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This edition © 2009 and is the first Lulu edition.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior
permission in writing of the author, nor be circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a
similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
No Dice
The Core Book

by

Leo Stableford & Suzanne Jordan


Illustrated by Justin Wyatt
Leo's Dedication

It is only fitting that my dedication should be to Ian, who entertained many


hours of conversation about plots, writing, entertainment and culture and has
been unfortunate, or fortunate, enough to miss the birth of No Dice first hand. I
hope he'll spread the good word down under.

Justin's Dedication

For my Mum and Dad for their continual support and encouragement. Without
my father`s artistic genes, none of this would be possible.

And for Damian, Glen, Mark and Simon, my original gaming buddies - the
reason I am still gaming today.

Sue's Dedication

This one is for my kids, Abby and Jasmine.


A Brief Note About The Free PDF

In case you weren't aware the No Dice Core Book is now, and will always be,
available as a freely downloadable PDF. Not only is it freely downloadable it's
freely distributable, freely copyable, freely say-how-cool-it-is-and-recommend-
others-download-it-or-get-a-copy-from-you-able.

We wrote this book because we believe that Role Playing is the best hobby in
the world. It brings people together, it lights up their imagination, it gives them
a little taste of abilities they can't really have, it allows them to succeed in deeds
of heroism people rarely have a chance to perform. We also think that it should
be an affordable hobby.

But we can only live up to our own standards if those people who are interested
in the product and who like the product tell other people about it, involve them,
and get No Dice out there being played in game groups. We want to give you
the tools to play great games and, further, to make your own great games too.

So if you liked the PDF, if you bought the book, please get other people
involved. Even if you know they're going to look at the PDF and no more.
We're going to go on the record and say we don't care about piracy. If you're
that much of a douche that you're going to enjoy our stuff while not actually
rewarding us for our work then go ahead. We're not going to lose sleep over
those people and we don't consider their patronage to be worth much of
anything.

What we do need is for the large majority of our audience who are honest and
support our mission to hear about it and buy our product. Then everyone will be
a winner.

Thanks for reading,

Leo, Sue & Justin


The No Dice Team
Table Of Contents
Preface 1
Introduction 5
No Dice Games 18
Player's Guide 22
Characters 27
Host's Guide 37
The Vanilla System 62
Stats 66
Randomisers 79
Plots 87
Non Player Characters (NPCs) 116
Scenarios 122
Traveller's Rest 123
Revelation Point 142
Treasure Of The Caesars 164
Supplement: The Thirty Six Dramatic Situations For Players 193
Supplement: The Thirty Six Dramatic Situations For Hosts 217
♦ No Dice - Core Rulebook ♠

Preface

This core book seeks to cater for people Meet The Author
who may previously have had no (And Some Thank Yous)
interest in Role Playing Games.
Because of this, more experienced If I were you I might *not* be thinking:
gamers may be tempted to skip sections just who the hell are you to be telling
to get to the good stuff (leaving all the me how to Role Play? If you are, wow,
noobs to wonder what counts as "the aggressive! Even if I didn't have anger
good stuff"). management issues, I might wonder
where all this new stuff is coming from.

The problem with this is that the core I've read a bunch of role playing
book isn't just a repository for rules. I'm manuals. I love role playing manuals,
going to try to convey an approach to particularly the ones that describe
gaming that, while it is not new, has worlds and settings and characters;
never really been written down. If we rules-heavy ones not so much, as you
were going to get intellectual about this shall learn. I would rather read such a
I would say that No Dice is an RPG manual than any other type of book.
that is also a philosophy regarding Once I have read and taken in the
RPGs. manuals I tend to file them away,
forget most of the rules and wonder
whether anyone wants to play a game
This isn't meant to be an intellectual with that setting.
burden so we'll leave it at that.

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♣ Pure Role Playing ♥

Not that things were always this way. be able to tell you much. The Monster
Horrorshow used a mechanic called
When I was getting towards nine years "The Absolutely Anything Table"
of age in the early eighties Dungeons & which, well, you can probably guess
Dragons was just starting to show up on what it did.
the radar as a hobby in the UK.
Through various means I got hold of Back then I was desperate to play one
the rule books and the old style of these games but I couldn't find a
polyhedral dice that you had to colour group. Whenever I did find a group all
in with a white crayon. I also looked at they wanted to do was roll dice and
other systems like the old Middle Earth move pieces around on maps. That
Role Playing game, Paranoia and minor wasn't the type of experience I wanted.
paperback role playing games like I wanted to be a participant in a story. I
Maelstrom and Monster Horrorshow. wanted to play a role.

I know what you're thinking, and I did.


I studied acting, I went to acting school
but I didn't just do acting because at
heart I wasn't an actor. I studied Drama
& Education which teaches you a lot
about improvisation and rolling with
the punches. My study there wasn't
meant to prepare me to teach drama or
to educate actors. It was all about how
to present a narrative illusion,
techniques to help normal people
engage in this kind of play for their
entertainment.
If you asked me now about the rules to
any of these games I wouldn't actually And it didn't stop there.

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♦ No Dice - Core Rulebook ♠

I actually went to college to study played a bunch of No Dice. In its


media and made a few films but I'm not earlier days we also played some much
a film maker either. I've written novels,clunkier versions (back when there
and will write more, but I'm not were some dice) with Mike, Nick, Kath,
strictly speaking a novelist. I've Dave, Kenton, Clive and a bunch of
designed out computer games (I am a others. Special mentions go to JC;
programmer by day) but I don't want to whose game weekends gave us a first
make a computer game. crop of willing testers; and super story-
based GM Alex who, while he has
I am a role player, a story teller, never partaken in early No Dice, has a
someone who wanted to share a fiction healthy disrespect for crunch getting in
game with the world. Those friends of the way of a role playing session (even
mine who enjoy this pursuit number so the running time of his games are
among them some people who would legendary but only because of their
take an opportunity to role play like epic sweep).
this before considering any other way
of spending time. Finally thanks go to all of the players
who've helped to test the system,
Some of these friends have helped me offered help, suggestions, feedback,
enormously in the development of this food and drink throughout the process,
very game. One of them is my Justin, Sue and myself are all glad to
wonderful partner, a woman who know you.
wouldn't play Dungeons & Dragons
unless you paid her a hefty sum. She is These happy few would rather role
the one that proved to me Role Playing play than watch a movie, they would
as a hobby could have a broader appeal rather role play than go out to a
than it currently does. So in a way this restaurant, or bungee jump, or engage
book is kind of her fault. in any other activity or distraction.
These folk will roll a dice and play a
As a team all at No Dice need to thank board game but will freely admit they'd
John, Matt, Owen and Ben who have rather be role playing, with an

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♣ Pure Role Playing ♥

emphasis on the "role". but such games have never been


The game that my closest friends and I formalised. Usually a story game is
have been looking for has fewer rules another kind of game that has been
than most other games. It helps the altered or "hacked" to make it rules-
players play their character in lite. We all turn up, clutching our dice
situations as diverse as fighting, to bags and we play the game the way we
finding the dirt on a politician, to want to play it. Everyone rolls their
having tea with the Queen. It dice a few times though, in supplication
introduces people to strange worlds to the gods of role playing who demand
filled with compelling detail. It would such things.
be a game that would be a head on
collision between the imagination On With The Show
required to read a book and the
freedom of thought allowed in a great No Dice is the product of a history in
movie. love with role playing, movies, acting,
writing and, most of all, great stories.
The world didn't have that kind of We all hope you enjoy trying to tune in
game exactly, many near misses but the to No Dice and wish you exciting and
cigar has gone unclaimed. So I'm taking engaging adventures with your players.
my shot at inventing one. Let's learn about the No Dice way of
Not to say I haven't played in exactly doing things, shall we?
the kinds of game I enjoy taking part in

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♦ No Dice - Core Rulebook ♠

Introduction

Welcome to a very different role players and someone to chair the


playing experience. adventure, this person has the role of
Host. If it is you Hosting a game then
No Dice is not just a new role playing you will be in charge of introducing
game, it's a new type of role playing your players to new worlds, strange
game. This book contains everything characters and dramatic situations. If
you will need to run a No Dice game No Dice was a board game the players
(except maybe a pack of playing cards, would be the pieces and the Host
but you can do without one in a pinch). would be everything else, the board,
The advice in this book will guide you the chance cards, the fake money and,
from the point where all you have is er, the dice, except there are no dice,
thin air right through to the point remember?
everyone's asking where to get hold of
a copy of this awesome game. Anyway...

The game is a Role Playing Game (AKA Whereas each player in the game will
RPG) but if you're expecting wizards, be in charge of their character the Host
goblins and trolls then you might be in is in charge of the rest of the game
for a surprise. This game is about world. The Host is there to cater to the
whatever you want it to be about. It expectations the players have for their
doesn't require swathes of free time as a experience. That doesn't mean the
satisfactory No Dice adventure could players will get everything the way
happen over an afternoon or an they want for their characters, rather it
evening. means the players will trust you to be
Each game will consist of a group of impartial. Being the Host is something

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♣ Pure Role Playing ♥

of a responsibility but don't worry, traditional hobby has taken. I think I


with a little coaching I know you'll be can offer some solutions to some of the
fine. problems current systems have but I
can't really describe any solutions
When the experienced role players see without describing some of the
the next subtitle they may be tempted problems. That's where a little crash
to look for the exit from this part of the course in Role Playing history comes
show. I know it's tempting to leave the in.
inexperienced behind to see
Roleplaying 101 by themselves. To The thing is, you're probably at more of
those people, have a read, it might an advantage with No Dice if you don't
explain a few things about the rest of know exactly what role playing is, or
the book to you that will help you historically has been. A long time
decide if you're still interested or not. gamer might be tempted to draw a line
between a murder mystery party and a
Roleplaying 101 good old hack and slash slice of
Dungeons & Dragons. A heavy line, in
These days most game designers seem ultra bold permanent marker, that
to assume that their readers will just shows the workmen where to put the
know what role playing is and where it huge brick wall.
came from. I designed this game, with
the help of my wonderful testing elves, Trust me the murder mystery party
to be an RPG with a more broad based enthusiasts are busy drawing that same
appeal. Because of this I'm going back line. I would imagine neither side
and reviewing where Role Playing has realise that the line connects them
come from so that the past can form a rather than separating them. See, it
basis for moving forward. turns out they've drawn it the wrong
way. They should be standing at either
I wanted No Dice to offer an end of it not on either side of it. It isn't
alternative to some of the routes the really a line, more a scale.

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♦ No Dice - Core Rulebook ♠

legendary Brick Wall of Role Playing


Your "hardcore" roleplayer has a name halfway along they stand behind the
for a murder mystery party and that Murder Mystery party mob looking off
name is LARP, this is an acronym for towards the even more remote world of
"Live Action Roleplay". I think that acting.
people who enjoy a murder mystery
dinner party not only have no idea
they are role playing but might deny
the fact if it came up in conversation.

Just to muddy the waters even further


there are another group of people,
known to role players but not murder
mystery evening organisers, called
LARPers who are the ambassadors for
the concrete hobby of LARPing.
They're the ones standing very close to
the wall on the role playing side.
There tend to be two main subclasses of
LARPer: Vampire LARPers and
Fantasy Combat LARPers, although
there are many more sub genres.
Vampire LARPs tend towards the Role Well, now we're getting into a whole
Playing end of the scale and Fantasy new area of confusion. See, if you are
Combat LARPs... well... reenacting a battle you know ahead of
time whether you're destined to be
You see, there are these dudes called covered in mud, blood and glory or
reenactors, groups like The Sealed Knot reviled as the infamous losers of
get together and, well, reenact history.
historical events. Is this role playing?
On our imaginary scale with the Similarly, if you find yourself in the

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♣ Pure Role Playing ♥

shoes of King Duncan in Macbeth, communal storytelling. The exact


probably best to cancel any long term nature of this meeting has many
plans. Also, there's no room for witty similarities (and sometimes directly
ad libs in an interpretation of the bard. correlates with) the hobby known as
But role playing is not acting. Knowing table top role playing, with the bonus
who's going to win ahead of time that by default the top of no table is
doesn't make you a reenactor any more actually necessary during No Dice. You
than it makes you a professional can probably tell that this is the effect
wrestler (actually they only find out of having No Dice, the tops of tables
during the match who's supposed to being excellent locations for the rolling
win, but this is a detail). of platonic solids covered in numbers.

The fact is, if you ask the question I want to be quite plain on one thing,
“what is roleplaying?” then unless you this game is about the story. Many
have blinkers on the number of things similar games are about, well, fighting
that could satisfy the requirement is really and if you like your stories to be
huge. If you then go on to ask who about fighting then those are the games
participates then I would guess roughly for you; actually, this could be the
a third of humanity consciously game for you too, there's no
participates in some form of role prohibition on fighting in a No Dice
playing and the other two thirds... well, game but it's just one of a number of
daydreaming you're a rock star is role No Dice options.
playing of a sort...
If you would like a story that might
So, now that I've thoroughly confused possibly be about something other than
you as to the nature of what I'm about fighting then you're definitely in the
to ask you to do let me clarify. right place. This book will have an air
When I talk about role playing I am of familiarity to the traditional table
talking about a group of people coming top role player but although they'll
together to participate in an act of recognise the places they may not agree

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♦ No Dice - Core Rulebook ♠

with the décor. today and, as LARPs are the result of


taking much of the number crunching,
No Dice is an option, not a dice and table tops out of role playing,
prescription, not a lifestyle choice and so wargames are what you do with
not a panacea for all ills. It's just what you took out to make the LARP.
something a bit different that attempts
to give a context to a richer experience Wargames live on rules. They attempt
for people who have role played before to simulate a theatre of war and a battle
and a new and exciting experience for between sides and emphasise tactics
those who haven't. and precision statistic measuring to
model war situations. Gygax loved this
Before we get down to it, though, hobby and in his early twenties set up
maybe I should draw the line between an International Federation of
the old style RPG and this weirdo Wargamers and began to write rules for
upstart in some greater detail, just so simulating medieval combat, this being
we all know where we stand. a particular hobby of his.

Where Role Playing Came From Wargamers love accuracy, they love
history, they love statistics, they love...
Table top role playing was born in the well they love wargaming. Dice are
form of one Gary Gygax on July 27 perfect as measurement tools for
1938. Not that anyone knew that role statistics in a wargame because there's
playing had been born at that time in no arguing with the results. You roll
the form of that individual. Not even two ten sided dice and you will get a
Mr Gygax himself was aware of the percentage readout that is exact. Dice
bizarrely world altering destiny that are a number cruncher's paradise.
awaited him.
In the 70s Gygax with a couple of
By the time Gygax was fifteen he had business partners set up Tactical Studies
begun playing miniature based war Rules (Later TSR Inc.) which was the
games. These games are still played company that was to produce the first

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♣ Pure Role Playing ♥

known Role Playing Game, Dungeons more exotic monsters.


& Dragons.
The formula of Dungeons & Dragons is D&D is still played today, it is
straightforward and easily described. enormously popular (although much
It's like a wargame except each player, complained about). Gygax went on to a
rather than having an army has an career of falling out with people who
individual character, each character is he let onto his D&D gravy train;
an adventurer who wanders into a getting death threats from people who
"Dungeon" (or enchanted forest, weird wanted to blame his world of fantasy
cave, strange castle etc.) to hunt for for their poor parenting skills; and
treasure and "Dragons" (or orcs, or dark tweaking out his original idea in
elves, or mountain lions, or vorpal various ways which sometimes escaped
bunnies etc.). legal proceedings from his former
colleagues and sometimes didn't.
The monsters guard the treasure and
the treasure helps you buy new stuff Everything you read in this book only
which is better at killing the monsters. exists because of this arcane and maths
This means the character can wander heavy quasi-wargame that owed more
into more dangerous settings facing than a little to the imaginings of JRR
more exotic beasts and collecting Tolkien. If it hadn't been for Gygax no
greater treasure. There was also a one would even know what role
second currency in D&D known as playing was, it may not even have
"Experience". Your character was become a term for excruciating
represented by a number of statistics business simulation training exercises
and as you defeated more monsters and or seedy activities involving leather and
solved puzzles and evaded traps you whips.
gained experience points. These points
would upgrade your character's very There's something about the phrase
being with awesomeness that also that appeals to our psyche, even if the
helped in the bigger dungeons with the idea of Dungeons & Dragons isn't our

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cup of tea, "role playing"... well, "role and lots of wonderful dice is exactly
playing" sounds fun. Sure, it sounds what Role Playing Games are all about,
fun. It sounded fun to me when I was a the more sides, the better.
boy, but wow there were a lot of rules,
and I never liked maths and Conan was Sigh.
not my reading material of choice.
You see, here is the problem at the
You know what I used to love? heart of the current hobby. Some of the
people who were attracted to RPGs by
Fighting Fantasy and Choose Your the use of the phrase "Role Playing"
Own Adventure books. I used to love became somewhat disgruntled with the
the idea that I was, indeed, choosing lack of opportunity to, well, play roles.
my own adventure. These books were a I include myself in this number.
fad, now amply satisfied in the realms
of computer games. But if you chose to I, along with these others were
assume you won all the fights and just unhappy with the idea that "Growth
enjoyed the story they were the and Development" seemed to mean
prototype for No Dice, particularly "Improved ability to slaughter things".
Choose Your Own Adventure. We wanted to go a bit further. We
wanted to actually explore a character,
Weirdly, Fighting Fantasy spawned a with a history, and their own agenda.
D&D style role playing game, why? We wanted to walk a mile in another
Because unlike CYOA Fighting Fantasy man's shoes. We, well, we wanted to
had, well, fighting in it and as everyone play some roles.
has known right up until today table
top roleplaying is about fighting. Oh, When people first began putting the
and let's not forget the dice! Sure just a role into role play they had to contend
few 6 sided ones, not even enough to with a subculture entirely consisting of
make it look like a proper RPG but D&D players. This old guard were
more than Choose Your Own perfectly happy navigating their
Adventure for sure. And of course lots dwarven fighter through the Caverns

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of Thrung to face a final confrontation There are a few, very few, fringe games
with the Death Hydra Lich of Upper that do attempt to do something
Tooting. As D&D spawned in the fields entirely different.
of the wargamer they couldn't see a
reason why a character might be more This genuinely pioneering minority of
than a killing machine or what games are now circulated in a kind of
experience could be used for if it wasn't cellar dweller underground of story-
for defeating the enemy. obsessed gamers. Essentially the core of
the hobby, historically, has been that if
Thus it was that early breakaways used you want to make money then you
words like "diceless" and "story based" have to provide combat, maps,
like bombs to cause an intellectual miniatures all that jazz.
guerilla war on the idea that violence
was all role playing could describe. I have yet to encounter a roleplaying
Systems that dealt with the issue of game that does not give a
basing a game around factors other disproportionate amount of time over
than wholesale slaughter in different to what happens if your player gets
ways with varying degrees of success. involved in some sort of a ruck. The
amount of time spent describing, the
Some just suggested that you, you enemy, the weapons, the personnel is
know, get out of the dungeon and go to always disproportionate to the amount
a few parties and stuff before ladling on of time spent describing, the character,
a heavy dose of the "this is the combat the role, the freedom of expression.
system" which took up a third of the
book. Others suggested that combat be Game designers seem unable to let go
short-handed and that there were of the crutch of combat (a device used
plenty of other military situations by an injured hero to defeat the Giant
which might be explored. In all cases Bacteria of Gularb...).
there is some element of the player vs. So What's The Big Problem?
force x. Actually, this isn't quite true.

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♦ No Dice - Core Rulebook ♠

I don't believe that there's no market This is not the case for many role
for a game that favours storytelling players. The traditional model of role
over slaughter. Hell, if you're reading playing sets out that one should role
this you are at least alive to the play with a regular group once a week
possibility that role playing may have and that although you may skip from
more to offer. Many people in the adventure to adventure or even system
world would disagree. So, the question to system you should be doing so for
that's begging to be asked is: Why? the foreseeable, no time off for good
behaviour.
The answer to this is both complicated
and simple. Here's the simple bit, if you
This means that the vast majority of
think about these issues a little then people simply don't have time to role
you'll probably uncover the play even if they wanted to. I only
complicated part about it. discovered this when I tried to set up
my group and everyone was haggling
1) Role playing involves spending your over the fact that Tuesdays were out
free time and Thursdays were optimum. The
notion of taking *gasp* one Saturday
I am a very lucky man. When I started every 4-6 weeks hadn't occurred to
role playing properly I joined a group anyone. As it happens some of the
of people who could be adaptable, who group have gone on to feed the monkey
gamed in big lumps once a month every week in a separate adventure but
instead of small lumps every week and a few still maintain the once a month
could cope with someone not being rule. This is good and provides a variety
able to make the odd session. Hence I for the hardcore addicts.
didn't get guilted into spending time
when I really wanted to be doing 2) You are expected to maintain a
something else instead of role playing consistent alter ego
and, besides, the demands on my time
weren't outrageous to begin with. A lot of role playing rewards play with
character based bonuses that help a

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♣ Pure Role Playing ♥

character evolve over time. These days games that deal with unquantifiable
everyone's quite familiar with the data are fine, but you have to accept
concept of having an alter ego from the that you won't need dice, or a sheet of
world of online social networking but numbers. You might just need you.
for the longest time it's been seen as
something a little bit... dirty. There's Why No Dice Is Different
also the question of what happens if
you only want to take on a role for the I bought a second hand game book not
evening. so long ago that described a game in
which, once we started playing, we
3) Role playing makes copious use of discovered many of the numbers were
dice and some maths just a distraction. After a while the
character sheets were left behind
I can count the number of role playing unused and unloved. People kept track
games I know of that don't use any dice of their characters by being their
(that I didn't invent) on the fingers of characters. We used a simple
one hand. The point is that everyone arbitration device for matters of
feels comfortable when there's some chance, a deck of cards, and we never
concrete arbitration to help mitigate missed either the dice or the sheets.
the tough breaks your character may
experience in a story. The role playing game itself evolved
away from the sourcebook I had
The only problem with this is that the bought and is now a No Dice creation
more dice and numbers are involved in of its own. One day you too may
this process the more "tough break" is experience the wonder of this world,
equivalent to "honkin' great monster". but the core of No Dice is about you
There simply aren't the numbers to and your players and having your own
deal with "your brother just got eaten adventures in your own worlds. In
before you had (quantifiable) time to these worlds you may encounter
do much of anything". Role playing honkin' great monsters or you may

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♦ No Dice - Core Rulebook ♠

encounter tricky moral dilemmas or dramatic situations, plot construction.


you may solve crimes by solving
fiendish riddles. The choice in No Dice You may get the feeling that I am
is entirely up to you. reacting specifically against a certain
set of ideas in the text. I hope I have
explained in this introduction exactly
what those ideas are. I am not
excluding ideas of combat and partisan
political structures but I will be
according them only as much airtime as
other ideas, maybe even less. I want,
specifically, to cater for situations that
have not hitherto been catered for.

I want you to drop the dice, move away


from the table top and, if you're really
getting into it now, sinking to your
knees, throwing your hands up into the
air and crying:

"Why? Why can't we all just... get


This book is a support and a sourcebook along?"
for ideas. There will be more detailed
No Dice variants available to play a Too soon? Okay, maybe after you've
particular game in the No Dice mould read a bit further.
but the idea is that you get creative and
that is what this book aims to support Book Overview
you in. I don't just mean in creating a
world, although I will certainly be No Dice Games - The book's going to
helping you with that, but also with start with a basic look at the ways in
the ideas of genre, conventions, which a No Dice game should run and

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♣ Pure Role Playing ♥

what the players and the Host should won't tell you how to, er, roll your
expect from the experience. own.

Player's Guide - A section follows for Randomisers - By which we could


the players, this should also be read by mean dice, but we don't. Dice have
the Host. been done. This is about other ways to
introduce random resolution into your
Characters - Essentially a player only
No Dice experience. There are some
need to know about characters, and
then only if they're getting into a long subtle hints throughout the book as to
the preferred method.
term No Dice game. This section
provides everything such a player could
need to know from the outset. Plots - No Dice has no default setting,
your players could be pixies or cyborgs,
Host's Guide - This section takes up the humans or gods, this section will tickle
your imagination centres and get you
rest of the book. The core No Dice
book is mainly for Hosts, if you want to thinking about the story you'd like to
be a player then this will just be mind Host.
numbingly tedious to read through.
Give it a miss. Non Player Characters - As Host the
cast of the entire game world is you. It
The Vanilla No Dice System - If you're is best that you are therefore prepared
the kind of person who's itching to skip with notes on those characters your
player is most likely to encounter. This
to this section and cover yourself in
section tells you how.
lovely rules be prepared to be
underwhelmed.
Samples - Just a push in the right
Stats - No Dice also has no stats, well, direction with some little adventures
that attempt to communicate some of
none by default. That doesn't mean it
the versatility No Dice has to offer.

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♣ Pure Role Playing ♥

No Dice Games

The Experience audience on such a product was high;


although the show's fans would love
If you are a seasoned role player you nothing better than to have adventures
may have flicked through the book and in the world of the show; the RPG is
looked for the rules for No Dice. You not that popular. Why? Well, in my
may even have read through the opinion, it's because it doesn't feel like
"Vanilla Rules" section and figured you're in the show when you're playing
"that can't be it". Well, I'm sorry, yeah the game. It feels like you're playing
it is. Here's the why. one of a dozen other RPGs with a
funny moustache.
I once played a role playing game based The major problem, as far as I could
upon a popular cult SF television series. tell, was the rules.
The show is one of the best regarded
Science Fiction television shows of the You had six or seven attributes like
past decade and has a rabid fan base. Strength, Charisma, Dexterity etc.
The rhapsodic critical appraise of just (Although obviously not those because
what made the show so unique and those are D&D attributes.) You had
special was hyperbolic even for a field some Life Points or whatever, you had
filled with hyperbole. I'll bet the some various themed skills and some
people who wrote the RPG made their "Drama Points" which, er, you could
money back, just. spend to turn tragedy to triumph and
you earned by being, er, story focused,
Thing is, although the crossover I think.

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The point is the character sheet and the in your own games.
things that resolved conflict didn't add In the meanwhile the parts of the
to the atmosphere. As they didn't add Hosting guide that deal with rules will
to it, they necessarily obstructed it, concentrate more on getting the Host
hence they subtracted from it. The to design their own. That's the way No
rules actually stopped the game feeling Dice believes it should be.
like the show. The GM was hindered
by the things that were supposed to Playing
help them out.
Although I'm going to describe how to
The problem wasn't that the rules were play the game in more detail in the
complicated, or fussy, or arcane, the Player's Guide, and how to Host in the
problem was that they were boring. Host's Guide I thought it might be
There is a wild west game that has a relevant to set you up for the
horror twist where magic is achieved experience.
by playing a hand of poker against the
GM. Well, if I might just interject, yee- If you have role-played before then a
haw, that's atmosphere. A+ to those lot of what happens in a No Dice game
game designers. It's little individual should feel familiar. A group of people
flourishes that help make a game stand sit together, the Host chairs the story
out like that. and the rest of you contribute your
character's ideas and reactions.
When we talk about specific No Dice Occasionally you may need to make a
games in rules supplements I'm going test using some kind of randomiser
to offer up a whole number of themed (usually a pack of cards) to see whether
rules to help create the atmosphere you your character is capable of a particular
want. But I'm not going to start out action.
with any more than the very basic of
the basics. Because the less rules I fill In the best games I have ever played
your head with, the more things you you become enthralled with the plot,
can think of to increase the atmosphere involved with your character and

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engrossed in the unfolding story. Once Hosting


you are done with a session you want
to do it again as soon as possible. In the Successful Hosting is one of the most
worst there may be some times when rewarding experiences humankind has
you want to die rather than carry on. invented to date. I have written stories,
and dabbled in film making, radio
broadcast and a number of other
creative endeavours with variable
success. Nothing is so satisfying as
running a good role play.
For a start players will always do things
that you can't predict, they will send
the story spinning in unexpected
The hallmark difference I have noted is directions, they will see things you
that bad games start to wander into the missed and bring out hidden layers in
land of rules examination and number the scenario. Watching players slowly
crunching. This is where I always get get drawn in, argue, discuss, plan, and
lost and want to fall asleep over the pile generally engage with the world and
of rule books and calculators. Role play characters you have created is a
that is based on story, by contrast, may fantastic feeling.
sometimes be a little slow but it's
always enjoyable. Not to say such rewards come easily.
Hosts have to do a lot of work. Even if
So I hope that your Host can keep the you are only planning to run a basic
numbers, the dice and the crunch away one off with one of the scenarios
from your table (and maybe even keep presented in the core book you will
the table away from your game). No have some preparation to do. You will
Dice is the first game that wants to help have to read and prepare the materials.
the Host do just that. You will have to obtain the player
sheets, make sure you have cards in,

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round up a posse of players and make book is divided into two sections. A
sure you have enough finger food in. short section for players and a honking
huge section for Hosts. Then there are
Being Host means you run the show three example scenarios and two
but unfortunately it means you actually supplements. If you are to be Hosting
have to, well, run the show. read all of the above. Players just need
to read whichever bits of the Player's
Never mind all this preamble. Let's get Guide and Player's Supplement are
on with the main event. The rest of the relevant to them.

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Player's Guide

So, you want to play No Dice? So as a player what can you expect
from a No Dice experience? It kinda
Okay, so maybe it's more like you are depends. Are you going along for a one
amenable to playing No Dice and your time hit or have you decided to dip
friend begged you to take part so they your toes in the murky waters of the
could Host (whatever that means) and campaign and you'll see how it goes?
you figured "how bad could it be? after Either way there are certain things you
all they promised it wasn't Dungeons & should expect and this guide aims to
Dragons". Well, good news. This isn't tell you what they are.
Dungeons & Dragons. Bad news, your
friend may still suck at Hosting. Give This introduction to being a No Dice
them a break, they're probably new at player is here to prepare you for what
it. Reading this could give you some should be one of the most fun things
ways of helping them suck less, so pay you've ever taken part in. If it falls
attention. short it's one of the few activities I'd
suggest you try again, if you've played
The fact they handed you this guide is a five No Dice games and still never had
good indication that they're trying the fun I'm willing to concede this game
best that they can to do the job of Host may not be for you, otherwise... well,
properly. If you've been to No Dice prepare for it to invade your life, but in
evenings that sucked in the past and no a good way.
one ever gave you this guide to read,
now you know. You, as the player, are about to step
into a new pair of shoes. You are about

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to become someone else. Other role That's what the Host is for. The Host
playing games promise this but then has taken on a big job. They're learning
deliver the package of someone who about the world your character lives in,
can pull off cool martial arts moves at they're learning about the dangers they
the roll of 6 or better but who is still face and the people who live there.
basically, well, you. No Dice is actually They're learning history and they're
going to try to give you the tools to learning about the present. They're
look at life a different way through a learning how to describe to you the ups
different set of eyes. and downs of your character's journey,
not just your character either but that
Probably there will be cool things of all the people playing this game of
about your character, like they really No Dice.
are great at martial arts or they can The Host has taken on a mighty
shoot laser beams from their eyes, but responsibility. The responsibility of
those are just added bonuses. What's keeping a handful of people engrossed
really different about these people is and entertained in a story that exists
that they have different life only on a few bits of paper and in the
circumstances, tricky problems to group's imagination. You have to do
confront and different things they want your bit to contribute but the Host is
to make them happy. the anchor that should tie the story
world together.
It could be you're only going to play
this person for one time only, and there So it could be that they need a little
are distinct advantages to that set up help. Just remember that as you begin
which I shall describe below. But it your adventure.
could be that you will be expected to
craft a character who will take part in The first good sign that they know how
many adventures and will maybe to Host effectively is that you are
appear to take on a life of their own. reading this introduction. The second
good sign will be if they have let you
Don't worry, you'll have help in this.

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know that the game will take some game will be better if it's run properly.
time to set up. About an hour in a one It might sound dull to sit around
off scenario, about one whole session in talking about the generalities of what
a longer campaign. They may also have you're about to do but in actual fact
handed you a character sheet and a you are having a conversation about a
short guide to some basics about the fun shared activity you should both
game you will be playing. If they have enjoy.
done all of this then the signs are
they're on the right road. So the check Some Hosts will worry that people
list is: don't want to talk in a one on one
situation about their character. Let's be
 this guide
clear, you will have made this character
 information about the set up in a campaign, let them know you are
 extra hand outs specific to the itching to talk about them. In a one off
game the GM will probably have given you a
choice of some available characters in
If they have not handed you the other shorthand, you've plumped for one that
two then ask them why not. There's no sounds fun, and now you just need a
reason to tie them to a chair and shine little five minute clarification to know
a light in their face until they crack what kinds of things are on your mind
under the pressure but there's no harm as the game begins.
in checking out that they've not simply
forgotten. Hosts have a lot to think All this stuff is designed to give you
about. and the Host a flying start to this
adventure. If you don't do it you might
When you arrive at the game the set up find that after a brief period in which
should take place and then the game things seem to be a little slow you will
proper will begin. If the Host seems warm up to it. But sometimes buzz kills
eager to just get on with it ask them like confusion can, well, kill the buzz.
about the set up. Let's be clear, the It will also help if the Host tells you a

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little bit about the kinds of things he Neither of these attitudes is wholly
expects your characters to do in the appropriate but if you're a little
current adventure. An important factor nervous about this then you're
is how physical activity is going to probably doing better. Let me explain
impact your character. If there is magic why.
how does it work? Could you find a
pacifist solution to the game's Role playing is not as easy as many
problems? Or will you be expected to people think. You're not supposed to be
just battle through? If you decide to be an Oscar wining actor but it does take
an ass to people will it likely come back some care and attention to get your
to haunt you? Or is the game relatively part right.
consequence free? If you know all this
going in you are not likely to make a The most important thing to remember
mistake which makes your character is that, whatever the story, you are not
pay through the remainder of the the hero. You are a hero, sure, but it's a
game. team effort. Sure, you probably want to
do your best at portraying your
Maybe your Host has sound reasons for character but you shouldn't be an ass
leaving some of this stuff out. If so they about it.
should fill you in. If not, well, this
might still be okay, but you can't be as Most people over estimate how much
sure as you can with a Host who's they have to do to portray a character's
prepared. character trait. In movies a “character
establishing moment” is just that. You
The Art of Role Playing realise all eyes are on you, you say or
do the thing that defines your
So far you're probably either scared of character, you move on.
looking like an idiot doing this or
you're thinking it's going to be dead I saw a game in which a player
easy and sort of fun. portraying an annoying and
mischievous but brilliant engineer

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badgered another character to let him well worth it.


tinker with that character's weapon for
fully two minutes. This left the other Some Hosts will want to sort out with
player personally irritated about the players beforehand how much inter-
incident and won nobody any friends. player strife is to be expected. This is a
If you want to have a character good thing. If you know another player
moment make it a moment. You are doesn't want their character on the
there to share the limelight with the blunt end of your character's short
other players not to dominate it and temper come up with a character
certainly not to give the other players a concept that means your character will
hard time. dish it out to everyone except player x.
It's not your right to make someone
else's No Dice experience less pleasant.

Okay, so enough with the serious, if


you're only doing a one off, that's it,
you can go, have fun you crazy kid.
You can skim through the character
stuff, it won't hurt, you might even be
amused or pick up some ideas. It's not
essential though.

If you're in for a short campaign or a


full blown saga you're going to want to
The way to do this is to watch what delve deeply into the character section,
you're saying and doing just a tiny bit make sure you know a bit about the
more than you feel you should have to. kind of game you're playing first,
It might be a bit funny to do at first but though, you don't want to bring a
when everyone's complimenting you Shaolin Master to a gun fight, after all...
on your awesome role play it will be

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Characters

One off or Campaign? a lunatic or a villain. You're only


playing this character once, so you
This seems like a redundant question, have some freedoms. I'll discuss this in
but I know a few of you one off people more detail later on. For now let's
will have snuck in here, so I'm going to assume you're taking on a longer term
put down a few things for one off character, let's run through a few bits.
players before we start. Although
generally speaking the Host will create Love Your Character
the cast of characters available in a one
off it is possible that if you're an old If you're going to be playing your
hand at this No Dice stuff maybe character for any length of time this is
they've left it up to you to create your the most important thing about
own. character creation. Your character
should be someone not only that you're
I think the major difference you should comfortable to play, but you need to
bear in mind between wearing like them, a lot. You're going to be
someone's skin for one evening portraying them for a good while.
compared to a couple of month's worth
of evenings is that in the one off So when you think of your character
environment you can afford to make a concept ask yourself, seriously, why
radical departure from the norm. You you like this person you're undertaking
could be a complete jackass, or to play in the game. There'd better be a
someone dysfunctional in the extreme, solid reason as well. I've seen long haul

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characters fade away because players convey. Older characters are often
were keen on them for five minutes nuanced and experienced, they can
and then they got bored or frustrated. present problems. Any character
I've also seen people find their between the ages of about 23 and 48
characters extremely difficult to play. falls into a "zone of meh" where their
You have to find that angle that makes age only has a small effect on how
your character playable by you. others perceive them.

