Version 1.0

by Jamie Fristrom This document is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 3.0 license.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ A way to make a little story, about the size of a story-poem, or a fairy tale, or the summary of a TV episode … in an hour or so. It might have a sad ending … it might have a happy ending … you won’t know until you play. And it’s also a game - if you play it well you can maybe make things end well. For this game, I use paper (or a word processor), pen or pencil, and a stack of blank flash cards (I like these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HA93H8/ref=s9_simh_gw_p229_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0P3AY3XX9CJGKDHZDKQ8&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846 - but index cards are fine). Or you can play with That’s Drama cards, which is how I’ve been playing lately. If you play this, please post or send me your story! (jdfristrom@gmail.com) If you have questions or ideas for improvements, let me know. I used to leave the document shared-for-editing but I think more people accidentally made changes than intentionally, so I’ve unshared it. If you see something you think should be changed or commented on, or you would like your example story included in the doc, e-mail me. InfluencesDaniel Solis - Happy Birthday, Robot and Do, Pilgrims of the Flying Temple (games that produce short story artifacts)Tony Lower-Basch - Misery Bubblegum (numbered cards for extended, escalating conflicts)

Joshua A. C. Newman - Shock (protagonist / antagonist)all those people who wrote Once Upon A Time (cards with vague, often one-word, story elements)Jason Morningstar - Fiasco (randomly created situation)Vincent Baker - In a Wicked Age (randomly created situation)Ron Edwards - S/lay w/Me (play structure, hero/monster/lover)Mark Nau - New Hope (balancing pursuing goals with paying prices)Nathan Paoletta - Annalise - details as a game mechanic, sacrificing claimsMatthjis Holter - Archipelago II (indirect relationships)Richard Garfield - Magic: The Gathering - reshuffle cardsPig (the canonical press-your-luck game)

SetupFirst I consider what setting and genre I want. It’s probably a setting I’ve been thinking about writing about for some time but never gotten around to. Then I make the starting story deck or I use the That’s Drama deck and skip ahead to Creating the Starting Situation.I do some brainstorming. I come up with ideas for Characters, Places, Events, Items, Aspects and Details that fit the setting and genre I’m imagining. The majority of them are tropes or cliches; some of them are unique surprises. Each one I write on a card. I also number each card.I am sometimes tempted to get overly specific, but it’s best to break down my specific ideas into parts and put them on separate cards. That way they will remix in play and create things I didn’t even think of. Instead of “Character: Nazi Scientist” I do “Character: Nazi” and “Character: Scientist”. Then in play I might end up with some surprising things, like a Nazi American in my WWII story. (Which is like Kurt Vonnegut’s Mother Night … man, it is so hard to be original.)As I’m brainstorming, I’ll make piles of the different types. The character stack should be about twice as high as the other stacks.Details can be particularly fun: they help define the mood of my story. They could be a sensory motif (blood, moonlight, neon, a cross, a fan [remember Angel Heart?], clouds, sunlight, woodsmoke, dandelions on the wind); a cinematic look (sweeping vista, murky lighting, close-up shot, slow motion); even mood music. A lot of dark details will weave a dark fictive dream; light and bright colors detail a bright happy-to-be-here place.Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s a Detail and what’s an Aspect - they’re both often adjectives. It doesn’t really matter, but I imagine aspects to be plot-affecting (he’s strong, and he might use that strength to achieve something) whereas details would be more for color (he’s silver, and that’s cool, but it’s not going to have repercussions.) [Example: for a WWII fantasy, I come up with:1) Character: soldier2) Character: rabbi3) Character: scientist4) Character: angel

5) Character: American6) Character: paratrooper7) Character: Nazi8) Character: golem9) Character: resistance fighter10) Event: firefight11) Event: experiment12) Event: occult ritual13) Event: airborne assault14) Detail: chiaroscuro15) Detail: searchlights16) Detail: swastika17) Detail: moonlight18) Detail: dripping blood19) Detail: the sound of boots marching20) Aspect: cool under fire21) Aspect: religious22) Aspect: inhuman23) Aspect: loyal24) Item: stone gargoyle25) Item: bomber26) Item: machine gun27) Item: wireless radio28) Place: forest29) Place: France30) Place: Germany31) Place: castle32) Place: Antiaircraft gun emplacement33) Place: village34) Place: farm Though the examples clump different kinds of elements together, it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s fine to just write down whatever element comes to me as it comes to me. What number a card has doesn’t really matter, because a high-numbered card will be good in some stiuations but bad in others. [Another example, for High-School Drama1) Character: Nerd2) Character: Jock3) Character: Cheerleader4) Character: Burnout5) Character: Freshman6) Character: Senior7) Character: Weird kid

8) Character: Homosexual9) Character: Musician10) Character: Teacher11) Character: Principal12) Character: Drug dealer13) Character: Rich kid14) Character: Bully15) Character: student body president16) Place: Home Room17) Place: Class18) Place: Gym19) Place: Football Field20) Place: Under the Bleachers21) Place: Behind Shop Class22) Place: Cafeteria23) Place: Home24) Place: Computer Room25) Place: Fast Food Join26) Event: Pregnancy27) Event: Football Game28) Event: Hazing Ritual29) Event: Prom30) Event: Locker Check31) Event: Geek Game32) Event: Pep Rally33) Event: Smoke break34) Event: Sex35) Event: Lunch break36) Event: Free period37) Item: Bag of cocaine38) Item: Pipe39) Item: Carton of cigarettes40) Item: Six pack of beer41) Item: smartphone42) Item: guitar43) Item: football44) Item: textbook45) Item: role-playing game46) Aspect: horny47) Aspect: minority48) Aspect: has a stutter49) Aspect: handicapped50) Aspect: hot51) Aspect: promiscuous

52) Aspect: lonely53) Aspect: friendless54) Detail: the roar of the crowd55) Detail: wet grass56) Detail: stadium lights57) Detail: the smell of marijuana58) Detail: the smell of urine59) Detail: bunsen burners60) Detail: scattered leaves on the breeze61) Detail: sunny afternoon62) Detail: student body government posters63) Detail: tracked mud] Stock Story Elements:If I’m having trouble coming up with story elements, here are some nearly-universal ones that I can add in:Character: BrotherCharacter: SisterCharacter: FatherCharacter: MotherCharacter: DaughterCharacter: SonCharacter: Best FriendPlace: HomePlace: Work (but make this specific - where might someone in this story work)Place: Hangout (again, specific - where would someone in this story hang out?)Place: JailEvent: BirthEvent: DeathEvent: MarriageEvent: InjuryEvent: IllnessItem: WeaponItem: TreasureItem: DiaryAspect: StrongAspect: FastAspect: SmartAspect: WiseAspect: NimbleAspect: BeautifulAspect: CharmingAspect: LovingAspect: Mad

But Details really need to be story-specific. If I’m stuck, I can steal them from a book with the same setting and feel I’m going for, flipping to random pages and writing down salient details. Then I create some “RESHUFFLE” cards. These are just cards with “RESHUFFLE” written on them. I make one for every 18 (still honing in on this number. 1 card in a 40 card deck isn’t enough. 3 cards is too much.) cards I have in the deck. These are cards that, when I hit them in the deck, I reshuffle the discard pile back into the deck. But I don’t put the RESHUFFLES in yet; I save them for a bit. Here’s an interesting, fast way to generate decks.

