Contracts of Kohl/Prisoner: Changeling the Lost

Two new Contract set ideas for Changeling the Lost. The second one I posted a couple of years ago, but I thought worth reposting since it had been lost from our campaign. Both sets have been written using our homebrew rules, but could be easily adapted over to WoD system mechanics.

CONTRACTS OF KOHL

Social, Affinity: Fairest

Kohl is a cultural tradition predominantly found in the Middle East, Africa and South Asian regions—all of these are areas where the heat and sun are constant. The Contracts revolve around protection, status and the eyes. The process of making Kohl is time-intensive, taking the better part of a day, but the result will remain pure and suitable for these Contracts for a full month. All Contracts assume that kohl or some dark kohl-like cosmetic is being applied. All Contracts of Kohl have a dusk/dawn or dawn/dusk duration.

Because Kohl is seen as a form of protection, these contracts are notable for their ease in bestowing upon others and have a secondary effect of communicating regard and the intent to protect to the recipient.

Drink the Sun (•)

This Contract grants protection from penalties to vision from light, flashes or glare. For Darklings upon whom this Contract is bestowed, they may make a Physical pull to resist the effects whereas otherwise they would have no chance of resisting.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Catch: Changeling uses kohl they've made themselves.

The Eloquence of the Eyes (••)

The Contract grants a +1 bump to Expression for any interaction that involves eye contact.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Catch: Recipient gazes at self in mirror for at least three minutes before kohl is applied and then another seven minutes after.

Warding the Evil Eye (•••)

Recipient of the Contract is more likely to escape the notice of those with dark intent. So long as recipient does not act aggressively, issue commands or take possession of any object desired by the one who might do them harm, the recipient will remain low among the priorities or desires of those of unkind intent, appearing inconsequential.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Catch: Put a visible dot of Kohl on the left side of the forehead of the one to be protected—for children, the dot may be hidden by placing it under the right ear or at the nape of the neck.

Cooling the Eyes (••••)

Recipient of the Contract receives a +2 bump to disguise intentions and emotions, appearing calm, collected and thoughtful.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Catch: Eyes are completely ringed by kohl (although skill and care can make this quite subtle on all but the palest of complexions).

Mark of Station (•••••)

Recipient gains an aura of rightful authority and entitlement. Challengers and nay-sayers act at a -2 penalty to call their actions or choices into doubt or to impugn their reputation among any who can see the recipient of this Contract.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Catch: Station marked is in fact possessed by the recipient of the Contract.

CONTRACTS OF THE PRISONER

While all Changelings suffer in their durance at the hands of the True Fae, the nature and representation of that despot's soulscape varies from realm to realm. The Wizened serve have positions and occupations-- professions twisted to serve the ends of their masters. The Fairest often least understand the nature of their imprisonment-- that they live out another's twisted sense of beauty and greatness. Even those who seem to have freedom in Arcadia do not-- their actions instead serve out the whims of the Old Ones. Or at least that suspicion chews at the minds of those Changelings.

Some, however, do serve more classically as prisoners and slaves, most often the Darklings, for whom suffering and isolation has been made an art. The Contracts of the Prisoner represent a minor form of rebellion, but more for the cause of survival. While these Contracts cannot affect the True Fae, they can affect minions set upon the Changelings. It should be noted that they cannot affect the truly souless or fully bestial, as those things possess no conscience for these contracts to reflect upon.

The Prisoner's Sustenance (*): While chained, enslaved or under the enforced orders or onus of another, the Changeling may significantly reduce their need to eat or drink. They require only a crumb of food or a drop of water. This lasts from sunrise to sunset (or vice versa). A Changeling may only activate this contract consecutively a number of times equal to their Wyrd. Overuse and reliance upon it can cause Clarity damage or derangements.

Catch: None-- may only be performed under the above-mentioned circumstances.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Cry for Brethren (**): The Changeling may contact another known Changeling for aid and assistance. This gives the targeted Changeling a visual signal indicating direction, but not distance. This affect cannot reach across from the Hedge to the Real World (and vice versa). It lasts a number of hours equal to the Changeling's Wyrd.

Catch: The targeted Changeling has made a pact to aid the user.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Hide Among the Dead (***): The Changeling may give the appearance of being dead. To all non-invasive techniques they will appear to have died. If the Changeling has been injured, death will seem to have occurred from that wound. If not if will seem to have happened from blunt trauma. While in this state, the Changeling reduces their bodily functions, but will be hungry, thirsty and weak when they awaken. If wounded while in this state, the Changeling will awaken groggy and disoriented. While in the “trace” state, the Changeling has limited perceptions-- as if the character hovering between sleep and waking. The Changeling may choose to awaken at any time-- though groggily-- or the affect ends after a number of hours equal to the Changeling's Wyrd.

Catch: The Changeling lies down among corpses.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Knotted Mercy (****): The Changeling may select a target to bind with themselves. From that point forward, damage done by one of the pair to the other will be echoed on both. This means that if one of the pair does wound levels to the other, both will suffer the same amount of damage. This damage cannot kill. Should one of the pair be killed by other damage, the other will fall unconscious. Damage dealt in this way cannot be soaked by armor or other means. The Changeling who invoked this Contract cannot heal damage dealt to themselves via this affect by means of their own Contracts or abilities-- instead it must either heal naturally or through the intervention of another party.