NB: This is a completely separate issue The Zone of Meh is where one would
from making them likeable to other place a man or woman between the
people. Completely separate. ages of 23 and 48 who weighs around
nine stone (three or four more if male)
Making A Character Interesting... is about 5'4 (6'0 if male) was brought
up by a mother and father with a
Most players I've ever come across find sibling who was older or younger by
this the easiest thing. After all they about three years, who lived in one
wouldn't have thought of the character place until they were about twenty and
if they didn't find them interesting. then went on to some sort of trade they
Interesting and playable are not the still work in today.
same thing. Hamlet, for example, is all
kinds of interesting, easy to play? Not I'm not suggesting this any kind of an
so much. Similarly King Lear. I know average, I can count the number of
these are characters in plays but the people this tedious that I know without
theory remains the same. running out of fingers. The point is this
kind of person has never had anything
Is your character young or old? Or in interesting happen to them at all. Even
between. A youthful character will this is kind of interesting in itself.
have to live within the confines of their Someone who appears to have this kind
own naivety, if you are new to the of background might be suspected of
game world you may find this easy to covering up the truth, whatever that

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truth may turn out to be. Maybe you've made a sports star, fit,
athletic, beautiful, popular but she lost
The point is if you stick to the Zone of her younger brother in a tragic
Meh but add in a few bits of interest accident when she was twelve and he
like, the individual was extremely was nine. She blames her own lack of
intelligent and became a highly action during the accident and this is
qualified academic at a young age, or what has driven her to become an
the person was brought up by one Olympian. She is protective of the
parent, was an only child, this only weak and those younger than herself,
adds limited interest and the Zone of in addition she has difficulty becoming
Meh continues. emotionally attached to people because
of her fear of losing them.

Now, that's an interesting character.

...And Lovable...

What makes a character likeable in


fiction is directly at odds with what
makes people likeable in reality. In
fiction heroes are capable and strong, in
reality when we interact with peers we
tend to like people we feel are less
intelligent than us and maybe weaker.
You have to keep adding things to your These statements are, of course,
character until something interesting generalisations, exceptions always
happens, until they have a hook, a prove the general rules. However what
personality trait that you like and that this should tell you is that what may
will be an interesting thing to portray make a character lovable in fiction may
on a week by week basis. not necessarily make them likeable in a
group environment.

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You should think about what makes can put across. Talk it through with the
your character strong, and therefore Host. If you do your best and you have
interesting first, but then think about fun that's all anyone can ask. Save the
what makes them weak, and therefore tricky role playing for when you've got
lovable. If everyone hates your a bit under your belt.
character you're going to have a
tougher time portraying them every But in all cases you want the
week. Ironically, things you may throw character's strength, what makes them
in imagining they will make the interesting and capable, and their
character likeable may actually make weakness, what makes them lovable
them dangerous, or untrustworthy. and part of the team.

Let's take our female Olympian. She ..But Flawed...


loved her little brother and her own
mode of relating to other people kind Out of both strengths and weaknesses
of got trapped at that stage when she come flaws. How you portray your
lost him. She is goofy, funny, she will character's flaws will make or break
assume control in a gentle way but she your role playing. Maybe you're just
just can't have an adult conversation. If along for the ride; news flash, being
she's facing off against someone she along for the ride is a flaw if everyone
sees as an opponent she'll be cool. Ask else is trying to accomplish something.
her to commit to a relationship and Or maybe you're keen but your
she'll go to pieces. If this is your character just has some priority that's
character you have to put that across. not selfless or even particularly nice.

If that's not your personality you might Our Olympian, for example. We've
find it a little tricky to live in those already discussed that she's witty,
shoes. So when you start role playing athletic and fun to be around, she's the
maybe it would be best to stick close to kind of person who you don't mind
home. Find something you think you giving up leadership to. But on the flip

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side she's scared stiff of being alone, character's going to be worried about
she's flippant and sometimes her next. What's on their mind in the
tongue's a little too sharp for her own moment.
good. These are flaws. Playing them
genuinely is what good role play is all A character's passion could be as
about. prosaic as chasing after their next meal
or snack, or it could be as complex as
It's also more than likely that our worrying about their relatives, partner
Olympian is competitive as hell, a sore or children all the time. It could be,
loser but a gracious winner. Playing probably would be, a mixture of these
this straight and sticking to it could survival instincts and the wider
land the team in trouble, or it could concerns.
mean she goes the extra mile just to get
a result. You have to think about your character
on a normal day. What's their usual
In the end it's up to the Host to reward concern. Who are their friends? How
good role playing, but if you did a good many do they have? Do they live with
job it's kind of its own reward. Doing their family? If not, how often do they
some good role playing really gives you see their relatives? What do they do on
a better experience and makes the a work day? What are their hobbies?
hobby worthwhile. How worried are they about food? Do
they have a special diet? Or are they
... With Convincing Passions... just hungry all the time? What about
physical comfort? Is that important to
What we've talked about so far is all them? How do they relate to strangers?
long term stuff, the foundations of a How do they feel in a crowd?
character. That's all good to know and
is going to help with the way the All of these factors, these drives,
character presents themselves to the desires, hungers and passions make the
other players. However, there's a character what they are on a moment
minute to minute problem of what the by moment basis. How do they deal

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with problems? Do they let everyone appropriate. You may not know all
know they're feeling inconvenienced? three for all three levels right away,
If so are they vocal and whiny or are this is a signal you haven't quite got to
they a martyr on certain topics? know your character yet. Go through
the other parts, their history, their
Part of your job as a player is to demeanour, their fears, their flaws and
communicate to everyone else how see if you can add in a little something
your character is. When you start that will fill in the blanks.
playing you aren't there any more, now
your character is taking centre stage. These general topics of conversation
How similar or dissimilar that need to be quite broad-based. You
character is to you is up to you and might make a character and think
what you show the other players. always talking about the weather is a
good idea for people that character
There's a technique to be used here for doesn't know well. This is fine, but it's
making sure you'll always be thinking also quite obvious.
of something for your character to say.
First of all we're going to give the Maybe you could try something even
character three situations, when less specific like "talk about the current
they're around total strangers or people environment", if it makes the character
they don't know that well; when feel comfortable praise it, otherwise
they're around friends and complain. Other good topics include
acquaintances they see and talk to "the character's current pet project",
regularly; and finally when they're "the character's close family", "the
with people they trust with their lives character's concerns about their own
(if any). health" any kind of small talk subject
that doesn't expose too much but at the
For each of those situations we are then same time will tell other players a lot
going to jot down three topics of about your character's demeanour.
conversation the character deems

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Deciding ahead of time that in any One of the things dice fans love is that
given situation your character's you can't argue with a die roll. The
priorities for conversation with arbitration of numbers is absolute. You
strangers are: number one: feeling may feel that faced with the
comfortable in their environment; Unspeakable Horror your character
number two: knowing when they're would swallow their fear and fight on
going to be left to their own devices but a failure to roll well on a
again; and number three: being able to Willpower test will have you running
stay in touch with their partner via for the hills whether you want to or
their mobile phone, in that order, not.
should help you tell people about your
character without dropping out of role. There is a safety blanket aspect to such
tests. If the dice say it then a bum note
...And Sympathetic Fears cannot be struck. I would prefer to
think that if you were really all that
At the other end of the scale your involved with portraying yeller bellied
character has to want to avoid Carl Taylor then when he sees the
something. Everyone is afraid, all that Horror it will be a point of pride that
matters is what they're afraid of and you make him turn and run. That's the
how they deal with it. Some people are character after all.
willing to swallow their fear and press
on. Some will find the urge to run In the end playing your character
overwhelming. Some will just try to shouldn't be a matter of trying to win.
avoid dealing with the things they find You can't win a story, you can only see
unpleasant. Really how your character what happens next. As a character
reacts to their fears and what those player your priority should be to play
fears are is up to you. This is where you the character, irrespective of what you
start to leave the realms of being a yourself would normally do.
player and enter the murky waters of
art.

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Being Evil when all the characters are despicable.


Also it causes fractious behaviour
Which brings us on to a hitherto within the group. When everyone's
touchy subject. There's an old saying in letting their twisted egos off the chain
the acting profession that it's more fun it can get ugly quickly.
to play a villain than a good guy. It's
certainly easier to chew up scenery and I would always advise against being a
villains chew scenery better than villain in any campaign. It just makes
anyone else. But is it really all that you upset and angry, after all you will
much fun to be the villain? lose because you're evil and you're
supposed to. If you don't lose it'll make
I used to be an actor, for my sins. I things seem, well, wrong.
always believed that acting out the
villain's role would be "fun", until I But in a one off, there may be some
actually got to do it. If you're going to license to it. It's a single night. If it
be an honest villain, if you're going to leaves a bad taste in your mouth well
act up a storm, if you are to chew the you're not being forced to take another
scenery like the best of them then you swig.
have to burrow down and understand
the heart of the villain. And trust me, I would say that role playing bad
that's not a good place to live. people is probably one for the very
experienced and possibly best avoided
The "Villain's Campaign" is like a if one can think of a more morally
mythical grail of role playing. Wouldn't commendable scenario to play through.
it just be great to all be evil? To not
care a fig what anyone else thought? Okay Maybe Not EVIL
Wouldn't it be liberating to be bad?
Well, depends. What old style role Playing someone who's deeply flawed
players usually find is that the on the other hand, I mean really deeply
campaign falls apart pretty quickly flawed. That is more like it. Again it's a

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challenge for the more experienced losing. Generally speaking the Host
player but taking the road to will be advised to let things ride
redemption, that could be deeply wherever possible. All the randomness
moving. Feeling yourself warp from in a given game will be to enhance
irritant to hero, that could be a mood not to slap wrists or enforce too
rewarding path. It's just a difficult one. many limits.

You, as a player, should want to feel


the roughs and the smooths, you should
want to put playing the character ahead
of taking the easy route. This game
stands or falls on your participation in
the intended spirit. That means
everyone Host, Players, Household
Pets, Innocent Bystanders, everyone
gets enough rope to hang themselves.

In the beginning it's probably best to I'm telling the Host to give everyone
make someone generally okay who has greater latitude to do what they want
their moments of not being so okay. with their characters but trust me I'm
You can take on something bigger as giving them enough ways to hose down
time goes by. troublemakers that you probably want
to stay away from getting cute.
Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On
Contrast Is Good
No Dice is a game where I hope you've
got the impression that playing your Once you've played one character for a
part is the same as winning and few weeks you'll probably start to find
ignoring your character in order to they're too jolly and not cool enough,
indulge a power fantasy or day dream is or too cool and not benevolent enough,
or too benevolent and not smart

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enough. The grass is perpetually someone new in a new world in a new


greener on someone else's character game think about who you've already
sheet and this is the way things should been. Think about whether it might
be. Because if we played the same not be time to try something altogether
characters all the time we'd never learn different. Most of all, though, when
anything, right? you create a character for a No Dice
world, love them, cherish them,
We'd never learn why people nurture them and HAVE FUN!
sometimes think it's "too quiet". We'd
never learn how to respond to enquiry NOTE: For an even more in depth
as to whether we were a god. We'd character creation experience check
never learn what our characters would out the appendix: "The Thirty Six
do in a riot with a loaded shotgun. We Dramatic Situations for Players". Ask
just would plain stop having fun. your Host if they think having a thumb
through would be appropriate.
So when you get a chance to play

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Host's Guide

If you are thinking of Hosting a No job was known as Game Master or GM.
Dice game, congratulations! You have People tried to give it other names, in
taken the first step into a wider world D&D for example you were the
of fun and adventure. If, on the other Dungeon Master, and people still know
hand, you are just hanging around this term as it was the first. It didn't
wondering how you can get invited to stick, the minute a game came along no
a No Dice game Hosted by some one part of which was located inside a
else, well, good luck with that. Dungeon it was toast. Other people
have tried titles as simple as Narrator or
The fact is, you're the one reading the as tortured as Werewizard (seriously)
core book. This means the prime but overall people refer to the person
candidate for Hosting is going to be running the game for the other
that charming, intelligent, enterprising characters as the GM.
person who greets you from every
mirror. So why have I decided to mess with the
established order? Well, the most
You may think you're just not keen important reason is that back in the old
enough on the idea to run your own days the GM saw the game as a two
party but if you're looking at this sided contest with him (usually him)
volume you're keener than all the on one side and the players on the
people who aren't. Sorry, looks like other if the players died the GM won,
you're going to be the Host. otherwise the GM lost. (Don't ask me,
I'm just the messenger.)
In the old world of role playing your

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Host is a deliberate attempt to device of a computer or games console.


undermine this attitude before it
begins. GMs of the sort I just described None of these situations can be
are rare these days, partially because considered sufficiently like real life to
the hobby has shrunk in popularity (I cause genuine mental distress. Even so
wonder why) and partially because I've seen arguments among people
people just don't want those people playing Trivial Pursuits or Monopoly
GMing for them. that beggar belief. Can you imagine
how much worse things would be if
So the person who runs the No Dice people actually genuinely cared about
evening is known as the Host. If you the fate of their pieces in those games?
are the Host it is your job to welcome
your players and to give them a fun I may have made this sound like you're
ride. The reason for the word Host is going to be undertaking an activity
because it is your job not just to take similar to bear taming. It's really not.
care of providing the game but to take People will be fine, but you just have to
care of the well being of those who are be a Host to them. You have to take
playing the game. care of them. Then everyone will have
the best time they've ever had. Trust
The fact is a role playing game is not me.
like a movie, or a book, or even
something you play via a computer All this is what makes No Dice as a
which calls itself a role playing game. game different to any game you've
All other forms of pure entertainment played before and that includes other
have some sort of distancing technique. role playing games.
Either you are a passive audience
member, or you are playing a board A No Dice adventure includes sections
games with very strictly defined rules devoted to parts of the experience that
that separate you from normal reality are not really parts of the main game.
or you are interacting via the proxy These sections will help you, the Host,

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make yourself into a better Host for characters doesn't provide that.
your players and, in addition, will set
up your players to play a better game. I find I don't really like running a game
for more than 6 players but it kind of
What this entails rather depends on depends on the players. I would say
how much No Dice you're expecting to that usually 3-7 people makes a No
play with your players. If it's just an Dice adventure. You'll find that above
evening's worth then this set up should three players the amount of time you
consume no more than 40-60 minutes will spend playing the adventure will
of your time depending on the number escalate dramatically, for just two, the
of players. If you're going for a longer adventure will fly by. My optimum
session i.e. a short campaign or a long number of players is three for a one off,
saga, you're going to need to spend a bit but again, your mileage may vary.
more time setting things up. How
much longer depends on what kind of When we're addressing the topic of
game you're playing: one the players length I'm going to start with advice
might know all about before they about the simplest kind of No Dice
arrive, or one that you're going to have scenario and work my way up to a saga
to introduce them to. and add in more detail about what's
expected as we go.
On the subject of numbers the
minimum number of people you would The Six Million Dollar Question
probably want in a No Dice role play is
3, a Host and two players. There is a Is, of course, what the hell have I let
practice known as "Lone Wolfing" myself in for? I think the number one
where it's just host and a player but thing that you have to remember is not
these have a very different feel to that you are in charge of creating a
playing any other type of game. Part of universe and populating it with
the experience is to have contrasting detailed people, items, animals etc.
opinions about the best path through
the game and just riffing off the Host's For a start there will, in the fullness of

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time, be expansion packs for No Dice develop skills in thinking on your feet,
that explicitly add to the contents of sure, but this is often in contrast to
this core book. If you're feeling a bit having to consult a stack of notes every
braver you might start to think about a time someone asks a question. Your
"hack" of an existing RPG into notes should be easily understood at a
something a bit less, er, Dice-y, who glance, so you will have to learn to take
knows, you may find that someone has notes in such a way that you can
already done the work for you. consult them quickly.

In the end though, if your illusory


game world is convincing and you're
showing your players a good time then
what does anything else matter?

Once you've got over that fact return to


the name of your role in the game. You
are the Host. It is up to you to look
after your players and make them
happy. This is why you are no longer
referred to as the Game Master. You
are not Master of the Game you are a
Host who gives the players what they
want.

What they should want is an


Even if you are in charge of everything entertaining and dramatic experience
there is one important fact that it will so whenever you are called upon to
help you to remember. You are not in deliver bad news you must do it as
charge of anything except creating a resolutely as telling them about their
convincing illusion. You will have to successes. That is your responsibility.

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The Bare Minimum about all the stuff about stats,


randomisers, plots and Non-Player
Okay, if you are really in a hurry to try Characters. If you have skipped from
this out and don't want to plough the introduction and first chapter
through any more of the book than you straight to the Host's Guide then I
already have here is the absolute bare would recommend that you read the
minimum of things you need to read Player's Guide as well, a Host should
from the rest of the book to run a No understand what it is the players are
Dice evening: told.

 The Vanilla Rules It is also recommended that you make


available the first section of the Player's
 Traveller's Rest (The First
Guide to your players. One off players
Example Scenario)
using pre-generated characters don't
Most one-off scenarios contain need to see the section about
anything upwards of the vanilla rules characters.
that you need within them anyway and
notes which will give you all the If you're after any more than that then
information you need to Host. Once it's a slippery slope. If you do want to
you've prepared that much then you'll gradually slide into further
be ready for Traveller's Rest, further involvement with the hobby then you
one-off scenarios written by the No could graduate your involvement by
Dice team are similarly helpful, we first of all asking players to create their
obviously can't speak for any you get own characters (which will involve
from the wider community. checking the characters before the one-
off), then maybe writing your own one
If you want to get a bit more in-depth off with pre-generated characters, then
then I would recommend that the next maybe writing something that fits
thing you do is read the rest of this across a few episodes before finally
Host's guide. After that don't worry taking on a whole campaign.

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A Herculean Task (Volunteers Only) If you could meticulously plan your


entire campaign in 6-8 episode blocks
If you're just going to use No Dice to that would be super, but in the real
run the occasional RP party then that's world a vague idea that it would run x
cool. In fact a large part of what the number of blocks will suffice.
system was designed for, some people
don't have a lot of time for getting their Essentially playing the most extended
head into RP so to be able to just game you can play should take about
freestyle it more or less is going to be a two to three months worth of episodes.
boon. The more comfortable period you have
in between the Introductory Q&A and
For those of you that really want to get the first episode the more time you will
into the No Dice frame of mind allow for players to create their
however, I want to provide you with characters. Obviously you don't want
resources to get yourself oriented. In this process to stretch into months but
the full No Dice experience, a a month to six weeks would be a
campaign where the players choose comfortable amount of time for new
their roles and you plan an epic No Dicers to read the Player's Guide
narrative journey you will need to be and any Supplements you may want to
organised. A No Dice campaign ideally give them.
consists of the following stages:
There are obviously ways of running
 Create/Research Campaign No Dice between "the full on" and "the
Setting ultra light" but it's up to your discretion
as to how much you do or don't do.
 Plan Campaign
The only guide I would give you is
 The Introductory Q&A always to remember that you are The
 The Lone Wolf/Character Host, do what you consider enough to
Creation Process make sure your players are having a
fun time.
 6-8 Campaign Episodes

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The One Off takes a long time to explain. A long


time. And we've only got the one
If you're running a one off then you're session so explanation of that setting
going to want to keep your set up needs to remain at a minimum.
simple. The most basic type of one off
set up that exists is the haunted house With a longer campaign people have
story. The reason for this is that the time to explore their options and
characters are just characters with no find the rhythm of a wider world. In
special powers and people understand one off world that's not going to
the set up instinctively. The sample happen. If you wanted some cool
scenario "Traveller's Rest" is included wrinkle on an old idea then you need
in the examples at the end of the book. to explain it up front or find some
really clever way of working it into the
Any departure from this needs to be main gameplay session. If you are going
simply explained. Another popular type to run a campaign then you could make
of simple game is the slasher flick that more complicated but then
game, although you may have more subsequently run a one off in the same
opulent surroundings, more violence world. This would mitigate the need
and more exotic events in such a game for an overlong set up entirely.
it doesn't depart too far from the classic
haunted house. Another example Basically, it would be best to pick a
scenario, "Revelation Point" is included genre, be really clear about that genre,
in the book. and not suddenly spring any extras on a
group of people who are just getting
After that you want to try to make the used to being a particular character for
one offs as generic as possible. We all a single session. In the beginning it
love things that are a bit different, like might be best to keep things simple and
a Space Opera epic in a universe with as people get used to the game ramp up
six alien races battling for control of an the complexity of what you're asking
unstable federation, or something like them to do.
that, here's the problem, such a set up

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Let's be plain about one thing, role either knew what to expect or had to
playing, the actual playing, is a skill. be sold the concept before they'd even
People who have been role playing for sit down. GMs in the past needed to
a while can become better at it. They boil the game down into a handy
sink into the fiction more quickly and phrase or sentence and pitch that. The
play their characters with more problem with these colourful bon mots
confidence. This kind of skill takes time was that they left some room for
to accrue, and introducing a new interpretation on both sides. Even if
system can even set back highly skilled people buy into a game in theory they
players. As Host it will be your may find the Host's interpretation of
responsibility to gauge the experience the phrase and their own differ
of your players and tailor their dramatically let's look at a few
experience accordingly. examples and see if you can spot the
swathes of grey area they expose.
And Beyond...
Dungeons & Dragons - Go into
If you're running anything longer than dungeons and er, slay dragons (among
a one off you're going to want to other things)
introduce a set up session. Even if you Vampire: The Masquerade - Vie for
are playing a No Dice game with a undead power in a web of political
Player's Guide which you can dole out intrigue
to your team before you begin as Host Cyberpunk - Hack dystopia and do it
you are inevitably going to know more wearing mirror shades.
about what you have in mind than the Over The Edge - Question your own
players do. It might be best to run a sanity and that of others as the fruit of
Q&A beforehand so everyone's straight the Western world's freakiest cheese
on what's expected. dreams converge on a single weird
sovereign island.
This is a significant departure from RP Feng Shui - Hong Kong Phooey action
set ups of yore when the audience spectacular with HK cinema tricks,

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flips and mythology. Example Q&A


Mutants & Masterminds - Superhero
fun of the purest kind, throw a car at a In this example Q&A our Host
supervillain today! introduces a space game to his players
Call of Cthulhu - Stare into the abyss Alex, Bob and Charlie.
and feel the abyss stare straight back
into you. Host: Okay guys, I'm looking to run a
space opera game that I've called Stellar
I'm not going to go into exactly how Adventure. It's sort of an attempt to
people can get the wrong end of the mix up gritty space opera with a kind of
stick about these scenarios but trust me swashbuckling feel.
they can. Vampire can devolve into a
slugfest, Feng Shui can become hung Bob: What, like Star Wars?
up on dice, and a D&D Dungeon
Master can get a little too handy with Host: Actually, only a bit. Whereas Star
the traps and hard monsters. People Wars has some aspects of a
can sign on for an adventure and end swashbuckler it's really more of a high
up with a grind or an overwhelming fantasy in space, like Lord of the Rings
tide of impossible odds. with space ships. This would be far
more Pirates of the Caribbean in space.
As the Host of No Dice it is your job to
take the temperature of the player's Alex: So pirates then?
expectations before you even go down
that road. You as Host get to say Host: Okay, not pirates as such. More
whether we're playing cops and that instead of busting out the laser
robbers or ten little space marines, it's rifles and just opening up a gun battle,
up to the players to then tell you what people would use swords like rapiers.
they expect from the experience and Actually bladed weapons. I saw this
then it's your job to make that happen. idea about people having high impact
shields on so lasers and bullets can't hit
them but a sword travels slowly

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enough to penetrate the barrier. have been discovered and the galaxy is
Charlie: Isn't that from Dune? 50% mapped.

Host: Essentially, yeah. Not that Alex: Is there a chance for an


everyone has one of these impact intelligent alien life encounter?
shields but most people do so
swordplay and melee combat are much Host: I'm not planning on making it the
more widespread. Also there will be a focus. The three factions, the Republic,
bunch of space dogfighting. I was the Empire and the Combine are not
thinking of taking that out but in the really that bothered about intelligent
end it seems to make a nice alien life. In fact many of the big wigs
compliment to the melee combat. would view such encounters as
threatening rather than as an
Alex: So basically it's going to be a opportunity.
bunch of interstellar war?
Alex: So you're not just planning on
Host: I did want some combat in this making it an alien war?
game but as usual it's going to be about
story and action, your characters will Host: I wanted to make it more about
be involved in pressurised action the interactions between humans who
sequences but it won't necessarily be an are both capable, as in acrobatic,
unending run of combat. combat ready, witty, intelligent but not
entirely trustworthy. Everyone has an
Bob: So what else is going on? agenda, everybody wants something for
themselves and they might not be
Host: Okay, so the set up is that the entirely honest about their objectives
humanity in the game has created three with their fellows.
factions in the galaxy of the story. Charlie: So what about these three
There are alien life forms but none are factions.
sentient, or at least no sentient aliens

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Host: It's not so bad, the power


structures are quite diffuse and hence
everywhere is fairly liberal. The
Combine is the most restrictive, they
like their planets and stations to stay
"on message" from a brand values
position. The Republic tries to be all
things to all people but has some
problems with bureaucratic and
administrative corruption, the Empire
is a patchwork of hell holes and
Host: Right, I wanted three different extremely iffy systems run by fiercely
political structures. The very long term independent and possibly insane
history of this civilisation is that they megalomaniacs. Having said all that,
all come from the same root but over the average private citizen just keeps
time have diversified. The two largest their heads down and gets on with it.
factions are the Republic and the
Empire. The Republic is a large group Alex: So what kinds of characters are
of systems that have a parliamentary there?
structure. The Empire is kind of a joke
term for a group of systems which is in And so on. As you can see the Q&A is
constant and dangerous civil war. The really a chance for players to start to
Empire is governed by tribal warlords think about the kinds of adventures
and it is their fractious nature that they'd like to have in the world the
stops them growing. The Combine are a Host has created. By going through this
group of systems in which government set up process people find it easier to
has, essentially been bought by ease into the game when it arrives.
interstellar corporations. Some GMs already do this before a
game but it's always been an ad hoc
Bob: it all sounds kind of grim. arrangement, not a formalised part of

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the process. successful game, it happens, but you


can try to ensure that you have
Once you have run the Q&A it is time prepared enough to minimise your risks
for the players to go away and make up and that's all you can do.
characters who live in the world the
Host has created. These should be The first thing you have to do as Host is
discussed on an individual basis before engage with your players before you
play begins. You may want to make the even begin. In the case of a campaign
first session half Q&A and half you will be introducing the game world
character discussion, or you may want in a start up session and then taking
to devote two sessions to set up, or you each player on a "Lone Wolf" a mini
might leave a gap between the first session that helps firm up the player's
session and the beginning of the story back story.
so you can have a one on one with each
of your players. If you have given them the Player's
Guide and the Player's Thirty Six
The important thing to remember is Situations Supplement then when you
that it's you, as the Host, listening to sit down to Lone Wolf you will
what they, as the players, would like to hopefully have a player before you who
get out of the experience. Once is ready with an idea for a character
everyone's happy it's time to begin. and the story in which they are
embroiled. If this is the case then you
Preparing the Player just have to tidy up the details and your
ready to go.
When you start to build your campaign Some players will need more working
you might wonder how to fill it with with than others but if you take care of
exciting, relevant content and new this simple preparation then when you
twists on old stories. You might worry actually come to play you should find
that your stories would be clichéd and the game developing a lot more
your players would be bored. There's smoothly.
no way to completely avoid a less than

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The Lone Wolf and ask the player how they reacted to
it. And ask them how their life went
"Lone Wolfing" is a practice in which a after that incident.
single Host and a single player role
play. The practice has a totally different Example: One player I was lone
feel to group role play and introduces wolfing said that his life changed when
an individual crafting dynamic that he miraculously escaped poisoning
should help a player get to grips with from the arrow of a hostile race whilst
their character before bringing them he was caught up in an attack on a
out in a group game. harbour near his home. A poisonous
spider bite, usually fatal, was the
I usually start the player's lone wolf by antidote to the poison on the arrow
describing the average life of a person head of the invaders. His character had
who lives in the character's cultural always been strong, a fighter, now he
surroundings. This should take no more believed he had been blessed by the
than five minutes. Once I have given a gods and had been given his unusually
broad overview of this average I ask the strong constitution to fight his people's
player at what point their character's mysterious invaders.
life diverged from that average.
He chose a background thereafter
The answer could be that it didn't where his people, a race of warriors,
particularly. If the player is insistent held him in high esteem. I said to him,
that at the outset of the game they have then, that before he left home, whilst
not had one day different from all the he was growing to an age where he
other people they know and live with would be allowed to leave on his quest
then let them run with that. Otherwise to fight his enemy he would be a
ask them to describe what happened favoured son in the town. This would
when their life changed. make the circumstances of his life
easier and attract a lot of female
This life changing event should be role attention.
played very lightly. Fix on a key point

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The next key point was how his was the strongest male fighter in the
character dealt with that female village, and exchange for her gift of
interaction. The player was a little non- care she wanted him to fight her, in
plussed. Although the result was secret to see who was better.
natural given his character's macho and
high societal status he said his character She was fast and she was agile so she
didn't really know what to do about won the sparring match easily, leaving
women. the poor fellow dumbfounded and
confused. Again I wanted to see how
At this point I decided to let fate take a events would turn for him and again he
hand, he made a draw. As it happened was unfortunate. Knowing that her
he got a fairly ill-starred draw for people would never accept a fighting
matters of emotion so I said that woman this girl stowed away on a
although there was no one woman he cargo vessel and left him behind.
really liked there were two he had a Although his character heard of her
fondness for. One was the alpha female leaving he never got a chance to talk to
of the village who was smart and pretty her properly after the fight.
and seemed to like him because he was
important. The other was a tomboy she So that was when his character decided
warrior type, frowned upon by the to make the move and go on a voyage
people but when he fell under the to find the enemy, maybe hoping,
poison arrow she had cared for him somewhere in his heart, that he would
when it seemed he might die. find out what happened to the only
girl, the only warrior, who could best
He chose the warrior woman and we him in single combat.
supposed that his character thereafter
ignored all the other women but As you can see from that one Lone
flirted, cautiously with this fighting Wolf the Player's character found not
woman. Eventually her agenda became one, but two personal arcs that I as
clear. She had saved his life because he Host could bring into the role play. His

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quest to find and defeat his enemies


was the main story but underlying this One thing that all role playing groups
is his unresolved business with the experience is some inter-player friction
warrior maiden. The latter situation I out of character. The fact is people in a
had the option of effectively sitting on story get attached to their characters,
until I felt that it was time to give his they want to play them to the best of
character some stage time. their ability. Unfortunately one man's
dramatic flair is another man's
The two draws I described in the annoying quirk. Tension can build up
example were the only two draws the and people can swing from having a
player made at all during his lone wolf, great time to having a rubbish time and
the session itself lasted about forty eventually, unless this is well managed,
minutes. This, I would imagine is about the game falls apart.
typical. You shouldn't be hitting the
player with a dozen conflicts and Taking the bull by the horns our group
you're not about taking him or her on a has worked through several of these
three hour epic journey. What you are issues and come up with a boilerplate
trying to accomplish is a greater solution. This may sound like a bit of
understanding of the opportunities that an odd way to do things at first,
character has in stories for both of you. particularly if you've been role playing
for a while but trust me it takes the
Managing A Session pinch out of those situations that can
ruin a game group so for the sake of
So how will a session run? This guide everyone's good time do it!
for Hosts includes a wealth of
information about setting up a story At the outset of each session you will
world but once you're actually, you have a warm up in which you, as Host,
know, playing the game how will it ask each player three important
run? questions.

The Warm Up 1) How is their character feeling at this

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stage in the adventure. Even if it's the know what level of participation
beginning of the adventure they should they're expecting you can spend an
have lone wolfed to a particular point appropriate amount of time working
so they should always have something with each player.
to say, besides it's not an opportunity
for a huge cathartic monologue it's just This also allows the players to know
a sentence or two. You, as Host, should how everyone else is approaching this
be monitoring the “temperature” of this episode. Sometimes a player who's
response. Is Dave really enthusiastic trying to be unobtrusive can find
and clear about his character themselves “helped” into the limelight
objectives? Or is he very vague? Does by a well meaning fellow player. This is
Bob sound well up for a session tonight frustrating for everyone. At least if
or is he sounding a bit tired? everyone knows Steve wants to keep
his head down this week when he
Taking the temperature this way is a offers to guard the spaceship no one
good start but then you're going to will helpfully suggest that he comes
move on to get more specific. along to help them trade with the tribe
of Space Amazons.
2) As a player do they feel they want to
be challenged and forced to play a main 3) Finally ask each player how they feel
role this session or would they like to about being involved in inter-character
sit back and just drink in the aggro this week. Getting involved in a
atmosphere, taking more of a back seat fight with a Host controlled story
role? This performs two jobs for you. It character is to be expected but
helps you identify people who may get sometimes players like to have issues
restless if you're not giving them big between each other. It's great drama
moments every twenty minutes and and it actually can make the story
also those people who are quite happy better. But people can take such
to be left alone to observe. As a Host arguments and incidents to heart.
it's always a concern that someone
might be bored or feel neglected, if you If a player complains that it's just “not

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realistic” to have them forced to not be well then players will experience the
combative with another player's adventure as a smooth ride. It is
character just remind them that the something you will grow into the more
game is meant to be fun for everyone you Host.
and if Paul's Chinese martial artist rail
worker doesn't want to have continual Basically it works like this:
mudslinging matches with Gail's hard
as nails gunslinger then he shouldn't  You describe an event that
have to. occurs within the sight of one or
several of the players.
This little moment at the beginning of  You ask them how their
the session provides information for character would react to this
you as the Host as to what's going on event.
and what kinds of things you should be
striving to provide this session. They  You role play the results of the
allow players to understand what other event.
players want out of the session and  You tell them when the event's
they also help everyone focus on the effects have started to die down.
story for this week's adventure. Once
 You move on to the next event.
everyone's got their game head on it's
time to actually do some role-playing.
Of course there are subtle variations in
exactly how this happens and that's
The Role Play
what we'll look at next.

There are a number of different


It's very tempting, and totally in
approaches and a number of different
keeping with the roots of the hobby,
suggested styles but the thing I have
that you as Host imagine that every
noticed is that play progresses in a
fresh event follows hot on the heels of
number of discrete jumps which are
the next event making a chain of events
managed by you. If you manage them
that construct the story. In this way

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each episode may be separate in time do is make a timeline of things that


but the actual episodes themselves take would happen if the players didn't
place over a shorter time with each exist. These are events that would take
incident taking place in a direct place anyway that lead to the
chronological sequence. conclusion of a story that has no
heroes.
Although there is an instinctive drift
towards this it is incredibly limiting. The very first incident the players see
Remember each play session is at least (this does not have to be the first one
3-4 hours in length. Sometimes you on the timeline) is where the players
haven't got enough story in one enter the story. Let them interfere with
incident to stretch 3-4 hours so you your timeline until they run out of
start to warp the incident. You might ideas. If the time their investigations
find that all of a sudden a short would take run over into the next
encounter with an archaeologist at a incident then have it pile in to
café becomes a car chase through the complicate things, otherwise you just
streets of Berlin followed by a tense make sure no one has any more ideas
struggle to cross a madman's country before simply saying.
estate pursued by guard dogs and, in
the latter stages, crocodiles. "Some time passes in which you
regroup and then you begin to notice..."
Not to say that this isn't, in theory, an and then whatever the physical effects
excellent idea for one episode but if it of the following incident are. If the
happens every session... Well, it could players are in pretty poor shape after
start to wear a bit thin that the players the last incident you might want to use
can't seem to get to the fridge without a re grouping time to make them feel a
sword fight. bit better, give them a sense of time
So how does one cope with a more passing. Otherwise a simple bridging
variable pacing requirement? sentence is all that's required.
It's something that requires a little
handling but what you as Host need to What I've just said may seem

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incredibly dumb and obvious but until There's a concept in Role Playing that
very recently the issue of what to do is inviolate and also it is a pretty good
when players run out of story mid- idea. So good that it comes to No Dice
session has been a thorny one indeed. untainted by any change or addition. I
When I first encountered it the idea of present it here so any host can send any
the bridging sentence didn't occur to niggly player here to see it in black and
me and before you know it the players white and thus it shall ever be.
were up to their necks in ravenous
tigers, embarrassing as the game was set The Rule of Host Fiat
in France.
In any dispute the Host's opinion is the
The secret of the bridging sentence is only one that matters, their
that you really have to sell it. If you adjudication is final.
sound like you know what you're about
95% of player niggles will melt like This is because as Host you have no
snow in a furnace. Whether or not you interest in whether players get their
actually are as confident as you appear, way or not you are just running the
another issue altogether. game. Right?

