ARTSEDGE Games: Role-Playing System Core Rules

A R T S E D G E

G A M E S

P R E S E N T S

SYSTEM

a t e B

ArtsEdge Role Playing System Rules AUTHOR’S NOTE: This does not include the entirety of my Rulesets and Activities (Presentation design version 0.1a).

not inhabit characters during play. They are more spectators than active participants and should be familiar with the source material and ready to reference certain parts of the source material as the game progresses.

The entire “Glazer Method” Activity System will now be broken out into another teacher’s guide.

Tools and Materials

You will need these materials in order to play the game. It is important to note that all copies of all required materials should be available for all participants to access.

Introduction

Welcome to the ArtsEdge Role-Playing System.

This system is designed to be flexible enough to be applied to any and all major work of storytelling, be it literature, stage play, music, motion picture, scientific inquiry, mathematical reasoning, almost anything STEM-related, and beyond.

Required Materials These materials will either be provided to participants or created for them. For this system to work, you need these things!

• The System Rules, or “Coreset” – Also known as this guide. This explains about half of what you will be playing. The other half will be created by the participants or chosen as a module.

• The Game Guide – Created by all participants, this is a combination of any corset and playset. [see Rulesets] • The Adventure Book – This is a supplement to the Game Guide and will include all the Challenges and Obstacles the player characters will face in the created game. [see Adventure Book] • Dice – Rolling of die is the traditional way table-top role-playing games are played. It’s a great way to represent and resolve the difficulty and probability of successfully completing a task. [see Rolling Dice]

This is, at the very heart, a tool make a game, but not all the rules to play one. Those rules you make on your own (or play with rules made by others). Everything below is built to assist in the creation of a game that fully articulates your interpretation of the source material.

The Participants

The game’s participants can be described in four roles: • The Instructor – This is the teacher and facilitator of the game’s creation. They are, however, not directly involved in the “play” of the game.

• The Game Master(s) (GMs) – These are the facilitators of the game, and the arbiter of all the roles created by the group. There can be more than one GM and their responsibilities shared or divided between them individually.

• The Players – These individuals have active participation in the story, normally inhabiting a player character or group of characters acting as one. Not all players are created equal. Some players have different strengths and weaknesses [see Merits and Flaws], and some players control characters that are not even human; a player can control a Greek God, the turbulent ocean, or a spooky mansion. Anything that calls for choice and active participation.

• The Crowd – These are all individuals that do

Recommended Materials These are the recommended materials that will often be necessary to play the created game. In certain games, there is no need for some of these materials, but these are a great foundation for making an entertaining game.

• Game Map – These are normally top-down grids of the areas you will be playing in the game, but can also represent abstract ideas or linear progressions. While a lot of tabletop RPGs take place in the collective imaginations of the participants, game maps make it very easy for everyone to follow along with the actions of the player characters, and keep a similar view on the physical happening of the

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speaks or acts, that is okay in the PLAYSET. If you would like the game map to represent the human brain and not a physical location, that is okay.

game. [see Map Building] For the advanced module, the instructors should encourage the players (i.e. students) to consider the differences among pieces created by them to emphasize the importance of divergent thinking.

• Game Pieces – All physical representations of Player Character models to move around the map. Game pieces can also be constructed for a variety of in-game representations.

Game pieces can also be constructed for a variety of in-game representations such as money or “points” or a variety of others.

The goal of the PLAYSET is to truly represent the subject text. Given the near infinite amount of stories, plays, and any myriad subject matter that Is covered, anything that makes the game unique and different is something that should be explored. What makes the subject text interesting, unique and important?

In certain stories, there could be neither significant physical action nor heroic feat of strength; therefore, the STAT of Brawn (BRN) doesn’t really apply. You could eliminate the category, but keep the other stats such as WIL or INT. All participants are encouraged to revise and reinterpret all the rules within the CORESET to fit the subject text.

The Coreset and the Ruleset**

While confusing at first to have two different “rules” for one game, it can be easily explained: the CORESET are the rules that comes with the game, and the PLAYSET are the rules that students add to it. Here are some different facets of both sets:

Remember this rule: PLAYSET ALWAYS overrides the CORESET when there is conflict.

Coreset

The CORESET is a guide when players and GMs have difficulty resolving a particular mechanic or challenge. Imagine a player declaring on their turn [see Making an Action] they want to jump from one building to another. How difficult is the jump and how do you portray it in the game? The CORESET below helps you determine these variables. Consider the CORESET as baseline for revision.

