on 4d6 for her reduced Crafty Ninja, no bonus for the knife since she's not using it this turn) She just beat you. Describe the result.

Amalan: I'm a little taken aback at her move and my thrust is not well-aimed. She easily dodges, closes into close combat and put me on the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of me. (Amalan loses 1 die from Warrior-Judge)

GM: Karsh's turn. Since he was spun around by Eva, he now faces Sylvia. Armed with a True Silver battle axe, he'll rush in and attack with a vicious upper-cut with his axe. He'll also double-pump his Hulking Barbarian cliché again.

Sylvia: Oh dear. I use my iron-whip to disarm him. I can't afford to pump, though. I'll have to roll against my normal Werewolf cliché. (Rolls 3d10) Whew, 19. That's pretty good.

GM: (Rolls 16 on 4d6, 2d6 for the reduced Hulking Barbarian cliché, 2d6 for the double pump) Well, perhaps it wasn't such a good idea for him to double-pump since his cliché has been reduced to zero. How does it end?

Sylvia: Well, my iron whip tangles around his axe and his arms as I pull him off his feet. I'm not really myself at the moment, so I leap upon him and tear out his throat and feast upon his carcass.

GM: Nasty. I'm going to say that you're next action will be spent feasting and you'll be unable to help your friend. The following turn, you'll be able to make another roll to regain control.

GM: Amalan, it's your move again.

Amalan: I'm going to try something desperate. We're on Mars so I use my Martian Survival cliché to grab a handful of ultra-fine mineral dust and throw it into Eva's face. I'll pump once to represent that I'm unlikely to succeed with this trick again.

GM: Eva will counter with her Hard to Kill Henchwoman, pumped, to try to remain unaffected by the dust. She'll then attempt to bring up her knife and gut you like a fish. Roll 'em.

Amalan: (Rolls 4d6... 3d6 for Martial Survivalist, 1d6 for the pump) 14.

GM: (Rolls 15 on 4d6, 3d6 for her reduced Henchman cliché, 1d6 for the pump, +1 for the bonus knife) Hmmm she just beat you and it was the knife that made the difference. Describe how it happens. (GM removes 1 more die from Eva's Henchman cliché for the pump)

Amalan: I grab a fistful of Martian fine and throw it into her face. But while I do hit her, I inhale a bunch myself and am too distracted to effectively ward off her attack. She manages to make a shallow cut across the side of my belly. (Amalan removes two dice from her Martian Survivalist cliché, 1 for the loss and 1 for the pump)

GM: It's Eva's turn. She is still mildly affected from the dust; she'll try to plunge the dagger into your chest. What do you do?

Amalan: I'm in real trouble now. I'm going to blow everything on a telekinetic blast to send Eva's knife flying. I'm double-pumping because I don't want that knife anywhere near me.

GM: Roll 'em.

Amalan: (Rolls 4d6, 2d6 for Telekineticist, 2d6 from the double pump) 16.

GM: (Rolls 13 on 4d6 for the reduced Crafty Ninja, +1 for the knife) Eva raises the knife to stab you in the heart and you let loose with a blast of telekinetic energy that sends the knife flying into the distance. You didn't specify a damage causing attack, but she is disarmed for the duration of the fight unless she takes your weapon. You also have a painful headache and are bleeding from the nose.

Amalan: (Deducts 1 die from Telekineticist for the pump)

Amalan: I try to kick her off me with my Warrior-Judge cliché. I only have one die left, so I don't have to worry about lack of proper tools penalties. Besides, she's unarmed now.

GM: That's correct. Eva knows that it isn't safe to stick around with Sylvia on the loose in werewolf form. She's going to try to cold-cock you and run away. Roll 'em.

Amalan: (Rolls 1d8 for the reduced Warrior-Judge cliché) 3.

GM: (No even bothering to roll since Eva would get a minimum of 4 on 4d6 for Crafty Ninja) Sure enough, Eva delivers a powerful punch to your face. You're out instantly and Sylvia may or may not be aware of Eva escaping into the distance. Sylvia will get a TN 3 Benandanti roll to regain control and a TN 5 Werewolf roll to detect Eva running off in the distance.