DIE: A ROLE-PLAYING GAME V1.1 ARCANA
KIERON GILLEN ©2019
ART BY STEPHANIE HANS COVER DESIGN BY RIAN HUGHES
(This update with typos corrected December 2020)
Copyright © 2019 Kieron Gillen Ltd & Stéphanie Hans. All rights reserved. DIE, the Die logos, and the likenesses of all characters herein or hereon are trademarks of Kieron Gillen Ltd & Stéphanie Hans. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means (except for short excerpts for journalistic or review purposes) without the express written permission of Kieron Gillen Ltd or Stéphanie Hans. All names, characters, events, and places herein are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, or places is coincidental.
Representation: Law Offices of Harris M. Miller II, P.C. ([email protected])
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
1) ALTERNATIVE WORLD GENERATION METHODS
2) PRE-GENERATED SCENARIOS
3) ACTUAL EXAMPLE GAMES
4) EXPERIMENTAL RULES
5) ESSAYS
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Arcana. Make yourself comfortable. No, wait, not that comfortable. Put that back on, this minute. This is a respectable game manual.
You’ll have noticed that the DIE Beta is a considerable beast. That makes it intimidating. It was even more intimidating when this bunch of stuff was included too. That’s why I removed it, you silly goose.
There’re basically five sorts of “things” in the Arcana, helpfully arranged into numbered sections.
Firstly, there’s alternate world-building and scenarios. The DIE Beta suggests a single set scenario – people who played an RPG as younger people getting back together and then getting sucked into a warped version of their teenage D&D game. This was chosen as it is a strong enough structure to work for any group you throw into it – plus the simple fact that kids getting back together as adults is the same structure the comic uses. This section gives my notes for completely different ways of running DIE – both in terms of the groups of people, and the worlds you drop them into. These are often considerably more demanding on a Master’s planning and/or improv skills, as you’re on your own a lot more. Still – there’s lots of fun stuff in here, which can be added to literally any game of DIE. There’s even one way which makes things simpler.
Secondly, I’ve also included a handful of pre-generated non-traditional DIE scenarios, both of which can work as a single-session game, or as a prompt for a larger one. If you’re thinking of writing a DIE scenario for someone else to run or even making a more formal set of notes for yourself, these are likely a useful template to build from. One was originally in the backmatter for issue 7, but the others are new (and one is festive!).
Thirdly, there’s additional worked examples of how various people have run DIE. If you’re still chewing over how a DIE game could go and what sort of prep you may wish to do, this is more grist for the mill. This is the Arcana at its most accessible – in fact, the only reason it’s not in the main text is that having five long examples of how DIE could run in the document could overwhelm a newcomer instead of helping them.
Fourthly, we have some additional, slightly fiddly non-core rules. The most useful are probably the Minor Miracle generation, which are likely useful to a GM of a more technical bent. There’s a couple of other minor things. If there’s any future Arcana additions, this is likely where I’ll lob stuff for extra playtesting.
Fifthly, we have some additional essays which I considered too self-indulgent or tangential to the main thrust of the DIE game, so I hide them here for the sort of people who read the Appendixes in Tolkien to find. This includes also some rough structural thoughts on how to generate an adventure. This was my first attempt to codify What An Adven ture Is, and trying to work out a way to give a hard structure for people to follow.
When I found the core game (i.e. “Go to your old RPG World”) it felt extraneous. However,
I wanted to get this in front of people to see if it’s of any use, and whether anything is worth integrating elsewhere. Feedback gratefully received. There are also the traditional designer notes because, as you may notice, I Can’t Shut Up.
If you’re a newcomer and looking for more assistance, I’d suggest reading the third section, as it’s the one which is designed to be most helpful – and the second section for other examples of how to prepare for a game. The others are generally designed to try and destabilise your thinking, and get you to figure out what you find interesting. This is some of the weirdest stuff that is in DIE, and stuff which is most easily lifted to use in games elsewhere. Feel free to rip it to pieces and make it your own.
Basically, this is me down the pub. After one drink, I’m fine, but at some point in the evening I’m going to start talking absolute nonsense and all we can do is pray that you still find it compelling.
Thanks for reading.
Kieron Gillen London
Can I tell you a story? to run an adventure on. You generated the details of their teenage world by You know the way locales are generated asking questions during play, and then in the main rules? As in, “Just drop the deconstructing it. You made up personas into their teenage RPG world”? something to be nostalgic about, then Up until January 2019, that didn’t exist – you applied a darker lens. over a year into development and scarily close to the release of the Beta. Immediately, about 10,000 words of The most obvious idea in this whole different ways to generate worlds were bloody system and I hadn’t had it, until I no longer essential to the Beta. They was prompted by a playtest. This is, of were cut. course, one of the many reasons why we do playtests. They now follow here. This whole DIE ruleset is experimental, but what Before then I had a whole set of follows is the most experimental of it. different tactics for generating the It’s mainly of use if you choose to locale. Like, a bunch of them, and they generate a group who didn’t play RPGs all kind of work for different kinds of together – in other words, if you choose groups of personas. However, as fun as to go that way, you are wayyyy out of they were, they were also esoteric as all the safety bounds of the playtest. hell. Some would work for one group, but none would work for all groups, which But there’s other tactics to generate a mean it’s a bad thing to stick in a Beta locale. They’ve led to some of the most set of rules. fun DIE games I’ve run… but they also ask a lot more of the person running the Essentially all of them were much more game. The easiest way to use the based on extrapolating from players’ following is to add them as elements to obsessions. So a failed band ended up in the core DIE game you already know, to a horror version of the Reading music add weirdness to an already existing festival, and a group of workers at an IT standard fantasy world – for example, if company ended up in a hellish take on you’re in a traditional D&D castle, and actual office space we were running the open a door… and find yourself in your playtest in. A lot of games were set at persona’s teenage bedroom? That can cons, as a lot of playtests were at cons. be creepy and interesting.
Then I hit a playtest where the group But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. didn’t actually go hyper-vivid, and just developed what the rules asked them to. I said in the main manual that the They were a group of people who played further encounters and world building RPGs at school, and then grew up. there weren’t a recipe, but rather a cupboard of ingredients and spices to I had no idea what world to drop them in, throw into a dish. This is the stuff you and then hit what is now the basic keep on the top shelf, as it’s so spicy. version of the game. As in, if you generate people who (at least mostly) A key idea here: you are running this played RPGs together, you can drop game. You are the keeper of this world. them into their old D&D world and get an I'm providing tools which are useful to interesting game with sufficient hooks you. Flexibility is absolutely key here. As
are unpredictability and magic. The 1) THEY ENTER THEIR PRESENT players can see that there is some TABLETOP RPG WORLD meaning here – they can see you're actually clearly doing stuff, moving stuff I’ll put this here explicitly, to remind you from the (soon to be explained) Box of that it’s an option. The core DIE game Crap and similar... but they can't really rules describe a group getting back entirely understand it, not completely. together and getting dragged into their teenage RPG world. It doesn’t have to be This is entirely the effect we're looking their teenage RPG world. It can be the for. Confronting a world they don't quite RPG they’re normally playing on any understand, but clearly has some week when they’re not being dragged manner of rules. That gives a weird screaming into another dimension. solidity to the world, as well as a ritualism and totemism. DIE differs from The time-jump in the core rules is many RPGs as it is trying to fetishize the explicitly about echoing the comic. The RPG, to explicitly mystify it, to use all core DIE game experience should be these bits and pieces and props as what the comic does, right? That’s why producers of mystery and wonder. the game does it.
Put it this way: if I – Kieron Gillen – am However, it is actually a little more playing your game, I won't know for sure complicated than just playing in a single how your world works. It is deliberately time window. It also has the advantage concealed from me. That is its magic. of being able to plug any group into the scenario – including more personas HOW DO I USE THIS STUFF? who’ve never played an RPG before.
The core process to using the following The only problem is making sure there’s methods in a game of DIE is this: enough narrative meat in the personas. This all comes from asking questions to 1) Generate a group of people who ensure the group has needs and know each other. Remove all connections, as always. limitations from the Beta in terms of the questions they’re asking and 2) DARK MIRRORS OF REAL LOCATIONS asked – all that remains is that they’re getting together for some This is arguably the easiest way to reason to play an RPG. generate a map. Take a real-world location and set-dress it like it's in a 2) Look at the resultant personas and horror or dark fantasy film. Ideally, this decide which of the available tactics map should be in the Box of Crap, but would generate a useful world. any real-world location you know (and Choose one or more. ideally the players know) is great. For example, using a local mall, an old 3) Continue as a normal game of DIE. school or a museum.
Here’s some more options: This is an especially useful method if
you're playing a game in a public space, like a games convention. Take the con map, and interpret it like a dungeon
map, using the information on the map This is a useful backbone to build on – to inform whatever happens to the and you can always switch to another players there. To use the con example, method (and back again) at any point. perhaps the retailers are actually a bustling town of merchants desperately 3) REINTERPRETING OLD RPG MAPS selling stuff – equipment, their souls, bits of their body. Or maybe it's a dragon Rather than playing with the nature of horde, as that's where the money is. our reality, an alternative approach is These are all just more ingredients to playing with the nature of fantasy. As suggest the nature of an encounter. In such, take a random RPG supplement the second section of the Arcana, you’ll with a map, and use it to inspire the find a pre-generated scenario which dungeon your players are exploring. uses a con map in exactly this way. I stress: this is using the map in the In the same way as I suggest using a same way that option 1 uses the real dark mirror of the room the players are world to inspire the encounter. This is sitting in as a basic option, I would born of looking at the map, seeing what suggest extrapolating the locale around each room or corridor is, and then the room (and the house) to generate a twisting it. If a bank in option 1 becomes setting for encounters if you want a a dragon lair, a dragon lair in an old RPG robust option. Expand the house in size, map could become the place where a even the smallest flat can be like persona's bank manager lurks, Mordor. The first encounter is in the demanding repayment of their looming living room, the next in the corridor, then debts. At the absolute least, this up the stairs for a third encounter and provides a concrete environment for so on. Who knows what hell exists in your players to explore. This works your toilet? If you expand outside the especially well with the artificialities of house into the neighbourhood, all the particularly old RPG maps, with their 30 local shops and landmarks can provide foot by 30-foot rooms. Imagine walking a lot of inspiration. I actually live near a through a place with such geometric graveyard, a school, a church, an old precision. That's creepy. Lean into it. music hall and a railway station. You live near interesting stuff too, even if it's an One of the points of most of these odd tree, or a weird ditch. methods is a way of orientating players in a weird situation. Option 1 generally If not the meta-approach, there is also lets you orientate with real-world the persona-led approach. If players are knowledge. Option 2 gives the player an talking about any real-world location actual fictional map. As such, it's useful that matters to their persona, you can if you give the players access to this get hold of the map of that real location map as early as possible. Perhaps the and use it. If players are setting their Fallen in the first encounter are carrying personas in a real town, you can get a it. Perhaps the first friendly character map of their town. Someone mentions they meet gives it to them. At which the British Museum? Download the map point, simply pass them the map so and use it as a dungeon. everyone can see it. Let them savour
the existential horror of having a perfect map of their environment and then not
have a clue what is true and what isn't And I do mean any setting. Whedon’s and what anything actually means. Sunnydale. George Lucas’s Tatooine. Ron Gilbert’s Monkey Island. The exception to the above would be if you're using a map your players are No, I really do mean any setting. Dante’s aware of from a previous non-DIE game Hell. William Shakespeare’s Verona. they played with you. As such, using Jane Austen’s Bath. their own recollections of the place may be sufficient... though even then, if you No, I really do-do mean any setting. have the players’ own map of a dungeon Marco Polo’s China. Machievelli’s Italy. from a previous game, passing it back to Matthew, Mark, Luke or John’s them is an incredibly powerful, creepy Jerusalem. moment. This is the reason why I've been storing every bit of gaming tat my In other words, all worlds are fantasy social group produces, in case I ever worlds, because when they’re written need it for something like this. down they’ve had to pass through their creators’ heads – as in, they’ve had to To stress: I would check with players render a world imaginary to write it that they are okay with this level of down. To think is to imagine. That’s what meta before progressing. we do.
In terms of interpreting the maps, rather If there’s a place that seems to speak to than just basing it on what's in the map, one of the persona’s obsessions also pay attention to details in the (especially the Master persona you’re legend of a map. Often these are playing) then dropping the players in numbers. As a number is related to each this world and letting them explore can player (the number of sides on their be fun. dice) this may be used to hint towards which rooms are important to each The story and encounters are generated player. Look for patterns and exploit by intersecting the players’ obsessions them. Even if the players never figure and desires with the fiction. Say you out your mystic code, that you are drop the players in Middle-earth, in working according to a predefined Rivendell, during the council to decide pattern will add to the reality of the the future of the Ring. If a persona is fantasy they are exploring. worried about their wedding, there’s obvious connective tissue there. 4) JUST USE ANY FANTASY WORLD Gandalf merges with traits from his overbearing Grandfather who Knows Rather than using any specific dungeon What’s Best For Him. The level of that is map and riffing on it (as above), or a entirely to taste – it can be incredibly generic fantasy world, just drop people overt (Gandalf Actually Looks Like into whatever fantasy world you like. Grandfather) or more subtle (Gandalf works in a similar relationship). Middle-earth. Narnia. The Forbidden Realms. Dragonlance’s Krynn. This choice does mean that the setting
Warhammer 40,000’s Necromunda. may simply be too large. This would be great for a campaign (and skipping Anything. between fantasy worlds, as fictionauts
is certainly something that I’d hope stop and draw a tarot card. If it inspires someone does in DIE down the line) but me, I use it. If it doesn't inspire me, I go for a standalone scenario trying to come “hmm” and pretend it's influenced what to a climax, it may simply be too large. I'm doing in some way that's entirely You will especially have to think about mysterious to the players. For example, I ways to bring the drama to a climax. A was playing at a con, and drew a card. I useful choice is to limit the setting. drew the star, and took it entirely Rather than Middle-earth, you could literally, bringing in the con guest of drop the players into the battle for honour as an undead bartender. Helm’s Deep and set the whole scenario in that relatively small locale. There's a more elaborate approach, and it's something I call tarot maps. There are many advantages to this approach, but it’s also one which most Here you lay cards face down to presents a world some personas may be simulate the map, and as the players attracted to staying in. As it is clearly a explore the dungeon, you flip them over. whole world rather than a small fictional You use the details on the card in bottle. “Would you rather live on Earth or conjunction with the details of the Middle-earth?” is a question which is players, to inform whatever encounter. certainly open for a game of DIE and, in At the very least, it can suggest many ways, cuts close to the heart of environment. If you know a lot about its themes. tarot, use what you know. If you don’t, use your Imagination. It is also presented here to underline a key point in the design: each of these There are two ways of creating a tarot bottle kingdoms can be literally any size, dungeon. up to and including a copy of a whole universe (or even multiverses). And The first involves you laying all the there’s not just one Narnia inside DIE - cards in the dungeon in one go, in a there’s possibly a nearly endless pattern like so. This means the players number of them… see what appears to be the entire size of the dungeon in one go. Something DIE is big. It has room for all your like: fantasies inside it. That’s kind of what it’s for, for better or worse.
5) TAROT MAPS
This is a tactic that is more for players who wish to improvise rather than plan, though you can certainly plan for including a tarot map section inside a larger game.
I keep a copy of the tarot in my Box of C rap, as it's just a useful atmospheric
tool. At moments in play when I want The second involves adding cards one more of a sense of gravitas or mystery, I at a time as the players progress, so
you only see areas adjacent to your Progress here would look like this: current one, and as you explore further, you lay more cards. Something like this (the face-up card shows where you are, the face-down shows the adjacent room):
With either option, you flip the card as the players explore.
The advantage of the first one is primarily that everyone knows the shape of the dungeon before you start, which creates a sense of dread and anticipation in the player. The advantage of the second one is that the If you choose the second one, whenever dungeon is indeterminate, giving you the players explore a card, deal the freedom to vary the size of the between zero and three cards around it dungeon on the fly. orthogonally. Do whatever makes the map look cool, and decide whether you If you choose the first one, lay cards in a want this direction to be a dead end or pattern you think is pretty. You will want not. Or if you want an actual system, try to lay at least two cards plus the the following: if the number is odd, there number of players (e.g. with three is only one exit. If the number is even, players, you'll lay five cards). This is one there are two exits. If the card is a major encounter per player, plus the first and arcana, and has a number of 11 or last rooms. You can happily add more, higher, then it has three exits. If the as not every card needs to be an actual card is any other major arcana, it has no encounter which delays the players. other exits – as in, it is a dead end. If Make things pretty, let them move there is no other way for the players to through areas quickly, and when you flip explore, always at least add one exit, a card which suggests an interesting unless it's the final encounter. (See the situation, make it a full encounter. next page.)
1) Just literally arrange the deck and don't shuffle it. If you know the number of cards you can play each one in order at the right time.
2) Put the cards you want at the bottom of the deck and deal from there when you want a specific card.
Clearly the latter is rookie hour, and players can spot it if they're watching intently, which they shouldn't be. If someone does and is rude enough to call it, just tell them “Yes. I am. And?”
Depending on your instincts, you can integrate it into the game. For example, if they spot it, just deal the card to the player and leave it in front of them with no explanation. If they ever flip it, an event related to the card happens. They opened pandora’s box. In this case, the punishment being fun and adding to the horror atmosphere is very much the point.
If you are going to stack the deck, it's likely best used for the final encounter card. Clearly, having a card that provokes a gasp as they turn it over is a good thing. DIE is totally a trashy enough game to end on the death card, though expect at least one player to point out that it doesn't actually mean literal death, but change. And really smart players may realise that the designers of the game know that too.
If you want ones to just mess with There is one thing which is open with people, the tower is a classic, and the this second option: you can stack the devil is also pretty nifty. deck and make cool cards appear exactly when you require. As a final option, you may wish to use a reduced deck with just the Major Clearly, for those who do sleight of Arcana. This will leave to much more
hand, you're sorted. If not, here's the obviously significant cards coming up, two basic methods: which may add to the sense of heightened melodrama.
