Most narrative games ask you to perform: choose the “merciful” option to be merciful. Choose the “ruthless” option to be ruthless. The system records a label and pays it out later.
The Descent, Attempted aims for something harder to fake: behavior. Not what you chose — how you moved while choosing.
Hesitation
The time you take before acting. The pause that reveals weight.
Aggression
Whether you force outcomes, or seek another path.
Mercy
How you treat the damned when nothing rewards kindness.
Judgment
The standards you apply — and how quickly you apply them.
These measures don’t exist to produce a “good” or “bad” ending. They exist to produce a coherent reflection — a description of what you did across a full descent, not what you wanted the game to think you did.
If you want the plain-language version without the essay, start with How It Works.