How To Play

Encounters and Basic Actions

In the CORESET, Player Characters interact with the created world by declaring an action and then determining if that action is successful through the rolling of dice. This process is called an ENCOUNTER. There are a few rules for encounters. You’ll find all the information explaining these rules below.

Playset

Where the CORESET makes this system compatible with all literature at a very basic level, the playset is what makes the game strictly about the subject text. The PLAYSET also will include materials created during the Activities performed on the subject text.

Adventure Books, Maps, Visual and Statistical Character Representations are all part of the PLAYSET.

Think of an encounter as a conflict between two entities, typical in any good story. Typical conflicts in literature include man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. society, and man vs. self. It also includes action and reaction.

Adhering to Newton’s Law of Motion, an entity always wants to keep doing that it is doing, (sitting, falling, exploding) and that it will always push back against another entity that exerts force on it. All encounters include two of Newton’s entities meeting.

All characters, events and locations are part of the PLAYSET. Furthermore, liberal modifications to the rules are possible when using the PLAYSET. If you would like Player Characters to move twice before the GM

If you push on a boulder, the boulder is going to

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feel like it is pushing back until you overcome it, then it starts moving. The act of overcoming the boulder can be mathematically and virtually portrayed by rolling dice.

single, specific ant within an anthill. In addition, regardless of how easy or difficult an action is, there is always the possibility of failing due to random bad luck.

Rules for Encounters: • An encounter describes the interaction between any two entities within the game, including between two Player Characters.

• The Game Masters represent all Non-Player Characters in the game.

• Encounters always start with a Declaration of Intent.

• The entity that makes the declaration will win all ties in probability checks.

• An encounter succeeds if any of the probability checks are successful for the Declaring Player.

• An encounter fails if all Probability Checks are completed without a success for the Declaring Player.

Every basketball player is fully capable of making a free throw, but it turns out the real chance of making one is determined by some things nearly out of the shooter’s control: how exactly the spinning ball hits the rim, or the randomness of its bounce, even the timely bead of sweat in the shooter’s eye, etc.

This combination of required skill and chance (luck) is what is called difficulty. One of the GM’s most important roles is determining how probable each action is for each player character. This is done through a DIFFICULTY CHECK.

Difficulty Checks

Representing Difficulty Once you get comfortable with it, you can quickly determine the difficulty and outcome of any action or encounter with a dice roll. This table below illustrates some basic difficulty probabilities with actions:

Rolling Dice

Probability And Difficulty In All Actions Difficulty, like most things, is relative. Lifting a pencil is a lot easier for a typical human to do than a single ant, but also a human would have an extremely difficult time finding a Level

Basic

Difficulty (d20)

0 (always succeed)

Very Easy

1-5

Easy

Description Examples Many tasks should just be considered impossible to fail. Walking on flat ground without falling. Looking for Also unless stated otherwise, preparing for an action is something in plain sight. Notching an arrow onto a bow considered “basic.” string. Running towards a chasm before leaping over.

These actions almost always succeed, but sometimes, especially in a rush of action, an honest check of a simple task is warranted. These should be checked when the consequences of a failure are extremely severe.

Walking along flat ground, but stepping over the obvious tripwire. Tossing your companion her muchneeded weapon from short distance. Lighting a desperate final match to start a fire. A lay-up.

6-10

While still “easy,” these actions are things you can do with reliability, but every once in a while, a mistake occurs.

Dancing the waltz without embarrassing yourself, cooking wild boar meat thoroughly, distracting a moderately trained castle guard. Gather dry firewood in a damp but overgrown jungle. A free throw.

Moderate

11-15

These are formidable challenges for the average player character. These include attempting to work with anything roughly the size and shape of you.

Lifting a very heavy sack. Arm-wrestling a human.

Convincing acquaintances to accompany you. Slipping inconspicuously through a crowd of similarly dressed people. Leaping over that 6-foot chasm you ran towards above. A jump shot.

Difficult

16-20

Heroic

21-25

Tasks that are difficult to accomplish, but not out of possibility to those so skilled are here.

Often in literature, characters accomplish feats beyond both their ability and natural probability. As they are above a d20’s limits, they are only achievable with Character Stats (see Stats)

Tasks that are difficult to accomplish, but not out of possibility to those so skilled are here.

Arm-wrestling Hercules. Inspiring your army to all out victory. Ripping off Grendel’s arm. Starting a fire by rubbing sticks with the damp firewood. A buzzerbeating half-court shot.