So having dealt with the 95% of niggle You see, any problem I've ever
that may arise let us turn our attention encountered with this idea of Host Fiat
to that tricky 5% of times when is when the Host thinks they are the
confusion is not abated with the evil spirit of mean and tries to punish
application of a confident attitude. the characters for having the blad faced
cheek to exist.
The Fiat Feature
fiat noun 1 an official command; a You, as Host, are there to arbitrate. I
decree. 2 a formal authorization for always like to take the position that I
some procedure. am generally for the players, if they
Chambers English Dictionary feel good, I feel good. but if they fail I

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will enforce it. Because if I didn't, who So what is to be done about Jim Bob?
would? The man who wants the super strong,
mega handsome, invulnerable and sexy
That's the whole triumph and tragedy superhero character about whom no
of being the Host, and that's why you one can say anything ill? (This is not
get the fiat. something people generally cook up in
such an obvious form but basically if it
'Nuff said. looks like they're trying to break the
game by making their character all
How To Hose types of wonderful for no cost be
wary.) Well, there are a number of
Even after all that though, you will approaches to this scenario but if Jim
sometimes come across someone who Bob wants this what I say... well, what
just doesn't get it. You've handed them I say is...
the Player's Guide, you've been
through the introduction to your Give it to him. Give it to him all he
world, you've done all you can and still wants and just a little more. Give it to
all they want to do with their character him until he says he's had enough and
is rule the world with the power of then give him a whole extra helping. If
awesome. he leaves it on his plate put it in the
fridge and serve it up to him from the
Let's get this straight. You should be microwave tomorrow morning.
playing this game in a group, you
should be trying to play this as a team, Do not try to argue the point. Do not
even the Host is a special kind of team tell Jim Bob to play nice. Do not pick
member. This isn't the Jim Bob the holes. Do not criticise. Listen to what
Awesome's Ego Massage Society. he says he wants and just give it to him.
Exactly what he wants. No more. Don't
Jim Bob may not have got the memo, twist it out of shape. Be impartial. For
however. one last time of telling: Give him what
he requested with no bells and

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whistles. If you try and mess with it he flood or an earthquake well, hell, he's
will know and he will complain and just a cad and a bounder. Who would
whine and bring everyone down. So use their awesome so selectively?
just give the man what he asked for.

All old school GMs know one thing. If


you have given the players a genie and
three wishes then they better be damn
careful what those three wishes are,
because all wishes can be
misinterpreted somehow. As Host you
are like a genie of the imagination. It is
your job to provide the players with
their character wishes. If one of the
players wishes to be Awesome Guy
then that is what you must provide.

You see, the problem with being


Awesome Guy, the Awesomest guy
with the power of Awesome in the Also, there's the Gunfighter syndrome.
known universe, is that he has Claim to be the best and there's always
problems created by his own someone who wants to prove you
Awesomeness. wrong somehow. Proclaiming yourself
awesome just means someone else will
For starters he is responsible. As the race to proclaim you a menace. That's
most Awesome person in all of creation the way life goes.
he is responsible for all the worst
things that befall humanity. After all, The Host's weapon is this. Nothing is
none are as awesome as he. If he ever all good or all bad. It doesn't
doesn't want to rescue people from a matter how bulletproof Jim Bob thinks

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Awesome Guy is, the fact is there are but you need to make sure your bases
down sides to every situation. are covered. The bases in question
include:
All you need to do is accept what Jim
Bob wants and then work out what the Know your players
down sides are.
Have you done the thing where you
Heck he may whinge about it assess their expectations of your
afterwards but at that point it's really scenario before you go in? Have you
no longer your problem. asked them what kinds of thing they'd
like to do before you even wrote your
Getting The Design Right own? Have you played with any of
these players before? Will you be able
As a Host you're going to have to get to to rely on them to fill in for gaps in
know people quite well. You have to your own knowledge? Have you got
design your scenarios and run your character sheets for the players? Are
scenarios for your party. This isn't a they clear or will you have to explain
deep process, people are often quite anything?
willing to express what will entertain
them. Your job is to make sure you Know your scenario
deliver. After that it's just down to
degrees of talent and that's always less Do you know not only who the non
important than the sweat of doing the player characters you'll have to play are
groundwork. but what they'll know about what's
Make sure you have planned your going on, what will they tell to whom?
scenario (or acquainted yourself with What will the characters in your
it) to an appropriate degree for your scenario respond well to? What will
party. Make sure that if you can't they respond badly to? What about the
prepare one aspect you have doubly places you've created? Do you know
prepared others to make up for it. No what's in those places? Do you know
one can, or needs to, get it 100% right what problems and complications

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various environments will introduce? thing to remember. The only "no" in


Do you have maps? Are you going to No Dice is the one in the name of the
share them with your players? Is there game and even that's a joke. If you're
anything about the set up that you wondering just whether you can get
really need to explain up front? away with outrageous gimmick x or
risky innovation y the only limit is if
Know your rules you're not confident you can pull x or y
off yet. I am telling you now, if you
Have you decided which rules you're really want to do it and take the risk go
going to use for this scenario? Do all ahead. Yes. It's okay.
the players know the rules? If not, are
you well versed in them enough to Any rule, any character, location, event
explain them? Have you thought about is just a suggestion, a source. You want
whether you're using the absolute to run the pirate adventure but make it
minimum number of rules possible? about space pirates, heck, do the
customisation and go the hell ahead.
If you've thought about all these things, You want to make the space opera
even if you are playing with brand new more satirical and introduce loads of
players you've never met, or you're contemporary and relevant characters
trialling a risky scenario, then you and situations then that's fine. It
should be okay. I wouldn't recommend depends on whether you think it'll play
trying brand new material on a crowd for your group and whether you'll be
who haven't partaken before but all able to do it convincingly.
things are possible if you're absolutely
confident you can brazen it out. Gimmick Sparingly

I actually quite liked it when RPGs of


Nobody Told You No yore suggested funny hats, props,
gimmicks and sound effects to spice up
This is the final and most important a session. Partially I think I liked it

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because I used to act and it made Role soundscapes.


Playing a bit more like acting. Mostly I
think it's because I'm a sucker for Anything that won't distract people
gimmicks. Hence inventing a gimmick- with lyrics or yank them out of the
free RP system in which every extra experience is fine. So instrumental
rule will be a new gimmick. pieces and ambient sounds are fine, as
long as you have enough variety to
So when I now advise you to avoid only cycle through once every two or
extra gimmicks in your role play if you three hours.
can take it in that spirit. Just as
unnecessary rules undermine the I would point out here that the music
enjoyment of a good game so stupid thing is a tiny flavour of seasoning on
false noses yank engrossed players out what should be a robust role playing
of the No Dice experience. At the end dish. It's a nice to have but the role
of the day nobody told you no, but I'm play should not suffer from its absence.
just advising against under all normal If you're spending more time planning
circumstances. the soundtrack than the actual scenario
you're in danger.
The only small exception to this is the
addition of music. Back when you'd Finally...
have to keep scrambling for the tape
deck, or repeating the same CD Not every adventure you run will be a
perpetually I would have said that the 100% glowing success but even a
benefit wasn't worth the cost. However mediocre role play is more entertaining
with the advent of digital music players that most other forms of entertainment.
I would support the use of non- Just do your best, have fun and
intrusive low level ambient hopefully everyone else will have fun
too.

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The Vanilla System

Like everything else in this book the and 10. Where does this number come
system presented here is a suggestion. from? The Host makes it up.
The first thing you'll probably notice is
that it includes no reference to stats on Gauging Difficulty
a character sheet. This is because, in its
most basic form a No Dice character is It seems like a simple thing but often
a verbal construction. Numeric scores when the question of a conflicted
may be suggested for specific games but action comes up you, as Host, may be a
the vanilla system does not take this bit stumped as to what difficulty score
into account. to set for the conflicted action. So
here's a check list of actions to take to
So here it is. mentally set the difficulty before the
draw.
The System
The basic conflict in nature is of
Take a pack of cards and introduce one something a person either will manage
joker. Shuffle the cards. Whenever a or they won't this is equivalent to
conflict is in need of resolution the flipping a coin and getting heads. The
player draws a single card. chances of heads or tails coming up are
more or less equal.
So what is the player testing against?
Well it's a difficulty score that, To simulate a coin toss in No Dice with
generally speaking would be between 1 a card draw you could, therefore set the

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difficulty at 5 i.e. a draw of 5 or below,


or a Jack is a fail, a draw of 6 or above
or Queen is pass.

Now quickly ask yourself, is the test


you're asking them to make that
difficult? Or will they be lucky to
succeed? Or unlucky to fail?

The 50-50 mechanic is an anchor. It's


easier to set the goalpost width once
one goalpost is in the ground to provide
contrast and perspective. If you are
always asking yourself how different For example Kim wants to search a
this conflict is from a 50-50 conflict room for evidence of a gangster's
you'll be on the right track for fairness. involvement in a crime she and her
party are investigating. She is turning
Degrees Of Success over the gangster's apartment.
Although you decide that she'll get a
Of course there are 12 possible clue of some nature on a draw of 4 or
conclusive results from every No Dice better to get the real conclusive goods
draw. It's always been the habit of she needs a 9 or 10. She draws a seven
myself and my players that a Queen is so as Host you give her more than the
not just a raw success but a success basics but maybe leave out some vital
with style, a Jack is not just a failure piece of information that would seal
but a proper botch job. If the numbers the gangster's fate for good and all.
from 1 to 10 are not just to be lines in
the sand you might want to consider This is entirely up to your
the idea of multiple outcomes from a discrimination as Host. To be honest
single draw. it's not always appropriate to offer

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degrees of success. When Marco is and the pack is shuffled. The test then
trying to shoulder barge a door he will continues as the player draws the top
either bust the door off its hinges or he card from the freshly shuffled deck.
will not. There's no degrees of success
here. The end.

Card draws are a storytelling aid, not No muss, no fuss. If you feel that the
an administration process. They give revelation of these rules was something
clues to you as the Host how to pitch of an anti-climax don't worry, the game
someone's success or failure given all is meant to be the exciting part. If you
the information you have to hand. feel the rules are the exciting part this
may not be the game system for you.
Evaluating a Draw
On a more serious note this vanilla
Aces are low, 10s are high, Jacks are system is serviceable and will certainly
knaves and thus signify an automatic work in "Traveller's Rest" the first
failure of the tests, Queens represent example game included in this book.
lady luck and therefore indicate an The intention of the vanilla system is
immediate success on the test. Kings that it forms a core into which further
are kept by the player and traded for rules can be added for flavour as setting
redraws on future tests. When a king is and atmosphere dictates. I didn't want
drawn it is placed into the possession of the rules from games to infect one
the player who drew it and the test another and I also wanted the stripped
continues with a redraw. down option for any No Dice game to
be rapidly understood and always
After any card that is not a King has available.
been drawn and evaluated it is placed
into a discard pile. When the Joker is As a Host, you may never pick up on
drawn the discards and Joker are the extra rules included in future
immediately placed back into the pack games, I don't think any No Dice

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adventure would actually suffer from As a Host you should be focused on


using vanilla as opposed to specific your player's desires for the upcoming
rules. But some people like more and adventure not on some mechanic or
some people like less so there will be other that may or may not resolve some
more rules to follow by the adventure obscure situation to everyone's
or by the system. satisfaction. Well, that's my opinion
anyway.

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Stats
A NOTE ABOUT THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS

It is possible that you are just scared witless at the prospect of coming up with
your own home grown RPG in which case you may want to skip forward to the
scenarios section. If you're looking to run one of the included scenarios then
they contain any further rules you need right there. These sections are purely
for those who want to go "deeper" into the No Dice System Creation and want a
few suggestions.

As you were.

The Game savoury flavour chunks that describe


characters in a tangible way without
To help "keep score" of your game, the becoming watered down, tedious
thing that fundamentally puts the G in number soup.
RPG is a juggling of (ew) statistics or
"stats". Stats are not the nicest thing Stats vs. Scores
about Role Playing, in fact they may be
what puts many people off the Let's be really quick here in pointing
experience. If you salt your game with out the difference between a stat and a
a few well chosen stats, however, it score. The core of it is that a stat will be
adds a little to the fun. Stats also give used with a randomiser, a score won't.
players hard anchors by which to build You might make a one off game where
up a mental picture of their characters. you give everyone a rating out of five
So this section aims to guide you in on psychic ability (1/5 being the lowest
getting your stat stew filled with 5/5 being super psychic).

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If during the game you plan on testing To Stat or Not to Stat?


things like "the team can only see the
ghost if their psychic rating is 3 or The answer to this opening query is
above" then you have a score. The generally quite simple and can be
number flat out tells you what the summed up in the following
player can or can't do, you're using the recommendation:
number to short hand some absolute.
If you can cope without a particular
If, on the other hand you say rule, well, you go ahead and just cope
something like "draw a card and add without it now, you hear?
your psychic rating" knowing that if
the player gets 6 or over they can see There are three types of rules in RP
the ghost you are giving them a basic world. The type you have to have for
psychic stat which helps when testing those tricky situations that need
but is not the last word. arbitration. The type that reinforce the
atmosphere of the RP world you have
Scores can also just be a way for people created and unnecessary fiddly rules
to visualise where their character that get in the way of the experience.
stands in relation to everyone else so
Bob knows he's the least psychic and Let's look at the latter. Almost all rules
Alice knows she's more psychic than fall into this category. If it's not vital
Chad but less psychic than Dorothy. and it doesn't add flavour it's one of
This, of course, only applies if everyone that last type. Most games ever written
knows what everyone else's score is. seem to consist almost wholly of rules
of that type. One particular well
It might be that even the light known game I have the rulebook for
discussion of numbers fills you with dedicates about five or six large pages
dread and it is for those people that we to combat rules I have never read. The
present the first question. game is not a combat game. All the
other rules are pretty flexible and easily
understood. The combat rules on the

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other hand... warzone. In these cases you will want


to give some indication of exactly how
Remember folks, D&D was essentially much punishment someone can take
the wargame gone board, with a little before they're out for the count. As you
bit of RP thrown in, in fact, it pretty will see Revelation Point, the slasher
much still is. A No Dice RP intends to movie example included in this book,
get as far away from this as possible and takes its own unique look at the
a vital part of that is tossing most of the concept of Hit Points. Like I said before
stats out of the window. With that in nothing is prohibited except things that
mind let's look at the types of stats you make the game suck.
might have in a no dice game.
Hit Points are an excellent example of
Hard Stats what I call a "Hard Stat". A hard stat is
like a baseline, it may change over time
The one universal stat in almost every but on a given day it describes the
role playing game is the Hit Point. Hit average of that aspect of the character.
Points represent the number of serious The other example I can think of
physical shocks the player can take which is pretty universal is "Luck/Fate",
before being rendered unconscious (not often used as a way to persuade a GM
dead, it gets fiddly thereafter as to to be kinder than a card draw would
when it is a character "dies"). This is, of indicate they should be in dire straits.
course, because most RP games
hitherto have had a hefty portion of Of course, your adventure may not
physical combat, or are intended to require physical peril. I would say this
have same. situation will crop up mostly in one
offs, in longer term adventures the
In No Dice this is not necessarily the chance of no physical peril and no need
case. Even so, you may have a scenario for luck is slim indeed (although not
set in a hazardous environment like impossible).
outer space, the Antarctic or an urban

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What you really have to decide is what the spiritual: Charisma, Willpower,
can't you do without and I'll show you Fellowship. The overlaps are not
how whilst I run through examples of limited to Physical/Spiritual as
other "hard" stats. Physical/Mental stats like
Perceptiveness will attest. In the realm
Most RP systems flesh out Life and of the mind we have stats like
Luck with descriptions of the Intelligence, Analysis, Focus. In Spirit
character's make up in three main we might have some concept of
areas, Body, Mind and Spirit. Many spiritual purity or natural aptitude at
focus on physical attributes for obvious magic or propensity for madness (AKA
reasons. And in this we can see the Sanity).
inherent problem here.
The question becomes not only how do
Thinking just about the aspects of you describe a character but also how
someone's physical appearance we do you stop describing them? The
could talk about their health, their problem is, the more you give to the
physical strength, their physical fitness, god of detail the more you take away
their suppleness, their reaction time, from the god of fun and simplicity. The
their constitution, their relative beauty more you give to the god of simplicity
within their society. the more situations have no hard and
fast solutions.
All of these are described in stats like
Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Stats are a balancing act. Hence the
Speed, Vitality, Sinew, Attractiveness, question of whether you can do
Deftness. Even this leaves out some without them. It depends on the game,
things like being fiddle fingered, or of course, but the more you can do
having unusually large lung capacity or away with, I tend to find, the better.
other things that are usually relegated
to the rank of "skills". A brief word about bonuses

Some stats overlap the physical with Sometimes you can hide horrendous

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hard stat stacks by having a simplified with in the section of randomisers. I'd
"uber" score like "Body" with "sub stats" say that if you make it any more
that add advantages in certain complex than that, you're asking for
situations called "Bonuses". Just trouble.
remember, drilling down this way
more than two layers is likely to make Points
complexity and complexity is the
enemy of good times. Any game needs some way of keeping
score. Are the players winning or
losing? RP is different in some ways in
that there can be a number of scores
which allow the character to feel they
are winning in different ways but the
basic situation is the same. Let's
examine some ways that we are
keeping score in an RP game.

Life

Remember the HP? Well they are a


scorekeeping method. The most
important way that players know
they're "winning" is that their character
is still alive. If they are badly injured
So having a character who has a basic
they might be worried but an alive
Body score of 4 (out of 10) might then
character is always better than a dead
have a profile of subscores in Strength
character.
(-2), Dexterity (1), Reaction Speed (0),
Beauty (1), Constitution (0) and
Money
Vitality (1)... What you do with such
scores is up to you and will be dealt
Is a character loaded or not? In many

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games the only reason to accumulate achieve an end and employ a method of
money is to then spend it on weapons. acquiring more later on (counselling, a
Even so, the cash value of a player's stay in an asylum?).
arsenal will indicate how much money
they have previously spent on The scoring mechanics won't really
acquisition. bother you unless you're creating a
long-term adventure. Over time
Experience characters will seek improvement to
their skills. Players regard this as their
The more experience a character has "reward" for good, consistent role play.
the more wonderful that character's Often the increments to a character's
portfolio of skills and abilities will be. hard stats and "Skills" are purchased in
Experience totals are accumulative but the mythical currency of "experience".
all "purchased" upgrades need to
aggregate to less than the experience In D&D you needed gold and XP
total at all times (or you can just (Experience Points) to make an
"spend" points like money thus your awesome killing machine. There's
experience is like a bank account with nothing essentially wrong with
which you buy stuff and then the expressing progress as an advance in
figure goes down). both experience and currency, the fact
that the things you could buy with
Sanity experience were generally more useful
than those you could buy with the cash
The only other major scoring was also nice. I see no reason to change
mechanism I can think of is when a this dynamic in a long term game.
player tries to keep a Sanity score. This
tends to be a bit of a weird way to keep Sometimes, particularly when it is
score as it goes up and down. Generally knowledge and social bargaining that
(although not always) the saner you are are at stake in a game, you don't need
the better, but you might, if you are an actual "experience" stat at all, you
particularly sane "burn" sanity to just need to keep playing to become

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better. experience for new skills there and


In other cases you will need some kind then, how is the Host to decide?
of points system and it is this that we
shall take a look at next. Sometimes it's appropriate to just allow
characters to accumulate XP on a
Increments session by session basis and spend them
there and then or hoard them for a few
So if you are running an incrementally sessions until the time comes to go on
scoring game how are you going to an experience blow out.
ladle out the spoils? Some games like to
keep numbers low making one If you wanted a way of making
experience point or one gold piece experience expenditure something that
worth a whole bunch. Others ladle on could happen in game you could make
the scores like the players are playing certain experiences or places into
Space Invaders but keep the value of experience exchanges. New scientific
each unit low. research linking sleep to learning could
make it a viable mechanic to exchange
I prefer the former method, it's simpler. experience as characters sleep. You
Also if you need 1000 experience points could make certain locations, like
to buy anything of any value why not computer terminals, gyms and safe
just make every point worth 1000? 500 houses into experience spending places,
points is, after all, worth nothing as you like computer games often do.
can't buy anything with it. In the end,
again, the choice is yours. In then end, as with anything else the
choice is yours. As you read more No
The other question is when do people Dice material you will see how I deal
acquire XP and when do they spend with these issues and maybe this will
them? Money is easy, if a player has help you come up with your own
money they can spend it. However, if preferred method.
the players are halfway up a mountain
and someone wants to cash in pending

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Descriptors Mickey the Pirate might be okay at


cutlass waving but will suck at piloting
Let's be clear about this. Sometimes an Apache helicopter gunship, whereas
words make a terrible muddle out of Barbara the air force pilot will have the
things that previously seemed simple. reverse innate abilities.
Let's take a look at the word "speed".
Say you made a game where characters Your stats should point out to the
had a speed stat, what does it actually players avenues for exploration of their
express. Well, it could express how fast abilities that aren't suggested in a bio or
they move, or it could express their character note. For example did you
reaction time. These things are not the know Barbara was 2 points less psychic
same at all. And fast reaction time, than Mickey? No. Well, now you do.
while we're at it, doesn't presuppose Stats will encourage people to use them
dexterity. You might be as supple as a if they exist. If they don't exist the
plank of wood but still react quickly. players are pretty much on their own
with regards for cunning plans about
It could be a muddle. what to do next. Use this to your
advantage. The more stats you make
So just be careful what you call stats, it the more can get lost on the sheet.
might be best when introducing players
to the character sheet to clarify what The less you have the more of a
stats mean. This will also encourage particular type of problem solving your
you to have less stats as the "explain the team are likely to attempt. If your game
descriptors" Q&A is liable to be one of is meant to be magical veer towards
the low points of any No Dice game. magical stats, if martial arts then
combat stats are appropriate. While
Opening Up Possibility we're on the topic of what's appropriate
let's take a moment to take a more
The idea of any stat is not, in fact to detailed look at the Character Sheet.
define and limit a character. Anyone
with half a brain could guess that

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Character Sheets that I would recommend that character


sheets take another step toward the
Back in the early days of role playing soft.
the character sheet was an awesome
beast indeed. Awesome in the sense The character sheet performs two tasks.
that it filled you with awe. Possibly, One is, indeed, to record the "score" so
then, dreadful as well seeing as it also far. Remember the scoring mechanism
filled a lot of people with dread. is what will add a main focus to the
game's events. The other, more
The character sheet stretched across neglected aspect, is providing space to
the two sides of paper it came on giving a character a jumping off point
covered in small boxes labelled with into the campaign.
stat names. This beast was a confused
and nightmarish jumble that expressed It might even, in some cases, be better
a range of information from how long to assign these different tasks to
your character took to tie his shoelaces different sheets of paper. Over the
to his tendency towards lactose course of a longer adventure what the
intolerance. character started off as shouldn't be
what the character will remain. In a
Over time some games have attempted one off you could probably devote half
to cut this down a little but the core of of a sheet to the scoring mechanism
it remains the same. Some games have and the other half to a potted character
little text fields to write tiny histories bio.
of your character. You can also record
goals, fears, personality quirks. There The cardinal recommendation when it
has been much work done in softening comes to character sheets is: when it
the sheet from a stat fest to something a begins to resemble a government tax
little more descriptive. rebate claim form, you've probably
overdone it with the stats. There's
Well, it shouldn't surprise you by now nothing wrong with leaving a healthy

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section for player notes. If the players To illustrate let's take the adventures of
don't need it there's an even chance Jim the Fugitive Vet. Jim has just
your scenario is dull. escaped from the ever vigilant gaze of
Special Agent McMisinformed and
So we've essentially gutted the old way stumbled into a farmhouse he thought
of doing things. We've tossed out most deserted. Unfortunately the farmhouse
of the stats and left acres of note space has two occupants. A farmer and his
on a character sheet that has four or guard dog. Jim meets the dog first and
five numbers and a couple of kicks it hard, injuring the dog. Only
paragraphs of text upon it. Now, if then is he confronted by the farmer,
you're a regular gamer, you're holding his hunting rifle up to the
wondering what happens when there's hapless vet's chest.
some kind of a conflict? How do we
decide stuff. Well, we're about to get The fact the farmer is now very angry
into a whole section on randomisers at Jim and may turn him over to the
but before that let's talk about how No law is a complication, the fact that the
Dice views the nature of "conflict". reason for this is Jim's hasty action in
kicking the dog is conflict. Ironically,
Conflicts Or Complications? had Jim not kicked the dog he would
have no angry farmer but he would also
Let's start this bit by clearing have no way to ingratiate himself with
something up. In a story conflict and said farmer. Looks like Jim had better
complication are two very different get to fixing the dog then. Only when
things. Conflict is a dramatic construct it comes to Jim's using his vet abilities
of personal dilemma that pulls people can we understand what role players
into the story, complication is mean by conflict (as opposed to
inconvenience for the main characters "fighting").
in a story that acts like a seasoning
upon the story, too much and the story In role playing terms a "conflict" is a
will drag, too little and the heroes seem very simple thing. The player wants
to have too easy a ride. their character to do something, it's not

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an easy thing to do, so there is a the tens and one for the units. Jim does
conflict between the character's desires this and gets 68. It's over his score and
and their abilities that needs resolving. so he fails to treat the dog.

In many role play systems until you get There are a few problems with this
into the minutiae of combat the process scenario. What, exactly, for example,
for resolving non-combative conflicts does the test mean? Is it about Jim's
tends towards being so light some GMs actual skill? The condition of the dog?
tend to ignore it. Unfortunately some And if he can do nothing does this
GMs don't. Lets return to our example mean he doesn't even have a clue
of Jim the vet. Jim knows animal what's wrong with the dog?
medicine and has a percentage skill in
this of 63%. During the course of his The fact is the test is not realistic. The
adventure Jim injures a dog belonging animal care skill, it could be argued,
to a farmer who could help Jim out or would only need testing if Jim is caring
leave him to swing in the wind. Jim for animals on a strict time limit or
reasons if he helps the farmer's dog under unusual stress. The rest of the
then the farmer will be grateful enough time merely having the skill should
to be forgiving. suffice.

To see if Jim can fix the dog the GM in Then of course we wouldn't need any
a regular RP has two choices. One is dice... oh.
that Jim, being a vet, and having no
particular time pressure upon him, will Stat heavy RPGs tend to concentrate on
know how to diagnose and treat a sick physical combat on the basis that we
dog, or at least advise on treatment. can simulate the actions of a highly
The other is that Jim's years at vet skilled kung fu master using some
school will be subject to an animal care numbers and a set of dice far more
test. This test will usually consist of accurately than we can express the
rolling two ten sided dice (D10) one for nuance of advanced medical skill. Who

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knows whether this is, in fact, the good. If Bonzo's a dog but Jim's got to
truth. save him in the next fifteen minutes or
Bonzo will die; if Bonzo's a gryphon; if
As GMs we might be up at night people are shooting at Jim whilst he
worrying about this sort of thing. As treats Bonzo, then we might need to
Hosts we don't care. resolve a conflict referring to some
kind of stat, but otherwise let it fly.
Let's not forget, the point of a No Dice
game is fun. Worrying about whether Just Play
Jim's medical skill is realistic given the
percentage rating of his animal care If it's at all an option I would heartily
skill is about as much fun as breaking a recommend just not having any
limb. numbers at all in your player materials.
It is possible, and your players will
thank you for the convenience. Or at
least they won't curse you for turning
your session into number jugglers
united.

The past trend of having statistics to


describe everything on the character
sheet seems to have been about two
things:

1) Giving an illusion of choice whilst


actually imposing inconvenient limits
2) Presuming that people can't tell a
bum story note.

If Jim's a vet and Bonzo's a dog not a If Jim the vet tries to play a Piano
gryphon then his skills are probably Concerto without any piano lessons

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and rolls a 2 on his 3% natural musical designers messing with the concept of
skill does that make his victory any "Diceless" have said, if you're not going
more convincing? Jim's just not a to be rolling 80% of the time then
pianist, he's a vet and no statistical maybe everything should be down to
anomaly is going to change that. People that fiat thing we talked about at the
can smell someone getting away with head of the Host section. The problem
murder worse than bottom gas in a lift. with this is that not having any
challenge where it's needed begins to
If what someone wants to do doesn't introduce the feeling that this is all
interfere with the story it is your job as arbitrary.
a Host to accommodate that. Then you
only have to start randomising when Arbitrary results are no fun. They're
even you can't tell if someone would be even less fun than randomising too
able to do something or not. often. So with heavy heart we have to
concede that sometimes our
Making Randomisation Interesting complications need resolution by lady
luck, with that in mind we turn, at last
Like it or not, these situations will to the business of randomisers.
occasionally occur. Some RPG

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Randomisers

No Dice? Well What About Cards? So when I began in on No Dice in


earnest cards were high on my agenda.
When I was thinking of a name for this I've run a few one offs with cards
role-playing system a number of instead of dice and, to be honest, the
options sprung to mind. Eventually I experience is mind blowing. Cards, I
settled on "No Dice" because it wasn't have no hesitation in saying are
about a game that was diceless. It superior to dice in just about every
wasn't even about having a particular way. Let's see how.
randomiser at all. It was about rejecting
dice as randomisers specifically because Cards vs Dice
they've been done. If you can't bear to
be parted from your cubes and other At this point You might be asking
polyhedra then go ahead and come up what's the problem? Both cards and
with some dice-ful rules to the system. dice are means of generating a random
number so why not just stick to pulling
I, on the other hand, will stick by my out a few dice and getting people to roll
randomiser of choice. This being the a few random numbers?
humble playing card. Way back when I
started tinkering around with systems I Before you do I would just like to put
picked up on the fact that there weren't in a few words for the humble playing
that many playing card based systems. I card.
played one game that used them and
thought they were kind of cool. 1) Playing Cards have a greater subtlety
than dice - It doesn't matter how many

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sides your platonic solid has a 5 is just a messing around with d20s you are lost
5. In a deck of cards 5 could be of two to the dark side forever. Actually I just
colours (red or black) or four suits made that last part up but I'm sure
(spades, clubs, hearts, diamonds). You there should be an old saying about
can just use the 5 as a five but the that.
colour or suit could also indicate
something about the particular 5 that 4) Dice need tables, cards only need
has been drawn. hands - Let's not forget, dice need a
surface to bounce off so that they can
2) Playing cards also come with court reveal their secrets. A player can sit on
cards - These could be wild effects, a couch in a room with no table and
having augmentation properties or pull cards from a deck he is holding in
indicating automatic successes or his hands and it's all good. With dice
failures. People who have been using he'd have to be forever hunching down
dice for the past 25 years are so to roll them on the floor.
desperate for something like this
they've even started inventing funny Basically, I am recommending a card
dice to account for these effects. I'm based system over a dice based one but,
not joking. whatever floats your boat. The essential
point of your conflict resolution
3) Playing cards come with a greater method is that it should be pretty
number of interpretations out of the intuitive. To which end here are some
box - I mean come on there's 10 intuitive ways of measuring.
numerics and three courts per suit. And
jokers. To simulate even half of the Numbers
functionality here with dice you'd have
to start messing with the dark arts of The unavoidable thing here is that your
d10s and from there it's a polyhedral random chance will be expressed as a
slippery slope. There's an old saying in number. When you test you will do
role playing that the moment you start some light mathematics and end up

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with a number. This will be compared cards and is trying to reach a


to some other number and success or target of five on all four he
failure will thus be determined. Here draws 2, 3, A, 5 and so that
are some popular past ways this has makes one success. In these
been done. systems 1 is often counted as a
botch and 6 is counted as a
 Have a measure of difficulty "special" success. Advantages:
expressed as a number and make Pretty easy to understand,
the player exceed that number flattens the probabilities nicely.
with a combination of attribute Disadvantages: Very flat and
plus card draw. Advantages: takes some counting to know
Super easy to understand, how successful you've been, also
Disadvantages: Boring. as a GM who has applied this
system in the past I can say that
 Have the player's attribute score the difference between 1
be how many randomiser success, 2 successes and 3
chances they get e.g. a score of 1 successes isn't all that clear to
indicates one chance, a score of me even now.
3 indicates 3 chances, you then
compare the score drawn
against the difficulty rating of These are all systems that work for dice
the task. Advantages: Pretty but I've not even mentioned any of the
easy to understand, increases special things about cards. So let's
player's abilities exponentially. consider the humble card's advantages
Disadvantages: increases player's and how they can nudge your story in
abilities exponentially. strange new directions.

 Make the randomisers Suits


thrown/drawn into a pool and
have a target value across the This is one thing dice can't do. A 6 in a
range e.g. the player draws four deck of cards could just be a six, but it

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also possesses a suit and suit could have irrelevant, but you might make red and
significant. A six of diamonds could be black cards mean different things.
very different from a six of clubs.
Whenever I think about card suits, Court Cards
because I have some knowledge of the
Tarot, I always think of the suits' TarotThis is where cards really start to take
associations i.e.: off into a whole different stratosphere
when compared to dice. No other
 Spades - Intellect randomiser has extra elements built in
the way a pack of cards does. Here you
 Hearts - Emotion
have three cards per suit that
 Clubs - Spiritual Growth essentially have no numeric value.
 Diamonds - Wealth They are "special" cards. They could
mean something or nothing. You can
even remove them if you feel they're
These interpretions are approximate to unnecessary.
a scholar of the Tarot, but we're
hosting a game not a Tarot evening. What About Aces?
You may note that the four categories
decribed here present all sorts of In the dice days 1 was either great (on
possibilities for bonuses and plot testing systems that went low) or
effects. Anything that will give you, as disastrous (on the other hand). Cards
the Host, a break in interpreting what a have tended to indicate there is
result means has to be a good thing. something special about one. It's called
the Ace. Ace is always good, isn't it? It's
Suits could have also denote effects on rarely a presage of disaster.
plot, characters, world events (e.g.
weather) or treasures. While we're on One of the distinct problems of dice
the topic don't forget that cards come based systems is that once they're used
in two colours the actual suit might be to the system anyone can tell from a

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roll what kind of result they've couple of things. The most basic of
achieved. Cards allow for more these is that you have one really big
flexibility in this case. deck of cards. To think of a more
exciting example, you could buy two
Jokers packs of cards which are of different
brands. Then you have two different
Just when you thought a single decks. You could use one for straight
randomiser couldn't get any more cool numeric randomising and the other as a
along comes a card without a numeric kind of chance deck.
value or a suit. A card that essentially
represents a kind of "all bets are off"I'm sure the possibilities for multi-deck
concept. games don't stop there but I'm going to
finish up extolling the virtues of the
The power and versatility of the joker playing card now and move on.
card is exemplified by how the card I hope that this section has so far
itself has stepped out of the deck and opened your eyes up to the power of
into unrelated games like quizzes. The card decks as a randomiser in role
Joker symbolises that some playing. I'm going to round out the
extraordinary game event has been chapter by going really nuts and
introduced. Whether you harness this discussing further paraphernalia that
power for your own adventures is up to you could use to enhance mood and
you. make randomisation interesting in your
games.
Multiple Decks
Resource Counters
If you take the humble die, add a
further die what do you have? Well, One thing that has been fun on
two dice essentially. occasion is to use counters or beads to
represent some resource such as sanity
Take a pack of cards and add a second or experience. The practice of actually
deck of cards and you could have a having a pile and spending the pile

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gives an intuitive idea of how a expected to do specialised challenge


character is doing. It can be fiddly, tasks. Even so, consider just freeing
however so beware. yourself of all numbers, if you can get
away with it.

Other Randomisers

 Dominos - Have two numbers


per block, that must be useful
for something, right?
 Coins - or small discs with
symbols and numbers on them.
Draw your randomiser from a
bag.
 Spinning Tops - With a number
The Joy of Nothing of sides and a number to each
side, means a dice like
I've played a couple of games in randomiser with only 5 values
developing this book that had no more can be produced.
that character descriptions as their
system. The games in question were  Other... - I'm sure there are
very enjoyable and suffered no more. Like I said a while back,
detriment for being completely nobody's telling you no.
freeform. The cards were used in a
version of the "vanilla" No Dice system The Randomiser Problem
but the draws were interpreted raw
with no bonuses. There's something you just can't get
It's not a method that will work in around. Most randomisers require, to
every situation, best for one offs and greater or lesser degrees, some
best where characters will not be interruption in the gameplay to

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operate. Dice are certainly not innocent shooting a steely Hosting glare at one
of this as the process of shaking, of the players and commanding "Do me
hunching and rolling the dice is a draw", where they pull one straight
distracting enough, let alone when one out of a pack in their hand is as
pings off a drinks glass and shoots instantaneous as you can get.
under the sofa. I know this is turning into a treatise on
what's so great about card decks but let
I've experimented with various means me assure you the testing elves have
of randomisation and none are utterly gone so nuts for this stuff that they've
unintrusive but the least intrusive? begun hacking other systems to use
Well, you've probably guessed what cards with them instead of dice.
I'm going to advocate by now. he fact is

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Plots

If you're doing it right then there videogame design can give us a good
should be no such thing as a "typical" analog here. The sandbox is a game
No Dice evening. However just because design structure that says the designer
there is no one thing that could be said is there to provide an open world of
to typify the No Dice experience does possibility for the player. Sandbox
not mean that there aren't some tried games started out as things like Sim
and tested recipes for giving players an City and The Sims where there was no
interesting role play session. actual plot per se players filled empty
worlds with bespoke creations and
The first thing I want to get right away developed their own internal worlds.
from is the idea that what we are doing
is making a plot that involves the Fast forward a few years and a
players being given a "mission" which company called Rockstar produced a
they will then fulfil by going through a game called Grand Theft Auto III. No
number of steps you have laid out for one really knew what to expect from
them in order. Even if your game is this when it first arrived but it quickly
mission based there is nothing that set down a design paradigm that has
turns a player off more than feeling come to dominate video game design.
that they are "on rails". In GTA III the player was set down in a
3D world called Liberty City and
The Sandbox allowed to wander around either
following the plot or, essentially,
Thankfully the wonderful world of playing around with the world

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environment to fulfil various tasks. In role playing, weirdly, sandbox


These tasks included activities such as would have been the assumed mode of
driving vehicles up carefully arranged play but the original concept of
ramps to complete "unique stunts", "experience points" actually rendered
collecting carefully hidden "packages" role playing games, and particularly the
or engaging in mini games that granddaddy of them all D&D, into
simulated sports or other activities tabletop computer games. The aim of
(such as becoming a taxi driver). each monster bash was to "level up" to
go and bash a bigger monster.