6) RANDOMLY MAKE STUFF UP in, the players’ choices don’t matter. This is generally frowned upon. If you look at your character-based Especially for a one-off, I wouldn’t material and really see a natural series dismiss it. Equally, I would suggest that of encounters you want to run, the map as long as players have plenty of may be a distraction from what you agency inside each of the encounters, want to do. There are two options here... you’ll be fine. As DIE tends to encourage encounters to be about choices, and the 1) Generate the map on the fly. Give GM literally not knowing what will directions and choices, but they lead happen, a linear string of unpredictable to wherever you want to go. encounters does have certain However, once you've “drawn” the strengths. map, it exists. 7) USE A MAP GENERATOR For example, you have two encounters left, and put the players Hey! Look at this! A list of links! at a T-junction. The players go left. The first of those two encounters is https://azgaar.github.io/Fantasy-Map- at the end of the passageway. You Generator/ say there's a passageway on from https://inkarnate.com/ there. Whether the players carry on, https://watabou.itch.io/ or go back and take the right from https://worldspinner.com/ the T-junction, they'll find the final http://wiki.secretgeek.net/Category/gen encounter there. erators https://twitter.com/ptychomancer/statu The question is one of solidity – once s/980968298002006016 you've said something is there, it's there, and as long as you treat it as 8) ACTUALLY PLAN LITERALLY real once created, you're fine. EVERYTHING
2) Go full Alice and lean into the Okay. You're a classical RPG inability to go back. Like Sarah in Gamesmaster. You're worried about this, Labyrinth, you just travel through and have no experience in improvised these symbolically loaded games. You'd be happier if you actually encounters, and any attempt to had a much stronger structure you retrace your steps is frustrated. The could add some more details to. trick here is to make the inability of the players to do that the entire Do that. Just do it like you would a point, and one of your special standard role-playing game. You have effects. “You can't go back” is worse all the players’ personas and yours. You than bad – it's boring. Going back have time between the first two down the corridor you've come from sessions to develop it. Do so. and ending somewhere else is what we're looking for. This is something If you're trying the one-off session, this of a trippy game. Make it trippy. is trickier. You should develop your Master persona, and then base the
Both these approaches are what is backbone of the dungeon around it. You generally referred to as Railroading – as will also likely select a set group and a
key character to lead to a tighter Oh yeah - the Box of Crap! conceptualised group which is of use in the scenario you're running them THE BOX OF CRAP through. You can still add some details from players, but this is decorating a When planning a game, you can Christmas Tree rather than trying to consider whether you wish to generate grow a Christmas Tree in front of them. a fake copy of the game DIE (aka the Box of Crap). This is both a prop and a I'll give you a robust one for free: the gameplay prompt, and can be as much Master is a frustrated writer or fan, and or little effort as you wish. the dungeon you're going through is their own hacky take on whatever First, find a box. It can be a mysterious they're obsessed by. cool box. It can be a cardboard box. It can even not be a box. Anything you can This option is also here just so a player put stuff inside is a suitable box for our who has chosen to read this will realise purposes. that the GM may not actually be making it all up. Hey, player. Don't be too sure Secondly, find some crap. about anything, ever. This is fantasy. You are not in control here. No one is. If you have a history of roleplaying, throwing in some old supplements for 9) SOME RANDOM METHOD OF YOUR random games, character sheets, OWN campaign notes and maps is ideal. If you don't have a history of roleplaying, then There’s some more of this in the Box of putting childhood maps or stories you Crap section, but if you like the tarot made inside the box can serve the same dungeon, there’s lots of methods folks purpose. Random old maps from have used to make random dungeons holidays are good items. Maps of from other objects. Or you can make up famous locations everyone will know. one of your own. We’re collaborating on Old photos of childhood. Magazine this game, friend. I can’t wait to see clippings. The result should look like a what you do. somewhat geeky memory box.
10) COMBINE ANY OF THE ABOVE OR If you have none of the above, you can ANYTHING ELSE ask the players if they have anything they're willing to share. Including on the fly. Start with a standard map and segue into weird non- You can also buy random old linear areas, then get the tarot cards supplements/gamebooks cheap off out for the finale. These are all valid eBay, or in second-hand shops. You can tactics. simply google “RPG maps” and save and print out anything you find amusing. If It's worth noting that as DIE develops, you want something novel, there’s “alternate ways to generate content” is many online map generators. I linked to certainly on the list of things I'll be some of them in the previous section. Go doing. The mystery box of the Box of print some out. Same goes for maps of Crap is key. old real-world period cities.
If you want to fake distressing newly idea. You get to pull it out and be printed out material, you can. There's dramatic. If your players are up for the old childhood trick of simply dousing boundary-pushing material – which you them in tea and putting them in the should check before playing – this also oven. works well if you have the players' old RPG material. Pulling out a player's old Tarot cards? Great. Lob 'em in. Can't go character sheet from a previous game, wrong with tarot, and you can always and then using an awful echo of that use a tarot map. loved character as the basis of a character can be very creepy. Thirdly, put the crap in a box. Add the dice, and shut it (perhaps even seal it). To stress, this is clearly extra-credit behaviour. Playing without an explicit I’ve written PROPERTY OF SOLOMON on prop will work perfectly. The Box of Crap the side of mine in a marker pen, which is most used when playing with the adds to the sense of a period artefact. alternate-world-generator ideas. It’s a The point of this box is twofold – firstly, source of objects to play with and as a mood-setting object to encourage interpret. atmosphere and buy-in from the players. You’ve put this box on the You can also add things to the Box of table, and it adds a mood. It deliberately Crap between sessions, if you’re feeling tries to make old RPG stuff weird. sneaky. In one memorable game players said they were all working in a real Secondly, as a divinatory device which Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, so I you will interpret as you explore the quickly downloaded the restaurant’s fantasy world, to inspire the adventure actual menu to use as a random and challenges. Or, to use more encounter generator. Fear The Baked traditional RPG lingo, as your random Aubergine. generators. I AM TOTALLY LOST For example, you can literally randomly flick through a book from the Box of Oh, it’s okay, Kitten. I love you. The Crap and select whatever is in it. A D&D following three set scenarios in the next monster manual is obviously the section give an example of how some of archetypal one, but it could be anything. the above can work. If you want a Children's picture books played straight couple more worked examples, go to the can be creepy. I've used a con essay on “Story Logic” which gives you programme / content guide as a some more advice on planning. monster generator, for example. Feel better? If you have miniatures or similar monster tokens in the Box of Crap, PURRRRRRRRR drawing one randomly also works. A bag full of tokens and miniatures isn't a bad Good kitten.
DIE is also meant to intensely enough to run well in a one-off game, personalise a player’s choices, but is likely to be more suited to the which means that a traditional start of a standard 2-4 session DIE scenario doesn’t really work. What game. follows are three examples of how, by constraining the questions at the “Christmas Knights” is a quick third opening, you can limit options scenario, written the morning before enough so you don’t have to create release after being urged to do so by something entirely on the fly, while the DIE Discord. It's less polished, but still including a lot of space for group gives the core of a particularly grim customisation. Christmas adventure.
“Con Quest” can work well in a single Feel free to use these as templates session, and expand into a multi- for making your own scenarios, session game. either to share with friends or for your own peace of mind before “Development Hell” includes some running a game. suggestions on how to constrain it
DIE: CON QUEST
PREPARATION • Writer – What’s your greatest strength as a Writer? As well as the usual, a convention map. • Publisher – What’s the Writer’s If you’re at a con, use the map of the greatest weakness they just can’t con you’re at. If you’re not, use any con admit? map you can find and/or download. It • I used to be an Editor at
• Journalist – Why do you think
If you’re playing at a con, the personas SACKED WRITERS’ STATS get together to play a game in the room you’re actually doing the game in In Real Stats: Dexterity 0 Life. If you’re not at a con, choose a Defence: 1 room that’s a good distance away from Abilities: Close Combat Specialist the biggest hall in the con. The dice are (slicing arms, painful prose) distributed as so… THE BIG NAME CREATOR STATS • Writer: Godbinder • Publisher: Neo Stats: Strength 4, Constitution 4 • Artist: Emotion Knight Dexterity 0 • Fan: Fool Defence: 2 • Journalist: Dictator Abilities: Every second round can vomit a flood of inky blood, which can hit For a one-off, I’d suggest using the Light anyone directly in front of them (Special: character sheets. If you want to really if wounded, target misses a turn.) make the game go quickly, you can pre- generate characters with choices filled REACHING THE MAIN HALL in and just hand them out. The players are free to explore the rest INTO DIE of the con – use the con map to chart the exploration. Bar being in a warped The players will arrive in a warped hell dimension, the biggest difference is mirror-dimension version of the room what’s being advertised. All the they’re playing the game in. No one else exhibitions are for the film version of the is there. The windows are opaque. The
own devices, they try to cram their way you with angry, demanding eyes and into the main hall, forming huge crushes say: which of us is the best?” of bodies. If they become aware of the players, those in the locality will attempt THE MAIN HALL to collect souvenirs. Like signatures, or fingernails. They are not actively hostile When they reach the main hall the – they actually deeply, intensely love the Players will find the Editor holding off a players. horde of Fans who the Editor can’t quite control. THE FANS’ STATS Since being sacked, the Editor has had a Stats: Dexterity 0 terrible time. The comic was the Defence: 1 highlight of their life, and this is an Abilities: Aggressive hug (Special: the attempt to get the band back together. Fan holds onto the player, causing a disadvantage on all actions until they’re If you’re looking for a simple villain, have beaten away. If a character has a the Editor be a dominating monster who number of fans equal to their strength has brought people here to serve them holding on, the character suffers one in making this world right. They firmly wound per turn as the Fans start to believe that, when everyone is on their affectionately tear them apart.) side, they’ll be able to solve this little zombie problem. Think “what’s the The encounter is simply “how to get to worst portrait of an egotistical Editor?” the main hall”. See what the players and go into that. think is up. If you’re looking for something more For a longer game, you use the con map sympathetic, lean into the cry-for-help as inspiration for encounters in any aspect of this setup. He’s sure they can given area, merging it with a detail from make this work if they just stay here – the personas’ backgrounds to link to they made such a mess of it in the real make it specific. Always feel free to ask world. This version of the Master will further questions to get more realise that he can’t do it himself, and he information during play. Asking needs them. If a player helps the questions about specific characters Master, the Master can use Cheat from the hit book, and then immediately Tokens to create a version of their including it in the world, is a useful shared world that is far more striking… approach. but it should also remind the players what they’ve left behind. If they create For example: the magical forests of their comic, have “You enter the cosplay area. Hmm. the skies above remind the artist of a Writer – who’s the most popular trip back home with their family when character in the comic?” they were young. If the group is having “Oh, Captain Stardust.” internal debates over whether to go “The area is full near perfect Captain home or not, the Master is likely to go Stardusts. Each one has a single, passive – the Master will support
uncanny error. One has no eyelashes. whatever most people think. If the group One casts no shadow. One has fingers is at an impasse, it’s also likely the at the end of their tongue. They turn to
Master will spend Cheat Tokens to world. If they stay, dwell on what attack and kill the dissenting members. they’ve left behind – perhaps most useful is the idea that in the real world THE END GAME the book becomes something no one cares about. Or, even worse, perhaps As per usual in DIE, ask how the they make a terrible movie version. experience changed them (or what their Shudder. life in the fantasy world would be like) then add a grace note. If they leave, it’s Thanks to playtesters: Jody Houser, likely your note will include the Amy Dallen, Sam De Leve, Jim Zub, supernatural experience creeping into Shaun Manning. the book’s growing success in the real
DIE: DEVELOPMENT HELL
PREPARATION • 2 Players: Design Lead and QA [“Quality Assurance”]. This scenario is primarily designed to be • 3 Players: Add Star Coder. played online, so the player’s situation • 4 Players: Add Marketing. mirrors the persona’s. If you play online, • 5 Players: Add Intern. the DIE site links to some useful tools for online-only play, so look there. At time of If players are unsure what each job writing https://rollforyour.party is our entails generally, explain it to them. If preferred online dice table. The site also you don't know, Google it or ask another includes backdrops to add to your dice player to explain it. As long as you're all room, and links to shared online sheets on the same page, it's golden. I suspect you can copy to your own Google drive the only one which may be problematic and share with the players. is Quality Assurance which is basically "finding bugs in the game". This game is likely best in multiple sessions. If you want to run in a single Ask the below questions, in order. session, you’ll find some advice at the Questions list who they’re to be directed end about how to cut things. at. Some questions are only asked if certain personas are in the games. PERSONA GENERATION Those which don’t have a specific target should be split fairly between players. Explain the following to the players: You can feel free to ask certain You’re all on an indie game team questions to multiple players if you want working on the Creative Director’s to get more answers. masterwork. The project has been in progress for years, and the company • Who wants to be the code lead? The has been in crunch (basically punishing junior coder? QA? Marketing? The overtime) for most of the last year and Intern? is running out of money. Many people have left the team. It’s sort of becoming Take a second and each think about an industry joke. Many people think the that. What sort of person could that be? game won’t come out. You feel there is at least another year of development • What’s the genre of the game? ahead of you. You’re having a video • What are the big bugs in the game? conference meeting to do a team • What’s the hold up in development? exercise to try and increase morale – to • Whose fault do you think it is? be specific, by playing some old nineties • [To everyone] Why did you take this role-playing game. job? • You’re a fan of the Creative Lead. Each persona will take a set role in the Why do people like their games? company. The GM will play the Creative • You think the Creative Lead is over- Director, who’ll end up as The Master. rated. Why do people hate their games?
• What classic game does the Creative • [QA] Who causes most of your Lead always go on about, in terms of problems? capturing its essence, its soul? • [Star Coder] You are objectively • [For a longer multisession game] Ask hugely talented – who do you have a the above question to two other tendency to condescend to? players. • [To Person Who They Look Down On] • [To Everyone] This endless crunch is Do you know about this? brutal. How has it negatively • [Marketing/PR] You have a secret affected your home life? about another team member. Which • [Design] What are your influences as member? a designer? • [To the person] What’s the secret? • [Design] Design Lead is your job title. • [Intern] Who got blamed for your You’re not actually doing much biggest fuck up? What was it? Why design work. You’re really just didn’t you come clean? getting people to do stuff for you. • [Everyone] Everyone gets profit How do you feel about this? share on this. If the game launches • [Coder] You solved a huge technical and is a success, how do you see problem that was holding up the the future? game. What was it? • [Everyone] Do you think the game • [Coder] Recently, your work has has any chance of launch. fallen apart. What in your personal life has distracted you from making This should give a fairly robust basis for more progress? a game of DIE. As always, ask more • [QA] Many people in QA get into it to questions as you wish and to pursue try and move to a different part of interesting angles. the company. What job has the Creative Lead promised you can THE MASTER’S MOTIVATION move onto soon? • [QA] You personally found a major The Creative Director wants to finish the problem in the game, and arguably game, and doesn’t want to live in a saved the company. What was it? world where they can’t. They’re • [QA] How did you feel when your desperate enough to look for investors excellence in finding this problem everywhere, and hit upon the possibility was rewarded by keeping you in QA? of DIE. They’re aware that this seems • [Marketing/PR] What’s the worst lunacy, but they’ll have to try it. They thing you’ve done to get good have come to think of the people who coverage for the game? Are you provided DIE to him as “Angel Investors. ashamed by it? Or something like angels, anyway.” • [Marketing/PR] Do you care about games at all? They believe that by defeating the • [Intern] How did you get a job at the challenges that confront the game in company? Are you qualified for it? the fantasy, they can create and live in • [Intern] There’s a reason why you a world where the game is finished. shouldn’t be working at this They are correct. This is “Let’s pivot into company, and if it was revealed VR” gone diabolical.
you’d be in big trouble. What is it? • [Designer] Who are you jealous of on While extreme, the Master’s level of the team? sympathy is tweakable. Perhaps they
have a very real reason to want to finish they interact as a voice of god from the the game quickly – terminal disease is sky, or pop-up text in the top right of a an obvious one, but there’s lots more. player’s vision. However, there is megalomania at the core of it all, and their actions are The world starts to flicker into existence deeply abusive to the staff. – as in, a 21st century earth reality. It gets almost all the way – and then Depending on the players’ answers and starts to visibly crash and fail. The bugs your instincts, there are many paths. proceed to arrive, attacking the players. You can play this as a genuine visionary Use the nature of the bugs mentioned who has lost track of the world. You can from the QA’s answers in character play this as a shallow parasite with no generation to personalise them. Have care for other humans. You can play it one bug for each of the players, plus as Colonel Kurtz as a game dev. Have one of the big crash bugs. These bugs fun. are our Fallen.
CHARACTER GENERATION BUGS Stats: Dexterity 0 Explain to the players that the Creative Defence: 1 Director has a morale building exercise Specials: Ranged Combat Specialist he wants everyone to be involved with. (blasts of bad data) When we’re months behind schedule, they may not be impressed with this, CRASH BUGS but it’s compulsory. The Creative Lead Stats: Strength 4, Constitution 4 has got everyone into the group Dexterity 0 conferencing software to have this Defence: 2 game. Abilities: Every second round can cause a fissure in reality, threatening to tear The roles are distributed as so… apart reality nearby. (Special: target suffers disadvantage on all actions for • Design Lead: Godbinder one round.) • QA: Emotion Knight – specifically a Vigilance Knight After the bugs are defeated, reality • Junior Coder: Neo collapses back to the wireframe. A • Marketing: Dictator whiteboard appears, with a message • Intern: Fool from the Creative Director. In their handwriting is written the legend… If the Designer is particularly (ahem) dictatorial and the Marketing player is a “Genius Steals. We need to find the little friendlier, you can swap their roles. essence. “
INTO DIE And beneath it is a list of sentences, each of which refers to one of the Players arrive in a basically blank Creative Director’s inspirations. You can wireframe, with just the dice as the only also add other objectives to this board, if the personas’ backgrounds suggest solid objects in the universe. The Creative Lead grabs it and uses a cheat them. These must all be completed to token to teleport away. From then on, finish the mission. When each is
completed, they are erased from the DIE is not necessarily a combat game. board. Dropping the players into Halo does not mean fighting every single inch of the Present the players with a menu system game map. It is best to make sure the in front of their eyes, which gives them players know their goal in the game as the option of which of the tasks to soon as possible. Don’t be afraid to just attempt. Whenever anyone selects one, tell them, in the way a videogame they are all transported to the relevant objective works. The flexibility and challenge. imagination in how they do it is the thing. If the game has an actual map If you’re playing a multiple session you’re using, giving the players the map game, end the first session when they as soon as possible is a good idea. It will pick an option and find themselves give them ideas for possible routes to transported to the game in question. pursue to succeed in their mission. The Neo’s AI is likely a useful source of info, Yes, this scenario is primarily based or the Godbinder’s gods. around dropping our party into dark echoes of beloved videogames. Unless all the players are extremely familiar with the game in question, be BUGHUNT aware that specific riffs may not land. As such, lean into the general ideas of Each mission involves the personas the world which people do know. Don’t being transferred into a world that is be afraid to actively explain the vibe of based on the game in question. If it’s a the world – in fact, having personas who game with maps, locate the most know about the world explain it to famous one online, and use it as the personas who don’t is a very useful inspiration for the environment they’re tactic. exploring. Their mission is to secure “The Essence”. Depending on your mood, you can either have the world echo the original game’s The best tactic is to give an open-ended aesthetic (as in, weird pixelated 16-bit objective inspired by the nature of the graphic people walking around for an game they’re dropped into, and then early 90s classic) or present it as if it’s leave the players to work out a way to actually real. Or both. Glitch aesthetic achieve the goal. If they’re dropped into descriptions are likely useful. Mario, locating which castle the “Princess” is in may work, or if dropped Most of all, work echoes of a persona’s into Tetris, finding a way to make the real life in to the game, as per a usual blocks “disappear”. Sometimes your game of DIE. In our playtest, Governor players will choose a game which has a Marley of Melee Island was the QA perfect in-game reason – for example, in lead’s ex-husband, and was made to the playtest, the game was Monkey walk the plank off a cliff in front of a Island – whose opening segment is crowd of baying software pirates to about proving yourself to be a pirate. prove the QA was a pirate. There’s lots The players were dropped onto the of fun to riff on videogames in this
game’s opening island and then left to scenario, but any chance to bring it work out how on earth to convince back to the persona’s lives is important. everyone they’re actually a pirate.
Inserting more bugs as antagonists or a Master will not accept anything which lurking threat is also useful. stops the world being recognisably earth – art is only appreciated in its RELEASE original context, so if we turn the world into a techno-utopia it misses the whole After all the checklist is crossed out, point of the endeavour. reality tries to launch again… and works. The players are in a seemingly 100% THE END GAME accurate mirror of reality. They may see an occasional glitch, but it’s near Is per standard DIE game. You will likely perfect. They are outside the want to encourage one persona’s scene headquarters of their company… which to talk about the actual fate of the game is considerably fancier than in real life. – was it finished?
