[into The Mystic/Tangled Fates] City of 1000 moons [long]

[Kat Miller]

b]The Crutch:
Still smarting over the bad sessions I had at Gen Con I decided on the spot to add numbers back into my game.  Everway uses character points and a System of Elements to help define a character.  I am using a tarot deck for Mystic so I converts Earth to Branches, Fire to Swords, Water to Cups and Air to Coins, and rated everything on the same 10 point scale that Everway uses.  With 3 being average and 10 being godlike.

After the character descriptions shared I then assigned the points but I didn't explain what they meant I just wanted them there incase.  Turned out that this exercise was a waste of time.  We never used those numbers once.

The Characters:<The Malady Layout:<The Player Deck:

Player Deck (referred to during the game as the Fate Cards) This consists of the Minor Arcana minus the Court Cards.  I have made my own and distilled the meaning on ever card to one word, its most popular meaning when read upright.  Each player started with Three of these cards.

Fate Cards can be used in many ways.  If a player wants to ensure his success and can work the word on the card in the description of his success then he can spend the Fate card and succeed.  If a player doesn't like the outcome of a particular Malady Deck Flip, the player can use the Fate card to alter the outcome using the meaning of the card in some way.  If two players are at odds a fate card spent can ensure the success of the spender. 

Fate cards can also be spent to create world facts.  That is a player can make up anything he wants about his own character but if he wants to make something up the effects another character/ all the characters/ or the world, he must spend a Fate card.


Conflict Mechanics:
There are two different conflict escalations depending if players are working against each other or working against the malady. The conflict escalation if layers are working against each other follows this path:

Declaration
Player declares what action his character takes.  If anyone challenges this the player can "tap" one of his picture cards.   NOTE: If a player doesn't have an appropriate picture card he may use a fate card at this time.

Picture Card Tapping
A player "tapping" a card just refers to one of his picture cards to validate why his character is able to succeed.  The challenging player may also "tap" one of their own cards to continue the challenge.

Fate Card
A fate card trumps a "tapped" picture card.  Can be used if there is no appropriate picture cards.  The challenging player may also play his own fate cards.  This can continue until  one player has no more Fate cards or until a player appeals to the Malady for aid.

Appeal to Malady 
Any fate cards spent are discarded and the Malady Deck is used to settle the challenge.  A card from the Malady Deck will be flipped and it will be used to direct the end of the conflict.  The winner of the conflict receives a new Fate card as a reward for furthering the desires of the Malady.  The malady likes it when players fight each other.

In player vs. player the Malady has the final word.

If the conflict is directed against the Malady then the escalation follows this path:

Declaration
Same as above.

Picture card Tapping
Also Same as above and the player can spend a Fate card here if no Picture card is available to validate the desired action.

Malady Deck
The player persists in going against the will of the malady then the Malady deck is consulted and something bad happens to the player's character.   

Fate card
If the player does not with to "take the hit" and receive what ever badness the Gm just described inspired by the flip of the Malady Deck AND the player has a Fate card the player can use the Fate card to alter the outcome.  Something bad started to happen but- and the player describes how the word on his fate card benefits his character in this situation

NOTE:
If the player "takes the Hit" the player receives a Fate Card.
If the Player "takes the Hit" the player has an opportunity to swap out a spent malady card for a card frozen in the Malady layout.

How this effected Play:

The first player who had an opportunity to swap out a card Swapped out the Devil for The Mother upright Creation.  Suddenly it wasn't about keeping the powerful things it had been collecting but about trying to create a new source of power.


The player vs player mechanic worked smoothly.

Aneron is inscribing his rune to purify the area so he can summon the cup and crown.  Arturo reaches for his world drum and finds instead the bloody dagger and Cup Queen recognizes as the Dagger that killed her tutor.  Arturo throws the dagger in the city gutter and the gutters fill with blood as Cup Queen begins to shake him and demand where her sister Eve is.  Andrew knows they are fueling the city and must keep calm.
Bruce does not want the blood in the Gutters to interfere with Aneron's purification ritual.  Michele knows that Fred does not know what happened to Cup Queen's sister, but knows that Cup Queen will be inconsolable.  Fred Does not want Cup Queen to harm Arturo and does not want to have to harm Cup Queen to defend himself.  Bill wants the weirdness that surrounds Andrew to be able to influence everyone.