I think part of this has to be because


game designers worried more about
solving the universal problem of
players in rucks than they did about
guiding their GMs in the ways of plot
design. I'm not ladling out the blame
here, these games were designed by
game designers not novelists, I'm just
pointing out that when it came to plots
the advice has been somewhat focused
on the end product than a graded
journey.
This meant that, to a certain degree,
In No Dice I want to give the Host a
the player decided what goals they
quick lesson in thinking through plots
wanted to fulfil in the game in what
and plot construction and to do this I
order. In the world of video game
want to first of all pick up on
design it was a big deal as previously
something game designers can get their
the accent had been on a linear
head round and work backwards from
progression of "levels" to reach an end
there.
win state.

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Win Conditions contains puzzles, challenges, dramatic


situations and intrigue. You as the Host
In game design a "win condition" is a want to pull your players into the story,
state of play where one of the motivate the characters to heroic deeds
participants has "won". In games like and shepherd them through the game
chess one person wins and the other until the story comes to a conclusion.
loses when a check mate is declared (or
some other final condition is met). In That conclusion is the win condition.
role playing it is possible for everyone
to win. The Host wins the minute RPG stories have a strange feature in
someone says they enjoyed the game that game time will progress whether
and when is everyone doing it again, the players are doing well or not. In the
the players... end the session will come to a close and
if at that time the players have not got
Well now, there's the thing. What do to grips with the game to a certain
players want? The more game focused extent the game itself will not care.
player may want to feel that they have
somehow become "better" at the game. This puts the game into a very strange
Other people may simply want to have position. You as the Host will know
been entertained. Others may want to how time will pass and what is going
feel they have got to know their on in the game. You know what end
character and the characters of others a result is waiting in the wings to
little better. emerge. But will the players get the
idea in time?
What your players want out of No Dice
in order to have "won" is frankly Well, in order to ensure that they do
between you and them. It tends to be and gaming satisfaction is achieved pay
the case that the players want to engage close attention to this section as we
with the world you have created and learn how to build an adventure.
will probably expect that you have
laced the world with a story that

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Where to begin? comes to engineering a story.

If you've ever read a novel or watched First Question...


a movie the question may well have
occurred to you of where a person How long is your overall story going to
would even start to write such a story. be? You're going to have to reproduce
If you are sitting down to write your the process described below for each
own No Dice adventure you may be and every episode of the adventure
asking yourself this question with you're running. Only stupid TV
slightly more anguish than you ever executives with dollar signs in their
have previously. eyes believe that all things should be
ultimately open ended. The best stories
Let's take a breath for a moment and know where they're going. They have a
calm down. beautifully paced beginning, middle
and end. This is known as an arc.
I'm here to help you. The help I offer is
quick and dirty but it's as effective as In any adventure your arc may be short
hell. Further No Dice product will and sweet, stretch across a few episodes
inevitably add to this initial dose of or be planned as a saga stretching
advice but these first few tips should across many months of play.
get you a nice plot structure without Whichever way you're going each
too much hassle. session will need to contain what you
can think of as an "episode". Each
I don't know whether handing out episode will culminate with some
writing secrets is liable to have me dramatic situation being revealed and,
thrown out of the Writer's Circle or if you are planning a long adventure,
whatever. To be honest, even if it does, the early episodes will want to build
I don't care. I'm about to pull on my towards your final reveal.
luchador's mask and show you some of
the wiring under the board when it I would also suggest that should you

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wish to engineer a huge saga or whole thing through from end to end.
chronicle that you split it down into After a while players will be hungering
"seasons" of six to eight episodes for resolution, even if it is just the
because variety is the spice of life and conclusion to an act.
someone else always has their eye on
the Hosting chair. You may have a very clear idea of what
will happen in your saga, or just the
Six to Eight Episodes vague impressions of the beginning
situation and where the story will end
This section only applies to multi- up. You don't have to know everything
episodic No Dice adventures. One right away. Just plan out six to eight
timers may move along. episodes and then relax, run something
else, give the players a break. In the
An average No Dice session can last end they'll thank you for endless
between three and eight hours. That's variety and stimulation even if, when
the equivalent of five or six episodes of they think back on the saga that too
any given dramatic television series was rich and rewarding.
without advertisements. At their
longest "seasons" of television dramas Plot Construction
last about twenty four episodes. In four
sessions your players will have been What you should find, particularly
playing as long as it would take to when designing something episodic in
watch an entire season of a television nature like a No Dice scenario, is that
drama. plots become something like boxes. All
stories have one plot, but within that
Also you, as Host, are going to have to one plot there are usually smaller plots
come up with a series of entertaining which revolve around the central plot
episodes for your players to play and comment upon it, adding depth to
through. Even if you are planning a the characters and themes.
role play saga to rival War and Peace
you will not be able to just play the So, and I don't ask this question in the

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spirit of sarcasm, what is a plot? It's another dude that is somewhat


hard to pin down the concept, interesting no matter what our feelings
mumbling "I dunno, it's just like what on the subject of mano a mano single
happens in the story" with a half- combat.
hearted shrug isn't satisfactory. It is,
however, half correct. "Plot" is just a If you're going to be ultra-conservative
way of shorthanding "dramatic in your definition then a plot can be
conflict". defined as equilibrium-event-
equilibrium. This is not helpful. Just
It is no coincidence that plot also tweak it out a little though to become
means an area or point. Plots are false equilibrium-event-equilibrium
conflicts that are supposed to contain and we have a truth about stories. At
some sort of point. An incident by itself the beginning all the characters think
is not a story: "The bike rolled to a stop things are okay but because the events
once it reached the bottom of the hill." of the story are going to happen the
is an event, but it is not a plot. A plot players can presume things are really
attempts to resolve a conflicting not okay.
situation: "Dave's final left hook proved
too much for Edward and he fell to the It is only by going through the events
floor, out cold." is both an event and a of the plot that a true state of "being
plot. okay" is reached. When the characters
began their tale everything was "not
A plot sets us up to want the answer to okay" they just didn't realise it.
a number of questions, not least what's
the deal between Edward and Dave? As interesting as this may or may not
You could, were you particularly be it's not going to help us get some
inquisitive, ask a bunch of questions notes down. Now we understand that a
about the errant bike but there's a plot is basically "something interesting
chance none of the answers will be that happens in a story", without a plot
interesting. If we hear some dude hit a story is not really a story, something

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interesting happening out of context Rings


begs us to find out the story but is not a  Voyage And Return - e.g. The
story by itself. Odyssey

There are a huge number of  Comedy - This doesn't just mean


classifications for story systems. I've something which makes one
looked at the very most basic story laugh it is a story in which
construction to help us define what a people change their identity in
plot is. Any system that gives you only order to initiate the story's
one, two or three basic plots is going to events. Donnie Brasco,
be somewhat limited. therefore, would technically
count as a comedy because it
One of the most compelling systems details the activities of an
I've ever come across is the idea that undercover law enforcement
there are seven basic plots. I heard this official, although it could also
years ago with reference to movies but fall under Overcoming the
the internet seems to have expunged all Monster (the monster being
record of the Hollywood system from gang crime) and The Quest.
history. There are, however other plot  Tragedy - Any story with a
categorisation systems and many of downbeat ending although
them suggest seven is a good number specifically one where that
for types of plot. The one I find most ending is occasioned by some
useful is related by Christopher Booker flaw in the main character(s).
in a book called (wait for it) “The Seven
 Rebirth - A radical reinvention
Basic Plots” and he states these are:
of the characters takes place due
to some encounter that could be
 Overcoming The Monster - e.g.
termed a death, or a period in
St. George and the Dragon
limbo, these stories are
 Rags To Riches - e.g. Aladdin somewhat unusual.
 The Quest - e.g. Lord of the

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As you can see four out of the seven are Both deal with the thirty six dramatic
enormously popular and easily situations described by French author
referenced. The others range from hard Georges Polti. One Appendix is for
to define (although wouldn't a comedic players but should also be read by
RPG plot be fun given the definition?) Hosts, the other one is further notes for
to overly difficult to imagine as an the Host. there's more explanation in
RPG. Maybe someone would want to the relevant appendix.
play a tragic figure in an RPG but I
doubt it would be many player's first For now let's move along. Once you
choice, not least because it would be have decided the overarching plot du
extremely difficult. As for "Rebirth", jour is, for example, a “defeating the
that's all very well but as the hub of the monster” with a side helping of
story is the evolution of a person's very “situation 36” you will want to get out
soul unless you can guarantee this for of the abstract end of the pool and head
the players I think it will have to be for the most excellent water slides of
relegated to the status of unexpected genre.
by-product.
Genre
So we're left with five basic plots that
are do-able. You might be depressed to In case you don't know, a good
note that three of those five are working definition of genre would be
repeated over and over again in RPGs. the sections in a fiction library, movie
Don't worry. At this stage we are just hire shop or book store. So broadly
trying to resolve options. The actual speaking "Crime", "SF", "Horror",
business of playing an RPG doesn't "Fantasy", "Thriller", "Romance" etc.
revolve around the events of a plot.
There is a certain school of thought
The core of any RPG is the playing out that says that all genre settings are just
of dramatic situations. To this end two set dressing, the mechanisms of drama
Appendices are included in this guide. remain the same irrespective. To a

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certain degree this is true. You can are particularly apt for particular
rescue the princess for real in High themes. If you set your adventures in
Fantasy. Don't think that just because the wrong place and time they may get
she's an Industrialist's Daughter and muddled or go off in directions that
you get to the Evil Corporation's Moon you don't like.
Base in your Dread Cruiser doesn't
mean you're still not rescuing the same So in this summary of popular genres I
princess. shall highlight what kinds of theme
those genres are associated with and
further themes or modifications
introduced by the sub-genres of that
main genre. The list is not exhaustive,
nor is it intended to be; like everything
else in this section it is intended as a
source book to guide and suggest. There
are exceptions to every rule and your
killer idea is more important than my
rule of thumb.

The Examples

In the course of this section I point to a


few works of fiction, cinema or
television drama that exemplify what I
am talking about. If you are not
Genre has a subtle effect on situation, familiar with the examples then it
however. It changes the kind of means one of two things:
expectations your audience (in this case
the players) have. This is not without a) if you really are attracted to the rest
reason as you shall see from the of the genre description but have never
annotations below. Particular settings looked at the example cited then you

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really need to. I have picked only Fantasy


works which are archetypes of what
they represent. Hosts need to take in a Fantasy stories often discuss the
lot of ideas, Hosts need to go looking concept of "magic" as a hypothetical
for those ideas. Hosts need to immerse force, the consequences of magic
themselves in these cultural items. existing and ways in which magic could
That's where all their own ideas come work. They also love heroics, the idea
from. Besides if you are attracted to of destiny, the ideals of virtue, the
the genre concept and you haven't seen nature of ultimate good and evil, epic
the example I set you are depriving sweep, grand ideas. Because of this
yourself of a treat. Fantasy has always been a home for
role players.
b) if, on the other hand, you are just
confused by my description and don't For many current role players the
like the sound of it anyway you activity is a form of wish fulfilment in
probably won't be great at Hosting a which heroics are easier than than they
campaign in that genre. There may be a are in real life. Fantasy is the ideal
reason you've never seen Blade Runner platform for this.
or read Lord of the Rings, it could be
it's just not your thing. In which case High Fantasy
it's probably best not to make a rod for
your own back creating a game set in a All the notes for fantasy as a whole
world you don't enjoy spending time apply here to the power of ten. The
in. genre is used and much beloved a lot
not just by role players but by fiction
So bear this in mind as we take a look readers.
through the number of genre settings
available to you. Comic Fantasy

The kind of antithesis to po-faced High


Fantasy, comic fantasy talks about the

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same high themes but it seeks to but the player has taken on a new role
subvert our views about them. Just read in that world and that is the subject of
some of Terry Pratchett's Discworld the game.
and you'll get the idea. You'd be wrong When a game blends the things of High
to think this wasn't like "serious" Fantasy and the things of modern life,
fantasy though it is just the opposite of therefore, it is in an attempt to get us to
it. Comic fantasy takes a cynical view re-examine our world. The mainstays
of concepts like "Ultimate Good", of High Fantasy are high concepts and
"Ultimate Evil", "Kindly Spirits" and putting them in a modern world makes
"Evil Demons". us think about how high concept
blends with the mundane.
Contemporary Fantasy
Contemporary fantasy can be funny,
Anything set in the here and now is but it can also be spiritual, it's one of
likely to be reflective. When you're my favourite genres and I think
playing a game set in the far future or deservedly so because the point of role
in a fantasy realm you have to look playing is to bring the real world into a
outwards because the world is new to new focus and make it strange again
you. Space and future games are about like it was when we were young.
the totally unfamiliar, games set in a
past, or past-like world force you to Spiritual Fantasy
look beyond yourself because they have
different rules to the world you inhabit This is the highest of high fantasy a lot
but you can read about the past and the of the stuff about the nature of heroism
things to expect from it in history either doesn't apply here or heroism
books. and virtue are examined in relation to
one another. Spiritual Fantasy
If your game is set in a world similar to presumes some religious context is the
our own then you can expect the literal truth, in the Western world that
individual will be important. The could mean that God, His choirs of
world is just the world as we know it angels, Satan and his horde of demons

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are all real. A fantasy that supposed have a tendency to be somewhat


Heaven, Hell and Purgatory were laid downbeat? Weirdly stories of the far
out as described in Dante's Divine future sometimes fare better than
Comedy would be a spiritual fantasy as stories of the near future but many an
indeed the Divine Comedy itself was a author concerned about the way the
Spiritual Fantasy. world seemed to be going has looked
into the darkest of futures or imagined
Spiritual and comic fantasy in fiction the strangest of scientific discoveries.
are often vehicles for satire. This is
because satire is often a cynic's view on SF pushes people to look inside because
morality and as fantasy fiction as a it tells us we are alone. The world
whole tends to deal with high ideals it moves forward and although it is
makes a usually quite tight form of different we are the same. Heroism is
humour much broader. If you happen far more difficult in SF, some gamers
to want to run a role play that mocks love it because it's more gritty than
current political and social trends using fantasy. In fantasy ideals can be
a fantasy setting may be a way to make realised, in SF ideals are there to be
the experience actively funnier and perverted, twisted and broken.
broader than some sardonic dystopian
nightmare. Dystopia

SF There are a huge number of post


apocalyptic or bleak futuristic stories
Science Fiction is like Fantasy's colder that presuppose humanity is on its way
sibling. It not only divorces us from our to a totalitarian surveillance society.
own context to a degree but it does not These stories examine whether a
even have the reassuring quality of reasonable soul will triumph or be
history. These are not things as they crushed in such surroundings. The
have ever been but entirely new tendency errs on the side of crushed.
ground. Is it any wonder that SF games

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Irrespective, in a role play a dark future hypothetical animals, however, is fine.


setting like the worlds of Robocop, Just remember that these stories are
Blade Runner or even Nineteen Eighty about the prey and the prey is a
Four are going to make players reflection of the hunter.
introspective. Harsher role play is
perhaps presumed to be more It's a good yarn and could equally well
acceptable. be a fantasy story about killing a
dragon or hunting the great beast of the
If you want to have a player sea. It usually ends up being about
accidentally brutalise or kill a non aliens or alien killing machines these
player character and then have to live days so I include it in the SF genre by
with the consequences a setting such as popularity.
this is ideal to sucker them into their
unacceptable behaviour (of course the Space Opera
idea of No Dice is to be a Host and give
people a good ride so be sure they're The most unusual of SF genres in that it
ready to accept the fact they might backs onto fantasy. Space Opera can
accidentally commit a morally either just be fantasy with SF trappings,
reprehensible act if they role play as if like Star Wars, or it can be a kind of
they're in Robocop). gritty fantasy like Farscape or Firefly.

Bug hunt What space opera has the potential to


do is exemplified by something like Joss
This is a more gentle form of SF from Whedon's Firefly. The scale is epic,
the point of view of the players. This is space is vast and this means stories
mostly because it is not really an SF about long journeys and difficult quests
story in the strictest sense of the term. through dangerous ground are easy to
As hunting of real animals has become set in space.
less morally acceptable in our society so
stories about such hunting are also seen The personal issues are far truer to SF
to be somewhat gauche. Hunting of though. Heroism can be mistaken or

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buried in misunderstanding and social setting a fantasy in space is much


convention. Just look at all the easier. The problem is that people love
different types of character in Firefly space opera of the latter kind far more.
and Serenity to understand how So if you can crack it you'll have one
complex the personalities are. The happy group on your hands!
setting invites you to explore a new
world, a new universe even, but the Superheroes
people are just people with flaws and
confused agendas and misapplied Another "favourite in theory"
priorities. Superhero games have a reputation for
being somewhat disappointing. In a
way Superhero stories are, like Space
Opera, fantasy in SF clothing. The story
in Superhero sagas is vital. Each
character must have a personal arc. If
you examine Superhero origin stories
you will see they always gained their
powers in a situation of not
understanding their own personal
power.

For example Peter Parker was brought


up to be a responsible and honest man
by his Uncle Ben. In theory he was
Spider Man before the radioactive
spider even bit him, the spider just gave
him the tools to do the job.
This is a difficult genre to get right if
you're going to attempt to mix it this The reason Spider Man is such an
way. The Star Wars approach of just enormously popular super hero

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(amongst other factors) is that his story It is always important to examine each
exemplifies what a good super hero player's character description and
story should be. The story is not about history in a game involving time travel,
having sweet powers with which one alternative realities, other dimensions
can mush super villains' faces into the or associated weirdness. What you are
concrete, that's a by-product. A super looking for are hooks upon which you
hero story is about how someone can introduce personal weirdness for
mundane and bland copes with the each character. Dead parents,
responsibility of gaining unusual childhood enemies, any trauma
powers that allow them to help others basically, will give you ideas for strange
or to harm them. characters who are, or appear to be,
people from a character's memories.
Weird Even if you never name them as such
and they look like gigantic blue giraffes
Alternative dimensions, time travel, you can make these non-player
cloning, SF has a branch called characters fulfil a role that will make
speculative fiction that asks questions the player question their own identity
about the very nature of reality itself. and that is the core of such stories.
When things start to get really strange
in a piece of fiction the accent subtly Horror
shifts once more to the hero engaged
upon these bizarre adventures. Horror is a great genre for role playing
as exemplified by the fact that telling
The point of such stories is inevitably ghost stories verbally over a campfire is
to examine the strangest parts of a still a recognised activity, ghost walks
character's internal landscape. The in older towns and cities in the UK are
stories tend to be quite intellectual, also popular.
when reality is suspect you only have
your own conscious mind to fall back Horror is a genre that asks the
on. audience, by way of the characters, to
contemplate death itself. How this

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death manifests is different depending slasher villain or villains.


on the flavour of horror you are
writing and it does introduce a Even if there are a number of slasher
different dynamic but largely horror enemies they will always have some
games are fun precisely because they hideously twisted grand guignol leader
are so easy to run and play. It is at their head, this figurehead is the
theoretically possible that players in a summation of the very fears the slasher
Horror game wouldn't even need story is trying to tap into.
proper characters they could just be
themselves. Baroque

Slasher By which I refer to the tradition of


Lovecraftian horror which basically
Slasher horror relies on fear of other states that the universe is bigger and
people, strangers, foreigners, people uglier than any human is capable of
who are different from us. It's a pretty understanding.
basic kind of storytelling experience as
it basically taps into all those Ultimately knowledge breeds insanity.
subconscious fears people have about Gods don't care about you. Alien beings
strangers and scales them up. Don't want to hijack your biological matter
expect much reflective consideration for food or unnatural procreation.
on the human condition in these Scientists meddle with powerful forces
games, this is survival at its purest. they do not understand. People end up
The strangers are always equipped with going insane, a lot. Baroque horror
quite horrible weapons as much should always batter people with
designed to inflict torture and pain as obscure fields of investigation, lunatics
death upon the protagonists. You will and reminders that we all die alone in a
rarely find a clean bullet wound in a universe that doesn't care.
slasher story. Machetes, hooks, razor
wire and fire are all the tools of the Baroque horror is so ridiculously

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depressing and terrible it actually starts them of the weight of past events. Until
to become fun. The secret to giving the past is put right the future cannot
people a fine baroque horror be allowed to continue. These stories
experience is to ladle it on, if you pull can be cathartic but in their execution
back too far you risk disturbing and they are perhaps the most disturbingly
unsettling people. This is the rule of resonant of all, they make a person
thumb, if players are really looking to question the world even as they
have something get under their skin provide thrilling drama.
pull back and go for "creeping horror"
if you want it all to be a bit of a laugh Action
have people go insane and rip their
own eyes out every ten minutes. Action is not so much a genre as a grab
bag of elements that can be added to a
Supernatural scenario to give it flavour. Whereas
previously the setting actually tells you
By which I mean vampires, werewolves something about the type of story and
and spirits who are not the remnants of how it should be executed the action
past tragedy (for which see "Ghost settings are concerned with a character
Stories"). These take the fear of the in a setting.
other present in Slasher stories and
blend in a spiritual aspect. These stories The same rules apply in terms of time,
focus on depravity, corruption, curses if the setting is the past there is both
and the nature of evil. As with weird familiarity and a degree of comfort, if
SF comb through the player character the present focus on the individual, if
histories for clues. the future the setting is likely to
alienate. One thing's for certain, stick
Ghost Stories to the tropes of these genres if you pick
them or else the game risks losing
Ghosts, as in the psychic remnants of atmosphere.
past tragedy, are there to remind the
protagonist in a story that features

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Mystery mistrust and of fighting a war but also


in the concern that screwing up now
Your good old British Murder or will have consequences down the line.
Detective Procedural story. To be quite So a single session on one mission will
honest if you are going for this you remove about half the dramatic
may as well buy one of those Murder tension.
Mystery Dinner kits or write your own.
The genre as a whole is sort of like a Bizarrely in the case of intelligence
dramatic puzzle presentation. If you level espionage games it is best to dwell
love this then the No Dice guide will on a mission execution plan, describe
help you write your own but there are briefly any SNAFUs the team
plenty of commercially available encounter in execution and then spend
products which will support you in relatively more time on the fallout. If
running a mystery role play with no you watch any spy movie you will find
dice to a far greater degree of precision. the amount of time spent on describing
the mission is disproportionately small
Espionage when compared with that spent on set
up and fall out.
The rules for espionage are the same for
any "mission based" set up like Police In a more cop based game the
Procedural or Special Operations keep execution will be important because
the pace up and stick to the genre what people say and do whilst
conventions. To varying degrees these improvising in the moment can be
stories talk about conflicting agendas important so follow the procedure
and people who won't tell the whole closely.
truth unless the players can coax it out
of them. The biggest mistake one can make with
a Special Operations game is to dwell
Danger in mission based games is not on the operation. The only exception to
just from the general atmosphere of this is when the operation is going to

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change scope while in progress. If you from some SF adventure to


have set the team up to rescue two Detective/Noir to Steampunk. The key
hostages but on the insertion they to getting these genres right is the old
discover that the hostages are actually standby "turn everything up to 11".
the enemies and the danger is from a Pulp stories are designed to lay things
third source entirely then the mission on thick. Don't let storytelling suffer
becomes the game. but just make everything a bit bigger
than it might be if you were going for a
On the other hand if the mission just is realistic tone.
"the mission" let them do it quickly.
Only after their characters have smugly War
returned to the extraction point do you
uncover how the mission's parameters I've never actually experienced a war
may not have been fully explained to time RPG before. I have no doubt that
the team because they are "just grunts". such things exist. The fact that
This is more what special operations anything can happen and no one is to
stories are about than the straight be trusted, along with the focus on
execution of a mission that should be military operations and combat would
well within the character's abilities. suggest that a war game (as in a game
about war, not a wargame which is all
Don't forget to be liberal with about dice and real ale) could be quite
technology and toys. Many spy games exciting.
make the D&D mistake of restricting
access to cool toys on entry, ignoring Western
the fact that cool toys and effortless
mayhem are the stock in trade of these Westerns in fiction are a bit of a
adventures. forgotten genre, they occasionally
make a Western style film but people
Pulp are not generally as in love with the
concept of cowboys as they once were.
This includes a whole number of things In Role Playing, however, there has

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blossomed an affection for the Western Martial Arts


when crossed with other genres,
particularly ones involving magic. A genre often attempted, with variable
The reason for this is simple. Westerns results. You would think that, being
are like a grubby space opera. The centred upon the idea of melee combat,
Western milieu is about wide open martial arts stories would be a shoe in
spaces and glorious isolation, they are for role playing systems. And you
also about brutality and survival in a would be right. They have been pulled
lawless world. Space is sterile, even off with varying degrees of success.
when your spaceship is grubby space
remains the blank and deadly darkness The big hold up is the over application
it always has been. The joy of a of combat systems. The whole point of
Western is partly in the beauty of martial arts heroes is that they can
nature and the enduring qualities of the fight. Also the rules make it easy to
human spirit evident in a Western avoid describing a fight and part of the
hero. object of martial arts is to be dazzled by
the mechanics of the fight itself.
No surprise then that Firefly/Serenity
was one of the most loved SF TV shows The last thing is more subtle and easily
of the early 2000s. It combined space missed, heroes of a martial arts
and the Western in a manner that had spectacular shouldn't want to fight. The
only rarely been attempted previously. core of martial arts stories are the twin
One piece of advice to simulate the pillars of spirituality and violence.
Western environment. Life should be Make sure the players understand this
hard, resources scarce, justice and principle and act according to their
crime equally brutal, no one should character. In addition though make
catch a break. This is what Westerns sure your villains have enough moxie
are all about. to keep prodding the tiger even after
the tiger has done everything in its
power to disengage.

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What gives the Act II fight real power idea is that the good may be lawless
is that the same fight almost happened and the lawful can be evil. Bear this in
in Act I but didn't. mind when approaching the
Swashbuckling swashbuckler genre.

From Musketeers to Monte Cristo, It is worth noting that if you move the
from Pirates to Pimpernels swashbuckling genre away from its
swashbuckling stories are really setting it ceases to be thought of as
political fantasies that dare to ask the swashbuckling. Many modern action
question "What if the only choice movies employ the same ideas but
available to a good man was to break without swords, panache and a period
the law"? Not that every swashbuckler setting it seems to lose the feel of the
is a good person but the concept of swashbuckler.
lawlessness is essential to
swashbuckling. Mix It Up!

Of course There's a particular set Of course many outrageously successful


dressing to these things, Robin Hood, stories in the modern world don't stick
The Three Musketeers, Pirates of the to one genre or another. I've already
Carribean; all feature swords, mentioned Firefly/Serenity, but there's
mercenaries, treasure, outrageous also the Matrix which mixes martial
romance, matters of honour and arts into an SF setting and Underworld
craven, selfish villainy. which combined action with a
supernatural story.
The French have always had a healthy
disrespect for authority so it probably When To Stay Traditional
comes as no surprise that many of the
finest swashbuckling adventures come There's no hard and fast rule about this
from French ideas, the Scarlet but sometimes something needs no
Pimpernel, The Three Musketeers, The particular modification to run
Count of Monte Cristo. The core of the successfully. The example scenario

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"Revelation Point" mixes slasher vampires and werewolves mingle with


conventions with a small dose of the humanity, and are even hired as
supernatural but this is not exactly operatives would still be an espionage
ground breaking. It is still one of the story but it would just have a twist that
most fun scenarios I have ever run and might drive your players into a frenzy
is numbered among those scenarios I of excitement.
have written where players come back
to me saying fondly how frickin' great How to structure your plot
it was.
So you have some situations and a cool
Other than that you should just watch setting. How do you mould these into
out for concepts that are just an acceptable plot? We've already
fundamentally incompatible, the High covered the suggested length of a
Fantasy Western, for example, is "season" and the need to have one main
probably going to end up either being a situation per episode but how should
High Fantasy with Western elements this play out? How do we deal with a
or a Western with Dwarves and Magic. one-shot also?
If you're cool with just taking set
dressing from a known genre then The End
that's to be celebrated, but don't end up
frustrated because you can't reconcile Here's the golden rule for you. Always
two contradictory moods. have an endgame up your sleeve. In
Murder Mystery stories it's the moment
Using Setting As A Backdrop when all the suspects are gathered at
the behest of the detective in the
Having said that, kitting out one genre library at the end. Obviously, you're
with the trappings of another is a cool going to be far more subtle about it
way to add a twist or a flavour to a than that but the theory remains
genre that you may feel is tired and in sound.
need of refreshing. An espionage story
which takes place in a world where You need to know what kinds of end

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result the players might get to from the


beginning. You can't totally know what Whether you are running a one shot or
situation they'll have got themselves a season every session will ideally have
into when the endgame begins to some concept of timing. The best way
happen but you can know what that to do this is to have an idea of when
end game is. Will the world end? Will you want to finish the session and an
the villain escape? Will evil have a event that will provide initiate your
moment to triumph? Will the monster endgame between 90 and 120 minutes
kick their lily white butts? before the end. In some games this
could be a disastrous event such as the
One of my less successful adventures beginning of a self-destruct process or
had an endgame where a gigantic the eventual collapse of a building, it
mutant hybrid wolf monkey (or could be an enemy forcing a final
“wonkey”) burst free from its shackles confrontation.
and the players had to defeat both it
and its master in a frenzy of martial arts In one shots this will help manage time
mayhem. The players committed to the effectively, in seasons it's not so
mayhem but, unfortunately, large essential. The issue of timing really
swathes of the plot had sailed past them only applies when you're less confident
so they didn't really know why it was in running the adventure.
they were fighting. Oops.
Free Play
Still, they enjoyed the fight.
If you have no particular finish time,
Sometimes time plays against us, the great players, a cool adventure and are
only thing that would play against us having fun with it just let events
worse is petering out into a nondescript unfold. I have found myself getting
failure to really resolve anything. into a session only to discover that it
was time to finish up and we were only
Timing halfway through what we were doing.

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There's absolutely nothing wrong with you invite the players to address a set
this, if everyone's having a good time number of situations in the game or in
it's rather to be applauded. each episode of the game.

Event Driven

Leading on from this you might plan a


number of timed events which should
take place during the game, so some
development crops up roughly every
hour or two hours of play. This keeps
the plot driving forward but be careful
that people don't just end up feeling
lost and confused.

Look At Possibilities

Before you even sit down to write an


adventure you should have roughed out
its world, talked to the players about
Episodic their characters and expectations and
made some notes. When you actually
In mission based games the game can come down to the planning stage you
go through a preset tree of missions. In should already have a number of
a "season" you might give your exciting possibilities to draw on for
operatives three missions per episode inspiration. Now's the time to get
that conclude with a piece of the inspired. Crack open your notes and get
overall puzzle and plot being revealed. moving.
It is possible to do this in a more subtle
way with non mission games where

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An Inciting Incident can chug along merrily for a few


minutes and indeed it should because
There's always, and I mean always, a this is the time that players are getting
few moments around the beginning of used to being in the game. As soon as
an RP that no one's quite sure what to they are feeling comfortable that's
do or how to do it. These will be your when you hit them with the first
least proud Hosting moments as you incident.
wonder if the game's going to fall apart
on the launch pad. Relax. This is just Again if they are together then you can
the equivalent of the first two pages of tell all of them what this incident is
any novel you might read when you and allow them all to react as they
haven't quite got into the reading wish. If they are starting the game in
rhythm yet. separate places with the plan being to
draw them together through the action
I've tried a few ways to get around this then each character must be engaged in
the most obvious being to have a a separate way.
prepared prologue written which is Players could receive a visitor, or see
supposed to set the mood. Generally something odd, or receive a message, or
the most effective thing to do is to pick they could just be going about their
a player and tell them where their daily routine when they run into some
character is and what they're doing, or, form of complication. This first
if all the characters are in the same complication is a chance for the players
place doing the same thing address to show how their character deals with
your remarks to the room and then ask complications. As the complication
the vital question: continues details of your plot should
start to emerge.
What are you going to do?
Basically each event should play
As soon as the players can participate naturally into another. Always have a
the magic starts to work. This preamble Plan B in case players take an unusual

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approach to the problems presented oncoming train is a no brainer no


you hadn't originally planned for but matter what the fall out. But what if
essentially you just keep things rolling the child were a middle-aged business
along until you feel the session needs a man who had previously been quite
bit of a shot in the arm. unpleasant and rude to the player?

Create Some Doubt Probably if there's no reason why not


even rude people deserve a break but
If you have used the dramatic situations what if the player knows that to display
from the appendix in creating your plot unusual powers in this situation may
you should see that there are two sides get them killed? Will the player
to every story. Even if you are running preserve their secret and hence their
a rescue mission you can introduce life or will they do the honourable
another party claiming to be on the thing? Choices like that make or break
same mission and claiming the players' the game.
employers are misleading them about
their intentions. In some cases agents of You must be the moral barometer of
the villain can try to persuade the these situations. If you cannot call the
players that the villain is only choice a tough call then the players
misunderstood. In some cases they may probably won't either.
be right.
Gain an overview
An essential part of playing a role is
that a player has to come up against a When all is said and done the outcome
tough decision about the course their of an adventure is a pretty easy thing to
character is taking. It has to be a plan. The players may gain a prize for
dramatic choice and making it will set which they have been working, a
something about that character to play villain may have been brought to
from their on in. justice, an enemy defeated, the
characters will have their life and their
Rescuing an innocent child from an health. The questions that have to be

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asked are few when setting up the with a vast number of people probably
overall plot: falling into some neutral ground where
they haven't picked a side.
 Is there a villain?
 Do they have access to enough The really interesting people fall into
resources to make them an two categories. Those people who are
enemy with employee forces of near the middle and those people who
some kind? appear to be the opposite of what they
 If they're so villainous, why so? actually are. Both give scope for
i.e. what are they doing that's dramatic conflict and bring up issues of
evil? persuasion and trust. Some people will,
 If they're not technically evil obviously, have to be what they say
they could still be an opponent they are.
to the player's goals.
 Is there a prize to be won? A handy thought here is the traditional
 Why is the prize so valuable? Greek meaning of the term "Comedy".
These days a comedy is a drama that
Once you have settled these aspects in will attempt to raise a smile. In the
your mind you should go on to Greek sense comedy is a drama in
consider who has a stake in the prize, which the identities of the participants
or who will be your allies and enemies are not certain or have not been
in defeating a villain. resolved yet. The comedy is the
sequence of events which leads to the
Interested Parties true identities of the characters being
revealed.
This is where you fall back on your
situations. All your other non-player This definition should apply to almost
characters will fall on a scale of every adventure you run in some way.
whether they are broadly speaking If your adventure is about how Jack
"goodies" or whether they are "baddies" Awesome and the League of Splendid

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put one in the eye of Mortimer Awful


and the Tribe of Yuck which simply You'll see plenty of examples of how
consists of people bopping members of this works in the example adventures
the Tribe of Yuck in the nose until a and soon you should be well on the
showdown with Mortimer it's going to way to inventing your own compelling
be pretty dull. If your characters can yarn for the players to become
trust everyone in a white hat, mistrust embroiled in.
everyone in a black hat and be sure all
grey hats would fall on the white side if Keep Notes!
pressed into making a decision life
becomes boring pretty quickly. One final thing, whether you are
running a one off or a campaign keep a
Basically think deeply about how the comprehensive set of notes. You might
characters you as Host will be have to come up with a character name
portraying will come across to the off the cuff or remember vital details
players and what possibilities they offer you're making up on the spur of the
dramatically, this should help you build moment. Your notes should be your
up a longer plot than "Players must saviour.
defeat X or Players must obtain Y".