Nearly Impossible

26-30

Beyond what is generally achievable, even with Heroics Arm-wrestling a meteor. Surviving a plunge off Niagra Falls. Escaping Alcatraz. A no-look, behind the back, full and blind luck, lies the “Nearly Impossible.” Only court shot from your knees while asleep. reached with the most fortuitous dice rolls.

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Challenges Are Relative

Turn Progression

Remember that a difficulty is always determined relative to the natural abilities of the player-character making that action (remember the pencil vs. anthill above).

Difficulty Basic Very Easy Easy Moderate Difficult Heroic Nearly Impossible

Probability (d20) 0 1-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30

Turns progress rather simply in the CORESET, with the player to the left of the Game Master going first. If the PLAYSET calls for it, the Audience can also perform their turn. The GM is the last participant to perform their turn each round. They also perform the turns of all non-player characters that are in the game (companions, enemies, environment, weather, random events). Each participant’s turn starts with an optional movement phase, then to the action phase, where you declare your intent and then roll against the difficulty check.

Probability (d6) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

“All Dice Are Created Equal...

More or Less.”

Movement Phase

Unless otherwise stated in your Adventure Book, all dice rolls are determined by rolling a d20 (or a die with numbered sides 1-20). Each side has equal, 5%, chance to land face up.

The stats of characters are based on a 20-point system. However, you can use any die you would like, and just adjust the ratios accordingly. For a basic d6 (six-sided) you would have...

Normal Movement If you are playing on a Game Map, the first part of the turn is to move your characters around.

In the CORESET, a player character can move up to 20 feet or about 4 squares in any direction before needing to either wait for their next turn or begin their Action Phase. Player Characters cannot move after they have started their Action Phase.

Success And Failure Action Shoot a layup Shoot a free throw Shoot a jump shot Shoot a 3-pointer Shoot a half court shot

Fleeing Players can also choose to flee during their movement phase. This gives them the ability to move one and a half times faster than they would during normal movement. In the CORESET, this would be 30 feet or 6 squares.

By fleeing, you forfeit your right to an Action Phase. This is true for all entities in the game.

Level Difficulty Chance To Succeed Very Easy 3 85% Easy 6 70% Moderate 12 40% Difficult 16 20% Heroic 21 0%

We call the measurement of these actions DIFFICULTY CHECKS (DC) They represent how successful you would need to be to complete them. In other words, the rating of a particular action is how well you would have to perform, in a dice roll, to overcome that difficulty. Every time you roll the die, you are expressing how well you performed that task. Since you have a 5% chance to hit any of the 20 numbers on a d20, let’s break down some examples in the difficulty check table to see their likelihoods.

Action Phase

After players have moved, they are able to start their Action Phase. There are three main parts to the action phase and are as follows.

Declaration of Intent An important first step is carefully describing what and by what means the player character will attempt to do. This normally involves some type of manipulation of an object to overcome a difficult task (as we’ve covered above). Once the Declaration of Intent is made, the GM begins to deconstruct the goal and all necessary factors that would play into the upcoming encounter. The Adventure Book

If you are thinking “Wait how can you roll a 21 on a d20?”, there is a reason for this. Character Stats [see Stats] will soon be included, but for now just assume that only DIFFICULTY CHECKS of 20 and below are actually achievable.

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will provide necessary resources for the GM to determine the difficulties.

in an encounter represents a real action, which can always have real consequence.

Generated during one of the previous PLAYSET activities, the Adventure Book, is a comprehensive list of all important actions and their DIFFICULTY CHECKS required to overcome them. This will never be a complete list, but the goal of building the Adventure Book is to include all the necessary events and difficulties you can foresee the Player Characters encountering. [see Adventure Book]. It is important to remember the Player Characters should, by default, always have access to the Adventure Book so see what is considered from Basic to Moderate to Heroic actions within the game.

Resolution All turns end with a resolution, which is cause and effect of the encounter. The resolution of the player’s turn above is that “Ajax is won over by your true words and he lays down his ghostly blade.” All player character turns should end with a statement of the resolution, so that the next Declaration of Intent can continue the story in much the same way as it was originally conceived.

What Happens Between Player Turns?

While the GM has a defined time and their own turn to move around non-player characters and events in the game, it is understood that some amount of storytelling is required to fill in the moments of time between player turns. GMs are encouraged to reconcile any immediate consequences of the resolution of the last turn.

