in a wicked age rpg

7/30/2019 In A Wicked Age RPG

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In a Wicked Age...


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In a wicked age...

...A company of desert horsemen, hiding a womanamongst them...

...A wandering spirit, visible at will, an inflamer of

human passions......The marriage of a regions most beautiful girl,necessarily virgin and without blemish, to the deadstone effigy of a harvest god...

...A wandering exorcist, severe, who accepts nopayment for his services but who lusts after carnalcongress...


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ContentsInvitation ... 2The first time ... 3

Consulting the Oracle ... 3Choosing characters ... 3Creating character, NPC & particular strength

sheets ... 4Naming your characters best interests ... 6

A chapter ... 9Bringing life to this wicked age & playing your

character ... 9Playing with scenes & with details ... 10Playing with conict ... 11Playing with dice ... 12

Dice, action & consequences ... 13One-on-one ... 13Negotiating consequences ... 18e owe list ... 19Particular strengths ... 20Two-on-one & beyond ... 21

From one chapter to the next ... 25At the end of one chapter ... 25Beginning the next ... 25And starting with chapter 3 ... 25

When your character comes back ... 26More signicant particular strengths ... 26

Names ... 27The Four Oracles ... 28

Blood & Sex ... 28God-kings of War ... 30e Unquiet Past ... 32

A Nest of Vipers ... 34Notes & thanks ... 36

Invitationwhat: In a Wicked Agewho: You and three or four of your smartest,

boldest, most creative, and hottest friendswhere: In your living room, or around your

dining room table

when: Once a week or twice a month, forseveral weeks or a few months

bring: Mixed dicee Four OraclesA deck of cards (with the jokers out)Copies of the sheetsPencilsSnacks: tea, wine, nuts, chocolates, fruit

For dice, youll need a few of every size (excepttwenties). Be sure you have sixes withnumbers and sixes with pips, both, too.

For sheets, youll need a story sheet, a charactersheet for each player, a handful of NPCsheets, a few particular strength sheets, andan owe list. e rst time, just write we oweat the top of a blank sheet; after that, keep the

same owe list going.

In a Wicked AgeWritten & illustrated by D. Vincent Baker, 2007.A lumpley game (www.lumpley.com).Printed at Collective Copies, Amherst MA.is is the rst edition, rst printing.

Join the conversation at the lumpley games forum atthe Forge: www.indie-rpgs.com.


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Consulting the oracleSomeone choose an oracle. Your choices are Blood& Sex, God-kings of War, the Unquiet Past, anda Nest of Vipers. It doesnt matter who chooses.

Someone shue the deck and deal four cardswhere everyone can see.

Someone go to the oracle and read out its entriesfor your four cards.

Suppose for example that you chose Blood &Sex, and you dealt the king of diamonds, the 10 ofspades, the 10 of clubs, and the 9 of hearts. atsthe desert horsemen hiding the woman, the spiritof passion, the marriage of the girl to the stoneegy, and the exorcist, severe.

One of you needs to be the GM. GM, dontchoose, deal or read have your friends do those.You write. Copy the entries onto your story sheet.

All together, read the entries out into a list ofcharacters. (You write, and lead the reading.)Read the explicit characters, and read the impliedcharacters too, and decide as you go and by yourgut what counts as a character.

Choosing charactersEveryone chooses one character from the list,except you the GM. You get the rest. Since youhave the list in your hands, read out the charactersand the elements whenever someone asks. It doesntmatter who chooses rst and who chooses second,and Im certain that if any two of your friends cometo a dispute youll be able to help them resolve it.

As a group you can expand and contract the listas you go, at need. e demons, for instance, existjust now in a kind of limbo maybe they ll existand maybe they wont, depending on who choosesto play them or who doesnt. Its the same withindividual horsemen and individual people of the

region if a player thinks of a young man of theregion whos in love with the beautiful girl, for

The first time

instance, or the chief horsemans right hand man,then there they are. Also, the woman the horsemenare hiding might be, in fact, the beautiful girl, andthats the choice of whatever player chooses her.

Lets suppose for our example that the playerschoose for their characters the chieftain of thedesert horsemen; the regions most beautiful girl,whom the horsemen are hiding; a boy from theregion who is in love with her; and the exorcist,severe and lustful. is leaves for NPCs thewandering spirit, the harvest god and his priestor priestess, and whatever horsemen, people of theregion, and demons the GM likes.

Elements: a company of desert horsemen,hiding a woman amongst them; a wanderingspirit, visible at will, an inamer of humanpassions; the marriage of the regions most

beautiful girl, necessari ly virgin and withoutblemish, to the dead stone egy of a harvestgod; and a wandering exorcist, severe, whoaccepts no payment for his services but wholusts after carnal congress.

Characters: the chief of the horsemen, anyindividual one of the horsemen, the womantheyre hiding; the wandering spirit; the

beautiful girl, the priest or priestess of theharvest gods cult, the harvest god himself(oh yes, in this wicked age even the godsarent o-limits), any individual personof the region; the exorcist, and are theredemons, or is the inamer of passionsdemon enough?


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Creating a new character sheetIn any order:

Give your character a name. Make one up or chooseone; Ive included lists of names with the oracles.

Copy your characters description straight from theGMs story sheet.

For now, leave the space for your characters bestinterests empty.

Choose whether your characters going to have aparticular strength. If she is, choose and list it now.Choose one that already exists or name a new one youll get to create it in just a minute.

Assign one die each to the six forms. e forms arecovertly, directly, for myself, for others, with love,with violence (and thanks to Tony Dowler). Assigna d12, a d10, a d8, a d6, a d6, and a d4. e higher thedie, the more successful your character will be whenshe acts accordingly.

Heres an example of a character sheet:

Amek, the chieftain of the desert horsemenCovertly d8

Directly d10For myself d4For others d6With love d6With violence d12No particular strengthNo best interests yet.

Heres another example:

Bolu Ta, the exorcist, severe but lustfulCovertly d6Directly d12For myself d10For others d8With love d4With violence d6Particular strength: exorcism

No best interests yet.

Creating a new NPC sheetIn any order:Give the character a name.Copy the characters description from the story sheet.Assign two dice each to the three NPC forms: action,

maneuvering, self-protection. Assign d12 d8 to oneform, d10 d6 to another, and d6 d4 to the third. ehigher the dice, the more successful the NPC will be

when she acts accordingly.Choose whether the characters going to have a

particular strength. If she is, choose and list it now.Make your NPCs quickly! You have to get themall done by the time the players have made theircharacters. Dont deliberate, go. e obvious thing isthe best thing.

Have more NPC sheets at hand than you have

NPCs. If a character comes up in play whom youhavent predicted, you can create a sheet for her thenand there.

Heres an example of an NPC sheet:

Shahu Seen, the wandering spirit, inamer ofpassions.Action d12 d8Maneuvering d10 d6Self-protection d6 d4Particular strength: the power to iname

passionsNo best interests yet.

Heres another example:

Ba Il Shar, the high priest of the harvest god.Action d6 d4Maneuvering d12 d8Self-protection d10 d6No particular strength

No best interests yet.

While the players are creating their character and strength sheets, GM, youhave to create sheets for your characters too. (Its an artifact of history thatin these games the GMs characters are called NPCs. Its s similar artifactthat calls you the GM, the game master, even though that title makes nosense for this game at al l.)


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Wait here until everyones made all their character sheets and particularstrength sheets (for those who do). If youre nished early and waiting,maybe its time to pour the wine?

Whichever couple of your friends nish making their character sheets rst,have them create particular strength sheets.

Particular strengths are unusual skills, magical arts, innate powers, allies,and treasures that characters can have. As you play youll create a variety of

particular strengths for your various characters. Some of them will take onmuch signicance, and some of them will be just things in the game.

In any order:

Give the strength a name.Describe the strength. You may be able to copy its

description straight from the GMs story sheet.Describe the strength s special eects: what it requires,

and how it appears in action.Choose a form (the forms are covertly, directly,

for myself, for others, with love, and withviolence). To use the strength, your character hasto act accordingly. Choose an NPC form too (theNPC forms are action, maneuvering, and self-

protection).Signicance is the measure of the strengths power in

the story. All new strengths have signicance 1.Signicance 1 means, choose one of these options

(youll nd them as checkboxes on your strengthsheet):

Its potent. Its die is a d10. If you dont choose thisoption, its die is a d8.

Its broad. Add a second form: if your character actsin either way, she can use the strength. Dont add asecond NPC form.

Its consequential. List a form of your choice, andan NPC form of your choice. When your characteruses the strength, shes threatening her enemy in thatform, above and beyond.

Its unique. If the strength is written on one

characters sheet, it cant be written on any other.Its far-reaching. Your character can use the strength

to act beyond her normal human reach.In the abstract, particular strengths are, yes, prettyabstract. Look at my examples, but the best way to seehow they work is to create a few of your own.