Create The Starting SituationI shuffle the deck.I deal cards from the deck face up in front of me until I have 5 characters out. (This could mean a lot of cards on the table - that’s okay.) Orientation can matter for aspects - I leave them upside-down if they’re upside-down. I pick my three favorite characters. I choose one to be the Protagonist; I choose one to be the Antagonist; and one to be the Beloved. (Beloved doesn’t necessarily mean beloved in the eros sense - it just means that there is an important relationship between the Protagonist and the Beloved; the Protagonist cares about the Beloved. Could be family, friend, mentor, or something else.)The Protagonist has three resources: the Protagonist’s character Facet, the Beloved’s character Facet, and something the Protagonist and the Beloved share. I choose a card for each from the ones on the table.The Antagonist has three resources: the Antagonist’s character Facet; something the Antagonist and Protagonist share; and something the Antagonist and Beloved share. I choose a card for each.Then I decide what the cards mean.

● If a character has another character for a facet: this could mean the first character has multiple roles (a fighter and a wizard), or it could mean the second (minor) character is important to the first character somehow - family, lover, secret desire, good friend, boss, sidekick.

● If a character is shared - this is an indirect relationship. The related main characters do not necessarily know each other, but they both have important relationships to the new minor character.

● If I add an aspect to a character, that’s an aspect of the character. If I add an aspect to a relationship, it’s an aspect they both share, and therefore could be a bond between them.

● If I add an event to a character, it’s a defining event in their life. If I add an event to a relationship, it’s a defining event of the relationship - possibly how they met, or possibly something that is now stressing the relationship.

● If I add a place to a character, it’s a place that’s uniquely theirs. Possibly their home or a place they get away to. If I add a place to a relationship, it’s a place important to the relationship - where they met, a place they regularly hang out at...

● If I add an item to a character, its their item, or an item they’re looking for. If I add an item to a relationship, it could be an item they share, or an item one has and the other wants, or an item they both want.

● Finally, if I add a detail to a character, it’s that character’s description. If I add a detail to a relationship, it somehow describes the relationship. When this character comes into the scene, or this relationship is mentioned, we’ll probably see the detail as a recurring motif or memory hook.

Finally, I often let a reversed card have a reversed meaning. I almost always do this with Aspects: strong reversed is weak, giant reversed is small, etcetera. But sometimes it works with other cards as well. “In space” reversed could be “on the ground”. “Human” reversed could be “Inhuman.” But I don’t force it - if I think “in space” is cooler than “on the ground”, I stick with “in space.” I give everyone a name … or maybe some of them are already distinct enough without a name, and I simply call them “the cowboy”, “the banshee”, “the queen” ... I write the first paragraph of the story explaining the situation. [Example, for celtic myth storyleaves - I deal out some cards until five characters are on the table, and choose:Queen of the Village; Gryphon; and Banshee.For the protagonist resources:The Queen’s facet is Stone Knotwork. The Gryphon’s facet is The Stars. Their shared facet is The Forest.For the antagonist resources:The Antagonist’s facet is Glowing, Red Coals. The shared facet with the Queen is Black Iron. The shared facet with the Gryphon is The Moon. I write: (facets are italicized)Once upon a time, there was a Queen named Titania who was one of the best stonecarvers in her village. She liked to ride her pet gryphon through the forest on starry nights. But she was not the only one who had sway over the gryphon - every full Moon, the banshee of the forest, with its glowing, red coals for eyes, would take over and the gryphon would be hers. Queen Titania, angry about this, once imprisoned the banshee in a black iron prison, but the banshee escaped.] I come up with a goal for the protagonist that involves the other characters and their facets. Then I come up with a goal for the antagonist that obstructs the protagonist. Then I write it. [Example, continued:The banshee vowed revenge upon the Queen. And the Queen wanted nothing more than to separate the banshee from her beloved gryphon.] I shuffle the RESHUFFLES and all the cards on the table except for the protagonist and

antagonist resources back into the deck. Even the main character cards go back into the deck - you’ll only have 6 cards face up on the table. Then I deal myself five cards. [Five cards, on average, give the protagonist a hard time - I will probably have to choose between several sacrifices. If I want a better shot at a happy ending, I’d give myself more cards. If I want a tragic ending, I’d give myself fewer.] These cards are my hold over destiny.

What Does It Look Like?At this point, the table looks something like this:

A turn of the gameIn summary: I play the protagonist, a bit like in a role-playing game. What do I, as the protagonist, want to do? I can:

● pursue my goal● attack the antagonist● wait and see what happens

● protect my beloved● sacrifice a resource● try to reverse a condition

No matter what I do--even if I do nothing--the antagonist will try to thwart me. I draw a card representing the antagonist’s efforts. If it’s lower than my card (or if I didn’t play a card) the antagonist succeeds in thwarting and antagonizing me. I write how, using the contents of the card for color. And then I get to either

● play a card from my hand in response● sacrifice a resource with a lower number ● play the top card from the deck, unseen. If it’s higher, then I take a condition. Either the

protagonist is Lost, the beloved is Lost, or they are Estranged from each other. ● give in - take a condition voluntarily. In this case, I get to draw a card for my hand.

And then it’s the next turn. Pursue my goalI play a card from my hand, and write a sentence (or two) about how I get closer to my goal and how what was on the card related to that. I leave it open-ended, because the antagonist might find a way to prevent me from getting closer to my goal.[Example: I play Wicker Man: 41. The villagers build a wicker man and prepare to sacrifice the enemies from another tribe to the moon, so that the moon will serve them.]If I succeed (see below for how success and failure work), I am one step closer to achieving my goal. Achieving a goal requires three successful pursuit attempts. (But I can be set back by a condition.) When pursuing my goal, lower cards win.

Attack the antagonistI choose a resource of the antagonist to destroy. I play a card from my hand - it must be lower than the antagonist resource I’m attacking.[Example:The banshee’s relationship with the gryphon is Detail: The Moon - 32. I play Item: Sword - 14.The queen takes her sword and threatens the goddess of the moon. ‘No longer will you serve the banshee.’]If I succeed, the antagonist loses that resource. I write how that diminishes the antagonist. If the resource is unique - if it’s the gryphon, not a gryphon - I rip the resource card up (or set it aside in a separate pile, not to be returned to the deck) - it will never appear in the saga again, even in a subsequent chapter.Destroying the antagonist does not mean you win. It’s not what is truly important to you - your goal is. But it does get you: 2 free cards for your hand (because there’s no longer an antagonist to stop you.)When attacking the antagonist, higher cards win. (This is a new rule and not reflected in the examples below.)