Catch: The Changeling has kissed the target

Cost: 3 Glamour

The Martyr's Wedding (*****) When a Changeling touches the skin of a target and invokes this contract, both parties die. Targets of significant power or much higher Wyrd may resist this effect. If the target resists the effect, the Changeling who invoked it does not die, but will fall unconscious.

Catch: None

Cost: 4 Glamour (if failed, otherwise, none)

When to Tell

Communication at the game table isn’t easy. Not in the sense of talking over people, or getting your turn- but in the sense of a GM creating a scene and a moment, filled with detail and the players responding to that moment, with their characters, trying to describe their characters actions- at least what they’re doing, maybe what they’re saying and more rarely what their motivation is. Everything at the table comes in pieces- some direct and indirect and each person there forms a very different sense of what’s going on. Games with heavier mechanic negotiate that space in a certain way, concentrating on shared and adjudicated details. But the bottom line is that the nature of the tabletop game does make telling a detailed and coherent story difficult. We manage it, but can we do a better job or it, as players and GMs.

PLAYER TELLS

I’m going to quote at length here for something John Wick says in Blood and Honor:

As gamers, we have a (…)problem. We come up with elaborate and detailed backgrounds. Rich internal landscapes. And then, when we start playing, whole sessions go by without the other players having a single clue.

Characters have secrets. Sure they do. That’s fi ne. But authors use devices to give the audience clues as to why a character responds a certain way. We get to see that rich internal landscape. Even if a reaction is a mystery, we trust that somewhere down the line, the author will let us in on the secret. We’ll eventually understand all those cryptic sighs, mysterious glances and enigmatic gestures.

Eventually.

But in roleplaying games, we keep secrets. We write the Narrator private notes. We take him aside for a whispered meeting. We keep that 24 page background to ourselves. Nobody else gets to see it. It’s ours and ours alone.

The method. Secrecy. Otherwise known as mental masturbation.

You are, quite literally, playing with yourself.

Nobody else is invited. Nobody else gets to know about your character’s past. That lost lover. That blood feud with your father. That secret conversation you had with your mother. Your childhood rivalry with your sister. Your hidden marriage. That secret you’ve kept for twenty years and never told a soul.

All that rich background you’re selfishly keeping to yourself that no other player will ever know. It’s yours and yours alone. And you’re the only one who will ever enjoy it.

So- yes. All that cool stuff you’re keeping secret or hidden about your character. The other players won’t really care, won’t really be able to pay off of unless you give some of that away. You can afford to be meta- and out of character- perhaps ask the GM to play out a brief scene at the table to reveal that to the other players. But it might even be better if you told the other PCs. Players (and GMs at the table can only really play to what they know). That’s one of my favorite bits in the rules for Microscope. At the Scene level, you go down to the smallest details and play out characters briefly. When you take up a character and do something, you have to make your purposes and motivations explicit- you must give the other players something to play off of. Graham Walmsley talks about this even more in Play Unsafe.

But it isn’t just about secrets, plots and vulnerabilities. I think players should take a moment every few sessions to make an explicit statement their character’s motivations and ideas. Not necessarily as a direct statement, but as a meta-statement or an internal dialogue. The other players need to know where you’re coming from. Why is your character playing so shy when dealing with these NPCs or why does she seem so angry when talking to this particular NPC? Unless you as a player make those things clear, explicate motivation, they the players only have the action to work with- and may assume it is a player-based reaction, rather than character. And the GM may not know either, and has a legitimate right to provide you options and choices based on that. I’ve had a number of times where I’ve had PC that I thought “Wow…that’s an interesting choice, having a character who could easily go over to evil,” when in fact that’s not how the player thought they were presenting themselves.

At risk of repeating an example I’ve used with this several times before- I played the least powered character in a Buffy-esque game. We had a Vampire, a Voodoo Priestess, and a pseudo-Slayer. I could essentially pick locks. I really enjoyed being able to play that Xander role- of feeling like the weak link in the group. I loved the idea of him struggling, but keeping up the fight. However, to other players, when my character complained, or bitched about this, they thought that I, the player, was upset about the power imbalance. I hadn’t made that clear. When I realized that they’d read my play for months and months as being really dickish- as a player, I was incredibly embarrassed. I left the game- it had been my fault and I managed to shoot and enjoyable character in the foot because I hadn’t been clearer with the other players about where I was coming from.

CAVEAT: On the other hand, that kind of explanation does not serve as an excuse. Some people who seem to think that having a reason for doing something is the same that that reason being valid- it isn’t. There’ a certain tension between “I was just playing my character” and getting along with the rest of the table. And I’m not talking about the most dickish end of the spectrum on that- but day to day play. Even if you make it clear your character’s a mopey, Emo wretch, you still have to consider how that plays with the group.

GM TELLS

When I plot, I tend to plot in arcs. I imagine what the goal is and how it will play out if left to its own devices. In other words, if the players do nothing then this plot will succeed with a 100% rating. Everything the baddie intended will occurred. I begin from that perfect state- then when players do things, they chip away at that. They reduce its efficacy, they force resources to go other places, they make the bad guy react to them. I don’t usually think too hard about the process of how the players are going to win: they’re smart enough to figure that out. Thinking too much about solutions ahead of time can make me decide on “right” choices. In other words “they have to do it X way.” That’s for big arcs. For little things- I usually throw things out there- situations and look forward to seeing how the players change or affect them. I try not to have too much in my head about that.

