Needs: 2+ players, handful of coins
Credit due to: Monsterhearts 2 and Dream Askew by Avery Alder, SYNC by Kira Magrann, Dead Friend by Lucian Kahn and Hearts of Wulin by Lowell Francis
Form triangular entanglement among your character, a side character and another player character:
- I made a promise to give [a treasured object] to aid [a rival/troublemaker/fool].
- Me and [friend/coworker] were both hired by [boss] who turned on us.
- I was promised a position but they want [friend/sibling/rival/enemy] instead.
- I love [object of affection], but my [family/friends/community] has forbidden it.
- I suspect [a person] of malintent, but [someone I respect/love] believes in them.
- [friendly person] doesn’t understand me or my culture. I will show them [place] to help them understand.
- [Two people] think they are related to you.
- [a person] knows where you come from, they’ve told [friend] who doesn’t believe them.
- You’ve been taking social cues from [friend]. They are too into [person] to notice.
Rituals:
A. Pull a tarot spread to define your character. Name them and write 3 – 4 words to describe their persona, choose a Earth/Void and Space/Void ritual to match each.
Ritual of Earth (take a coin)
- trigger a memory of past trauma
- headlessly pursue an obsession
- start an argument with a friend
- show that someone isn’t actually in your community
- tell a friend why you don’t belong in their world
- tell someone close a damaging untrue secret about yourself
- make eye contact with someone for more than a moment
- get caught lying or cheating
- reveal a secret vulnerability to someone
- embody rumors about you
- narrate what you’ve lost forever
Ritual of Void (free action)
- reassure a friend about an insecurity
- hide something small but meaningful on your body
- deal with routine, uneventful events
- run away
- cave to a person’s desires
- fix something badly
- care of someone
- make an example of someone
- screw up
Ritual of Space (spend a token)
- you’re so sensitive you learn where someone else is sensitive
- shut someone down
- bring supplies no one knew you had
- call in a timely favor
- discover a hidden/covered up injustice
- outsiders see this situation as normal
- convince others that what happened to someone else actually happened to you
- make someone feel beautiful
- narrate “What do I have that you need?”
B. Define a setting with three things in conflict.
C. When your character’s persona changes, change those rituals. When someone finds your character’s true nature loose a ritual.
Also on:
Chris Aldrich
