Working With Anomalies

As with everything else in the SCP "genre", there's not exactly a strict definition or explanation for how various kinds of anomaly work. Between various different authors and cannons it can be rigorously scientific, vibes-based, or wholly unknowable. Unfortunately, such a broad conception of what is ultimately a fairly core part of the whole genre makes designing a system around it fairly difficult. In this section, we have done our best to provide guidelines and references to a number of ways a group may represent the anomalous within their games. It is entirely valid and reasonable to forego this section in its entirety, choosing instead to handle things primarily via narrative, augmented only with the existing rules for dice checks and outcomes.

This chapter is divided into a few major sections, namely:

• Thaumatology and Workings
• Reality Bending
• Anart and Anomalous Fabrication
• Anomalous Entities and Spaces

There is overlap between several of these sections -- for instance, thaumatology and anomalous fabrication are not intrinsically separate -- however, the organization of this chapter aims to facilitate easier navigation based on the kind of action or interaction desired. If you or your group find these sections lacking in rigorous structure and system design, feel free to create your own ruleset and systems! If you want, you can even contribute to this source book with your creations.