Wait and see what happens

I do nothing, and get to draw a card. I don’t write anything (well, I can write something if I want) and go straight to the antagonist move. When waiting-and-seeing, higher cards win. (This is a new rule and not reflected in the examples below.)

Sacrifice a resourceI discard one of my resources. I write how that resource is lost forever, and get to immediately draw 3 cards.[Example:I’m out of good cards in my hand. I decide to give up the Queen’s stone knotwork talent, because I can’t bring myself to destroy the forest or the Gryphon’s relationship with the stars. The moon requires a favor from the Queen. The Queen carves knotwork in the moon's honor, so nobody will forget this covenant between Queen and Moon. She carves until her fingers bleed and her hands are ruined claws – she will never be able to carve again.See “Attack the Antagonist” for what to do with the discarded resource.The antagonist responds as normal. If I lose against the antagonist, I get a condition, as normal.When sacrificing a resource, lower cards win.

Try to reverse a conditionConditions are explained below. I can fix them just like pursuing a goal. [Example:The Queen is lost. I play Stag: 21. Titania meets a stag on the plains and learns to ride him; he leads her back to the forest.]If the antagonist stops me, the condition is not reversed, and I get another condition.When reversing a condition, lower cards win.

The Antagonist’s ResponseNo matter what you do, the antagonist replies. (Even if they’ve been destroyed - this represents the general adversity of the universe.) I draw a card from the deck and play it face up in the discard pile.If it’s better than my card, the antagonist takes the advantage and blocks my card. I write how he or she used the card element to stop me.[Continuing the “reverse a condtion” example, above:For the antagonist, I draw Wolf: 20, and write: A wolf bars the way.]If it’s higher than my card, the antagonist is defeated - whatever I tried to do worked. I write how I succeeded, trying to use the card element as color. Then it’s the next turn.[Continuing the example:Titania plays Circle of Megaliths: 16. She leads the wolf into a fairy circle where he becomes confused, and continues her journey.I draw Gryphon: 19, for the banshee, which is higher than 16. Banshee is defeated. She meets her gryphon friend and is found.]If the antagonist is not defeated and has the advantage, there are four things I can do:

Answer: better card from my handIf I have a lower card from my hand I don’t mind giving up, I can do it now, writing how that element turns the tide back to my favor. It’s now the antagonist’s turn again, and then my turn, and this can go on until I run out of cards and have to do something drastic.[See above example.]

Answer: sacrifice a resource with a better number If I have a protagonist resource/facet I am willing to give up, I can do it now, writing how that resource is destroyed forever but turns the tide back in my favor. Rip the resource card up and throw it out - it will never appear in the story again, even in a subsequent chapter.[Example:Banshee draws Aspect: Strong: 34. The banshee has unnatural strength - she wrests the sword from the Queen’s hand and lifts the Queen off the ground by her hair.And it’s late in the game and I have only one card in my hand, Death: 40. I see that the Gryphon’s facet is The Stars: 33...I sigh and play it. The gryphon attacks the banshee and they fight - the gryphon drives the banshee off, but not before the banshee slashes the gryphon’s eyes with her claws. The gryphon will never see the stars again.]

Answer: take a risk. Play the top card from the deck, unseen. If it’s higher than the antagonist’s, then I lose - I take a condition. Either the protagonist is Lost, the beloved is Lost, or they are Estranged. If it’s lower than the antagonist’s, then the antagonist gets to draw again - if his card is higher than mine I win; if it’s lower then I have to answer again. This can go on multiple times until one of us loses.[Example:Banshee draws Wolf: 20. A wolf bars the way.Maybe I want to save my cards or maybe I don’t have a card that low, so I take a chance and draw unseen. Maybe I get Circle of Megaliths: 16. She leads the wolf into a fairy circle where he becomes confused, and continues her journey.Or maybe I get Death: 40; failure. She realizes the wolf could kill her and backs away.Or maybe I get The Tribal Village: 17...and just can’t think of why the Queen’s village would help her now. I consider it a failure. The Queen wishes her village hadn’t turned against her, and, tears in her eyes, runs from the wolf.]

Answer: give in - take a condition voluntarily. In this case, I get to draw a card for my hand. I write the condition - maybe in the writing I try to find a way to show how my character decided discretion was the better part of valor.[Example:Banshee draws Druid: 6. A druid, servant of the banshee, comes to Queen Titania's village and convinces the people she is unfit to rule.Titania has no card that low and I don’t expect to be able to draw one. I give in and take Protagonist Lost. She is ostracized and flees.]

ConditionsI can only take each condition once, even if they are reversed. Once I’ve taken all three the game is over - even if some were reversed. Estranged: Something has come between the protagonist and their beloved. Maybe they are angry with each other, maybe they’re separated geographically or physically. Protagonist Lost: This could mean lost geographically, lost mentally, presumed dead, or otherwise missing. Nobody who cares about you knows where you are, including the beloved. Beloved Lost: This could mean lost geographically, lost mentally, presumed dead, or otherwise missing. Nobody who cares about them knows where they are, including the protagonist.If a condition hasn’t been reversed before the end of the game, it’s permanent.

Flowcharthttps://docs.google.com/drawings/edit?id=1CWOR7AxVr4epF0sEjb4m8E4_KzaMzZTy7lth-tO2nFs&hl=en

When Does It End:It ends when:

● I’ve made three steps of progress. If Lost conditions still exist at this point, they’re Lost forever. So this is a happy ending or a happy-ending-but-a-price-was-paid. Or:

● I take my third condition, even if I’ve reversed the other two. This is my tragic ending or my lesson-was-learned-but-the-damage-is-irreversible.

● I resign. I recognize that striving can only make things worse from here on out, and accept things as they currently stand - I will never achieve my goal.

Once it’s over, I may want to use the last cards in my hand to inspire a sentence or two of epilogue. Maybe they mitigate a tragic ending.

Some Things I Can’t Do:I don’t write stuff that doesn’t make sense just to use my cards. If I can’t make a card fit, I’m not allowed to use it. Otherwise I’m the sort of person who cheats at solitaire. Otherwise the game is just parlour narration. Of course, with some stories (like my celtic myth tale, below), just about anything can be made to make sense...and I can be creative about how the cards are used. Maybe I draw the antagonist’s character card - at first, it might seem like it would never make sense that the antagonist would help me achieve my goal. But maybe the antagonist makes a mistake, or betrays themselves, somehow. When drawing for the antagonist, even if it doesn’t make sense for the story, the antagonist still wins somehow. In this case, I ignore the color on the card and write whatever comes to mind. I don’t kill the antagonist until their third resource is destroyed. I don’t kill the protagonist or beloved unless they’re Lost, and make it a “presumed dead” sort of

kill, something reversible, until they’re Lost Forever.