Direct cause and effect is the aim here. Things like successfully lighting a torch in a dark cave reveals more of the environment, and thus requires description and action of anything that might have been hidden in the darkness before the torch. (ex. Bats shriek and fly off, players are repositioned relative to a huge pit that they had previously not seen…)

A player might look at the Adventure Book and see: “Soon, Odysseus sees the ghosts of dead men he once knew in the mortal world. Ajax is there and will threaten to attack Odysseus over the theft of the armor of Achilles. If the player attempts to persuade Ajax to lay down his sword, roll DC (difficulty check) 13. On success, Ajax will not attack Odysseus and tell him all he knows of the Underworld. If they fail, Ajax will attack and an encounter is started on the GM’s next turn.”

From The Odyssey Adventure Book

Components of the Ruleset Skills

So, this explains what could be the Declaration of Intent for the Player Character of Odysseus.

On their turn, the player can decide to persuade Ajax to not attack, and would say something like “I will try to calm down Ajax.”

Since the literature this system is focused on are primarily famous and well-regarded works of art, you can be fairly certain that the characters in these subject texts are hugely varied and dynamic. Right now, the system just calls for you to roll a dice and see what the outcome is, regardless of the character you are playing. Although you can be certain that in a fight with Grendel, Beowulf would fare much better than Ebenezer Scrooge, a well-known literary character from Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens . In order to further portray the unique skills and abilities of the characters in this game, it is encouraged that you give them all Skill Attributes.

At which point, the Game Master will move into the Encounter.

2 Round Encounter Encounters always last two rounds, with each round representing a dice roll. Encounters are instantly successful once the DC is tied or beaten. You do not have to roll a second time if the first round is successful. The GM can however, change the rules or conditions between each round, as they can BOTH happening in time. In other words, each round

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The 5 Attributes

Adventure Book

Think of an Adventure Book as the GM’s tool kit. All the events, locations and extraneous characters that could conceivably appear in the game are described in the Adventure Book. Much like the PLAYSET, there are no restrictions on what should or should not be added to the Adventure Book, but below is a solid framework.

Attributes are the 5 main skills that all epresent the different care qualities a character possesses. Here they are: Attribute Abbreviation Brawn BRW

Reflex

RFX

Reason

RSN

Will

WIL

Charm

CHM

Description Natural athleticism, power, toughness Physical agility, reflexes, skill with objects Mental acuity, analytical prowess Awareness, intuition, insight Confidence, leadership

Modifier Examples Pulling a loaded cart, carrying a lot of firewood, surviving a stab wound Firing a bow, shooting a free throw, playing piano Casting a spell, deciphering how to communicate with a ghost, forging a document Noticing a secret passage, hearing things from a distance, sensing the emotions of an adversary Convincing ajax to put down his sword, seducing Romeo, leading men into battle

Objectives

List the over-arching goals of the playercharacters. It would not make much sense if Atticus Finch suddenly decides to prosecute Tom Robinson instead of defend him … that’s the whole point of the book! Objectives that rule and dictate the actions of all player characters are considered absolute objectives.

These absolute objectives determine the course of the game, and if appropriate: the winners and the losers [see The Role of F.A.T.E.]

How Attributes Factor In

Attributes work simply by adding their score to the dice roll of any difficulty check. If Odysseus has a Charm of 3 then he would add 3 to his roll of 12 in the previous example, giving him 15 and above what was needed to convince Ajax to stop the fight.

Events and Triggers

Much like the story itself, a proper game attempts to tell a story through a succession of events, both heroic and tragic. Sometimes these events seem like random fortune, other times karma is at work, serving the player character he or she deserves. When developing the game, list any time-dependent events into a list. Notate the anchor, which will cause the event to happen, and anything can be done to change the course of the event without violating the major structure of the story.

Examples:

Opposed Checks

Many times, the Adventure Book does not need to list all difficulties for all actions. Most often in character conflict, using an Opposed Check can pit the skills of two characters (play and nonplayer alike). It is up to the GM to determine which Skill are used for which opposed check, but in many instances, one attribute can be compared to an entirely different one, given the asymmetry of the action taking place.