Heres an example of a particular strength:Exorcism, the holy ceremonies that expel

demons and protect people and places

from themIt requires you to call upon certain warrior

gods and recite their holy names anddeeds. Its not dramatic; no ashy eects.

It has to be used for others. For NPCs, itsgood for self-protection.

Signicance 1: its far-reaching. You canuse it to do battle with demons and other

unseen, obscure, spiritual enemies.Its die is a d8.Heres another example:e power to iname passions, such as a

wandering spirit might possess.Whisper in someones ear and fan their

passions into ame.It has to be used covertly. For NPCs, its

good in action.Signicance 1: its consequential. Itthreatens for others; for NPCs itthreatens self-protection.

Its die is a d8.

Creating a new particular strength sheet


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For playersIn order to make your character a recurringprotagonist of the story, you have to have her go

into conict against other characters where theyare strong. You have to challenge her.

Accordingly, when youre naming her bestinterests, look at the other characters and guesswhere theyre going to be strong. Cast yourcharacters best interests against them there.

You can cast your characters best interests againstyour fellow players characters, or against the GMscharacters, freely, without any distinction betweenthe two.

Your character needs two best interests. Youdont have to name them at the same time, but youdo have to name two before you can play. You canname three if you must, but two is best.

Your characters best interests dont even have

to be mutually compatible. Since their value is inthe conicts they create for her, you dont have toworry about whether theyre even achievable, letalone achievable together.

On the other hand, there arent any rules thatwill tell you that something cool isnt achievable.Its in the beautiful girls best interests to becomepregnant by the harvest god, for instance, or its

in the exorcists best interest to bind and command,not exorcise, the wandering spirit can a harvestgods stone egy make girls pregnant? Can anexorcist bind and command spirits? In this wickedage, no one can say that they cant.

For GMsYour characters cant ever become recurringprotagonists, so you dont have to cast their best

interests against anyones strengths. You can and should! ruthlessly threaten the playerscharacters, where theyre weakest.

Its ne to occasionally cast one of your NPCsagainst another, but it doesnt do anything for thegame. If you nd that youre naming NPCs in yourNPCs best interests, STOP. Go back and do over.

Look for hooks and curves. If on paper a playerscharacter and an NPC are all ies, think exibly andnd a best interest that threatens or undercutstheir alliance. Its in the horsemans best intereststo prevent his nieces marriage. Its what?

Youll take the lead by naming best intereststhat are direct threats to the players characters.If youve led strong, look for the players to reactto your attacks, then pass new attacks on to eachother.

Jump in with your NPCs best interestsopportunistically, whenever you can add threats,complications, or the potential for violence, orwhenever two players characters are starting tolook too cozy together. If you look for the angles,the leverage you can use to wedge them apart, youllnd it.

Naming your characters best interestsGM, you start. Start with one of your strongest NPCs, and name two best interests forher. Each should represent a direct attack on at least one players character.

From there, you and all the players take turns, unti l every players character has at leasttwo best interests named and every NPC has at least one (and many have two). Justjump around the circle, with you as GM taking a turn whenever you like.


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Going into this, you wont have much or any backstory. ats ne; dont plan orspeculate. Instead, watch the backstory emerge. Let the characters best interestsshow you whats been going on between them up to now. Why are the horsemenhiding the beautiful girl, for instance? And this includes also any events speciedby the oracle. e marriage of the beautiful girl to the stone egy: has it alreadyhappened, or is it still to be seen? We wont know until someone names a bestinterest that answers it.

If someone names a best interest for her character and you cant see it immediately,you may, if you need to, ask why. Why is that in her best interests? Dont make thisa challenge, though; if she answers you its to help you understand, not because shemust or because she has to win your assent to what shes said. If she shrugs and says,well nd out I guess, you have to content yourself with that. No discussing, nocontradicting, no second-guessing.

At the end, you should have a situation not easily untangled and about to turnreally bad. Some of the characters will be able to achieve their interests, concievably,but only by ghting and meaning it, and only by taking other characters bestinterests away. Dedicated rivals, aggressive enemies, and alliances fragile at best.

Its time to start the game.

Here are our example characters, ready to go.

Ill list them in the order that we named them, so you can see how best interestsdevelop. eyre nice and tangled:

Shahu Seen, the wandering spirit, inamer of passions, an NPC: its in its bestinterests for the beautiful girl to be no virgin for her marriage to the harvest god,and to murder or arrange the murder of the exorcist.

Tajie, the regions most beautiful girl, hidden amongst the desert horsemen, aplayers character: its in her best interests to become pregnant by the harvest god(and not by any other!). Its also in her best interests to stay hidden, especiallyfrom the boy who loves her, until she reaches the shrine and is married. (Aha,theres our answer.)

Mekha, the young man in love with Tajie, a players character: its in his bestinterests to prevent Tajies marriage to the god, and to marry her himself.

Fa Il Shar, the priest of the harvest gods cult, an NPC: its in his best interests tomarry Tajie to the gods egy, and to make a fool of the exorcist.

Bolu Ta, the exorcist, severe but lustful, a players character: its in his best intereststo cast down the harvest gods cult and put his own gods cult in its place, and to

bind and command, not exorcise, Shahu Seen. (And sleep with Tajie, of course,his player says. To accomplish the rst or as a result of the second, it doesntmatter to me!)

Amek, the chieftain of the desert horsemen, a players character: its in his bestinterests to deliver Tajie safely to her marriage to the harvest god, and to seduceand take Mekha as a lover. (Really? says Mekhas player, and really, saysAmeks.)

Esan, Ameks right-hand-man and Tajies uncle, an NPC: its in his best interests to

see Tajie married to a man, not to a dead stone.


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In this wicked age, a company of desert horsemen cross their barren domain andcome down to the city on the ood plain. ey have with them, hidden amongstthem, dressed scandalously in trousers and mans coat, a beautiful girl, virgin andunblemished, pledged anc to the dead stone egy of their cults harvest god.But as they go, another traveler meets them, a stern man in the severe plain robeof an exorcist...

A chapter

Playing your character

Play is all about the characters. I talk for my characters, you talk for yours. Saywhat your character says and does; sometimes make little monologues aboutyour character and sometimes converse in your character s voice.

e rst time your character appears, describe her. Its an important moment,and you should take some care, and you should play with the details.

Going forward, anybody can ask anybody for descriptions, details andexplanations, and anybody can suggest anything. Usually you have nal say whatsuggestions you accept about your own character, the GM has nal say about

everything else, but you might nd exceptions times when the GM has nal sayover some element of your character s backstory, for instance, or times when youand a fellow player have to agree about something in order for it to be so.

Playing a character is a fun and funny business. It has two parts, quiteentangled: discovering your character, and then revealing her. Shell start outkind of abstract, a half-person made of modes of action (her forms) and impulses(her best interests). Its in action and in interaction that the two multiply into apersonality, into a person with history and psychology and positions relative to

the others and to the events that happen. Your game is to bring her out and bringher into focus.

If youve roleplayed before, you know what Im talking about. If you havent,dont worry, youl l see it quickly. For now, just be ready to describe your character,and to say what your character says and does.

Bringing life to this wicked ageCharacters: presence, voice, discovery & revelation.Scenes: whos where with whom, when, and whats up?

Details: say the obvious, and a detail; use your senses.Conict: rush toward it, circle it, draw it out.

Dice : action and interference.


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Playing with scenesGM, itll mostly fall to you to open and organize scenes. Here are some rules, andsome tricks you can play to keep it lively.

Start the chapter by zooming in. In this wicked age, a desert place, a city on the

ood plain; then: at this certain place where theres a stone waymarker half-buriedin the sand, but you can see water shimmering in the air to the east where the cityis.

Also, start the chapter with at least one players character, always, and start with ameeting. Choose characters with something to say to one another characters witha chain or knot of best interests between them.

Once the chapters underway, feel free to make concurrent scenes, and maintainthem parallel. While theyre arguing in the camp, Mekha, where are you?

Ah yes: where are you? What are you doing? Whos with you? ese are toysyou can play with. So are you are creeping toward their tents, with money to bribethe sentry. Mix them up: opening scenes is always an interplay. If youre asking, beready to prompt, make suggestions and ll in detai ls. If youre telling, you can freelysay what a players character is doing, as GM, especially while youre setting a scene.But even so, always be willing and ready to defer. No I dont have any money atall, the player might say, let alone money to waste on bribes. I have a sap, I intendto hit the sentry in the back of the head. Oh! So be it. Or even, no way, sneak in?Im going to wait until they make camp, then come out with some friends lookingfor novelty and news, instead.

However you start, once youve established who is there with whom, and where,and whats up, turn it over to the players. What do you do?

en just choose a likely moment and switch back to the rst scene, or open athird. (eres a likely moment built right into dice play, which Ill be sure to pointout when it comes.) Find a rhythm, then vary it. Play!

