On Saturday I ran a game for Eric and Lisa Provost and a new member of our local area, Eric Lofgren. It was intended to be a Conspiracy of Shadows game but ended up being ran through TSOY. We ran a modified version of the Dark*Matter introductory scenario ‘Exit 23′ that I set at an airport in Bozeman, MT which I called ‘Terminal 23′.

Everyone made up characters that would embrace being recruited by the Agency and had a reason to be at this airport. We ended up making it so that everyone had been contacted by the Agency and was pursuing recruitment, which was even better. We all came to the table with the idea that the characters knew each other somehow, but not in some huge kinship way. I did my best to hit Keys, and I think it ran pretty well.

For those of you familiar with Exit 23, then just expand the concept out to an airport sized scenario. Otherwise, imagine an orb that a demon of ice is bound to and the chaos that ensues when ownership is lost at an airport, crowded with a huge wedding party.

It had some issues, it had some awesome, but it mainly had a lot of potential. And that has gotten me thinking. What I've come up with is below; any ideas on how to expand this or things I've missed would be awesome. I also have a thread at Story Games, if you prefer.

The Shadow of the Abyss
"What kind of inhumanity will emerge when fighting the inhuman?"

Pools:
Danger - Abilities based on getting into and out of danger
Refreshes by: Sharing a moment of peace with someone

Conspire - Abilities based on conspiring and maintaining conspiracies
Refreshes by: Enjoying a spontaneous act with someone

Abyss - Abilities based on learning the truth and anything supernatural or alien in origin
Refreshes by: Stepping back from the Abyss and becoming intimate with someone

[hr]

Secret - Shadow of the Abyss
You stared into the Abyss, and it stared back. You now have a contra-Pool for Abyss called Shadow. It will act as a cap for Abyss in that your total Abyss Pool points + your total Shadow Pool points can never exceed 10. You start with 1 Pool Point. Shadow Pool points act as bonus dice for Abyss (or Shadow) Abilities and can be used in conjunction with Abyss Pool points (only for Abyss Abilities).

Shadow - Abilities based on the maddening power of the Abyss
Refreshes by: Inducting someone into the world of the supernatural

Key of the Shadow’s Grip
Pre-requisite: Secret of the Shadow of the Abyss
The Shadow drives you and distracts you from others around you. Gain 1 XP whenever you use a Shadow Ability in front of someone you weren’t supposed to. Gain 2 XP if doing so brings about undesirable consequences. Gain 5 XP if doing so brings about grave consequences. Buyoff: Remove your Shadow Pool by taking as much Harm as the Pool has (total) points. If you have more points than Harm, you’ll have to do it stages.

Ability - Revelation
You can cause yourself or others to see the real universe, if but for a moment. This can be used to gain insight into a mystery, distract someone from their immediate goal, or lead a crowd to a cultish frenzy.

Are the other pools also limited to a maximum of 10? Can you have an Abyss pool of 11 or more without the Shadow of the Abyss secret? What happens if someone has an Abyss pool of 11 or higher when they buy the Secret of the Shadow of the Abyss?

I had thought of making the maximum for Pools 10 in this scenario.It would be as close to making the PCs 'limited' as I'd care to go. I think it would fit the scenario. What do you think?

Well, if I was in your pants I'd simply combine the Abyss and Shadow Pools:

Secret - Shadow of the Abyss
You stared into the Abyss, and it stared back. Your Abyss Pools no more refreshed by the normal means - instead, you refresh by revealing the horrible secrets of the Abyss to other people. You may also use the kewl powerz that come with being one the cool evil dudes.

Much simpler, isn't it? I at least have difficulty appreciating the practical differences of an Abyss and a Shadow Pool enough to justify their separateness.

Other than that, looking good to me. I like the Pools and refreshes.

As for the two separate Pools, I was hoping to indicate three things:

1. Abyss Abilities and Shadow Abilities are different
2. Taking on the Shadow was a potentially limiting effect as time went on
3. Abyss Pool points and Shadow Pool points could be used on the same roll - i.e., two Bonus dice if you so choose

Still, I'm not married to the idea. Thanks for all of the feedback so far!

I just wanted to know if the pool limit is explicitly for all pools. Revelation is a cool ability, but I like Eeros Secret as well; it could possibly exist aside your one; calling one "Secret of the Abyssal Stare" and the other "Secret of the Abyssal Shadow".

Now I just need to work on how the disturbed, alien needs of the supernatural will cross with the normal desires of humans. That is, I need to have a model for how the typical 'big bad creature' is more than just a monster - TSOY doesn't allow single-minded monsters.

It doesn't support them, I mean.