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Non Player Characters


(NPCs)
NPCs are the characters you, as Host, may or may not encounter who should
will have to portray during the game. just be sketched down.
Every adventure should have a few
sprinkled in there, this last Host section Try to keep the main characters down
is here to give you some pointers in to a level you feel comfortable with.
NPC creation and running. There's Don't plan out a cast of thousands
quite a lot of information about unless you really want to spend months
creating characters in the Player's writing a campaign. Apart from
Guide and in the Appendices all this anything else players can only take in a
chapter tries to do is rescale the task for certain amount of information, more
the one participant in the game who than eight supporting cast members
has to portray an unusually large and you'll begin to lose people unless
number of characters. You. you are very cunning.

Actual Characters How much work you do to define a


character is going to depend on how
There will be a shortlist of characters "important" they are to the plot, all
you are going to introduce into the character notes will start the same but
story. The main ones you should at some point you will just stop writing
probably note down in some detail. more notes and break away. This
Then there'll be a supporting cast who breaking away process will happen
are mentioned in less detail and then sooner and sooner the less important
there are possible characters the players your NPCs become.

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Avoid The Sage So when you're doing villains or


neutral characters that's fine. Sidekicks
Before we go into my technique for are often not a problem also. It's when
creating NPCs one word of advice. you have some character who's also
Many people think it's great to put supposed to be of a level with the
swathes of information in the mouths players and is friendly that you get a
of "sage" characters. These characters problem.
are like surrogates for you in the
adventure. The problem is that if the If you dial them down too far they just
players feel that there is a character in look rubbish, make them too awesome
the game who has all the answers but is and the players start to resent them. It's
being deliberately obtuse they'll get a real balancing act. For the purposes of
frustrated quickly. role play, therefore, treat instances of
characters like this to a strict
When it comes to in-game knowledge minimum. You've got enough to be
always restrict what it is an NPC knows worrying about without making heroes
specifically in your notes. If a character who stand shoulder to shoulder with
seems to know so much they could the players but actually are ineffective
have just sorted the whole mess out seem like a worthwhile cast addition.
themselves that's a sage, lose them or
scale down their knowledge. Character Sketching

The “Friendly” Problem Okay so you'll need four things to


make any character to work. These are:
As GM it is your job to do two things
with respect to NPCs. One, make them  A name
convincing and two make them less  A role in the story (and indeed
awesome than the player's characters in their life)
so the players get the full benefit of the
fantasy.  Some things they like to talk to

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strangers about swiftly available reference cheat sheets.


 Some things they know about
(Actually this is a lie. As soon as you
the story
spend more time rifling through your
notes than being Host you've crossed
The last may well be "nothing" in the the threshold a while back. Try and
case of minor characters. But "nothing" keep reference sheets to four sides of
could include general world A4 or Letter size paper.)
information and, to be fair, if the
characters are trying to find the "Happy On which subject, it's always handy to
Roller" Tavern a random peasant may have a list of random names you can
well know that, it's a murky world of put together in case of someone asking
"general knowledge" which can be "Ho there good burgher what do they
caught under the umbrella term of call you back home?" (Players do stuff
"nothing". like this all the time, it's annoying.)

Similarly their role in the story may be From the other three things you should
"Wandering Peasant" but the peasant have some idea of a top three topics of
maybe a farmer, a beggar, a poor conversation these characters like to
craftsman or a monk. All of these will dwell upon with strangers. Make a
suggest things for point three so give quick decision about how chatty they
everyone a role in life and then, if they are on a scale of 1-10 and there you go
are there for some specific reason in the limitless numbers of random cast
story upgrade them. members.

It might even be appropriate to make Stepping it Up


lists of possible roles for the world of
the game and you can pick one role for Once you've roughed out all your
each random stranger approached. characters like this the next stage is to
Trust me you can never have too many decide how much information they

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have that will contribute to the overall characters up to the point where they
story. Characters with particularly vital enter your campaign you should have
pieces of information should be your had a few ideas for NPCs that are, in
next priority. The chances are that your some way, personal to them.
players will, at least, be able to reason
out who the most important characters Don't forget to jot down some notes for
in the story are and they'll be spending these characters and maybe even go
a lot of their time talking to those back through and insert them into your
characters. episode notes. Characters who arise as a
result of these sessions may have an
You want to decide things like, how impact on NPCs you've already
bribable are they? Do they respond written.
better to honey or vinegar? What are
their opinions of the general situation For example, you may have imagined a
outlined in the adventure? character who was part of an army the
players are pitted against who deserted
Anything aside from this and you can and started trying to undermine the
fall back on your basic notes for army he used to serve with guerilla
winging it. If the character is really tactics. Then it turns out that one of
important you might want to start your characters had this unhappy love
thinking about their upbringing and affair where the girl disappeared
life history but these are more the around the world to "find herself"
kinds of things that are important to when the affair ended. A way to
players. Remember you're not there to introduce some tension into the
present a detailed epic you're there to dynamic between the rebel leader and
give the convincing illusion of a the party is to have them first run into
detailed epic. the player character's ex and have her
reveal that she is now in a relationship
Back To The Players with the rebel.

Once you've Lone Wolfed your player's Without this tension your rebel leader

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could just be tossed into the "good moral crusader needs to be tempted.
bloke" box and the scenario rolls on. The man of peace needs to be pushed
But the fact that he is involved with into war. You haven't got time to way
one of the other character's ex- lay the romantic fool with a pointless
girlfriends instantly makes things quest for turnips that has nothing to do
complicated, in a good way. with anything. Unless, of course, that's
the whole point.
Always try to make everything fit
together. In real life, despite the A Final Note
reputed six degrees of separation,
everyone does not tend to know Many of the very oldest RPGs
everyone else. In a story it works the described enemies, even major ones, in
other way around as it's a great way to terms of how able they were to kill
ramp up the dramatic tension. you. They described non-enemies in
terms of what service they could be to
This is a very important point. The you. They described allies in terms of
major NPCs, in fact all the people your what they could do to help you and
players encounter should, in fact, be what they would ask in return.
there to tell the player characters
something about themselves. This As time went by RPGs started to
sounds absurd and egotistical, like the include more detailed notes on
whole world of the game is just some characters. To date I have never seen
sort of bizarre “Truman Show”. one that actually compacted characters
into a thumbnail that would allow a
In actual fact, if you think about it, GM to freestyle just about any
what else are the players supposed to conversation the players might like to
do with their time? Life's too short for have off the top of their head. I hope
supporting characters who tell the this chapter has helped you to move
players nothing about their own role. ahead with this.
The hothead needs to be needled. The

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Not that it is an easy thing to achieve, it the brew. You might even end up
will take some work on your part to engineering such encounters to lighten
pull off a convincing NPC every time the mood and, of course, to deepen the
but the key to the small talk is to never atmosphere.
run out. If you feel someone's going to
have to be around for a while with a Examples of NPC profiles can be found
chatty NPC you just need to make a list in the example campaigns. I think that
of reasonable small talk subjects for you will, by this time, have taken as
that NPC and make sure that much talking to as a person can take so
character's got a solid opinion on all of now it is time to interact. Browse the
them. notes, call some friends, make some
character sheets and while you're
Of course some NPCs just don't like to shuffling the deck you can try to
talk at all, some are business like, some remember exactly where it is you left
are just nervous around people, some your dice bag anyway.
maintain stubborn silence. In the end a
chatty NPC is just more seasoning to Have fun!

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Scenarios
The example scenarios in this section are designed to give you a few hints as to
how to construct your own No Dice adventures. Each scenario broadly speaking
goes in the following order:

 Introduction
 Additional Rules
 List of Playable Characters
 Set Up Notes for the Players
 Character Overview
 Annotated Map
 Running The Game

Any Resources are presented full page for ease of producing hard copies. If a
map is included it is purely intended to give the Host an idea of major locations.
This is the wrong place for scale models and lead figures. Sometimes maps can be
given out as props but they're never intended as game boards.

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Traveller's Rest

Traveller's Rest sums up the archetypal Additional Rules


Vanilla No Dice game. I have included
an additional rule to make one thing The game uses the Vanilla No Dice
plainer but apart from that I've left it Rules with the following addition.
pure and untouched. The scenario is a
haunted house caper in which the Using Advantages and Disadvantages:
players are all students from a
University Parapsychology department. If possible the Host should keep a crib
sheet of each character's advantages
It has a long sandbox time to allow and disadvantages. When having a
people to wander round uncovering character make a test, look to see if
clues which will help them in the final they have an advantage or disadvantage
encounter. There are two endings, one in the area where they're making a test.
for if the players comprehensively fail If they have an advantage make it
to accomplish anything and one for if easier, if they have a disadvantage
they crack the mystery of Traveller's make it harder.
Rest.The adventure is designed to run
in a single 3-5 hour session. Example: Penny needs to make a test of
Pete's ability to tell a lie, the Host looks
at Pete's advantages and disadvantages
and sees Pete is charming, so she
lowers the expected difficulty by one.

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Playable Characters (5) student, Hugo Bailey, went missing.


Because of this the Head of
Rupert James Clifford-Jones - A PhD Parapsychology at Pimston University,
Student Jeffrey Denton, has decided to lead this
Catherine Martin - A student, amateur investigation himself. The junior class
witch are to stay the night at Traveller's Rest
Ronnie Caine - A student, highly and try to work out what is going on
dedicated to his study. there.
Conrad White - A student, highly
dedicated to beer. Map Notes
Jana Denton - The Professor's Daughter
Exterior
Player Set Up
1) The front garden. The plant beds
The game begins as the minibus filled contain many herbs. Someone with
with parapsychology equipment and herbalist knowledge could probably
students pulls up to the front of an old cook up some simple healing potions
house "Traveller's Rest". The house is from the ingredients here. Anything
nestled in woods down a long winding further would require some pretty
lane. The front garden is accessed via a specific instructions on the part of the
tall, forbidding gate and surrounded by player as to what their character was
a high wall. A gently sloping hill leads trying to do; in addition the character
away from the back of the house down must have some idea what they're
into the heart of the woods. doing check their advantages. The van
is out here but by the time the team
It is known that a previous party of may have thought to use it for escape
senior parapsychology students under they will either be trapped in the
the guidance of the only other PhD garden or the house.

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Rupert James "Jamie" Clifford-Jones

Known to everyone but the prof as Jamie, Rupert knows that this whole thing is a con job. Well, it must
be, mustn't it? The Professor has provided paper after paper proving that the very idea of a ghost is
ridiculous. The ancient fraudster running this operation may have the others fooled but that senility
schtick is a crock.

While the kids are busy playing "Ghostbusters" Rupert and the prof will get to the bottom of this and
find out where the last party disappered off to. This whole incident has, at least, allowed Rupert to get
some brownie points with the Prof, which should come in handy when it came to getting his thesis
approved. Not that there was much of a problem in that department anyway. Now if only he could
explain to the prof that he prefers to be called "Jamie" then that would make Rupert's life about perfect.

Advantages

Knows how the equipment works


Rich
Organised
Clever
Handsome
Charming (to people he considers worthy)

Disadvantages

Haughty
Narrow Minded
Self Obsessed
Authoritarian

Possessions

Mobile Phone, Wallet, Money, Keys for the Mini Bus, Some items of expensive bling (proper Rolex
watch, two white gold signet rings and a white gold neck chain carrying a Celtic Knot charm.)
Catherine "Cat" Martin

Cat is really beginning to wish she'd never taken this place at Pimston. Professor Denton is the most closed-minded
and fusty idiot she's ever met in her life. Not that Cat would be much different if it weren't for the fact that she can
sense the dead. She'd like to think that she'd be a bit more open-minded though.

The fact that she cannot know whether she would or not is the only thing that's keeping her on this course at the
moment. Carrying salt to purify everything and a small book of spells that use common household goods isn't so
dippy when you've used them to clear cancerous psychic energies. Once you've felt the atmosphere lift like fog
being burned by the sun you don't so much believe in this stuff as rely upon it.

Of course, one cannot forget that all this experience is personal, some people seem to be completely immune to the
energies beyond. Cat just didn't realise that some of these people would find jobs in University Parapsychology
Departments.

Advantages

Psychically Sensitive
Knowledge of Herbalism and basic Witchcraft
Independent
Observant
Trustworthy

Disadvantages

Unable to control psychic signal


Moody
Outsider
Mistrustful

Possessions

Mobile Phone, Wallet, Money, Keys, Bag of Salt, Various items of silver jewellery all designed to carry
basic warding ability, packet of cigarettes, zippo lighter, spell journal, bag of crystals.

Crystal Guide

Cat has the following crystals in her bag.

Amethyst – General Cleansing and Protection, very lucky


Carnelian – Clears thoughts, helps in focusing. Aids with the hearing
sense.
Tiger's Eye – Heavy Protection, stops all deceit and dishonesty in
others
Clear Quartz – Harmonises, Purifies, Focuses, acts as a receptor for
psychic ability. Aids visions.
Rose Quartz – Increases the friendliness of others. A general purpose
protection not as heavy duty as the Tiger's Eye
Ronnie Caine

Ronnie is happy to be involved in this kind of field work. It's more exciting than a lot of other things he
could be doing with his time. Ronnie has always felt that there is more to the world than what you could
apprehend with the five senses and a slide rule. He's fascinated with the problem of how things that are
inherently hard to be known could be known or understood.

He is a little dismayed to note that the course he worked so hard to enrol on seems to spend so much
energy debunking claims of psychic phenomena and not enough, in his opinion, understanding why
these phenomena exist at all.

Advantages

Learned
Quick Study
Excellent Research Skills
Some experience with monitoring equipment
Open Minded
Mild Psychic Sensitivity

Disadvantages

Quiet
Weak
Hates conflict

Possessions

Mobile Phone, Keys, Money, Wallet, Leatherman "Multi-Tool" Key Ring, Three occult study books.
Conrad White

Conrad has a bag packed with ghost simulation gear. He only came onto this course because he thought it
would be fun to laugh at the ghost busters and weirdos. He's actually been quite pleased that the course
seems to be erring on the side of disproving all this ghosts nonsense.

He sees this as an ideal opportunity to have a laugh, he has a roll of fishing twine, a couple of noise boxes
and some awesome rubber party masks in his bag. If his oddball compatriots want a night in the
spookhouse Conrad is more than happy to oblige.

The key character note here is that Conrad's come away for the night with 40 cigarettes, a lighter and a
can of deodorant. This is what he considers to be "overnight supplies".

Advantages

Athletic
Popular
Handsome
Strong
Smarter than he looks

Disadvantages

No psychic ability
Brash
Rude
Lazy
Selfish
Loves himself way too much

Possessions

Keys, Wallet, Money, Mobile Phone, Three Noise Boxes, Two Novelty rubber masks, roll of fishing
twine, two packets of cigarettes, Skull and Crossbones zippo lighter, can of deodorant.
Jana Denton

How inconsiderate is it of a dad to program this kind of snoozefest on the weekend his
daughter's coming to visit? He's promised pizza, and a telly with DVDs, and that
Conrad boy's quite cute actually. Still a cute university boy is no competition for a
night with a bottle of cheap wine from Claire's mum's wine cupboard (as they're both
fifteen) and a make-over session, is it?

Jana is determined to have as bad a time as it is possible to have on this jaunt. She could
care less about ghosts and stuff, she wants her pizza, a film starring Matthew
McConnaughey and she wants Conrad to pay her a compliment of some kind. Then she
wants to be left alone with her mobile and an open line to Claire.

Advantages

Psychically Bulletproof
Pretty

Disadvantages

Stupid
Selfish
Lazy
Petulant

Possessions

Mobile phone with no credit, house keys, a five pound note


Traveller's Rest –
Basement & Ground Floor
Traveller's Rest –
1st Floor & Attic
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2)The back yard is a short space of grass contents as a chocolate cake. This cake
leading to the entrance to the woods. may be removed, eaten, enjoyed and
Anyone exploring the woods will be the fridge may still produce another.
assailed by the succubi (see "Running When the fridge is not in "cake mode"
The Game") and then rescued by it just contains the usual things you'd
Viktor. Whether they get bitten by the expect to find in a fridge. Whether the
succubi is up to you as the Host. fridge is in cake mode or not is at the
whim of the Host.
Lower Floor
Upper Floor
1)The lounge is a huge room fitted out
with antique furniture, dusty knick 1)The Guest bedroom. This is a plain
knacks and home to a roaring fire. The and unremarkable twin guest bedroom.
team will set up their base station here. Where Professor Denton has set up
camp. The room still contains his
2) The hall leads to the kitchen, dining personal effects. The professor's effects
room and lounge, it also offers access to include a mobile phone which has
the upper floor under the stairs is about six minutes charge for talking left
basement access for which Mavis has in it.
the key. When night falls Viktor uses
magic to seal everyone inside the 2) The bathroom. This is an
house. When it is not night the front unremarkable bathroom. There are a
door leads out to the front garden. few first aid supplies in the cabinet
over the sink. The mirror has a trace of
3) The dining room contains a large psychic energy in it. A skilled psychic
dining table where Mavis and Albert can pick up the repeated phrase: "I
serve the guests their evening meal of came back, my love, but oh, but oh, the
soup followed by a spaghetti bolognese. darkness followed". Mildly psychic
people will think that the person they
The kitchen has one unusual feature. are looking at in the mirror doesn't
The fridge will occasionally reveal its look like them.

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3) Mavis' Bedroom. This room is lousy houses the remains of a human corpse
with bad energy, particularly flowing under a thin sheet. This is the earthly
from the back room. Mavis has the key remains of Albert, who is in fact a
to the back room. There is nothing of bizarre shadow-ghost whose spirit now
particular interest in the bedroom. Its haunts Traveller's Rest.
décor is a pink and talc-scented
domestic nightmare. It is possible, although incredibly
difficult, for someone with access to
4) The Back Room. It has some features occult texts to find out that this space is
that suggest it may have been a child's supposed to be for the purposes of
nursery furnished some time in the mid resurrection. If whoever has the texts
eighties. Only half the walls are also has Viktor's diary the two may be
papered with alphabet block and teddy cross-referenced to make the
bear wallpaper, there is no cot or any decipherment task easier.
other furniture in the room. There is a
ladder up to the attic space here. The Attic
Anyone with a psychic talent will be
unable to cross the room its energy is so A gigantic window looks out on the
rotten. The demon's portal is here. back yard. There are a few effects here
that indicate that the attic room has an
The Basement occupant: an easy chair angled to look
out over the woods, a desk and chair, a
1) Ante room - This is a utility room small cot bed. There is no indication
under the stairs. It has a variety of tools anyone eats here, this may be noticed
and utility stuff in it to the Host's only if someone asks the question. The
whim. The locked door leads to the desk contains Viktor's Diary. After sun
other cellar room. Albert has the key. set Viktor will have left his nest to
2) The basement room - This room is protect Mavis.
completely empty except for a ritual
space defined between the floor and
the ceiling. Oh yes, and a slab, which

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Running The Game Things that send Mavis backward are:


any hint of unpleasantness or carnage,
NPCs the presence of Viktor and people
making efforts to get her to focus. The
Mavis madness of Mavis shifts and wheels like
the weather, she cannot be forced into
Mavis is, in every way, the key to the lucidity and efforts to do so just push
events at Traveller's Rest. The problem her further into loops of
is she's madder than a basket of frogs inconsequential thought. These loops
on acid. Here's how to play her; details usually focus on the key word or
as to why you are playing her this way concept the lucid part of her is thinking
are available in "The Backstory". of trying to communicate next but the
concept is immediately free-associated
She is mostly comforted by adhering to into something to do with domesticity.
her own plan, which in the case of this
evening is: feed everyone and then The sane part of Mavis is a little scared
wander around listening to the sane by Viktor but the broken part of her
people discuss things until they sees the hulking Dhampir as her only
disappear or are slaughtered child.
mercilessly.
Mavis wants everyone to have a good
Unfortunately Mavis's ignorant bliss is meal, a pleasant taste of something nice
interrupted by frequent bouts of (chocolate cake?) a cup of tea and a
lucidity which last roughly 10-15 nice sit down. She hates dust but this is
seconds. Whatever sense her tortured okay because she likes dusting. She also
sanity wishes to utter must come out in thinks the house is knee deep in dust
these seconds, this sane part is always despite the fact that it is eerily dust-
watching, recording, calculating what free, the reason for this is that "evil" in
to put into the next 10-15 second Mavis sane corner translates as "dust" to
window. the rest of Mavis. And the house is
steeped in evil.

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Finally, before Mavis was mad she was never be able to say what.
a wicked good practitioner of the
occult and a top-notch herbalist. She Viktor
maintains her herb garden and abilities
to make remedies for just about Viktor is a huge, gnarly, brutal
everything from pure muscle memory. Dhampir. To protect the occupants of
She will not discuss occult practice the house from the Children of the
even though, or perhaps because, she Night in the woods he seals the house
knows it so well. with powerful magick.

Albert

Albert was Mavis's husband. Now he is


manifest as a butler who lives to enact
Mavis's fantasies of domestic servitude
and also as a tortured shadow of
himself visible to psychics in the
bathroom mirror.

The tangible butler part of Albert


serves food and if talked to will ask
how he may serve. He will slowly but
surely fulfil any domestic request made
of him.
The part of Albert in the mirror can
only talk about the darkness that
follows him and it would take an astute
psychic to even get the whole message.
People who just have a little ESP know
His powers of domination against non-
there's something wrong with their
psychics are absolute. If people manage
reflection in that mirror but would

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to get out he sees it as his job to return


The game essentially runs on a series of
them to the house as quickly as timed events. At the start of the game
possible. it's about thirty minutes from dusk.
Both Professor Denton and Mavis want
Aside from this he checks in from time to get the students inside before dusk
to time ensuring that Mavis is okay. He but for different reasons. Once they are
feels responsible for Mavis but only inside the prof instructs the students to
cursorily wishes to protect the other set up the base in the lounge whilst he
living occupants of Traveller's Rest takes his things upstairs. That is the last
time until the end of the adventure that
Prof Denton any of the players will see Prof Denton.

Refuses to believe anything Generally speaking players are quite


supernatural. Superior. Condescending. happy to wander about for a bit. It's
Will make a point of calling Jamie always a good idea to see if you can get
"Rupert" several times in the first ten someone to wander out the back, get
minutes of the game before someone else involved in the chocolate
disappearing. cake/fridge problem and everyone else
can talk to Mavis and Albert. If anyone
Greg Matthews should wander upstairs probably best
not to make a great deal out of Prof
Greg is a beefy posh rugby player that Denton's disappearance, the players
Viktor brings in to the house bleeding will make enough out of it themselves.
from a neck wound. His arrival heralds
the midway point of the adventure. He After a bit dinner is served. Once
refuses treatment from Mavis and that's dinner is over really weird stuff should
when he becomes possessed by a start happening. Start playing with
demon (see Events). reality, giving people (psychic and non)
visions. Hopefully they will have
Events discovered that all is not too well and
will have begun their own schemes.

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Eventually it might be time to tempt help them. The demon is charming, can
Conrad out the back to see how he dominate all the players and will
copes with succubi, then, if things eventually twist everyone's minds to
appear to be dragging, introduce Greg. feed its own soul. The demon is
basically bad news.
Greg gives everyone a few moments to
fuss over his neck wound, refuses a The Backstory
truly rancid combination of poultice
and tea from Mavis (which would have Okay, so by now you're probably
effectively cleansed the succubic wondering what's going on in this
infection from his system) and sinks madhouse. Here is the full story in neat
rapidly through delirium into a state chronological order:
where he suddenly awakes, refreshed,
and possessed by the house demon. Mavis and Albert move into Traveller's
Rest. They plan to run a guest house
At this stage he will herd players facility to supplement Albert's income
through the house to his portal and and have a child together.
away from the basement. The demon
cannot actually harm the players but he 2) In short order three succubi, pursued
can make them think they will be by the Dhampir Viktor arrive at
harmed. If the players get sucked Traveller's Rest and kill Albert before
through the portal they will end up in Viktor arrives. Viktor saves Mavis but
the demon's insanity dimension. Here Albert dies. The Succubi escape into
the demon will offer the hapless the woods. Viktor vows to kill the
travellers a bargain, kill Mavis and go succubi before he moves on, he hides in
free. the Traveller's Rest attic. Mavis is
afraid of him and does not know he is
The demon really has no intention of there.
setting the players free and unless they
weaken the demon using the 3) As time goes by several guests at
prescribed route Viktor is powerless to Traveller's Rest are consumed by the

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succubi, the guest house gains a As an amusement the demon creates a


reputation as a place of dark deeds and memory doppelganger of Albert that is
murder. Mavis continues to live off the programmed with some of Mavis
proceeds of Albert's life insurance. She memories of his nature but behaves
pays to have Albert's corpse retrieved totally in accord with Mavis own
from the cemetery and brought to her. lunacy. The servile but stoic Albert
helps reassure and communicate with
4) Mavis becomes obsessed with the guests, thus baiting the trap for the
occult and seeks to resurrect Albert. demon.
She eventually performs a ceremony in
the basement that should have brought The demon also bolsters the succubi,
Albert back. making it harder for Viktor to defeat
them. Viktor's magic is strong enough
Unfortunately Mavis's frail sanity and to seal the doors after sundown but the
the negative energy of the succubus demon occasionally defeats the magick
murders allows a demon out into the on the property allowing people out via
house it is trapped between the the back door into the woods.
sanctified cellar space and the equally
sanctified Dhampir's nest in the attic. At this point Viktor does his best to
Bound to the house it relies on eating rescue these people but sometimes they
the souls of guests as Mavis protects her fall victim to the succubi. Mavis can
own soul and Viktor is not consumable. prevent demonic infection spreading in
the early stages but if they don't take
With the demon comes about one her poultice and detox tea they can fall
millionth of Albert which gets trapped prey to the demon.
behind the bathroom mirror
(uncovered reflective surfaces suck in The situation continues. Students from
unprotected souls, Mavis had thought Pimston visit, they are claimed by the
to cover all other mirrors in the house demon, Prof Denton brings the party to
but forgot this one). the house.

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Supernatural Elements intangibles. A demon must be manifest


for him to kill it. Mavis gives him
Succubi herbal tea to keep him sane.

Although the modus operandi of the Demon


succubi is vampiric they are in fact
minor demons. Think full on brides of An intangible malignant presence. It is
Dracula. They bite the neck injecting kept within a columnar space
venom which weakens the mind for stretching up through the fridge to the
occupation by a demon. If they back room upstairs. Its influence can be
continue to feed the human dies. felt in small ways throughout
Traveller's Rest.
When players are in the wood they
will run past, naked and screaming to It feeds on confusion, pain and fear
lure the player and when isolated will which it generates by playing mind
stand, still naked, looking bashful and games with its victims. While
vulnerable until approached at which intangible it can pull people through
point they whip out massive sharp into a dimension it has created for
teeth and attack. Viktor can repel them feeding. Inside this dimension people
but the demon has given them are unaware that they are not in reality
intangible forms so they can easily until looping commences. The only
escape when attacked. way out for them would be for
someone to kill the demon.
Dhampir
Crystals
Viktor is the child of a human mother
and a vampiric father. He needs blood Cat has a small bag of crystals in her
(or a particularly foul herbal tea) to possession. Each crystal has a specific
survive but he has no vulnerability to use known to Cat. For reference the
sunlight. He can defeat any demon crystals included are:
given flesh but has no power against

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Amethyst – General Cleansing and endlessly loop through a day in a house


Protection, very lucky where Mavis and Albert look after a
creepy baby Viktor, at night slaughter
Carnelian – Clears thoughts, helps in in the shape of the Succubi descends.
focusing. Aids with the hearing sense. As the players die they re-experience
pulling up in the minibus to start the
Tiger's Eye – Heavy Protection, stops day again. There is no escape for the
all deceit and dishonesty in other. players.

Clear Quartz – Harmonises, Purifies, 3) The good ending - The players


Focuses, acts as a receptor for psychic sensibly dispose of Albert's remains,
ability. Aids visions. most importantly they must ritually
burn the bones in a ceremonial and
Rose Quartz – Increases the respectful fashion. If they salt the bones
friendliness of others. A general first to purify them that will help
purpose protection not as heavy duty as meaning even a half hearted burning
the Tiger's Eye ceremony would work. If they don't
salt the bones they have to be properly
Endings respectful in the burning or they will
have burned their only solution to no
Possible outcomes are: effect.

1) The really bad ending - Players are Proper disposal releases the Albert in
suckered into the demon deal. The the mirror and also the doppelganger.
demon traps everyone including Mavis This also cuts the demon off from its
in a dimension of lunacy defeats Viktor portal power source, it will manifest as
and destroys the world. a big scary monster. Viktor then kills it,
and goes off to mop up the succubi.
2) The slightly bad ending - Players Mavis becomes lucid accepting her
refuse the demon deal but are trapped husband has gone and everyone lives in
in a lunacy dimension where they a metaphorical land of sunshine and

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unicorns. house story people want an experience


not an explanation.
If the demon is inside Greg when the
party release Albert (in which case they I swear when I played this game with
will be locked in the cellar room with my partner Hosting (she's the author
Greg furiously attacking the stout metal of the game) we ended up in the time
door and one of them will at least be loop at the end and we never found out
seriously injured) then Greg will thing one about the story. We didn't
literally explode as the intangible care. The situation was fascinating and
demon becomes tangible. Greg's a lost had plenty of crazy role play hooks,
cause, unfortunately. that's the point. Just let your players
have fun don't push them to achieve.
When the demon becomes tangible all
the people it ever trapped are released At the end of the day Traveller's Rest is
from its dimension. They appear in the a spookhouse story. You want to see
back room upstairs. There are about how this depressing world view plays
sixty of them and they come wandering out in a story watch Rob Zombie's
into the house out of a grey mist in the "House of 1000 Corpses", the
wall that adjoins Mavis's Bedroom. If protagonists in that story don't find out
the door is locked the first people out anything about the nightmare they're
will have to relocate to the attic. thrust into until way too late, doesn't
make it less entertaining.
One More Thing...
Let the characters play the roles for
There's a bunch of explanation and three to five hours. If they "win" fine.
story rules in Mavis and as Host you But the real way you win this game is
want to understand the set up quite to have a blast doing it. This is the key
thoroughly. The most important thing to No Dice Hosting and this adventure
to remember is not to worry about scenario is the perfect example of this
people "getting" the story. In a haunted principle.

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Revelation Point

Revelation Point is a scenario that takes count, a body count is provided by


one step forward from Traveller's Rest, people behaving in idiotic ways.
the archetypal No Dice haunted house
game. Revelation Point is a game based The players are a group of people,
upon the "slasher" genre of horror mostly college students, who have
movie and the additional rules are come to the deserted town of
there to help the players picture Revelation Point on a cold, dark
themselves in the parts of the winter's night. At first it appears that
protagonists of a slasher movie. their presence is accidental, as the
midnight hour approaches it begins to
The adventure should take no more look more like they were herded here.
than 5 hours to run with half an hour It will take every ounce of survival
set up. The maximum number of instinct they possess to escape alive.
players running with the additional
rules in this scenario is 5, if you lose Don't worry about sticking to these
the "one player/two characters" rule notes canonically. They're like nudges
you can go up to ten (but I wouldn't in the right direction. The essential
recommend ten). Besides the idea of balancing act will be between grue and
the rule is that you can make the tension. I found to alternate between a
NPCed character act like a classic bloodbath action scene and a tense
slasher movie moron in every scene sneaking/planning scene worked quite
that the player isn't in control. This is a well. Make sure your players
slasher movie, it must have a body understand one of their characters is

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likely to die. draws a two of hearts which means the


chainsaw grazes the chest of the
Additional Rules wendigo causing it to leap back mostly
unharmed, thankfully, however, it does
The game uses the Vanilla No Dice take the head off another wendigo
Rules with the following additions. Dave hadn't even noticed.

One player/Two characters Kevin makes a leap between two


buildings which are quite far apart over
Each player can only play one of two a horde of ravening wendigos. He
characters per scene, the other draws a nine of spades and sails
character will be NPCed for that scene. comfortably over the heads of the
The idea is to keep as many of your hungry cannibalistic mutants. However
characters alive and in some sort of he overshoots the edge of the roof
shape as possible. slightly and ends up twisting his ankle
on the roof at the other side which will
As Host it is up to you to give the
slow him down until the pain subsides.
players an opportunity to swap
characters every half hour to forty-five The "Pain" Chart
minutes. Changing character is not
mandatory. Rather than allocate individual hit
points every major character in
Hearts are Blessed/Spades are Cursed Revelation Point has a Pain Chart
detailing five hits to each individual
As it says, when a draw is made any
part of the body.
heart draw has a positive spin even if it
fails. Any spade draw has a negative For each of the first three points of
spin, even when it succeeds. damage to any one area the character
also gets a point of adrenaline, up to a
Examples: Dave takes a swing at a
maximum of 20, that makes them faster
wendigo with his chainsaw and draws
and stronger when controlled by the
to see how much damage it does. He

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player at a rate of a +1 advantage for the game (as in within the roleplay, say
every five adrenaline slots filled. BUT it they hole up in a building and spend
also makes them more stupid and less some time patching themselves up, use
aware of further damage when your Hostly discretion) they will "heal"
controlled by the Host which manifests moving a wound across into a recovery
as a -1 to checks for every five slots space and emptying the wound space.
filled.
If they lose all five head wound spaces
In terms of damage to individual parts within half an hour then they will have
of the body the fourth and fifth points to wait one full hour before the
of damage are where the character recovery kicks in. If they have used
really starts to flag. two recovery spaces when they receive
the fifth head wound they will miss
A character with four points of damage being in a coma but will be out for
on an area loses use of that area and several hours. most likely till after the
will need medical attention to make a events of the game have concluded.
full recovery. A character with five The chances of them waking up dead
points of damage on an area is are high.
effectively maimed in that area and
will never fully recover. Using Advantages and Disadvantages

The most important area to guard is the If possible the Host should keep a crib
head. Four hits to the head renders a sheet of each character's advantages
character unconscious, five will put and disadvantages. When a character
them in a coma. The head, however, makes a test look to see if they have an
can recover a little over time, giving it advantage or disadvantage in the area
an extra three points of damage, where they're making a test. If they
represented by the recovery spaces next have an advantage make it easier,
to the head on the character sheet. If a Otherwise make it harder.
character receives a head wound then
after about half an hour has passed in Example: Penny needs to make a test of

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Pete's ability to tell a lie, the Host looks beat up old RV back to NYC and had
at Pete's advantages and disadvantages already got a couple to chip in for gas
and sees he is charming, so he lowers on a trip back to NYC: Chad and Didi.
the expected difficulty by one.
The bonus for Greg was that Chad
Playable Characters (5-10) promised to pay double if there was a
ride home for his little brother, Flea,
Make sure you stick to these character who'd been visiting as well. The RV
pairings as these combinations have was so big that he still had a place left
been designed to not have incompatible
back story information. even after Scout had persuaded her
boyfriend Pete to join them all. So
Chad Morgan - Didi's boyfriend / Greg Jamie hopped in the bus and away they
McAuliffe - Scout's older brother. all went.
Pete Baker - Scout's boyfriend / Didi
Lamont - Chad's girlfriend Greg was very proud that he
Scout McAuliffe - Pete's girlfriends / maintained the RV himself and knew
Flea Morgan - Chad's younger brother every nut and bolt. So when it broke
Officer Kinney - A police officer / in the middle of nowhere that came as
Jamie Peltzer - Scout's friend a complete surprise. Never mind, hey.
Veronica Kaye - A nurse / Pip There must be a garage around here
Gunnarson - A lost teenage girl somewhere, right?

Player Set Up Map Overview

It all started because Jamie asked Scout


if she knew anyone who could drop her This portion of the scenario relates to
home to Hartford from their place at this map of Revelation Point. There are
Harvard University for Thanksgiving. two versions a version with numbers
As it happened Greg was taking his

♣ 145 ♥
Greg Mcauliffe

Greg doesn't really know anyone on the bus except for his sister and Chad. When it comes to Chad he only knows
that the guy's an MIT man like himself, they've never really spoken.

Greg's very proud of his bus and is particularly glad to have an opportunity to make it work. He's always been
interested in motor vehicles and motors in general. He's always tinkering with a number of personal projects.

He's glad that Scout followed him up to Cambridge to attend Harvard because it means it's easier for him to look out
for her. He was more anxious while he was doing his first couple of years at MIT and Scout was still working her
way through high school.

He is a little suspicious of Pete and is not sure that the guy is right for his sister.

He's secretly quite glad that Scout got Jamie onto the bus because he thinks she's cute.

Advantages

Good Mechanic
Scientific (Engineering)
Quick Study
Pretty Athletic
Not Easily Horrified

Disadvantages

Shy
Geeky

Wound Chart

Head [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]    Recoveries [][][]


Nose         [][][][][]
Mouth      [][][][][]
Chest       [][][][][]
Stomach   [][][][][]
Groin         [][][][][]
                 Left                        Right
Ears         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Eyes         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Shoulder     [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Arm          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Hand         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Thigh         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Leg           [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Foot          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]

Adrenaline: [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]


Scout McAuliffe

Scout's always been grateful that she had an older brother blazing a trail for her in the outside world. It's
not that she's exactly meek or scared but Greg's always been there for her and she's kind of got used to it.
When she first moved to Cambridge she didn't know if the connection the pair of them had growing up
would still be there but just recently Greg's been taking part in a lot more joint activities with her and
her friends.

