Microscope Explorer Is Loaded with Tools and Strategies to Get the Most out of Your Games

Take Microscope Farther…

Whole new ways to play Microscope, the fractal role-playing game of epic histories! Microscope Explorer is loaded with tools and strategies to get the most out of your games.

Need an idea for your history? More than a dozen step-by-step SEEDS can get you playing quickly, or use an ORACLE to randomly generate one of over forty-thousand possible histories to spark your imagination.

Want to try something diferent? Play one of three new Microscope spin-of games. Explore family history with UNION. Tell the story of a single city or a sword of power with CHRONICLE. Or travel back in time and re-write history with ECHO.

There’s much, much more, like tips for improving play, techniques for collaborative WORLD-BUILDING, and experimental variants like reincarnation histories. Lots of new stuf for you to try out!

Microscope Explorer: History will never be the same.

Requires the Microscope role-playing game.

an expansion for Microscope, by Ben Robbins BEN ROBBINS

ISBN 978-0-9832779-2-7 52499 >

Lame Mage Productions www.lamemage.com

Written by Ben Robbins

Edited by Carole Robbins

Published by Lame Mage Productions www.lamemage.com

First Edition 2015

ISBN 978-0-9832779-2-7 CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION Oracles ...... 50 How to Use This Book ...... 8 Swords & Sorcery...... 53 To the Stars...... 55 Cradle of Civilization ...... 57 IMPROVING YOUR GAME Apocalypse ...... 59 Golden Rules ...... 11 Lurking Darkness...... 61 We Have No Dice, But We Must Roll ...... 62 Improving Setup ...... 12 Relax & Read Aloud...... 12 Using Source Material...... 63 Clarify & Tighten Your Big Picture ...... 12 Canon or Reboot ...... 63 The Big Picture Is Only the Beginning...... 13 Alternate History & Real History ...... 64 Bookends: Flint to Fusion ...... 14 Establish Landmarks...... 65 Palette Is a Discussion ...... 14 The Downside: Slave to the Source ...... 66 No Surprises After the Palette ...... 15 A Palette of Concepts ...... 16 Retroactive Palette ...... 17 WORLD-BUILDING: Improving Play ...... 17 GAMES COLLIDE Zoom In ...... 17 A World Is Its History ...... 68 Make People ...... 18 Knowledge Is Power ...... 69 Paint a Complete Picture ...... 18 The Downside ...... 70 Name Things ...... 19 Pre-Game: Setting Goals ...... 71 Always Explain Light or Dark ...... 19 Just Play Normally ...... 72 I Don’t Know What to Make!...... 20 Don’t GM Microscope ...... 73 Start With Nuking Atlantis ...... 21 If It Fails, Call a Do-Over ...... 73 Talk Before You Write ...... 21 Enforce the Rules & Watch Post-Game: Translating ...... 74 for Contradictions ...... 22 Polish & Place ...... 77 We Never Push! ...... 22 Embrace Your Destiny ...... 77 Push Concede ...... 23 Expand an Existing World ...... 78 Legacies Are Mini-Focuses ...... 23 The Hero’s Journey ...... 79 You Can Keep Your Legacy ...... 24 Adventure Ouroboros:Back and Forth ...... 80 Listen Charitably: We Aren’t All Poets ...... 24 Sharing Your History ...... 25 There Are Two Stories to Tell ...... 25 UNION Introduction ...... 84 What You Need to Play ...... 85 STARTING YOUR HISTORY Setup ...... 86 Seeds ...... 29 Step 1: Family Tree ...... 86 After Lemuria Sinks ...... 31 Step 2: The Hero’s Deed ...... 87 Battle of the Planets ...... 32 Step 3: The Necessity...... 88 Blood of Monsters ...... 33 Step 4: The Hero’s Traits ...... 90 Boom Town / Ghost Town ...... 34 Step 5: Make Your Palette ...... 91 Brave New World ...... 35 Step 6: First Pass, Make Ancestors ...... 91 The Dark Lord ...... 36 Play ...... 92 The Essence ...... 37 Family History...... 93 From Twilight Lands ...... 38 Scenes ...... 94 Golems of Eden ...... 39 Legacy ...... 95 House of the Dragon,House of the Unicorn . . 40 The Hero in Play ...... 95 Humanity Uplifted ...... 41 Generations & Siblings ...... 95 The Imperium ...... 42 Ending the Game ...... 96 Kaiju Century ...... 43 Afterword ...... 97 Legacy of Heroes ...... 44 Nature & Nurture ...... 97 Rising Tide ...... 45 Child of Two Worlds ...... 97 The Round Table ...... 46 Adventure Games: Tell Me Stars Collide ...... 47 About Your Character… ...... 98 Who Watches the Watchmen? ...... 48 Rise of Nations, Evolution of Ideas ...... 98 Group Decisions ...... 49 CHRONICLE EXPERIMENTS Introduction ...... 100 Reincarnation ...... 137 What You Need to Play ...... 101 Divided History: Now & Then ...... 138 Setup ...... 102 Parallel Histories ...... 139 Step 1: Your Chronicle ...... 102 Territory Not Time ...... 139 Step 2: Bookends ...... 102 Journey ...... 140 Step 3: Palette ...... 102 Micro-Histories ...... 140 Step 4: First Pass ...... 102 Threaded Events ...... 141 Play ...... 104 Making Periods ...... 104 Mega-Periods ...... 142 Making Events & The Anchor ...... 105 Long Focus ...... 142 Making Scenes ...... 105 Afterword ...... 108 AFTERWORD Focus vs Freedom: A Tighter Microscope.....108 Why Doesn’t the Period- Leap of Faith ...... 144 Maker Create the Anchor?...... 108 A Diferent Future ...... 144 Thanks ...... 146 Playtesters ...... 147 ECHO Reference Sheet ...... 148 Introduction ...... 110 What You Need to Play ...... 111 Make Factions ...... 112 Step 1: The Goal ...... 112 Step 2: The Opposition’s Goal ...... 114 Step 3: How Can You Change History? ...... 115 Step 4: Describe Factions & Future ...... 116 Make History ...... 117 Step 1: Big Picture ...... 117 Step 2: Bookends ...... 117 Step 3: Palette ...... 117 Step 4: First Pass ...... 117 Step 5: Second Pass ...... 117 Play ...... 118 Intervention (Event) ...... 120 Echo (Event) ...... 122 Period, Event or Scene ...... 125 Overwriting Changes: High Numbers Win .. 126 Rules of Time Travel...... 127 Marking Contradictions ...... 128 Update a Period ...... 128 Judgment ...... 129 Ending the Game ...... 132 Afterword ...... 133 No Status Quo ...... 133 Who Needs Time Travel? ...... 133 Echo, the Adventure Game ...... 134 Disco Must Die ...... 134 The Unexamined Life ...... 134 Blood of Monsters The blood of monsters runs through the veins of some, passed from one generation to the next since the deeds that frst spawned them. They are mighty overlords, kings… or terrors. How does a bloodline start?

