Tests
The test is at the root of all game mechanics in ’Verses.
At its most simple, a test involves rolling as large a dice pool as possible to get the number of successes necessary to reach or exceed the test difficulty, or Success Target (#S).
The size of the pool of dice in a test is determined by the various capabilities of an actor, and how many action dice the actor has available and how many the player chooses to spend.
A player may choose to spend all action dice at once for a better chance at succeeding at a test.
A player may also choose to accept a lower chance of success to reserve some action dice for other actions or tests in the round.
With the dice pool assembled, all dice in the pool are rolled together and any dice which roll a 
or 
are counted as successes. The test is successful if the rolled number of successes is equal to or greater than the success target.
Throughout these rules, tests will be expressed using an "arrow notation" which places the formula for assembling the dice pool on the left of the arrow, and the success target and success effects on the right.
For example, this notation SMR + #AD → 2S describes a test which assembles a dice pool of the actor's Smarts attribute and some number of Action Dice with a success target of 2 successes.
Anders tries to punch Benny. Anders has 4 dice between applicable skills and AD to roll for the attack. The success target for most melee attacks is 1S. Anders rolls 4d6 against 1S, with 
. Because Anders's roll has 1 success, the punch lands. But hitting Benny and causing him injury are two different things.
Contests
When a test is actively challenged (contested), both the initial actor and the challenging actor roll a pool of dice (the size of the pools are determined by the actors’ capabilities and the situation). The number of successes of the challenging actor is subtracted from the number of successes of the initial actor. If the result is positive and equal to or greater than the required number of successes, the initial actor wins the contest. Otherwise, the challenging actor wins.
When subtracting contested successes from the initial actor’s roll, remove sixes first. This will be important when discussing certain game features such as Action Chaining, Cover, and Armor & Shields.
Contests are expressed using a similar arrow notation as regular tests, with the right side of the arrow representing the dice pool of the challenging actor.
For example, this notation: SMR + #AD → SMR + #AD describes a "battle of wits" (a contest between actors' Smarts attribute and some number of Action Dice).
Chida and Benny are sparring, and Chida attempts to shove Benny to the ground using a takedown move from her Grappling skill. Between attributes and skills, Chida has 5d6 to roll for the takedown, which has a success target of 2S. Benny tries to avoid being knocked down, but only has 3d6 to contest the attack.
Chida rolls 
and Benny rolls . Chida rolled 2 successes, but since Benny also rolled a success, Chida’s successes are reduced to 1—under the 2S target for the move—and Benny manages to avoid Chida’s takedown. Their struggle continues…
Continuous Tests
Some tests occur over time, or require focus to maintain their effects after a successful initial roll. These tests will indicate they are continuable with a “#C” after the success target like so: “3S 2C.” The number that precedes the C is the continuation target; the number of successes needed to maintain the success. If the number is omitted then it is assumed to be 1.
If the actor wishes to continue the effects of a continuous test, they must maintain the test. In Fast Action, an actor must spend at least 1AD to explicitly maintain a continuous test each round. If the actor is hit by an attack, they must also attempt to maintain the test. Outside of Fast Action, the GM or specific rules will determine how often the continuous test needs to be maintained.
To maintain the continuous test, the actor rolls the dice representing the skill or ability used in the original test plus at least 1AD (if the maintenance test is in response to damage, AD may be added but is not required). If this test fails to meet the necessary continuation target (#C) or the actor chooses not to maintain it, then the test and its effects end.
The number four airlock seal was damaged in a recent negative skip event. When the ship takes fire from pirates and begins evasive maneuvers, the seal lets go and the emergency bulkheads drop, trapping Jules in with her atmo slowly leaking out into space. Her only hope is that the manual pressure hatch control can put enough force on the seal to stop the leak. The manual control requires a low 1S Test against Toughness (TUF), and Jules has a typical (2) TUF. Since she’s got to get it sealed, Jules uses all her effort, adding all 5AD to her 2 TUF for a 7d6 dice pool. She rolls , more than enough to succeed.
She pumps the manual lock lever and gets a good seal, but because of the damage, the GM rules that she’ll need to hold the lever closed, or the leak will continue. Even in the tumbling, jarring zero-G environment, the Continuous Test is an easy 1C, so while her crewmates are busy running from pirates, Jules spends the next turns rolling 5AD + TUF for 7d6 to hold the lever down—being stuck, she has nothing better to do.
Someone else will have to fight off the pirates.
In this example, it’s worth noting that Jules has to hold on to the lever with at least one hand to keep the airlock sealed, and there are no rules explicitly stating that this is part of the continuous test. She couldn’t, for example, maintain the continuous test and also manipulate a two-handed machine… unless her species has more than two hands!
Players & GMs should recognize that no system of rules can possibly account for every conceivable situation that might arise, so it is left to the GM to identify moments like this and handle them sensibly.
Success Margins
Any test or contest will result in a Success Margin (SM).
While in some tests we simply care about the state of success or failure, often how well we succeeded (the SM) is important to understanding the outcome.
To calculate the success margin of a roll, subtract the success target from the total number of successes and add 1 (because equalling the success target counts as a success).
SM = 1+([# of Successes] - [Success Target])
Sklar and his crew are fleeing Cor Caroli L5 station in a stolen skip ship, but they’re being pursued by local traffic control. Sklar is trying to increase the power output of the gravdrive in the hope of outrunning the law. The GM rules that the Power Systems skill applies here, with a high Target of 3S and an outcome of 10% more power per Success Margin. Sklar has training in Power Systems, and between his skill & attributes, he has 5d6 to roll. He also has 5AD to apply, so his total dice pool is 10d6. Sklar rolls 4 successes with . This gives him a Success Margin of 2, so he manages to get an extra 20% power to the gravdrive by rerouting it from non-critical systems.