But one problem can be that I have too many plots, people and threads out there at the table. Especially in campaigns which have lasted for years, the players may feel overwhelmed. Some stuff will obviously get dropped- forgotten. Recently I’ve been trying a kind of Getting Things Done approach to game brainstorming (since I plot loosely). In a couple of games, I’ve made lists of outstanding plots. Then, if I’m going to introduce something at the table, it has to relate directly or tangentially to one of those plots.

I sometimes put plots out there, usually in the background, but then I slow players down when they work on them. This is a bad practice- my bad practice. In my head I imagine that the plot needs time to brew, to build up dramatic tension. Or perhaps other pieces haven’t fallen into place. Or perhaps in my head I haven’t quite assembled exactly how I want it to look. I don’t want to get to that yet because it will be better if I have some more time- to develop tension, to keep the players from getting too far ahead, to figure out what would be perfect…

No.

Make the jump. Yes you can put things off a little to build some tension. But events, details, and threads which the GM doesn’t actually bring to the table: they’re worthless. They don’t do anything sitting in the your head as GM. Put them out there. Worse, they can build up frustration- especially if when you finally do get around to putting them out there, the players feel like the effort they made earlier trying to pull on those threads isn’t validated. I have an NPC who has been missing in the Changeling campaign for some time. I’ve distracted the players from it a couple of times, but I suddenly realized that it isn’t nearly as interesting or cool for them as the story I’ve been self-spinning.

CAVEAT: Players can reasonably get frustrated when they’ve investigated, been shut down and then the thing they’ve investigated pops up as a threat, as if they hadn’t taken steps. However, I’ve had a cases where a plot thread has been hanging out there, like the Sword of Damocles, with an obvious clock ticking on it. And the players have avoided it- some because they felt it wasn’t their place, and others just really goofily. They’d approach working on the idea and then not. Those latter players lose their right to complain when that plot comes to fruition if they haven’t taken any steps to deal with it.

Contracts of Uniform: Changeling the Lost

I thought I'd showcase one of the Contract sets we wrote up and use for the Changeling the Lost campaign. This one focuses on the idea of the Changeling putting on a role. The mechanics below are from the homebrew system we're using to play Changeling, but I'm sure those could be easily adapted to the originally nWoD mechanics.

Contracts of Uniform

Social; Affinity: Wizened

A uniform is the oldest of mundane transformations; it remains among the most powerful, instantly communicating role, affiliation, skills, responsibilities, and entitlements to those of even passing familiarity with the costume. The Wizened possess a particular affinity to these Contracts, having given over their selves to role and duty in order to survive their durance. The catches are very duty-driven and structured by the nature of Uniform itself (which takes itself very seriously). While the Contracts can be used for masquerading, they are generally more useful for improving performance over the long haul for those uniformed as a given profession or affiliation.

Note that Uniform is stodgy--it is slow to accept elements as uniform for professions or roles that are individualistic in nature. Those attempting to use the uniform of an Artist, for example, need to either acquire a signature piece of clothing from an established artist or to establish themselves over a number of years in order to use their own "look" as uniform. Similarly, Junior League or other social groups that are identified more by a shared socio-economic status and uniform adoption of certain fashions can be infiltrated by the Contracts, but typically require acquiring something from an established member and paying the greater Glamour costs for a period until the Changeling has established themselves as a member.

Unlike many other Contracts, the default length of a Contract of Uniform may be either dawn/dusk, dusk/dawn or a given shift if the Uniform is related to a profession.

Wear it Well (•) (role)

The given uniform fits perfectly, as if tailored for the Changeling spending the glamour. Alternately this contract may be invoked to make the uniform appear spotless and in good repair. Both uses may be applied to the uniform, but the Catch will only negate the Glamour cost for one use in a given dusk/dawn or shift cycle. A Changeling whose Durance has transformed their mien to a uniform never pay Glamour for this Contract.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Catch: The uniform has been assigned to the Changeling as part of their duties.

Uniformity (••) (affiliation)

The most powerful quality of any uniform is that it identifies the wearer as a member of a designated group. This contract smooths over any problems with the Changeling's individuality, giving them the ability to understand and speak the jargon (not the language--if the group is speaking a different language, the Changeling will need more help than this contract) of the group and extending an aura of familiarity between group and the Changeling. If Changeling's mask differs well outside norm of group, cost is double in order to alter Changeling's appearance to eliminate differences in expectations: gender, gradations or types of beauty (or lack thereof), relative appearance of fitness, youth, age, ethnicity, etc. Double the cost again if the group is not one that wears at least some standard variations of a uniform--a name badge, corporate logo casualwear or a letter jacket do qualify as uniform--everyone dressed in Abercrombie & Fitch does NOT.

Cost: 1 Glamour (x2 for alterations to appearance) (x2 for non-uniformed group)

Catch: This is the first time interacting with the group for the Changeling--and the group DOES wear a uniform.

