After listening to I Podcast Magic Missile play 1 session of SCUP, I am giddy to see this thing hit Kickstarter, or…

After listening to I Podcast Magic Missile play 1 session of SCUP, I am giddy to see this thing hit Kickstarter, or…

After listening to I Podcast Magic Missile play 1 session of SCUP, I am giddy to see this thing hit Kickstarter, or however I can get my hands on it.

SCUP Playtest Session 2:

SCUP Playtest Session 2:

SCUP Playtest Session 2:

We started with Duke Calder holding court.  The Duke was uninterested in most of the proceedings, trusting it to Councillor Abes, his Master of Laws.

One supplicant was Sir “Iron” Bandha, captain of the Lower Watch.  He wanted more men and better equipment to defend the Lower City and find the killers who attacked one of his patrols.  Duke Calder refused his request (“I will consult with my treasurer.”).  Dame Yessta offered the assistance of the Wall Watch, to which Bandha gave her a look of scorn.

The Duke gave Yessta a task: go to the city of Torrent, and escort Terrence Torrent to Stormwrack.  Terrence Torrent is an old man, younger brother to the even older Lord Torrent, and a luminary of the Arcanum Phlegum.

The Duke dismissed his court, except his wards, Sasha and Helena.  (The Old One stayed, because he/she/it’s the Old One).  The Duke inquired about his son, and then broke the news to Sasha and Helena: they are to be wed: Sasha to Terrence Torrent, and Helena to Tobias Entworth.

Sasha went to check in on Fione, the Duke’s heir, and found that he was still dying, and not like to last the night.  Since he was running a sharp fever, she sent for a tub of water.  Helena tried to Read Sasha, so the guards came back with the tub at exactly the wrong time and saw how badly Fione was- it’s no longer a secret that he is dying.

The Duke and the Old One were summoned, and much gnashing of teeth was had by the Duke but he agreed that his son needed to be saved by “any means necessary.”  Sasha sent the Old One to get a Sacrifice for her Blood for Blood move.  (I gave her a custom move that would let her tend to an NPC)

The Old One went to his catacombs and used Dreams Of Unknown Kadath to gaze into the Unspeakable Power and determine what must be done to see Fione become King of the Realm.  He saw that Fione must live to marry Princess Lyne, and to do that, he saw Sasha at an altar of blood, surrounded by corpses… and then he saw himself at the same altar, the corpses of Sasha and Helena dead by his hand.

The Old One determined that Sasha’s ritual needed a worthy sacrifice, so he set out a needlessly complex plan, that involved using his mastery of illusions to appear as Squire Tobias.  But he botched the roll…

Making preparations for their journey, Yessta is with Squire Tobias, congratulating him on his nuptials, when all the color leeches out of him, rendering him black and white and grey.  “Where did all the colors go,” asks the Squire.  Yessta decides the boy should stay behind and sleep it off.

Meanwhile a giant torrent of color comes bursting out of the Old One’s summoning circle, corroding everything it touches.  The Old One Rends Reality to escape, ending up in the King’s Castle.

Meanwhile, Helena decides the Old One has taken too long, and goes to fetch a prisoner from the dungeons to be the sacrifice.  She tells the Duke, and he’s not at all happy about it, but gives her leave to proceed.

Sacrifice ready, Sasha prepares a mystic surgery, transferring blood and organs from the prisoner to Fione.  She makes her roll… and fails.  The procedure looks like a success!

Helena is helping Sasha clean up the awful mess, and checks on Fionne.  He is warm, but there’s no pulse.  She slaps him… and he wakes up.  And he’s hungry.  It’s obvious to Sasha that he’s not quite dead, but not really alive either.

Helena leaves to dispose of the body.  Sasha panicks and leaves, locking Fione in her infirmary.

The Old One shows up at the King’s Castle and soon learns that Princess Rhala is missing, and the King is sending out scouting parties.  Princess Lyne’s quarters are under heavy guard.  The Old One corners a serving girl and gives her a secret message to send to the princess… and fails the Manipulate roll.  A squad of guards shows up soon to arrest him.  The Old One uses Tear Reality to escape… to the Infirmary.