Inside they find the Master, who If the personas choose to stay, it’s a explains everything. Everyone has little unusual in that the world they’re on equity in the company, so we all need to is basically earth. Basically. Bar the vote to stay in this perfect recreation of things which aren’t quite… right. Your earth. Encourage cynicism in the creepy extra note is likely to underline players regarding how “perfect” it that. “It’s a perfect life. You barely even would be. The Master will likely say any notice the world slow down when you’re glitches are just teething problems. He in a crowd any more. Barely.” is likely a clearly doesn’t quite understand how useful angle to take. this all works, but in this new universe, the game is complete. They can all move THE SINGLE GAME SESSION on with their lives and bask in the glow of this huge creative success. The game will be simplified hugely by choosing the game the Creative Director Of course, if they don’t all come to an is obsessed with yourself. That means agreement, the universe will crash and you can prep assets in advance. Instead they’ll all die. They could all agree to go of asking about the game’s identity, ask back to reality, but then the game the players how they feel about the wouldn’t be finished. We wouldn’t do Creative Director’s game in questions to that, right? Right? seed the game as a key idea.
This plays out like a standard DIE game, The first encounter should be simplified in terms of reaching agreement, one to a single crash bug, to introduce the way or another. The Master will be mechanics and allow the players to get reluctant to escalate to violence, but to the trip into the Creative Director’s certainly will if it looks like agreement is inspiration game as quickly as possible. impossible and reality starts to fall Then just ensure there’s time for the apart. It’s likely that some players will final confrontation. I’d also suggest you want to tweak the world in a significant use the Light Character sheets. Fill in way. Assume “enormous riches from the the archetypes in advance if you really success of our game” is a given. Each want it to move. cheat token can be used to offer one
“wish” to each persona. Unless your Thanks to Playtesters: David Walker, Master is especially sympathetic, the Puckett, Matt Phillips
DIE: CHRISTMAS KNIGHTS
INTRO Explain this to the players: you are a group of family members who have got As the Arcana was set to be released in together on Christmas Eve. The parental the week of Christmas, there was talk figure is going to run a game for them, on the DIE RPG Discord of how you’d run for the first time. a Christmas game. I immediately had my core idea, and then realised I could write Ask questions to discover who is who in it up in a very brief form on Monday the family. Children. Grandparents. morning and get into the Arcana for Spouses. Siblings. When there’s a release at noon. suitable space in the relationships, insert your Master as the parental figure As such, it’s more sparse than the other everyone looks up to. scenarios here, and is written to be expanded a little by you, the brave and Ask each player why you respect or love noble Master. It also has not been the Master’s persona. playtested at all. It is designed really for a single seasonal session, and breaks a Alternate the questions “Why have you lot of DIE’s usual story structure. always previously liked Christmas time?” or “Why have you always PREPARATION previously hated Christmas time?” around the room. To play as written, you will require as many D8s as there are non-GM players Tell the players that the parental figure – and at least as many different the Master – is dying. Ask each player Christmas cards as there are players. how they responded when they discovered this would be the last Content Warning: Parent Figure Death. Christmas with this parental figure. There are some suggestions at the end on how to run one with a less grim Say that this has caused huge strain in element at the end. the family. Ask each persona which other persona they’ve fallen out with? PERSONA GENERATION Why? When a few players have said they’d fallen out with someone, narrow The scenario is aggressively about a the question to “Why have you fallen out family at Christmas. It doesn’t have to with a specific non-picked persona?” to be a blood family – it doesn’t necessarily ensure each persona has beef with a need to be a family that cares about or different persona. observes Christmas, but that is the core buy-in required from the players. Before At this point some players may have play, check if players are okay with expressed a certain emotion on the doing a scenario with Parent Figure emotion wheel strongly – anger, grief death in too. and fear are likely ones. Ask the players
who you don’t connect that strongly with a single emotion whether they feel more X emotion or Y emotion and why (X
and Y being unused emotions from the INTO DIE wheel). Strong negative relations are also good – people who are repressing The players arrive in a warped version feeling a specific emotion. of the room they’re presently in. Resting on the nearest surface are as many Ask some silly questions about who unopened Christmas cards as there are does what at Christmas and what players. In front of the players there are presents they have got for folks, if any. as many small prettily wrapped boxes as there are players, each with their Ask further questions until the group name on. Inside each box are the feels grounded enough to continue. players’ D8s, which transform each individual the second they touch their THE MASTER’S MOTIVATION own dice.
The Master is dying. They know they The Master picks up their own dice won’t be with the family for Christmas (which was resting on the table), but next year. They want to be able to go to before they can speak a huge red the grave knowing the family will be dragon talon reaches from behind them okay without them – to see them pull pulls them through a hole in space. together. It’s not just for their own peace of mind – they also want to show Writing appears on the wall in blood-red the family how much they need each berry juice, as if written by an invisible other and can pull together. This is a hand: “SAVE ME.” Use the scrawled story about using fantasy to prepare berry messages to give challenges or people for the hardships of the real hints to players from this point onwards. world. THE CARDS The endgame is different from normal – do not reveal the “everyone has to After sufficient screaming, the agree to go home” rule, as it is not here. characters now have to open their in- Regular DIE players may presume it. game cards, one at a time. When the Others may believe this is a way to save first one is opened, pass one of the pre- the figure from death – this is also an prepared real-world Christmas cards idea you may wish to seed in the game, and put it on the table. but is simply untrue. The whole group is transported into a CHARACTER GENERATION different realm. When they complete the encounter, they are transformed back All players are Emotion Knights. Fill in to the room, and can select another the emotion for each Knight, based upon card. which emotion was ascertained in the Persona generation. So the player who Use the card as inspiration for the expresses anger most is the Rage encounter. Look at the imagery, subvert. Knight, and so on. Alternatively, it could Feel free to introduce other classic be the emotion they are least capable of Christmas elements. The encounter
showing – so a character who has their should be about that persona’s problem anger locked down and doesn’t express with another persona, and them any of it is the Rage Knight. reaching some level of understanding or
reconciliation. Equally, as each player is wound, the target is on fire and suffers 1 connected to an emotion, the Creative wound every round until the flames are Violence is a good tool for overcoming extinguished). The dragon cannot be seemingly intractable difficulties. Use killed until everyone has joined in the standard monster stats from the main fight against it. If all the players attack manual if you need them, but hopefully simultaneously, they can add their dice you don’t. Remember to always draw pools together. (So three knights with from anything fun mentioned in Persona Strength 4 each would roll 12 dice in generation. their attack pool.)
The aim of each scene is emotional If players completely fail to get it connection and pulling together in some together, the Master enters on a sleigh, way. It doesn’t have to be as simple as a dressed as Santa Claus and destroys cheesy reconciliation… but this is a the dragon, rising any dead players by Christmas scenario. Don’t be afraid of it spending Cheat Tokens. Otherwise, the either. Master arrives when the Dragon is defeated. If you want to be really fancy, in the moment before the Character The Master explains the reason for Generation starts, you could take a new bringing them here – that they wanted card, put it in an envelope, and address to see them pull together, to know that it to the Persona, and then pass it to the they could live. The Master isn’t afraid of Persona’s player in question at the right dying. They’re afraid of being away from moment. family, and so knowing how strong they all are is a huge source of peace. If THE DRAGON APPEARS pressed on how this even works, the Master is as confused as they are. The When all the encounters are completed, game arrived in the post. the cards magically fly up the chimney… and the house is torn apart, revealing If the players completely didn’t come the dragon, looming above them. Add together in any way, you flip the other seasonal elements to the dragon – way – as in, this was about the Master’s already red, consider the greens. hope that under pressure they would Consider the scenery being a forest of come together and realise how good conifers, all decked out in lights, all on they are for each other. This will likely fire. prompt some more emotional scenes too. This is the final encounter…. Which leaves the question – how do we FIGHTING THE DRAGON get home?
Stats: Strength 4, Constitution 4 The forest creatures come forth Defence: 2 carrying tables and masses of food of every sort. Special: every second round it can
breathe fire, attacking every person in The Master says: we have to finish its firing line with a 3 dice pool attack dinner. with Special (if this attack does a
The family has their last Christmas a family that is estranged in some way, together in this magical glen together. with the core question of “Why have you stopped calling your family” to each THE END GAME member. The game is then about the Master wanting the family to be able to Afterwards, when they've returned come together at all. home, ask how did the experience of that last Christmas change them, and The game is written to run with Emotion then add a note in response as Knights only to simplify things a little, as standard. well as the pun. It should work with the other archetypes, which you can use TWEAKS instead if you want. Clearly the Godbinder’s gods should be based on Even when leaning seasonally whatever Christmas figures you like – sentimental, my tendency is to go with Santa Claus, etc (Thanks, Kevin From awful grim truths. You or your players the Discord for suggesting that.). may not want to go there, and I don’t blame you. If you want to tweak this to Thanks to the DIE Discord for making me be less Oh God Parents Dying, make it be write this. Thanks a lot.
The following are write-ups of actual highlight different levels of DIE games run by people who used experience, different styles of the Beta. These are designed to GMing and so on. function like the hypothetical example in the main rules, in terms 2. if I pay other people to do it, it of showing the sort of thought a means I don’t have to write it, Master applies to a group to and I can spend more time generate an adventure. I was browsing Skaven on eBay. originally planning to write a bunch myself, then realised that… So I did that, though had one of my own written up anyway, just to 1. Having other people do it shows a pretend I don’t spend all my time on variety of different sorts of the aforementioned eBay browsing people approaching a similar for the aforementioned Skaven. problem, and showing there are many ways to do it. We can But I do.
EXAMPLE GAME: "(UNFINISHED)"
THE GROUP physically able to work and can't claim compensation. Frustrated by the The personas were a group of university situation. Used to play a Paladin. students who played D&D to decompress during studies; all four Core Drive: hates the loss of income, dropped out of university for their own loss of financial security, loss of some reasons and went on with life, largely connection with Dana, and loss of losing touch. That was 15 years ago. One control over his arm; due to problematic of them, (seemingly) by coincidence, parenting, believes this makes him a runs across another at work, and bad provider and lesser man. suggests they sit down to catch up, offering to run the rest of their Secondary Elements: genuinely loves abandoned campaign so that it may Dana. Essentially an optimist finally find completion. underneath all that bitterness and resentment. Gamer, and competitive Theo, a Dictator about it. Barista, studied Political Science. Wanted to change the world, but now Dana, a Fool sees politics as corrupt and literature as Studied Art History and was top of her the only way to reach people. Writes class, dropped out because she felt when he's not working (mostly trapped and wanted life to be simpler speculative fiction, he idolizes Harlan and to have more freedom. While David Ellison), but is consumed by self-doubt was working, they had enough to live and hasn't finished a single thing. well; with his current condition, she's Asexual. Used to GM for the group. had to find a job – waitstaff at a local bar. She's not thrilled about it, but works Core Drive: wants to change the world, hard. David is distrustful of the clientele or at least a small part of it, with his and the friends she might make there, writing. and she's growing slightly distant in instinctual response to his negativity. Secondary Elements: grassroots activist Used to play a Druid. and organizer. Loves the city park and a nearby cafe in which he writes. Never Core Drive: to find elements of freedom lets his inner frustrations show. Soft- and joy in her life and not be tied down. spoken, approachable, and patient. Secondary Elements: also genuinely David, a Loathing Knight loves David. Also an optimist, with her Bioengineering student who felt heart on her sleeve. Also a gamer, but a overwhelmed by his studies and his casual one. Still draws and paints in her girlfriend’s (Dana's) dropping out; now a off hours. Wants David to work through fast-order chef at a diner. Has been his baggage. Dana's partner for 17 years, but they never officially married. Recently suffered a debilitating wrist injury – isn't
Ben, a Master inspire and have conversations. I went Studied Classics, and is the only one of with Dictator for two reasons: the group to return to studying, eventually earning a degree and 1. In character, Ben wants to tempt becoming a therapist. Had an existential Theo and has misjudged him. He crisis when a patient who was making a thought Theo would enjoy having the lot of progress was killed in a car direct power to change people’s accident immediately following a behaviour. If he’d known Theo better, session. Ben feels that everything he (or he would’ve given him Godbinder – anyone else) can do to make the world a but like anyone, Ben is flawed, he’s better place is inevitably undone by made a mistake here. entropy. He didn’t give into the temptation of self-serving nihilism, 2. Out of character, I was concerned mostly because he gave into the that adding the gods would make temptation of DIE instead. Gay, Ben’s world, its near-emptiness aromantic, single. Used to play a being one of its defining features, Sorcerer. feel less abandoned – and that playing the gods as NPCs might take Core Drive: to create a better world too much attention away from David where entropy has no hold. and Dana, and make their players (both relatively new to tabletop Secondary Elements: wants to be in the RPGs) feel sidelined. I was also company of people who understand him. interested in seeing how a person Wants to be understood, full stop. Loves who doesn’t want to exact such museums. Still loves tabletop games. control over other people would Has a need to be in control but would respond to being given the powers never admit just how deep that need of the Dictator – do they change their really goes, not even to himself. mind once they see the results, or do they double down on their morals?
Assigning the Knight and the Fool to THE PREP David and Dana respectively felt very natural – David is in a very emotionally Prep was interesting – the focus was overwhelmed state, he has a lot of more on the atmosphere and experience emotions to purge and work through, so of playing the game than about this fitted him well; Dana wants to have preparing stats, maps, and so on. It was as much freedom as possible, and the an exercise of learning and leaning into Fool, depending on how one is to play my strengths. the Fool, can be that. To have the Fool be the ultimate blessing to a character In the past, every time that I’ve run (Dana was thrilled to get to play the games with a lot of narrative and NPC part) was wonderful to see. preparation, the preparation didn’t survive the first encounter with the Theo was more difficult. I had players and went out the window; yet considered giving him Godbinder, due to every time I’ve run games entirely his political interests. He doesn’t want improvisationally, I tripped over small to force people to do things, he wants to problems and had nothing to fall back
on. For this campaign, I found a fairly I had pushed them there, like I had good balance between the two. prepared a map and they were inevitably going to end up in this place, After persona generation – which was but to feel that their actions and impromptu, but the spontaneity created emotional responses had brought them really rich characters, nobody was there. (The Die world can be very caught overthinking things – I jotted mapped and defined, such as in the down certain key points that helped comic itself, but Ben doesn’t think or shape setting. Persona generation was visualise as spatially as Sol does, and always going to be my starting point for doesn’t do as much worldbuilding, he ideas; after all, this story is about these wants to leave that to his friends.) characters. All four studied in intellectual and cultural fields, all four I reserved a private room for the game were used to paper as a part of their so it would just be the players in a joined lives (university work, exams, closed, almost isolated location. I character sheets, the university prepared a number of playlists; mostly degrees they never received, Theo’s scores and other music without vocals. writing, Dana’s sketchbook, Ben’s A few songs were specifically marked notepad, and so on) and with that in for certain story beats I wanted to hit, mind, I started preparing ideas for a and would be looped during those world in which the look of the Fallen and scenes if necessary. I prepared some the imagery of the world inevitably snacks, not wanting a tense or keeps returning to a motif of paper. By emotional scene to be interrupted by simply asking who Dana’s favourite rustling of wrappers. artist is (Dalí), I immediately had a wonderful catalogue of ideas of things The table I left almost entirely empty – to put into the game. There were a few none of the usual gaming mats, no paintings my mind immediately went to papers, just the Box and the character that were well-known enough but not sheets. I wanted the immediate quite as overused as The Persistence of impression to be a sense of: “this isn’t Memory. I let some other surrealistic art like a game you’ve played before. We influence the atmosphere as well, David start this from a clean slate and add Lynch in particular. onto it as we go.” This worked tremendously to raise interest I purposely didn’t draw up maps. One of immediately. Walking in on a room the personas’ shared problems is a lack without any of the usual reference of direction and connection, leading books, map scrolls, miniatures, dice, them into distancing themselves. To etcetera, in it – and specifically a room convey some of that emotional that contained simply one table and four disorientation, I wanted to take away chairs – drew looks of curiosity. It also their ability to see concretely where made walking into the room in character they were in relation to anything else, at as our personas much easier – it least initially. For one later scene that seemed like a reasonable set-up for a was a bit more contained, the only one get-together. It worked wonderfully – that was, I did draw out a small room the moment the door closed, we fell
layout, but did it freehand during the effortlessly into character as our game – I wanted the players to feel like personas. they hadn’t arrived at the room because
Although not a lot was on the table to Ravel is believed to have had an existing begin with, I had, of course, some props. cerebral condition that led to the This was the majority of my prep work, experimental composition of the piece; really. I wanted to do prep work that a good theme for Ben during his final adds a sense of tangibility to the world moments confronting the party as he and a sense of mysticism to the game. I struggles with his own world and brought in a book on Dalí with pages realities. marked for references when the players encountered visuals from his paintings; In loose preparation prior to the day of I tweaked Ben’s character and the game, I determined certain beats motivations to be Ellisonesque in a way, that, one way or another, had to happen to create a further tie with Theo. – Dana had to help David at an inopportune time and steal his thunder There are elements to Ben that are so that she could get him to understand lifted, to some extent, from the that her helping him is nothing to be personality of AM, the antagonist in frustrated or childish over, that it comes Ellison’s infamous I Have No Mouth, and from a place of love; Theo had to be I Must Scream – like AM, he can build his faced with a crowd of people who own world, but wants to bring people expected him to impart his wisdom, only there and keep them there. AM’s to realize that he doesn’t have all the motives are far more twisted, but Ben’s answers he thought he did, and that are selfish in their own way. Speaking nobody does. I had some thoughts for of, Ben’s motivation was easy to arrive potential scenes to communicate this at, I suspect his horror of realizing the and had written down possible limits of his abilities and the crushing scenarios, then during the game, picked reality of the world is something that the ones that seemed appropriate strikes quite a few people eventually. based on the actions of the players. It This way I also arrived at creating a helped to have ideas at the ready but to Master who is, as a person, also be fluid in which ones to choose. sympathetic, but by what he puts his This took the shape of a few index cards friends through without their consent with bullet points, keywords, and small (and without a second thought), is still and simple “if (x) then (y)” reminders. both disturbed and disturbing. I’m a performer and do my share of As mentioned, there was a low-volume acting; the other players don’t, but soundtrack throughout; during the early creating mannerisms and a separate scenes, it looped the tango from the voice for Ben helped me as a GM nudge score of Dalí’s Un Chien Andalou. Other the players into accepting their parts of the game would have other personas more. This isn’t strictly musical cues that were equally fitting. necessary, but any basic book on acting Sometimes (as in the case of the tango) from a local library can give you some the players didn’t know the idea behind pointers. the musical choice, which actually helped make the scenery more And then we get to the good stuff – the disjointed and unsettling. The final Box. It’s a cheap wooden box painted to
scene was set to versions of Ravel’s look a bit distressed and more mystical. Boléro, and worked wonderfully. It has Contained within were a few things – a this terrific rhythm of escalation, and dragon miniature, an origami crane,
tarot cards, a black feather and a white one, a small D6, a necklace with a sigil HOW THE GAME WENT pendant, a pearl, a piece of driftwood, a large pebble, a few plastic toys, all sorts The three friends traversed empty of things. I put it on the table and made landscapes, saw strange paintings no comment on it. When asked about it, I come to life, and fought Fallen origami kept my answers playfully unhelpful. I monsters. Theo and David got over their wanted the players to be desperate to issues and, wanting to return home, know what it is without frustrating more or less forced Ben to agree at them, and I think I succeeded. gunpoint. Theo, David, and Dana got their somewhat happy endings; Ben I specifically bought single dice at the suffered another breakdown and shop we were playing in – dice I knew admitted himself to a mental health the players would like the looks of, each ward where (of course) some patients a different design – though slightly were playing D&D and invited him to join. tellingly, David’s and Dana’s had the We left him – and the story – before he numbers written in the same gold decided. colour. These personas, like anyone, are separate people, but ultimately linked, The game went very well, the balance and I wanted even the dice to reflect it. between planning and (somewhat guided) improvisation went very smoothly. The effort toward some cryptic elements in the presentation kept the players interested and, later, satisfied. I kept the Fallen and other challenges minimally underpowered – Ben wanted to create a world in which Theo, Dana and David felt powerful and wouldn’t be seriously hurt. It also helped the encounters flow and to keep the players not just feeling satisfied, but encouraged to progress. After stepping away from the game and the personas, Pictured: a mock-up reconstruction of talking things over, there was a lot of Calder’s Box of Crap. Calder would like positive feedback about the game to stress that the unpainted dragon is having succeeded in being different in not because he doesn’t paint his minis, tone and approach to the nature of D&D, but because he’s a little intimidated to but celebratory and cathartic in spirit. start the fearsome beast. I believe this is because of some colours are hard to BIO paint rather than just being scared of the mini. Oh – and the antlers were Calder Ravel is a bi transman who found when hiking. returned to art, tabletop gaming, writing, and performance after failing at and giving up on maintaining a respectable
life and sensible career.