First conflict is between Fred and Bruce.  Fred has declared the gutters filling with blood, but this declaration comes with no picture card to validate it.  Fred doesn't wish to spend a Fate card on the point.  Bruce "taps" his wizard picture card. 

Resolution: the sewers fill with blood except where Aneron is and as Aneron's ritual nears completion a radius of purity centering on Aneron erases the blood.

Second Conflict is between Fred and Michele: Both tap cards. Neither wants to escalate further. Both are happy that Arturo is backing away while being screamed at by Cup Queen.

Third conflict is between Bill vs. Fred and Michele.  Bill taps the weird magic card to calm them both characters down.  Fred accepts this so Arturo begins to calm.  Michele escalates and plays a fate card Cup Queen.  Bill responds by playing a Fate card.  Michele appeals to the Malady.  The Malady Flips revealing Justice upright "Chaos" I decide that Cup Queen's hysterics provide suitable Chaos.  Michele gains a Fate card.  Andrew in unable to effect Cup Queen, who then runs off screaming for her sister.

Play resolution:

The players all sought out their City Link cards and faced obsticals and Malady flips in persuit of these Links. 

When the Malady Layout changed from Bondage to Creation players were able to win back their Links.  Queen of Beasts found her father, Cup Queen found her sister, Isaiah found his sister/wife, Aneron was able to summon the stolen crown and cup.

When the Malady changed further and Balance became the Desire and Andrew became the Seen.  It changed the reasons and reactions of the Malady.  Now everything was doing done to restore a balance because of something Andrew had done.  At this point the city had no reason to keep what it had stolen, although Queen of Beasts father had fallen in love with a city guardian and decided to stay.  Eve had fallen in love with another city guardian and persuaded him to return with her.

The last scene involved the resolution of Andrew and Arturo's Links and took place in a temple in the city where it was uncovered that Andrew and Arturo were previous guardians of the City.  Andrew a Prince and Arturo the King.  Andrew was the one that had betrayed the city and his father leading to the death of Eve's tutor when he decided he wanted to leave the city.

All in all it was a very satisfying game.

Bruce had many suggestions involving adding stats and rating cards.  He was bothered that we never used the numbers and that even the numbers on the Fate Cards didn't add anything.

Bill suggested removing the numbers off the Fate cards entirely.  (This I agree with and am working on that already)

Everyone agreed that 3 Fate Cards to begin with are too many.

Things I was unhappy with:

While swapping out the Malady card in the Malady Layout went amazingly well mechanically it made no sense story wise.  I want to change this so that a player must first make a direct link between his character and a slot in the layout before he can swap out a card, and while swapping out a card describe how what he is doing causes that change.

How to make that link? Not sure yet.

I want to do more with the Fate Cards:

I want the players to make complications for their own characters as well as the other characters.  I don't know if this involves adding more picture cards.

I was thinking of having the players buy the chance to switch a Malady Layout card by spending 3 or 4 Fate cards.

Also, I'm changing the name of my game.  The Mystic referred to this fog that allowed players to make up whatever character from whatever place and end up together.  It's unnecessary.  The Fog added an uninteresting complication considering all of the PCs are linked to each other in someway.

The New Name:   Tangled Fates
The Crutch:[/b]
Still smarting over the bad sessions I had at Gen Con I decided on the spot to add numbers back into my game.  Everway uses character points and a System of Elements to help define a character.  I am using a tarot deck for Mystic so I converts Earth to Branches, Fire to Swords, Water to Cups and Air to Coins, and rated everything on the same 10 point scale that Everway uses.  With 3 being average and 10 being godlike.

After the character descriptions shared I then assigned the points but I didn't explain what they meant I just wanted them there incase.  Turned out that this exercise was a waste of time.  We never used those numbers once.

The Characters:<The Malady Layout:<The Player Deck:

Player Deck (referred to during the game as the Fate Cards) This consists of the Minor Arcana minus the Court Cards.  I have made my own and distilled the meaning on ever card to one word, its most popular meaning when read upright.  Each player started with Three of these cards.

Fate Cards can be used in many ways.  If a player wants to ensure his success and can work the word on the card in the description of his success then he can spend the Fate card and succeed.  If a player doesn't like the outcome of a particular Malady Deck Flip, the player can use the Fate card to alter the outcome using the meaning of the card in some way.  If two players are at odds a fate card spent can ensure the success of the spender. 

Fate cards can also be spent to create world facts.  That is a player can make up anything he wants about his own character but if he wants to make something up the effects another character/ all the characters/ or the world, he must spend a Fate card.