Sasha comes clean to the Duke that something terrible has happened, (still covered in blood and gore during the conversation) and only her intended, Terrence Torrent will know how to solve it.  She cleans up and goes to Dame Yessta, asking to leave tonight.

Yessta knows the roads are not safe even during the best of times, so she decides to have a small militia go ahead with Lady Sasha, with the rest of her militia come up as planned.

A failed Act Under Duress to make good time at night leads them (almost) into an ambush by highway men.  Yessta’s tactical instincts let her get a good read on the situation, and she dispatches her men well, dispersing the highwaymen.  One of her men is injured, and she sends him to a farmhouse to rest.  The rest of the group presses on.

The Old One finds Fione, trying to eat whatever he can that’s left of the sacrifice.  He’s so hungry.  The Old One casts an Illusion on Fione so he looks like his old self (not cut open and gangrenous and covered in blood and gore), and lets him into the Pantry.  Helena sees most of this and is determined that it is wrong.

The Old One wants to find Yessta to have her keep an eye on Fione, but she’s not around, so he finds the Castellan, Ser Jace.  Ser Jace informs the Old One that this is all the fault of the Old One for bringing sorcery into this household, and if he gets any proof of the Old One’s involvement he’ll have his head.

Making a couple of cheat sheets for SCUP that have information not already on the handouts.

Making a couple of cheat sheets for SCUP that have information not already on the handouts.

Making a couple of cheat sheets for SCUP that have information not already on the handouts.

First one is some player side moves that didn’t make it onto the moves sheet that we found we wanted in play.

(For purposes of summarizing, I somewhat streamlined the Patron move.)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cf9Mc1kz6HQiJZelou5JyheMtGRslc0zcflETHzC82k/edit?usp=sharing

For our final little preview of The Sword, The Crown, and the Unspeakable Power (SCUP) this week, I’m going to talk…

For our final little preview of The Sword, The Crown, and the Unspeakable Power (SCUP) this week, I’m going to talk…

For our final little preview of The Sword, The Crown, and the Unspeakable Power (SCUP) this week, I’m going to talk about NEW CHAPTER MOVES.

So Tom and I asked ourselves out loud, at one point, “how could we emulate something like the Red Wedding in SCUP?” When you think of political fantasy, you think of reversals, misfortune, death, and despair. No one is safe for too long, and it’s always a moving equilibrium.

So what we came up with is NEW CHAPTER MOVES. After either some downtime where you don’t play for a little bit or a significant in-game passage of time (your call), you MUST make some changes. Either you retire your character, let them become an NPC, change them to a new character class, or (and this is what we really want you to do!) you take one of the New Chapter Moves to hurry things along. 

What are the New Chapter Moves? I’m glad you asked. Here’s an example of one:

The Swing of The Pendulum

Whenever your character experiences even a single moment of joy, tranquility, security, pride, or peace, make a mark. When you reach 3 marks, roll 2d6.

-On a miss, nothing happens. Erase the marks and start over.

-On a hit (7-9 or 10+), you die horribly as it all comes crashing down around you, enveloped in a void so dark it’s as if the night sky itself fell to the earth and covered up all you have ever known in a shroud of burning ashes. You and the MC will work out how. Create a new character.

Ouch. Here’s another:

Reap What You Sow

Every time you hurt someone, physically, socially, or emotionally, make a mark. When you reach 3 marks, roll 2d6.

-On a miss, nothing happens. Erase the marks and start over.

-On a hit, you face the harvest. Those you love will suffer and die, undeservedly. Those you trust will be cut down like so much wheat or betray you. As you have sowed pain, now you shall reap blood. Erase the marks and start over.

Double ouch. And finally, one more we’ll share:

Let the Right One In

Every time you perform some more than trivial act using the Unspeakable Power, especially something epic and/or bloody, make a mark. When you hit three marks, roll 2d6.

-On a miss, nothing happens, Erase the marks and start over.