EXAMPLE GAME: DEATH OF THE FAEWILDS
THE GROUP Used to play a broody Dragonborn fighter. In high school they played D&D together, but an argument kept them Glen makes her the Emotion Knight from getting together for the final because of her anxieties. session. Years later, their GM dies unexpectedly. Reports say it was Erin, Fool suicide, but details of the investigation As a teen: a bit of a troublemaker who have more meaning for the former D&D hung out with the wrong crowd. Uses group. They’re all brought back together humour to cover anxieties. Stole a fancy at their ten-year high school reunion, to D20 from Damien, which sparked a fight play that final game. with Holly, causing their last game session to be cancelled. Holly, Dictator As a teen: defined by her relationship to As an adult: after Damien and Holly’s the group’s GM, Damien. Childhood best divorce, she and Damien reconnect and friends with Glen. She’s controlling and start sleeping together. She returns his quick to write people off. Things have to D20 to him, which is later found at the go her way. A big fight she started with scene of his death. Erin kept the group from finishing their final game. Used to play a custom Shapeshifter class. As an adult: studied psychology. Had big wedding to Damien, and an even bigger Glen makes her the Fool because of her divorce. Six months later, he dies. tendency to cause problems.
Used to play a custom Knight / Glen, Master Spellcaster class, created by Damien. As a teen: childhood friends with Holly. Hung around her and Damien in school. Glen makes her the Dictator because of Had eyes for Damien, but didn’t act on her control issues. his feelings out of respect for Holly. However, Damien attempted to cheat on Avery, Fear Knight Holly with Glen, a fact which Glen has As a teen: daughter of the school been hiding from Holly. principal. Tells her parents she’s in a study group when she’s really playing As an adult: teaches English Lit at the D&D. Her parents discover the lie, and local high school. Hosts an actual play ground her, right before the final game podcast he’s trying to get off the session. ground.
As an adult: med school dropout, hiding Used to play a Wizard. this fact from her parents. Moved away and is only back for the reunion. Glen makes himself Master, with the Rules of Dreams archetype
THE PREP Damien, and needs to be present, but having him be a part of the group was This game was recorded as an actual also a problem. So instead of teleporting play podcast. The four of us do not live away, he made himself appear to be in a in close proximity, and we expected to magical coma, which also meant the only have one day to play this game in group needed to find out how to heal person. I went into it with the him, and became a motivation for them assumption that we would be able to to start working together. complete the entire game in one sitting. After getting through the opening The game itself had to force the encounter, it became obvious that we personas to confront their own actions would not have time to finish, so the rest as teens. The easiest way to do this was of the game was recorded over four to allow the players’ personas to act as more sessions. We stuck mostly to the echoes of their teenage selves. The structure of my initial outline, although story made the personas meet each of many of the details changed as the plot their former characters in turn, to see solidified. how unresolved issues had hurt them. Each character also had a key piece of Each persona’s central conflict seemed info the players needed to learn. to be centred on unresolved events from high school. Holly and Damien’s • Holly’s character is the Queen of the relationship, Erin and Holly’s fight, Fae. She’s now in a position that Avery’s absence at a critical moment, gives her authority and control. and Glen’s secret knowledge about Additionally, she is about to marry a Damien’s cheating. These aren’t strictly character that looks exactly like core drives; Glen is the only one who Damien. She knows how the players really wants to address these issues. can return home. The game ended up being less about • Avery’s character is the Exile, who tempting the personas to stay in the believes that her self-imposed exile game world, and more about the group is protecting the world from the Blue working through teenage melodrama Spirit. Avery was grounded right that bled into their adult lives. before the final game session and Holly/Erin’s big fight, so the Exile is Additionally, the murder mystery locked in a cage inside a copy of presented a bit of a problem for me. It Avery’s childhood home. The Exile was established as a mystery, but the knows that the world is real and that suspicious element of the crime scene the players must choose between (the presence of Damien’s special D20) the game and the real world. was easily explained away by Erin and • Erin’s character is the Shapeshifter, Damien’s brief relationship before his a figure that leads a gang of thieves. death. I decided that the mystery itself They steal more to mess with people was really only in Glen’s mind, which than for any real gain. Their gave him a motivation: to find out if one headquarters is also in the facsimile of his friends had killed his crush. of Avery’s childhood home (where the Exile lives). The Shapeshifter I didn’t want Glen to just disappear as knows that the world is unstable as
soon as the group arrived in the world. long as the players haven’t made He wants to find out what happened to their decision.
• Glen’s character is the Secret “recover” while the players attended Keeper, who died in the intervening the wedding. This gave them a chance years. Comparatively little is known to play dress up, and have a moment to about him. interact with some key NPCs. Here I seeded some temptations for each These characters’ appearances served player, and had Holly interact with fake- as encounters, although there was a Damien. He made some advances distinct possibility that none of these toward Holly, foreshadowing the later would turn towards combat, so I reveal of Damien’s cheating. included a couple of additional combat challenges to allow the players Once the players had sufficient opportunities to use their abilities, get a interaction, Glen made his move, sense for how cool they could be in this knocking out the wedding guests and world, and to lead them towards the disguising himself as Damien, in an encounters with their former attempt to shock the personas into characters. confessing. I had decided that, however this confrontation went, Glen could The instability of the world was also an reveal himself, and the rest would be up echo of their past. The big bad of their to the players. game, the Blue Spirit, (a threat they never actually saw and never defeated) HOW THE GAME WENT made for a good option. Initially I planned to have the Blue Spirit appear in Interactions with their former the final scene, providing a big climactic characters helped Holly, Erin, and Avery fight that the players could choose to work through some issues in their participate in if their persona decided to relationships before the wedding. Glen’s stay in the world. However, before the appearance as Damien and the eventual last session of the game I realized I reveal of all of Glen’s manipulations could make the Secret Keeper have turned out to be less confrontational been the Blue Spirit all along, a plan that than expected. No blows were traded, I Glen and Damien could have come up never spent a Cheat Token. I tried to with together, and another secret that tempt Holly into using her Voice to make Glen’s been holding onto for all these Glen want to leave, but the argument years. If the players decided to leave, between Holly and Glen provided more the threat would never appear, and if compelling roleplay opportunities, and they decided to stay, the Blue Spirit became the emotional climax of the would rear its head, because Glen is game regardless. Much of the game was back in the world. It felt more designed to get the players to work appropriate to the tone of the game to through their personas’ issues, and keep the climax personal, stripped of come through the other side. Staying in magic, just an argument between the world was always an option, but not friends who were once close. really a success state for the players. Additionally, since the players chose to Eventually, all roads needed to lead resolve their issues, everyone was on back to Damien, so the final encounter the same page about leaving. Once Glen took place at the wedding of the Queen was convinced, I gave the personas
to her Damien proxy. Once the players time to say goodbye to their old “healed” Glen, he could be left to characters and new friends, before
ending the game on a slightly upbeat COMPRESSED, a podcast about all things note. DIE. Death of the Faewilds was recorded as an actual play podcast on the same BIO feed, which can be found here: die- compressed.libsyn.com. They are also Drew Wills (Glen) and Gen Ainslow on twitter at @DIEcompressed. (Holly) are the co-hosts of DIE-
EXAMPLE GAME: GIRL GROUP
THE GROUP Sherlock Holmes clone named Ada. Is painfully straight. The way the I had a table consisting entirely of persona had gone from earnestness trans/nonbinary people, 4/5 of us on to scam artist made the Fool feel the femme side of things. Because perfect. most of my gaming groups for the past few years have been Amy, a Vigilance Knight predominantly women (and I don’t An academically diligent type who think I’ve ever run with less than two went on to grad school en route to people who would have described becoming a sociology professor. themselves as women at the time), I Generally unsatisfied with the was interested in exploring this side academic life, which she of RPG culture. So I proposed an all- nevertheless devotes her whole self girl gaming group from college to. Played a femme fatale type in reuniting as adults. The players their old game. Has a gardening decided they played a steampunk hobby. The straightforward nature of noir version of White Wolf’s the character seemed perfect for the Changeling: The Dreaming, and so off Knight. we went. Claire, a Godbinder Marc, a Dictator Worked at the gaming store where Transitioned shortly after college. the group played. She was pre-law in High school guidance counsellor with college, but bombed her LSAT and a kid, to whom he’s a loving and didn’t get into law school, and so is devoted single father. He came from still managing the store. Used to date money, but they took his transition Amy, but they broke up after college. poorly and he hasn’t spoken to them GMed the game, but had a favourite in a few years. He played a goat NPC, a wisecracking Jean Harlow pooka named Philip. He volunteers at type club owner. Very into Irish folk the library, and likes to read music. With only the Neo and the nonfiction. The guidance counsellor Godbinder left, I went with bit made the Dictator feel Godbinder, as turning a store appropriate, and the player was a manager into a god manager made rape survivor so I trusted him with me smile. the nuances. Rachel, a Master Alice, a Fool Women’s studies major. Was a super A paleoarcheology major who woke neopagan goth, but has settled struggled with the sexism of the field into being a housewife, which she and so became an extremely regrets terribly. She wants to get the scammy consultant, in marked gang back together and into a world contrast to her extremely earnest that’s much more interesting than college self. Terrible taste, a massive the bland oblivion of adulthood. crush on Grimes, and a “drug Unrequited crush on Marc from aficionado.” Played a thinly veiled college.
THE PREP It was here that I got one of those ideas that makes you stop short. If During character creation, tensions Rachel wanted everything back the immediately flared between Rachel way it was and was going to burn a and Claire. This wasn’t super written Cheat Token resurrecting Marc, into their backstories, but it emerged wouldn’t she prefer to bring him back organically so I went with it and as the girl she had a crush on? It was immediately started ramping up a horrifying idea. But it fit. Marc’s Rachel’s condescension towards player was a trans dude as well, and Claire. Then, during the initial Fallen the persona was designed in part attack, Claire made a bad call and around the idea of playing with his got reduced to zero hit dice. Alice own complex relationship with the jumped in to try to save her, freely feminist spaces of his adolescence admitting she didn’t know what she and early adulthood. It was, in other was doing, and then critically failed words, an interesting horror, as it. Marc intervened and Dictatored opposed to something showy and Claire not to eat anybody, but this traumatic for the sake of it. So I was still an obvious and early asked him if he’d be game for it. He concern. was, so I decided to put it in as a So when I sat down to prepare the possibility. second session, I knew that dealing I want to stop for a moment and say with Claire was a priority. Her death that this was an extremely high-risk was at least partly down to adapting decision. It would have been to a new system, and so I wanted to completely inappropriate of me to give her a second chance. Also, I even try it without pre-clearing it recognized that having Marc’s D4 with Marc’s player. I was prepared to tied up like that was an interesting have it X-Carded by one of the other pressure point – there was a lot of players if they found it too triggering. available drama in setting up Even with these practical situations that could most easily be considerations, which I should stress resolved with the D4 and letting are the bare minimum if you’re going Marc sweat whether or not to risk to pull something like this, it would taking Claire off the leash. have been utterly inappropriate for The risk of this, of course, was that me to even consider it if I weren’t an Marc would likely die in the course of experienced GM who was myself resurrecting Claire. But how would trans and running a game for a Rachel feel about this? Obviously predominantly trans group all of Claire could get fucked as far as she whom I was good friends with. was concerned, but having people Extreme content like this can work die got in the way of her big desire to amazingly—the detransition reveal get everyone back together again. was probably the most successful So fine, as soon as I had someone and impactful beat of the game—but other than Claire be Fallen I could it can also go ruinously badly. Be have Rachel burn a Cheat Token to extremely careful, and make 100% sure that you’re the right GM playing fix it. with the right group before you poke
a major trauma in the eye like this.
So I had some major plot beats. What you want to stay here” pitch from I didn’t have yet was a framework for Rachel. them. So, on the one hand I had a theme of losing the glamour and From there I figured I should pay off magic of the old gaming group. On the threat closing in, so I’d have the the other, I had a steampunk noir Silver Wasps storm the party and Chicago setting. That lent itself well take hostages, one of whom would to a sort of “last party as the end be a dead ringer for Marc’s son, closes in” vibe. There’d been a giving him a big encounter. Better mention of the group as working yet, I could have the leaders of the class students at a very preppy gang look like his parents. I figured liberal arts college, so I knocked that would be the big climactic set together a gang called the Silver piece, and that Rachel could make WASPs that were about to storm the her reappearance in the middle of it city. to kick off the endgame. I knew I wanted to use Claire’s old That seemed like enough to go on. NPC and the bar. Since Claire’s core Encounters that would mean drive was obviously being stuck in something to each of the players, a her dead-end job and having failed at pair of plot threads that could her ambitions, I decided Violet should motivate them, and a couple ideas have been bought out and now stuck for big dramatic beats. Time to behind the bar while the guy who actually run this thing. proctored Claire’s LSAT ran the HOW THE GAME WENT place. That seemed a good first encounter – the players had reason The Claire/Marc explosion managed to go there, and going to the bar to to happen over getting a free ride get information is a classic. from a taxi driver, which was hilariously small stakes, but hey, it’s For a second set piece, I figured I always nice when you have multiple should do something to bring Amy character fatalities in an effort to and Alice into things. Amy hadn’t avoid a two-hour walk. Other than given me a ton to work with, but I had that, things mostly went smoothly gardening. There’s a botanical and according to plan until the end, garden near me that has a couple of where Claire burnt a major miracle to corpse flowers that they hold parties just incinerate the Silver Wasps, for the opening of, so that sprung to bringing an abrupt end to my third mind as a possible setting, with the encounter. We were running a bit corpse flower being a viable over time at that point anyway, and McGuffin to offer a resurrection if Marc had gotten a lot of plot with the that was still needed. (If not, I'd just tension of controlling Fallen Claire, wave my hands vaguely and mutter so I decided to have Rachel show up, something about people with perversely enthusing about how information about the Silver wasps.) much fun this was, and try to make And I liked the idea of a Grimes-like the sale. (Having her apologize and figure holding a ridiculously luxurious fix Marc to sweeten the pot a bit.) gala full of eye-candy men that she Unsurprisingly the players weren’t could offer to Alice. This would also having it, so she flew up into the air entice her for the eventual “don’t
and summoned an undead Al Capone BIO riding a giant steampunk tank as a final encounter. This resulted in a Elizabeth Sandifer got into RPGs more combat heavy ending than I’d because they were what all the cute been anticipating, but it worked as a boys in trench coats were doing in leadup to the party making amends high school. She’s the author of The with a broken and defeated Rachel Last War in Albion, a saga of magical and everybody going home. warfare and British comic books, and of Neoreaction a Basilisk, a work of horror philosophy about Nazis. She blogs at eruditorumpress.com.
EXAMPLE GAME: “REPENT, HARLEQUIN!” AND THE HOUSE OF MONTMARTE
THE GROUP • Wild partier, insecure, in the closet. • Loves hardcore and punk music. They used to be in an art rock band in • Younger brother, Peter, died and this high school (“Repent, Harlequin!”) and sent him into a downward spiral. would play a Vampire-the-Masquerade- • He left the band and hit rock bottom. style RPG (The House of Montmartre) • Now he’s sober, living in NY, and after band practice. The band broke up working as an actuary. near graduation when the youngest • In a controlling relationship with his member of the group died (Doug’s fiancé, Angus. brother, Peter). They went their • Core Drive: to be “normal.” To stay in separate ways and have been mostly control. out of touch for the past 15 years. Doug is getting married and decides to have Kennedy, a Dictator named Marissa the wedding back in his hometown. The Llewellyn group agrees to get together for one • Played keyboard, sang. last game at the local bar. • Used to be the GM. • Named the band after a Harlan Kath, a Neo named Vox Ellison story. • Played bass and sang. • Pushed weird outfits. • Wanted to be a pro skater. • Theatre geek. • Favourite band is Paramore. • Uninterested parents. • Hates Twilight but loves Anne Rice. • Felt misunderstood. • Now works at a local pub, the Wild • Sees self as radical, an activist, and Goose, and has worked there for too cool for everyone. years. • Loves sci-fi, gothic literature, and • Still skates. Lord Byron. • Plays in a band, Lucille Baller • Idolizes Bjork. (sounds like Best Coast). • Now she works for a small theatre • Lives with bandmates. company and plays in a band, Mary • Sleeps around. Shelley Duvall – theatrical pop. • Has HPV. • Core Drive: to be special, important. • Wiccan. Wants to be understood. • Thinks of life as a joke. • Core Drive: to have a good time. Angie Brenner, a Fool named Ray Doesn’t want to commit to anything • Played flute. or admit time is passing by. • Use to play a sorcerer, Astraia. • Got good grades. Doug, a Godbinder named Sir Ashley • Dated Doug in secret. Burr Strathclyde • Never fell in love again after their • Used to play drums in the band. breakup. • Old character was a Warlock named • Rivalry with Kennedy. Decarabia. • Loves Twilight, K-pop.
