Building the Augur: ENGRAM's Dice Engine

Why a custom resolution system?

Early ENGRAM used a flat d20. It worked, but it never felt like the setting — a world where every action is a negotiation with a dying signal.

Enter the Augur

The augur roll pools dice equal to your relevant asset rating, then reads them against the current tension track. High tension means the world pushes back harder; the augur decides how loudly.

augur = pool(assetRating) vs tensionThreshold

What changed in playtest

1. We cut fixed difficulty numbers in favor of the tension track.
2. Partial successes now raise tension, creating a natural escalation.
3. Threats read from the same track, so the GM never rolls in secret.

Next steps

We're tuning how engrams modify the pool. If you want the fiction behind the mechanics, read Signal and Silence.

More soon from the workbench.