Playing with detailsWhenever you describe something describe your character or her actions as aplayer, describe a scene or the weather or a building or a mob as GM whenever,say exactly what makes sense to you, and then say at least one concrete detail. Dontstretch for it, it doesnt have to be startl ing or the coolest thing ever said, it just hasto be some clear detail such as an observer might notice.

Use your senses, including senses beyond the ve, like your moral sense, your senseof humor, your sense of direction. Give your observer a voice. Remember dressedscandalously in trousers and mans coat? Its a scandal because my observer hasa moral sense. I might instead have said that even though shes smaller than thehorsemen, the dust and their shrouding scarves make them look all the same, givingmy observer sight. Or maybe Idve said that shes hidden but sometimes in theirbanter you can pick out a lighter-toned voice.

When you say details like this, you make the world of your games ction moreintimate, more alive, and more concrete, all three.


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Playing with conflictLike a movie with only action sequences, its a poor game a one-tone game thatdrives relentlessly from one conict to the next.

To rush up to a conict:

Choose two characters who want to do harmto one another. Arrange circumstances so thatone of the characters has a sudden, momentary,immediate advantage act now and seize it, orhesitate and lose; and furthermore that if sheshould leave her enemy capable, the advantage willdramatically reverse.

For instance, take Bolu Ta and Shahu Seen, theexorcist and the spirit of passion, both of whomintend harm to the other. Suppose that Bolu Tahas not yet encountered the spirit, and in fact isonly dimly aware of some strange inuence about(although of course Bolu Tas player has seenShahu Seen in action several times). Heres BoluTa arguing with Fa Il Shar, the priest he means

to overthrow. But a strange light comes into hisface, you might say, as GM, and in the middle ofyour learned disputation he cracks his stick downon your head. Its Shahu Seen, of course, but if FaIl Shar fails to murder Bolu Ta, Bolu Ta will nodoubt answer the spirit back.

To draw a conict out:

Choose two characters who want to do no harm to one another at all, but whoseinterests dont mesh well or overlap. Arrange circumstances so that one has theopportunity to pursue her interests, but only by threatening the interests of theother. Also arrange it so that the other will see her do it, or have evidence thatshes done it, or have some reason to blame her for doing it so that the oense isunignorable.

For instance, take Amek and Esan, the chieftain of the desert horsemen and hisright hand man. Amek trusts Esan with Tajies well-being, naturally, Esan being

her uncle and his good lieutenant as well. However, here he is, walking a last circuitaround the encampment before night, and what should he hear? Voices in Tajiestent, hers and some mans, some town-born striplings, and Esans post outside hertent vacant.

To circle a conict:

Choose two characters who want to do harm toone another. Arrange circumstances so that theyhave to interact, but so that neither of them haveany upper hand, and in fact so that ifone shouldattack the other, she will do so at a signicantdisadvantage.

For instance, take Tajie and Mekha, the harvestgods chosen bride and the young man in love withher. Hes seeking her among the desert horsemen lets say that theyve drawn an encampmenton the borders of the ood plain, and are takingtheir leisure, eating and drinking and performingmusic. Mekha is one of a dozen people come fromthe town, the rest for the novelty, but he withhis plan. Tajie sees him, but he cant see her for

her disguise. So he moves among the horsemen,peering and testing, and she cant ee or confronthim, nor take any leisure herself...


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Playing with diceWhen do you roll dice?

Roll dice when one character undertakes to do some concrete thing, and anothercharacter can and would try to interfere. Every player with a character involved,

including you as GM, rolls dice for their own character. If you have more than oneNPC involved, roll separate dice for each.

Dont roll dice when two characters are having a conversation, no matter howheated it becomes; wait until one or the other acts.

Dont roll dice when a character undertakes to do some concrete thing and noother character can or would try to interfere.

Here are some examples:

Amek and Tajie are in some private circumstance, taking a meal maybe, andShahu Seen whispers in Ameks ear, pointing out the curve of Tajies lip and theway the light falls on her throat, inciting Ameks passion. You as GM roll dice forShahu Seen, and Ameks and Tajies players roll dice for their characters.

Bolu Ta confronts Fa Il Shar and argues with him that his harvest god is just astone, and his religion is just foolish superstition. Nobody rolls any dice.

Bolu Ta and Fa Il Shar are arguing, and nally Fa Il Shar tires of the argument

and hits Bolu Ta with his stick. Bolu Tas player rolls dice for him, and you as GMroll dice for Fa Il Shar.

Mekha comes into the horse companys encampment with his friends, peeringfrom face to face to nd Tajie. His player rolls dice for him, Tajies and Ameksplayers roll dice for them, and you as GM roll dice for Esan, Tajies uncle andAmeks lieutenant.

Mekha nds Tajie in her tent and confesses his love to her. Shahu Seen whispersin their ears. Tajies player considers the situation and decides that Tajie doesnt

resist, but gives in to Shahu Seens whispers and Mekhas passion. Nobody rollsany dice.

Shahu Seen has overcome Tajie and Mekha together, and Amek bursts in.Mistaking Tajies cries for distress, and himself coming under Shahu Seens sway,he drags Mekha away by the hair and chops into him with his sword. Ameks andMekhas players roll dice for their characters (and Tajies player can roll dice forTajie too, if she chooses to).

Bolu Ta corners Shahu Seen, calls the spirit by name and invokes the warrior

gods of his cult, and commands Shahu Seen to be bound and to do his bidding.Bolu Tas player rolls dice for Bolu Ta, and you as GM roll dice for Shahu Seen.

And at last lets say that Tajie wins through and comes to be before the harvestgods egy with Fa Il Shar. Fa Il Shar performs the ritual wedding and pronouncesthem married, then withdraws to give them their privacy. Mekha is lying in thesand, wounded, far away; Shahu Seen is grappling with Bolu Ta in some otherplace; only Amek is there, and he stands guard. Nobody rolls any dice.


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One on oneOne on one is the simplest way, so lets start there.One character has taken some concrete action, right? Heres a good one: Amek

drags Mekha by the hair and chops into him with his sword. And furthermorethe other Mekha can and would interfere. Lets say for now that Ameks yourcharacter, and Mekha is mine.

Look at your character sheet and Ill look at mine. Choose two forms, always two,that match what your characters doing and why. If three or more apply, thats okay,

choose whichever two of them you like.Ameks clearly, clearly actingwith violence. Which do you prefer for his second,

directly or for others? You wont always want the higher, but for now the highersgood. So you take up a d12 for with violence and a d10 for directly.

I have to choose how Mekhas going to respond. If he were an NPC Id obviouslychoose self-protection, but hes a players character, so I ll choose directly and formyself. Lets say that he has directly d8 and for myself d10. I take those up.

Dice, action & consequences

e rst round:

You roll your d12 and your d10. I roll my d10 andmy d8.

Read your higher die rst. You roll a 5 on yourd12 and a 6 on your d10, so youve got a 6. I roll a 9on my d10 and a 6 on my d8, so Ive got a 9. Mineshigher, so its my move.

My move:I leave my dice on the table undisturbed my 9

and 6 stand. You pick your dice up into your hand your 5 and 6 dont stand.

I say what Mekha does. Since Ive rolled directand for myself, it has to be direct and for himself.It cant be violent, or Id have rolled with violenceinstead.

Mekha tears away, leaving Amek with a handfulof hair, and dives out of the tent.

Because its my move rst, I get to choose howmuch of Ameks action grabbing and chopping Amek has already carried out. I cant denyor preempt his action, but I can interrupt it.Naturally I skipped back to some time before theactual chopping occured.

Your answer:

You roll your dice again. Nows when we nd outwhether my move carries, or how much of it youget to block:

If your higher die doubles mine (impossible in thiscase: you cant double a 9 on a d12), then Amek

wins absolutely, the ght ends, and you get to setterms.

If your dice match mine or better, but not bydouble, then Amek takes the advantage, the ghtcontinues, and you roll an extra die.

If your dice dont match mine, but are better thanhalf, then Mekha takes the advantege, the ghtcontinues, and I roll an extra die.

If your higher die is half mine or less, then Mekhawins absolutely, the ght ends, and I get to setterms.

You roll a 9 on your d10 and a 2 on your d12.

Compare them to my standing 9 and 6, and yourdice dont match mine. (e lower die breaks ties;my 9-and-6 beats your 9-and-2.) In your answer,you have to say what happens and what Amek does,that prevents Mekha from carrying out his action,but leaves Amek at the disadvantage.


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Mekhas diving for the tents door, and Amek likebody-checks him. ey both go down, and Mekhalands a solid heel in Amek s face.

e second round:

We both pick up our dice now. I add to my dice ad6 with pips, the advantage die. Advantage dice arealways d6 with pips.

Now, before we roll our dice, we have anopportunity to negotiate. Is there something wedboth prefer to rolling forward? Ill say more aboutnegotiating in a minute, but for now lets just notethat we could negotiate but we choose not to.

Also before we roll our dice, we add Mekhas nameto the owe list. Ill explain that in a minute too.

And now we roll! You roll poorly: a 3 and a 3. Iroll a 9 on my d10, a 1 on my d8, and one pip on theadvantage die.