• Now plays flute in the SF symphony, • One player has the best sense of performing Carmen. humour and loves making jokes in • Parents see as failure because she’s RPGs, so I gave her the Fool. not a doctor or married with children. • Depressed. Lost in life but pretends • One player loves storytelling and it’s going great. appreciates the power of story. He is • Core Drive: to find something she’s a huge fan of DIE, the comic, and passionate about. would enjoy playing the class of the main character, so I made him the Ro, A Master called The Portal Dictator • Played guitar. • Was best friends with Doug when Ironically, a couple of the players ended they were kids. up making personas that were basically • Super nerdy and awkward in school. opposite their class personalities. The • Got As in Math and Band and failed player I gave the Fool ended up breaking all else. from her usual and making a super • Tried to keep the group from serious persona. The player I gave the breaking up. Neo made someone who was carefree • Cut off contact after the breakup. and reckless, a perfect match for the • After high school Ro became famous Fool. The player with the Godbinder for a short time for the musical made a persona with a history of project, The Portal – psychedelic, addiction, so that would have fit the guitar shredding based on Neo. But I decided not to switch any mathematical equations. classes around, and I think this added • Became more and more “out there” some interesting tension. as a celebrity, then disappeared. • Most people assume Ro died. The group steps out of my spooky • Core Drive: to be truly seen. To live in bedroom after fighting some fallen, and a world with a chosen family. To into the vampire world of their RPG from make all their dreams come true so high school; the grey, gothic grounds of they want to stay. a classic manor house. This gave a lot of possible locations for encounters – the One of the players Skyped in to play, so I gatehouse, mansion, gardens, orchards, picked the classes for everyone rectory and chapel. The personas all beforehand. That way he could print out liked different styles of vampire/gothic, his character sheet before the first so there was a lot of content to pull from session. I chose the classes based on – the Brontës’ moors, the ballroom from what I thought the player would like Interview With a Vampire, villains and playing most. heroes based on the characters from Twilight. The group encounters two • One player is studying to be a vampire clans at war, one good, one computer programmer and loves evil, battling for control of the manor. animals, so I gave her the Neo. One player loves making up intricate THE PREP details about the lore of his characters, so I gave him the A lot of the information the players gave
Godbinder. about their personas was about bands they like and bands they played in, so I
got the idea to create a secret playlist. A All the personas are musicians and have lot of my prep time was spent finding a desire for recognition, so I wanted to songs for each encounter, then I wrote have the group be famous and adored in my notes when to play each track. I here. There was a prophecy by the filled in the playlist by asking players Oracle that foretold the group would more music-based questions like, “Was come and save Skate Coven. The coven there any type of music your persona was excitedly waiting for their heroes to used to listen to a lot?” and “What does arrive, and begged them to perform. your persona’s current band sound like?” Kath still has the same lifestyle she had in high school. She doesn’t want to grow Ro is obsessed with patterns and they up, so I wanted to give her the try to control other people to cope with opportunity to stay in her teenage their fears. Their motivation is to live in a fantasy. The group met Hayley Williams, world where they think they can indulge singer of Kath’s favourite band, and she these obsessions and manipulate their debriefed the group. I also made Hayley surroundings without consequences, a bard so I had a reason to play the first like in their old high school RPG. Ro track of the playlist. never felt like anyone saw them for who they really were, except during their Kath is a Wiccan, and a skater. I thought games. They didn’t realize they could be a whole community of people like her accepted in real life, so they are trying would be very appealing, and might to stay in the game forever with their even make her real life of one-night chosen family. The encounters are stands seem shallow. I named the meant either to make the group’s real “good” vampire clan Skate Coven. In lives seem terrible or to make this world place of a garden, there’s a skate park, seem as wonderful as possible. and I planned for Hayley to tempt Kath to stay by asking her to join their coven. The basic idea of encounters and locations: Kath has been at the same low-level bar job for years, so I wanted to represent 1. Briefing from a likable character who the bar and the drudgery of her real life, introduces them to the “good” which is going nowhere. I made the vampire clan, Skate Coven – monster a giant robotic wild goose that mansion ballroom plays Best Coast. 2. Encounter with a monster – gardens 3. Encounter with old characters – I think Kath’s carefree attitude is chapel covering up her deep fear of death. I 4. Encounter with “bad” vampire clan, thought if she saw someone she cared the Mortavi – orchards about die, it might force her to confront 5. Find the Oracle who gives them a key her fears or create some interesting to discovering the secret base – character transformation. Hayley was moors kidnapped by the Mortavi (they looked 6. Encounter with the Mortavi leaders – like the group’s high school bullies) and secret room in the mansion fatally wounded in front of the group.
7. Final encounter with the Master – The group was forced to participate in rooftop of the mansion. the next part of the adventure of this
world if they wanted to save their new production space, run by the Oracle friend. (Bjork) and her assistant (Lord Byron). After Lord Byron gives the group a tour, Doug has little joy and excitement in his he tells Kennedy she is the only one real life, so I thought I’d give him some worthy enough to take the honoured opportunities to connect with these place of Bjork as the new oracle. I made suppressed emotions. I wanted to tempt Bjork’s glowing crown the key to him to return to his partier ways, so I discovering the location of the secret made the ballroom encounter a cross base. between the dinner party from Interview With a Vampire and the rave from Blade. Kennedy’s core drive is to be But I also wanted Doug to have the understood. I wanted to add a detail option to connect with something really from her more obscure interests, so she positive, so I planned on asking during would feel like this world really gets her. the session if there’s anything he used I skimmed the Harlan Ellison story to really enjoy when he was young, then Kennedy named the band after for added that activity to the party something I could put in this world that (traditional Japanese drums). the other personas wouldn’t know about. Then I had Lord Byron ask the Ro thinks Doug’s marriage is a big group to play as a test of their mistake, so I wanted to give Doug a dark worthiness, and the audience threw vision of how terrible marriage could be. jellybeans onto the stage. The group met Doug’s old character, Decarabia, in an unhappy marriage to a I wanted to give Angie an opportunity to troll, surrounded by dozens of crying feel worthy and a sense of meaning in babies. Decarabia was forbidden from this world, so I made her old character, going on any more adventures, so he Astraia, into a martyr here. She was the uses his wand to flick the fireplace on coven’s beloved leader who sadly died and off like a television, while ‘Guillotine’ in battle. The group sees a huge shrine by Death Grips angstily plays in the around a portrait of Astraia (who looks background. like Bella Swan). The coven senses a similarity in Angie and tempts her with I also thought Doug might prefer to live this meaningful role. in a reality where he never had to grieve his brother’s death, so I brought Peter Angie loves cheesy romances, but into this world as his old cleric doesn’t have any romance in her real character. He is happy, healthy, and has life, so I thought I’d tempt her with a a good life here. He also has the power passionate love interest. the group to heal, so the group has to go to him if encounters Edward, who woos Angie they want to save Hayley. while Thousand Years by Christina Perri (from Twilight soundtrack) plays in the Kennedy used to make decisions for the background. direction of the band, she was their old GM, and she has a creative job in her Angie’s parents never thought anything real life. I wanted to tempt her with full she did was good enough, so I wanted
creative control in this fantasy world, to have an opportunity for Angie’s skills and appeal to her huge ego. I made the to be recognized. I made the final puzzle entire moors area a theatrical something she could solve. I made the
sheet music for the Habenera the I added basic stats from the manual and passcode to open the door to the tweaked them a bit as the group went Mortavi base. along.
Finally, I wanted to give Angie a chance HOW THE GAME WENT to have a cathartic confrontation with her perfectionist parents while ‘Kill This This was my first time as a GM, so I was Love’ by BlackPink plays in the learning what worked well for DIE, but background. So I made her parents the also how I would run any game next leaders of the Mortavi. They looked like time. the villains from Twilight. This all ended up playing more like an Ro’s core drive is to be seen for who adventure game than an open world they are and accepted by their chosen RPG, so I kept checking in with everyone family. They don’t realize they can have to make sure they weren’t feeling to this in the real world, so I wanted to railroaded. They all were down for choose spells that would make the other puzzle-focused encounters. The game personas see the real world in the ended up lasting four sessions and the negative way that Ro sees it. I made Ro players would have been happy to keep a Master of Dreams and planned dark going for even longer. visions of the persona’s futures in the real world. Angie as the surgeon her Everyone had their personas make up parents wanted her to be, operating on names for their characters. I thought herself. Kath sees her old and warty this might get confusing, but it actually reflection. worked well. It didn’t really add to the story, but it was an interesting way for After Ro explains who they are and why me to gauge how much the persona was they want to stay, I suspect my players identifying with this world. When Angie will want to try to find a peaceful started introducing herself as Ray, it felt resolution, and I want to give them the like she was embracing the fantasy. chance to do so. So I planned on reminding them they could combine I was certain my awesome encounters persuasion checks with each other. I would convince the personas to stay, brought back all the sympathetic but I was so wrong. The players were characters (Edward, Lord Byron, Peter, loving it, but I could not predict what the and Hayley) in a final attempt to personas would do. For example, I convince everyone to stay, so the group thought bringing back the kid brother could even add in rolls from sympathetic would be a big pro for staying, but it NPCs. actually had the opposite effect. The personas were (realistically) deeply I wanted the group to feel like they had disturbed and offended. to come to agreement quickly, so I created a big, gothic storm to show the The world I made was so basic (mansion world was ending. Every time the on one side, cliffs and moors on the lightening flashed, the cliffs with the other, and garden and chapel in
raging sea breaking against them between) and I was adjusting the appeared closer and closer. placement of things as we went along, so a map seemed unnecessary. But next
time I would definitely draw a map out in In the conclusion, Ro gave their the beginning for the players who feel monologue, then the personas took more immersed with cardinal directions. turns trying to make Ro understand why it was wrong to create this world and The Fool was more of a challenge to run. manipulate everyone into staying. I’m My sister was the Fool, so it could have glad that the players were so into it they been affected by sibling dynamics. But were really expressive about how their she also had trouble getting used to personas were feeling. But it was taking risks that could hinder the group, intense for me to see my sister to look at because this was so different from the me with tears in her eyes and say, “This way we normally play our characters. is not the way! Come home with us.” I And her main stuff didn’t come up until honestly started to feel a little attacked the end with the parents as the main before I realized I could just ask the villains, so the player was feeling less player if they wanted to roll a involved. I had to figure out how to add persuasion check, and then move on to extra encounters that would tempt the next turn. I realized, when it gets too Angie into using her powers. So I added personal, just bring it back to her crush, Edward, captured and mechanics. guarded by baddies. I tried to ask her to describe the way she was taking an After the personas were back in the real action (somersaulting into the room vs world, we all had a good time sneaking) to find more reasons to let her brainstorming what everyone’s life was roll the dice. I also wrote some extra like after the game, a year, and ten arcana, so she had a power that was years later. Doug left the game owing more “helpful.” (She recklessly drank at god debt, so he had to have real life the vampire bar without asking what consequences. (The debt was for some was in the glass, so she could roll to fake gold from his fey god, so all money smell the blood if someone was nearby. Doug touched in the real world turned to The better the roll, the more extensive plants. Doug changed his profession her bloodlust power.) She got the hang from actuary to gardener until he paid it of her character by the third session, off.) making Angie a flirty rogue who would recklessly attempt to seduce anyone By the end of the story, the personas who got in her way. ended up understanding Ro and themselves better. I think we all created As a consequence of Doug not paying characters that felt personal in some back some god debt before making big ways, as usually happens with another request, I had his fey god turn RPGs, but I think this game felt the gardens into a big labyrinth. It was a especially cathartic for everyone. cool visual and fun to throw everyone into the centre when Angie finally Other than a few things, all the turned over her die to get away from a encounters went over well, the music gang of bullies. But turns out it is not fun was an exciting addition, and we all had to just go off of the mechanics for rolling a blast. There were some deep cuts and out of the maze. Once again, I should emotional moments that were kind of
have made a map for the players to see intense, but it was balanced with where they were in the labyrinth. silliness and humour. The players were immediately talking about our next DIE
game. We even came up with another You can see some of their art here: premise to play again as a sort of sequel Closedeyevision.com to this story. (Kennedy snatched the https://www.facebook.com/churchofcol dice at the end and hid them for orandlight/ safekeeping, but one day they are taken by some curious youths from the Listen to their music here: LGBTQ+ music camp that Ro and Kath https://evalizard.bandcamp.com/ started.) https://diegeisterbeschworen.bandcam p.com/ BIO And read some stuff they wrote here: Eva Restad started playing D&D three http://resurrectoakland.com/blog years ago with this same group of people. This was their first time running You can find the playlist for the game a game. They love playing games, here: http://bit.ly/repentdieplaylist immersive art, and meditation. They make art, music, and sometimes write.
EXAMPLE GAME: THE WORST INTENTIONS
THE GROUP at the very systemic issues punishing them in their life. The party was a group of D&D players in high school, acquaintances through the Billy (They/he), the Dictator school band, relationships, aesthetic • State school for 1 year, then dropped affiliations, and convenience. out to sort out their gender. Connecting the players was done with • Finished a 2-year degree in webdev, an approach like bonds in a Dungeon using it to make a Myspace page for World party, giving each member a their music career. They identify as reason to know at least two of the nonbinary, agender, and others. genderqueer with a traditionally masc presentation. Works as a DJ at Ollie (He/ze), the Rage Knight a gay bar. • Crust punk, “you never grow out of • Previously the Bard in the party. goth”. • Misc: played drums in band, second • Loved black and death metal and choice for the original group. their aesthetics. • Drives: to be famous or popular, to • Autistic. be seen. • Strained relationship with father. • Stepfather was a verbally abusive I gave this player the Dictator because cop; his mother was also a cop and their persona came across as very enabled it. alienated and with a strong desire to • Dropped out of art school after a share their experience through year, hated college. performance. I also wanted a Dictator in • Started several unsuccessful the party to play with the Rage Knight’s webcomics after investing in the creative violence skillset. scene. • Alienated from his punk crowd after Megan “M” (She/Her), the Neo legal troubles surrounding a • Tutored Ollie and then dated them in legitimate act of self-defence high school. • Loses himself in fights in the pit. • High-strung bookworm from a Since then, he has immersed himself wealthy family. in the music scene, getting into • College and her success were fights in the pit regularly. assumed. • Previously the GM of the group • Drowned in extracurriculars (chess, • Drives: to be free of his family, to be debate, etc.). known for something positive, and to • Attended Yale for chemistry and finish something. excelled. • Isolated due to their intensive I gave this persona the Rage Knight to studies. align with the anti-authoritarian • Currently weighing a job offer with a aesthetic they were building toward and great salary, but remain undecided. to provide them with a weapon to swing • Struggling with their newfound independence.
• Attracted to the Wizard, but played a THE PREP Rogue in first game. • Drives: To understand themselves, The game was set in Necronomica, the to find the (right) answer world created by Ollie for their original campaign. I based the world around the I gave this player the Neo at their core themes of the albums listed as request, however I wanted to have a fundamental to Ollie’s music taste and constant strong motivation for the the imagery of their album covers. character to interact with the world, Additionally, at the end of the first often in dangerous ways through the session I drew three cards from a fair gold mechanic. custom tarot deck I have, revealing the singularity, the game show, and the Kenneth (He/Him), the Master terrorist. Sitting down with these • Owned all the sourcebooks. themes and images I set about building • Hosted games at his house. three set pieces, each of which primarily • Raided family booze cabinet. aimed at a single persona’s drives. • Belligerent over the rules. • Cheated dice rolls when nobody was I chose to isolate themes of looking. transhumanism and intuitive • Played the Paladin’s oath understanding in conjunction with the disruptively. first tarot card, the singularity. This took • Previously an officer in the marines. the form of a vast and desiccated • Alcoholic with a chip on his shoulder. academy, part mausoleum and part • Believes he is not respected enough college campus, where the scale was so for his service. massive and the weight of expectation • Nostalgic for his service. and bureaucracy so heavy that the • Paladin in the original party. players were miniscule in comparison. • Misc: first trumpet in school. Contained within was a series of • Drive: to feel important again, to interviews designed to frustrate the receive gratitude. players with various miniscule tasks, leading up to a cinematically introduced At the table, this group consisted of auditorium, featuring a skewered players consisted of all trans folks I’ve skeleton in graduation robes. The regularly played with, so going in we skeleton’s mind held the secrets of Die used a pre-existing set of ground rules and was accessible by our Neo, who felt that meant we wouldn’t use transphobia the pains of academia most acutely. or gender discrimination as plot points The skeleton’s mind would allow the or conflicts. The players took this players to access the truth of the world opportunity to have plenty of long form of Die, and also offer the temptation of in character discussions about the perfect knowledge to the Neo. identity of their personas and characters throughout the campaign, For the second set piece, I created a especially as their characters had very colossus wandering forever in a loop, different gender presentations than the meaning it was waist-high in a canyon personas. when the players encountered it.
Focusing on the themes of the uselessness of forever war, I created two societies locked in an eternal
conflict. The first was a kingdom resting For the final confrontation, I gave the atop the back and head of the goliath, Master a massive ziggurat inside a agricultural and feudal in nature. This spreading realm of polygonal platonic would contrast the fantastic and idyllic ideals called the Glass Sea. The region imagery of high fantasy with the was described as a warped field on a extractive and restrictive monarchy grid of light, with golden glass and occupying the territory. Using a child shapes forming various stage-graphics, king and the misguided enthusiasm for like houses on a film set with only one war of child soldiers, I painted a picture side or various “assets” aligned in of misguided conviction that was perfect order like a developer’s cache in difficult to stomach. a videogame. The area was patrolled by a faction of golden haired and skinned Around the outskirts was a society elven riders of Tron-like motorbikes. called the clingers, roughly equipped Their enlarged yet muscled and graceful brigand types with a society suspended proportions were designed to tie in with from the sides of the goliath and finding the Fair of the comics while also alluding safety in the nooks and crannies of its to the poisoned idealism of aryan body. They were characterized by their preference. The glass sea itself was an poverty, age, and the proliferation of allusion to the idea of US imperialism prosthetic limbs. They would be bombing the Middle East into a sea of introduced first as freedom fighters, to glass, which reflected the Master’s utilize the terrorist card, in their struggle ideals of an artificially peaceful world against the oppression of the kingdom brought about through order and above. Additionally, they reveal that military might. The apparent disregard they have been rescuing the sick and for the variety of people and ways of life elderly from the kingdom after their use in the world, in addition to the military and efficiency is reduced, giving them affiliation, made the Master an easy an anticapitalistic bent that I expected villain and encouraged the players to would appeal to my players. chase him down more for vengeance than any desire for an explanation. The third set piece went unused due to the players, but consisted of a Throughout the game, the Master’s mountaintop performance venue to bear ideals evolved from an initial goal of out the game show card and give the playing saviour to a world where he Dictator a chance to amplify their Voice could unequivocally take the role of the and give the performance of as lifetime. hero by bringing peace. It rapidly I planned to introduce this area as one transformed as the personas grew to of two massive peaks, the other highlight their obsession with societal destroyed by the Master’s machinations alienation. The Master’s plan changed to and so the Dictator’s voice would be take the shape of a world dripping with essential to restoring the balance of the injustice and sorely in need of heroes, world and allowing its people to so that the personas could each receive continue unharmed. Elements of gender the validation they craved as heroes. segregation existed between the two Each set piece that existed as a pillars, to highlight the reward for temptation to either go home or stay in
introspection about gender present in the world became an opportunity to find the persona generation. the solution to their drives in their characters. The Master himself would
serve as a monolithic villain to align adventure. The irony of the party their struggle against and bring them attacking the Master for trying to assert together following the social drift that his will over the world through military had happened in the years since the order and homogenization when they original game. Both of these grand plans had done just the same with extreme would end with the party thanking him, use of power was laid bare. in his mind, for arranging such a splendid adventure and for freeing them The final battle was decisive. With the from their miserable lives on earth. party arrayed against him in his stronghold, the Master transformed into HOW THE GAME WENT a giant wielding a classic military sabre. Using aesthetic changes to the Early on the party developed a reliance Godbinder, I brought in various sand- on creative violence to solve complex themed powers to disrupt the group, social problems, circumventing before he was worn down by their characters and encounters by, in some superior numbers. While the players cases literally, cutting a path to the chose to return home afterward, there Master. This resulted in an extreme was very little celebration. If anything amount of ruin to both the landmarks of the group was solemn after the energy the world, and in one case doomed an of the encounter faded and their exit entire country to almost certain death. from the world was described, as they Every sacrifice of life became another weighed the cost of their escape. reason to escape the world, since their crimes multiplied rapidly. BIO
Because of this approach, the Numinous (she/they) is a trans game encounter with the Master was one with dev and motion graphics artist who runs a bitter GM whose “perfect plot” had and plays RPGs on the Gender Coffin, an been put in disarray. The villain’s all trans RPG server. They can be found monologue became a rant detailing the on twitter @FWNuminous. price paid by others throughout their
EXAMPLE GAME: Y2K APOCALYPSE CULT
THE GROUP which everyone clearly constantly forgets. Divorcee. Smokes. This is a one-off game using a non- standard DIE game set of personas (see Susan is the techhead in her day job and next section). As such, it used the a snotty punk? Sounds cyberpunk to reduced character sheets, and I gave me. Neo. the players a more limited selection of starting backgrounds. As the players Gwen were international, I suggested that Parents were Welsh hippy luddites, so they were an international camp of kids grows up in an isolated place with very who came together. little tech. Parents joined the cult less out of actual belief, and more that Did the group run with this? Oh, did they. they’re similar anti-tech fellow travellers. As such, Gwen tends to be a They’re all children who were at a camp bit bemused by the whole cult thing. As of apocalypse cultists awaiting the Y2k part of the 70s hippy tradition, her rapture. The cult claimed that it would parents introduced her to D&D, so she end the world, and all the true believers was the one who ran the game. She now would get lifted up to a tech-heaven. runs a yoga retreat in Wales, and has a They gathered everyone in the next general wellness social-media sort of village down from Portmeirion (where approach to it. Recently divorced with a classic 60s TV show The Prisoner was kid and a dog. Has a naked goat tattoo. filmed) to wait for the end of the world. The cult leader was a big fan. Gwen was played by the most experienced player in the room, so I They all sat around and played role- gave her the Dictator. playing games while waiting for the world to end. It didn’t. Everyone went Purple home and got on with their lives… Italian with a very normal family – except the aunt, who was a member of Susan (Suzy) the cult. Purple bought in entirely, and American. Then, a snotty punk rock kid ran away with her aunt to go there. The who thinks no good music was made first the family knew of where she’d after she was born. Spent her time at been was the TV coverage afterwards. the camp rolling her eyes at the whole Her response to the cult failure was a thing. However, when the world didn’t belief that it was just a mistake – the end, it entirely throws her. Clearly, to world would end, but just in another rebel against something like that meant way, which she continued to explore. In that on some level she believed it, and it an interesting parallel with Gwen, she left a void. Works as a coder now, and is also a yoga teacher, but hers is a less the person who has got the group grounded, more fanatical approach.
together for this reunion. Was called She’s bordering on being a cult leader “Suzy” then but prefers “Susan” now, herself.