She's concerned, actually that Greg doesn't seem to have many friends of his own. She hopes that he will
find a chance on this trip to bond a little with Chad. Scout's noticed recently that Pete's been a little off
and she's not sure why. Just last night they ended up in a massive argument about the fact that she'd
invited Jamie to take the last place in the bus. Pete seems to have some kind of a problem with Jamie but
she's not sure what.

Advantages

Excellent Student
Friendly
Good Saleswoman
Athletic

Disadvantages

Poor judge of character


Sheltered

Wound Chart

Head [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]    Recoveries [][][]


Nose         [][][][][]
Mouth      [][][][][]
Chest       [][][][][]
Stomach   [][][][][]
Groin         [][][][][]
                 Left                        Right
Ears         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Eyes         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Shoulder     [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Arm          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Hand         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Thigh         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Leg           [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Foot          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]

Adrenaline: [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]


Jamie Peltzer

If Jamie had known when she asked Scout that the lift she would be offered would be one in a bus with Scout's older
brother and Pete Baker she probably wouldn't have bothered. Not that she cares that much about Greg, he seems
kind of nice, nerdy like her. But Pete's a real problem.

A couple of months ago when Scout was in bed with a cold Jamie ran into Pete out and about trying it on with
anything in a skirt. She decided to keep out of it but then he saw her. He had threatened her and then tried it on
with her as well. He'd always seemed a nice guy before but the problem seems to be when he's hanging around with
his swim team cronies and drinking too much cheap beer he turns into a chauvinist caricature.

Jamie still hates herself for not telling Scout all about the incident at the time but as it recedes into the past it
somehow seems less important. She still hates Pete though, but she tries to keep it civil for Scout's sake. When she
arrived first thing before they set out on this trip she noticed Flea poking about the bus looking shifty.

Advantages

Quick on the uptake


Good endurance
Excellent judge of character
Imaginitive
Strong Willed

Disadvantages

Geeky
Awkward
Not the most athletic
Short sighted

Wound Chart
Head [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]    Recoveries [][][]
Nose         [][][][][]
Mouth      [][][][][]
Chest       [][][][][]
Stomach   [][][][][]
Groin         [][][][][]
                 Left                        Right
Ears         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Eyes         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Shoulder     [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Arm          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Hand         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Thigh         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Leg           [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Foot          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]

Adrenaline: [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]


Pete Baker

Pete was actually looking forward to this road trip until Scout dropped the bomb that bitch Jamie was going to be on
board with them. Jamie's had it in for Pete since forever and is determined to spoil things between Scout and Pete.
Just because Pete likes to party, apparently.

Okay so sometimes he gets a little familiar with the ladies but it's all in fun, Scout is a grown woman and she knows
that a man like Pete can't be restricted. At the first opportunity Pete would get Scout to scrape off Jamie exactly the
same way Jamie's trying to get rid of him. Of course, there's also the factor that Jamie could very well be hot for Pete
and he wouldn't blame her. Pete's got no illusions, he's a catch.

That's why it burns him up when eggheads like Greg and Chad look down their nose at him. Not that he'd be the
first to pick a fight with his girlfriend's brother of course, but that kid, Chad's brother, he looks like a loser, if he gets
the opportunity maybe he'll rag on the kid a bit. Pete's longing for a situation where he can take charge and prove
his awesomeness to all the gathered masses.

Advantages

Confident
Highly athletic (Boxer)
Charming
Popular

Disadvantages

Brash
Arrogant
Impetuous
Short tempered

Wound Chart

Head [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]    Recoveries [][][]


Nose         [][][][][]
Mouth      [][][][][]
Chest       [][][][][]
Stomach   [][][][][]
Groin         [][][][][]
                 Left                        Right
Ears         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Eyes         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Shoulder     [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Arm          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Hand         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Thigh         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Leg           [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Foot          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]

Adrenaline: [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]


Chad Morgan

Chad couldn't be more grateful to have a place for Didi and himself on Greg's NYC bus if he tried. He's so
broke that it was getting embarrassing and he hasn't quite got round to sharing his misfortune with Didi
yet. Thing is his Poker system really sould have worked out a lot better than it did and it's ended up with
Chad almost penniless.

This is probably not the news that Didi wants to hear, especially as they're supposed to be saving for their
wedding. Instead of which he's stumping up gas money, mooching off his weedhead little brother and
trying to put on like he's got the money. Who knows how he's going to sort this all out.

Advantages

Maths Brain
Pretty Athletic
Resourceful
Good Talker
Radiates Trustworthiness

Disadvantages

Impulsive
Lacks Risk Assessment Skills
Secretive
Highly Strung

Wound Chart
Head [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]    Recoveries [][][]
Nose         [][][][][]
Mouth      [][][][][]
Chest       [][][][][]
Stomach   [][][][][]
Groin         [][][][][]
                 Left                        Right
Ears         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Eyes         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Shoulder     [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Arm          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Hand         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Thigh         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Leg           [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Foot          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]

Adrenaline: [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]


Didi Lamont

Didi really admires Chad for his prudence. She knows he's been working hard at his maths course and
saving so diligently so that they can get married and for this she absolutely hero worships him. In any
troublesome situation she turns to Chad, her hero. She doesn't share the feelings for Flea, which is
probably a good thing. But actually she doesn't even see how that scrawny criminal could even be related
to her precious man.

He's kind of creepy actually, she saw him hanging around the back of Greg's van before they all came
out. Probably looking to deal weed in the shade of the back of the bus. She likes Scout, thinks Jamie's a
geek and Pete's a jock asshole... oh, did I mention Didi's rather judgemental.

Advantages

Extremely Friendly
Well Liked
Good Student
Resourceful
Fighter

Disadvantages

Easily freaked out


Judgemental
Quite weak

Wound Chart

Head [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]    Recoveries [][][]


Nose         [][][][][]
Mouth      [][][][][]
Chest       [][][][][]
Stomach   [][][][][]
Groin         [][][][][]
                 Left                        Right
Ears         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Eyes         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Shoulder     [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Arm          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Hand         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Thigh         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Leg           [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Foot          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]

Adrenaline: [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]


Flea Morgan

Dude, Massachusetts is such a shit hole. That's Flea's abiding opinion after a fortnight staying on his brother's
couch. The big nerd seems to have become three or four times more uptight just by being here. The place is,
however, filled with rich kids away from home who want to get high in a Cypress Hill stylee and that suits Flea
real good. He's made a tidy bundle in the last fortnight Chad seems to have zeroed in on that too.

Making Flea spend loads of money like it's some kind of punishment. Still he really likes that Jamie girl, she's got
full on geek hip and it's a look he digs. She's already proven herself to him by turning down a doobie. Flea
doesn't smoke that shit, it's for selling and she seems sensible too.

Unlike this Greg chump who's driving the bus. Flea can tell by the smell of the underside of the van and the
slight tick in the motor that this thing's going to clap out soon, maybe even before they get back to NY. Still
anything that lets him avoid seeing the old man is a good thing. And he'd love a chance to show his true colours
to Jamie.

Advantages

Super cunning
Gift of the gab
Savant with motors
Athletic and clean living

Disadvantages

Unprepossessing
Uncharismatic
Scrawny
Shy

Wound Chart

Head [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]    Recoveries [][][]


Nose         [][][][][]
Mouth      [][][][][]
Chest       [][][][][]
Stomach   [][][][][]
Groin         [][][][][]
                 Left                        Right
Ears         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Eyes         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Shoulder     [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Arm          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Hand         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Thigh         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Leg           [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Foot          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]

Adrenaline: [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]


Officer Kinney

This Tom Kinney can do without.

Revelation Point is a creepy place, although he prefers it to Lincoln Falls which may as well be called
Stepford. He's followed Pip Gunnarson's trail this far and he's not stopping now. There's all sorts of
stories about people disappearing up here and those are just the clean stories about the woodsmen of
Revelation Point.

Stories are just stories but still country folk are touchy and not used to outsiders. Tom Kinney's going to
have to be extra specially nice to anyone he sees up here.

Advantages

Commands Respect
Decent Marksman
Unflappable
Strong

Disadvantages

Likes things normal


Authoritarian

Wound Chart

Head [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]    Recoveries [][][]


Nose         [][][][][]
Mouth      [][][][][]
Chest       [][][][][]
Stomach   [][][][][]
Groin         [][][][][]
                 Left                        Right
Ears         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Eyes         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Shoulder     [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Arm          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Hand         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Thigh         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Leg           [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Foot          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]

Adrenaline: [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]


Veronica Kaye

Sister Ronnie curses the fact that she's always been a soft touch. She never suspected a nice old lady like
that would have tricked her but here she is, caught in a cell who knows where, hurting, scared,
exhausted and she's sure that somewhere in the darkness outside her box she can hear two sounds; the
breathing of someone watching and the crying of someone as deep in despair as she is.

Advantages

Strong
Cunning
Medically Trained
Fast Runner
Not Squeamish

Disadvantages

Prone to depression
Cold manner
Somewhat gullible

Wound Chart

Head [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]    Recoveries [][][]


Nose         [][][][][]
Mouth      [][][][][]
Chest       [][][][][]
Stomach   [][][][][]
Groin         [][][][][]
                 Left                        Right
Ears         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Eyes         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Shoulder     [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Arm          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Hand         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Thigh         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Leg           [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Foot          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]

Adrenaline: [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]


Pip Gunnarson

She wasn't going back to that bitch stepmother of hers. That had been Pip's only thought as she ran and
ran.

There'd been a cop on her tail and she'd been prepared to do just about anything to lose him, even get
this lost herself. Out in the woods she'd been sure someone was following her and she'd known she was
right when she seemed to blink and then from hiking along the road she was in a small dirty metal box.
Pip had been caught by someone or something and the stories she'd always heard about Revelation Point
were true.

Advantages

Survivor
Able to size up situations quickly
Excellent judge of character
Easily inspires sympathy

Disadvantages

Pathologically Suspicious
Poor liar
Run down

Wound Chart

Head [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]    Recoveries [][][]


Nose         [][][][][]
Mouth      [][][][][]
Chest       [][][][][]
Stomach   [][][][][]
Groin         [][][][][]
                 Left                        Right
Ears         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Eyes         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Shoulder     [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Arm          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Hand         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Thigh         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Leg           [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Foot          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]

Adrenaline: [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]/[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]


Wendigo Scoretrack

[][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][]

[][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][]

[][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][]

[][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][]

[][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][]

[][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][]

[][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][]

[][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][]

[][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][]

[][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][]

Papa Hardesty

Wound Chart

Head [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]    Recoveries [][][]


Nose         [][][][][]
Mouth      [][][][][]
Chest       [][][][][]
Stomach   [][][][][]
Groin         [][][][][]
                 Left                        Right
Ears         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Eyes         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Shoulder     [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Arm          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Hand         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Thigh         [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Leg           [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
Foot          [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]         [][][][][]
1 2
3
6
Host 4
Reference
5
7
8
♦ No Dice - Core Rulebook ♠

relating to the following overview for they're there and 9 to see something
Hosts only and an unnumbered version tangible.
for photocopying and issuing to the
players should they find one of the The elementary school is open but
copies placed at various locations derelict. Towards the rear of the single
throughout the town. Part of the storey building is a canteen and an
atmosphere of the game is the feeling industrial kitchen with a lockable door.
of being lost. So the map should not The players can buy some time here
just be doled out. It's dark and none of but after about forty minutes the
the players have ever been here before. wendigos will set fire to the building to
Unless they find a map no point of smoke them out. The kitchen has a
reference should be given. drainage cover leading to a small drain
that anyone scoring less than four on a
Notes draw will be too claustrophobic to
enter.
1) The RV breaks down outside Neal
Elementary at sundown. The characters There is a fire axe on the kitchen wall.
in the RV have 5-10 minutes to decide When the team open the kitchen door
on a plan before Pip (or some other three wendigos will attack with sickles.
random scruffy NPC if all parts are If an NPC opens the kitchen door they
taken) comes running up the road will receive a significant wound in the
dirty, beaten and scratched. She will first strike. Once the fire axe is used the
try to tell the RV gang to get the hell wendigos will scatter, running out of
out, which they can't do, obviously the front.
before legging it on the road out of
town. There are more wendigos in the front
yard. In fact by the time the party
After she has gone the first wendigo manage to escape the wendigos should
children gather in the shadows. Players be making their presence felt
will have to make a draw of 6 to know everywhere. See "Running The Game"

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for further details. there is a thin stud wall separating the


two. It's much easier to break into the
2) Hansen Hardware is accessible to bridal shop than the Hardware store
hardy housebreakers. Behind the street direct.
is a drainage ditch about 20 feet deep
that leads to an entrance to Revelation Inside are all manner of goodies, be
Point's sewer system. This is full of generous; garden tools of all sorts, leaf
wendigos so players would be best to burners, insecticide bombs. Only be
avoid. Any captured team members restrictive in how much you let the
will be dragged into the sewage system players carry. The leaf burners have
and eventually brought to the psyche three or four good burns in them, no
ward cells in the Danziger Memorial player can carry more than four gas
Hospital (see 3). grenades. A chainsaw is forever, of
course.

There is no weaponry for sale here but


there is a sawn off and twelve
cartridges behind the counter.

3) The Hospital is where the wendigos


leave victims they wish to keep alive
for breeding purposes. That makes this
the start point for Pip and Veronica in
the game. It might be cool to start the
game with Pip waking up in her cell
and discovering that Ronnie is in an
adjacent cell. Then rapidly cutting back
to Neal Elementary.
Hansen Hardware shares its roof space
with the shop next door, a bridal shop, The wendigos don't really like interiors

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♦ No Dice - Core Rulebook ♠

so there will only be two or three trapped in the rat runs around the
around at any time inside. The psyche residential areas in town.
ward is towards the rear on the top
floor. There's a door with rooftop 6) The Sheriff's Office gives access to
access next to the isolation ward. All the map (complete with hand written
the nurse's stations and the pharmacy guides), there's also two pump actions,
have painkillers and bandages available. 24 cartridges a police issue automatic
and 50 rounds for it. Police files relate
If the party do venture onto the roof the arrest of Papa Hardesty in 1973,
then about twenty wendigos will be after that all records mysteriously
straight on them. There's a water tank cease.
and a generator full of fuel up there.
7) The Town Hall has little of value
4) Hardesty Park is a major wendigo except some history of how the town
hangout. They love the nature, the was founded by the Hardesty Mining
trees, the dark, the smell of scared dynasty, a dog-eared local history
teenagers. This place is a really bad paperback describes how the
place to go. Lots of running should Owackwee Indians who lived in the
follow some initial cat and mouse. mountains believed the woods to be
home to wendigos, bestial superhumans
If you want to be really horrible lead who feed on the flesh of regular people.
the players to a shallow grave where
the bodies of the wendigos mothers are 8) The Garage contains a slightly
left, half chewed to rot away. Giving broken but serviceable truck that one
birth to a wendigo child sours the meat of the mechanically able lads could
and kills the mother in labour. probably fix in short order. The main
doors won't work so busting loose is
5) The town square is big and open. the only option.
Late at night it's a bad place to go
although slightly better than being General Notes: Willie Shempman is the

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wendigo's handy man, a despicable Obviously the cop, Pip and Sister
human being old Pa Hardesty keeps Ronnie don't start with the main party.
him around to put off cop style visitors. If someone decides to play Officer
Attempts to go anywhere except Kinney up front have him run into
Liberty Falls get fatal extremely Shempman, to dial up the tension with
quickly. If anyone does manage to run a creepy but non combative encounter.
hell for leather to Liberty Falls hospital For Pip and Ronnie escape should be a
staff will quietly drug them and then priority and it would be good to give
arrange to have them dumped back in one of them a means of picking the
Revelation Point; play up the creepy in lock on their cell or whatever. Maybe
such an encounter. all party members will meet up down
the road, maybe they won't each
Running the Game storyline should be personal and keep
tension to a maximum.
Timings
At the point the main party escape
The set up for the game should be from the school it's usually good to
played as described in the Map Notes 1 stage an abduction attempt on a female
at the school. From there on in it's character. See how that works out.
really up to the players, as it should be. Remember the Wendigos a) don't like
Rather than stepping from shadowy the interior of buildings and b) like to
presences straight up to a full siege, mess with the minds of their prey. So
ramp up the possible numbers of when the team get indoors give them
Wendigos as the game progresses. At some time to plan. Good rooftop access
first make it seem like there might only is to be had for a cost at the Hospital
be six or seven. By the time they've and the Town Hall. The wendigos don't
escaped the school and are looking for a like interiors but heights don't bother
new haven imply it's more like twenty them.
or thirty.
Hopefully as the game reaches its third

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or fourth hour the players should have be mown down with impunity. All
tooled up some (been injured some) Wendigos hate light and cramped
and be thinking about a last stand to spaces. They're all able to climb but
get to the garage. (How they find out they're individually fairly weak. I
about the garage is up to you but pictured them as being humanoid with
having the police officer find the map blue-black hair covering their body
either with or without a player (although they wear clothing and often
controlling him is a good option.) base ball caps). They have eyes a solid
Remember this is a slasher movie, so brown-black and wet looking, like
make descriptions of encounters blood clots, and sharp white teeth.
graphic and bloody. They mostly carry sickles which they
like to attack people's limbs with.
If the players could knock off Papa
Hardesty that would be super. Note Papa Hardesty eschews weaponry in
Papa Hardesty's injuries on his injury favour of ripping people apart with his
chart. He's eight foot tall, hairy, mean hands. He's also tougher than the
and tough. Assess the party's efforts to others. He lumbers forward and will
do him damage accordingly. soak up gunfire. Flames upset him.
Chainsaws... well, now you're talking. I
Wendigos made him big so make him fall hard, in
both senses, hard to topple but once he
The only Wendigo to really worry goes he should basically fall apart.
about is Papa Hardesty, the others can

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Treasure of the Caesars


Treasure of the Caesars is the he hoarded vast wealth. In other
crunchiest example scenario in the circumstances he may have snubbed
example book and a foreshadow of the Rome by refusing to help them when
first full No Dice system Marauders! I crops failed but he had other means of
wanted to include one scenario for accomplishing this goal with access to
people who already enjoy role playing the wisdom of the Far East.
and want to see how far No Dice can go
into the world of more traditional role Cleopatra was not keen on being
playing. referred to as a sorceress but as Mark
Antony scaled to godhood in the eyes
The basic set up of the adventure is that of the distant Roman people so his
two rival territories Lemuria and Cibola hubris grew. In his mind Egypt became
exist in a mythical location in the as paradise to him and Rome the world
Pacific and the players are all on board of mortal man. Mark Antony dabbled
a Lemurian vessel that subsequently in matters that stretched his spirit to
becomes embroiled in a Cibolan affair. breaking point and all the while he
The setting uses a martial arts system to amassed stock piles of treasure.
provide combat fun.
In the end, however, Octavian Caesar
Set Up was not to be upstaged by a brutal,
cunning warrior king. Octavian was a
So the story goes when Mark Antony strategist and he kept working away at
joined Cleopatra in expanding the the enemies of Egypt until he had
Egyptian empire onto the Spice Coast formed a mighty alliance between the

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♦ No Dice - Core Rulebook ♠

Jews, the Romans and the Teutons. Cleopatra was lost among the
When the fall of Egypt came it was thousands of islands of Lemuria. The
swift, brutal and bloody. legend of the Caesar's Treasure passed
among seafaring folk. One such man, a
In those days much of Lemuria was still Captain Abner Frobishire, formerly of
unexplored. Mark Antony, in a move the East Africa & Indias Trading
typical of his hubris, packed a fleet of Company, acquired a map that showed
ships and took to the seas from East the way to Cleopatra. He left the
Africa. Eventually he settled on a large employ of the Company, stealing a
island and build his miniature empire, ship, and set about assembling a party
Antonius Rex sat upon the throne of to move the treasure onto the ships.
his island state, which he named Further curses would be analysed
Cleopatra after his lost love. There he thereafter. Frobishire is certainly
lived out the rest of his days in insane but he is ever cautious.
moribund decadence, eventually
retreating into a massive underground So it is that twelve strangers are bound
tomb to die. and caged within the bowels of
Frobishire's vessel, the Wayfarer. They
It is said that upon the expiration of his will be forced to fight for their survival
life Mark Antony pronounced a curse and then the victors will be forced on
upon his treasures, that any man to Cleopatra to lift the treasure. The
involved in removing it from Cleopatra effect of the curse will be well noted
would be cursed to sicken and die and Frobishire has decided that any
within five years. The worst curse was further thought to the effect of the
reserved for those who actually curse will be reserved until then.
handled the treasure on the way off the
island. It was said they would never
feel the sea upon their skin again
before they died.

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Additional Rules principles as the suits: kick strength,


punch strength, grappling and reflexes.
Fighting Suits Instead of allowing the suit on the card
to dictate the move being made as in
The suits all have an indication of the unmodified "Fighting Suits" rule
generic fighting moves during combat. the player can elect before drawing to
The higher score wins in every move. use their style and tell you what move
Suit associations: they are going to make. The suit then
acts upon that move either enhancing
Clubs - Feet it or degrading it.
Spades - Hands
Hearts - Throw Thus every style has three scores
Diamonds - Reflex associated with it, these are called
degraded, unmodified and enhanced.
The only one that might require some As each suit has an association with a
explanation is the reflex move. This particular move so that suit can
indicates that the player read the enhance or degrade a specifically
opponent's move as it was being made chosen move. For example the
and instantly modified their own attack Drunken Boxing Style has the
to block and hit back. following scores:

Only named NPCs have fight styles like Degraded Unmodified Enhanced
the players do, goons are unmodified,
Kick(♣) -2 1 2
hence a court card for a goon fight has
a flat value of 10. Punch(♠) -1 1 2
Throw(♥) -3 2 3
Fighting Styles
Reflex(♦) -4 3 5
Players and named NPCs have fighting
styles that operate on the same four
The cycle for suit downgrades/

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♦ No Dice - Core Rulebook ♠

upgrades is the same regardless of style. beat him by a clear 3.


Obviously the suit upgrades its own
move and the downgrade cycle is one In the following round Simon decides
out of step; so kicks downgrade to play conservative with a punch and
punches, which downgrade throws, happily draws a 7 of Spades enhanced
which downgrade reflex moves, which by choosing the punch move from his
downgrade kicks, like this: drunken boxing style he scores nine.
The goon pulls a pathetic two of
diamonds and attempts to react to the
Downgraded Upgraded punch too slowly. Flailing out with
By By perfect chi balance Simon takes out this
one point goon and turns to face his
Kick Diamond Club
next assailant.
Punch Club Spade
Throw Spade Heart In fighting Aces are worth one and all
the number cards are worth their
Reflex Heart Diamond
numeric value. If no modification is
applied to the move the court cards are
Example: Simon is using the drunken worth 10. If the move is augmented by
boxing fighting style to fight a goon a Finishing Move, then the "Finishing
who is fighting without a style (or Moves" rule is applied (see below).
indeed any class, goons eh?).
If either party exceeds the other by a
In the first round Simon decides to go clear 3 the move breaks their defence
for a quick KO, hoping for a diamond and the fighter who employed the
he states that he will attempt to sucker losing move loses a hit point e.g. 3 beats
the goon with a reflex, he pulls a 4 of 1 = defended, 4 beats 1 = defence break,
hearts effectively scoring 0. The goon lose 1 HP.
pulls a 2 of clubs punching out at
Simon who manages to defend for no
loss of HP because the goon still didn't

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Finishing Moves moves but the addition goes onto the


next round of combat.
Every fighting style has a "Finishing
Move". These finishing moves allow No Ranged Combat
the fighter access to a known weak
point on the opponent through any of In this game the shots in a gun battle
the other moves and is associated with are not treated as any kind of combat
a particular court card e.g. the finishing but as separate events tested
move "Sake Sway" is associated with individually.
the Jack in drunken boxing and strikes
the opponent's knees knocking them Combat
over.
Combat is a central part of this game, as
Example: Paul pulls a jack of diamonds such it needs to be made into an
and his character is a drunken boxer so involving and fun activity. The system
he quickly reacts to the opponent's here tries to support turning each fight
attempted kick with a backward into a story, pitting various styles
swaying move that allows him to strike against one another in thrilling set
back instantly and with devastating pieces. The way a fight progresses is
effect. He drops down and loops his like this:
belt around the opponent's knees
pulling the cord the opponent is 1) If the fight is one on one the Host
hoisted into the air and lands heavily plays one character and the Player
on his head, rendering him plays their own character. If it is a goon
unconscious. brawl the Host plays the goons and the
Players play their characters.
A finishing move knocks out any goon
in one blow and will take 3HP from a 2) If the current confrontation between
named NPC. The Finishing moves can one player and one non player is single
be Degraded or Enhanced like regular combat then the Host pulls one card for

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the opponent. If the player is faced kick and a punch. They may use
down by more than one opponent the reflexes to strike back at all
Host pulls one card for each opponent simultaneously attacking opponents,
and looks at the card(s) in secret. maybe making the attacks work against
each other. A player may move in
3) The Host uses the suit to determine against a single opponent attempting a
what move(s) the opponent(s) are body move or throw which may topple
looking to pull. The Host describes other opponents temporarily, or they
these moves to the player, the scores may attempt a defensive leap or roll to
indicate how effective the opponent(s) put themselves in a position to fight
moves are going to be. If it is clear the one at a time. Any reasonable story
moves are particularly weak or strong description of the move is allowed to
the Host may colour their description happen.
of the opponent(s) threat appropriately.
5) The Host reveals the card(s) for the
4) If the player has to choose one (or opponent(s).
more) opponents to hit they do so.
They state how they're going to 6) The player pulls a single card for
counter the move. If it's a single each move in the order described. In
opponent they may say something like: the example in four the player is
"I will break past his defences and looking for a Club to enhance their
attempt to punch him in the chest". If kick, a second club and then a diamond
it is multiple opponents he may say: "I to enhance the reflex manoeuvre. If
will spin round and jump kick (Kick) they succeed in the hit by more than
the one on the left. Land and sweep three each additional point is added to
(Kick) the middle one and then try to their next move. If they succeed but do
react (Reflexes) to whatever the last not break defence then no modifier is
one is trying to do to injure me". applied. If they fail each point by
which they fail subtracts from their
A player may attempt to combine a next move.

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Example Combat high diamond would just about finish


things off nicely.
Rachel has found herself in hot water,
her ninja has been surrounded by three Underwhelmingly she pulls a nine of
goons. They're not particularly strong diamonds and takes a -2 penalty
but they're determined to combine because Ninjutsu isn't really suited to
their strength to bring her down. The the kind of move she's trying to pull
Host pulls one card for each goon and off. That gives her a respectable seven,
pulls Nine of Diamonds, Six of Spades enough to apply the block but the kick
and King of Clubs. He describes connects for the loss of 1 HP and
Rachel's predicament thus: although the puncher is thrown off
she's suddenly grappled by Mr
"The one on the left is just waiting to Reflexes.
see what you do, but he looks ready for
you to do anything. The guy in the Now she has, however, only got Mr
middle has committed to a punch that's Reflexes to deal with. The other two,
headed for your face. The guy on the happy to wait for the grapple to finish,
right is spinning into a dangerous watch on.
looking roundhouse."
The Host pulls a nasty 10 of Spades for
Rachel decides that she's going to Mr Reflexes and announces:
attempt to grab the puncher and swing
him into the way of the kicker, whilst "It looks like he's going to rabbit punch
avoiding Mr Ready for Anything. This you in the ribs, unless you counter he's
move relies on a block and grab, which going to do some serious damage."
is a body move, so Rachel is hoping for
a high heart first. The following throw Rachel says she's going to use a low
is deemed to be a hand move so a high knee grab to up end the guy and, as
spade would be good and the final they're already grappling, that's a hand
dodge is a reflexive manoeuvre so a move. She's hoping for spades. She gets

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them with a nine enhanced by 4 in takes the opportunity to sweep kick


Ninjutsu to 13 she avoids the rabbit her. She loses her balance and falls,
punch and scoops the guy off his feet. losing two HP because of the vicious
He hits his head on the floor and is out reflex move.
cold. The Host pulls a King of Spades and a
Jack of Clubs, indicating that Punchy
Seeing their comrade go down the and Roundhouse have grown in
other two start forward. The Host confidence and are seeking to do
draws 3 of spades for the Punching serious damage. He describes it thus:
goon and an 8 of diamond for the
Roundhouser. He describes the "Both goons launch themselves into the
situation thus. air Punchy is looking to come down
with a strike to your face, Roundhouse
"The other two are surprised at the is going to slam his knees into your
turnabout you've put on their torso. This could be punishing."
compatriot. One strikes out somewhat
weakly, the other one watches you Rachel decides to play it safe. She
warily waiting for you to move." wants to roll away quickly. The Host
decides this is a defensive move of a
Rachel decides to risk kicking the reflexes kind, so a high diamond would
Puncher into Roundhouse and a s she's be great. The two of spades doesn't
just trying to cause distraction she even slightly cut it and despite an
needs the one move she's pulling to unmodified reflexes bonus of two, that
come off, so she's looking for a club. only equals six. So Rachel doesn't quite
Unfortunately luck's not with her, she evade either hit taking one full HP
pulls a four of spades and gets hit with from both attacks.
a downgrade taking her to one.
Rachel's only got two HP left but the
Punchy's underwhelming blow socks goons are surprised that didn't finish
Rachel in the jaw and Roundhouse her. Punchy springs back to his feet

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and Roundhouse rolls away. The Host "Sucks to be you," she tells the
draws a seven of clubs for Punchy and unconscious pile of goon bodies.
three of diamonds for Roundhouse. He
describes it thus: Healing
"Punchy came off better he's sprung up
and lifted his leg. He's looking set to In this game all but one HP are restored
kick you while you're down and at the end of combat. Restoratives may
hurting, Roundhouse is slower, he's be applied during any spare hour which
come away looking a little uncertain will heal characters back to full health.
about what to do." The scenario notes will relate when
restoratives are available.
Rachel decides it's reflexes time. She's
going to grab Punchy's ankle, lock it Playable Characters
and attempt to throw him at
Roundhouse. A high diamond would go  Casablanca - An escaped slave
across well. Followed by a good spade. (Kipura/Capoeira)
The eight of diamonds comes out for  Old Man Fong - An Old Man
her and her enhanced move now has a seeking a lost relative (Wu Shu)
score of eleven. Punchy's kick is turned  Ryu Masake - A Japanese
into a devastating throw that upends Traveller (Karate)
him and a following 10 of clubs  Tcheky Marenovic - A Russian
(unenhanced, but hey) takes out Bodyguard (Arctura/Krav Maga)
Roundhouse who just hasn't got the  Brother Yip - A Monk (Shaolin
chops to avoid his former partner flying Kung Fu)
through the air to take them both  Davey Collins - A Delinquent
down at once. Drifter (Newberry)

A little sore Rachel gets up and dusts Player Set Up


herself down.
It's quite simple really all the characters

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start the game unconscious and caged that have been derived from the
on board Captain Abner Frobishire's supposed roots of their modern names
vessel "Wayfarer". The characters in because the adventure is historical. The
the caged area are: Casablanca, Old martial art of Newberry is fictional and
Man Fong, Ryu Masake, Tcheky first appeared in the 90s comic strip
Marenovic, Brother Yip, Davey Collins, "Accident Man".
Kyoto, Richard Duchamps, Reggie
Stanford, Maui, Matuku and Drona. No Maps?

If you do not have six players you can This isn't a map based game. I made
remove characters as you see fit. Act I maps the first time I ran it and they
relies upon there being one Non Player were all but pointless. If you want to
fighter for every Player fighter, make them yourself you should be able
although you can do something with to freestyle them. A prop map of the
the concept of having extra fighters treasure island might be nice but
involved who become NPCs when you players won't use it for anything and
get to Acts II and III. It's really up to besides Frobishire's probably not gong
you, read the act notes and decide how to let whatever bogus map he has out of
you want to run it. his sight.

Make sure you explain to the character So here are some guides to the general
that the area of islands known to the layout of the Wayfarer and some notes
world at large is referred to by about the island Frobishire believes to
Europeans as Lemuria. Cibola refers to be “Cleopatra”.
an unknown island group hidden in the
vast Pacific filled with brutal, The Wayfarer – Guide
bloodthirsty warriors who take no
prisoners and cannot be reasoned with. Lower Deck

Some of the martial arts have names Rooms on the lower deck include:

♦ 173 ♠
Casablanca - African - Kipura Fighter

Casablanca has been a slave for a two years. He was originally kidnapped by seven men from his
village in West Africa and taken North to Casablanca where he was sold to East Coast traders who
started working him on the spice route from India across Lemuria to Peru.

Recently whilst Casablanca was in the Avaiki Islands Casablanca was stolen. Casablanca has never
considered what he would do if he were freed. The tribe who originally enslaved him slaughtered his
family but he knows they, in turn, were slaughtered in another pointless battle with a neighbouring
tribe.

Fighting Style

Capoeira is a fluid dance like fighting style that uses a lot of swinging kicks and emphasises fluidity of
movement in a confined space. It looks spectacular and once the fighter is in a rhythm it is almost
unstoppable. Capoeira fighters can find themselves in trouble if they face someone with good aerial
moves.

Capoeira
Degraded Enhanced
Feet(♣) -1 2 4
Hands(♠) -3 1 2
Body(♥) 0 1 2
Reflex(♦) 2 3 5
Finishing Move – Hand Spin Kick
Q (♠ ) 0 1 2
Old Man Fong - Chinese - Wu Shu Fighter

Fong loves his granddaughter Mei Mei. That's the only reason he left Szechuan on this foolhardy
quest. His son was dead, so was his daughter in law, like most of the people in their village. He had
thought, upon finding the village aflame that he would walk into the fire and allow himself to be
consumed.

When he saw the child, Baker Chan's son, bleeding in the snow, he had known it was not his time to
die. This destruction was the herald of Old Man Fong's last great adventure. The boy was weak, he
died after three days but he did manage to tell Fong that the raiders had taken the children. Possibly
they intended to sell them as slaves. Fong didn't know, all he cared about was that somewhere his
eight year old granddaughter was still alive. So, as the winter turned to spring, he had set out from the
Xieyang Village of Szechuan to retrieve his granddaughter. Woe betide the man who would stand in
his path, Fong was too near to death to fear it on his own account or upon the account of others.

Fighting Style

Wu Shu is an umbrella term for a whole family of Chinese Martial arts. Wu Shu emphasises a fluidity
of movement and the correct direction of chi. It is less acrobatic than more general Kung Fu and is a
solid fighting style using a lot of kicks, punches and blocks. A Wu Shu fighter will have a problem
with heavily offensive fighting styles that devastate upon breaking defense.

Wu Shu
Degraded Enhanced
Feet(♣) 1 2 3
Hands(♠) -1 2 2
Body(♥) 0 2 2
Reflex(♦) 2 2 4
Finishing Move – Defence Break
J (♦) 0 1 2
Ryu Masake - Japanese - Karate Fighter

To Ryu Hakuro this place was much the same as every other place he had found himself in the last ten
seasons. When they had accused him of murdering Akemi's father he had known that he could not
defend himself. Tetsuo Watanabe had refused Ryu when he had asked for Akemi's hand in marriage.

Never mind that Tetsuo's business partner was rumoured to have been plotting some traitorous action
for years; Kyo Masaru was a respected man in the community. In the end blaming Ryu had been the
easier option. So Ryu fled.

He had met master Nobuyuki in Burma. The master had trained Ryu in exchange for help running his
small farm. In the end Ryu had decided it was time to move on. He had got as far as the port before
some men had drugged him. Now he was here. Caged. Furious. As soon as he saw his chance these
men would know Ryu Hakuro's rage.

Fighting Style

Karate is the name of a number of styles of martial art that originate from the Ryukyu Islands of Japan.
In addition to being a self-defence style karate (properly karate-do) is also viewed as a sport and
physical practice. A karate master can easily break a weak or confused mixed style.

Karate
Degraded Enhanced
Feet(♣) 1 2 4
Hands(♠) 2 2 2
Body(♥) -1 1 1
Reflex(♦) -1 3 4
Finishing Move – Aerial Roundhouse
K (♥) 0 1 2
Tcheky Marenovic - Russian – Krav Maga Fighter

This is just an inconvenience to Tcheky Marenovic. Let them drug him, let them lock him up.
They have to keep him caged because Tchecky Marenovic has the destructive power of the great,
black bear. At some point they have to let him out of this cage and then they will see.

All Tcheky wants is a sturdy wife and a sturdy house in a sheltered valley by a stream. It doesn't
matter how many inconveniences he has to destroy along the way.

Fighting Style

Krav Maga is a brutal style that emphasises taking an opponent out in short order. While Arctura is
instantly devastating if it comes up against a nimble style emphasising evasion over blocking it can
run into trouble.