Levels of Victory:

Most Tragic - the “Chinatown” ending

The most tragic ending would be to burn some Traits and take all the conditions without reversing them, before achieving my goal and while the antagonist lives on in triumph.

The Commitments

Slightly less tragic would be to avoid burning Traits or to reverse some of the conditions.

Hamlet

Or to defeat the antagonist but to also take conditions and not achieve a goal.

The Empire Strikes Back

A bittersweet ending would be to achieve my goal but to burn some Traits and take a condition on the way there - while the antagonist remains...

Sunshine

Or maybe I defeat the antagonist, achieve my goal, but lose my self on the way.

The Dark Knight

Or lose my beloved.

Tangled

The penultimate victory would be to achieve my goal, defeat the antagonist, without keeping any conditions and burning only one trait.

Most Happy - “The Incredibles” ending

The ultimate victory would be to achieve my goal, defeat the antagonist, without keeping any conditions and burning no traits.

Additional Chapters:Once I have a deck, I probably want to use it again for more stories. Maybe I add some more cards to the deck - maybe I take some out. Maybe I make the story about the same protagonist - I don’t have to draw a new character card for her, but I make myself choose a new beloved (though possibly the same beloved comes up in the draw) and a new antagonist. Maybe the story is a prequel. Or maybe it’s just another story in the same world with completely different characters.

Extended Example, Celtic Myth Story

The story deck:

Character: Balor (1)Character: Carnun (2)Character: Morrigan (3)Character: Sidhe (4)Character: Banshee AKA Bean-Sidhe (5)Character: Druid (6)Character: Bard (7) Character: Tribal Queen (8)Character: Berserker (9)Character: Fomor (10)Detail: Black Iron (11)Item: Cauldron (12)Event: Sacrifice (13)Item: Sword (14)Item: Mistletoe (15)Place: Circle of Megaliths (16)Place: The Tribal Village (17)Place: The Underworld (18)Character: Gryphon (19)Character: Wolf (20)Character: Stag (21)Character: Eagle (22)Place: Forest (23)Place: Cave (24)Detail: Knotwork (25) Place: Peat Bog (26)Place: Lime Pit (27)Event: Birth (28)Event: Death (29)Event: Marriage (30)Event: Coming of Age (31)Detail: The Moon (32)Detail: The Stars (33)Aspect: Strong (34)Aspect: Giant (35)Aspect: Beautiful (36)Aspect: Father (37)Aspect: Returned From the Dead (38) I deal out some cards until five characters are on the table, and choose:Queen of the Village (protagonist); Gryphon (beloved); and Banshee (antagonist).For the protagonist resources:

The Queen’s facet is Stone Knotwork. The Gryphon’s facet is The Stars. Their shared facet is The Forest.For the antagonist resources:The Antagonist’s facet is Glowing, Red Coals. The shared facet with the Queen is Black Iron. The shared facet with the Gryphon is The Moon. Once upon a time, there was a Queen named Titania who was one of the best stonecarvers in her village. She liked to ride her pet gryphon through the forest on starry nights. But she was not the only one who had sway over the gryphon - every full Moon, the banshee of the forest, with its glowing, red coals for eyes, would take over and the gryphon would be hers. Queen Titania, angry about this, once imprisoned the banshee in a black iron prison, but the banshee escaped.The banshee vowed revenge upon the Queen. And the Queen wanted nothing more than to separate the banshee from her beloved gryphon. Turn 1:Titania waits and sees.Banshee draws Druid: 6. A druid, servant of the banshee, comes to Queen Titania's village and convinces the people she is unfit to rule.Titania gives and takes Lost. She is ostracized and flees. Turn 2:Titania - trying to reverse condition - plays Stag: 21. Titania meets a stag on the plains and learns to ride him; he leads her back to the forest.Banshee draws Wolf: 20. A wolf bars the way.Titania plays Circle of Megaliths: 16. She leads the wolf into a fairy circle where he becomes confused, and continues her journey.Banshee draws Gryphon: 19. She meets her gryphon friend and is found. Turn 3:Titania plays Tribal Village: 17. She returns to her village on the back of the gryphon and slays the druid. The people accept her back.Banshee draws Cave: 24, loses. In an ancient cave, Titania meets a hermit who tells her a ritual that will sever the banshee's hold on her gryphon.Progress: 1. Turn 4:Titania plays Wicker Man: 41. The villagers build a wicker man and prepare to sacrifice the enemies from another tribe to the moon, so that the moon will serve them.Banshee draws Bard: 7. The village bard says this is monstrous – their enemies don't deserve this.Titania gives in. Titania publicly agrees with the bard. What’s the condition? Let’s do Estranged. The moon grows full. The gryphon leaves to be with the banshee.

Turn 5:Titania plays Eagle: 22. Titania summons an eagle and tells him to speak to the moon on her behalf - “Release the gryphon.”Banshee draws Birth: 28. The moon agrees, just this one time. And, so the moon can speak easier with the Queen, that night a child is born in the village that would speak for the moon. They name her Lune.Estranged reversed. Turn 6:Titania plays Queen: 8. When the child has grown, the Queen tells her - I am your queen, oh child. Tell the moon to no longer serve the banshee.Banshee plays Strong: 34. The queen's will is strong. The moon will do as she says.(Note that I write that it’s Titania the Queen whose will is strong, not the Banshee’s - I can work the card into the story however I want, I don’t have to attach it to the Banshee.)Progress: 2. Turn 7:The Queen sacrifices Knotwork. But first, the moon requires a favor from the Queen. The Queen carves knotwork in the moon's honor, so nobody will forget this covenant between Queen and Moon. She carves until her fingers bleed and her hands are ruined claws – she will never be able to carve again. (Draws Coming of Age 31 and Sword 14)Banshee draws Carnun: 2! But that night, the wild master of the hunt rides. The gryphon flies away in terror.Gryphon is lost. They search for the gryphon but do not find it. That’s the third condition and the end of the game. Progress never hit 3, so the link between banshee and gryphon was not severed - the moon must not have kept its promise. So I write:They only ever see it again on the full moon, when the banshee rides it in the night, wailing her victory.

Another Extended Example - Mark Nau’s Actual PlayProtagonist: Ex-SoldierP. Facet: Character:RuffianB. Facet: Aspect:PiousShares Place:Pub with B.Beloved: Alchemist Antagonist: MonkA. Facet: Aspect:LearnedShares Item:Relic with P. (P. has it, A. wants it)Shares Place:Church with B.

