The Eternity Condensed Rules By Mark Diaz Truman Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 2 The Eternity Condensed Rules The ruleset in this document is the barebones ruleset for Eternity, a new GM-less collaborative story game from Magpie Games (www.magpiegames.com/eternity). The remainder of the game, including the Age Mechanics for long-term play, is still in development and will be released at a later date. We highly encourage you to play the game as written and let us know about your experiences. We’re thrilled with the response we’ve gotten over the last two years of running Eternity for dozens of gamers at conventions and playtests, and we’d love to hear about your group’s story. You can post feedback directly to forums (like Story Games and RPG.net), on your blog, or in private emails to us. Please email us at [email protected] to let us know you’ve posted something or if you’d like to submit your feedback more directly. The Eternity condensed rules are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. In other words, we’re happy to see you remix it, as long as your work is not for sale and that you allow other people to remix your remix. If you’d like to put together something for commercial resale based on Eternity, please let us know. We are happy to grant commercial licenses on a case-by-case basis. If you have questions or comments on this document, please feel free to email Magpie Games at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 3 Chapter One: Setting The Vast The Vast are ancient, alien beings who rule over enormous areas of space that they refer to as “The Known.” So advanced that they no longer possess physical bodies, The Vast are essentially gods, able to rework and reshape matter and energy at will. They can move across the galaxy with a thought, resurrect the dead with a gesture, and destroy armies with a single strike. The Vast know no limits. Yet The Vast play a dangerous game when they use their powers. As they alter reality, they grow more attached to the ideas their powers represent, more united with death when they strike down their enemies and more connected to creation when they summon something from nothing. Eventually those attachments become binding chains, with their own obligations that the Vast dare not defy. Because they are bound by their actions, though they would never admit that they fear those bindings, the Vast amass allies to accomplish their will. Their Pantheon—priests, followers, and children—do their bidding without risking Attachment, carrying out the Vast’s plans as proxies. At the same time, however, forces mass against the Vast, coveting their power and seeking to destroy them, Burdens that the Vast bear as they try to work their will on the world. These two forces, the Pantheons and Burdens, are constantly in conflict, creating epic stories of love, war, and conquest. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 4 The Code The Vast who choose to live together, usually known as The Collective, live by a set of laws called The Code. In order to minimize conflict and live peacefully, the Vast who follow the Code agree to be completely bound by it, suffering consequences if they break The Collective’s laws. Although no Vast enjoys following the laws of the group, the alternative, constant and unending war, is so horrifying that they agree to work together to avoid it. That said, they spend the majority of their time scheming to get around The Code whenever possible. The laws of the Code are cumulative, each building on the next. In the unlikely event that they are ever in conflict—if obeying one law would require a Vast to break another—the last law in the order holds precedent. Since Contract is the highest law of the Vast, it is possible for one Vast to bring Cause against another for failing to honor a Contract that required one of them to break the Code. The Code Quick Guide: The Law of Dominion: No Vast shall interfere with the holdings of another Vast. The Law of Harmony: No Vast shall directly intervene in the affairs of another Vast. The Law of Limit: No Vast shall encourage The Common to rise above their station. The Law of Passage: No Vast shall revoke Passage without Cause and Jury. The Law of Contract: No Vast shall breach Contract without Cause and Jury. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 5 Dominion “No Vast shall directly interfere with the holdings of another Vast.” Whatever the Vast own belongs to them and them alone. No member of the Collective is allowed to alter or destroy the property of another Vast including the Archons, Appointed, and Common that make up a Vast’s pantheon. In short, if it does not belong to you, do not touch it, alter it, or destroy it. Harmony “No Vast shall directly intervene in the affairs of another Vast.” The Law of Harmony is the central law of any collective. In essence, it is the guiding principle between the Vast, the rule that keeps them from engaging in constant warfare. Each Vast enjoys unfettered plans… as long as they don’t interfere with the plans of another. It is this law that gives a Vast the right to kill the Archons or Appointed of another Vast. Holdings are protected, but an Archon that interferes with your holdings suddenly becomes a part of your affairs, giving you the right to enact punishment and pass judgement on the Holdings of others. Limit “No Vast shall encourage The Common to rise above their station.” Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 6 While this law has many potential applications, the most common finding concerns Technology. The Vast remember that they were once mortals, eons ago, and fear that The Common who live on their world might rise up against them. In order to keep that from happening, The Collective outlaws any World developing more than Rank 6 Technology, although individual Collectives sometimes raise the Limit higher. Passage “No Vast shall revoke Passage without Cause and Jury.” The Vast get into conflicts. Often. One of the conflicts that comes up frequently is Passage, the right to travel in a Vast’s Realm and World. If a Vast offers another Vast Passage, then nothing is hidden and that Vast may travel anywhere within the Realm or World she likes. Of course, the rest of the Code is still in effect… but some Vast know how to cause trouble within the bounds of the Code. In order to minimize these conflicts, The Collective must hear a trial for any Vast who wishes to withdraw Passage. Therefore, Passage must only be given to those you trust, for it will not be so easy to take back. It must also may be given only in totality; a Vast cannot declare parts of his World or Realm off-limits. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 7 Contract “No Vast shall breach Contract without Cause and Jury” The Vast have many commitments to others, including their own children. Yet, they hold their commitments to each other above all others. Any promises made by one Vast are considered a Contract. Contracts have requirements and features: Requirements: Both parties must clearly, and without illusion, present themselves to each other. At least one party must say the words “I swear to…” When both of these conditions are met, the Vast who made the promise must give a Contract coin to the Vast to which he swore the oath. If the Contract is mutual, the Vast Exchange coins. Features: All Vast know when a Contract is broken, but do not know what the Contract entailed. Vast who refuse to honor a Contract my be brought before the Collective for punishment. Any Vast who holds a Contract coin knows the terms of the Contract exactly, but there is no requirement that such a coin be submitted as evidence. The Diaspora There are, of course, Vast who refuse to follow The Code, who would rather live according to their nature instead of the Collective’s laws. They are known as the Diaspora, and the Vast who attempt to live within the confines of a Collective find them deeply disturbing. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 8 They rule as god-kings over the planets they control, smiting their enemies and dominating their kingdoms until they Unravel, picking up the pieces to do it all over again when they pull themselves together. Every Collective knows that the only way to stop a Diaspora is to fight them directly—to Chain them and lock them away for Ages upon Ages—a battle which puts the Collective itself at risk of Unraveling. Yet while each Collective lives in fear of the day that the Diaspora chance upon The Known, each Vast harbors in her heart the potential to join them. The rules of the Collective are so oppressive, so frustrating; it would be so much easier to live without limits… Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 9 Chapter Two: Character Creation Step 1: Gather Players and Equipment Character creation in Eternity is a group exercise; you might start thinking up a character on your own, but you need the other players to complete the setup for the game. As you add elements to your sheet, the other players will add Complications to your Pantheon and Burdens, creating a complex web of relationships and commitments that will drive the story of your Collective.