Complete the Look (•••) (responsibilities)

With only a piece of a given uniform--hat, shoes, shirt, badge--the Changeling can choose to appear as if dressed in the complete uniform. Double costs if uniform comes with standard issue equipment like gun or tool belt with tools and Changeling expects them to be usable rather than just ornamental. Changeling must have seen complete uniform at some point.

Cost: 2 Glamour (x2 for functional conjurations)

Catch: Changeling is inserting themself into a dangerous or hectic situation in order to quell panic or restore order.

This Means Something (••••) (skills)

For Changelings who have made the Contracts of Uniforms, nothing is more valuable than experience in carrying off the effect. Both the Changeling's experience with the duties associated with the uniform and the experience of a previous wearer of some piece of the uniform determine the strength of the effects of this Contract. For this reason, old uniform pieces once worn by veterans of any given group are extremely valuable to the Changeling who wishes to possess an expertise beyond their own experience. However, a Changeling who invests any amount of time in a role can use this contract to quickly become impeccable in representing the role of the uniform.

Essentially, every 7 years of experience (sum of the Changeling's and that of the veteran who once wore some part of the uniform) translate to

...minimum: Knowledge: (role, affiliation, skills, responsibilities, and entitlements)

...minimum (1): 1 associated Skill that the Changeling does not currently possess (chosen)

...minimum (+1 bump): Advantage: Intuition-- (gives bumps on deciding which course of action to take next)

Hence a Changeling who has never worked as a security guard but who puts on badge once owned by a twenty-five year veteran of the profession will have Knowledge: Security Guard, 3 skills to call upon that they did not otherwise have and a +3 to make the correct decision on how to proceed as a Security Guard. This is typically sufficient for faking it. (The first use of that Intuition: Security Guard should probably be employed on deciding which 3 skills are going to help you most...)

A Changeling who is wearing their own uniform is always getting an additional effect to add to their own experience--and has the given bumps on making decisions and additional skills beyond those they've already mastered. Experience with similar duties can carry over (i.e. experience as a Nurse will partially add to the sum if the Changeling takes to masquerading as a Doctor).

A Changeling may also use this contract to determine the value (for the purposes of this contract) of any number of uniform elements they can touch within a dawn/dusk or dusk/dawn cycle. The Glamour expenditure for this use may never be by discounted by a Catch.

Cost: 3 Glamour

Catch: Changeling is wearing complete uniform, has used at least one other Contract of Uniforms at full Glamour cost within the last 12 hours and has not worn any other uniform than this one within those 12 hours--alternately, the Changeling's mien is the Uniform being enhanced.

The Uniform Makes the Man (•••••) (entitlements)

Uniform does not give it's gifts away easily. Only the most advanced Contract automatically confers the full trust and and access to entitlements appropriate to the Uniform. The Changeling becomes that which she wears—it is extremely difficult to convince anyone otherwise, especially because people tend to react to the sense of familiarity as "I've seen this here before--I know it.". Identification and security issues are very likely to be put aside. Changeling has full access to whatever areas, information or gatherings that the most trusted of the group are allowed, provided that access is controlled by people--electronics are a good deal less impressed. However, it is fairly easy to get someone to bypass those measures for you, since you are clearly supposed to be there.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Catch: Changeling is gaining revenge on or tricking those who wear the same Uniform but have not paid proper respect to the duties and responsibilities of the Uniform

Five Mookish Thoughts

Get Them!
This week I’m crushing some Mooks, Minions, Henchmen, Flunkies, Toadies, Extras and the like underfoot. In this, I’ll be pointing to a geeklist on RPG Geek by inestimable Aramis, bringing together all of the various RPGs which provide a special mechanic for mooks.

Mooks in the Rules

It is interesting to trace the evolution of those mechanics from some simple rules to a kind of key concept in many games. In our group we’ve become so adjusted that one of the first questions in a fight is which are mooks and which are named bad guys. It isn’t that the players ignore the mooks, but that some build their characters to be able to clear house on them and plan accordingly.

So in accordance with prophecy, I bring you five thoughts inspired by the idea of Mooks. Just as Mooks serve as abridged adversaries, I will attempt to be brief...

Every few sessions a GM ought to look back and consider how the game is actually played at the table. What gets left out? What gets avoided? What gets changed significantly? Certainly with our own homebrew, I’ve tried to assess those elements. I have to ask myself several questions when I hit dropped parts: who is forgetting them? what, if anything, has moved in to take the place of those rules? would the game play be improved significantly if I moved to bring those back up front?

I suspect Mook rules, as formally written, probably arose out of that kind of reflection. A GM finally said "You know what, I keep hand waving these little things aside, we could figure out a better and more consistent way to handle them." If you’re playing from rules you wrote, then that ought to be a sign for changes. If you’re playing from existing rules, you can talk about that with the group. You may be able to clear that from your mental inventory and not worry about it. On the other hand, you might find that someone’s built their character on that ignored element- so perhaps it ought to be brought back or the play could be given a chance to respec.

I played in from the White Box 1970’s version of D&D. We didn’t have mooks, but I remember skeletons and kobolds serving that role in early D&D. Mostly in the games which only loosely adhered to the rules- we we’re kids after all. I do recall that giant rats, though, could never be considered nuisance creatures. Those things were dynamite. I think that’s why you start out fighting them in various MMORPGs- a measure of revenge against how nasty they could be at the tabletop. Legendarily I recall hearing that killing a Kobold was seven-years bad luck, but we suspected that was Koboldish propaganda.