Whenever someone rolls an advantage die, it addsto their high die. My one pip goes with my 9 tomake 10 (Ill write it 9+1=10). My move again.

My move:I leave my dice alone; my 9+1=10 and my 1 stand.

You pick your dice up.

Im feeling good about my roll. Its not unbeatable,but its quite high.

Mekha plants a second solid kick, twists away,and runs, I say.

Your answer:You roll your dice again. You roll a 9 and a 7,

which makes me crow. Close but no banana, wesaid when we were kids.

I still havent won, though, as I still haventdoubled you. I just keep the advantage.

Argh, you say. Amek tears out after him,shouting for his men.

e third round:

We pick up our dice. I keep the advantage die,because I managed to hold onto it with my roll.

Do we negotiate? Again, we could, but lets not.

Does Mekha go on the owe list again? No, onlyafter the rst round.

So we roll again. You roll a 10 and a 3. I roll a

7+3=10 and a 1. Your move!

Your move:

You leave your 10 and your 3 standing. I pick allthree of my dice back up into my hand.

Out on the ground Amek just runs Mekha

down. You pantomime chopping someone in theback with a sword, two-handed.

My answer:

e third round is dierent from the rst two. emiddle drops out of the outcomes. Now, If I matchor beat your roll, Mekha and I win absolutely; if myroll falls short, you and Amek win absolutely. Noseries of rolls goes past the third round.

I roll my dice, including the advantage die. I roll ...crap. A 2+5=7 and a 1.

So my answer has to admit your charactersaction, more or less in full. You hack me and I fallin the sand.

Consequences:

e winner exhausts the loser. Mekhas worn out,and I knock a die size o of his directly and hiswith violence, both...

Or else, the winner injures the loser. Mekhaswounded, and I knock a die size o his covertlyand his for others, both...

Or else, we negotiate and agree to some otherconsequence we both prefer.

I promised you a likely moment to cut fromone scene to the next. Its between rounds of

rolling.GM, just make eye contact with the players astheyre picking up their dice to reroll into thenext round. Hold those dice, dont roll themyet. en turn to the next player: Bolu Ta,while this is going on, where are you?

Cut back when it seems good.


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Before I tell about negotiating, lets do that ght over. Same characters,same setup, same opening, same dice.

e rst round:

You roll a 10 and a 3. I roll a 7 and a 2. Your move.

Your move:Your 10 and 3 stand; I pick up my dice.

Amek lifts Mekha o the ground by his hair and chops him open.

My answer:

I reroll my dice. I roll a 5 and a 4.

Your 10 doubles my 5. You and Amek win absolutely, and the ght ends.

Mekha doesnt go on the owe list.

Consequences:Same deal: exhaust, injure, or negotiate.

And one more time, the same ght:

e rst round:

You roll a 6 and a 2. I roll a 6 and a 2 hey, it happens.

We have a choice. We can back away from the ght, both of us, mutually.No further rolling, and our characters each go their way. If either of uschooses to ght, though (and lets say that we do), we each reroll our lowerdie. So now your rolls an 8 and a 6, and mines a 7 and a 6. Your move.

Your move:

Your 8 and 6 stand. I pick up my dice.

Amek lifts Mekha o the ground by his hair and chops him open.

My answer:

I reroll, for a 9 and a 7. My roll beats yours but doesnt double it; in my

answer, I should have Mekha seize the advantage.Mekha kicks out and knocks over the tents central pole. e whole thing

comes down and Mekha twists away.

e second round:

We take up our dice. I take the advantage die.

We could negotiate, but lets not. Also, Mekhas name goes on the owelist.

We roll. You roll a 7 and a 7; I roll a 5+3=8 and a 1. My move.My move:

My 5+3=8 and 1 stand. You pick up your dice.

By the time Amek gets untangled from the tent, Mekhas gone, I say.

Your answer:

You reroll, for a 12 and a 10 (dang). Since your roll matches mine orbetter, you and Amek seize the advantage from me and Mekha.


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Oh no you dont, you say. You bring down one of our tents? Were all over you. Bythe time Amek gets untangled, one of my men has your arms pinned behind you and hesblacked your eye.

e third round:

We take up our dice. I pass you the advantage die.We could negotiate and in fact I want to, pretty bad. What can I oer you? Nothing?Are you certain? Damn.

We roll. You roll an 8+6=14 and a 7. I roll a 4 and a 4 your move.

Your move:

Your 8+6=14 stands. I pick up my dice.

Kil l him, Amek says.

My answer:

It doesnt matter what I roll. Because this is the third round, its nal; if I dont beat yourroll, you and Amek win absolutely. Unfortunately, youve got that 8+6=14 showing, so Ineed a 14 just to match you, and the best number I can roll is a 10.

Consequences:

As always, exhaust, injure or negotiate.

If youve played many other roleplaying games,

you probably recognized how this works: we rollfor initiative, and the high initiative roll stands asthat persons attack roll. e other person rolls fordefense. Instead of giving each other wound levels ortaking away hit points, we seize and relinquish theadvantage die, until one of us nally wins either bydoubling, or just by taking the advantage in the thirdand nal round. e point of this is to make the rules

work for any conict between characters, not just forphysical ghts.

Notice that the worst that can really happen hereis that someone gets injured. No matter how hardAmek chops Mekha, he cant out-and-out kill him.

is doesnt mean that you shouldnt makepotentially-lethal moves. I slit your throat! My

war-elephant tramples you into crushed bones andgore! I chop your head clean o your shoulders!In fact, those kinds of moves put you in a very strongbargaining position (as youll see).

When you make a lethal move, just be prepared toscale back at consequence time.


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Negotiating ConsequencesEmily Care Boss calls it negotiating with a stick. Hereshow it works.

By default, the winner exhausts or injures the loser. Its the

winners choice which.Or else and instead, the winner and loser can agree to some

other outcome, if theres one that they both prefer.

It can include reducing the losers forms. How about I losea die size f rom my for myselfand my with violence instead?at makes more sense to me.

It can include other changes to the losers character sheet.

How about you lose your exorcism particular strength?atll teach you.

It can include wholly in-ction circumstances. How aboutyou capture me and chain me in your cellar?

It can include death, even if the forms dice dont say so.How about I kill you dead, yeah?

It can include a mix. How about you knock a die size omy for myself, plus manage to get past me?

But at any moment, either of you, winner or loser, can endnegotiation and insist upon the default instead. Forget it.You exhaust or injure me. Which?

Negotiating as the winnerA lot of the time, youll go into rolling dice againstsomeone with an outcome already in mind.Sometimes itll be to exhaust or injure them, butoften itll be something wholly unrelated: to getpast them, to capture them and chain them in acellar, to take the stone from the box, to reach thewall with the water it could be anything.

Propose it! is is how you get it.

If, on the other hand, what you want is preciselyto exhaust or injure them, theyll still probablypropose alternatives they like better. Listen withan open ear, but theres no earthly reason for you tocompromise if they cant come up with somethingyou like. Give them a fair chance, but when itcomes down to it, they can suck it up.

Negotiating as the loserGetting exhausted or injured sucks, but eventhough youve lost you can still avoid it. All youhave to do is volunteer for consequences that thewinner likes better.

ink hard.

But dont get burned. ere is absolutely noreason for you to accept any consequences worsethan being exhausted or injured, by your very own,very personal denition of worse. If Im proposingconsequences beyond what you can accept, tell meto forget it. Lose the dice instead.

(GM, when you lose, remember that sometimeshaving your NPC get killed outright is waybetter than having her get injured. Be open to thesuggestion or even suggest it yourself.)

Exhausted & InjuredExhausted: lose a die size from bothdirectly and with violence.

Injured: lose a die size from bothcovertly and for others.

When you lose a die size from a d4, thatdie goes to 0. You dont roll a die for thatform from now on.

If two of your dice go to 0, your

characters out of the rest of the chapter.Killed, disabled, or otherwise, but out.

For NPCs, exhausted: lose a die sizeeach from both action dice. Injured: losea die size each from both maneuveringdice.

For NPCs too, if any two dice go to 0,the characters out.


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Negotiating mid-diceNormally when I win a roll but not bydouble, and not in the third round, wekeep rolling and I get an advantage die.We can, if we like, negotiate an endthen instead.

e rules for negotiating theseconsequences are exactly the same. eonly dierence is the stick. By default,

we roll forward and I get an advantagedie; this is a smaller stick than myexhausting or injuring you. Negotiateaccordingly.

Dont negotiate for...

Future actions. How about I dontoppose you when you attack us later?Nah. Sometimes this is okay, but moreoften it turns bad and awkward.

Promises are ne, though, if extractinga promise is really worth it to thewinner. How about I promise not tooppose you when you attack us later?

Direct consequences on anybody else.How about instead you injure BoluTa? Okay! Or how about insteadthe townspeople all get some plague?Sure! Bogus.