Action Attribute Hold onto BWN companion to avoid falling Pretend to be RFX someone else Create a false map RSN WIL Win a political debate CHM Make a bully back down CHM Arm wrestle CHM Track a wild boar CHM Shoot/hunt a wild boar

Opposing Action Hold on and lift companion

Attribute BRW

Determine the real identity Detect forgery Sese a weakness in the opponent’s claims Resist the words of the negotiator Wrestle back Remain hidden Dodge the arrow

WIL

Event Poseidon conjures a violent sea storm

Trigger

GM rolls d20 at the start of their turn, if it is >=5, the players are lost in the storm Mr. Jones Always on attacks Turn 7 the Animal Farm

RSN RSN RSN BRW RFX RFX

Result

Notes

The boat is forced ashore at the nearest unvisited island on the game map

Pulling a loaded cart, carrying a lot of firewood, surviving a stab wound

If Snowball defeats more Farmers, he gains reputations.

While Snowball must engage the Farmers, Napoleon has the choice to actively disrupt Snowball’s attempts, or save himself.

If Napoleon’s Pigs defeat more Farmers, he gains reputation.

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NPCs, Non-Player Characters

characters. The Cyclops, while not necessarily the brightest of the creatures under Zeus’ sky, should still be embodied by a player and not just represented by the GM. Understanding where the motivations of even trivial adversaries in the subject text line can help to understand the large themes of the story.

Usually, a standard high school class is attended by more than enough students to fill the player character roles of any constructed game. But, there are often moments when a certain character is necessary only for plot purposes and not for the building of character.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Fortinbras is crucially important as both the foil of Prince Hamlet, and the means to which the play comes to an end. He is, however, of minor consequence to the characterizations of the play, and only appears in two very brief scenes. If your Hamlet Game would cover the final scenes and death of its main characters, an NPC or nonplayer character could, at your discretion, play Fortinbras. This role is normally fulfilled by the GM, and read from a narrative described in the Adventure Book.

There are however, plenty of moments where an enemy is so non-descript it is not worth a player character. If the boys on the island in Lord of the Flies continually attempt to hunt the boars on the island, dedicate a section in the Adventure Book for a Wild Boar, and give it its own skills: By describing the Boar’s Skills, the player characters and the Game Master can use Opposed Checks to decide if the hunting actions are successful or not [see Turn Example #2].

You would see something like: “At the end of the game, if Hamlet dies in his battle with Laertes, Fortinbras must deliver the final line: Bear Hamlet like a soldier to the stage For he was likely, had he been put on, To have proved most royally; And for his passage the soldier’s music and the rites of war Speak loudly for him.”

Wild Boar (beast) Skill Level BRW 6 RFX

8

RSN

1

WIL

3

CHM

1

Note to Game Masters

Literally characters are traditionally complex.

They can have a vast array of responses and tools at their disposal. Therefore, it is impossible, while writing the Adventure book, to include the difficulties of more inventive character strategies. It is important to remember the GM is indeed The Master of the game, and should not be afraid to interpret or lay judgement on what two forces could be meeting in opposition. A strong GM makes decisions on the fly and continues on, always attempting to move the story forward, and not as concerned about stringent CORESET rules hampering the fun and exploration of play.

Fortinbras is a character and does indeed deliver a line, but he is inconsequential to the play, and so therefore does not require a player to portray him.

Note that above it says “IF Hamlet dies.” This is another example where The Role of F.A.T.E. if important.

Deciding if the events of the subject text are mutable, particularly the mortality of the player characters involved, yields branching consequences and events that an Adventure Book should contain and plan for.

Map Building

Visually representing the action and the spatial relationships between the characters is extremely helpful in combat sequences, or elaborate parties and social gatherings. Mapmaking is simple, with a CORESET standard of a grid-based, top-down view.

NPEs, Non-Player Enemies

Usually in literature, Protagonists and Antagonists are equally developed and important to the story. This means when possible any confrontations between characters should be between two player

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Advantage and Disadvantage

Begin by adding some of the more important qualities about the player character that will appear in the game, starting with the name. For this example, we’ll use the famous adventurer from The Odyssey, the eponymous hero: Odysseus. A man of great cunning and ingenuity, Odysseus uses his intellect to overcome the many obstacles in reaching his home in Ithaca. However, Odysseus is merely a man and thus not without fault. To represent his character, we’ll start by attributing points to his Attributes.

An important part of role-playing is understanding your particular character’s motivations and what drives them to do what they do. Certain characters are driven to their goals so deeply that a part of their consciousness is forever devoted to that cause. In doing so, characters can sometimes be so tuned and prepared for something that they have a natural ability to perform better than an average d20 roll provides. To portray this, there is a system called Advantage and Disadvantage. If a player character rolls with Advantage, they roll two dice instead of one and choose the better roll of those two. Disadvantage is the opposite, and the player character must take the worse of the two rolls.

