USS Mongoose--Momentum Pool
The game, of course, is oriented around the gaming table, and the company even makes 'official' Momentum chits, which would be put into a pile in the center of the table whenever Momentum is gained. It might even be easier if you had a little dish or ashtray to put them in.
Consider this thread 'the center of the table' for purposes of keeping track of momentum.
The main reason this has become 'necessary' is because there are three separate scenes going on right now, though some argument could be made for a fourth (two different scenes in the Klingon Science Station).
Each scene would therefore have its own Momentum.
The main reason there is currently no Group Momentum Pool is because Momentum only lasts till the end of the scene. Thus, any Momentum generated previously has faded away as the scene changed.
Just as a recap, here is a summary of Momentum.
GENERATING MOMENTUM
1. Every success over what is needed generates one Momentum. Thus, if you have 3 successes but only needed 1, you generate 2 Momentum.
2. Bonus Momentum can be granted by some situations and Talents for specific Tasks. This is added to the amount of Momentum the character generates upon a successful Task of that type. Bonus Momentum may specify that it may only be used in a specific way. Bonus Momentum cannot be saved — if it is not used, it is lost.
3. If Momentum is not used for the Task at hand that generated the Momentum in the first place, it can be added to the Group Pool. If the Group Pool is full, then any additional Momentum is lost.
4. Anyone, even NPCs, can use the Momentum from the Group Pool.
5. No more than 6 Momentum can be in the Group Pool at once.
6. Momentum in the Group Pool is lost at the rate of 1 at the end of every scene.
SPENDING MOMENTUM
1. Improve the outcome of a successful Task, such as gaining more information from research, inflicting more damage with an attack, or making more progress with an ongoing problem. Immediately after determining if a Task is successful, the GM will describe the basic outcome of that Task. Momentum may then be spent to improve this outcome, or provide other benefits. Momentum used in this way doesn’t need to be declared in advance, and each point can be spent one at a time as required. For example, a character may see how much damage an attack has inflicted before spending Momentum to inflict more. Thus, Momentum can’t be wasted by being used on something that wasn’t necessary.
2. Most uses for Momentum can only be used once on any given Task, or once in any given Round in combat. Some Momentum spends are noted as being repeatable, which means that they can be used as frequently as the character wishes and has the Momentum available to spend on them.
3. Players are encouraged to be creative in their use of Momentum. When you score an exceptional success, think in terms of how that superb performance can be reflected in either the result of the immediate Task or in how the outcome of that Task can impact what happens next. Regardless of how it is used, Momentum spends must make a degree of narrative sense — that is, the benefit gained from Momentum must make sense from the perspective of the characters — and the Gamemaster may veto Momentum spends that do not support or reflect the fiction.
4. CREATE ADVANTAGE: Momentum can allow a character to produce a positive or advantageous circumstance. Spending two Momentum establishes some new Advantage in addition to whatever effect the successful Task had. Advantages created must relate to the nature of the Task attempted, and it must be something that could logically result from the character’s actions. This may instead be used to remove a Complication currently in play, or to create a Complication on an adversary.
5. CREATE OPPORTUNITY (Immediate, Repeatable): One of the most straightforward uses of Momentum is to add bonus d20s to a Task. The decision to purchase bonus dice must be made before the dice pool is rolled. The cost of this increases for each die purchased (regardless of how those bonus d20s were bought); the first die bought costs 1 Momentum, the second one costs 2 Momentum, and the third die costs 3. As noted on p.80, no more than three bonus d20s may be bought for a single Task
6. CREATE PROBLEM (Immediate, Repeatable): A character can choose to make things more difficult for an opponent, increasing the Difficulty of a single Task by one for every two Momentum spent. The decision to increase a Task’s Difficulty must be made before any dice are rolled on that Task.
7. OBTAIN INFORMATION (Repeatable): Momentum from a successful Task allows a character to learn more about a situation. Each point of Momentum spent can be used to ask the Gamemaster a single question about the current situation, or an item, object, structure, creature, or character present in or relevant to the scene at hand. The Gamemaster must answer this question truthfully, but the Gamemaster does not have to give complete information — a partial or brief answer that leaves room for further questions is more common. The information provided must be relevant to the Task attempted, and it must be the kind of information that a character using that skill would be able to determine in that situation — a character could use Medicine to diagnose an illness, or Security to identify a form of ranged weapon from the damage it causes.