Improvements to the winnerscharacter sheet. How about instead ofinjuring you I get to bump all my forms

up to d12? Yeah, thats good with me.No, sorry.

The Owe ListYou get to add your characters name to the owe list when yourcharacter goes up against someone stronger, but doesnt lose tothem outright. Heres how it works:

If youre rolling smal ler dice than your opponent; andIf its the end of the rst round (not subsequent rounds);

and

If youre still in the ght; then

Add your characters name to the end of the owe list.eres an important exception: GM, your NPCs names

never go on the owe list. It doesnt matter whether you rollagainst bigger dice or what. e owe list is for the playerscharacters exclusively.

Smaller dice means, for instance, that Im rolling a d10 anda d6 but youre rolling a d8 and a d6, or a d10 and a d4, or twod6, or whatever. Compare the bigger dice rst and use thesmaller dice only to break ties: if I m rolling a d12 and a d4 andyoure rolling a d10 and a d8, youre rolling smaller dice, eventhough your dice total to more sides.

Youll use the owe list to set up future chapters, as I ll explainfully soon. For now, the signicant thing to understand is thatif your characters name is on the owe list, your charactersguaranteed to be in a future chapter (and the more times itsthere, the more future chapters). If your characters name isnton the owe list, theres no such guarantee. is could be thelast or only time you get to play this character.

eres an immediate advantage to having your characters

name on the owe list, too: you can scratch it o in return foran advantage die. Youre trading your characters future forbetter odds right now. Heres how: whenever youre rollingdice, if you want to, erase one occurance of your charactersname from the owe list. Take an advantage die, a d6 with pips.Keep it through this whole series of rolls, through the thirdround or until somebody doubles somebody. Roll it with yourdice and add it to your high die same as you would with anyadvantage die.

Advantage dice stack, so if you win another one, add themboth. Youre psyched.

Finally, in future chapters you may well have more than onecharacter of yours listed on the owe list. You can scratch oany of your characters names for an advantage die now; itdoesnt have to be this character.


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Particular Strengths in ActionWhen your character has a particular strength, you can use itto your advantage when you roll dice. All you have to do is haveyour character use it in some action according to its required

form.For example, Bolu Ta, our traveling exorcist, has exorcism

as a particular strength. Suppose that hes practicing this arton the spirit Shahu Seen; suppose further that hes actingforothers, along with any second form as usual. His player takesup exorcisms die, a d8, in addition to the dice for his forms.She rolls them all together and then play proceeds as always,reading the high die rst, with the high dice standing for a

challenge and so on. e only caveat is that Bolu Tas playershould actually have him use his art in her challenge or answer,since she got the die for it.

A particular strength can also give you other benets,depending on what you chose for it:

Exorcism, as youll recall:Exorcism, the holy ceremonies

that expel demons and protect

people and places from themIt requires you to call upon

certain warrior gods and recitetheir holy names and deeds. Itsnot dramatic; no ashy eects.

It has to be used for others.For NPCs, its good for self-protection.

Signicance 1: its far-reaching.You can use it to do battle withdemons and other unseen,obscure, spiritual enemies.

Its die is a d8.

Its die is a d10 instead of a d8. If its doubly potent, its a d12, and Ill tell youhow to get a doubly potent particular strength in the next chapter.

If exorcism were potent, Bolu Tas player would roll a d10 instead of a d8.You arent required to use it with one single named form, but instead with either

of two named forms.If exorcism were broad, itd list another form in addition to for others for

myself, lets say. en Bolu Tas player could use it when Bolu Tas acting forothers or when hes acting directly (or both, of course).

If you use it and win, the outcome for the loser is more severe than usual. Inaddition to exhausting or injuring me, or whatever we negotiate between us

in addition to that, I lose a die size from the listed form.If exorcism were consequential, itd list a form directly, lets say. en

if Bolu Tas player won with it, after exhausting or injuring the loser orwhatever they agree to instead, the loser would additionally lose a die sizefrom directly.

eres no extra eect on your dice, but only one character can have it at atime.

If exorcism were unique, Bolu Ta would be the only exorcist in the world. He

would have to somehow lose exorcism before anyone else could take it up.eres also no extra eect on your dice, but it does allow you to act and

to interfere with others actions, and thus roll dice and inict and suerconsequences, where normally you could not.

Exorcism is far-reaching. If it were not, Bolu Ta wouldnt be able to contendwith spirits on their own terms. Shahu Seen could, for instance, possess aperson, and Bolu Ta would have no ability to interfere or intrude.

Potent

Broad

Consequential

Unique

Far-reaching


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Two-on-one & beyondHow about this one? Mekha comes into the horsecompanys encampment with his friends, peeringfrom face to face to nd Tajie. His player (Martha)

rolls dice for him, Tajies and Ameks players(Tom and Amy) roll dice for them, and the GM(Erin) rolls dice for Esan, Tajies uncle and Amekslieutenant. Recall that Tajies disguised as a man toprevent Mekhas nding her, and that while Amekdoesnt want him to nd her, Esan does. Lets playit out.

e rst round:

Mekha is actingwith love and covertly, so Martharolls a d12 and a d6, for a 6 & 1. Tajie is acting forherselfand covertly, so Tom rolls a d12 and a d8,for a 7 & 7. Amek is actingdirectly and for others(for Tajie), so Amy rolls a d10 and a d6, for a 10 &1. And Esan is maneuvering, so Erin rolls a d10and a d6, for a 10 & 4.

Erins got the high roll, so its Esan up rst, and

her 10 & 4 stand.Everybody else commits their order to mind, by

descending roll - Amys 10 & 1 beats Toms 7 &7 beats Marthas 6 & 1, so itll go Amy for Amek,Tom for Tajie, then Martha for Mekha. ey picktheir dice back up into their hands; their rolls dontstand.

Erins move:

Esan catches Mekhas eye and then lookssignicantly over at Tajie, to direct Mekha to her,she says. Amy, Tom, you both answer. She namesAmy and Tom because Amek and Tajie will opposeEsans action and Mekha wont.

Amys answer:

e order for the round goes Amy, Tom, Martha,

so its Amys answer rst.Amy rolls her dice again, for a 2 & 4, a terribleroll, amply doubled by Erins standing 10.

Crap, says Amy. Im out. I must be seriouslydistracted somewhere else.

Erin and Amy negotiate consequences right now.Erin has the stick.

Youre injured, she says, going straight to the

default. How about youre breaking up a ght

elsewhere in the camp and in the middle of itsomeone cracks you one in the face?

e hazards of the job, Amy says. She knocks

a die size o her covertly and her for others,scowling.

Now Amy wont get a move, because she had toanswer before her turn (and besides that shes outof the action).

Toms answer:

Toms up next, for Tajie, answering Esans move.He rerolls his dice for a 9 & 6, not matching Erins10 & 4. In his answer he doesnt have to cedesuccess to Amek, but he does have to give him theadvantage.

Im playing a game of skill with stones and stickswith my brothers. eres lots of moving around,so you indicate the group, but Mekha cant pick meout of it.

Erin grabs a d6 with pips for her advantage die.She also picks up her dice. Shes had her move

and everyones answered whos going to. If someonechallenges her, shell reroll her dice to answer.

Now Tom wont get a move either, because he hadto answer before his turn.

Marthas move:

Since it came to Marthas turn without her having

to answer anyone, she gets to make a move. Shererolls her dice for a 3 & 6.

I join in the game, she says. I play pretty badly,knocking the stones around so that everybody elsehas to move awkwardly. I gure that way I canpick a woman out of the group, shell be the mostgraceful.

Strictly, Martha should add that Tom is toanswer, not Erin, but its obvious so she doesntbother to say it out loud. She cant require Amy toanswer, because Ameks out.

Toms answer:

As long as youre still in, you get to reroll your diceand answer anyone who challenges you.

Tom rerolls for a 10 and a 4, beating Marthas 3 &

6 but not by double. He gets to take the advantage.


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You play badly? Jerk. We point and laugh andridicule you, you dont nd out a thing.

He takes a d6 with pips for his advantage die.

e end of the rst round:

Who goes on the owe list, if anyone? Mekha andTajie both might: Amek cant because hes out ofthe action before the end of round 1, and Esancant because hes an NPC. Did Martha or Tomroll against bigger dice? Martha did, her d12 andd6 against Toms d12 and d8. Tom didnt, as his d12and d8 are the biggest dice on the table. So Marthaadds Mekhas name to the bottom of the owe list.

Do they negotiate consequences now instead ofrolling forward? ey could, but lets say that theydont.

Also, nally, notice that both Tom for Tajie andErin for Esan won and get to roll advantage dice.ats ne.

e second round:

Martha rolls an 11 & 5. Tom rolls a 9+1=10 & 8.

Erin rolls a 5+4=9 & 1. Marthas up rst, and her11 & 5 stand. en Tom, then Erin, and they bothpick up their dice.

Marthas move:

My move! Great. I retreat, a little wounded byyour teasing, but I watch, and I catch some of yourbrothers deferring to you.