-On a hit, you and the MC together will choose one of the following: (1) The doors of reality crack and something horrible comes through, most likely devouring you in the process. The MC will create a new Threat based on what slipped through. Create a new character. (2) Something comes through and burns the essence of you away. You’re gone, but there is a new tenant in the building. Your character is now an NPC that LOOKS like you but decidedly is NOT you. Create a new character. (3) Something beautiful and terrible draws you into a world far away. Describe it, in all its indescribable grandeur. Retire your character (to safety?). Create a new character.

You get the idea? We don’t MAKE you take these moves if you want to ensure that your character keeps living on and on into old age,, but we strongly encourage it. These moves are there to give your game a big push in the second chapter, creating new things to worry about or big, dramatic events that change the nature of your world. So even though you don’t have to take one, if you’re the right kind of person to play SCUP, we imagine that you’ll see one of these moves and say “ooooh, yes. I want THAT horrible thing to happen in our game!” 

Soon, we’ll reveal a little bit more about the character classes we’ve created for SCUP. Thanks for reading these previews this week!

Yet more Sword/Crown/Unspeakable Power info. Today, I’m going to talk about the Unspeakable Power itself.

Yet more Sword/Crown/Unspeakable Power info. Today, I’m going to talk about the Unspeakable Power itself.

Yet more Sword/Crown/Unspeakable Power info. Today, I’m going to talk about the Unspeakable Power itself. 

Tom and I were really into the idea that magic, in SCUP, should be a trade-off. Sure, it gives you power, but at what cost? As such, the Unspeakable Power, that is, the source of all magic in the world, is never just “there.” The Unspeakable Power is CONSCIOUS. It has needs, wants, desires, and goals. It most likely has a personality. For example, in IPMM’s excellent AP of SCUP, Dana (the MC) chose to represent the Unspeakable Power as a sort of dark mirror, doing an impression of each character whenever they spoke with it (you kind of have to hear it to believe it- it’s both hilarious and terrifying!). In one game we played, the Unspeakable Power was bioluminescent plants that were slowly encroaching on the town, with every intent to fully absorb it and everyone in it. Whatever you decide it is in your game, it has agency. It will give you power, but it might also take something from you in exchange.

As such, people can ask questions of the Unspeakable Power. If they’ve got a little training or intuition in it, they can even use it to change the world in tangible ways. However, when you use the Unspeakable Power, it takes an interest in you. We have given the MC specific Threats they can use with the Unspeakable Power, for example. When the MC creates a Threat to the characters using the Unspeakable Power, they pick from a list of instincts that the power has to drive it in play. These include “It will become addicted to pain and suffering” and “It will give with one hand and take with the other.” We specifically invite the MC to create Powers if there is a magic user at the table.

Additionally, the MC has a specific list of MC moves for when a players misses a roll involving the Unspeakable Power. We didn’t want there to be just any old consequences for THAT kind of failure. As such, the MC may pick from moves such as “Give them what they THINK they want” and “Make a demand of them, set a price on failure” when someone misses a roll while attempting to use the Unspeakable Power. Remember: it has needs, wants, desires, goals, and a consciousness. It might not like you meddling with it…

Tomorrow, I’ll talk about something we’re really excited about: the NEW SEASON Rules. 

Hey all! More The Sword, The Crown, and The Unspeakable Power (SCUP) previewing. Once again, feel free to share.

Hey all! More The Sword, The Crown, and The Unspeakable Power (SCUP) previewing. Once again, feel free to share.

Hey all! More The Sword, The Crown, and The Unspeakable Power (SCUP) previewing. Once again, feel free to share.

Something that Tom and I wanted to do to push the status and social capital elements of politics. We have a handful of ways for doing so that I’ll discuss here. 

First off, characters can have PATRONS. In other words, you can work directly for someone else. This can be another PC, or it can be an NPC that holds dominion over you somehow. When you have a Patron, you roll at the beginning of each session to see how your relationship with your Patron is doing. If they’re happy with you, you get a little coin in your pocket and all is well. If they’re displeased with you, however, they may call on you to fulfill your duties to them at some point during the session. If you refuse, it could hurt, or even break, your relationship with them.

