This is more of an abstract question as I've decided to try something different involving playing cards and inspired by the HEX mechanics, which have to rate among the best I've ever seen.

Ok, so you have stats, rated 1-5, and a trait called Edge. This relfects your current state of general awareness and ability - that's why it's called Edge. Sort of a metastat. Edge can fluctuate but is rated, generally, on the same scale.

Edge exists to generate the number of cards you will have in hand at any given time. Do well and you get more Edge. You can also spend Edge to improve your chances in a situation but at the risk of diminishing your long term effectiveness, IE, lower handsize.

To do something, you need to achieve more succeses than the difficulty level of the task. You always get a base X succeses, where X equals the stat in question. To get more, simply chuck red cards from hand. Value is irrelevant (though makes for a handy tiebreaker where necessary in opposed tests).

Problem is, what about the black cards? What do they do? Inevitably they will be drawn, thats part of the system and you can't just hose players for doing so. So what to do with them?

Crunching gear change:

I have a new idea, based around a concept I will call Momentum.

Imagine a line of numbers, right to left:

1 2 3 4 5 5 4 3 2 1

At the start of the line and the first 5 numbers are grouped as Edge. The latter half Grit. The line starts at the far left and can move along though player action and dice outcomes. It repreents the fundamental state of mind and body of the character. He begins relaxed. He grows more alert. He becomes tense and eventually exhuasted where he starts running on instinct and will, eventually becoming KO'd.

That is what Momentum represents. The numbers form a dice pool used to make checks along with the characters base stat. However they work primarily and conceptually to offset the 'Struggle dice' rolled by the GM (not sure how this works but...). The more dice you roll, as per your place on the momentum track, the more 'struggle' is offset by the character's current state.

Every action involves 5 Struggle dice, d6's. However you offset this by the Edge/Grit value that is current. Thus Struggle-Momentum will always = 5d6.

On top of that you roll your (Stat - rated 1-5) as well, creating a dice pool that can range from 6-10.

Let's take a leaf out of HEX's book; succeses fgrom dice rolls are gained per even numbered result. You are looking to score succeses enough to accomplish whatever the task requires when the dust settles. However each success shown on Struggle dice takes away one rolled on the rest.

So, for example. I am currently starting afresh and am relaxed; my Momentum is Edge 1, at the far left beginning of the track. I am going to do some research using my Science stat, 4. That creates a total dice pool of:

stat (4) + (struggle 4, one less for the Edge value) + Edge (1) = 9, 4 of which are struggle dice.

I roll them and count successes for every even, but subtract the 'successes' shown on the 4 Struggle dice from the rest.