Conflict Mechanics:
There are two different conflict escalations depending if players are working against each other or working against the malady. The conflict escalation if layers are working against each other follows this path:

Declaration
Player declares what action his character takes.  If anyone challenges this the player can "tap" one of his picture cards.   NOTE: If a player doesn't have an appropriate picture card he may use a fate card at this time.

Picture Card Tapping
A player "tapping" a card just refers to one of his picture cards to validate why his character is able to succeed.  The challenging player may also "tap" one of their own cards to continue the challenge.

Fate Card
A fate card trumps a "tapped" picture card.  Can be used if there is no appropriate picture cards.  The challenging player may also play his own fate cards.  This can continue until  one player has no more Fate cards or until a player appeals to the Malady for aid.

Appeal to Malady 
Any fate cards spent are discarded and the Malady Deck is used to settle the challenge.  A card from the Malady Deck will be flipped and it will be used to direct the end of the conflict.  The winner of the conflict receives a new Fate card as a reward for furthering the desires of the Malady.  The malady likes it when players fight each other.

In player vs. player the Malady has the final word.

If the conflict is directed against the Malady then the escalation follows this path:

Declaration
Same as above.

Picture card Tapping
Also Same as above and the player can spend a Fate card here if no Picture card is available to validate the desired action.

Malady Deck
The player persists in going against the will of the malady then the Malady deck is consulted and something bad happens to the player's character.   

Fate card
If the player does not with to "take the hit" and receive what ever badness the Gm just described inspired by the flip of the Malady Deck AND the player has a Fate card the player can use the Fate card to alter the outcome.  Something bad started to happen but- and the player describes how the word on his fate card benefits his character in this situation

NOTE:
If the player "takes the Hit" the player receives a Fate Card.
If the Player "takes the Hit" the player has an opportunity to swap out a spent malady card for a card frozen in the Malady layout.

How this effected Play:

The first player who had an opportunity to swap out a card Swapped out the Devil for The Mother upright Creation.  Suddenly it wasn't about keeping the powerful things it had been collecting but about trying to create a new source of power.


The player vs player mechanic worked smoothly.

Aneron is inscribing his rune to purify the area so he can summon the cup and crown.  Arturo reaches for his world drum and finds instead the bloody dagger and Cup Queen recognizes as the Dagger that killed her tutor.  Arturo throws the dagger in the city gutter and the gutters fill with blood as Cup Queen begins to shake him and demand where her sister Eve is.  Andrew knows they are fueling the city and must keep calm.
Bruce does not want the blood in the Gutters to interfere with Aneron's purification ritual.  Michele knows that Fred does not know what happened to Cup Queen's sister, but knows that Cup Queen will be inconsolable.  Fred Does not want Cup Queen to harm Arturo and does not want to have to harm Cup Queen to defend himself.  Bill wants the weirdness that surrounds Andrew to be able to influence everyone.

First conflict is between Fred and Bruce.  Fred has declared the gutters filling with blood, but this declaration comes with no picture card to validate it.  Fred doesn't wish to spend a Fate card on the point.  Bruce "taps" his wizard picture card. 

Resolution: the sewers fill with blood except where Aneron is and as Aneron's ritual nears completion a radius of purity centering on Aneron erases the blood.

Second Conflict is between Fred and Michele: Both tap cards. Neither wants to escalate further. Both are happy that Arturo is backing away while being screamed at by Cup Queen.

Third conflict is between Bill vs. Fred and Michele.  Bill taps the weird magic card to calm them both characters down.  Fred accepts this so Arturo begins to calm.  Michele escalates and plays a fate card Cup Queen.  Bill responds by playing a Fate card.  Michele appeals to the Malady.  The Malady Flips revealing Justice upright "Chaos" I decide that Cup Queen's hysterics provide suitable Chaos.  Michele gains a Fate card.  Andrew in unable to effect Cup Queen, who then runs off screaming for her sister.

Play resolution:

The players all sought out their City Link cards and faced obsticals and Malady flips in persuit of these Links. 

When the Malady Layout changed from Bondage to Creation players were able to win back their Links.  Queen of Beasts found her father, Cup Queen found her sister, Isaiah found his sister/wife, Aneron was able to summon the stolen crown and cup.