If you’ve played a lot of games with mooks (or some synonym) then moving to a game without the them can be quite a shift. GMs can play off of that to provide a narrative contrast. Consider games which want to have a dangerous and risky feel to them. Anyone with a gun ought to be a significant threat. Everyone can take a few shots or else everyone can be killed with a single blow. Rolemaster had a little of that but tied up In crazy randomness and over the top weird. I remember the first time I played the video game Bushido Blade. I’d never been great at fighting games, but I liked them. I could hold my own for at least a little while. Then I played that and "snick"...cut down like bamboo. Again another tangent, but related. In Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain, Paul Newman’s character struggles with an enemy agent. At this scene goes on and on- it takes forever for Newman to kill and it is brutal. Not gory, but just awful and visceral. Just as that’s Torn Curtain offers a contrast with Hitchcock’s other films with easy, "clean' deaths (like the scissors from Dial M for Murder), games without Mooks can contrast those with them.

4. One reversal of the Mook process is to have the players as the Mooks. Hence the premise of my own rpg, Witless Minion! (available for download here). There’s a certain goofy pleasure to have the PCs playing the background characters, the Redshirts or Stormtroopers of a setting. Of course, the PCs know what’s coming so they’d be in full survival and protection mode. The question is how to make the PCs actually have some powers. Witless Minion and Mouse Guard both do it with the idea having to take alternate routes to reduce the powers, efficacy and abilities of really significant opponents. Badgers can really kill mice, so they have to be smarter than the badgers, have to use other resources available. GMs could also borrow a page from White Wolf’s Orpheus and Hunter: The Vigil. In the former, the PCs have moderate mystical abilities, none of which is particularly potent. However, they can combine those abilities with fellow PCs with different powers. This creates really powerful effects. I like the idea of the underdogs having to overcome through teamwork. Likewise, Hunter IIRC has team "powers" which can be bought and trained.

The other thing to consider about this reversal. Technically any Call of Cthulhu game is like this. When it comes to the Old Ones, or even the Not So Old Ones, any PC looks like a Mook.

I recall when I first explicitly said I was going to use a version of Mook rules in our GURPS campaign. Basically, players would always do double damage to a mook. That changed the play at the table and allowed me to throw many adversaries at the group. But most importantly, players ended up with a feeling of satisfaction. They were able to clear out several opponents in the course of a fight. If one took longer, that one felt more significant. I think, honestly, that’s the best reason to use and apply these kinds of rules- to give everyone at the table in a combat a chance to show off, to clear swathes, to be able to pull a dead model off the table.

Cascade Failure: RPGs I Like

What Is It?
A far-future post-apocalypse interstellar sci-fi game.

Introduction
I've entered a lot of items into the RPG Geek database. I have a fondness for that kind of crunchy, mindless work as a break between tasks. One of the things I do is cruise through the various new rpgs offerings on RPGNOW. If I haven't heard of something, I follow it back. Sometimes I find and can put in obscure stuff in. Sometimes it is amzing- that’s how I stumbled on the stuff from Flying Mice Games like On Her Majesty's Arcane Service and In Harm's Way. Sometimes, however, it can be depressing. When you find a product which the author seems to have taken no care with. And I don’t mean illustrations- those can be hard to find and some people have done much layout, so I have some forgiveness on that score. But when I read something that has a blurb that gives the reader no idea what it is, when I look at the introduction and there’s even less of it and the whole thing reads like someone output the contents of the 7th Grade game notes...I have to wonder if they’ve ever actually looked at a game. Thankfully those moments are the rare extreme...and sometimes the absolute opposite happens.

Dark Horse Game Design
I was going through group image moderation process (geekmod) on RPG Geek, when I spotted a set of covers pass through a few weeks back. I hadn’t seen them before and the covers looked intriguing. One of them, Statecraft, seemed like it might fit into my list on games covering communities and societies. So I looked at the entry and tracked it back to this website. I figured I’d find a preview and perhaps, if it looked good, I’d order a copy. Then I realized that the author had put the whole of that game in a beta version up for free on his site. And not just that one, but several others. And what he calls beta, I’d call amazingly high quality production.

Greg Christopher’s games are currently available as free pdfs. Now in your head you might be going- "oh, they’re free pdfs." Let me make this clear- they are brilliant pieces, better looking than a lot, if not most of the small-press for profit rpg publishers you can find on pdf sales sites. And I don’t mean that as a knock against them, but rather a statement about the high quality of this. In the case of Cascade failure, we have a 88 page (landscape, two page columns)full-color and heavily illustrated piece. The layout’s excellent and the artwork is dynamite. Christopher’s commissioned work from artists- it is some of my favorite sci-fi art. If I have any real criticism on this front, it is that the game is generally well written and a good, sure-handed editor could take it up to the next level. Though you wouldn't know it from my writing, I've worked as an editor. I found myself hitting a few places where I thought "this could be even better if....". That being said, the writing's in most places well above other products of its kind I have seen.