Slay the monster and drink (or bathe in) its blood. SEEDS Make a pact with the monster. Mate with the monster. Your ofspring has the power. How common are people with the blood?

There can only be one person for each monster at a time. Only a handful at a time. The power may sleep for generations. More and more common as bloodlines spread. How powerful does the blood make someone?

Not physically stronger, but they have unshakeable will and determination. Stronger and more resilient than any mortal. Inhuman might, capable of crushing a small army single-handedly. Do they look diferent than normal people?

No visible diference. Some telltale signs. Blatantly half-monster, half-human. Start Bookend: How does the history begin?

Exiles seek power to defeat the Overlord. They create the frst monster bloodlines. Hero defeats monster, gains its power and becomes a mighty conqueror. Last monsters of ancient days hide from men, seeking to live in peace. End Bookend: How does the history end?

One bloodline destroys the others and reigns unopposed. Those of the blood are hunted down and destroyed for the beasts they are. Blood is so difused by intermarriage that its power is gone even if its prestige remains. You might include a wide variety of monsters or only a few. Here are some monsters to pick from: basilisk, chimera, dragon, gorgon, grifon, harpy, hydra, lamia, manticore, minotaur, naga, roc, salamander, siren, sphinx, unicorn, wyvern. For a twist on a fantasy theme, extend your history into the present. Scions of monsters could be hidden in modern society, fghting an unseen war to control corporations or political parties. Gorgon for President!

33 ELEMENT A 1 2 3 4 5 6 ELEMENT B 1 2 3 4 5 6 TREND 1 CREATION OF SPACE ARTIFICIAL PRIMITIVE HABITABLE COSMIC STAR SPORES DRUG 2 DECLINE OF 1 TRAVEL INTELLIGENCE CIVILIZATION WORLD WEAPONS 3 DISCOVERY OF

UNINTELLIGENT VITAL ENERGY SYNTHETIC 4 DESTRUCTION OF DEAD WORLD SPLINTER RACE CORPORATION ARMADA XENOPHOBIA 2 LIFEFORMS SOURCE PEOPLE 5 CORRUPTION OF

REJECTION OF HUMAN HUMAN 6 MEDICAL GALACTIC 3 BLACK HOLE EXPANSIONISM ARTIFICIAL LIFE AUGMENTA- AN INSTITUTE EXCEPTIONAL

ROW TECHNOLOGY PATROL TIONS -ISM IMPACT SUPERIOR ALIEN ALIEN SOCIAL 4 WARP GATES ISOLATIONISM MUTATIONS A RELIGION SPACE PIRATES 1 STRENGTHENS