London, 1348 Roger Pottin, an ex-soldier returned home from campaigning in France. Now a ruffian, stealing from those who seem well-enough off to not bother his conscious. Is unwittingly in possession of a relic, the blade that slew the saint Abbo of Fleury, plunder taken from his soldiering. Meets with his brother periodically at the Blue Barrel pub. His brother, Simon, a former alchemist. His piety led him to give up that profession when it was forbidden by the church. He then joined the London Augustine order as a mendicant monk. Walter le Moigne, a learned monk in the Augustine order. Has recognized the relic that Roger carries, and desires it for his own. Is having a corrupting influence over Simon, and making him practice alchemy again. Walter wants the blade so he can perform a powerful ritual with Simon’s help. Roger wants to free Simon from Walter’s influence. 1) Wait and See:(RESHUFFLE)(#17 Event: Collapse)The two brothers are at the Blue Barrel one night, drinking and talking. Simon is concerned about Roger’s lifestyle, and also expressing some doubt as to the things that Walter is having him research in the monastery. Simon leaves early to tend to his duties. Later, as Roger leaves, a heavy crate falls over from the second-story storage area, right atop him.(#6, Character:Tradesman)The silversmith who Roger was drinking with sees the crate falling down just in time to push Roger aside.(Antagonist gets card #12)Roger catches a glimpse of a hooded figure jump out of a second-story window.+1 card for me for winning a wait-and-see. 2) Pursue my goal:(#30 Aspect: Cautious)Roger carefully tails the hooded figure through the city streets.(#13 Event:Ritual)The hooded figure, seeing that he is being followed, brazenly cuts through a small priory where some monks are performing Nocturns, disrupting the prayers.(#5 Character:Knight)A member of the Order of the Garter, who was attending the service, rushes up, grabs the hooded figure, and slams him against the wall.(#28)The figure twists and escapes, but Roger sees that it was Walter who tried to kill him.

Progress: 1 3) Pursue my goal:(#40 Location:Street)The next day, Roger is lying in wait for Walter, hidden in a narrow alley outside the Augustine grounds.(#4 Character:Serf)As Walter is emerging from the grounds, a serf spots Roger in hiding. He threatens and berates him, causing enough ruckus to draw Walter’s attention.(Give In)Walter hurries back inside the compound while Roger escapes for his life.[Beloved Lost]Simon doesn’t appear at the pub that evening.+1 card for giving in 4) Sacrifice a resource:(#7 Character:Ruffian)Concerned for his brother, Roger tries to call on him at the Augustine compound, but is rebuffed. He tracks down contacts to try to find information, turning down several lucrative offers to engage in some skullduggery. He figures out that Simon is once again practicing alchemy. Roger goes to confession and renounces thievery if he can get divine help in rescuing his brother.(#19)I get 3 cards. 5) Pursue my goal:(#14 Event:Fire)The moment Roger’s renunciation is uttered, alarm bells begin to sound nearby. A fire has broken out in part of the Augustine compound. Amidst the chaos, Roger tries to sneak onto the grounds.(RESHUFFLE)(#8 Character:Merchant)As Roger enters the gate, a merchant grabs him. He recognizes Roger as the man who waylaid his caravan just a week ago.(#1 Character:Nobleman)As they scuffle, a nearby nobleman takes command, organizing a fire brigade. His guards accost both the Merchant and Roger, instructing them to heed to the noble’s orders. The merchant objects, seeking justice, and is cuffed in the face for his troubles. Roger takes the opportunity to dart inside.(#9) Progress:2

6) Pursue my goal:(#26 Aspect:Fearless)One of the buildings is completely ablaze. Braving the flames, Roger enters into the smoke—filled basement.(#36) Progress:3. So YAY, ending, but beloved remains Lost. Oh hey oops I missed that. Ah well, no worries. Epilogue:(#21 Detail: Scream)(#27 Aspect: Mad) In the basement, Roger sees an alchemist’s laboratory. Walter is standing in the middle of a pentagram, waving his arms and gibbering madly about power and saints and demons. Seeing Roger, the mad monk uncorks a beaker and begins to drink. As Roger is gathering his wits, he sees a figure emerge from the opposite corner of the room, running straight for Walter. The running figure wails “NOOOOOOOOO,” runs into the pentagram, and tackles the monk. A conflagration arises in the middle of the pentagram, blinding Roger. Didn’t that running figure resemble Simon? Staggering back against the unholy heat, Roger barely stumbles away from the blaze as the entire edifice collapses into itself.

Greg Costikyan’s Actual Play

Yet More Examples, Jeez. Celtic game, Chapter 2Protagonist: Queen; Antagonist: Carnun; Beloved: BardProtagonist Resources: Queen’s Facet - the tribal village; Bard’s facet - Eye; Shared facet - Marriage.Antagonist Resources: Circle of Megaliths; Shared with Queen: Wolf; Shared with Bard: Peat Bog.Queen’s goal: to have a child with the bard.Carnun’s goal: to have a child with the queen.Once upon a time, Queen Titania married the one-eyed Bard of her village, Drystan. (Thank you Story Games Name Project, Arthurian section.) Their secret love no longer secret, Carnun, lord of the hunt, who watched Queen Titania’s village from atop a hill crowned with a circle of standing stones, and who had long desired Queen Titania for himself, was angered. He sent a wolf to live in the village - in her pride, the Queen took it in as a pet. And he appeared to the Bard in the peat bog where they gathered material for their huts, and threatened him, and told him to leave the village. But the bard did not. Turn 1:Play The Moon: 32. By the light of the moon, Queen Titania meets the Bard and they

make love.Reshuffle. Draw Aspect: Father 37. Carnun loses. When they are done, Titania whispers. “You’re a father now. I can tell.”Progress +1. Turn 2:Play Character: Siobahn 40. Siobahn, the village midwife, attends to Queen Titania in the middle of her pregnancy. All is going as it should.Draw Aspect: Returned from the Dead 38...When Queen Titania goes back to her circular stone house to see her husband, she is met instead by a moving corpse - the druid she slew from gryphon-back has somehow returned from the dead. It touches her with a cold, rotting hand.Play Item: Death 29. She pulls away and takes her sword down from the mantle, and cleaves the foul thing in two.Play Character: Banshee 5.She hears a wailing laugh on the wind, outside. She races outside and listens - on the hill with the fairy-stones, she sees, against the full moon, the silhouettes of an antlered man and a woman on the back of a gryphon. Her enemies have allied with each other! Protagonist Lost works here.The wailing laugh continues - and she feels sick. That living dead abomination has corrupted her... Turn 3:Reverse a condition - play Mistletoe: 15. Siobahn gathers mistletoe to cure Titania’s illness and try to save the baby.Draw Aspect: Giant 35. She is able to gather a great deal - Titania’s corruption is driven out.Lost reversed. Turn 4:Play stag: 21. The village hunters slay a stag and the Queen is well-fed. “The baby is strong,” Siobahn says.Draw Carnun: 2. The bard is worried. “That is Carnun’s creature. He will be offended we did not make a sacrifice. That night, Titania dreams of Carnun, standing before her, tall, strong, and angry - antlers thrusting from his skull, a wolf at his side. “Your people have slain my totem animal. You must give me your child, or I shall make you suffer.”I’m reinterpreting Carnun’s antagonist goal here. Child-with-her originally meant he’d impregnate her, but this works too.Beloved Lost.She wakes in a sweat, knowing the dream was real. She turns to seek comfort from her husband, but he is … gone!