Attributes and Character Prestige

Referencing the Attributes section above, distribute a bonus of skill points to each Ordinary +12 of the 5 Attributes, adding Inept +10 this to their base of 3. But, as mentioned before, not all player characters are created equal. The wizard Gandalf possesses much more faculties than the lowly Gollum. To simulate this, determine the character’s Prestige.

Prestige Level Adept

Creating a Character

Character Creation is a familiar concept to many RPG players, and is one of the more enjoyable aspects of a role-playing system. It also is one of the main reasons why creating an RPG supports literature and arts education well. The goal with character creation is to design and shape a player-character that not only represents their persona in the subject text but also that fits into the structures of the game itself. This is done by using a balanced pool of credits to attribute a particular amount of Attribute Points to a blank character profile.

Bonus Points +16

Much like Gandalf, Odysseus is an Adept Character, and would have the edge in attributes over the Ordinary Crewmen that he commands. So looking at his attribute table, we’ll allocate the 16 bonus points like so:

Character Sheet

Attributes base

+ / - Total

BRW

3

3

6

RFX

3

1

4

RSN

3

6

9

WIL

3

3

6

CHM

3

3

6

When starting to build a character, the CORESET Method (which can always be modified by the PLAYSET) begins with a character blank that includes Attributes, Goals, Merits and Flaws.

Below is a character blank:

Odysseus was renowned for his inventiveness and genius; it is only natural for him to carry a whopping 9 points of Reason! In addition, there is a limit of 12 for any Attribute.

Name

Merits

Merits and Flaws

Goals Short

Attributes base BRW

3

RFX

3

RSN

3

WIL

3

CHM

3

+/-

Total Medium

IMPLEMENT GENIUS - As the greatest mind of his era, Odysseus gains Advantage on all Difficulty Checks (DC) when using non-weapon tools or machines to overpower, kill, or deceive.

Opponents gain Disadvantages as well when reacting to them.

Merits

Long Inventory

Flaws

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Continuing with the theme of his genius, we’ll also give Odysseus a MERIT that encourages the Player Character to exploit a certain ability or predilection in order to gain Advantage.

There is no CORESET function for the character’s goals, but it is wise to have them on paper. In the genesis of the PLAYSET, there could be opportunities to attribute a bonus to acting within these motivations, much like the Merits and Flaws.

Flaws GLORY SEEKER – Odysseus is tantalized by the pursuit of adventure and prestige.

If faced with the possibility of fame, fortune, or the protection of his price, and he chooses against it, he gains Disadvantage for his next THREE DC.

Inventory

Usable items are a common device in many RPGs, and can represent anything from money, to weapons, to social and spiritual representations. The crown of a king represents more than just ornate wealth; it is the very key to ruling people, governing, and influencing. That same crown can offer a +2 to Charm (CHM).

In addition, most literary characters are far from perfect, and most are plagued with deep flaws and weaknesses that create the very conflicts necessary to drive the stories forward.

As a CORESET rule, each MERIT must be balanced with a FLAW. As you may suspect, a FLAW is simply being an effect that grants Disadvantage.

In addition to simply adding bonus points to your DC Checks, items in a player characters inventory can: • Unlock other events or areas (ex. a key, a grappling hook) • Restrict behaviors of characters (ex. a wooden cross against vampires, a fisherman’s net [when successfully thrown vs RFX!]) • Change a character (ex. The Holy Grail bestows immortality) • Change the surroundings (ex. a torch)

In deriving MERITS from the actions and Goal

Drive

Odysseus Examples

Short

Immediate goals, often physical or superfluous.

Protect his men.

Medium

The goal of the character in the subject text.

Return home to Ithica.

Long

The true internal drive of the character, often mental or spiritual.

Find everlasting glory.

It is also generally assumed that a standard game will not include enough potential items that inventory managements will ever become a problem. The GM can regulate the carrying capacity to within reason. The PLAYSET can restrict the amount of items a player can carry however.

descriptions of a character from the subject text, Player Characters will be incentivized to use inherent character traits and behave more akin to the entities they are trying to mimic ingame.

Goals

Goals are important reminders about the motivations of the player character. Goals drive characters’ psyche through obstacles both immediate and long term.

Let’s give Odysseus +1 Brawn (BRW) throwing spears while he is on his ship. He’ll have an unlimited amount while he is on his ship, but can only carry a logical amount (controlled by the GM) while he is disembarked.

