I ran a playtest of Into the Mystic this Saturday.  It wasn't planned, but I couldn't have asked for a better situation.  I was scheduled to run an Everway Game called city of 1000 moons at Dreamation Saturday morning at 9am.  Friday evening I discovered that I had left my Everway fortune deck at home.  Because this was Dreamation, a mecca of game designers I had brought Into the Mystic with me hoping to show it to one of the game designers

Until recently I had been running Everway Games at every Convention.  It’s a game that rarely gets played but I have a great support group for.  SO I was not surprised to see faces I knew waiting at my table to play Everway.  I was surprised to see a full table of five. 

Everway can be played without a fortune deck, so running Everway by Karma was still an option.  I told my players that I left the fortune deck at home and asked if they would mind a playtest of my game Into the Mystic.  I was not expecting the enthusiasm and excitement about my game (although in retrospect I should have been…this was, after all, Dreamation)

My Players were all great role players, and included Rich who has played in many of my Everway Games.  His friend Steve whose role playing I have enjoyed both as a gm and a player.  Michele a friend from home who has already survived several playtests of Mystic and is a fan of Everway, and Bill who may have survived an early playtest of Mystic and but has never played Everway Fred Hicks who is a game designer (I'm not sure what his Everway experience was).    I couldn't have asked for better play testers.  After I began explaining character creation Bruce arrived, he was new to Indie games, knew nothing of Everway.  He was looking to find a game to get into and was ok with this being a play test.

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:

As in Everway character creation is based on art cards.  In this case cards I have made myself using purchased clip art from fairytales and storybooks.  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.

Bill's Character:
Andrew was a young man whose village was dying of a mysterious illness.  He had strange powers he couldn’t control that would allow him to see visions or cause mysterious things to happen. 
Link to Steve's Character: A card depicting blood pouring out from a bowl.  This was the Cure for the illness.
Link from Bruce's character: A card depicting a sultan-the thief who had stolen from Anerons people.  This man traveled through Andrew's village demanding tribute, after he left people started dying.
Link to City: a card depicting the city and a mystic knowledge to be found there.

Steve's Character:
Isaiah and his sister/wife were King and Queen of the Earth.  Isaiah's Sister-Wife was Kidnapped by the Night Warden and taken to the City leaving Isaiah weaker and physically changed to an old cobbler.
Link to Rich's character: The Night Warden card,
Link From Bill's Character: The blood in the bowl that would heal Andrews people was the Sister-Wife's blood. 
Link To City: a card representing the Sister Wife

Rich's Character:
The Queen of Beasts started out a pampered merchant's daughter.  Her father was taken away by the Night Warden after a mysterious box arrived.  Traveling to find her father she was pursued by a beast for 3 days.  One the 4th day a strange man came to her claiming to be the beast.  He gave her a cloak that would allow her to turn into any animal, talk to and control them. 
Link to Fred's character: Card depicting the cloak.
Link from Steve's Character: the Night Warden was the one who took her father. 
Link to City: A picture of Her father.

Fred's Character:
Arturo The Kingmaker was a man with no past having lost it through a betrayal. He would beat a drum to the rhythm of the heartbeat of the world and the world would aid him.  He was seeking his birthright. 
Link to Michele's character: the card representing a woman stabbed in the back meaning the betrayal. 
Link from Rich's Character: he was the one that gave her the cloak although he didn’t remember it.
Link to City: a card showing a girl being crowned, representing his birthright.

Michele's Character:
The Cup Queen with the power to manipulate all forms of water.  Her sister Eve a healer had been abducted to the city.  The only one who could have told her why was a tutor who was murdered. 
Link to Bruce's Character: A card representing the man who kidnapped her sister.
Link From Fred's Character: The woman slain on the card was her tutor.
Link to City: a picture of her sister.

Bruce's character
Aneron the old Mage was summoned when two of three important artifacts that keep their land pure were stolen.  Aneron was entrusted with the third to get the other two back. 
Link to Bill's Character: The thief card. 
Link from Michele's character:  was with the thief. (? Memory fuzzy on this one) 
Link to city: A picture of a city in desolate wastes.

The Malady Layout:
There is something dark and malevolent bringing the characters of Into the Mystic together.  Person place or thing I have named this malevolent for The Malady.  When the players make direct links with the Malady giving me picture cards full of personal meaning they are giving me hints about the Malady.  In this case the Malady is collecting special powerful people and magic items…but why?  The Malady Layout gives me the motivations behind these events.

The Malady Deck consists of the Major Arcana from the Tarot.  I have made my own Tarot Deck in order to chose the one most popular word that describes a card.  The Major Arcana of this deck have reversible meanings. I Layout four cards:

Past:  This is my "Began" slot.  The trouble with the City (the city being the embodiment of the Malady for this game) Began with: The fool upright. Freedom

Present: There are two slots in the Layout for this, The Seen and the Unseen.  The Seen slot was filled with The Lovers upright: Opportunity and the Unseen slot was filled with The Devil upright: Bondage.  The City seems to grabbing and any opportunity, secretly it must capture and keep these things.

Future: This is Malady's Desire slot.  The goal, what its all for.  This slot was filled with the Ruler upright: Authority.

So the city is trying to enforce its authority by stealing bits of power from all over the world now that its suddenly free to do so.  What it claims it will never let go. –This is what I know about the Malady now.

Those cards are frozen in the Layout.  One card for each player with the players name on it is added to the Malady Deck.  The Court cards of the Minor arcane are also set aside and can be added to the Malady deck to represent any significant NPS the players create.  In this case none are added.  The Malady Deck is reshuffled.  Anytime the players exert their will against the goals of the Malady I will flip over a card from the Malady Deck.  "Spent" cards are not replaced into the malady deck but become a pool of resources that the players can later use to swap out cards in the Layout, changing what the Malady now wants.  If a player character name card come up in a Malady flip, that player decides the outcome.  PC name cards can be added into the 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

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.

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

[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.

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?

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.

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.

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?

Hi,

contracycle wrote:
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.