From Introduction: This is the bare bones version of the rules system, stripped to its most fundamental parts. It’s fully functional and ready to run – though like any “lite” version of a game, the options have been removed and the complexity has been distilled to the main elements. For experienced roleplayers or ambitious beginners, we recommend the full version of the Story Engine. Translating Story Bones to the Story Engine is easy, though some of the terms and dice rolls are different. The core of any roleplaying game is the story. Game turns in Maelstrom Storytelling are played out as scenes within the story. Most scenes can be “role-played” without any rules, but when the outcome is not obvious or a challenge is needed, a handful of dice is rolled to determine the outcome of the scene. Think of each player as an author, and the rules as a tool to allow them to help tell the story of their character. In essence, the Story rules are about choosing when to spend resources to get additional dice. There is an heroic element to it because the players get to choose WHEN to use their resources, saving them for critical or climactic moments. The sidebar to the right gives a good overview of the process.