Premise
Cascade Failure presents a stand-alone and complete rpg. The premise is a future interstellar society hs been rocked by a massive war. Though brief, that war killed off great numbers and more importantly destroyed a great deal of the societal infrastructure. That destruction has a ripple effect- the cascade failure of the title. Transport and communication broke down, trade and commerce halted and societies who had been absolutely dependent on resources from those systems collapsed as well, setting off further chains. In the end 95% of all humans and 60+% of alien species die in the fallout from the great War. Planetary societies decay and revert or die out.

The game takes up in the far aftermath of those events. Few remain who remember the actual events of those days. Some planets and systems have managed to rebuild slightly, or have sustained themselves at a considerably lower level. Now some have begun to travel out into the "wilderness" of space. They might be explorers, they might be searching for something their people needs to survive or they might have other reasons. The PCs take up those roles. It is a classic motif- with the group heading out into the dangerous and untamed lands. In some ways, it feels like a mash-up of all the classic old-school games. Imagine throwing D&D, Boot Hill, Gamma World and Star Frontiers together. It’s a pitchable setting and a compelling idea with a lot of room for the GM to build to their ideas.

Disclaimer
I generally pick up rpg materials to look at what I can borrow adventure, hook, character, setting and story-wise. I look at the mechanics to see if they have interesting ideas to borrow for our homebrews or if they’re novel enough for an experimental play (Dread, Time & Temp and Fiasco all fall in this category). I just want that up front before I run through the mechanics presented here.

The Game Itself
Cascade Failure offers a complete rpg system. It feels very Old-School to me- interesting details, complete resolution that doesn’t shout about being complete, lines and paths for the PCs which remain open enough that the players can pin an interesting story on their concept. The game makes of point of defining proactive responses (governed by attributes and skills) and reactive responses (governed by saving throws) for player choices.

After the three pages of setting and system set-up, the game moves into Character Creation (opening with a nice, clean checklist). Characters have the classic six attributes (Str, Dex, etc) rolled using a 3d6 method with options for too low total rolls. Players assign those rolls. Players then choose a species from the six possible (including human). Each has certain advantages and limits (such as an EXP penalty). These are nicely defined on a page each with superb illustrations. Next players choose a class from the eight possible (Empath, Solider, Outlaw, etc). These provide Hit Dice, Class Skills, Saves, Money, Special Abilities and so on. As with the species, Christopher does a nice top presenting them and making them equally attractive. After figuring out the effects of class choices, players choose ambitions- an interesting detail, but without a mechanical function. On the other hand, players also assign points to "impulses" which do have some mechanics behind them. Players split seven points among Consensus, Adherence, and Efficiency. The GM may then use those as a bonus or penalty during play when the situation reflects that morality. It isn’t a "compel" system but does offer some legislated morality to the game. The player gets to choose, however. It reminds me of the Virtues systems from Exalted, Pendragon and Ars Magica, but handled in an even more efficient and streamlined way. Character creation finishes with other details (armor class, HP, exp and levels and so on). This whole section takes up a little under thirty pages.

Weapons and Armor come next, ten pages with a variety of PC-classic items. The equipment is presented generically which makes sense given the size of the setting universe. The Life Among the Ruins section which follows goes over the basic mechanics of the game: movement, survival, encumbrance, etc. having that come first in the section does send a message about the kind of survival action the game wants to play out. Standard combat gets two pages of rules. That’s a refreshing change of pace from other games. An eight-page section covering Technology follows, which looks at the main technologies of the ruined setting and the complexity of them. Vehicles ride up next- treated in a more descriptive rather than highly detailed approach over eight pages. Given that vehicle building and the like usually turns me off, I appreciated this. The rules provide vehicle combat mechanics, but I suspect gamers who like crunch will want to bolt on some additional systems to this.

The rules move to more background in an eight-page section suggesting optional "factions" for the GM. These are groups with various differing agendas operating in the Cascade Failure universe. We end with a seven page section of lightly described psychic "gifts." The finish is a nicely laid out two-page character sheet.

Overall
I think there are three ways to look at this:

1. If you’re looking for setting material and ideas, this is useful. There’s enough here that you could easily run a campaign with these rules or elsewhere. It isn’t fully fleshed out, but I think that’s a real strength. Christopher doesn’t close anything off. Instead he manages to capture the excitement of the OSR products by providing a cool premise and the tools to play in that. And I say that even though I’m not an OSR guy- I haven’t gone back to play those, but this work does push me to start thinking about that.

2. If you’re looking for a sci-fi ruleset you can pick up and play based on having played other rpgs, then it’s a good choice. It has an interesting spin on sci-fi. It is a minimal system, with enough detail to satisfy, but also requiring the GM to do some figuring out and adjudicating. Again, this is a reading review, but I’d be interested to see how if plays at the table.

3. As an example of how to do game layout and design- it is pretty fabulous. Any amateur game designer ought to consider this an example of what to strive for, on many levels.

I really suggest everyone go and take a look at this game, and his other ones. Christopher's doing amazing work. Amazing.

Portability
The basic concept of the setting is a good one- and actually takes away some of the issues I have with Empire-spanning sci-fi games. I like the idea of such a game being survival and "wilderness" oriented. I think the setting concepts here, light as they are on mechanics could be used elsewhere.