Krav Maga
Degraded Enhanced
Feet(♣) 0 3 4
Hands(♠) 1 1 2
Body(♥) -1 1 2
Reflex(♦) 1 3 4
Finishing Move – Face Strike
J (♦) 0 1 2
Brother Yip - Chinese - Shaolin Kung Fu Fighter

Brother Yip finds this all fascinating. Ever since the monastery had accepted a visit from the Crazy
Wisdom Master Brother Yip had found himself compelled to find out more about the circumstances of
one's life in the flow of everyday interaction. In the end he had chosen to leave the monastery to test
his resolve in keeping his devotions in the flow of life. The world, he has found, is filled with raw
experience, but he is not afraid. There are many people who do not understand Brother Yip's way of
life or temperament, but he is not afraid.

Even though men have drugged his body and caged it, even though they have brought him onto this
ship and set sail for points unknown, he is not afraid. Brother Yip knows life is an illusion and
experience a dream. He is just eager to see what happens next.

Fighting Style

Shaolin Kung Fu is an acrobatic style originating from the monastic devotions of Shaolin Monks. It is
not exclusively a combat style but the form in fighting emphasises acrobatic moves that are difficult to
pull off by someone with little training. Kung Fu runs into trouble against brutal martial arts and
fighting styles that can block and counter quickly, Shaolin holds the advantage in stamina battles
however.

Shaolin Kung Fu
Degraded Enhanced
Feet(♣) 1 3 4
Hands(♠) 0 1 1
Body(♥) 0 1 2
Reflex(♦) 1 3 4
Finishing Move – Aerial Kick
Q (♣ ) 0 1 2
Davey Collins - British - Newberry Fighter

Last Davey remembered he'd been in Indonesia enjoying the local facilities and the life of a young
man seeing the glorious Lemuria that seemed like a land of dreams from the cold and dirty streets of
London. Next thing he knows he's waking up in a cage on a boat with a bunch of other strangers.

He had thought at the time that there were a couple of guys watching his last cage match with an
unhealthy interest. The real question now was what did they want with an unattached globe-trotting
Newberry fighter? None of the possible answers to that question seem good.

Fighting Style

Newberry is a style that mixes a traditional boxing style with elements of kung fu. It emphasises a
ground based approach using ducks, sways and feints to avoid being hit, the offensive moves are
exclusively executed with the fists, forearms and elbows. Newberry fighters run into trouble with
sweeping moves and leg attacks, although a highly skilled Newberry fighter has learned how to jump
out of the way of such attacks.

Newberry
Degraded Enhanced
Feet(♣) -2 1 2
Hands(♠) 2 3 4
Body(♥) -1 1 2
Reflex(♦) 1 3 4
Finishing Move – Hook
Q (♦) 0 1 2
♣ Pure Role Playing ♥

Enemy Fighters – Host's Guide

Kyoto - Japanese - Karate Fighter HP: 5

Kyoto is a haughty fellow who will not talk to the other combatants save to
assert his own authority.

Karate is the name of a number of styles of martial art that originate from the
Ryukyu Islands of Japan. In addition to being a self-defence style karate
(properly karate-do) is also viewed as a sport and physical practice. Its system of
kata make this a highly formalised style and the style can be weak against more
improvisational styles that can adapt during the course of the fight. Having said
this a karate master can easily break a weak or confused mixed style.
Underneath the rigidity of kata is an almost infinite range of subtlety.

Karate Degraded Unmodified Enhanced


Feet(♣) 1 2 4
Hands(♠) 2 1 2
Body(♥) -2 1 3
Reflex(♦) -1 3 4
Finishing Moves - +
K (♥) Aerial R'house 0 1 2

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Richard Duchamps - Savate Fighter HP: 6

Duchamps fancies himself a bit and seems not to realise the danger he is in, he is
happy to fight anyone to fuel his own ego.

Savate is a style that emphasises the use of kicks and open handed slaps. In a way
it is a style with a great deal of purity and simplicity but it presents problems
when fighting, low, close in and some acrobatic moves.

Savate Degraded Unmodified Enhanced


Feet(♣) 2 3 4
Hands(♠) -2 1 2
Body(♥) -1 2 3
Reflex(♦) 1 2 4
Finishing Moves - +
Q (♦) Balance Strike 0 1 2

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General Prak - Cibolan - Ganga Fighter HP: 8

General Prak is six foot seven, broad built and terrifying. He wears heavy
Cibolan armour and the high ranking Cibolan skull helmet. He speaks Cibolan
and is incredibly business like.

Ganga is the style of the Cibolans. It favours grapples, pushes, trips and low
kicks. It is vulnerable to aerial attacks and avoidance defensive moves. It can
break most blocks.

Ganga Degraded Unmodified Enhanced


Feet(♣) 1 4 5
Hands(♠) 2 2 5
Body(♥) 0 3 4
Reflex(♦) 0 1 2
Finishing Moves - +
J (♠) Low Smash 0 1 2

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Lieutenant Quivira - Cibolan - Ganga Fighter HP: 6

Quivira is more lightly armoured than Prak. He doesn't speak much and seems
to have efficiently trained his men.

Ganga is the style of the Cibolans. It favours grapples, pushes, trips and low
kicks. It is vulnerable to aerial attacks and avoidance defensive moves. It can
break most blocks.

See General Prak

Jeriah Masaka - Cibolan - Ganga Fighter HP: 7

Masaka is a Cibolan traitor. He wishes to make peace with the Lemurian races
and has turned on his own people. He is a deposed Cibolan prince whose throne
was taken but he will not reveal this. He can speak fluent Franca.

Ganga is the style of the Cibolans. It favours grapples, pushes, trips and low
kicks. It is vulnerable to aerial attacks and avoidance defensive moves. It can
break most blocks.

See General Prak

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Reggie Stanford - British - Newberry Fighter HP: 5

Reggie is a complete git. He's racist, sexist, narcissitic; all this and ugly with it.
His real advantage is that he can take a lot of punishment. He will taunt and
belittle opponents in a fight and hope to anger them so he is more likely to get
in a few dirty shots.

Newberry is a style that mixes a traditional boxing style with elements of kung
fu. It emphasises a ground based approach using ducks, sways and feints to avoid
being hit, the offensive moves are exclusively executed with the fists, forearms
and elbows. Newberry fighters run into trouble with sweeping moves and leg
attacks, although a highly skilled Newberry fighter has learned how to jump out
of the way of such attacks.

Newberry Degraded Unmodified Enhanced


Feet(♣) -2 1 2
Hands(♠) 1 3 4
Body(♥) -1 1 3
Reflex(♦) 1 3 5
Finishing Moves - +
Q (♠) Hook 0 1 2

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Matuku - Samoan - Sawaiki Silat Fighter HP: 7

Silent, brooding and intense Matuku does not speak, Matuku acts.

The Sawaiki Silat is an island fighting style that combines knee and elbow moves
with wrestling grapples. Large practitioners use a grounded style that use hard
palm techniques and shoulder barges to keep an opponent down. If someone has
faced a large Sawaiki Silat opponent and gotten used to constant pummelling
originating from the ground upwards meeting a lighter opponent who seems to
fly through the air raining persistent powerful blows downwards can be
something of a surprise. Both find low moves a trouble as their power comes
either from down upwards or from upwards trying to direct falling into power
moves.

Sawaiki Degraded Unmodified Enhanced


Silat
Feet(♣) -1 3 4
Hands(♠) -1 3 4
Body(♥) 1 2 3
Reflex(♦) 1 2 3
Finishing Moves - +
K (♥) Pin and Break 0 1 2

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Maui - Tongan - Maki Tinku Fighter HP: 5

Maui has learned a wide Francan vocabulary, at least in one-liners and insults.
He will mock every move an opponent makes in a lighthearted and bantering
fashion, hoping that the opponent will concentrate more on his verbosity than
his fighting style. Outside of the ring Maui is sly as a fox and about as
trustworthy, yet you just can't help liking the guy he's so damn companionable.

Maki Tinku is a nimble style that uses clever footwork and moves that look like
breakdancing to grip, lock and disable foes. There are very few kicks involved,
feet are usually used as a method of executing acrobatic moves, but if you
happen to be bracing off someone's chest... So yes, a lot of opportunity for
jumping around like an eight year old having sucked down too many sweeties
here. This style is weak against more aggressive long reaching styles like Savate
and certain forms of Kung Fu.

Maki Degraded Unmodified Enhanced


Tinku
Feet(♣) -2 2 4
Hands(♠) 0 2 3
Body(♥) -3 1 2
Reflex(♦) -1 2 3
Finishing Moves - +
Q (♠) Aerial Punch 0 1 2

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Drona - Indian - Kalari Payattu Fighter HP: 6

Drona is an ascetic, which is like being a monk but without the calm. His body
is scarred from regular mortification practices. His flexibility is unnatural and he
can also withstand a lot of pain. Players would do well to batter him in the head.
The minute escape is presented as an option Drona will leap into the sea and
swim away, confident he will neither starve nor drown. Did I mention he's odd?

Kalari Payattu has been heralded as the mother and father of all martial arts. A
formal Indian style it does indeed imitate aspects of Wu Shu, Silat and Karate.
This distillation can make it hard for practitioners of other styles to adjust, Wu
Shu fighters expect more fluidity, Karate masters expect more rigidity, Silat
fighters expect more close up moves. Unfortunately once any one of these
martial artists has the measure of a Kalari Payattu fighter the style is somewhat
weak.

Kalari Degraded Unmodified Enhanced


Payattu
Feet(♣) 1 3 4
Hands(♠) -1 2 3
Body(♥) -2 1 3
Reflex(♦) 1 2 4
Finishing Moves - +
J (♠) Spinning Arm Chop 0 1 2

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Queensberry - British - Drunken Boxing (Zui Quan) Fighter HP: 4

Queensberry learned Zui Quan from someone, probably not a master. His
balance is essentially weak and he gets a lot of moves wrong. He likes the
Drunken more than the boxing and is like a really sleazy English gentleman
gone badly to seed. He stands by Captain Frobishire but will surrender if it
seems his Captain is doomed. He will then instantly set about drinking himself
into oblivion. A great fighter he isn't relying on sleeping drugs and hired muscle
to get the real work done.

Drunken Boxing is a style that emphasises a disciplined core balance to allow a


fighter to be flexible and move, literally, like a drunkard. There are a lot of fake
falls, swaying movements and hooked fists in this style which seeks to confuse
an opponent before unleashing a deadly volley of kicks and blows. This style is
effective against formalised and brutal styles but against other fluid styles it
really comes down to the skill of the practitioner.

Zui Quan Degraded Unmodified Enhanced


Feet(♣) -4 0 1
Hands(♠) -3 0 1
Body(♥) 0 1 2
Reflex(♦) 0 2 3
Finishing Moves - +
Q (♥) Trip Fall 0 1 2

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salvoes at the Cibolan Raider. If anyone safe containing the treasure map and 25
complains about a sizable vessel only gold dubloons in here. Otherwise it's a
having 12 cannon balls point out the fairly tatty bedroom and office with
ship was renegade and poor. nothing very interesting in it.

2) The Arena, up to 12 cages and a Upper Deck


small fighting ring. Six of the ships
twelve cannons are here (three to a 1) Aft Deck - Ship's wheel, access to
side). They are locked into runs. some sails.

3) Hammocks - nothing of value here. 2) Fore deck - Access to more sails. A


The hammocks are hung in the centre pointy bit where the figure head is.
and six of the ship's twelve cannons (six There is no actual figure head.
to a side) are stored here. They are
locked into runs Island

4) Galley and kitchen. Rank smelling, Things you will need to know about
dirty, diseased. Low ceiling as it runs the island are:
under the Captain's Quarters.
1) Where Jeriah's Clipper is moored.
Deck Make the description of the boat as
specific as you like. The Clipper is slim,
1) Outside area - Access provided to the sleek and deadly looking. It houses 18
sails, crows nest, aft deck, foredeck, small cannons. It could be hidden in a
Captain's quarters, down to the galley cove not visible from the sea.
and of course the sea by way of a
gangplank and a sword (Arrr!). 2) Where the Cibolan Raider is
moored. This thing is massive. 24 heavy
2) Captain's Quarters - There's a small cannons, deck mounted harpoon guns

♣ 189 ♥
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1) A store room containing enough Running The Game


ammunition and powder for two and
space for up to 100 Cibolan troops. The Act I - The Contest
thing is well hidden probably in a bay
on the opposite side of the island. It is One way or another there's going to be
impossible to run it with less than a rumble. When the players have
thirty men. woken, eaten and explored their
cramped surroundings it is time for
If you produce a prop trasure map you Frobishire's right hand man to
may want to add a big X somewhere. introduce himself. Queensberry
Whether there is any treasure on the informs the players that they are to
island is up to you. Remember this assist Frobishire with a mission of the
setting is purely for the purposes of a utmost importance, but, after a review
giant game of Kung Fu hide and seek. of the situation, he has decided that
Possibly the existence of treasure twelve might be too many to manage,
would be overegging the pudding. even when surrounded by musket
wielding rogue privateers. So the

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Captain has come up with a cunning fighters vast wealth if they just get on
plan to reduce the numbers by half and to the island.
ensure some level of quality among the
remaining combatants. Frobishire Act II - Cibolans!
would like to pair up the prisoners and
have them fight to the death. After the contest give the players an
hour or so to patch themselves back up
It may be that the players can to normal, as soon as they're ready, or
communicate among themselves well not quite ready the cry goes up from
enough to incite mutiny at this stage. the crow's nest. "Land Ho!" Allow them
Queensberry is accompanied by 24 enough time to debate what to do
guards all armed with muskets. So it about the island and immediately
could be that they just agree to the follow with a cry of: "Cibolaaaaaaans!"
contest. Either way a fight will ensue Everyone should crap themselves. If
and some people are going to end up they don't you haven't made it plain
the worse for it. Losers to every round how nasty the Cibolans are. There are
are taken away by Frobishire's men and two large Cibolan warships following a
dumped into the sea to fend for smaller Cibolan clipper. One of the
themselves. warships breaks off and approaches the
Wayfarer. At this point feel free to
If a mutiny is instigated then the crew allow everyone still standing to man
are going to be somewhat surprised the cannons and indulge in a colourful
(and mostly disadvantaged). After the piratey sea battle description.
sailors have fired their rifles it will take
about a minute and a half to reload The Wayfarer is not a warship and only
them, by which time they should be has enough cannonballs for two salvos.
unconscious. Once all of the caged If the Wayfarer fails to make contact
fighters have taken over the ship they with the Cibolan Warship then six
should be able to view land. Frobishire Cibolans will board for every player
will beg for mercy and promise the (and more besides to add to the general

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melee but basically each player will on the island.


have to down six Cibolans). Reduce this
number by one for each salvo success Jeriah is a Cibolan rebel who has
fully delivered before the ships come learned some Franca. If the players can
side by side. The Cibolans fire cannons keep from killing them he will reveal
to weaken the ship as they draw aside. that he can get them off the island but
Once it is clear they are losing they willfirst they must defeat General Prak
destroy the Wayfarer forcing the who seeks to execute Jeriah as a traitor.
players to swim for land. He will also tell them that if Prak had
possessed only one boat and the winds
Act III - Caesar's Treasure had picked up faster his clipper, the
Wanderer's Rhapsody, would have
The players will have observed the easily outdistanced Prak. Now, with
clipper making its way to shore upon only one boat left in decent condition
this island a fair way from where the after the earlier battle and the high
Wayfarer's survivors land. You might winds that are blowing anyone could
want to provide a few NPC survivors to easily outdistance Prak in a chase.
provide a little Cibolan information
and to act as cannon fodder. Also this is Play out the skirmish as appropriate,
the island the map to "Cleopatra" this isn't a Lord of the Rings style
mentioned. Whether there is any battle, more a series of small
treasure here is entirely up to you, the encounters. Eventually Jeriah will face
point of this act is not the retrieval of Prak and die, the players can kill Prak
treasure but the drama unfolding and escape in the clipper.
between the two rival Cibolan parties

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Supplement: The Thirty Six Dramatic


Situations For Players

The idea of this supplement is to give they're going to take part in.
you, as a player, some ideas about the
general kinds of stories that exist for a Over the many years I've been studying
character so that you can take part in storytelling one misapprehension has
those situations during the role play for always governed many people's view of
your entertainment. Usually making how they're criticising a particular
your own character to this level will story. That misapprehension is this:
only take place in a campaign setting.
You don't know what's going to
Let's get one thing straight: it's not happen in a story before you start to
necessary to have a full on dramatic hear it.
situation arcing over your character's
life, these situations can have their The context of a story tells you a bunch
volume turned down as well as up. So about what it's going to be about.
consider carefully what kind of life the Dumber than the thought that people
character you have an idea for has had can't tell what to expect out of a
thus far. storytelling experience from cues they
receive beforehand is the thought that
If you've role played in the past you you can no longer judge a book by its
may, at this point, be wondering what cover.
all this is about. Most role playing
games don't give the players such That proverb was dating from a time
specific chances to pick what story when all book covers were blank. You

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had a title, an author's name and a thought about it. When you consider
publisher's mark and that was all. that you will engage personally with
These days you are positively that character for many hours and it
encouraged to judge books, movies, will seem less so. You wouldn't want to
video games and all other media by spend those hours with a lingering
their covers. We live in a society of feeling of disappointment now, would
covers. you?

Covers are, also, a way of cueing people


up for a particular story experience. No
one went to see Star Wars thinking Stories In The Past, Stories In The
that it would be about an astronomy Present
society's brutal leadership struggle.
Some of the roles described here really
Storytellers will, and should, try to set only work if they are something that
you up for the experience you're about happened to you in the past. In theory
to have in the way in which the story is none of the roles are utterly impossible
brought to your attention, with its title, to role play just some are more difficult
associated artwork, tag line, any to role play in a satisfying manner as
classification it may have, with they require you to portray emotion in
reviews. a very odd context, or they require
your character to not know something
We live in a world where just about you would have to know to choose the
everyone is primed with what to expect role.
from any story they're going to enjoy.
Role playing is no different. If you have a stellar idea for the
creation of a character don't let the
So the idea of choosing what kinds of notes with the role and the difficulty
experience your character will have put you off but with all the roles it is
may be a bit strange before you have important to remember that you should

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definitely book some time to talk the want to find yourself in, or just ask the
character over with your Host. Host not to spring any plot surprises on
you.
Negotiating Your Role
The Situations
The successful portrayal of any of these
roles rests between you and your Host. Each situation contains four parts. A
You, obviously, will have to do most of title, the names of the roles of people
the work bringing your character's involved in that situation and some
position into play. The Host, however, notes about how difficult it will be to
has to create the rest of your play through that role in a role playing
experience. Although it provides the situation and finally a difficulty rating
setting for your character to be out of five for a player to portray that
involved in a role has a different set of role effectively with one being the
challenges from portraying a character easiest and five being the hardest.
sometimes a plot will just be very
difficult to stage manage effectively. If I - Matters of Law and Negotiation
your Host does not feel confident in
being able to provide you with an Supplication
adequate experience it might be best to
find another way round. A Persecutor - As this person is in
charge of persecuting the supplicant it
With an experienced Host you may would be an odd choice of role to play.
find that they will offer to attempt to However persecution has many forms,
engineer roles or situations that require if, for example you are the owner of a
your character to not know something slave then, however kind you are, that
which, were you to choose that is still persecution. (4/5)
situation, you would necessarily have
to know. In these instances it is best to A Supplicant - Being the victim, on the
tell the Host what situations you don't other hand, is much easier, particularly

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if judgement is pending, but you have (unless the game is satirical in nature).
chosen to take your liberty into your
own hands. (1/5) Factor into your character portrayal
that according to at least one societal
A Power in authority, whose decision structure you are a criminal who must
is doubtful - Although, technically, be pursued by an officer of the law.
quite easy to portray, as being in a While this is a tricky thing to factor in
position of power outside the it's not impossible and could even be
supplication core dynamic is quite an quite appealing. Make sure your Host
important role but not one that and you have the same idea of what
requires much effort, this is actually kind of criminal you will be though.
difficult to make anything of. I would (2/5)
recommend against it but I would
imagine most people are not that keen An Avenger - If you read the notes
to play someone whose central arc is to about the "criminal" you will see the
make a detached decision. (4/5) hidden feature of this role. You may be
an agent of the law that has determined
Crime Pursued By Vengeance that the person playing the opposite
role is indeed an outlaw. If so, you, as a
A Criminal - In order for this situation person, may not agree with the law you
to play correctly the criminal must have to enforce, or you may support it
actually be guilty of the crime wholeheartedly.
committed so if you want to play this
part you will have to remember you are There's also a possibility that although
a criminal. the person you seek is a criminal you
are no more than a vigilante. In this
Of course, laws can be stupid but case your own relation to the law is
whatever your crime in this role there questionable. You have to provide a
will be an "avenger" following you so motivation in these cases why you
it's probably worse than dropping litter would be pursuing such a criminal in

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circumstances where you may come


into conflict with a law enforcement Even so this should be a role not
operative doing their job. entirely too difficult to portray under
most circumstances. (2/5)
There are some subtle character notes
to be made and taken when playing A Fugitive - As the fugitive in this
this role and clarification with your scenario you are not punishable by law.
Host may be a wise idea. (2/5) This does not mean what you did might
not be morally reprehensible or even
Pursuit illegal under other circumstances. You
may, simply, have "got away" with
Punishment - This is similar to the whatever it was you did.
"Avenger" role in a crime pursued by
vengeance, the only real difference is Punishment is coming for you,
that in that situation the "Fugitive" is presumably in the circumstances of
definitely an outlaw. In this scenario, opting into this situation your
for convenience, we can presume that character knows that punishment is a
whatever act the fugitive has possibility. Bear this in mind in your
committed it is not considered criminal character portrayal. (1/5)
in the place where this took place.
Obtaining
That does not mean that it is not
criminal in another place or at another A Solicitor: Not in the legal sense. As in
time, it just means that no law the sense of one who solicits. At its
enforcement operatives are chasing this basic level this tends to be an episodic
fugitive. If you are the agent of role i.e. I need an invitation to the
punishment then you will have to governor's party and I am asking
consider that you may very well be person x to obtain said invitation.
alone in your mission and this is going However, a student is soliciting a
to have an impact on your psyche. university to obtain a qualification, a

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man on a quest to prove his worth to from the fact that you are necessarily
the father of his true love is attempting supposed to be neutral in that situation.
to obtain permission to marry. (2/5) Unless you can think of something
amazing to make this work I would
An Adversary who is refusing: There avoid. (5/5)
are some tricky aspects to this role. If
you come at it from the obvious Opposing Parties: Obviously you can't
direction it is essentially, rather dull or be both parties but you could be one of
covered by being in the role of the them. You have to decide what it is you
adversary from the "Daring Enterprise" are in a dispute over. (2/5)
situation on a smaller scale.
Self-sacrifice For An Ideal
If, on the other hand, you are the
keeper of some knowledge and A Hero - Again the nature of role
someone wants to obtain it from you playing speaks against this, you may
then it gives you a little more scope; not necessarily be able to choose to be a
but look at the extraordinary lengths character who sacrifices of themselves
Farscape went to to make Scorpius's for an ideal. However, there is nothing
solicitation of wormhole knowledge to say that you aren't a character who
from Crichton play out as drama on a did sacrifice something for an ideal and
long arc. Basically unless you have this has formed their character. If so
some amazing gimmick for making this you should decide what it was that you
a good role I would avoid it. (3/5) sacrificed and make it suitably
dramatic. Once you've done that you
-or- should be good to go. (1/5)

An Arbitrator: In order to assume this An Ideal - People cannot be ideals.


role you must, necessarily, invent two (6/5)
opposing parties who want something
that you are safekeeping. This aside A Creditor or a Person/Thing sacrificed

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- You could also play someone who was or you will be expected to assume this
"sacrificed" by someone else for a role in the course of the game. It's a
higher ideal, or at least higher to them. pretty standard heroic arc to be
However much we pretend this kind of someone's rescuer so I'm going to
thing doesn't matter in the end it really recommend it as an easy play. (1/5)
does. Where is the person who
"sacrificed" you and what are they Daring Enterprise
doing now? What would you say to
them if you met them again? (1/5) A Bold Leader - This situation is a
classic role play arc. To be the bold
II - Missions and Rescues leader of a personal daring enterprise
would mean you have the enterprise in
Deliverance mind and you would have to recruit
partners to put the enterprise into
An Unfortunate - As this is a rather operation.
passive role I can't see why any one
should particularly want to play it. The This is a somewhat bizarre role to take
main challenge here would be to role within another arc such as the Host
play it long term. I would avoid. (5/5) will be providing. You may find
yourself given the role of a bold
A Threatener - This is a traditionally colleague in a group undertaking a
villainous role. See my notes on “being daring enterprise without plotting a
evil” in the Player's Guide for some second one into your backstory.
reasons why assuming a role like this Approach with caution. (3/5)
may be a bad idea. (4/5)
An Object - In many role playing
A Rescuer - When you take on this role gamessomething of value to the people
as a player your character will either involved in the enterprise. It is not
know about their role, in which case generally a role to be played, unless
you will start the game with a mission, you have some other idea. (4/5)

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An Adversary - Now here's an recommend you avoid it. (5/5)


interesting role. You as the "adversary"
have some resource that you must A Guardian - As this equates to "prison
protect from a "Bold Leader" and his warden" it would be unusual to assume
colleagues. This rather changes the this role. In one game that I played I
nature of the situation, if you yourself made a character who was the guardian
have access to resources to protect the of a gate. This made it a trifle tortuous
object then your role becomes one of explaining why I kept leaving my post
guardian. This is a more static role than to go wandering around during
many role playing scenarios allow for, adventures. We managed an
it would be best to discuss your idea for explanation of sorts but it would have
a role that incorporates this situation been easier had I been a wandering
with your Host. (3/5) minstrel or something. Basically, you
may find yourself in this role as part of
Abduction the adventure, playing it permanently
may well cramp your style. (4/5)
An Abductor - This situation doesn't
really tolerate a long timescale, or in The Enigma
those circumstances where it has done
so it changes the complexion of the A Problem - This is not a person. (6/5)
drama radically. If you are the abductor
you will need to have thought through An Interrogator - Now this is a
the psychology of that role and the fascinating role to play if you can think
logistics of it quite thoroughly. (3/5) of an angle on it. The interrogator is an
agent of the problem and hence could
The Abducted - Naturally this is a be the incarnation of death (death
rather restrictive role. Unless you can being an enigmatic problem) or the
think of some really amazing twist on it incarnation of a god (gods being
that would allow you to still participate enigmatic) or the agent of a secret
in a meaningful way I would society. You need to have a really

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strong angle on this role because, as fun being sought out. (6/5)
as it would be to play, the riddle of
your existence needs to be strong not III - Family Matters
lame. Discuss with your Host. (3/5)
Vengeance Taken For Kin Upon Kin
A Seeker - There's a question you have
to answer to portray this role. Why the Guilty Kinsman - In this role it is
hell have you devoted your life to presumed by your family (in the
studying an enigma? Intellectual broadest sense of that term) that you
problems are all great and everything have committed some kind of betrayal
but for it to be something you have of another family member. The precise
devoted your life to investigating... details of this incident are between you
well, that's going to need some and your Host.
explaining. If you can explain it,
properly, and with passion, go ahead If you are, in fact, guilty of this act then
and play it. (2/5) your motives will be important, if you
are not guilty then you are accepting
Recovery Of A Lost One the role of someone who has one crazy
family to say the least. Something to
A Seeker - Something or someone has consider in the case of both roles is,
been lost. You will not rest until they how does the rest of the family feel
or it have been found. Be clear on the about this situation? Has it split them?
situation and away you go. (1/5) Do they all hate you? Do they all hate
the other guy? This is a complex
The One Found - This is really tricky. situation to play out and a tricky role to
Did you know you were lost? See play from either perspective. (3/5)
"Pursuit" if you know you're lost you're
a fugitive. Otherwise, well, you can't be An Avenging Kinsman - See the notes
someone who knows they're playing about the guilty kinsman. An issue
someone who doesn't know they're particular to this role is that you have

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taken upon your shoulders the family or at least one member of your
responsibility of dishing out a family's family. When you talk this over with
internal brand of justice (or was it your Host focus on exactly how you are
placed upon you by other family involved in this intra-familial strife and
members?). the motivations and reasons behind it.
(1/5)
Presumably you are in the act of
pursuing the guilty kinsman (or else A Hatred or a reciprocally-hating
this will be a pretty short arc) once you Kinsman - This role is just the opposite
catch them what are you going to do? of the other role. If you are the hated
(3/5) one then the rest of your family hate
you too, if on the other hand you hate a
Remembrance of the Victim, a relative kinsman but your family love you then
of both - As a passive role this is not your character becomes an agent of
something to be taken at face value. that hatred. So as far as being a player
Obviously you have a perspective on goes you are involved in some strong
the past misdemeanour of the guilty familial turbulence and the role is
kinsman maybe over time your mind really described above. (1/5)
has been changed. Maybe you have to
find the avenging kinsman to halt his Rivalry Of Kin
quest before it's too late. In order to
make this part playable you will have The Preferred Kinsman - This is really
to inject an active component into it. a mild form of the "Enmity of kin"
It's doable but it's even harder than the situation but with a clearer object being
other two roles. (4/5) the motive for some dislike or rivalry.
A role that assumes such a back story is
Enmity Of Kin approachable as long as you have
worked out the details. As the
A Malevolent Kinsman - Essentially preferred kinsman you may feel lucky
this role means you either hate your and you may wish to make amends

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with your rival. Just remember it's being a player who knows what story
easier to let bygones be when you're they're in and the character not being
the winner. (1/5) such renders this a rather impotent and
therefore unrecommended role. (5/5)
The Rejected Kinsman - The reverse of
the role of preferred kinsman. Consider An Unrecognized Victim - This means
what remedy may be won for your you are dead. If this is appropriate to
unfortunate situation and pursue it. the game you are playing it could be
(1/5) your phantasmal manifestation could
be due to the fact the kinsman must be
The Object of Rivalry - Of course you made to realise his crime. Obviously
may be a character who is between two this option is only available to you in
rivals. This situation necessarily an appropriate setting, discuss with
demands that the rivals are related but your host. (1/5) if possible.
the same rules apply whether the rivals
are kin or not. You have to work out Self-sacrifice For Kin
how you feel about being an object of
rivalry, are you going to make a choice, A Hero - See notes on Self-Sacrifice For
or are you not keen on either rival? Just An Ideal except now you are sacrificing
because one kinsman is preferred does for your family. Did your family ask for
not mean that you are the one doing this sacrifice? Or was it to make
the preferring. This will be slightly amends for some other ill? There are
harder to convey than either of the more people involved here and so it
other two roles so make sure you could get messier. The previous notes
clarify the situation with your Host. for this role still apply. (1/5)
(2/5)
A Kinsman - Maybe a relative
Slaying Of Kin Unrecognized sacrificed something huge for you. In
which case how has this impacted your
The Slayer - Due to the problem of you life? Maybe you have a new set of

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priorities in life because of this. Maybe to you for "the greater good" whatever
the kinsman is getting to milk it a little. that means. The issue of what to do
For this to be relevant to your role it when a relative "sacrificed" you for the
has to be manifest in your day to day greater good is tricky but not
life somehow. Think about how you insurmountable. You will need a good
can make it so. (2/5) angle to pull this off. (3/5)

A Creditor or a Person/Thing sacrificed The Necessity for the Sacrifice - You


- See the same item in Self-Sacrifice For cannot play a necessity. (6/5)
An Ideal. (1/5)
Discovery Of The Dishonour Of A
Necessity Of Sacrificing Loved Ones Loved One

A Hero - Again we come to role which A Discoverer - This is a pretty good


is best attempted in the aftermath. It's motivation for some sort of quest or life
not really something you can choose to mission. You have discovered that
play from start through to finish someone you care about is being
because knowing it's coming will dishonoured. What are you going to do
colour your portrayal. Even if you do about it? Is this a fresh discovery for
look upon this as "something that your character or has an incident
happened" it will be hard to portray already taken place? Overall this is an
someone who sacrificed a loved one excellent basis for a character's actions
and is therefore a bit grumpy as as it is removed enough from the heart
opposed to someone who just has a of the matter to make all choices
grumpy temperament. (4/5) dubious and thus lead to some excellent
character moments. (1/5)
A Beloved Victim - The key question
here is "victim of what?" Your opposite The Guilty One - Remember that these
number in this situation is a relative roles are a matter of perspective.
who essentially did something horrible Although someone may societally be

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within this situation in the larger


context of the game the taboo or An Executioner - You killed someone's
prohibition may seem ridiculous. So a relative, executed them. You are a
guilty one is either actually guilty or killer. This is a hard thing to
they are guilty by some metric that the proactively portray but it's not
guilty one deems inferior or impossible. Be clear on the details and
unsatisfactory. You must examine the your own motives for doing what you
world view of someone who does did. (3/5)
something that feels right but is
condemned as wrong. Although IV - Matters of Conquest
somewhat tricky to pull off as some
characters will be hostile to you with Disaster
what they feel to be good reason this is
not an impossible role to take on. (2/5) A Vanquished Power - If you have
taken this role it means that you are a
Loss Of Loved Ones deposed power. You had the keys to
the kingdom and they were stripped
A Kinsman Slain - The key here is from you by the enemy.
slain. Unless you can be a ghost and
this happened to you impossible. If There's a great deal of emotional
ghosts (2/5) if none (6/5) complexity in a character like this. If
the victory of your adversary is fresh
A Kinsman Spectator - This is probably you may be angry and suspicious of
something that happened in your strangers, with time you may have
backstory. You watched your either mellowed and grown or become
brother/father/mother/sister/cousin get embittered. There's a lot that hinges
offed by the executioner character and upon whether your power is gone
it is up to you to react to that. Be clear forever or whether you could stage a
in your own context and this should be fresh assault upon your adversary.
a fairly easy role to get across. (2/5)

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This role is unusual in role playing messenger you might want to discuss
terms as, traditionally, players always with the Host what you picture as your
begin the game virtually powerless and message. If, on the other hand, you are
always grow in power as a consequence the victorious power itself this
of their role play. To "recover" powers presumes you are starting the game
may require modification to some with some newly acquired advantage or
additional rules systems so discuss this resources.
aspect particularly with your Host.
(3/5) If this is the case then you must discuss
with your Host how this will play out
A Victorious Enemy or a Messenger - If in practice. Starting the game with
you are, indeed, the enemy mentioned power will be a responsibility if the
it presumes you have acquired some power is presumed to be great and
power that previously belonged to would present a significant role play
someone else. If this is control of a challenge. (2/5) if the power is
Kingdom then this is largely a positive individual or if a messenger. (4/5) if the
development, but think of the story of power is great.
Spiderman's nemesis Venom to
understand how that power might have Revolt
come with its own price.
A Tyrant - The only real way you could
If, on the other hand, you are a satisfactorily commence an adventure
"Messenger" of that victorious enemy it in this role is if you are fleeing for your
means you are in the enemy's employ. life from the agents of the conspiracy.
You have been tasked with finding the As the role is very definitely labelled
vanquished power and delivering a "tyrant" and not "misunderstood
message, is that just a euphemism? beneficent monarch" the presumption
is that you would have to be venal and
In either case some discussion with corrupt. See the notes on “being evil” in
your Host is important. If you are a the Player's Guide. I would avoid this

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unless you have an amazing concept for Not that affairs of the heart are the
how it could work out. (5/5) only place one can have rivals. The fact
is that although in this role it could be
A Conspirator - You are a rebel soldier. easily noted out that you are the
This is always a breeze to portray as "superior" rival that is a relative term.
being an agent of serious political You will have to go some way to
change is an intellectual role that has preserving your superiority because
obvious objectives. Questions to ask although you may be superior the other
concern whether you doubt your own person may well just be flat out better.
masters, if you are one of the leaders of Discuss your concept with your Host.
the revolution do you doubt your own (1/5)
motives? How fanatical are you?
Although being a rebel is something An Inferior Rival - The exact reverse of
most people can, bizarrely, role play the other role in this situation. You
quite easily it could be fun to try to may well want to examine your rival's
take the role a bit further than just superiority and explore ways to
trying to be Che Guevara (1/5) undermine it. Just because you're in last
place doesn't mean you can't come
Rivalry Of Superior vs. Inferior from behind. As above discuss an idea
you might have for this with your Host.
A Superior Rival - The question of (1/5)
superiority here is always going to be
subjective. Given a setting in the past, The Object of Rivalry - If this is a love
the race between a father's favoured contest, or a contest for a promotion
suitor and another rival for his you have to give or for an object you
daughter's heart the former will always own but will bestow on a worthy
be "superior" in that they are the successor, then you could, effectively,
father's chosen. But how the daughter be the object of rivalry. This is a much
feels about this is entirely another tougher call than the others to play but
matter. it will really depend on what idea you

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have for a character living through this Conflict With A God


role. Discuss with your Host. (3/5)
A Mortal - If you wish to play the role
Ambition of a character who has taken on a god
(or, indeed The God) then expect to
An Ambitious Person - This is pretty have some tricky questions to answer
easy to convey. There exists a thing. It and some tricky role playing choices to
is your ambition to possess that thing, make. You could just be a poseur of
go to it. Clarify the details with your course, a weekend Satanist or whatnot,
Host. (1/5) but if you're not then you need an
actual plan to assault a god. This is not
A Thing Coveted - This could be you easy to portray and don't expect many
but that would be a very hard thing to friends. (3/5)
play, to be the object of another's
ambition. The real difficulty for you is An Immortal - This rather loose
portraying the feelings of someone who definition of a god nicely contextualises
is the object of another's ambitions. the exact nature of this conflict. It's not
The difficulty for your Host is that this just a matter of a superior opponent, its
person with the ambition has to be a matter of this being a vastly superior
portrayed by them, or another player adversary to the point where the
who is amenable. Making this a role is mortal's victory may even be
not recommended. (4/5) impossible under all but a rare set of
circumstances. If you wish to portray a
An Adversary - See the notes for the vastly powerful immortal be prepared
ambitious person as both are, that there will always be someone who
assumedly seeking the same objective. seeks your weakness.
Or it could be that you merely wish to
foil another's ambition, but you need to This is a challenging role and there
have a motivation for doing so. (2/5) must be clear defined rules about how a
mortal might seek to take you on,

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confirm these details carefully with Unless you have some incredible idea
your Host. (3/5) for the execution of this role avoid.
(5/5)
V - Matters of Fortune
Madness
Falling Prey To Cruelty/Misfortune
A Madman - I know what you're
An Unfortunate - In this case you have thinking and no it isn't. Playing a
either fallen into the clutches of an lunatic is fun for about twenty minutes
adversary and are somehow within until you realise all the ways you have
their power, or you have suffered some limited your opportunities to engage
misfortune, a curse or disastrous stroke with the other players and the larger
of fortune and have had to recover story.
from this.
Now, I'm not talking about mildly
Ask yourself, when did this situation barking, charmingly eccentric or
start to evolve for your character. How deluded but still capable of meaningful
much power would your character interaction here. I'm talking so crazy
have to recover. A character who, that there has to be some sort of a
whilst suffering a serious misfortune victim of you to make the situation
has some ability to recover would be a work. Unless you can really sell this to
reasonably easy role to play. If chances your Host I wouldn't approach this role
of recovery are slim it becomes if I were you. (4/5)
somewhat harder. (1/5) or (3/5) see
notes. A Victim - Being the victim of a
madman, on the other hand, is a fine
A Master or A Misfortune - Obviously role to explore. Did the lunatic kill
you cannot in and of yourself play a your wife? Take a finger? Lose all your
misfortune, and playing the master of money for you? And as we are
someone else's strongly suggests malice. presuming that the person who

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wronged you is actually mentally ill is the imprudent character and is now
it appropriate for you to pursue them in disgusted with that character because
the spirit of righteous vengeance? of said imprudence. This implies you
Clarify with Host, be prepared to play will have some character dripping
the story but by all means go for it. around behind you begging for
(1/5) forgiveness. It's not an impossible role
to take on but ensure you are ready for
Fatal Imprudence a challenge. (2/5)

The Imprudent - To take on this role Erroneous Judgement


means that some failing, probably
pride, lead you to lose something or A Mistaken One: Another role that is
someone valuable to you. If this thing better suited to being something that
or person is lost to you forever (as the once happened to you than an ongoing
word "Fatal" implies) then there is not situation. If you made a mistake you
much you can do with this role save for need to work out how you feel about
try to bring your character some that as a character and therefore how
redemption by other means. your feelings are going to colour your
action. This is a tricky role to play
There is no reason a thing lost cannot explicitly out in the open. (3/5)
be restored in some cases, in which
case your character's objective will be A Victim of the Mistake: If you are the
to recover the loss. Either way the role living victim of someone else's poor
is not too difficult to portray and makes judgement how do you feel about that
an excellent history for a character. person now? How does it colour your
(1/5) interactions with others? What are the
mistakes you are determined never to
A Victim or an Object Lost - The only make or never to repeat? Bringing the
possible latitude you have in this role is hurt that has been caused to you out
to be someone who used to be close to into the open is going to be a hard task.