Toms answer:

Tom rerolls for an 11+4=15 and a 7, beatingMarthas 11 & 5 and so taking the advantage.

Amek would kill them dead if they gave me away.We are spectacularly equal.

He keeps his advantage die.

Tom doesnt get a move, because he had to answerbefore his turn.

Erins move:Erin rerolls for a 9+5=14 & 6.

Oh, but when I go into the circle? I defer. I surelydo.

Toms answer:

Tom rerolls for a 7+6=13 & 1, not matching Erins9+5=14 & 6. He has to give Esan the advantage.

I act confused by your deference, but yeah, itsenough to cast suspicion.

Erin keeps her advantage die too.

e end of the second round:

e owe list isnt a consideration except at the endof the rst round.

Who wants to negotiate consequences now insteadof rolling forward? Well, Erin and Martha aredouble-teaming Tom, but Toms rolling the bestdice. Its not clearly to anyones advantage to giveover now, so lets roll forward.

e third round:

Martha rolls a 12 & 3. Tom rolls a 7+5=12 & 4.Erin rolls a 9+2=11 & 5. Toms up rst and his

7+5=12 & 4 stand. en Martha, then Erin, andthey both pick up their dice.

Toms move:

Now the noises of the ght reach us. While youreboth distracted, I slip away and go back to my tent.Both of you answer.

Marthas answer:

Martha looks at Toms standing 7+5=12, and shelooks at Mekhas name on the owe list. Im goingto cash my future in, she says. She erases Mekhasname and takes a d6 with pips in exchange.

Martha rerolls, including her new-boughtadvantage die, for a 4+2=6 & 2. Toms roll doubleshers. I crap. What a waste. Okay, you get away.

ey negotiate now.

You want to just exhaust yourself looking for me?Eating, drinking, playing games, hearing music,getting in ghts all night?

Sounds just right, Martha says. She knocks adie size o her directly and her with violence. Shesout.

Erins answer:

Erin rerolls for a 9+1=10 & 3. Not doubled, but

since this is the third round its an absolute lossanyway.

How about Im not exhausted or injured butsomeone tells Amek about my misstep? she says.

at, plus you lose one die size frommaneuvering?

Sure thing. Perfect.

And thats it.


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Dice, action & consequences summaryTo begin the round, everybody rolls dice for their forms,according to their characters actions, and including dice forparticular strengths as appropriate.

Everybody gets a turn, in order from high roll to low.

e high roll stands; everybody else picks up their dice.

On your turn, reroll your dice, unless your turn is rst and thusyour dice stand.

On your turn, make a challenge. Say who has to answer it.

Everybody who has to answer, gets to answer, in turn order.

On your answer, reroll your dice and compare.If you have to answer before your turn, you lose your move. Youget a move only if it comes to your turn and no ones challengedyou.

Once the last persons had her turn, the round ends.

After the rst round, write names on the owe list.

In the third round, all winning and losing is absolute. It never

goes past the third round.When you compare dice:

If your rolls half your challengers or less, you loseabsolutely: youre exhausted or injured, or negotiateother consequences.

If your rolls less than your challengers, but morethan half, you lose the advantage: roll forward, andyour challenger gets an advantage die (or you can

negotiate consequences here, too).

If your roll matches or beats your challengers,but not by double, you win the advantage: you rollforward and you get an advantage die (or you cannegotiate consequences here, too).

If your roll doubles your challengers, you winabsolutely: you exhaust or injure your challenger, or

negotiate other consequences.In the third round, losing the advantage meanslosing absolutely, and winning the advantage meanswinning absolutely.

e owe list:

After the rst round, write names on the owe list.

Write your characters name if:Youre a player, not the GM, and

You rolled smaller dice against bigger, and

Youre still in the action.

Before any time you roll dice, if you choose, you canbuy an advantage die:

Scratch one appearance of one of your characters

names o the owe list, andIt can be any of your characters, not just this one,and

Take a d6 with pips and include it in your roll,and

You get to keep it and keep rolling it until the endof this action sequence.


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From one chapter to the nextAt the end of one chapterEnd a chapter when...

Most of the characters best interests areresolved, one way or the other; or

One character has emerged as the chapters clearprotagonist, and her best interests are mostlyresolved; or

Youve been playing for long enough and now

youre at a perfect clihanger; or

Youre plain out of time.

Everyone together has to end the chapter, butGM, you have special responsibility to noticewhen circumstances above come true.

Take a minute to let your characters settle intotheir new circumstances, and for you to settle out

of your characters.After the chapter ends...

Whos at the top of the owe list? at charactersplayer gets to put some things onto the nextchapters story sheet:

Cross your characters name o the owe list andput it onto the story sheet; and

Choose the oracle youll consult for the nextchapter. Your choices are, as always, Blood & Sex,God-kings of War, the Unquiet Past, and a Nestof Vipers. Note your choice on the story sheet;and nally

Go through that oracle and choose one element.Put it onto the story sheet too.

Everyone else, gather up the sheets, cards and

dice, clean up the snacks, and nish the wine.Wish your friends a dear good night; the

chapters done.

Beginning the nextBe sure to use the story sheet that you started atthe end of the last chapter. It already has on it acharacters name, this chapters oracle, and oneelement from the oracle.

Shue and deal three cards, and take them tothe oracle. Read out the three elements they giveyou and add them to the story sheet.

Check to see if any players would like to buy theircharacters into the chapter, as Ill explain in just aminute.

Place this chapter in time and space relative tothe last one. You may feel absolutely free to movebackward or far forward in time: this chapteroccurs when Tajie was just 7 years old or nowwell see what happens when Bolu Ta is an old, old

man. I also encourage you to create timelines andmaps for your game.

Create a list of characters from the elements andcontinue on from there, exactly as you set up therst chapter: choose characters; create charactersheets, NPC sheets, and particular strengthsheets; declare your characters best interests; andbegin play.

Most players will play new characters, but atleast one will play a recurring character.

And starting with chapter 3Chapter 3 brings in two new rules:

You can switch up who GMs. e only playerwho cant be the GM for any given chapter is theone whose character topped the owe list.

New characters (not recurring characters)can begin play with particular strengths havingsignicance 2.


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When your character comes backYour character comes into a new chapter when...

Her name tops the owe list; or

You buy her in: scratch one occurance of one of your characters names o theowe list, as you would when youre buying an advantage die. Add her name tothis chapters story sheet; or

e oracle provides an element who might very well be her, and you choose tomake it be her in fact. For instance, the oracle might provide e unwittinghusband of a serpent-demoness, and Mekhas player might shout out thatthats Mekha, pity poor him.

When your character does come back:

Sort through and nd her character sheet. Youll play it exactly as you last leftit, except choose one:

Assign dice to her forms anew, from scratch. You have a d12, a d10, a d8, ad6, a d6, and a d4, as usual, but you can assign them fresh to whichever formsyou like. is is the only way to undo the eects of past exhaustion, injury, orother form-reducing consequences, by the way.

Choose one of her particular strengths and add 1 signicance to it.

Give her a new particular strength, signicance 1. You can create a new oneor choose one that someone else has already created (provided that its notunique and already owned).

Create for her a new character sheet, following the usual rules, to maintainin parallel: this is Tajie as a 7-year-old, this is Bolu Ta as an old, old man.Changes to this sheet wont aect the other, and vice versa.

More significant particular strengthsWhen you add 1 signiicance to a particular strength, simply choose one:

Now its potent, where it wasnt before; its die is a d10 instead of a d8.

Now its doubly potent, where before it was potent; its die is a d12.

Now its broad, where it wasnt before; name another form.

Now its consequential, where it wasnt before; name a form.

Now its unique, where it wasnt before; say how it became so.

Now its far-reaching, where it wasnt before; say how it became so.e maximum signicance for any particular strength is 4, please.

Play and enjoy.


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NamesPlain male namesAdar

Aram

Damon

Dariush

Ehsan

Iraj

Jahang ir

Javid

Jesper

Kurosh

Mirza

Nakisa

Omid

Saba

Sahand

Shahkam

Suhail

Tahamtan

Zahir

Zain

Plain female namesAnahitaAsha

Bahareh

Bita

Erfeniah

Gazaleh

Hediyeh

Jila

Kiana

Kimya

LeiliMozhgan

Negaar

Parya

Saahi

Sahra

Setareh

Taraneh

Virah

Zahri

Significant male namesAdor Palassar

Akhiqar

Aram SeenAshur Ban

Awshalim

Baryamin

Dem Ashur

Hadir Eil

Khnanya

Mekha Eil

Nardeen

Natan

NirarRab Seen

Ram Eil

Rapha Ban

Romrama

Sennacherib

Shalmanisar

Zah Eil

Significant female namesAramina

Ari Eil

AuryaAwita

Baila

Damrina

Eil Bet

Haniata

Khannah

Larsa

Nashiram

Nasibin

RditaSawrina

Shamrita

Shirat

Simta

Sorme

Walita

Yaeta

Grand male namesApullunideeszu

Ataneedusu

Balashi

Burnaburiash

DeemethereesuDipaani

Ekurzakir

Ikuppi-Adad

Ipqu-Annunitum

Kadashman-Enlil

Kurigalzu

Manishtusu

Mannuiqapi

Nidintu-Bel

NikanuurNur-Ayya

Samsuiluna

Shamash-Andulli

Shar-kali-sharri

Ugurnaszir

Grand female namesAhassunu

Ahatsunu

Anagalmeshu

Anagalshu

AshlultumBeletsunu

Enheduana

Erishti-Aya

Gashansunu

Gemegishkirihallat

Gemekaa

Humusi

Ku-Aya

Munawwirtum

MushezibtiNinsunu

Tabni-Ishtar

Ubalnu

Yadidatum

Zakiti

e plain and signicant names are from the Persian and Assyrian name lists,

respectively, in Names: the Story Games Name Project . e Berber/Amazigh list there isanother good one. e grand names are from a Google search for Babylonian names.