The Last Fleet: Exodus (Session One)

I've worked on and thought about this campaign for the last several weeks and we finally had session one. You cna find the lead up entries for this under the keyword "Last Fleet." PC names are in bold the first time they appear, NPCs in bold and italics. Ship names are in italics. I'm just going to apologize in advance for the tense shifts.

SESSION ONE
I’d laid set up the basic premise of the story over the past couple of weeks for the players- but written large, and now we came to the details of the thing. The people’s had been scattered by the Landfall. They stood now in the final days, on what ships they could find, pursued by the forces of Lord Sunforge. Among those scattered ships and peoples, rumors emerged of a way to go beyond the Stormwall, and so some flew desperately to a rendezvous, through dangerous and turbulent skies to the end of the world.

The camera pans in from among the constant thunderheads and clouds which roil from the stormwall. Waves of rain and the crackly of thunder, bolts of lightning illuminating the scene. We draw closer in on a dot, which resolves itself into a floating fortress. This was once a beacon post for the dwarves who surveyed the Stormwall. A flying longboat has pulled up to the dock of this ancient and decayed tower. In the rain and storm a party of Namir, cat-people, pour out and disperse along the walkways and stairs. They are led by Lira Moondawning. Their task is to pack magicite into the fortress- to create a magical bomb which might be used to slow Sunforge’s forces should they approach. Lira deals with the Arcanist Rodol Faithjester, who is to her eye perhaps a little rougher with the dangerous elements than she would like. Lira heads to the top of the tower as preparations are being made. As she watches, she makes out shapes approaching in the clouds. She has to decide- rush to prepare the explosion or hold off and perhaps lose the chance. She decides to wait- a lucky decision as it turns out- she see the last group of White Elf Wyvern Riders flying at top speed to return to the fleet- but they are pursued.

We switch to the Empath Whet Bloodlaced, clutching a package to himself, pushing his mount for greater speed. Only a few riders remain and the two White Elf warships which accompanied his mission fell days ago- he watched as his fellows tumbled into the sky but could do nothing. Sunforge’s forces have been doggedly pursuing them- Whet would turn around now, try to claim vengeance for his fallen father, but he has a more important mission. He holds the Twilight Key- an artifact of sufficient magic to power the device to allow the Fleet to escape. He must deliver that key to the grand Battleship, The Daughter of Woes. Behind him he hears the cries of the elemental hounds. Then Whet sees his two cousins, those who raised him since he was born without a twin. Flying beside him, they look at one another and then peel backwards, a sacrifice to buy him more time. Their mental death cries echo in his head, distracting him. The wildly flying mass of stone debris catches him and his mount and suddenly Whet finds himself falling into the storm, his Wyvern thrown. He cries out in desperation and his mount makes a desperate dive to catch him. Wounded and dazed, Whet presses on. However his course proves to be inauspicious, leading the pursing elementals straight into the Lunar Elven Ship, The Blooded Moon. Whet tries to close his mind from the screams as Lord Sunforge’s hunters tear the ship open behind him- he must deliver the key.

Aboard the Horn of Wrath, the secondary flagship, the elder goblin Dweena Squint awaits. In charge of supply and delivery, she’s assigned to lookout for the Twilight Key’s arrival. Then she see the Lunar Elf ship catch fire and tear apart- the enemy has arrived. In the flashes of lightning and battle she catches a glimpse of a Wyvern rider. Dweena activates her Sky-Squid and leaps out into the air currents. She weaves in between fleet vessels- panic has set in. They’re caught between Lord Sunforge’s forces and the Stormwall. Dweena finds the injured elf rider, bloodied and red, and catches the key from him before the crashes back to his own ship exhausted. Dweena delivers the key to the Daughter of Woes, but catches sight of a new problem. A rescue ark has arrived, rising up out of the clouds from below. The overfilled ship blazes with flames and shows damage. Dweena’s forced to make a quick decision- she can order the Goblin ship to pull back to maintain its safety, or she can order rescue parties to head down at great risk. She gives the order for a rescue. She sees several of her sons head down on long ships to save who they can.

Meanwhile, Chain Firespinner and his brethren take to their flying mounts- intending to head out to relieve the Lunar Elf vessel. However, by the time they get there, they find that ship in pieces and another set upon- a human vessel of the Relmarek nation, The Billowing Storm. It has intercepted in a desperate attempt to hold the elemental hunters at bay. Suddenly, Chain spots the burning rescue ark and realizes that it is not one, but two arks, tied together. He, his father and the others turn their attention that way. They fly down and work their fire magics, trying to control the flames. Unfortunately, they cannot save both ships- and one ark tears apart, even as the refugees attempt to leap to the other vessel. The goblin rescue parties find themselves caught in the explosions. Chain sees valuable supplies falling from the hold, but opts to rescue more people and allows them to fall. Then the elemental hunters reach their position.