Second, characters have PULL with each other. PULL is a mechanical gauge of social capital. You gain Pull on other characters by doing things for them, no strings attached.

“So good to see you, Pax. If I remember correctly, you wanted to know the name of that cook who’s been spreading rumors about you, right? Well I looked into it and his name is Zadkat, and he likes to spend his coin at that brothel down by the market. Of course! Happy to help! What are friends for, eh?” 

As you can guess, “no strings attached” isn’t how SCUP actually works. No strings attached just means they owe you, they just don’t know it yet! So when you do something nice for someone, you get Pull on them, representing their debt to you. You spend that Pull to cash in your social capital with them. That big, bad brute that you have Pull with? Are they about to put their sword through someone you need alive, at least a little bit longer? Perhaps spend that Pull to make them think twice about it. Do you want something of theirs that they don’t seem terribly willing to part with? Perhaps spend that Pull to remind them that they owe you. Status runs on the subtleties of social capital, and no one does anything for anyone for free when everyone is looking to climb the ladder. Pull is the mechanical gauge of how the webs of social capital, who owes who, effectively, crisscross through your game.

Finally, to give the MC a way to make social status come alive in SCUP, we have provided the MC with different lists of moves for low-status characters vs. high-status characters. Why? Because the perils of being privileged and oppressed are quite different, and we wanted oppositional moves that reflected the very different realities of those at the top of the pyramid and those at the bottom. 

For example, MC moves for elite status characters include things like “compel them to fulfill their duties” and “hint at vast conspiracies against them.” When you are at the top, you are always aware of what you stand to lose, the pressure of maintaining your status, and all those people below you smiling to your face but sharpening their knives when you turn you back.

For common status characters, it’s a very different set of problems, including “crush them with debt to those who have everything” and “put them in their place with degradation or humiliation.” When you are common, the boot of power presses down on your throat, robbing you of  your money, your power, and your pride. It’s enough to make someone go a little crazy, huh? 

Tomorrow, I’ll talk a little bit about how magic works in SCUP. 

Hey all!

Hey all!

Hey all! More information about The Sword, The Crown, and The Unspeakable Power (SCUP) coming your way! Once again, this is shareable.

So SCUP is trying to emulate dark, political fantasy. Think Game of Thrones, or the First Law series by Joe Abercrombie. As such, Tom and I thought it was important that it was a HIGH INFORMATION GAME. In other words, players have a LOT of ways to get information on each other and the world. We also thought it was important that the world had a lot of interesting places and people in it, the kind of places and people that bring a dark fantasy world to life.

Towards this end, as you finish up character creation, you collectively, as a group, create PLACES and FACTIONS for each character at the table. Your Place is where your character feels most comfortable and at home. Where you belong, so to speak. We encourage players to not go for the obvious choice. Sure you can say the Queen’s Place is her castle, but wouldn’t it be more interesting if her Place was actually the forest beyond the town’s wall where she meets her forbidden lover each full moon, or perhaps the rowdy, local pub she hangs out in incognito on those cherished occasions when she’s able to slip out of the throne room? 

Your Faction, on the other hand, are the people who you relate to. They’re your tribe, your clique, your crew, your clan, your peeps. It can be as narrow as “those who sit on the royal council” or as broad as “the starving artists of the city.” When you are among your people, you feel at home. You may or may not be a “leader” among them, or even recognized by them, but you get them. You move among them with ease. You know the lingo, you fit in, you blend. They’re your Faction.

Once again, this is created as a group. You get final say on where your Place and who your Faction is, but you don’t get FIRST say. Other players get to make suggestions before you do. Why? Because we want to leave some room both for collective buy-in to the world and the characters as well as room for you to be surprised by your own character. Sometimes, in play tests, someone has had an idea of who their character is and when the player next to them says “perhaps your people aren’t the noble folks in the community, but are actually the local musicians because art and dancing are so important to you,” it shifts their understanding of their character in really cool ways. Once again, you get FINAL say on your character, so no one can tell you what to do, we just want to leave the space for you to be surprised.