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A A mysterious star-lit revel on a highbare hilltop, with a single man inattendance.

2 A woman suddenly bereft of love andfamily, daughter to a long heritage ofsorceresses and poisoners.

3 A raving prophet, advocating self-mortication and deprivation of theappetites.

4 A practitioner of law, with her severalsecretaries.5 A chattel slave who has broken both hisbonds and his masters skull.

6 A practitioner of luck-magics travelingahead of a ferocious storm.7 e much-contested wedding of theprovinces great beauty.8 Some great wizards magical messenger,brass-skinned.

9e secluded home of an exiled court-

wizard, dense with unseen population.

10 A note written in an elegant hand,sweetly perfumed, and the childmessenger bearing it.

J A band of demons, laughing andmalicious, authors of debauchedsensuality and corrupt appetites.

Q A happy girl, promised in marriage toa gentleman, naive to the danger herepresents.

K A company of desert horsemen, hiding awoman amongst them.

A A farm manor, peaceful and prosperous,headed by a strong woman and herstrong husband.

2 e ascension to mastery of a studentwizardess, unrecognized by her orderbut absolutely clear and undeniable to

her inner self.

3 e sorcerously animate homunculus ofa wizard, more clever than wise.4 e night each year that a certain ghostis allowed her freedom.5 A deer-path through towering woods toa still pond, and the uncanny creature

traveling it.

6 e alliance by marriage of a certaintyrants family with the cult of acertain desert god.

7 A spirit of the wilds, mercurial in form,sister to gazelles.

8

e local lords daughter, tramping after

strawberries.

9 A wandering exorcist, severe, whoaccepts no payment for his services butwho lusts after carnal congress.

10 e child of a great and renownedtheologist, forced into priesthoodagainst both inclination and nature.

J An altar overowing with owers andbowls of honey, and the childlesswoman who tends it.

Q e rehearsal of the funeral of the citysaged and beloved mayor.K A young warrior, initiate into a warriorcult, brother to lions.

Diamonds Hearts

Oracle: Blood & Sex

S


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A A spirit of the lower air, caught up injoyous human celebration.2 A monastery and its associated shrines,each to its own god, tended by monks

of uncouth habit.

3e arrival at a way house of four

unusual travelers.

4 e graduation of an apprenticeswordmaker to mastery, and itsattendant celebration.

5 A raving prophet, preaching thetransience of life and advocating a fullindulgence of every appetite.

6 A small group of mothers, led by amidwife, ghting to protect theirchildren from demons of illness.

7 e seventh wife of a tyrant king,carrying his chief huntsmans child.8 A band of goat herders, armed, outragedby an injustice visited upon their clan.

9 A young girl, inexperienced but astuteand a canny judge of character.10 e marriage of a regions mostbeautiful girl, necessarily virgin and

without blemish, to the dead stoneegy of a harvest god.

J e death of the primary heir of a localnoblewoman.

Q e seizure of arcane powers by anarrogant and brutal wizard.K A bandit captain, in hiding, with hertrusted bodyguard.

A A eld of herbs and wild owers, alivewith bees, where a certain half-bestialcreature brings his many lovers.

2 e celebration of local fertility orharvest rites.

3A camp-wanton, pretty and pliant,

prone to drink.

4 A siren-ghoul, who entices the amorousinto deadly peril.5 A famous traveling exorcist and hisentourage, with as canny an eye for a

villages wealth as for its demons.

6An oasis of sweet water in a barren

wilderness, haunted by the shadowsof some vast atrocity committedcenturies ago.

7 A slayer of monsters, heralded andlauded.8 A simple insult, casually inicted,striking very, very deep.

9 e deathbed curse of a betrayed queen.

10 A wandering spirit, visible at will, aninamer of human passions.J A priestess of a merciful templeof healers, on pilgrimage to the

birthplace of her order.

Q A warrior-priestess of a trulybloodthirsty cult.K A jealous and vengeful rival, who hasan infamous temper and is quick to

violence.

Oracle: Blood & Sex

Clubs Spades

You can consult the oracles onl ine at www.lumpley.com/oracle/4oracles.php

O l G d ki f W


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A e human servant of a mighty andunspeakable demiurge.2 A cask of honey wine, tribute to a ercebandit-queen.3 A war-sorceress, slender butcommanding, with golden hair.4 e arrival of a hundred fearsomewarships on an unprepared,

prosperous, peaceful coast.

5 e arrival of unexpected andimprobable allies, in darkness.6 e self-important master of strategy toa great general.7 e site of a pitched battle, groundchurned and stinking, and the widows

mourning there.

8 An order of magician-monks whopunish blasphemers.9 A much-decorated company of theenemys light cavalry.

10 e country fort, of bricks and timber,of a local warlord.J A vengeful and jealous god, displeasedby the lapses of his followers, however

scrupulously they observe.

Q An executioner, a strangler, in service toa ruthless king.K A chest containing the tax monies ofa rural province, and the soldiers

carrying it.

A A secret order of warrior-mystics,defending their relics.2 A sta of white wood, summoner oflightnings, and the war-magus bearing

it.

3An unspeakable demon of atrocity and

rage, bound in chains for a thousandyears, aware suddenly of a minuteloosening of his bonds.

4 A token indicating that its bearer speaksfor the high general.5 A great armys marching orders,passwords, and signals, and the

unfortunate aide who lost them.

6 A speaker for the ancestors, carryingsecrets and warnings.7 A demon of rage and avarice, secretpower behind a great tyrants rule.8 A day sacred to an oppressed slave cult,the celebration of which is punishable

by torture.

9 A terrible and devastating ambush.

10 A tender of war-bulls, shaved-headedand fearless.J e head of a high war-captain, in acarved wooden cask.

QA warrior-woman, queen of her small

wild tribe, hard-pressed by advancingcivilization.

K e ghost of a tyrant king, strangled byhis own daughter.

Diamonds Hearts

Oracle: God-kings of War

O l G d ki f W


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A A local warlords ancestral sword, muchhonored.2 An armys scryer, commanding sixsharp-fanged gaunts.3 A bitter and unseasonable cold, causedby warring elementals.4 A hard-won victory, with many dead onboth sides.5 A soldiers plain shortsword, graduallydeveloping a taste for the blood of

women.

6 A brutish and tyrannical warlord andhis uncouth thugs.7 A sword held in great esteem by acertain warrior lineage, drawn now for

the rst time in three lifetimes.

8 A high, many-towered wall on a erceborder, and the soldiers left to hold it.9 A demon-god of blood and vengeance,forgotten since antiquity, recently

awakened.

10 A youth or maiden, the reincarnationof a great hero, whose soul remembersglory.

J A powerful generals death of herwounds, which will shatter her armyinto factions.

Q An altar to devils of the waste, stinkingwith gore.K An outlying watchtower on a woodedhill.

A e very rst time that a certain youngsoldier, impressed against his choiceand wanting nothing more than toreturn to his home, has killed.

2 A captured war-horse with a taste forhuman meat.3 A warrior overcome with the weight ofhis weapons and the smell of gore.4 A summoner of illusions and diversions,mild and of good humor, but gullible.5 A great warship, set with ram andmangonel, and its crew.

6A ock of hunterbirds, sharp-beaked,

clever, and dreadful, and their master.

7 e guardian spirit of a foolhardy, naive,reckless and impressionable youngperson.

8 A prodigy-mage, still a maid, drunkwith occult power.

9A genius of ame, imprisoned within a

brass mirror.

10 e mutiny and revolt of a prestigiouscavalry company.J A fortress guarding the only passthrough treacherous mountains,

overseen by a corrupt and voraciouswar-captian.

Q e campsite of a traveling army, notlong deserted.K An enemy champion, fearless andbellowing.