For Odysseus, his most common and frequent intent is to simply protect his men from the dangers of their adventure. As the book is a “journey home” Odysseus’ standard goal is to make it back to his kingdom in Ithaca. And even further, his true over-arching desire, even beyond his own life on Earth, is to find everlasting glory for his name.

Also, after the death of Achilles in The Iliad.

Odysseus wins ownership of his impenetrable armor. He also wears this during the events of the story.

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Visuals

So now that we have another character that Odysseus is interacting with, an Opposed Roll will be in effect. The Declaration of Intent will still be the same: “I will try to calm down Ajax,” but instead of the GM checking for just a Difficulty Check List in the Adventure Book, instead they compare the Opposing Attribute of the action in question.

For assistance in conceptualizing a character on paper, both in attribute and skill, it is often very helpful to draft a visual representation of a character. What it the build of their body?

How fair or battered is their appearance? How do they normally dress and does that create necessary limits for their abilities? Clues in the subject text allow you to further build a visual portrait of the character.

Odysseus will attempt to use his Charm (CHM) to overcome Ajax’s Will (WIL) to fight him.

Will, in this case, represents Ajax’s awareness of his actions, as his Short Term goal clouds judgment and he is acting without truly thinking. If Odysseus can charm Ajax into hearing him out, a conflict might be averted.

A Completed Character Sheet

After attempting to reconcile all of Odysseus’ complex traits into a usable table, we have this Completed Character Sheet: Name

Goals

Odysseus

Attributes base

+/-

Short Protect his men Medium Return home to Total Ithica

BRW

3

3

6

RFX

3

1

4

RSN

3

6

9

WIL

3

3

6

CHM

3

3

6

Long

Find everlasting glory

Inventory + 1 BWN throwing spears Achille’s Armor

Merits

Flaws Must pursue fame/fortune or gain. Disadvantage on next 3 DC

He’s a strong character and one that the player character would be wise to seek out unconventional and cunning methods to protect his men as they travel back to their homeland.

Turn Example #2

Let’s approach the same encounter we explored above when learning about turnprogression in a 2-Round Encounter.

This time, our Created Character Odysseus will be again encounter the Ghost of Ajax. But since a hypothetical Adventure Book has been completed for this game, we can also see that Ajax now has these stats: Name

Ajax

Attributes base

+/-

Total

Goals

BRW

3

3

6

RFX

3

1

4

RSN

3

6

9

WIL

3

3

6

CHM

3

3

6

Merits Short Seek revenge Advantage Medium Reclaim Achilles’ Armor when using tools, opLong Escape Hades pone Inventory + 1 BWN throwing spears Achille’s Armor

It can even be further imagined that a second player character is also assuming the role of Ajax. The turn progression from above will now look much different.

Advantage when using tools, opponents also gain Disadvantage

Things did not go well for Odysseus there.

Player 1 decided to talk down Ajax with an inferior opposed check: 6 Charm against 7 Will. For that, he pays the price of giving Ajax advantage on his first attack (as granted by the less-than-impressed Game Master).

Turn Example #3

Looking at that example, one more time, let’s assume that Player 1 is a little more prepared as Odysseus, and knows the goals of Ajax, specifically the desire to reclaim Achilles’ armor. Instead of simply walking up to Ajax and attempting to calm him down, the cunning Player 1 channels their inner Odysseus and the turn plays out differently: Adventure Book Consult GM: “Okay, that can all be done in one turn.

Since you are using a tool, your MERIT gains Advantage and Ajax gains Disadvantage”

Encounter Round 1 Odysseus: ADVANTAGE Odysseus ROLLS an 11 Odysseus ROLLS a 15 15 + CHM (6) = 21

Declaration of Intent Odysseus: “I cover my Armor in the sail cloth of my ship before talking to Ajax.”

Flaws

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Resolution GM: “Odysseus succeeds!

No need for a second round. Ajax is oblivious to the existence of the Armor and fades off into Hades.”

Encounter Round 2 Odysseus: ADVANTAGE Odysseus ROLLS an 11 Odysseus ROLLS a 15 15 + CHM (6) = 21

Even with Ajax’s fortunate roll of 19 in the first round (which would normally be nearly unbeatable), the advantage/disadvantage MERIT of Odysseus’s use of the cloak to hide the armor, gives the upper hand to the adventurer.

Winning the Game

It seems fitting that any type of game has a definite ending, but there are actually two interpretations on what the end of the game is like. And furthermore, the conditions for winning the game, can be either very defined or absent entirely.

