In the Hit Phase, the aggressor initiates a DEX challenge against the opponent, where the aggressor pits his Hit Pool against the defender's Evade Pool.
Hit Pool (HIT): DEX (1-5) + Perks (0-5) + Action (1-5)
Evade Pool (EVA): DEX (1-5) + Perks (0-5) + Encumbrance (0-5)
Both the aggressor and the defender will roll the equivalent number of D10s determined by the score of their respective pools (e.g. 5 Hit Pool = roll 5 d10s), and for every die that rolls an 8 or above is counted as a success. Every roll of 10 (perfect roll) gives the roller an additional roll.
If the aggressor has a success total more than the defender's (e.g. of a 5 Hit Pool, he rools 3 successes and 2 failures, while the defender only rolls 2 successes), a hit is landed. The defender gets to roll a counter-attack D10 before combat proceeds to the damage phase.
The defender is given a chance to counter-attack upon the aggressor resolving the hit phase. In this case, the defender rolls a D10 "luck" die, and if he rolls a 10 (can be reduced up to 8 depending on perks chosen) he can perform a counter-attack action. If a counter attack is given, the aggressor first resolves the damage phase to deal damage to the defender, and upon completion the defender's counter-attack will immediately begin. In one-on-one duels this will result in the defender receiving 2 attacks in a row.
In the Damage Phase, the aggressor's goal is to penetrate the defender's armor in order to land damage. The aggressor calculates his Penetration Rate, which is then subtracted with the defender's Armor Class. To calculate penetration, take the result of the hit pool and total up the successes. Scores of 8 give 2 points of penetration, scores of 9 gives 3 while scores of 10 gives 4 points. This total is then added with the weapon's damage and strength, and then subtracted with the armor class to get the final damage.
Base Damage (BDM) = Weapon Damage (1-5) + STR (1-5)
Total Damage (TDM) = Penetration Total (8 = 2, 9 = 3, 10 = 4) + Base Damage
Final Damage (FDM) = Total Damage - Armor Class
If the damage is double the defender's armor class, the defender receives a trauma point, which upon accumulating 3 trauma points will result in the defender's immediate death regardless of how many HP remains. For every trauma points accumulated, the character gains a -1 to hit pool, evade pool and armor class.
Trauma are points that a character can accumulate, with each point gained putting the character is increasingly disadvantageous situations. For every trauma point gained, the character receives a -1 to hit pool, evade pool and armor class.
Simulations came out pretty fine. Two characters with equal stats will have a fairly equal chance (with the odds favoring the initiator of combat) to win. Small gains in hit pool, evade pool, base damage and armor class makes a huge difference in shifting the odds, which fulfills the system's original goals.