Oracle: God-kings of War

Clubs Spades


O acl th U i t Pa t


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A e boasting chief of a team of rock-quarriers.2 e passage of a ghostly army, draggingtheir slain and injured.3 e captain of a foreign troop, sent tocollect tribute.4 e soul of a dead wizard, seeking anadvantageous rebirth.5 A gutted tower, home to many birds,haunted.6 A youth or maiden, the reincarnation ofan ancient sage, remembering uncanny

arts but forgetful of safeguards.

7 An apothecary, squint-eyed, with manyuncanny potions.8 A long-dead queen, still trying to defendher realm.9 A camp physician, her pockets full ofsalves and drugs.

10e young, beautiful wife of an old man

whom the gods have touched.

J A murderer-for-hire, luckless and inpoverty, from whom the gods haveturned their faces.

Q e fey and unfriendly guardians of anenchanted glade.

KA thick gold ring, torn by a powerful

sage from a demons ear.

A A girl with the soul of a leopard, borninappropriately into a human body.2 A serpent-demoness, mal icious andvenomous, seeking vengeance.3 e guardian of a tomb, a statue cast insilver with ruby eyes.4 An ambitious petty-wizard, quick totake oense.5 e awakening of three powerful andmalignant genii.6 e bloodthirsty ghosts of thosedrowned in an accursed water.

7 A fallen temple, overgrown with mossand ivies, and the forgotten animal-spirits of its cult.

8 e son of a great tyrant, born crippledand denied his inheritance.9 e wetnurse of an austere scholarsadopted child.

10e meeting by chance of old enemies,

one less forgetful than the other.

J A hermit priestess, practicing obscuredeprivations.Q A reader of omens and caster ofauguries, with grim news.K e arrival of honored emissaries from awealthy, exotic land.

Diamonds Hearts

Oracle: the Unquiet Past

Oracle the Unquiet Past


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A A waystation on a broad road, with acampsite and shrine.2 A scholar and antiquarian, unmindfulof danger.3 e secret central shrine of a temple toforbidden gods.4 A new village built on the ruins of aforgotten people.5 A place where warring demons haveleft the earth churned, upthrust, and

charged with occult forces, and thewizard seeking its power.

6e burglary of a magical orders

innermost library.

7 A ruthless bully of an under-ocer withhigh ambitions.8 e father of a child possessed by avoracious spirit.9 An unsavory treasure-seeker, with anhonest map.

10 A trainer of apes, bereft, mourning thedeath of his dearest performer.J A small room under the foundation, itsdoorway bricked shut, the prison of a

dreadful and malicious spirit.

Q A wandering intelligence, intent ondriving mortals mad.

K A treasure seeker, following thewhispers of a slave spirit.

A A slow-moving caravan with manywagons and travelers.2 A necromancer who steals theknowledge of the dying.3 A rough wolf-hunter, surly, lthy, andcrude.4 A market on the crossroads, full ofsound and color.5 A cruel and powerful young lordling.

6 e convocation of a ruins ghouls,gaunts, and wisps.

7Instruments of torture, haunted by their

long-dead victims.

8 A fearsome storm, with thunder anddriving winds.9 A womans long blood-red hair,incorporated into a birds nest.

10 An ancient stone way marker, indicatingan overgrown road, and the ghost ofthe man buried there.

J A knowledge-mad sorceress, delvinginto ancient secrets.Q A golden armlet, still on the skeletalarm of its owner.K A wealthy merchants son, rened andcrafty.

Oracle: the Unquiet Past

Clubs Spades


Oracle: a Nest of Vipers


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A A great convocation of mages, withmany orders attending.2 A midwife, weary and appalled, havingdelivered a tenth consecutive stillbirth.3 e celebration of a day sacred to thecitys chief cult.4 e proprietress of a wanton-house,with her manservant.5 e solemnization of treaty betweentwo neighboring principalities,

negotiated in the face of brutality andassassination, doomed.

6e murder by strangling of an ocer

of the city.

7 A public bathing house in a wealthycity, of very good quality, where onlythe most rened and modish vices arepermitted.

8 A ghoulish eater of dead esh, driven byunusual lusts.

9 e corpse of a lords hunting hound,caught in a rose-briar.10 e written deed to a certa in house,armed and sealed.J A wayhouse in which plague-victimshave recently stayed.

Q

A poor home shared by many families

of beggars.

K A wealthy merchant-priest with muchpolitical clout.

A A vicious gang of cutthroats and alley-thieves.2 A conjurer who needs blood to entice hisuncouth spirits.3 An imbiber of sorcerous drugs, seekingcongress with demons.4 A fallen-in mansion, where by nightghosts and devils meet.5 e college of a small but prestigiousmagical order.6 A tower of silver and alabaster, whichrises from the sea under the new

moon.

7 A squat town on the banks of a wide,long river, rich from plunder, whosemen raid up and down the river intheir ugly boats.

8 A decrier of the gods as false, unworthyof our attention, and his learneddetractors, in heated dispute.

9 A young widower, raging, whosebeautiful wife was murdered bysorcery by a romantic rival.

10 A wizard jealously guarding her magicalterritory.J e burglary of the storehouse of apowerful robber-merchant.

Q e return of a reclusive enchantress toher home.K A night-wisp, who devours its victimsmagical potency.

Diamonds Hearts




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A A jaded gladiator, murderer of bothenemies and friends.2 An ambitious farmer, hungry for gossipor silver.3 A slight and subtle demon, child ofblasphemy, craving mischief.4 e unwitting husband of a serpent-demoness.5 e young mother of a baby prince,whose husband the king has been

overthrown and put to death.

6 A babys birth, heralded by prophets,written of in antique books, forseen bythe wise.

7 A noble houses signatory ring, leftbehind in a street brawl.8 A tempter devil, fond of luxury and sin,imprisoned until this very moment

within a stone crypt behind an oldmonks garden.

9 A moongazer possessed by ten rivalspirits.10 A devil of the lower air, malicious andfull of pranks.J e ghost of a suicide, a personovercome by guilt and shame, who

nds in death no release.

Q e warden ghost of the place, generousto the good-willed.K A troupe of musicians for hire, one ofwhom is a burglar and cutpurse.

A e daughter of an emperor, deniednothing, prey to eeting whims,craving discipline.

2 e unscrupulous landlady of a roadsidewayhouse.

3A precocious child disputing with

philosophers and declaimers.

4 One mistakenly condemned, ed intohiding.5 e private garden of a noble house, andthe two children meeting there.6 An innkeeper who murders and robs hiswealthy guests.7 A fur-trapper, simple but good-natured,and his daughter.8 A warehouse on the docks, full of stolensilk and ne stu.9 A band of slavers both bold andincorrigible.

10A court dandy, casually cruel, exiled

from the presence of the prince for apetty slight.

J e ight of a prince and his forbiddenlover into hiding.Q A conjurer possessed by spirits of uncivilcharacter.

KA village executioner, practicing his

trade on a caught burglar.


Clubs Spades


Notes & thanks


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Notes & thanksThanks first to Emily Care Boss and Clinton R. Nixon.

Alternate rulessuggested by Troels Ken Pedersen

I havent tested these rules, but Troels has, and Ilike them in principle:

Use it, risk it:

e default consequence isnt exhaustion or

injury. Instead, its losing a die size from each of thetwo forms you used.

Mixed victory:

On the third round, winning the advantage isntthe same as winning absolutely. Instead, you get alesser stick for a lesser win: by default, you exhaustor injure the loser, but you also lose a die size fromyour choice of one of the forms you yourself used.

Negotiate accordingly.

HistoryIn 1999 I worked with Emily Care Boss to createa roleplaying game to be the D&D we wanted.It included several tables of plot elements, theinfancy of the Four Oracles.

In a Wicked Age was born out of Clinton R.

Nixons putting a new and exciting use to thosetables.

If youd like to look back at the history of thisgames development, start here:

www.lumpley.com/comment.php?entry=182www.lumpley.com/comment.php?entry=183www.lumpley.com/comment.php?entry=196

anks again, Em and Clinton.

anks to Meguey Baker, Julia Ellingboe, and Joshua A.C. Newman.anks to Tony Dowler, John Harper, and Troels Ken Pedersen.

anks to Ron Edwards.

anks to Jason Morningstar & Remi Treuer with Clinton, the Durham 3

anks to Drew Baker

anks to all the many people whove played the game in development and given me feedback.

anks to all the designers at the Forge, who made this kind of game publishing a thing.

anks to all the people at anyway.

Direct Sourcese Flat Earth by Tanith Lee (Nights Master, Deaths Master, Delusions Master, Deliriums

Mistress, Nights Sorceries)

Lyonesse by Jack Vance (Lyonesse, e Green Pearl, Madouc)

Conan the Barbarian by Robert E. Howard:

e Jungle Books by Rudyard KiplingSorcerer, Sorcerer & Sword, and Trollbabe by Ron Edwards

Primetime Adventures by Matt Wilson

Names: the Story Games Name Project edited by Jason Morningstar

Parallels of noteAgon by John Harper

Grey Ranks by Jason Morningstar

in a wicked age rpg

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