Turn 5:Hmm...reverse the condition or have the baby...the only card left in my hand is Lime Pit. How can that help? I’ll sacrifice Eye.In Carnun’s domain, Drystan is chained to the wall. A crow pecks out his one remaining eye and he weeps blood.I draw harsh whisper and … reshuffle … and death. Turn 6:I can’t attack Carnun because my cards are too high. What can I do with Death: 29? I know.Titania has the child, intending to keep it no matter what Carnun does. But she dies in childbirth. Antagonism: The Stars 33, I win. Progress now at 2. One more and I win the game.The child, however, is healthy, and while the villagers mourn, Siobahn says the stars are favorable for her birth. The last thing the Queen said was “Her name shall be Brigit.”This technically does not count as Lost. Right now in game terms the Queen is as powerful as ever. Turn 7:In fact, now I know what to do with Harsh Whisper: 45. In Carnun’s domain, Carnun looks upon Drystan and scowls. “Your child was born. Soon I shall ride and claim it for my own.” But a harsh whisper sounds in his skull: “Leave our child alone - or I shall torment you from beyond the grave.”Draw Aspect: Giant 35. Carnun seems to grow to twice his size. “Go away, little ghost. I fear you not.”Play Lime Pit: 27. He rides a black steed to the village, but the voice of Queen Titania in his head confuses him and he loses his way - next thing, he is foundering in a pit of lime.Draw Stag: 21. A stag is nearby - it wakes and comes to its master, lowering its head so he can grab its antlers and pull himself from the muck while his horse drowns.I’m out of cards. I have to draw unseen. Reshuffle. And...Carnun 2! How does he betray himself?Carnun laughs and strides into the heart of the village, reaches into the crib and takes the baby. Little does he know that Siobahn has switched children: another villager has had a child on this night, and Carnun walks off, not with Brigit, but with Aelony. Aelony will grow up the child of Carnun.Brigit, heir to Titania’s throne, will grow up a child of the village. Progress +3. Drystan is still screwed (Lost) - I was tempted to write a line about his torment but maybe he’ll escape next chapter. Next chapter will still be about Titania. So she’s a ghost now. So what? Or is more satisfying if he stays Lost?

Chapter 3Father reversed is child; Morrigan reversed is I don’t know, so I’ll keep it Morrigan. Her child is the beloved; the Morrigan is/are the adversary.Morrigan shares Place: Wicker Man with Titania - she’s demanding a sacrifice of the village.

Shares birth with Brigit. Has Druid for a facet.Protagonist resources: Titania facet - strong reversed. Brigit facet - the tribal village. They share Siobahn, the midwife who knows Brigit’s secret.Goals: See Brigit installed as queen of the village. Antagonist: Have Brigit sacrificed.Titania’s ghost is weakening, losing her connection to the earth. Still she watches the growth of her daughter. Siobahn helps raise the child in the village, knowing her queen would wish it - she never told the mother that she switched children, and knows that one day the truth will out and the mother will be horrified. Two others know the secret of Brigit’s birth. The Morrigan, one-who-is-many, goddess hags, and her favorite druid. He has come to Brigit’s village, saying that the Morrigan demand a wicker-man sacrifice. He has spoken to Titania in dreams - she knows his true plans - knows that the sacrifice he seeks is Brigit herself.I drew an incredible hand with both Balor (1) and Carnun (2) … I’ve basically won already, but I don’t see how I can narrate Balor & Carnun into Brigit’s crowning, so I’m going to attack the Morrigan.Turn 1:Play Circle of Megaliths: 16 against Birth: 28. Titania seeks the druid as he is worshipping within the circle of standing stones on the hilltop, and tells him he is mistaken - Brigit is not her child, and he would be wise to not mention such a thing.He draws Human: 30. He, only human, succumbs to fear and agrees. Turn 2:Play Carnun: 2 against Druid: 6. Titania goes to see Carnun. “You owe me a favor, Carnun - you have my child, after all.” Carnun asks what this favor is - she tells him he must drive away the Morrigan’s druid. Easy enough, he agrees - “And after this, I owe you nothing,” he says.Giant 35: Carnun appears, giant in stature, before the druid, and tells him to leave this place. He does. Angry, at his defiance, the Morrigan kills him.He’s a druid, not the druid, so I discard it. Turn 3:Balor:1 against the Wicker Man: 41. Titania visits the land of the dead, where the ghost of Balor, once the most feared of the fomors, dwells. She offers to give him some of her remaining essence to visit the earthly realms once more, as long as he do her one favor - use the power of his destructive Eye to destroy the wicker-man they have built in her village. It’s a wicker man, not the wicker man, so I discard it. Stag: 21. That night, at midnight, with a full moon high above, a stag watches from the woods as the ghost of Balor walks the empty, muddy lanes of the village, pulls back the hood from his eye, and burns the wicker man to the ground.At this point the antagonist, who is the Morrigan, not a Morrigan, is destroyed, exits the fiction - though I have trouble believing that Titania could destroy a god, so:The Morrigan, afraid of the power that Titania has wielded against them, decide they will