On board the Battleship, Master of the Hunt Marreg Warmane waits for the arrival of the key. His job is simple- carry it to the Admiral, August Winterborn, to activate the passage through the Stormwall. Beside him is the ship’s second in command, Captain Aughra Bronze. She gives the order for the blowing of the Namir-set charges as the body of Lord Sunforge’s force finally breaks through the clouds. The explosion rocks the fleet. Marreg knows this is only a delay and rushes through the hallways of the ship, heading for the bridge. He forces himself through personnel when he spots a flash of light and the appearance of some of Sunforge’s elite killers- including the elemental called Sunforge’s Daughter. He pauses for a moment and presses on- knowing that the key must be delivered. On the bridge, Marreg hands the key to Admiral Winterborn who instructs his men to activate the passage. They do and suddenly a tunnel appears in the Stormwall- like the eye of a hurricane. But this is not a calm opening, but rather a sudden pulling and everyone and everything is drawn into the swirl of the maelstrom. But the device on the Daughter of Woes holds part of the great vessel in place, while the other half tears way, destroying the Flagship of the refugee fleet. Winterborn orders Marreg to grab Captain Bronze and take an escape boat to the Horn of Wrath. Marreg leaps out an observation window with his reluctant rescue-ee and lands sixty feet below on an escape launch.

Everyone and everything is thrown through the passage and then suddenly, silence and stillness.

The fleet finds itself outside the Stormwall. They’re in a strange "In-Between" bathed in orange light. They see the sphere of their own separate section of the broken wall- in the far distance they can see another blue storm sphere.

The fleet ties itself together and the characters come to terms with the events- the loss of so many ships, including the key flagship. Marreg, on board the bridge of the Horn of Wrath sees Captain Bronze arguing command with the Wrath’s Captain, Elding Greybattle. Marreg intercedes, seeing that Greybattle has lost an arm in the escape. Marreg meets the Orc Physiker Isnala Rainmouse who thanks him for his efforts. Meanwhile on the Namir ship, Lira Moondawning reports in. The Namir leader, Syleng Wyrmbreaker, nods as she speaks. He tells her that she will have to secretly make an assessment of the numbers on board each of the remaining nine vessels of the fleet. Any Namir should be called back to The Silent Vanguard. He also wishes to know relative populations as information for any coming negotiations.

On board the Scalebound ship, Chain returns to report. Many were rescued, but many were lost. His own father fell in the battle. Chain is commended by his master, the seniormost Scaleborn, Anrec Hailslayer, who tells Chain that he will have an honored place among the officers of the new fleet. Likewise, a bloodied Whet Bloodlace, stumbles to report in to his senior, Tytessa Chillstealer. Her mood is somber as she asks for details of the battle from his view. She orders him down to the infirmary, and for the first time Whet notes the extent of his injuries. Heading down he notes how many of those aboard the sole surviving White Elf vessel are civilians- most of the warriors having perished in obtaining the Twilight Key.

Finally, we cut to Dweena Squint sitting down at the great table with her family. No one speaks, noting the empty places. Dweena says nothing but stands up and clears away the silver and plate for her late sons. That moment honored, everyone settles in to eat. They’re interrupted by a delegation from the ship’s council. The Consortium of Nocturne ship they’re aboard, The Unbowed Forge, has lost its Captain in the crossing. Luckily they have an experience pirate captain in the brig- they’ve decided to offer her the job. Dweena makes sure that this pirate will actually fit the hat, and then agrees.

A few days later, a meeting is called, with representatives from across all of the ships. The players meet several of them, including the strange diplomat from the Rescue Ark, The Heart’s Refuge, Irisy Tearbrewer. Whet gets a bad impression from him. After some closed-door negotiating, it is settled that Elding Greybattle will act as Admiral for the fleet, and Captain Bronze will act as his second. The various offices of the fleet are assigned. Whet Bloodlace agrees to form up the Watch for the ship- in charge of handling civil and criminal affairs, investigation and enforcement among the 10,000+ people scatted across the fleet. Chain Fire Spinner will head up the Vigil, those who keep a lookout and Lira Moondawning will serve as the Chief Scout. Marreg and Dweena will continue in their positions, as the Masters of Hunt and Supplies, respectively. The PCs will also serve as the "away team" for checking out any new territories or strange events. Some of them will also serve as magical navigation beacons. They are ‘twinless’- with twins having been born in these other parts of the world. It is hoped that by following those links, the Fleet might find a new home.

GM Notes
I’ll be brief, since I’ve already written too much above. This was a first session- which meant that it was important to establish tone and come out of the gate big and widescreen. I wanted big explosions, big death, great tragedy, great sacrifice and so on. We had some final character polishing off and mechanics stuff to go over, but when I finally started, I tried to keep things rushing forward without a pause. I handled each player individually in an extended scene at the start for a couple of reasons. One, I wanted to put them definitively in the limelight, with a chance to show off their skills. Two, I wanted to build up the bigger picture of what was going on in pieces. Three, while I enjoy the introduction and meeting scenes between players, I worried they’d slow the action down. They would have a chance for that after the escape.

It went- to my mind- really well. I’d say most of that came from players who bit and bit hard on their scenes and played them 110%. They were unselfish and generous in play- paying attention to others’ moments as much as their own. It is a great crew that really showed emotion when Chain’s father vanished, Dweena’s sons’ died and the various vessels died with the last of their peoples. I had stressed as the game started that everything they had ever know- every place, every path, every sight of their homeland was now destroyed. They felt that and grappled with it. In the aftermath of the escape, the players took their duties seriously- seeing the physical difficulties of the fleet as well as the potential cultural and social strife.

As a side note, four of the five players came up with compound names, which meant that when I put together my big random NPC name list, I made sure about 60% of the last names followed that convention.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what these players do next.