When the Malady changed further and Balance became the Desire and Andrew became the Seen.  It changed the reasons and reactions of the Malady.  Now everything was doing done to restore a balance because of something Andrew had done.  At this point the city had no reason to keep what it had stolen, although Queen of Beasts father had fallen in love with a city guardian and decided to stay.  Eve had fallen in love with another city guardian and persuaded him to return with her.

The last scene involved the resolution of Andrew and Arturo's Links and took place in a temple in the city where it was uncovered that Andrew and Arturo were previous guardians of the City.  Andrew a Prince and Arturo the King.  Andrew was the one that had betrayed the city and his father leading to the death of Eve's tutor when he decided he wanted to leave the city.

All in all it was a very satisfying game.

Bruce had many suggestions involving adding stats and rating cards.  He was bothered that we never used the numbers and that even the numbers on the Fate Cards didn't add anything.

Bill suggested removing the numbers off the Fate cards entirely.  (This I agree with and am working on that already)

Everyone agreed that 3 Fate Cards to begin with are too many.

Things I was unhappy with:

While swapping out the Malady card in the Malady Layout went amazingly well mechanically it made no sense story wise.  I want to change this so that a player must first make a direct link between his character and a slot in the layout before he can swap out a card, and while swapping out a card describe how what he is doing causes that change.

How to make that link? Not sure yet.

I want to do more with the Fate Cards:

I want the players to make complications for their own characters as well as the other characters.  I don't know if this involves adding more picture cards.

I was thinking of having the players buy the chance to switch a Malady Layout card by spending 3 or 4 Fate cards.

Also, I'm changing the name of my game.  The Mystic referred to this fog that allowed players to make up whatever character from whatever place and end up together.  It's unnecessary.  The Fog added an uninteresting complication considering all of the PCs are linked to each other in someway.

The New Name:   Tangled Fates

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Kat,

This is really fascinating. I'm an Everway veteran myself and have ultimately hit hard limits with that game design which have become too troublesome for me to want to play it again. Yet its merits are so strong that they cry out to be utilized and developed through new designs.

Have you communicated at all with Forge member John Marron? If not, you really should send him a copy of your latest playtest version.

I have a suggestion for this question:

While swapping out the Malady card in the Malady Layout went amazingly well mechanically it made no sense story wise.  I want to change this so that a player must first make a direct link between his character and a slot in the layout before he can swap out a card, and while swapping out a card describe how what he is doing causes that change.

How to make that link? Not sure yet.

If I'm not mistaken, you've already provided the solution, right there in the question. As long as swapping out the Malady card simply carries the requirement of describing what the character is doing to make that change, then I think it will work fine. In fact, I don't even think requiring a prior link is necessary.

Best, Ron

[Kat Miller]

Thanks Ron,

I'll look John up.


I think your right, as long as the player can describe how what they are doing changes the Malady then my problem is solved.

Ive also figured out what I want to do with the Fate cards.  Rather than hand a fate card to a player if he "takes a hit" during the Malady Flip, when ever a player makes a connection from his character to another players character then both players get Fate cards.

This came up in game when Bill and Fred decided that their characters were father and son.  as soon as they decided that then both should have recieved Fate cards.  When you make an important NPC that affects another PC or affects the Malady you should get a Fate Card.

I can't wait to playtest this.

-kat

[contracycle]

[During the Creation process the players must choose a card give it meaning to their own character and then pass the card to the left.  The Player given the card accepts the meaning the card had and created new meaning the affects their character directly.  The players all have to give a card to the GM as well.  In this case they were creating a direct Link to the City of 1000 moons.[/quote]

A few question about this process. 
Can the players see the cards when they are chosen, or are they randomised?
Do chosen cards get returned to the pack such that another player may choose them?  If not, is there any mechanism for determining the order?

I am wondering if players recieving attributed links encountered any difficulties integrating te proposals and how these might have been resolved.  How defined are the characters at this point?

[Kat Miller]

Great Questions.

After the players have chosen the picture cards that make up their character, those picture cards will stay face up on the character sheet except for 2 picture cards. The one given to the GM and the one passed to left, to another player.
They need to write down the meaning that those cards had for them before they pass them.  Everyone can see all the character cards for they stay on the table.

If a player needs to "tap" one of the picture cards he has either given to the GM or to another player he my do so even though he doesn't physically posses the picture card.  that is why the player needs to record the meaning of those picture cards.  There has no difficulty tapping a card possessed by another.

