GM resource
Pacing for Draw Steel
Keep scenes moving and spotlight balanced. Draw Steel pacing stays sharp when scenes end on a decision, not a dice result. Draw Steel resolves actions with power rolls: 2d10 plus a characteristic, read against outcome tiers rather than pass/fail, tier 1 (11 or less), tier 2 (12-16), and tier 3 (17+). Even low tiers usually do something; higher tiers do it better.
Checklist
- Cut to the interesting part: skip travel and downtime unless it's the scene.
- End a scene the moment its question is answered, even mid-conversation.
- Let the dice drive escalation instead of narrating around a bad roll.
- Rotate the spotlight every scene so no one goes two scenes without a turn.
Common pitfalls
- Scenes that continue after their question is answered
- One player dominating consecutive scenes
- Combat that outlasts the tension that started it