Tension Levels:  Each "scene" has a tension level.  Usually (but not always) you are told the current tension level of a scene.  Typically, the tension level is determined by location.

Tension levels suggest how closely The Computer, its agents or other parties are observing your actions.  Anytime you do anything suspicious, traitorous, or even just pick your nose, the GM may roll to see if someone observed you...could be The Computer, a PC (who may get a private message), a secret society, or some faceless bureaucrat who stopped scratching his butt for a second to look up at the security camera he's supposed to be monitoring.  (He may already be writing a blackmail note to you.)

Tension levels go from 0 (lowest) to 20 (highest).  A chart below shows the typical tension levels.

When a player tries something treasonous or sneaky that involves a die roll, the Tension level is the range of that roll that implies whether anyone witnessed the action. So if a PC has a 15 or less to shoot his team leader, and the Tension level is 5, any roll of 15 or less hits the commander -- but if that roll was 5 or less, somebody somewhere may have seen the shot.
The GM may not get specific or even tell you the act was observed.

Still, that act, having been detected, is now admissible as evidence against you!  It may reveal you as a traitor.  These observations typically come up at the debriefing stage.

TENSION LEVELS BY LOCATION
Entries such as "RED areas" means all Clearance RED areas not otherwise listed in specific entries. When an area could have more than one Tension level, the highest applies.

Tension 0: Sewers; reactor cores; Outdoors; conferences with the GM
1 : IntSec interrogation chambers
2: Infrared areas
3: Supply closets; garages; bot stations; HPD&MC
4: RED areas
5: Briefing rooms; food vats; sickbays; clone tanks; PLC warehouses
6: ORANGE areas
7: Mess halls; waiting rooms; grooming stations; elevators and stairwells
8: YELLOW areas
9: R&D labs; anyplace with Junior Citizens
10: GREEN areas
11: Troubleshooter HQ; Armed Forces bases; armories
12: BLUE areas
13: Termination centers; re-education centers; IntSec stations
14: INDIGO areas
15: Power and Tech Services control rooms; IntSec headquarters
16: VIOLET areas
17: Confession booths
18: ULTRAVIOLET areas
19: Central Compnodes
20: Bathrooms
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:23, Mon 02 June 2008.