We went around the Table starting with Bill who showed each of his picture cards and told us all what they meant to his character Andrew.  Then he chose one of his picture cards to give to Steve, Steve had already decided what his own picture cards meant all he had to do was wave Bill's picture card into Isaiah's story.  Each player took a turn telling the story of his character as represented by the picture cards, weaving in the picture card they received and choosing one to pass left.

The mechanic use was start with the player left of the Gm and go around the table. 

Michele had a little difficulty intigrating Fred's card.  She was able to give the card meaning but forgot that it also had to link back to Fred.  Once reminded that the new meaning had to be in addition to the old meaning, rather than in replacement of  (Fred had used the tone of the card to mean a betrayal, Michele had used the litereal image of the card to mean this was my tutor killed.  Once Fred and Michele agreed that the murder of Cup Queen's tutor was Arturo's betrayal they were fine). 

Once the players have explained the meaning of their picture cards, the characters are finished.  There is still plenty of room for development.  During the game Bill and Fred discovered their characters were father and son, and directly tied to the city, facts that hadn't been established at the beginning of play.

[contracycle]

ok.  So the initial batch of cards that a player receives, these are dealt straight out of the deck randomly, is that right?

Also, did you do the links between characters in strict sequence, with that player "on stage" as it were? 

You see the other one that strikes me is Fred's reciept of a cloak card from Rich; the idea that Fred's character simply doesn't remember distributing cloaks of awsome magic power is a bit jarring.

I wonder if it might be smoother to do the card transfer and their rationalisations in different steps.  So after the basic character is conceptualised, all the cards are passed to the left.  Then you have an open discussion between all participants as to how to make the links work.  It may be that the pressure to produce and answer now now off the top of your head is producing uncomfortable and ill fitting connections.  Its difficult to imagine how the link between Fred's and Rich's character could be used in play if one party has no recollection of the event.

I'd also be inclined to think that the link cards should keep at least some of their meaning to both characters. I think the synthesis that you saw between Fred and Michelle is what you want an open discussion to produce for all the links.  And in that light it might also be a good idea not to settle firmly on a character conception until this discussion is had and the other influences that need to be acocunted for are in play.

[contracycle]

Oh I also meant to say that I rerally really like the card integration to the setting too, but I had more to say about the character links.  However it does look potentially very fruitful.  Can I take it that the card chosen for the link to the world was also one of those received randomly from the pack on the initial deal?

Another question that you might be able to answer on the basis of the experience of this playtest is, do you feel it would have been much different if the terms on the cards had been more literal than symbolic?  If you had card representations of actual NPC's, actual places, do you think it would still then work as it did?

[Kat Miller]

Hi,

ok.  So the initial batch of cards that a player receives, these are dealt straight out of the deck randomly, is that right?

Also, did you do the links between characters in strict sequence, with that player "on stage" as it were? 

You see the other one that strikes me is Fred's receipt of a cloak card from Rich; the idea that Fred's character simply doesn't remember distributing cloaks of awesome magic power is a bit jarring.

The Picture cards were not randomly dealt but spread out in a pool in the center of the table for all the players to pick through.  They are informed that they must pick up to 4 Picture cards to base their character off.  They can use the card in anyway, literal, theme, mood, how ever the card helps tell about who the character is.  One of the cards needs to represent their personal interest in the City, and one of their cards is going to be passed to another player.

Fred's character had already decided that Arturo was a man with a missing past.  He had lost his birthright and his memory, so it fit in perfectly that he had given the cloak to Rich without remembering it.  Also Fred was the one who decided what the card meant to him. He could have used it as his own personal encounter of the King of Beasts, he could have used to to represent a Lion Friend who had disappeared (now the Queen of Beasts Pelt).  Thus it wasn't jarring in play that he had been the one to give QoB her powers.

As it was in Play QoB recognized Arturo but Arturo didn't recognize her, and both Rich and Fred were happy with this.

In the case of Cup Queen and Arturo.  Michele's initial use of the card didn't actually connect to Fred's use and this started to create a problem.  Fred had used it to mean a betrayal and give no futher details, Michele wanted to use it to represent the murder of the tutor.  Until Michele and Fred agreed that the Murder was the betrayal there was no link.

The only firm thing about the linking Picture card is that is must fully represent its first meaning when it gets an added meaning from the second player.  If that player wants his character not to realize the significance of the link that is fine.

During there character creation process while this happens there is lots of open communication, suggestions from other players and such.

-kat