EMENT CIVILIZATION ARTIFACTS EQUALITY L 2 REBUILDS E

INFERIOR ALIEN HOSTILE ARTIFICIAL FEAR OF 3 CREATES PLAGUE IMPERIALISM EMPIRE SECRET SOCIETY 5 CIVILIZATION ECOSYSTEM WORLD CHANGE 4 DESTROYS 5 CORRUPTS SPACE SPIRIT OF RIVAL ALIEN POLITICAL SENTIENT STAR PSI TALENTS FEDERATION NATURALISM 6 MONSTERS EXPLORATION CIVILIZATION PARTY OR PLANET 6 DIVIDES

TREND ELEMENT A IMPACT ELEMENT B

A ROW B ROW To the Stars To the Stars Rejection of human augmentation rebuilds armada… Decline of expansionism strengthens secret society… Creation of vital energy source divides superior alien civilization…

The To the Stars Oracle generates interstellar science fction, packed with ORACLES warp-gates, alien civilizations, galactic war and humanity’s never-ending struggle to adapt to new and strange environments. This Oracle includes societal issues, like imperialism and social equality, because those go hand-in-hand with exploring our future. But in the wide realm of science fction, you will have a lot of latitude to pick a style and tone that you like. Your history could be an adventurous space opera, rooting out pirates from their lunar bases, or a much more serious exploration of how technology and life in space impact society.

55 Setup We’ll start by describing the end of the history, the hero who is the result of all these unions. Then we’ll go back to fesh out the world they lived in and the ancestors who created them.

Step 1: Family Tree Lay out cards for the family tree with a separate row for each generation: One card (vertical) to represent the hero Directly above the hero, one card (horizontal) for the hero’s parents Above that, two cards for the hero’s grandparents At the top, four cards for the hero’s great-grandparents Each card above the hero represents a pair of ancestors and the diferent parts of their lives, together and apart. Draw lines to divide each of those cards into four sections, as shown. Each person is descended from the pair of ancestors on the card above them (as shown by the lines of the diagram below).

GREAT-GRANDPARENTS

GRANDPARENTS

PARENTS

HERO

86 EXAMPLE: MAKING ECHOES After the Intervention redirects the colony ship, the next player must create an Echo. They make a new Echo Event describing how, since Prosperity wasn’t settled, all the neighboring colonies exploited the world for their own growth, stripping the planet of its natural resources. There are no additional contradictions since most of the cards about Prosperity are already marked.

PROSPERITY STRIP-MINED

Much later in the game, the Lens decides to Focus on Prosperity. He goes back and makes an Echo of the “Prosperity strip-mined” Echo. He replaces an Event from early in the game where Prosperity hosted a conference of world leaders. Instead, the now-barren Prosperity is turned into a prison-planet, used jointly by the nearby worlds as a dumping ground for their undesirables. The player describes how the convenience of having a whole world for exiles makes it far too easy for governments to dispose of anyone inconvenient. Civil liberties suffer. They look for more contradictions but don’t see any. The next Period is a time of egalitarianism and prosperity in this part of the galaxy. That doesn’t seem as likely now, but it isn’t definitely wrong, so they don’t mark it.

PROSPERITY TURNED INTO PRISON-PLANET WORLD LEADERS MEET ON PROSPERITY 2 ECHO

There was a Scene in the “world leaders meet” Event where a progressive reformer tried to persuade colleagues to act. That goes under the old crossed-out Event as well. The Lens uses his “nested” action to dictate a new version of that Scene where, instead, that same progressive leader is being brought to Prosperity as a prisoner. Dark times!

123 Mega-Periods Sometimes a single Period is not enough to describe a phase of your history. Instead of creating just one Period, you might want to break it into several distinct but clearly-connected stages to explore all the ups and downs. But how do you do that? Alexis Dinno asked this very question. Luckily, the solution is very simple: just create separate adjacent Periods and give them all the same title that describes the mega-Period (e.g. “the Red Kings”) followed by the individual description that shows what happens in this particular part.

RED KINGS RED KINGS RISE OF THE CRUSADE WEST THE NEW MERCHANT IN THE REALM REBELLION EAST

Mechanically, they are perfectly ordinary Periods. The labels just clarify their relationship. And since you would only be able to create one Period on your turn anyway, you would initially only make one part of a mega-Period, but you could declare your intention that it was part of a broader era. Later, you or other players might make more Periods to fesh out the mega-Period, or you might not.

Long Focus If you want to spend more time digging into each subject, you can try extending all Focuses to two rotations around the table instead of one. When you come back to the Lens the frst time, they take a turn like any other player and you keep going around. When you come back to the Lens a second time, they take their normal end-turn, making two nested things if they want. Then you play the Legacy phase and rotate to a new Lens as usual. Obviously, this option makes each Focus you pick much more important since it lasts twice as long. In any Microscope game, the next Lens always has the option to repeat the same Focus (or even a Focus from much earlier in the game), but this is diferent because it doesn’t require a Lens to use up their choice to extend someone else’s creation. It just makes each Focus longer. Playing with long Focuses is better suited to a longer game (or multiple sessions) where it won’t rob other players of their chance to make a Focus.

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