leave this village and child alone.Progress +1. Turn 4:I play Strong: 34. Although Titania has very little power left, she manages to find the will to visit Siobahn in her dreams. It is time to reveal the truth, she tells Siobahn.Response - Peat Bog: 26. Siobahn cannot bear the burden, and rather than admit the truth to Brigit’s adopted mother, throws herself in the peat bog.All I have left is Wolf: 20. Titania’s spirit possesses the body of a nearby wolf - and she pulls Siobahn from the bog.Reshuffle. Circle of Megaliths: 16. Siobahn does not regain consciousness. Titania takes her to the circle of standing stones and begs the sidhe to revive her, to no avail.And I’m out of cards. [Design idea: what if that was another endgame condition?] So I draw from the deck. Father: 37. Makes me think of the bard in Carnun’s prison. Titania would weep if a ghost could. She thinks of Drystan.Price: estranged from daughter. (She kind of already was in the narrative anyway...) Turn 5:I need cards. I can get them by sacrificing a resource. Since Siobahn is already dead that seems like an obvious choice:Me: Siobahn: 40. Titania watches Siobahn’s ghost fade into the endless lands.Black Iron: 11 Then she hears sounds from the village - she goes to investigate. Me: (From the deck.) Bard: 7. It’s a travelling minstrel - he is playing his lute in the village center, by the burnt out wicker man. And singing that the queen of the village lives. How could he know? She stares - somehow, he reminds her of Drystan...but...no.I don’t know how he knows either. I’m leaving it a mystery for myself.Antag: Sword: 14. Some of the village warriors come out but he just keeps playing - and soon they are lulled by his music. “What does he mean, the queen lives?” one asks.And now I get to draw 3 cards. Lucky. Turn 6:Me: Beautiful: 36. Brigit comes out of her hut and listens to the bard. When he stops playing, she tells him “That was beautiful.”Antag: Queen of the tribe: 8. Hmm, interesting. I guess this means Titania. She somehow sabotages herself. She so wants to tell Brigit the truth that she - Titania so wants to speak to Brigit that she manifests, there in the town center, a shimmering, howling apparation. Even the warriors are scared - “The dead appear among us!” - and draw their swords, retreating slowly. Brigit screams and runs.Think I’ll give, and I’ll take the Lost myself. Titania is stricken and loses her hold on the world - she falls into the land of the dead.I get to draw a card. Turn 7:Me: Stag 21. Brigit runs into the forest - and she comes upon a stag, eyeing her. The

stag does not run. Her fear gone, she approaches, and pets it. She wonders - only the legendary Queen Titania had this kind of influence over the beasts of the forest...Antag: Giant 35. Progress +2. She mounts the enormous stag and it lets her - it gallops into the forest, her clinging to its neck. Where is it taking her? Turn 8:I was leading up to this. Carnun: 2. It takes her to the edge of a clearing. There is Carnun! She has never laid eyes on him before, the Lord of the Hunt … with his antlered skull for a head. In the moonlight, he is playing with a girl with golden hair. Why, that must be Titania’s daughter - the one Siobahn said was taken by the Lord of the Hunt when she was just a baby. The Queen does indeed love, like the minstrel sang.Antag: Berserker 9. I do not know how to work that in as color, but I don’t have to for antag moves. But wait - she stares at this “Queen”, her eyes wide. She looks just like mother, Brigit thinks. And realization dawns on her. Carnun did not take the Queen’s daughter after all. She was the Queen’s daughter.The village was hers.Progress +3.

Extended Example, Big Business DramaLet’s see how well it works for something contemporary.Protagonist is Lawyer; Beloved is Spouse; Antagonist is Client.Protagonist resources: Protagonist trait Computer; Protagonist relationship Marriage; Beloved trait Parent.Antagonist resources: Relationship with Lawyer - Contract; Trait Aspect: Expensive; Relationship with Beloved via Owner/Shareholder.James King was the lawyer for a company with a problem; they were being sued by an expensive client, Boris Petrov, for breach of contract. James King had all the details of the case on his laptop computer. But he spent so much time at work that his marriage with his wife, Caroline, was suffering. To make matters worse, her father - his father-in-law - William Roberts - was staying with them. Things were further complicated because Boris had the ear of one of the company owners - she had a minority share, but she kept complaining - “Boris has a point about the contract. Wouldn’t it be good business just to pay the man?” And that owner, Daisy Andersson - she was Caroline’s mother, William’s ex-wife.Despite all the pressure, James King knew that his company was in the right and that Boris’s complaint was groundless - now if he could only prove it in court. My hand: Launch New Product (1); The Talent (17); Account (34); Wild [something new I’m trying with this deck, wild cards that can be anything] (46); Spouse (51) Turn 1:A good but not great hand. I’ll go straight for progress. I play Account (34). Working late, James looks over the company accounts with Boris, and he finds a discrepancy.

Antag: Salesman (50). Daisy was the saleswoman on one of the first accounts - almost two years ago to the day. James’s eyes narrowed - wasn’t that one Daisy started driving that Mercedes around? Could be a kickback...Progress +1. Turn 2:Wild (46). He goes to visit Daisy at her home and confronts her about the car. “Where did you get the funds for that Mercedes, again? We didn’t distribute profits that year.”Antag: Merger (37). “Lexicorp isn’t the only company I own significant shares in, James,” she said. “What are you implying?”Talent (17): He goes back to work, disgruntled. Devon, the company’s best analyst, comes in to see if he saw the game. “I’ve been too busy,” James mutters, and then asks Devon. “I think Daisy might have gotten kickbacks from Boris. She says she bought her Mercedes with money from another of her companies.”Devon laughs. “Oh, she got kickbacks from Boris, all right. You didn’t know that? Worst kept secret. You should subpoena her portfolio.” (I have no idea if that’s something you can do in real life, but, hey, tv shows get lawyer stuff wrong all the time too.)Antag: Buzz of Conversation (24). “I’ll do that.” He picks up the phone. “Can you close the door in your way out? It’s like a cocktail party out there.”Progress +2 Turn 3:Since this game is in the bag, I can take some shots at the antagonist.Spouse: 51. At home that night, he asks his wife for a favor. “Could you let your mom know that I’m onto her? Like - tell her you saw one of my e-mails and that I’m going to subpoena her portfolio. Oh! Tell her if Boris doesn’t drop this lawsuit that she could end up facing serious charges herself.”Caroline has never really forgiven her mother for divorcing her father, so she plays along. Antag: The Sound of Typing (33). She meets her mother at the Lexicorp offices the next day, and as they eat in the break room with the sounds of typing coming in from the hall, she confronts her. But her mother scoffs, “Oh, I don’t know what your husband thinks he’s found, but he’s barking up the wrong tree.”Random from the deck: Passionate (22). “You never did respect him, mother. You’re about to find out why I love him - the hard way - because he doesn’t give up. You better watch out.”Antag: Ring (5). “He gave up pretty quickly when he was looking for your engagement ring.”Flustered, Caroline covers her hand. “Oh, that ‘2 months of the groom’s salary’ stuff is nonsense.” But her mom could tell she had scored a point.I give, and get to draw a card. (Land New Account - 19) Turn 4:

Eh, why not just finish this off - Launch New Account: 1. Boris has the company over a barrel - he’s one of their most valuable accounts - so if they lose him, they are in trouble. “Maybe we should just settle,” the GM tells James that morning, worried and wringing his hands. But James decides to call in a favor from an old school chum. “Who does your company use for the lexical analysis?” he asks.“Oh, don’t get me started,” the friend says. “They’re terrible.”“Why don’t you take a shot with us?”And just like that - a pitch meeting is arranged. If they get another account, Boris will have to give in.Antag: 10. They get the contract. Boris whines - “But I want my money.” But he drops the lawsuit, knowing he’s doomed - no point in spending any more legal fees on this turkey.Daisy never was held accountable for those kickbacks... That one clocked in at 45 minutes (not including making the deck...)Enh. That wasn’t horrible, but this game is too swingy.