The player had never touched a game conspiracy bod. Put it like this: Purple before, but also expressed an interest in and Holborn are both fringe cultists, but playing someone who’ll get angry and no-one forwards Purple’s serious hit things. Emotion Knight. theories to friends because they’re so funny. Hansel Wunderschmidt Firstly, let’s have a second of applause Fool. Holborn was clearly the Fool. for the player’s choosing Hansel’s name. Hansel was a true believer, his Patrick parents actually the two main public Son of the leader of the cult, who mouthpieces of the cult. However, when committed suicide shortly after the the cult failed to come true, it became failure of the prophecy. Named after clear that the cosmetically-enhanced Patrick McGoohan, the lead of the parents were just scammers. Post-Cult Prisoner. Has been very distant ever they continued in a similar vein, with since – the group isn’t mainly in touch, further scams. They were rich for but no one heard much about Patrick. several years, until a deal got found out. They were looking at prison, when both My character, playing the Master. died, under mysterious circumstances. Hansel is a wannabe influencer, and THE PREP presently selling his memoirs of A Boy In A Major Cult. In a single session, I knew I couldn’t plan carefully for each character’s own Hansel got given Godbinder – it’s the desires. In the fifteen-minute break, I least necessary choice, but sometimes looked at what I had. The background “what’s left over” is all that matters. The had the advantage of a single traumatic player had expressed an urge to play event connecting everyone – and with magic, and I suspected he’d be everyone’s own trauma was linked to it someone who’d enjoy talking to the intensely. Doing a setting that harked gods. back to that Y2k would give enough resonance for everyone. With five Holborn Perchance players, the sheer amount of Parents were believers, and so was biographical detail means it would be Holborn. But a little younger than the impossible to fit it all in a single session rest, he approached it in a much lighter anyway, so I was also planning for a fashion, not really getting “What the end game that mostly based around the of the world” actually meant. As such, Master’s persona’s desires. The players he tended to make costumes out of going so big with the setting was a gift, motherboards and stomp around. His meaning that Patrick’s story would also gleeful ranting to a newsteam (”UPLOAD be their story. ME TO THE DATASPHERE!”) actually made him a very early internet meme What does Patrick want from Die star. It was 2000, so it was basically specifically? Does he want his dad him and the hamsterdance. Clearly, this back? No – what he wants is what his led to a lot of people laughing at him… dad wanted to actually happen. As in, he
which Holborn takes in his stride. His wants the world to end, so everyone path has basically turned him into an can go to their cult’s tech heaven. He entirely sincere fringe spiritual / wants his dad, and everything he grew
up with, to be right. DIE has offered attempt to stop the Master and his Patrick a world that he can destroy. So, Father, who lie far beneath the as opposed to a standard Master who planet. How can they get there? wants to live in the realm, Patrick is Likely, the city can teleport them actually trying to destroy it. there, but the players may have other ideas. So how is the old fantasy world being destroyed? The idea is obvious. Y2k 3) The final encounter. I have the image bug? Fallen beetles and scarabs, of the father on the throne, and consuming everyone and all reality. In Patrick prostate before him. Except the fantasy language, it’s an the players realise the father is apocalyptic threat, that’s emerging from already dead, and Patrick is paying far beneath the earth to tear down homage to a corpse. The entire place society. is covered by a carpet of bugs, also paying homage. And here? We can As we basically have an hour and a half see all reality is being eaten. Give the to actually get through the adventure players a chance to approach the part, I know there’s not really time for problem however they wish – more than a handful of encounters. I Patrick’s initial take is “If reality think of a rough structure: ends, we will all go to heaven.” Can he be talked around? I have no idea, 1) The arrival in Die. I drop the room the but look forward to finding out. personas are playing the game in intact into the world… then have the I also get a quick grab bag of Fallen scarab starting to tear down atmospheric ideas – the Godbinder has the walls, revealing they’re in a selected the God of Light, which I played tunnel system. Introduce the threat as a peppy utopian cyberpunk AI. The of these “bugs”. It’s clearly a play on actual Neo’s computer was basically the Y2K bug, as well as the techno- Clippy (”You look like you’re trying to utopian ideas of the cult. Fill the shoot someone in the head!”). That The whole environment with them, with Prisoner is in their background means I little ones just being scenery, while may lift some key images from the the larger ones are threat. I’d use Prisoner TV series – the iconic Rover the small ones more as an (the big white balloons) strikes me as atmospheric effect and a hint of bad useful. Otherwise, I make do with asking things to come. questions about the RPG world, then integrating, and always harking back to 2) When they leave the room, they’re in the Y2k stuff to give an aesthetic. a tunnel just beneath the capital city of the fantasy world. I do no HOW THE GAME WENT preparation on this – I will ask questions to the players about their It seemed to work well enough. Phew. teenage RPG world, and then subvert them. All important ABOUT ME information will be given to the players, and they’ll be informed I’m Kieron Gillen, and I am a word man.
other heroes have died in the
CUSTOM MINOR MIRACLES AND SPELLS
When coming to polish the Arcana I hit DIE’s hyper-competent spellcasters this section and winced. I knew it was can regularly cast. rough and ready, but it was just not right, in any way. However, due to it 2) When trying to simulate a being referenced so much in the main complicated spell, there’s not nearly text, I realised that it had to be in here – enough guidance on how all the so I added some caveats, and decided elements interact. Trying to add to let it go. some would be a huge job, and lead to a system far more complicated It simply didn’t do what I wanted it to do. than anything else in the game. With DIE, there’s a need to try and be quasi-objective in the inward rules. As So yeah. It just didn’t do what I wanted it such, I wanted to try and create a solely to do. objective system for generating spells. I was clearly being influenced by liking Luckily I then realised what I wanted it 90s computer role-playing and strategy to do is completely extraneous for what games like Lords of Magic and Legend, DIE is. where the player strung “nouns” together and it all kicked in. So you’d What the following actually is: a way to add a projectile to an explosion to a set a difficulty and some core in-game projectile to a damage, and it created a effects for any basic RPG spell you’d like projectile which hit and then sent an to cast. That’s all it needs to be, and explosion of missiles streaming out. that’s all it is. Which is pretty nifty, and very much the sort of game that Sol would have been Phew. playing circa designing DIE. NOT USING THE FOLLOWING RULES Now, I knew that it wouldn’t be that robust, as it’s not a computer game’s The Minor Miracles (and spells, clockwork perfection, but I hoped to get generally) are one of the most number- something that held together in a fairly heavy bits of DIE. The players don't coherent way. necessarily see it, so you can fudge it, but a rule-of-thumb setup will be a And what I designed did. As far as it distinct turnoff for some GMs. If you're went. Which wasn’t nearly far enough. one of them, limit the Godbinder to Major Miracles and their pre-generated spells The main problems? on their character sheets. As in, treat any magical effect not on their 1) DIE’s system of target difficulty is character sheet as a Major Miracle, with just too coarse to get fine a relatively small cost. Kill a single graduations in. If you’re selecting enemy? Do a small quest or cost a God from a list, and all options increase Debt or two. That kind of thing.
their difficulty, add even a few and you hit a number which not even As a halfway house, there is a large list of traditional RPG spells whose difficulty
level has been pre-calculated (and also Limits are what actually gets affected shows you how I generated their by the effects – the range operated to, difficulties according to the system). how long it all lasts and so on. These are useful spells to swap in and out of a Godbinder’s character sheet if Most effects and limits add one they want to either switch their spells difficulty each. There are some which for the already existing gods on the add more, as they’re relatively more sheet or generate a whole new god. powerful. For zero difficulty, you Using a Major Miracle for a Godbinder to automatically get a Range of touch get access to another Minor Miracle and/or self, a Length of instantaneous, permanently is definitely an interesting and the number of Targets of one. Plus option, for example. nifty cosmetic visual effects. You can have all the impressive sparkles you It’s worth noting that the pre-generated want for free. Sparkles for everyone! miracles on the Godbinder sheet are one point less expensive than they are when For example, consider the sturdy genre generated by the systems. Your core classic Magic Missile. It flies through the spells are simply easier to cast. If you air to zap someone. Its effect is Damage are replacing a Godbinder’s miracle with and its only Limit is Range. Looking down one generated from these rules, you the list, it does Damage at Range. That’s should reduce its difficulty by one. one effect and one limit, meaning the total difficulty to cast a Magic Missile Basically, however you want your DIE would be 2. world to work is fine. All DIE worlds play by their own rules, remember. Minor secondary effects to a spell do not affect difficulty as long as the USING THE FOLLOWING RULES advantages and disadvantages even out. If not, you should increase the Minor Miracles’ and spells’ difficulties difficulty by one. can be calculated by totalling the costs of each individual element of a spell. For example, transforming into an ursine Yes, spells and Miracles are used bear may give you an advantage on interchangeably in the text that follows. attacks due to the considerable Miracles means Minor Miracles. advantage of being a fucking bear, but will give you disadvantages to tasks like Firstly, think of the spell and what you opening doors, word-processing or want it to do. Or look at your favourite getting down at the local discotheque, RPG manual, and see a spell, and think unless it caters to larger hairy men. how that could work in a game of DIE. The difficulty of a spell is created by Sometimes spells have complicated adding together the cost of its effect after-effects. The effects of these and its limits. should follow the narrative of what the spell actually does. Effects are specific core magical abilities, like healing people or hurting For example, Cloud Kill summons a
people or increasing stats or whatever. massive cloud of necrotic gas which Your choices here provide core rules fucks up people who breathe it in. It’s which can be integrated into the game. easy enough to calculate its core value
– Death Damage as its effect; Ranged, The following gets the vast majority of Large Area and Duration as its limits. the system, bar fringe cases. Duration, Death Damage and Ranged cost 1 apiece, while Large Area costs 2, If the spell does a thing, it’s difficulty 1. If leading to a hefty difficulty of 5. it does a thing to someone over there? However, while the rules explain how it It’s difficulty 2. If it does a thing to a works in the opening attack round, how bunch of people, it’s difficulty 2. If it does it affect people who choose to go does a thing to a bunch of people over into it later? there? It’s difficulty 3. If it does another thing while doing the thing? Add one to That’s up to you when you design the the difficulty. If it does the thing for a spell or to decide in play. I’d make any while? Add 1 to the difficulty. character who passes through the gas on their turn roll a Constitution test with You’ll be fine. a difficulty of 5, taking one hit for every point you fail by. Maybe you’d do I’M A PLAYER AND I’M GOING TO something else. MIN/MAX THIS TO FUCKING DEATH
That’s the key thing. Let’s put it in bold. These are experimental rules. I’m showing how I’ve codified spell The point of this system is to give you a difficulties. The point of these rules is to difficulty and some core rules for the try and ascertain what the difficulty spells in the game. It is not meant to cost of a spell should be. As in, you sit limit what sort of spells you can create. down, work out what elements could go into a spell, and come up with a number. If something is clearly nonsense, don’t do it. The point is to work out what a spell should cost, not to work out what the REMIND ME WHAT THE DIFFICULTY system can let you get away with. NUMBER IS ACTUALLY FOR While these rules are mainly for the GM, Sure. The difficulty is the target number they’re also accessible to players. of successes the players’ dice pool Certain players are going to explicitly must match or exceed to successfully look for things to exploit in the system, catch the spell or miracle. Godbinders and work out something ludicrously base their dice pool on their Wisdom. powerful, impossibly cheaply. Masters base their dice pool on their Intelligence. The rare magic-using Fool Magic is supernatural, so against uses either Intelligence or Charisma, scientific meddling. Gods are egotistical depending on the players’ preference. beings, fickle, and liking of respect. Neither like being treated like this. QUICK AND DIRTY METHOD? If a GM believes a spell is actively trying If you want the simplest rule of thumb to to exploit the system, the difficulty of generate a spell to keep in your head? the spell is doubled.
LIMITS AND EFFECTS
Here’s a selection I’ve used for making example, if level 1 is 1 difficulty, and level the spells. 2 is 3 difficulty, then to cast it at level 2, it would be 4 difficulty. The number in brackets is the cost. With multiple numbers, that’s the cost for You should feel free to create keywords multiple levels of it, with the implication of your own. Beta rules, darlings. We are you can stack. As in, you buy level 1 highly hackable. before level 2 and then level 3. For
LIMITS
DISTANCE AREA
Close Range (1) Area (1) Can be targeted at someone inside the Affects everyone within sword-reach of area of an average melee. Think ‘thrown a target. weapons’ range. Large Area (2) Medium Range (2) Affects everyone within around the area Can be targeted at people outside of an of a sizeable room. average melee. Think ‘reliable arrow or gun’ range. Extreme Area (3) Affects everyone in a large area – about Far Range (3) the size of a hall. Can be targeted at people in sight. When using an area effect, as well as DURATION rolling to match the difficulty for casting a spell, you also use the same number Duration (1) of successes to compare to the target’s The spell lasts for the length of an resistance. For example, if it’s a average combat, unless countered in physical attack it’s usually their some way. defence. If it’s a mental attack, it’s usually half a character’s Willpower, Hour Duration (2) rounded down. This means that an area The spell lasts for an hour. effect spell could actually affect some targets in a region but not all of them. Day Duration (3) The spell lasts for a day, unless For example, a player casts a sleep countered. spell. In the area are five henchmen and a noble wizard. The henchpeople have a Ongoing Duration (5) Willpower of 4. The Wizard has a The spell’s effect lasts indefinitely. Willpower of 7. The player needs three
successes to cast the spell. They the Master didn’t add Selective to this manage to roll three successes, casting spell, it includes themselves. the spell. As this is more than half the Willpower of the henchpeople, so they Selective means actively in that moment fall asleep. As it is less than the Wizard’s being able to choose who the spell Willpower rounded down, the spellcaster works on – as in, “friends” or “foes.” The manages to stay awake as their allies spell works on who the spellcaster slump all around them. wants. Something which is not chosen in such a way does not change When you cast an area effect, you can difficulty. For example, a fireball that only use each special once. You do not affects everyone who is not wearing a get to use the special on everyone in the fancy hat does not change its difficulty. group. This rule may seem strange, but For example, a player casts a fireball on Masters with rule-bending powers are five orcs with defence 1. The player rolls right shits. a 6, two 4s and a 2. As the orcs have a defence of 1, the player causes 3 hits on NOTE ON AREA EFFECT AND HIGH each of them. However, as the player DIFFICULTY only rolled one 6, they can only choose to activate the fireball’s special (“Set a It’s worth noting that in the present target on fire”) once, meaning only one system a spell which succeeds with a orc is set on fire. Poor orc. high difficulty will always be highly effective (i.e. a difficulty 4 attack spell Universal hitting a creature with defence of 1 If you want to do a universal effect (as means that any successful casting of in, affects everyone in the world you’re the spell will provide four hits). in) you will be looking for a Major Miracle (if you’re a Godbinder), a Cheat Token (if This is primarily done for speed of play… you’re a Master – and likely not even and also high difficulty spells are then) or a quest to find out how you can extremely rare in the system, or at least actually achieve such a feat. costly in terms of expending player resources (like a Godbinder’s debt). As Selective (1 for Area, 2 for Large Area, 3 they are so hard to succeed, we prefer it for Extreme Areas) to always be a big moment rather than For an area effect, you can add risking succeeding in casting your selectivity – so you can choose who ludicrous Cloud Kill (or whatever) spell inside the area is affected by a spell or and then rolling badly for the attack and not – at increasing costs. Worth noting – it becoming an anti-climax. if not selected, the character is included in any negative effects of the spell. If you dislike this, you can make a spellcaster roll to cast the spell and For example, a Master casts a ball of fire then roll again to see how successful around themselves. Anyone nearby the attack is. them will be attacked by the spell. As
EFFECTS attacking opponent’s dice pool, it would Remember that narrative is the key cost a single point. thing. If the spell as described does not have an effect, it doesn’t damage. For Counter-Attack (1) example, something immune to fire Anyone in range of this spell who would not be hurt by fire damage. attacks the target of the spell suffers a Something which doesn’t breathe is 1-success attack in retaliation. likely immune to gas, and so on. For example, casting a Counter-Attack PETTY SPELLS (aka EFFECTLESS) spell on yourself would mean anyone who is within touch range (i.e. in a melee Most of the following effects are attack) would be hit by a 1-success relatively powerful, with even difficulty 1 attack if they attacked you. simulating something as brutal as a physical attack. There are many magical Heal (1) effects that aren’t quite as dramatic, Heals a target, with the number of such as creating light. successes the amount of Health healed. The maximum number of Health that can In this case, the effect cost is zero and be healed is limited to the number of the spell is known as “Petty”. The cost Heal effects you have added. As in, if for all limits remains. you add Heal to the spell multiple times you can increase how much it heals. It’s suggested that for Petty Magic in a You can only cast this spell once a day non-combat situation, they’re on the same target, unless the target considered routine actions for any has suffered a further wound. trained magician, and so don’t require a roll. TRANSFORMATION
HEALING AND HURTAGE The following three – Tweak, Alter and Boost – are often used as part of Damage (1) shapeshifting spells. As such, a Causes harm to a target, identically to a cosmetic effect can be added with no normal attack. There are also more extra cost. As per always, assuming specialised alternates which add a advantages and disadvantages even special to the attack, which are collated out, there are no costs for them. at the bottom of the list. For example, earlier we gave the Defence (2, 4, 6) example of turning into a bear, so Adds a point of defence to the target. gaining an advantage on attacks due to the considerable advantage of being a The cost of this is “2” as it’s adding two fucking bear, but giving you disadvantages on all attacks. disadvantages to tasks like opening doors, word-processing or getting down Abstractly, if you wanted to just add a at the local discotheque. The actual disadvantage (i.e. one bad dice) to an "Turning into a bear" part is no extra cost, as it is purely cosmetic.