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As with other roles where being Remorse


grumpy with reason looks like just
being grumpy exercise caution. (3/5) A Culprit: You did something wrong.
Let's not get this out of context here.
A Cause or Author of the Mistake: You You committed a sin and you know it.
caused someone to make a serious lapse It burns you up. You want to make
of judgement. So to what lengths are amends, the question is: how far do you
you yourself responsible for the fall have to go? How far away is
out. See the notes for the first two roles redemption? You must have a clear
to get into the kinds of things you're idea of what you want out of this role
thinking about from one remove. before attempting it. Clarify the
Maybe no one knows you caused this situation with your Host. (3/5)
mistake, in which case how are you
feeling about having "got away with it". A Victim or the Sin: If the culprit did
This is a role it will be extremely you wrong, stole from you, hurt you,
difficult to portray effectively as it rests betrayed you how do you feel about
so much on you being pro-active. (4/5) their remorse? If they try to make
amends how do you feel about that?
The Guilty One: Possibly you are guilty Would they ever be able to mend the
of some crime which was only allowed pain? Would you be able to forgive? As
to occur because someone else made a with the culprit be clear with your
lapse in judgement. Maybe you are Host how this situation came to be and
really responsible for the victim's what it is you are looking to gain from
situation. In which case how do you this role. This is, if anything, more
feel about this? More importantly how difficult than being th culprit. (4/5)
are you going to role play in a way that
brings this role into resolution for An Interrogator: It is your job to probe
everyone else. Like the other roles here and examine the guilt of the culprit.
this is very tricky. (4/5) You must be detached but you must
provide the culprit with the hard

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questions they must answer if they are to portray a love affair between
ever to have peace. If this is your role, yourself and either a Non Player
why? Is it your job? Are you doing it to Character or another Player that is
help the culprit? Or are you an agent of illicit you might want to avoid this like
punishment. The clarity needed in the the plague. Not to say it couldn't be
other two roles is paramount here. If done, but it's never really been done
possible avoid trying to take this one with any great success. (4/5)
on, it's going to be very hard except in
unusual circumstances. (5/5) A Betrayed Spouse - Now, this is a
tricky one. Although the adulterers
VI -Matters of Love could be murderous so could the
betrayed spouse. Maybe you fancy
Murderous Adultery being a cuckolded spouse pursuing
their partner as they flee with their
Two Adulterers - This is the ideal partner in crime. It's a very personal
opportunity to mention that games mission and hard to understand why
about this sort of thing have had a you, as the betrayed spouse, might
history of turning silly. Of course, become diverted into taking part in
games of yore related character to group quests along the path. If you're
"description of physical characteristics". really sure then talk it over with your
Also, adultery supposes marriage which Host, but this is a demanding role to
given the time this list was compiled is play. (3/5)
now anachronistic. Could be just a love
affair in which trust has been betrayed. Involuntary Crimes Of Love
In any event the use of the word
"murderous" indicates that your A Lover - See the situation Murderous
character is plotting to off someone's Adultery thing above for notes about
spouse (or partner who has a large life playing a character involved in any
insurance policy) for some reason. kind of love affair in-game. In this case
Unless you are very confident you want the role calls for your character to be

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unwittingly having an affair with responsibly could make for a killer


someone whom it is not proper for story. Discuss with your Host but this is
them to be in love with. Of course as a a viable role. (2/5)
player you will already know the truth
of the matter. This renders this role Sacrifice For Passion
almost impossible to portray
meaningfully. Discuss with your Host A Lover - We're back in the same area
only if you're utterly convinced your here. What makes this one difficult is
role will only work this way. (5/5) that as a player you have sufficient
distance to see that sacrificing
A Beloved - Having someone pursue everything for passion is a bit dumb.
you amorously in an erroneous way Not that people don't do this, but
may be amusing but it's rarely either unless you're right inside the situation
convincing or dramatic. If you have a it might be difficult to portray. The
sound idea for playing this role then notes remain The same as for the other
discuss it with your host. Obviously sacrifice situations. (2/5)
you will, as a player and therefore as a
character, know that the love your An Object of Passion - I'm not sure
admirer proposes is not just impossible what one is to make of this role. If you
but downright wrong, but you have a are to take it on it means you are
jolly good reason for not telling them involved in a love affair with someone
why. (4/5) who gave up something significant to
them to be with you. That's a tough
A Revealer - You might have some thing to play as in relationship terms
secret information about such an you're playing catch up with them. If
improper love affair. Even if you the pressure gets too much and you end
personally don't regard it as such you the relationship it could make you
may know that societally some couple something of a heel. This is a difficult
or other are breaking a taboo. The role to play and discussion with your
process of handling this information Host is vital.(5/5)

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The Person/Thing sacrificed - As this Crimes of Love


role in Self-sacrifice For An Ideal with
the obvious extra feature that you have A Lover - This is identical to the
been sacrificed over the other person's situation of "Involuntary Crimes of
emotional incontinence. Feel free to let Love" except that people in these roles
this flavour your portrayal of the are aware of what they are doing. Any
character. (1/5) kind of improper relationship produces
this situation and leads to those
Adultery involved living with a state of secrecy.
See the notes on relationship based
Two Adulterers - See the situation roles at the head of "Murderous
"Murderous Adultery" and remove the Adultery" for clarification. (3/5)
murderous element. (3/5)
The Beloved - Of course given the
A Deceived Spouse - See the situation names of the roles here you might infer
"Murderous Adultery" and remove the that the Beloved is somewhat deceived
murderous element. In this case you as to the nature of the crime and the
might just be dealing with a marriage reason for the secrecy. This means that
failure or the loss of a long term the Lover, in this case, is hiding
partner and be trying to find sensible something about the nature of the
means of occupying your time, relationship from their partner. All
therefore. This role is actually a little previous notes on relationship based
easier to play than when murder is on situations apply. (4/5)
the table but still could really be a
nothingy role unless you are willing to Obstacles To Love
have these personal issues intrude into
the game time. This is an issue that Two Lovers - See my previous
should really be discussed with your comments on romance and the
Host. (3/5) technical problems of same in role
playing.(4/5)

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role is that you must be consumed with


An Obstacle - You cannot play an jealousy. See the role of the betrayed
obstacle without this becoming another but murderous spouse in the situation
situation. (6/5) Murderous Adultery for a summary of
many of the problems with this role.
An Enemy Loved Your preoccupation is likely to
preclude you interacting meaningfully
A Lover - See my notes on love and with the details of your adventure.
also "Obstacles to love" this basically Proceed with caution. (4/5)
forms that situation except there is one
further role. (4/5) An Object of whose Possession He is
Jealous - Complicated description. The
The Beloved Enemy - See my notes on classic template for this is the story of
love and other notes on similar Othello. In that story Othello believed
situations.(4/5) that his wife, Desdemona, was
unfaithful. This thought that
The Hater - You know of two people in Desdemona's heart belonged to a man
love and you believe it to be wrong. named Michael Cassio was what incited
What exactly is your remedy to this the jealousy. So in the story we could
forbidden love? Live and let live cannot talk about this role being played by
be part of your vocabulary here. A Desdemona's affections. This is a role
challenging role but within most where things are likely to escalate
people's grasp. Clarify what your around you without you being able to
character thinks of the situation with do much to stop it. It could be a
your Host. (3/5) character history but I doubt it would
be a situation you could choose to play.
(4/5)
Mistaken Jealousy
A Supposed Accomplice - Michael
A Jealous One - The problem with this Cassio in the example above. The

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person who owns the supposed object A Cause or an Author of the Mistake -
of jealousy. Of course, in Othello, In Othello a villain named Iago
Desdemona loves Othello, not Michael deliberately inflames Othello's jealousy,
Cassio, Cassio is unaware of his seemingly for no more reason than to
supposed possession of Desdemona's have something to do. This nihilistic
affections. Like the role of the object outlook was unusual at the time
above you must be unaware of the Shakespeare wrote his play outlining
growing poison in the jealous one's Othello's story. Nowadays such
heart. Again it could be a past for you behaviour is understood to exist. This is
but you cannot choose to play the role a tricky personal outlook to portray. I
in its entirety in an explicit fashion. would steer clear unless you have a
(4/5) specific and killer idea in which case
talk it though with your Host. (4/5)

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Supplement: The Thirty Six Dramatic


Situations for Hosts

One of the things Role Playing Games Conflict, when you're writing an
have famously generated as pure by- adventure, is that which causes the
product is drama. Yet it is one of the drama that helps the characters to
things many gamers love to experience engage with your story. It is a tricky
and to discuss later. This lead me to the personal dilemma that the characters
question of how to introduce dramatic need to resolve. The story, for all
situation deliberately. I've managed it intents and purposes is about the
with some success and some failure. It's conflict.
all come together in this core book.
Thankfully we have tools to help us
The first thing you're going to want to think of conflicts. The first one I want
tie down as a Host is what is the to introduce was compiled by a French
dramatic situation emerging in your writer called Georges Polti. These are
adventure? Remember a while back in The Thirty Six Dramatic Situations. By
the chapter about “Stats”) we talked playing about with these you should be
about conflict in role playing terms as able to find a resonance with the story
being the gap between a player's desire or setting you want to use. Put various
and their possible skill? player and non player characters in the
roles described in the situations and
Well, now you have your adventure imagine how the story could evolve.
writer's cap on. I want you to reframe.
I've annotated the situations to give

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suggestions and also to point out when The Arc


a situation may be hard to reproduce in
a role playing situation. Polti intended Once you have lone wolfed your
this as a list of plot devices to be used in
players and gathered up notes for their
novels or in a stage play. He lived in a individual story lines you can turn your
miserable time before the invention of attention to the arc for your campaign.
role playing as it is today. You should aim to have one situation
being the crux of all the drama that
It could be you see some of the ones happens in the campaign. You may
I've earmarked with warnings and already know what plot you want but
you're the type of person to strike out that plot may contain potential for
for it in a gung ho manner. Go ahead. being one of three or four situations. If
What occurs to me is that if you made a you tie your arc to one specific
group of people who wanted to situation it could give you ideas about
undertake harsh, cathartic role play the people involved and some NPCs
that would be required to do some of that you can introduce.
these situations justice you would have
made a group that has never existed in The Episodes
role playing before.
You should also have a single situation
Of course there's even a chance that to resolve in each episode of your
some of this could be quite harrowing game. Rough out how each story could
for a player. This is why it is important interplay either with individual
to talk with your players and discuss character's stories (allowing various
their expectations of the coming games. party members to have spotlight) or
You don't want to make the experience with the overall arc. By the time you
uncomfortable any more than you have noted out a six to eight episode
want to make it tedious. "season" you should have between 10 to
15 situations available to play with
during the sessions. It is always better

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to have a story twist and not need it introduce into role play.
than need one and not have it.
Although a player may have a really
If you have noted all this stuff down in clear agenda when approaching a
your plan then you should feel a bit particular role you have to consider
more confident about running your how comfortable you are providing the
campaign. If it seems a bit light, don't other roles for the character to riff
worry, all the stuff you haven't tied against. If you are not confident it
down is opportunity for the players. might be time to renegotiate.

Now let's take a look at your Some of the situations require player
opportunities as a Host for playing with characters, and hence players, to be
the thirty six situations. unaware of the evolving situation. If
you are confident you and the player
The Situations can have a crack at one of these
situations offer the player a choice to
Each situation contains four parts. A have one of the situations laid on them
title. the names of the roles of the out of the clear blue sky, make sure you
people involved in that situation, notes gauge your player's ability well.
which cover the situations suitability
for an arc, and how to help a player There are notes explaining particular
who wants to be involved in that features of each role and whether you
situation. Finally there is a difficulty may need to negotiate "surprises" for
rating for the use of that situation in a the player to implement that situation,
role playing context. or whether a particular role is best
avoided by the player. Reading the
The rating is from one to five with one Player's version of this supplement may
being an excellent situation to involve also be a help.
in role play and five being a very
difficult and complex situation to I - Matters of Law And Negotiation

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Supplication (1/5) Crime Pursued By Vengeance (1/5)

A Persecutor - This is most likely the A Criminal - Be clear on this, this is not
villain of the piece. The persecutor “The Fugitive”, such scenarios are
persecutes the supplicant. Therefore described elsewhere. Here the criminal
probably not a player. Would make a is indeed the guilty party. If a player
good villain though. Bear in mind that wants to assume this role there is every
the supplicant has the power to ask chance that some authority wishes to
authority to intercede to bring an end track them down and bring them to
to the persecution. justice. However the Avenger, need not
be an agent of that authority giving
A Supplicant - This could be a player or ample opportunity for the situation to
someone whom the players should become complex.
choose to help. This person is
persecuted by the persecutor and can An Avenger - The avenger could well
only be released from this situation by be a party member, or a third party
the hand of the power. known to the players. Although the
roles here are clear cut the rights or
A Power in authority, whose decision wrongs of the criminal and avenger
is doubtful - if the power decides to roles may be more complex. In the case
help the supplicant then the of Bruce Wayne wanting to avenge his
persecution may end, if not then the parent's murder at the hands of Joe
supplicant is doomed or must find Chill Bruce Wayne was an avenger and
another authority to petition. It could Joe Chill certainly guilty of the crime
be that after losing a court case the but would that make Wayne's actions
supplicant turns to the players to help right? This is a central question in this
them in less legal ways, perhaps in scenario.
exchange for money.

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Pursuit (1/5) a player or a whole party.

Punishment - Embodied of course by An Adversary who is refusing: The


some sort of suitable authority figure. holder of the object to be obtained. As
Maybe the players are the authority. this is quite a neutral situation either
Maybe the fugitive isn't as guilty as he could be a player with a little tweaking.
appears. As punishment it is incumbent
on the people or person in this role to or
acknowledge the mission that they
have been charged with even if they An Arbitrator: The one who holds the
are choosing to reject it. object to be obtained until the situation
is resolved. Again this could be the
A Fugitive - Of course the players players. The arbitrator is necessarily
could be the ones being hunted for neutral.
whatever reason. Or once more they
could be placed in the position of being Opposing Parties: Both of whom want
outside the situation and deciding how whatever is to be obtained. The players
to weigh in on one side or the other. could be on one side of this equation.
Seeing that many of these situations
have a "victim" and "aggressor" role
introducing the idea of players only
getting half the story is an excellent Self-sacrifice For An Ideal (3/5)
way to generate confusion and
conflicting loyalties. A Hero - For this situation to play out
the hero must actually sacrifice
themselves. This will make it difficult
Obtaining (2/5) to make it a player if the the thing to be
sacrificed is their life, unless the person
A Solicitor: Not in the legal sense. As in taking on the character is aware of the
the sense of one who solicits. Could be situation.

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An Ideal - Which should, really, be plain not as good as you are. If you
virtuous and worthy of sacrifice. (Evil make the rival nice too that's a bonus.
people don't believe in self-sacrifice by The story of the man who tried not to
definition.) It could be, however that whale on his opponent too bad could
the NPC who is the heroic sacrificer even be kind of funny, or kind of
might believe strongly in something tragic...
which the players do not. This could
present a problem if the Hero's An Inferior Rival - Although clearly
continued vitality is a problem of the the obvious way to go on this is to
quest they are engaged in. make the players an inferior rival to
someone who appears to have all the
A Creditor or a Person/Thing sacrificed aces (so to speak) and then have them
- Of course it could be that this is what come up with an endearingly
the players are interested in. For idiosyncratic solution to the scenario.
example if a brilliant physicist has
decided to sacrifice his notes on a The Object of Rivalry - Again
particularly juicy invention for the whenever you consider the prize you
good of humanity, sanity and reality it must make it worthwhile.
may be the players really need the
invention for some task and have to Ambition (3/5)
talk him out of it.
An Ambitious Person - This is a great
Rivalry Of Superior vs. Inferior (2/5) role for a player as is the role of
adversary. It all depends on what the
A Superior Rival - Now although you thing coveted is. If the thing is
may think of hare tortoise here with worthwhile a player can probably get
the players or a sympathetic NPC as behind this. If not then a player can try
tortoise imagine the burden of knowing to dissuade someone from an illusory
that in some contest you're going to desire that will bring them no
have to annihilate someone who's just happiness.

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A Thing Coveted - Could be an object, A Rescuer - Almost certainly the


power, a person. It can either be players, it is bad form to have the
ultimately worth having or an empty rescuer be controlled by the Host as it
prize and this will change the way the smacks of Deus Ex Machina. If the
situation plays out. players rescue themselves then they
can be both unfortunate and rescuer.
An Adversary - See the notes for the
ambitious person. Of course the Daring Enterprise (1/5)
adversary may just want to ruin the
progress of the ambitious one. In which A Bold Leader - In this classic Role
case it is probably not a player or the Playing situation the leader is replaced
party, unless the party are, for example, by the players, or at least by the person
trying to foil the rise to power of a paying them to be the mercenaries.
corrupt and evil politician. There is
some opportunity here but it requires An Object - In many role playing
careful preparation. games money or treasure. Maybe the
chalice is poisoned.
II - Missions and Rescues
An Adversary - Monsters, organised by
Deliverance (1/5) a "boss". This situation forms the basis
for most role playing with other
An Unfortunate - Because the situations being added sparingly for
unfortunate is necessarily in immediate seasoning.
danger from the threatener and hence
in need of rescuing this is not really a Abduction (2/5)
good player role.
An Abductor - Possibly the villain but
A Threatener - The villain who may be possibly a more neutral party who hires
a person or a situation such as a the players to be the guardian of the
disaster. abducted.

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The Abducted - Could be the abducted 4400" which made some great
but could also be one or more of the revelations and was overall a satisfying
players. exploration of the issues surrounding
its central premise. Approach this
A Guardian - Could be a force for the scenario with caution.
players to defeat on a liberation quest,
or it could be the players themselves An Interrogator - Think the murderer.
guarding unusual and possibly illegal The interrogator is an agent of the
cargo. This situation is best suited to enigma so when the enigma is "what
single session play. Missions of a more lies beyond the veil of death" the
general nature can form the basis for a interrogator represents the resistance of
campaign, this would be a very special death to sharing its secrets. In the case
one off or a campaign or season finale. of a murder mystery the murderer may
be a mute interrogator or may be one of
The Enigma (3/5) those murderers who taunts the
detective, like Hannibal Lecter.
A Problem - Think "the identity of x's
murderer". Thinking more broadly A Seeker - Think the detective.
imagine the whole issue of UFOs and
alien abduction. The problem with Recovery Of A Lost One (1/5)
huge life riddles is that, unless you
have something really relevant and A Seeker - This is a classic and well
wise to say they tend to fall apart in the worn Role Playing plot. The players are
last five minutes. Look at the 60s series asked to find person x. There's not even
"The Prisoner" for clues as to just how much I need to say about it, except that
lost and confused this situation can like any easy winner it can be just as
become if you have no really profound easily overused. Try to do something
answers to hand out. For the reverse to else first but if you need it you need it.
see it well handled look at the
American serial of the early 2000s "The The One Found - Just about every

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variation on this is well documented. could be tricky. They may well want to
The most popular of course being the stay out of a family affair. Handle this
unexpected object. You rescued the situation with some care.
princess but the minute you stop in
town on the way back to daddy's house Remembrance of the Victim, a relative
she's out drinking and looking to party. of both - If this is a non player
You rescued the genius but he keep character they can be villain, they can
tinkering with your gear and things be innocent bystander or ignored
you own have strange new rescuer. The point of this role is to
functionality. This is a hilarious way to throw a perspective on the feud.
generate a fun experience for Players Whether it is oil on water or petrol on
but like I say, overuse is no one's a fire is up to you as the Host.
friend.
Enmity Of Kin (2/5)
III - Family Matters
A Malevolent Kinsman - Could be a
Vengeance Taken For Kin Upon Kin problem the players observe or a
(2/5) problem for one of the player's
characters.
Guilty Kinsman - Is this a player?
Vengeance does not presuppose justice. A Hatred or a reciprocally-hating
Maybe one of the players is pursued by Kinsman - This would tend towards a
his kin in error. Maybe the players see non-player character in most games.
this situation played out in an episode
and later discover the injustice.
Rivalry Of Kin (2/5)
An Avenging Kinsman - This too could
be a player. Matters of family feud are The Preferred Kinsman - Any of these
rarely clear cut. As such, embroiling characters could be one of the players.
the players in some family business

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The Rejected Kinsman - See above take place in time travel games.

The Object of Rivalry - See above with Self-sacrifice for Kin (3/5)
the proviso that to be the object of a
rivalry is kind of hard to role play. For A Hero - This is as Self-sacrifice For An
this reason I add a difficulty point to Ideal except it involves family.
the ease of introducing this plot line. If
the two kinsmen are princes, however, A Kinsman - This will be the person
and the object a kingdom, well, then who has demanded, or requires, the
it's an easy situation to exploit. sacrifice. Maybe the players do not
view this sacrifice as a necessity to the
Slaying Of Kin Unrecognised (4/5) level that the kinsmen do.

The Slayer - The problem with this one A Creditor or a Person/Thing sacrificed
is that the pay off is some way down - See the same item in the Self-sacrifice
the line from the event regardless of for an Ideal.
the situation. This story will either play
out in two stages, the slaying and the Necessity Of Sacrificing Loved Ones
discovery, or if it is a situation external (5/5)
to the players, the slaying, the
discovery and then the consequence as A Hero - This is a tough one. You could
the players decide what to do to let the make it particularly tough if the players
kinsman know of his crime. know what's happening and will
intercede (perhaps to save the victim)
An Unrecognised Victim - Obviously, but they know that by doing so they
not a player. Unless you are playing a are somehow dooming the people the
post life game, of course. In which case hero wishes to save. Unless people
you could actually reverse this and properly sign up for this it's probably a
have the victim know who he is but situation to avoid.
not recognise his killer. This can also

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A Beloved Victim - Of course this roles are a matter of perspective.


could be one of the players. Although Although someone may societally be
to play a character who doomed their within this situation in the larger
loved ones to save themselves is quite a context of the game the taboo or
burden. Again this is a special occasions prohibition may seem ridiculous. So a
only kind of situation. guilty one is either actually guilty or
they are guilty by some metric that the
The Necessity for the Sacrifice - This players deem inferior or unsatisfactory.
situation isn't just tough on players. I This makes this role a player and non-
can't, off the top of my head, think of a player inclusive one.
reason for this that compels. Maybe
you have just the thing, in which case Loss Of Loved Ones (2/5)
please send me your notes once you're
done! A Kinsman Slain - Obviously not a
player (unless there is room in your
Discovery Of The Dishonour Of A scenrio for players who are ghosts), and
Loved One (3/5) by now you're probably thinking the
ideal person for this role is a
A Discoverer - This situation forms an sympathetic non-player.
incitement to revenge. As the
discoverer is necessarily at one remove A Kinsman Spectator - Another
from the crime this is a pretty good sympathetic non-player? I can't help,
player role. The problem becomes how however, thinking of Inigo Montoya
to resolve the situation and if one from the Princess Bride who saw his
player is happy to portray the father slain.
discoverer the other players can decide
whether they wish to help or dissuade An Executioner - I can't even
the discoverer from acting. remember what the name of the Count
who murdered Inigo Montoya's dad
The Guilty One - Remember that these was. Similarly I can't remember a lot of

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these people who are nevertheless A Victorious Enemy or a Messenger -


some of the best villains the world of Enemy just means "enemy to the
storytelling has to offer. You want a previously mentioned vanquished
great villain have them off the relative power" neither side in this situation is
of someone close to the players (indeed by default wrong or right. See under
one of the players themselves if back vanquished power for ways players
story permits). could be involved in this situation.

IV - Matters of Conquest Revolt (3/5)

Disaster (2/5) A Tyrant - A villain role, in exceptional


circumstances a player could be the
A Vanquished Power - A good way to tyrant (although of course they were
start a game, if a player or a group of manipulated and misinformed by their
players suffer the disaster and have vast advisors) and could find themselves
powers stripped from them that's a discovering the truth about their
great set up (and somewhat unusual). powerful position as the peasants
They could, of course, be rebels gather at the gate flaming torches in
fighting the victorious enemy, or they hand.
could be part of the enemy forces
trying to establish justice in a land A Conspirator - An agent of revolution,
recently sunk into anarchy. There's plotting in the night. This could be the
going to have to be some serious work players or maybe the players are
done here on atmosphere. The air of tricked into helping someone else's
change an revolution should be rife in revolution by a power hungry
the game scenario. As long as you, as megalomaniac. Revolution is a great
Host, ensure that you can cue players idea for an episode when appropriate
into this atmosphere this is a great and the struggle for power in an
situation to introduce. environment such as the Roman
Empire could make for a great

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campaign. Preparation for this on your V - Matters of Fortune


part will be extensive though a
revolution should be a centre piece not Falling Prey To Cruelty/Misfortune
a throwaway plot. (2/5)

An Unfortunate - Either, again, some


Conflict With A God (2/5) players, a player or a non player
character for the adventurers to
A Mortal - Could be either a player or a become involved with.
non-player. The desired resolution to
this scenario will depend largely on the A Master or a Misfortune - The villain
benevolence of the immortal. If we are or at least some personal catastrophe
talking a maniac trying to vanquish a which must be remedied. It could be a
benevolent immortal then we might slave master or a sick child but the
not look so kindly on them as a demon adventurers have some reason to step
hunter. in and become involved. Think
carefully on how to make this work.
An Immortal - This rather loose
definition of a god nicely contextualises Madness (2/5)
the exact nature of this conflict. It's not
just a matter of a superior opponent, its A Madman - Probably an NPC, mad
a matter of this being a vastly superior player characters throw up this
adversary to the point where the situation constantly but it shouldn't
mortal's victory may even be always be the basis for the adventure.
impossible under all but a rare set of
circumstances. However the situation A Victim - Victims of the insane are
may be reversed if our immortal has not merely murdered, or stolen from,
one fatal flaw which an evil mortal they are confused, bewildered,
seeks to escape to the detriment of all hoodwinked, upset. It's an emotional
those protected by the immortal. subject. Players or Non Players could

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be victims of a madman. It may even be monumentally requiring a second quest


up to the players to come between a to fix the first one. Not saying this is
madman and the vengeful victim. bad but it can be lazy.

Fatal Imprudence (3/5) A Victim of the Mistake: Usually the


party or the party by proxy as a
The Imprudent - For "imprudent" read sympathetic Non Player Character gets
the one who did something that is it in the neck. See the notes under
clearly a bad idea. Of course one who is Mistaken One for further details.
imprudent may be accidentally so.
Thus either the players or a non player A Cause or Author of the Mistake:
can be imprudent. Usually in the situation described
above the mistake has more of an
A Victim or an Object Lost - If the Author than a Cause because the most
players are the imprudent this could beloved twist is to reveal to the party
put the players in a victim's debt. they've been in the employ of the
Otherwise players may or may not villain all along. Again I'm not saying
decide to meddle in such affairs should don't do this, just, it's popular to the
they discover them. point of cliché. Long term role players
even assume that their initial employer
Erroneous Judgement (2/5) may well be the bad guy.

A Mistaken One: This is actually quite The Guilty One: See Author of the
common in role playing as the Mistake. Of course if you make the
mistaken protagonist is a key initial employer good in intention but
ingredient in a lazy plot twist that GMs having been duped by a bigger villain
of yore love. The reason for this is that this does introduce a less well-
you can put in a whole quest carried rehearsed plot in which your former
out under poor judgement that later employer may become beholden to the
turns out to have screwed things up players as subcontractors as he, in turn,

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flees from his former employer. as Host are portraying the remorse
properly then things might go a little
Remorse (4/5) off the rails. This particular situation is
dramatic but it's hard to do properly.
A Culprit: Don't put inexperienced Unless you're absolutely sure of how to
players in this position. Even execute this one I would avoid it.
competent ones have a problem with VI - Matters of Love
being wrong. To a certain extent I can
understand why this might be. Role Murderous Adultery (4/5)
Players of yore have not wanted to
engage in what is, in essence, an Two Adulterers - In the Player's
entertainment with a dash of wish- supplement I mention that games
fulfilment to suddenly discover that involving affairs of the heart have a
even their fantasy creation is in the tendency to get silly even when the
wrong. Maybe it's just a matter of affair is happening between two Non
mental preparation but certainly with Player characters. There are exceptions
new players I wouldn't hit them with to this, police procedural games can
this role up front. easily have cases that revolve around
murderous spouses. As long as the
A Victim or the Sin: Again having a players are sufficiently removed from
culprit relate to their victim thinking about imaginary people
remorsefully is a pretty intense deal, if having nookie the situation is viable.
the experience is to be meaningful. If The chances of a player becoming
the experience is not meaningful then involved in such a situation are slim to
it's hollow. A sin, on the other hand, none.
asks no questions.
A Betrayed Spouse - Likely, as this is
An Interrogator: Although players may "murderous" this will be a non player
relish the idea of becoming the character, unless you can trust a player
punisher of a remorseful culprit if you to play the scenario to the hilt.

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Basically if it is the betrayed spouse crime of love then it will be a tricky


who is to be murdered then they may situation to reveal particularly if the
well have to kill their murderous lover character has some power over
spouse in the fall out. If, on the other them and an uncertain temper. Having
hand it is the betrayed spouse who said that role playing the conversation
becomes murderous that could be a where a player has to say: "Er, you
distinct problem. I would handle this know you're madly in love with your
situation sparingly if you're ever going father after a sex change operation,
to use it at all. don't you?" may be good for laughs but
it's not really in the spirit of a serious
Involuntary Crimes Of Love (5/5) role play. Approach with extreme
caution.
A Lover - See the adultery thing above.
Except there are more situations here,
such as loving someone one should not
for whatever reason. Again affairs of Sacrifice For Passion (5/5)
the heart have not traditionally
translated well into RPGs. Maybe No A Lover - We're back in the same area
Dice will change this, but you need as "murderous adultery" and
extremely good players to role play one "involuntary crimes of passion" here,
of these scenarios. except perhaps on far more obviously
spurious grounds. It is doubtful a player
A Beloved - The improper object of would commit to this from a standing
affection who will likely be unsuitable start unless they were particularly
due to being a relative, or of the same interested in role playing this kind of
sex, or an inanimate object. experience.

A Revealer - If you put the players in An Object of fatal Passion - Note that
the position of knowing that someone Mr. Polti does not assume that the
is about to commit an unknowing object of passion is a person...

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The Person/Thing sacrificed - Self- as to the nature of the crime and the
sacrifice for an Ideal although on more reason for the secrecy. This means that
spurious grounds. the Lover, in this case, is hiding
something about the nature of the
Adultery (5/5) relationship from their partner.

Two Adulterers - You might want to Obstacles To Love (3/5)


see the notes for the "Murderous
Adultery" situation with the murderous Two Lovers - See my previous
proviso taken out. The situation comments on romance and the
remains almost the same but the technical problems of same in role
consequences are less clear cut. playing. Of course a player party may
be persuaded to help the path of true
A Deceived Spouse - See "Murderous love run a little smoother out of their
Adultery" bearing in mind the notes on own sense of benevolence. This gives
the other role in this situation. you some leeway to use this situation
but you must be careful in matters of
Crimes Of Love (4/5) pitch and tone.

A Lover - This is the "Involuntary An Obstacle - Family Feud? Caste


Crimes of Love" situation except the System? Power Politics and Marriages
people in these roles are aware of what of Contract and Convenience? A Fatal
they are doing. Any kind of improper Medical Condition? Characters on the
relationship produces this situation and wrong sides of the divide between two
leads to those involved living with a polar opposites life/death, heaven/hell?
state of secrecy. Be creative.

The Beloved - Of course given the An Enemy Loved (3/5)


names of the roles here you might infer
that the Beloved is somewhat deceived A Lover - See my notes on love and

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♣ Pure Role Playing ♥

also the "Obstacles to Love" situation unfaithful. This thought that


this basically forms that situation Desdemona's heart belonged to a man
except it is more specific and there is named Michael Cassio was what incited
one further role. the jealousy. So in the story we could
talk about this role being played by
The Beloved Enemy - See my notes on Desdemona's affections.
love and other notes on similar
situations. A Supposed Accomplice - Michael
Cassio in the example. The person who
The Hater - The forbidden love here is owns the supposed object of jealousy.
embodied by a character who is likely Of course in Othello Desdemona loves
not a player and probably a villain. Othello, not Michael Cassio, Cassio is
Unless players are really committed to unaware of his supposed possession of
portraying the devil's advocate it's Desdemona's affections.
probably best to avoid the situation.
A Cause or an Author of the Mistake -
Mistaken Jealousy (5/5) In Othello a villain named Iago
deliberately inflames Othello's jealousy
A Jealous One - Most likely a non seemingly for something to do. This
player, jealousy is tough to role play. nihilistic outlook was unusual at the
time Shakespeare wrote his play
An Object of whose Possession He is outlining Othello's story. Nowadays
Jealous - Complicated description. The such behaviour is understood to exist.
classic template for this is the story of This is a tricky situation to
Othello. In that story Othello believed manufacture. I would steer clear unless
that his wife, Desdemona, was you have a specific and killer idea.

♦ 234 ♠
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