Open-Ended Adventure (CORESET)

It is important to remember that as a player character, you are playing as if you were that character, whom generally does not possess (or at least, rarely heeds) the knowledge of their own fate. In a classic board game, the end of the game is in sight. It is the end of the trail in Candy Land, or the position of the opponent’s king in chess. What is unique about the role playing game is that there does not have to be an end. Even when the story in the subject text comes to a conclusion as certain characters live or die, players can all act as if there is life beyond the text in the context of the game.

Odysseus and many characters within The Odyssey continue to live beyond the action and adventure of the journey home to Ithaca. This is why there is a difference between “winning the game” and “achieving your goals.

Many created characters in tabletop RPGs are played for years and years by their creator and player, going from one adventure to the next. Think of your character as a James Bond, who seems ever aware that his current battle with evil is just one of many episodic confrontations. We are even reminded of this at the end of each movie, after dropping the villain into the shark tank, and saving the world, the credits roll “James Bond will return in …”

In this way, there inherently is no END GAME CONDITIONS for player characters in the CORESET. We actively reject the notion that all characters “lived happily ever after” and embrace the notion that “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women nearly players.”

Games with Endings (PLAYSET)

With that said, if there is a clear and defined objective within a subject text, then “winning conditions” can be instated within the Adventure Book. Objectives that are shared amongst the player characters, like getting off the island in Lord of the Flies, are so crucial to the story playing out, that the story does inherently end once that is either achieved or failed.

It is also important to note that certain game endings can yield no victors. Player characters can also be working cooperatively, in opposition, and any combination between.

PLAYSET endings help in maintaining a constant focus of the player characters to act in accordance with what would get them to that ending quickly and safely.

The Role of F.A.T.E. Before confirming a certain ending, it is important to understand THE ROLE OF F.A.T.E. as it relates to the subject text. Certain events must happen for a story and its events to even exist. The definitive example is coined in the prologue of Romeo and Juliet: The term “star-crossed lovers” (and their means to their fateful end) is implicitly stated in the beginning of the play as foreshadowing to the dismal end scene. It seems almost necessary that Romeo and Juliet meet their deaths at the end of the story. This is the role of fate. It is open to interpretation, but almost always necessary to discuss when determining the limits of the game.

If you were to decide that the player-characters of Romeo and Juliet do indeed possess the ability to deviate from their foretold demise at

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the end of the play, can you justify it? Does Fate always find a way to kill the two characters?

What could have been done to avoid the events of the play altogether? And then finally ask yourself: Is it justified in THIS GAME to let the PlayerCharacters deviate from the events of the subject text?

It is crucial to decide this in the PLAYSET and use it as a framework to the action of the game. Include restrictions, if necessary, on what a character can accomplish if he or she deviates from the initial plot of the subject text.

Looking further into the prologue of Romeo and Juliet, we can see that Fate has a lot in store for the characters in the story. The main characters die, but in doing so, the feud between their families is emotionally quelled.

Are the deaths of Romeo and Juliet the true dealings of Fate, or is the actual end goal the resolution of the hostility of the two houses? Can that be shown in the game?

In addition, thinking of ways that Fate can be represented as part of the game can make for extremely effective play. The Audience can inhabit the role of Fate and determine through PLAYSET mechanics the where inescapable destiny overrides even the most heroic of player character deeds.

the Instructor can make a Canon Challenge.

This challenge is brought up when one of the following is should be discussed when a player’s action may violate: • one or more essential character traits of the character he or she is playing • one or more central themes of the subject text.

• If the player characters fail to pursue one of their Short, Medium or Long-Term Goals.

• If the player character behavior goes against one or more crucial plot elements in the subject text.

After a canon challenge is made, both the Game Master and the player character can make the case as to why the Intent was appropriate. The Audience then votes on allowing the Action to continue. The Instructor should act the tie-breaker if there is no quick resolution.

If a Canon Challenge is upheld in the vote, then the player character must Declare a new Intent, only this time the encounter is made with Disadvantage. If the second declaration of intent qualifies for Advantage (such as with a MERIT), then roll without Disadvantage instead.

In fact, this is why playing and creating games both are effective in teaching complex literature piece. While the game allows the players a level of freedom, it also requires them to be creative in their use of content of the subject text. Without being heavy-handed, teachers are able to create a condition for the students to demonstrate their critical thinking skills because the students have no choice but to be creative within the confines of the story.

Canon Challenge

Cannon challenge allows the Game Story and the subject text can remain aligned. After each Declaration of Intent, either the Audience or

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