So what does having a Place and Faction do for you? Well, first off, it fleshes out your character a little bit. It also gives the MC something to play with, telling them who lives here and where those people hang out, helping to map out and populate your world. Beyond giving some color and shape to your character and world, however, there are direct mechanical benefits. When you are in your Place or among your Faction, you can use moves that allow you to hear rumors of interest to you, gain information on people you might want to know about, or get a bonus to trying to figure things about the world out or manipulate other characters. Once again: we are trying to create a HIGH INFORMATION game, which means it should be easy for you to learn about the world, learn about other characters, and find out things of interest to you. We want to give you all the tools you need to know who to trust, who to double cross, and who to take care of… permanently. That’s why we’ve given these mechanical benefits to Factions and Places: so you not only have some extra color for your world, but also some extra ways to find out everyone’s dirty little secrets in it! 

Tomorrow, we’ll talk a little bit about another tool for how to make the social system of your world work: Pull.

Hey everyone!

Hey everyone!

Hey everyone! As promised, each day this week I’ll be talking a little bit about something that Tom and I are excited about in The Sword, The Crown, and the Unspeakable Power (SCUP). Today, I’m going to talk a little bit about our Mythology Creation system. Also: feel free to share this post if you know folks you think might be interested.

A fantasy world is nothing without a good mythos to it, right? So Tom and I wanted to make sure that the players at the table had some collective buy-in to a cool, evocative mythology that would serve as the backbone to their world. When you sit down to play SCUP, one of the first things you do is, as a play-group, build a mythos for your setting to give it some flavor. To do this, you go through the following steps: 

First, you select several names for the key characters in your mythology from a long list of different kinds of fantasy names.

After that, you select several plot elements from a list. Examples are “Balance is restored when a brave leader vanquishes an enemy” and “Two lovers cannot be together without first confronting an obstacle.” 

When you have selected your plot elements, you reach the most fun part, picking some bits of evocative imagery to drive your imagination. Examples include things like “A cracked and charred battlefield, where tattered flags fly over a sea of corpses,” “A woman, clad in the stars themselves, riding a great winged beast, her eyes fierce as fire and her hair dark as onyx,” and “A thief, standing upon the gallows, is revealed to be the long-lost, beloved princess, thought dead by her usurper uncle.”

Once you have your names, plot points, and evocative imagery, your group has a discussion about how to weave all these elements together. Perhaps you selected the name “Viv” and decide that Viv is the thief on the gallows in the final example in the previous paragraph. Perhaps her lover, who you give them name Taya, cannot be with her until Viv has reclaimed her rightful place on the throne from her usurper uncle, who you call Pembrooke. Perhaps Taya is the woman clad in the stars themselves: a powerful sorceress fated long ago to marry whomever sits on the throne at the next blood moon. Does Viv succeed in reclaiming the throne from her uncle so that she and Taya can. at long last, be together? Or does your story end in tragedy, with Viv hanged and Taya forever pining for her as she rides her great beast through the night sky?

Once you have written your mythology, you ask yourself what this tells you about your world. What sorts of virtues are celebrated? Honor? Love? Loyalty? What does this tell us about magic and the supernatural? Is magic common and benign, or obscure and feared? What does this tell us about geography, or social status? Through creating the mythology of your world with this exercise, you color in the various corners of your setting. What does it feel like, what do people believe, what are its aesthetics, and what is its history? This gives all the players a foundation with which to build their characters and the various systems of your shared world. We’ve had a lot of fun in play tests with world creation, and had people come up with some truly awesome mythologies. 

Tomorrow we’ll talk a little bit more about what’s going on in world creation for SCUP. 

Figured it’d be worth resharing these drawings with the community.

Figured it’d be worth resharing these drawings with the community.

Figured it’d be worth resharing these drawings with the community.

I wonder why I’m so interested in Time Cellist. I have no real connection with Dr. Who, the Goonies, or Yo-Yo Ma.

I guess it just sparks something in me.