It’s worth stressing that this lets you For example, a player with Constitution transform your appearance in a general 2 has 2 Health. They have been hit, and way. If you want to transform it in a now only have 1 Health. They suffer a specific way, the illusion keyword is curse aimed at their Constitution, required. You want to turn into a bear? reducing it by 1. They can only have 1 This spell works. You want to turn into a Health. However, as they only have 1 specific bear? You’ll need illusion. Health, they do not lose a further 1. If they had been cursed before being Tweak (1) wounded, they would have lost that Change which statistic is used in a rule. Health.
For example, guard dice is normally GENERAL MAGICAL STUFF calculated by dexterity. A tweak spell may change it so it’s calculated by Language (1) wisdom, traditionally higher in Masters Communicate with something you and Godbinders. couldn’t before.
Alter (1,3,5) Illusion (1) Swap one higher statistic to another You can make the subject of the spell lower statistic. At a higher level, you can appear exactly as you wish, including swap multiple lower abilities for one specific things. Despite the keyword higher one, with the higher one name, if the appearance has no physical becoming the level of the lowest. advantages – as in, no stat changes, and its advantages and disadvantages For example, with Alter (1) a Godbinder level out – the change can be actually with Wisdom 4, Strength 2 and physical. It also includes literal illusions, Constitution 2 could cast a spell which including light. increased either Strength or Constitution to 4 while Wisdom would Mental Attack (1,3) drop to 2. With Alter 2 – costing 3 Alter the emotional state of the target, difficulty – you could transform both like a Dictator (See the “Running the Strength and Constitution to 4 while Dictator” section). Each success Wisdom would drop to 2. changes the emotional state by 1. The first level of this ability lets you change Boost (1,3.5) the state (“It can make someone Add one to a characteristic. No matter angry”) and the second lets you add a what the source, lesser level abilities do target (“It can make someone angry at a not stack – you can’t cast a Boost three specific subject”). It should be stressed times to add 3 to your abilities. that hitting the difficulty means you manage to change the effect by 1 level, Curse (1,3,5) with each extra success being another Reduces a given statistic by one to a level. As such, while spellcasters can minimum of one. If you reduce mimic Dictators’ abilities, they are far Constitution, you reduce your Health more limited.
maximum, and so reduce the maximum number of Health dice you can presently have. Like Boost, these do not stack.
Counterspell (1) Barrier (1) Cancels a single ongoing spell effect. If Summons an obstruction that prevents the spell has an ongoing difficulty (like a anyone from traversing it. The number barrier), that’s its difficulty to cancel. of successes equals the total difficulty required to traverse it. The nature of the Detect (1) spell and narrative determines what The player will be informed whether a statistics or abilities could be used to specified something is near or not. traverse it – or avoid it entirely. Detect Magic, Detect Orcs, Detect Nearby Discos that are Welcoming to For example, a Master summons a Ursine Groovers. All under this. tower of rock which pushes them into the sky. They roll three successes. The Summon (1,3,5) GM determines that a player can use Summons a creature who is under your their strength dice pool to try and climb control for the duration of the spell. it, like anything else. The Neo, who can teleport, says they should be able to just Summon Level 1 will summon a creature teleport up there. The GM agrees, so who has all stats at 2, and some circumventing the task entirely. advantages and disadvantages on skills (for example, a wolf who has 2 on all Free Movement (1/3) stats and an advantage on biting and Level 1 removes one limitation on tracking, but a disadvantage on movement. The higher level removes basically everything else; or a cute tech two limitations on movement. Define this robot who has an advantage on coding broadly. and reading stuff, but a disadvantage on anything involving violence). Climbing walls freely like a spider? A level 1 spell. Levitation? Also a level 1 Summon Level 2 will summon a creature spell. Flying? A level 3 spell. who has two stats of a 3, and the rest 2, plus the array of advantages and Sense Blank (1) disadvantages. Target is no longer possible to be sensed by a single sense. For each level Summon Level 3 will summon a creature of the spell, you can lose a single sense. who has two stats of 4, with a similar For example, to become invisible is a array of advantages and single level. To become invisible and not disadvantages. smell, it would be 2 levels. If you attack anyone when this spell is active, the Creatures can be defined according to spell cancels. the systems as described in the “Preparing The Second Session” STUNS section. The ability which stops people doing Major Weaknesses (-1) stuff. There’s two sorts of stun. Stun You can reduce the difficulty of either wears off or can easily be summoning a creature by one if it has negated by an outside action. The way something can be negated depends significant weaknesses – as in, its weaknesses are much worse than its upon the fiction of the spell. advantages.
Paralyse (1) As damage, but adds “Special: if this The classical RPG stun which wears off, attack does a wound, the target is on but cannot easily be negated. fire and suffers 1 wound every round until the flames are extinguished”. Sleep (1) Light Damage The classical RPG stun which does not As damage, but adds “Special: this wear off, but can easily be negated. attack blinds the target, meaning they suffer two disadvantages on all tasks A Stun spell is resisted by half its involving sight until their sight is target’s Willpower, rounded down. The returned". amount a stun beats its Wisdom is the number of rounds a target is stunned. Plant Damage “Easily negated” tends to mean actions As damage, but adds “Special: this not based on successful rolls – for attack immobilises the target until they sleep, merely shaking a shoulder or either free themselves or are freed”. The making a lot of noise will wake the difficulty of this task should equal the people. “Not easily negated” can include number of successful specials that a target rolling their Wisdom in a round have been activated on the target. to try and overcome the paralysis, with the number of rounds remaining to be Death Damage the target. Clearly, if it’s only a single As damage, but adds “Special: this round, there is no need to do this. attack curses the target, reducing their strength by one for the remainder of this If a spell’s form of Stun has a downside encounter”. as well as an upside, you may also use the Stun keyword for all of it. Pain Damage As damage, but adds “Special: gain For example, a temporary turn to stone disadvantage due to pain for the rest of could work as a Stun, as long as the the encounter”. target is basically invulnerable while stunned. The target loses the ability to Light Boost roll Willpower to try and snap out of it, As Boost, but also adds “Special: if but gains invulnerability, so it basically target is attacking an undead monster evens out. each hit causes two hits” to their attacks. DAMAGE POWERS Gas Damage If a spell or miracle has multiple damage As damage, but adds “Special: if hit effects, it can use any of their specials. bypasses Guard”. Also, one whose This section is especially one which your name will likely make players snicker, friend, the Gamesmaster, encourages bless ‘em. you to expand as you see fit.
Fire Damage
SPELLBOOK
Here are some classical RPG spells Magic Missile (Damage, Ranged) = transformed into the language of DIE. Difficulty 2 For more examples see the DIE A magical projectile which will hurt archetype sheets for the Godbinder and someone up to medium range. the Master, but remember those core abilities have a difficulty of one less Mimic (Illusion, Duration) = Difficulty 2 than the system described above. Transforms to be visually identical to someone else. You gain none of their Flash of Light (No Effect) = Difficulty 0 special abilities or statistics. Makes a momentary flash of light. Illusion counts as “light” for our Sleep (Stun, Range, Area) = Difficulty 3 purposes. It’s a minor effect, so has no Makes anyone in a given area go to cost. sleep.
Light (No Effect, Duration) = Difficulty 1 Fire Armour (Defence, Counter-Attack, Makes some manner of glowing light Duration) = Difficulty 3 that lasts for an encounter. It’s worth Covers yourself with magical burning noting that as there’s no limit to casting armour for the length of a combat. spells, this can be updated indefinitely. Increases Armour by 1. Does 1 damage to Also, as it’s petty magic, it shouldn’t anyone attacks you. require a difficulty roll as it’s a routine task. Fireball (Fire Damage, Range, Area) = Difficulty 3 Detect Magic by Touch (Detect) = Creates a fiery explosion within medium Difficulty 1 range, affecting everyone in a small The GM will reveal if an object the player area. The attack has “Special: if this is touching is magical. attack does a wound, the target is on fire and suffers one wound every round Detect Magic (Detect, Area) = Difficulty 2 until the flames are extinguished”. The GM will reveal what, if anything, in this vicinity is magical. If you want to Summon Wolf (Summon, Duration) = make them carry on glowing, it’d be Difficulty 2 difficulty 3 to add a duration. Summons a wolf (all stats 2, advantage on wolf stuff, disadvantage on non-wolf Summon Servant (Summon, stuff) for the length of an encounter. Disadvantage -1, Duration) = Difficulty 2 Summons a helpful servant and can do Summon Monster (Summon 3 (5), anything a person could do... but cannot Duration) = Difficulty 6 do anything at all violent. Summons an enormous threatening monster to serve you for one combat. Speak To Ghosts (Language, Duration) = (Strength 4, Constitution 4) Difficulty 2
Ghosts may speak your language, but Tanglevine (Plant Damage, Area, there are barriers like the whole being Selective) = Difficulty 3 dead thing, right?
Makes vines burst from all sides near The “if the target resists” bit is just the caster, tearing down at his enemies. codifying “always feel free to interpret a Attack everyone: attack all enemies in partial success” part of the main rules. close area to caster. Add “Special: It’s included here to get you thinking immobilize”. about other similar situations.
Cage (Distance, Barrier, Duration) = Group Wither (Curse, Duration, Difficulty 3 Selectivity, Area) = Difficulty 4 Wraps a barrier around the target, with Makes all enemies nearby get -1 the number of successes of the spell Strength. The target difficulty is the equalling the difficulty for the target to Wisdom of the individual. escape. Alternative Group Wither (Curse, Transform Into A Bear (Alter 3, Duration) Duration, Area, Range) = Difficulty 4 = Difficulty 4 Makes all people at a distance in a You become an actual bear. Your group suffer -1 Strength. The target Constitution and Strength are increased difficulty is the Wisdom of the individual. to the level of your wisdom, while your wisdom drops to the level of whichever Divine Light (Ranged, Blind Damage, is lowest between Constitution and Double Damage) = Difficulty 3 Strength. Lasts for one encounter. You Divine light which strikes a nearby gain advantages and disadvantages individual. Special: double damage on a appropriately. wound inflicted. Special: blinds target.
Bless (Area, Boost, Duration) = Difficulty Personal Force Shield (Transform, 3 Duration) = Difficulty 2 Gives everyone +1 strength who is near Makes Wisdom rather than Dexterity you at the moment of casting for the generate Guard dice for the length of length of a combat. This is everyone in the combat. the area. If it’s a selective area, it will be difficulty 4. Another Personal Force Field (Defence, Duration) = Difficulty 3 Alternative Bless (Area, Boost, Duration) Increases your defence by 1, lasting for = Difficulty 3 the length of the combat. Gives anyone who is presently standing near the caster +1 strength for the Cure (Heal) = Difficulty 1 duration for one encounter. This is Can heal Health to touch. Only 1 health primarily to show that the same can be recovered per day if the target keywords can have significantly hasn’t been wounded since. different effect. Greater Healing Touch (Heal, Heal, Heal) Wither (Curse, Duration) = Difficulty 2 Difficulty = 3 Anyone you touch reduces their As above, but up to 3 Health can be strength by one for the duration of the recovered at once. combat. They resist with their Wisdom. If
the spell succeeds but the target resists Healing Power (Heal, Distance) = its, they suffer a disadvantage on Difficulty 2 strength tasks for their next turn.
Heals an individual nearby, with a single normal weapons nor hit anyone with Health recovery max. normal weapons, as that averages out.
Group Heal (Heal, Area) = Difficulty 2 Invisibility (Sense Blank, Duration) = Heals everyone nearby, including Difficulty 2 enemies. To make it selective would be Turns the caster invisible for the length difficulty 3 (Heal, Area, Selectivity). Can of a combat. If they attack, the spell only heal a single health point to each cancels. character. Cloud Kill (Range, Distance, Duration, Spiderwalk (Free Movement, Duration) = Area, Gas Damage) = Difficulty 5 Difficulty 2 Creates an area of noxious gas, away You can climb any surface for the length from you, harming everyone in the area. of a combat. It persists for the length of the combat. Anyone entering (or remaining) in the Flight (Free Movement 2 (3), Duration) = area must make a Constitution test with Difficulty 4 difficulty 5 to avoid suffering damage You can fly freely at running speed for equal to the amount they fail the test by. the length of a combat. You’ll note that only the first bit of the spell is defined by the keywords – the Intangible (Free Movement, Duration) = latter is my extrapolation of how the Difficulty 2 rules for a big ol’ cloud of evil gas could Allows you to move freely through work. If you want it to fill a whole room, objects for the length of a combat. You this would be difficulty 6, as you’d need can’t do fancy tricks like walking on air the Large Area keyword. or beneath the ground. Not in keywords, but I’d say you can neither be hit by
MINOR EXTRA RULES
INCAPACITATION, DEATH AND INJURY can't do anything, except breathe and maybe whimper a bit. If you’re trying a campaign, the death- happy way of play may be If they received two excess Health, they unsatisfactory. You maybe don’t want are unconscious and injured. They to be a Fallen that regularly. Here are a remain injured even if they recover hit couple of extra rules to make death less dice by healing. The injury should be likely. One is light and the other is more defined in the narrative – for example, a rules-y. broken arm, a lost finger, a chest wound. An injured character has two LIGHT disadvantages on any challenge the injury would interfere with. For all other If a character is reduced to zero, they challenge rolls, they suffer one are unconscious. disadvantage.
If a character is reduced to a negative Some tasks may be simply impossible value, they are dying. Characters only with a given injury. actually die at the end of a combat if their health hasn’t been brought up to at For example, Fragile Findus with a least one via healing during that time. broken arm would suffer a You may allow a healer an extra action disadvantage on any combat-related to try and heal someone at the end of a challenges or (er) typing. For everything combat. else – charming people, remembering ancient lore, everything – they suffer NOT AT ALL LIGHT one disadvantage. Being injured is just distracting. Equally, due to only having If a character's hit dice falls to zero, one active arm, this character could not they are out of the fight, but still wield a two-handed weapon or conscious. To act at all requires a undertake other similar tasks. Constitution test with a difficulty of 2. If they can act, any action is performed It should be noted you can have multiple with three disadvantages. injuries, which should be listed separately. For example, Injury: Broken In practice, it is safe to assume that all Arm and Injury: Sucking Chest Wound. but the most motivated characters will lie there and have a good cry. If they received 3 excess Health, they die instantly and often messily. If a character suffers any damage when on zero hit dice or receive more Health Any future Health losses suffered by the than they have hit dice, note the number character are treated exactly the same of excess Health. as the above. One excess would do nothing, as they're already unconscious. If they received only 1 excess Health Two excess Health will add an injury. loss, they are simply unconscious. They Three excess Health will kill them. are unaware of their surrounding and
If a character receives three Injuries, two-handed weapon. Seriously? Do I they also die. need to say this? Really?
It's worth stressing the general principle CHEATING IN FAVOUR OF THE PLAYERS of “If something is reasonable, it should just happen” remains. For example, if DIE is based on the idea that the someone is unchivalrous enough to slit universe is relatively objective. The someone's throat, you should probably players are just characters like any skip the dice rolling and just kill the others, and their advantages and victim. Shooting at someone from disadvantages are based entirely on across the room may require a hit roll to their unique state – namely, that they've deliver hits – though normally with got these massively powerful magical advantages due to the immobility of artefacts – the eponymous dice. their foe. In this, and all things, the GM should ascertain whether they think However, this causes a conflict with a something is reasonable or not, and classical GM move. GMs have been once they have decided it’s reasonable, known to cheat on rolls to favour the it remains reasonable (and repeatable) player if the alternative would break the for the whole game. game or be boring. Alternatively, some GMs have been known to cheat to save RECOVERY FROM INJURY an NPC from death when there's a more If an injured character receives interesting plot ahead. successful treatment the injury is now a Treated Injury. The character receives a I’m shocked, shocked, I say. disadvantage on any challenge that's directly linked to the injury. Certain Generally speaking, we encourage tasks may remain impossible until the letting the dice speak, but there may be injury is fully healed. times you wish to cheat in favour of the players in a quasi-objective manner. Fragile Findus has his broken arm treated. He now only suffers one If you do so, the Master gains a Cheat disadvantage in combat challenges or Token. (er) typing. He now has no problems charming people, remembering ancient Yes, DIE’s dedication to quasi- lore, everything else. He still can't wield a objectivity is as such that we include rules to justify where the GMs cheat.
STORY STRUCTURE FOR BEGINNERS
Okay, experienced RPG folks will see This is a little like Chekhov's gun, but I exactly how they'll take the various much prefer the terminology of the personality traits and dreams of the juggler as it doesn't involve the fiction. It generated personas. Others will be, to places you outside the fiction with you use the technical gaming terms, shitting manipulating it, which is exactly how it themselves. How the hell are they going works. to generate some emotional arcs for these people? Where Gaiman was simplifying is that there's all sorts of ways to throw a ball. Firstly, don't worry. If the players just Most of what he's talking about are big have a dungeon adventure in another obvious throws. You show the audience world before going home? That'll be fun. the ball and send it into the air. For Remember the first principle: people example, in The Fugitive, “Who is the getting together and doing stuff they one-armed man?” is a huge ball. It's enjoy is enough. Don't beat yourself up what the story is about. If you never get too hard. Sometimes it's not an evening around to doing something about that for melodrama. Sometimes it's just one-armed man, the audience is going mellow. Don't make it into a drama. to going to be lost, confused and disappointed. Secondly, let me tell you about what 9/10ths of my day job is. There's a second kind of ball, which you throw casually, in ways so the audience I throw balls in the air and catch them. don't realise that a ball is being thrown. They remember the setup, but don't This is a mode of writing that I first realise it's actually set up. My favourite heard described by Neil Gaiman. You example of this is in Hot Fuzz, where mention something earlier in a story? As Pegg's cop is mocked by the two long as you pay that off at some point detectives with the memorable line “If down the line, the audience will read it you want to be a big cop in a small town, as a meaningful story. More than that – you can fuck off down the model a clever story. Hell, throw a ball at the village.” Audience laughs hard, story start of the story, and catch it three continues. An hour later, the climactic years later, and they'll think you're some fistfight happens in the model village. kind of genius. Likely, you're not. You It's a delightful scene, but it's even more just remembered there was a ball up delightful as the audience remember – there that you've got to prevent hitting oh yeah! The model village! the floor. There's a third kind of ball, which is the (Honestly, in that case, you'll probably sneaky literary ball. This is thrown so do best to explicitly remind the readers quietly that barely anyone would ever multiple times that you know the ball is notice it in a first read. This is a ball that in the air, as otherwise they'll think is only noticeable on a reread. It's you've forgotten it, and likely will have unlikely the audience will remember it, forgotten it themselves.) as it's taken initially as just detail. It's
when you come back to it that you see You take all the big balls, and want to what you thought was just throwaway use them at some point. The sneaky detail was actually key, and your balls are the spice. You don't have to understanding of the work explodes. use them. You get to pick and choose what amuses you, what combines with How does this apply to us? those big balls in interesting ways. Put it this way. A character talking about RPGs are solely interested in the first their lost love and someone who looks two kinds of balls. You don't get to like their lost love turns up? That'll work reread RPGs, so only things which the as a meaningful scene. But, if due to players are consciously aware of are some pre-game chat where a character useful. I write that, and am now chewing makes a Breaking Bad joke, they enter over how Actual Play recordings change Die and come across the Breaking Bad that bit of advice. Hmm. Winnebago and their lost love is now Heisenberg and they want you to join With DIE the persona generation is the their drug empire? That's something players throwing you balls. else, and pure DIE.
