Improvisation
Source GM Core pg. 12
As a GM, you often make things up on the fly. You can find tips for improvising rules within Adjudicating Rules. When an issue seems to pertain to the story instead of the rules, ask yourself the following questions.
You might not have a good answer for every question, but asking them can inspire useful solutions. If what you need to invent is significant in the storyline or setting, there's nothing wrong with asking the group to take a little break while you fill in the gap. You can even ask players to invent details. If it's not particularly significant and you can't come up with anything more compelling, it's also okay to say “Nothing happens” and move on.
Often, a player will ask, “What happens when I do that?” This is a good indicator that the player expects that what they've done will draw a reaction from an NPC or the environment. Unless the player is way off base, provide an ingame response, even if it's minor. The player has telegraphed what matters to them, and the perceived importance of their action can draw them into the game.
- Does something already established in our story so far tell me what should happen here?
- What would the NPC's personality lead them to do?
- What does the player expect to happen?
- What would best fit the themes of our story?
You might not have a good answer for every question, but asking them can inspire useful solutions. If what you need to invent is significant in the storyline or setting, there's nothing wrong with asking the group to take a little break while you fill in the gap. You can even ask players to invent details. If it's not particularly significant and you can't come up with anything more compelling, it's also okay to say “Nothing happens” and move on.
Often, a player will ask, “What happens when I do that?” This is a good indicator that the player expects that what they've done will draw a reaction from an NPC or the environment. Unless the player is way off base, provide an ingame response, even if it's minor. The player has telegraphed what matters to them, and the perceived importance of their action can draw them into the game.
Special Circumstances
Source GM Core pg. 12
The player characters in your group will at times attempt tasks that should be easier or harder than the rules or adventure would otherwise lead you to expect, such as a PC Gathering Information on their home world. In these cases, you can just apply a circumstance bonus or penalty. Usually, this is +1 or –1 for a minor but significant circumstance, but you can adjust this bonus or penalty to +2 or –2 for a major circumstance. The maximum bonus or penalty, +4 or –4, should apply only if someone has an overwhelming advantage or is trying something extremely unlikely but not quite impossible.
You can also add traits to actions. Let's say that during a fight against a security robot in a mechanic's garage, Obozaya Interacts to give the blades of her doshko an electric charge using jumper cables and a nearby hovercar. You could add the electricity trait to her next Strike so Obozaya can take advantage of the security robot's weakness to electricity. A PC getting an advantage in this way should usually have to use an action to do so, so Obozaya would get the benefit for one attack, but to do it again she'd need to use the jumper cables once more.
You can also add traits to actions. Let's say that during a fight against a security robot in a mechanic's garage, Obozaya Interacts to give the blades of her doshko an electric charge using jumper cables and a nearby hovercar. You could add the electricity trait to her next Strike so Obozaya can take advantage of the security robot's weakness to electricity. A PC getting an advantage in this way should usually have to use an action to do so, so Obozaya would get the benefit for one attack, but to do it again she'd need to use the jumper cables once more.
False Information
Source GM Core pg. 13
A critical failure to Recall Knowledge can result in you needing to convey false information, requiring some improvisation. If you aren't careful, this information can be perceived by the PCs as too silly or could derail the game. For example, if a PC misinterpreted text about the god of war, Damoritosh, telling them that they now believe the god is an incompetent coward who rewards the underhanded might be too far-fetched. Similarly, if they incorrectly believe Damoritosh will reward their strength with immortality if they defeat four prominent warrior priests on different planets of the Veskarium, this could send them on a tangent.
Providing false information can cause the PCs to make mistakes, but the consequences should typically be immediate rather than continual or far in the future. Avoid dispensing false information that might not be used for hours or entire sessions after the check is forgotten. If you're unsure, the safest form of false information is information that's wrong but not in a way that causes major consequences. Remember that a critical failure says you get incorrect information, not that you get important-seeming false information. Erroneously believing Damoritosh's symbol is a sword instead of the blades of a doshko might lead to a miscommunication, but one that's not dangerous, easy to clear up, and only a little embarrassing for the PC.
Providing false information can cause the PCs to make mistakes, but the consequences should typically be immediate rather than continual or far in the future. Avoid dispensing false information that might not be used for hours or entire sessions after the check is forgotten. If you're unsure, the safest form of false information is information that's wrong but not in a way that causes major consequences. Remember that a critical failure says you get incorrect information, not that you get important-seeming false information. Erroneously believing Damoritosh's symbol is a sword instead of the blades of a doshko might lead to a miscommunication, but one that's not dangerous, easy to clear up, and only a little embarrassing for the PC.