Another Example of Actual Play (by u472bmt)Sci-Fi (I was going to go for Space Opera, but it ended up very dark) (1) Place: Space(2) character: captain(3) place: The ship(4) event: alert(5) item: crystalline phlebotinum(6) character: The science officer(7) aspect: human(8) aspect: logical(9) detail: red(10) place: planet(11) character: alien(12) item: communicator(13) aspect: civilized(14) detail: dark(15) event: engineering problem(16) character: doctor(17) item: computator(18) character: monster(19) place: the bridge(20) aspect: cheerful(21) aspect: complicated

(22) detail: polarity(23) character: crewman(24) aspect: forgotten(25) character: civilian2 reshuffles initially dealt:9,13,21,2,11,22,8,20,12,23,24,17,19,25,16(2,8,9,11,12,13,16,17,19,20,21,22,23,24 and 25) chosen:protagonist: Doctor who is a -crewman-, andis in contact (through the -communicator-) withbeloved: Alien, who is... well... -complicated-a creature -forgotten- by time, much like the career ofantagonist: Captain, whose domain is -the bridge-the captain and the doctor believe themselves -civilized- men of high culture. the Captain wants to capture the Alien and gain fame by presenting it to the Federal Board of Space Exploration (dead or alive, though dead is just so much easier)the Doctor doesn't want the Alien to come to harm, but wouldn't want to end up on the other side of the airlock either. Prologue:"Our story begins with a bored doctor on a second class ship, who spends his days reading Dostoevsky, playing Space Checks and dreaming of something more. And he might just get it in... The Shady Sector" The doctor and the Captain playing Space Checks in the lounge. Suddenly a proximity alert is sounded, the object is brought on board, but runs away before the Captain and the doc can see it. The crew member that brought it in is found unconscious, but unharmed as well as missing his PDA and communicator. the captain is furious.As the captain is searching the ship, doctor gets a mysterious transmission, from someone he doesn't know. It is the alien who apologizes for knocking out the crewman, and is horrified at the though of being killed and dissected. cards dealt: logical(8),alien(11),polarity (22), crystalline phlebotinum (5), and computator (17) turn 1:(wait and see)The doctor continues to talk to the alien, asking about it's homewolrd, the things described are quite odd, and complex, this should impress the geeks in the audience, but

isn't integral to the plot.(the ship (3) is drawn, by the antagonist)The Captain scours the the ship in search of the Alien,(3 is hard to beat, so I give in and take "lost beloved". Kinda.)and finds him in the maintenance room. the Alien is stunned and imprisoned. for now. (beloved lost is gained)(red (9) is drawn) turn 2:(reverse condition: polarity(22))Doctor comes to see the alien, who begs him, to let it out. Not having clearance to open the brig, doc decided to reverse the polarity of the containment field.(doctor (16) is drawn by the antagonist)After struggling with the locks for a minute, the Doctor realizes he's a doctor, not a polarity invertor technician!(I play red (9) )The Alien (who somehow figured out human technology by now) suggests cutting the red wire.(dark (14) is drawn by the antagonist)The doctor tries to do that, and the power is cut to the entire brig... incuding the cell door! The Alien escapes, expressing his gratitude in the form of ancient alien wisdom. (it is multi-talented)(bleoved lost is... lost) turn 3:(press for advantage: logical (8) ):The Captain is now convinced that the Alien is a meanace and wants him killed, the doctor appeals to his scientific instincts ("it's illogical to kill a new, unknown alien!")(engeneering problem (15) is drawn by the antagonist)the captain is convinced that the alien should not be killed, but he did cause the problem in the brig...(advantage:1) turn 4:(press for advantage: crystalline phlebotinum(5) )The Doctor takes the ship's engineer to examine the remains of what the Alien came in and (with the help from the Alien) manage to discover a new and very powerful mineral(alert (4) is drawn by the antagonist)However trying to use it results in an overload of a critical system, and shipwide alert is sounded as the characters try to fix the damage(I draw a card: captain (2))The captain himself comes to the rescue at the last moment, saving both the ship and the mineral from certain doom.(civilian (25) is drawn by the antagonist)

The Captain can see that the problem was not with the Alien's mineral, but with the incompetent engineer, who isn't even from Starfleet, but contracted (due to cost cutting) from some backwater planet.(advantage: 2) turn 5:(press for advantage: alien (11) )As a show of good faith the alien shows himslelf to the crew.(human (7) is drawn by the antagonist)However the eldrich form of the alien scares the human crew, they do not wish it to walk among them!(again, 7 is tough to beat, and I'm down to 1 card, so... I take lost)Though the Alien escapes, the crew blames the Doctor (who in a way mediated between them and the alien) for it, and the captain imprisons him.(lost is gained) turn 6:(I sacrifice crewman (23) )For aiding the alien in his escape (and, you know, frying the power block in the brig...), the Doctor is put before a court martial, and striped of his position as a member of the ships crew.(cheerful (20) is drawn by the antagonist)Though the Doctor tries to remain in high spirits, the evidence against him is insurmountable(I sacrifice communicator(12))The alien again comes out, this time it allows itself to be captured, but even then a careless crew member accidentally damages it's vocal apparatus. The alien is mute! The tragedy of this is not lost on the Captain.(monster (18), planet (10), and cheerful (20) are drawn) turn 7:(press for advantage: planet (10))The Doctor explains that there is a planet nearby where the Alien can be left in peace.(science officer (6) is drawn by the antagonist)The science officer says that this is out of the question- though the alien is mute and can not be an ambassador, he is still very important to science and should be frozen and brought to Earth(I draw, as I'm down to my last condition: crewman(23))The doctor tries to appeal to the crew, but gets no support- they want to be part of history by discovering a new alien. Epilogue:In the closing shot we see the unmoving Alien being lowered into liquid nitrogen, while the Doctor, out of uniform and flanked by 2 armed men, sorrowfully watches.

"Thus ends the tale of the Good Doctor, who lost his position and his freedom trying to defend a friend from the monstrosity of human condition in... the Shady Sector." Some Design NotesI originally intended this as a writer’s block tool, where I’d write a story and use the game mechanics to help me when I got stuck. But it wasn’t that fun, and writing a story still took too long, and my real hint was when I offered to trade people play on the solitaire challenge thread and nobody took me up on it.So I retooled it for fun first, taking pages from Daniel Solis and Ron Edwards. It’s definitely a game now, with some interesting choices, and it plays quick. I’m looking forward to playing it more.