The first kind of ball – the big balls – are As a rough guideline to appearing the huge character traits. If a persona's clever, combining one big ball and one lover died tragically and they're sneaky ball will give you something distraught over it? That will inevitably passably original. form part of the story. If you don't, they'll be disappointed. The big balls are the If players only give you big balls, you player telling the GM what sort of story can get a similar effect by combining they want to play. the big ball with a generalised fantasy trope. Or, to give the most obvious The second kind of ball – the sneaky example, mash their lost love into balls – are the ones that the players Galadriel/Aragorn and you're sorted. almost don't realise they're saying for their persona. Just little details. What's In short: the arch plot of DIE is robust their favourite TV show? Where did they enough to support whatever go on holiday as a kid? How they are personalised material you add to it. You very into Mars bars. These are the don't need to worry too much. You just details they will be amazed with when need to catch a few balls. they end up showing up in the story. They're also the details you can pick and Yes, the word “ball” has lost all meaning choose from according to your now. interests, because the players will not be expecting them to turn up, and not mind when they all don’t.
“NOTHING HAPPENED”
When I see people talking about comics individual, and thus you can tailor the (and not always mine) a fairly common experience to them. It is unlikely that complaint is “nothing happened”. A any tone or approach you take will naïve reading would take that as “There satisfy the whole group equally, so was no progression of plot.” This would being aware of what is appealing to be often correct, but not always. As each player (and when they haven't had always, turn to Oscar Wilde: all criticism anything to appeal to them for a while) is autobiography. When they say is key. “nothing happened” what they mean is “nothing happened... that I am This is particularly important as we interested in”. This means the “nothing reach the conclusion of the adventure. happened” speaks to the reader’s own The climax of a DIE adventure will likely aesthetic preferences. Sometimes it be chaotic, and you should be looking to means “I get no sense of characters’ give all characters a chance to be personal arcs progressing.” Sometimes involved with it. For some players, it's it means “no one punched each other”. giving an opportunity to close the emotional arc of their damaged This, as a working creator, is sometimes relationship with their estranged parent somewhat frustrating. Clearly, you figure. With other players, it's making wrote stuff happening that you thought sure they get a chance to hit the big was interesting. That's why you wrote it. baddie with their glowing magic sword. With others, it's both. Nothing wrong Of course, that doesn't matter. If it with emotional closure at sword-point. doesn't work for someone, it doesn't work for someone. They're allowed their It need only be a grace note, but having own aesthetic preferences. something in the final encounter which is 100% theirs does a lot to make a Leading back to RPGs generally and DIE player feel like their journey meant specifically, you have an advantage. something, and walk away from the You have the audience in front of you. table thinking of not just the story, but You can see what is appealing to what their story, ensuring they feel that their time was worthwhile and Something Happened.
ENCOUNTER LOGIC
When trying to explain how to construct It doesn't have to be so literal. A an adventure I worked out a way to monster that won't let you pass is create a checklist of what was needed effectively a door too, though the player for a game. The more games I ran, the won't necessarily realise that it's a door less I thought it was essential. Still… I that has a key. A monster could state want to show this to folks and see what that it wants gold to let you pass, which they make of it. makes its “door” nature clearer, but most monsters could desire something So… as you're developing encounters, that would let you get past them. here's a useful way to break down the Whatever that is, that is their key. Some sorts of encounters and how they tie doors don't have keys and need to be together. This is a way to develop a bashed down with force. In other words, necessary backbone for the game - in any monster encounter which blocks practice, it’s merely a more elaborate your progress is a door. version of: “Where are they at the start? Where are they at the end? What’s to A well-signalled door tells players to stop them from getting from the former work out what to do to get past it, and to latter?” can logically guide them into side- quests. A monster that says it wants its This is an “Elements of an Adventure” memories of a lost love back, when the checklist to ensure there is a core players saw a lost-memory emporium structure. Further detail on each one previously on their travels, implies a follows underneath. course of action which doesn't involve hitting the monster. 1) Doors 2) Chests Doors are what create the structure and 3) Keys pace of your adventure. The more you 4) Signposts have, the harder it will be to get to the 5) Smoke Machines final encounter. 6) Menus 7) Specific Details of the Encounter If you want to create a hard problem for the player, you can create a door with a ELEMENTS OF AN ADVENTURE necessary key. This means that it is almost impossible to circumvent. A key 1) DOORS is definitely required. For example, a magical door will only open with a A problem which means you cannot certain unique magical key. It is progress in this direction unless indestructible otherwise. circumvented in some way. A Locked Door is the classic example of a door. To (We could enter a philosophical open it, you need to open it with a key. argument over whether any door is truly Or something that can bash it down. Or necessary. This is videogame thinking someone to open it from the other side. with one solution. I would advise always Or any other way a player could work being slightly flexible. Even for the out to get past it. above, perhaps the players work out a
way to create a convincing fake, etc. If it is obviously a key... but so is someone leads to an interesting adventure, it's revealing the actual location of good.) something you're looking for.
For example, in Lord of Rings, the door Keys are usually rewards. They are to enter Moria is a door. As is the Balrog often found in chests. They are rarely – it is effectively a door which stops you left lying around, but you never know. leaving Moria. The sword Arthur tugged from a stone worked pretty well, though, strictly 2) CHESTS speaking in our terminology, the Sword in the Stone is a chest. A problem which does not block the players’ progress. A chest in a room sits It's worth noting what isn't included in there, and you can just ignore it and this list, which is treasure. You can carry on your way. The classic example absolutely give players treasure, but of a chest is a Locked Chest. You can this is not actually a structural concern. find its key and unlock it. You can pick The only treasure you need to consider its lock. You can break it open. You can at the large-scale planning stage is that do pretty much anything to get inside it. which solves future problems. Namely, keys. Once more, be less literal. A casual, non- threatening monster sitting in the room, For example, the ents realising that relaxing, who has the memories of Fangorn has been cut down by another monster’s lost love in its back Saruman is a key. pocket is a chest. A merchant selling things is a chest. A seer who knows the 4) SIGNPOSTS weakness of the Master’s greatest champion is a chest. Exposition is a dirty word, but some is needed to orientate. The signpost Chests primary use is to contain Keys. provides useful information to the player, with no cost. The classic For example, the ents of Fangorn having example of a signpost is a signpost, a big old chat are a chest. The hobbits which presents its information to you if strictly speaking needn’t have you look at it. Once more, there is no interacted with them that much, but if need to be so literal. The bartender who they did, they can then have them tells the players that the Master who attack Orthanc. rules the dungeon lives on the lowest level is also a signpost. 3) KEYS (The bartender who needs to be A thing which solves a problem the convinced to give you that information, player faces, allowing progress. The of course, is a chest.) classic example of a key is a key, which unlocks its matching lock. Once more, This information may be a key to unlock we need not be so literal. A key could be a door or a chest. It is perhaps more a magical chant, a rare item, making two likely it will be used to point players in warring families be at peace, or simple the direction of a problem. and necessary information. A password
For example, Gandalf turning up to tell game of many tones, and Sophie's Frodo everything about this big scary Choice is always an option. ring and what they have to do to get rid of it is a signpost. Menus also include moral choices, as anyone who's ever played a Bioware 5) SMOKE MACHINES RPG will tell you.
Sometimes an encounter is about the For example, Galadriel deciding not to vibe, man. It differs from a signpost in take the one ring is a menu. Galadriel is that it is not meant to provide the clear lead character of Lord of the information. It is meant to provide Rings, natch. feelings. This is something which exists to present a creepy idea or mood, and is Chests and doors will be the majority of not necessarily even meant to be your real encounters. These are interacted with. The classic example of encounters which are likely to slow the a smoke machine is a smoke machine, a player in a meaningful way. Chests, device which pumps out a lot of fake because they will likely be engaged with smoke which makes everyone feel like to get a key (or just out of nosiness) and things are well moody. Other smoke doors because they will literally prevent machines include rooms full of faceless progress. children typing out lists of things their parents did which made them feel guilty. Smoke machines and signposts are unlikely to be sizeable encounters. For example, every fucking song in Lord Signposts are required for the logic of a of the Rings is a Smoke Machine. dungeon to connect things. Smoke machines, by definition, do nothing bar 6) MENUS create mood. It's worth noting that this means they are not connected to the Where the players are presented with necessary path of the scenario – but it's an either/or choice. The classic example certainly possible they could escalate to of a menu is a menu, which lists various something bigger. A roomful of dragon options of food you can eat. These are corpses, each wearing the jerseys of common in fantasy. your old school football team, may be atmosphere. If someone tries to raise For example, King Arthur choosing them from the dead, that changes to between a magical sword and a magical something more active. Smoke scabbard. machines are useful things to have to throw into the story to taste. They are also common in Buzzfeed quizzes, in terms of deciding whether Menus can be sizeable encounters, or a you are more like Thanos or Rocket smaller one. It's likely a menu is the end Racoon, or what Hogwarts school you of a story for a player. It's worth noting belong to. Our menus are likely to range menu ideas can often be effectively from which magical ally will join you on merged with the final encounter. The the quest to defeat the Master, to heart of the final encounter is a menu whether you’d rather stroke your dead encounter. It's worth noting that menus cat or dead dog one more time. DIE is a are perhaps one of the more advanced sorts of encounters. Don't feel you're
doing it wrong if your logic structure 7) SPECIFIC DETAILS OF THE only includes chests, keys and doors. ENCOUNTER
There is one signpost which is pretty The GM now only needs to fill in the much necessary – to make the players details of what the challenges are in know what they have to do to go home. each of these encounters.
For example, consider a GM who has sat How much detail do you actually need? down and worked out a structure first. The GM decided that the final As much (or little) detail as required to confrontation with the Master is in their be able to play them out. Do this for secret lair. The players can't get there, every encounter, including the climactic so the GM needs to make up an encounter. Be aware that this is a spine encounter that is a door to stop the – it’s entirely possible your climax will be players getting there. They want their elsewhere. These is your preparation, game to have three main encounters. So remember - it’s not the game. Things not as the door is one, they add two chests going to plan is the plan. each of which provides a key. Both keys are needed to open the locked door. Oh For any given encounter, it’s possible – they also realise they need something you will have an idea for an encounter to point the players in the right direction based on the persona’s temptations. If to the secret lair, so they'll need a not, it’s likely you already have a detail signpost scene. suggested by the locale. If an encounter is set in a fantasy version of the kitchen That means they need ideas for three of your house, or the Egyptian Hall of the sizeable encounters (the two chests British Museum, by the Nine of Swords and the door) and a signpost to have a or a large room in an old computer game backbone for their game. Ideas for more with 396 Berserkers in, that implies signpost or smoke machine scenes something about what happens when could be fun to have additionally, as the players arrives there. they rarely slow the players down. An idea for another door scene could also The second part is combining it with one be useful. The GM hasn't thought of the players' backgrounds. This can be enough about the characters yet to a minor detail or a major one. Meeting know if a menu could be useful, but Grima Wormtongue or Bart Simpson may they’ll progress with that in mind. be a minor detail. Meeting your dead lover is likely a major one. Think about In practice, I suspect most what emotional journey each persona is Gamesmasters are the sort to look at a on. map and then work out the encounter rather than vice versa, but it takes all For an encounter, it’s possible you will sorts. need some statistics for the players to interact with. It’s worth noting this is not always necessary. It is also possible you will need to pull a character out of
your posterior during a game. Either way, the following is a useful methodology for making other people…
DESIGNER NOTES
There’s been a lot of me talking about their lacks and obsessions and then see the game and games in general, but this whether they want to stay or not. A set is very much “Hey, Kieron, wtf you doing situation – the rules remain constant in here, man?” terms of whether to go home, but god knows how many outcomes. My primary aims were to: Honestly, this is the stuff that I’m most 1) Support the themes of the comic in a pleased with. In terms of how it turned different format. out. The structure basically operates as 2) Be as accessible as possible. I wanted it to. Phew.
These broke down in a few areas. PRETENSIONS TO OBJECTIVITY
ACTUALLY DO “DIE: THE RPG” There’s a popular movement in RPG game design towards player-facing Back when I was a games journalist, I game. Generally speaking, I’m into it. had a theory. Namely, that the most interesting licensed videogames One of the key things is that the weren’t ones which tried to simulate the Gamesmaster (if there’s one) never rolls specific experience of whatever they any dice. So the actions of your were licensing, but were the ones which antagonists are determined by the rolls simulated the general experience. of your players – to be coarse, if you fail to hit someone, they hit you. The GM The example I always used, despite describes an attack coming at you, and having virtually no experience with it, you roll to dodge it rather than the GM was the old 1980s Spectrum version of rolling to hit. People like this for various Alien. It’s a strategy/horror game where reasons, but the two main ones are that you have your crew aboard ship, and it puts the feeling of power into the are trying to identify and terminate the players’ hands (as they get to make all eponymous alien. Except it does things the rolls) and it’s more efficient (as it like randomise who is infected by the cuts down on the number of dice-rolls in alien at the start and so on – which total). And they’re right – I love most of really pushes it a little closer to making the games that do this, which fall into a game of The Thing, but I digress. Point two sorts. One sort is the narrative-led being, it’s less acting out the specific games (generally) derived (or inspired) experience of Ripley and friends, and from Powered By The Apocalypse, and more taking the vague scenario and the others are those trying to streamline then making it your own. a classical D&D Experience. The former are trying to simulate how a narrative Designing DIE, that’s what I wanted to feels and the latter are trying to make a do. Not to make an RPG of the DIE game run more efficiently. setting specifically, but make an RPG
about creating a group of messy real- That I avoided this speaks to the game’s world people and dropping them into a themes. It’s a game where “is this real?” fantasy world that’s been shaped by is embedded in it. If you make the
players “real” in the mechanics in a way successes you have, you just can use that everyone they meet isn’t, you the dice. Everything is physical. already have your answer. The only difference between the players and I have the belief that the longer a pause everyone they meet are in-world in the action where the mechanics abilities, gifted by their dice. There’s influence the game, the more the mood nothing special about players, as of a game breaks. I try to minimise that otherwise the story would break. Yes, as much as I can. there’s an irony – I was led to a more simulationist mechanic by narrativist RE-MYSTIFICATION urges. Of course, with all the other special There’re a few advantages to it – “When rules for all the classes, streamlining something tries to do something, they the core mechanic is likely a good idea roll something” is a mechanism that’s too. This game is a monstrous cognitive easy to explain, but I was aware that by load on the GM, due to this design goal. doing this, I had to streamline everything else. Hence… The aim with the archetypes was to make them unique, and somewhat THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM OF MATH unknown to the other players. You may know broadly how the other classes There’re various bits of games theory work, but you won’t necessarily know I’m aware of, in terms of how people specifically. Everyone has their custom process information. Manipulation of mechanics; everyone interacts with abstract numbers is more difficult for their dice in a different way and so on. “I more people than manipulation of am special in a way in which no one else physical objects. DIE is constructed on a is” is a fairly common goal in game belief that where I can cut math I will cut design, but I wanted to really push it. math. Instead, we lean on objects, and the manipulation of objects. There’s a lot These are also the areas I suspect I’ll of games which are generally thought of push in the game more in future. I’m as simple which involve adding one playing around with some advancement statistic to another statistic to get a options which are radically different for number, to either get a target number to each class. I dunno if they’ll work, but roll or the number of dice you need. Even it’s something I want to explore. that level of math is alienating to some players, especially as the game gets FETISHISH OF DICE & D&D later and later (or the players get drunker and drunker). This is kinda obvious, right? Let’s try and take all those bits of the classical Instead, I run off a dice pool which is RPG and just play with it. This includes based on a single stat. You then add things the hobby was demonised for. single dice to it for various advantages. Structurally, in many ways, DIE is You don’t count anything on the dice – playing “Maybe they were right to be you symbol recognise (”If this dice is scared?”. Gaming won, so we get to play
higher than 4, then it’s a success”). with this now. When you count the number of
SIMILAR TO CORE ARNESON/GYGAX There’s a Cartesian thing in DIE, MODEL GAME between the persona and the character, which I’m interested in exploring. There’s lots of excellent indie RPGs which basically have (rightfully) I am aware that it risks making the game understood you can throw a bunch of inelegant. I look forward to someone stuff out. If you’re starting from a group hacking this to PBTA. who actively knows nothing about RPGs, these are easy to teach mechanically SOME WEIRD BITS WHICH JUST MUG ME (though often hard to play well for AS I’M NOT A PROFESSIONAL players – players’ ability to improvise is a skill, one that asks a lot from players). Up until a week or so before release I had something called Hit Dice. There However, if you’re dealing with a group were two types of Hit Dice, one called of players who have a cultural idea of Guard Dice and one called Wound Dice. how D&D works, that’s a pre-existing They operated identically to Guard and thing you have to work around. There’s Health in the current system, but you enough D&D stuff in the world now that manually used dice as the tokens. It’s a a complete lack of knowledge is joke about one of the core bits of D&D relatively rare. They’ve seen piss-takes. terminology – Hit Dice literally being dice They’ve maybe watched Critical Role. that measure how many hits you have. They have pre-existing expectations of what a game operates like. In practice, it made the game almost impossible to play online, required far DIE uses those expectations as the more D6 than are in a usual home plus core. This is a fairly classical D&D-esque the players always kept on picking them game with a bunch of weird stuff added up and rolling them and forgetting what to it. The core dynamic is the core their guard was. dynamic, and DIE’s core system basically does work like a traditional But I persisted with it, long after I game. It’s got weird stuff, but it’s still an admitted it was a darling I just didn’t Arneson/Gygax game. want to kill. A last-minute rewrite removed it to the system that almost all Also, this is my little tribute: did you the playtesters were using anyway. know the first Braunstein proto-D&D games had players all playing Now, this sounds like I learned a lesson, characters sucked into a D&D world? but that I’m still using Guard and This is kind of a tribute to that. We’ve Wounds as separate concepts shows always been doing that. that I’m still on my shit. DIE isn’t a combat game. It’s just that I’ve always AN EXPLICIT DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE hated systems which have a single hit TRADITIONS point score, and thought I could take an influence over from Halo and try it out. You go into DIE and it’s a semi- traditional RPG. In the persona This is the work of an enthusiastic
generation, it’s pure freeform. However, amateur, and sometimes I have to roll there’s conversation between those two with that. forms, but kept slightly at a distance.
“FAILING” GRACEFULLY little about looking after the GM. That’s something I think is damaging and I I use the word failing with reluctance. wanted DIE to look after you. After all, you’re likely the only poor fucker who’s I played a lot of games when preparing reading this bit of the manual. We heart for DIE. There’s a lot of influences in you. We heart you hard. here – there’s a reading list at the back of the main book of direct influences, THANK YOU plus a bunch more I was playing to explore. I learned so much from them. That’ll do. Honestly, if someone had told me the joy in seeing people take a However, the single biggest influence of structure you made and watching them everything I played was looking at how I run with it and making it their own, I’d felt when a game went badly when have done this years ago. Ironically running it. Even when the players liked enough given DIE’s subject, this has what happened, I found myself utterly proved to be a gateway to another distraught that the aesthetic effect world for me. wasn’t what was clearly intended by the designer (and myself). Games of cosmic Thank you. horror ending with laughter. Games of paranoid backstabbing ending in the Kieron Gillen players teaming together. Ugh. London
I’ve been pretty lucky in my career. Too lucky. I’m aware that it’s been a long time since I failed for a reason that was entirely my own sorry fault, and so am out of practice with dealing with something I felt was an absolute disaster. As such, those sessions were emotionally gruelling. Everyone often enjoyed them, but I was torn up for weeks.
Key thing: I wanted DIE to be flexible and to impart to the GM that all results are good results, and intended. Yes, you may want one sort of story, but if the game goes another way, that’s entirely fine. The game is about listening to what a group gives you, then building. The core structure is flexible, going from entirely quiet emotional beats to loudly beating the bad guys on the head.
There’s always a lot in games about looking after the players and making sure they have fun. There’s relatively