- The "rhythm" of being GM and then player and then GM again was very satisfying (and quite unintentional, at first!). That'll be a "rule" when I revise everything, but there'll be a variation when the player is given the impetus to move the action along (see Q4, below).
- The questions (4, 7, & 8) that impose actions on the player just didn't feel right. It's fine to give the GM direction from randomized Story Cube inspiration and scene framing, but the player should always feel free to act as in a traditional RPG experience. So, you'll see below a significant change to Question 4, one that I am very happy about for its simplicity and effectiveness (the player starts the round and chooses a scene type). The same will probably happen to Question 7.
- Combat needed to be open to any type - magical, psychic, etc - not just the "physical" sort.
- A "flight" scene should be termed a "pursuit" scene to once again avoid telling the player what to do.
- The Story Cube roll will be used as inspiration for the GM at the beginning of the GM's turn for each question.
4. How can the fight be brought to the enemy, gaining ground for the heroic motivation? The player chooses and plays a scene of defiance, infiltration, pursuit, and/or combat. The GM rolls a Story Cube afterwards.
Scene: Pursuit + Combat
As player: When morning comes, William and Trinette are determined to track down the invaders from Brice who left this terrible "thing" to infect Gallantaria. William successfully casts a HOW spell and is able to determine the Bricians' general direction. He and Trinette head out on horseback, first to the spot of their earlier altercation with the Bricians to find swords left behind by those who fell in battle, and then onward to face the villains. As they get closer to the place where William senses the Bricians will be, the two leave their horses behind and cautiously approach, using any natural cover they can find.
Story Cube: Bridge Over River
As GM: The Bricians are camped near a large bridge crossing Border River, the current official dividing line between Gallantaria and Brice. The five men and their leader are cleaning up their things and are preparing to depart. A short ride over the bridge will put them in the safety of their sovereign nation.
As player: William and Trinette intend to capture the Brician leader. They close in on their quarry, but fail to get the jump on them. Fortunately, William is able to cast SAP on the leader who is unlucky against it and has the confidence and energy drained out of him. Trinette summons the Power of Telak and takes on three of the soldiers, while William confronts the two protecting their leader. When the battle is done, the Brician soldiers are killed, Trinette is severely wounded, and William quickly ties up the Brician leader before the SAP spell wears off. Trinette's Holy Talent and Heal spell rejuvenate her nearly fully, and she and William begin to question their prisoner.
5. How can the success(es) from the results of Question 4 suddenly be perverted, turning into a terrible reversal of fortune for the heroic motivation as new information about the true face/scheme/power of the enemy becomes known? The GM rolls a Story Cube and then rolls d6 twice for a scene of (1-2) betrayal, (3-4) revelation, and/or (5-6) combat.
Story Cube: Question Mark
Scene: Betrayal
As GM: Though spellstruck, threatened, and bound, the Brician leader only knows that the creature was contained in an object like a razor egg, but not at all what it truly is. He had been instructed to carefully escort it with his men across the border and break it against the wall of that specific watchtower. Gallantarian soldiers, he'd been told, would not be a problem as the patrols in that area would be lessened by one of a cabal of Gallantarian commanders in league with the Lords of Brice. Once unleashed, the creature would make its way to Royal Lendle, and the cabal would ensure that the Gallantarian military response would be ineffective to protect the capital.
As player: William fails (a Lore roll) to deduce the identity of the local Gallantarian traitor. He succeeds in Bargaining against the Brician in an attempt to get him to reveal the source of the egg.
As GM: The Brician isn't certain, but he's heard a rumor that there's a Netherworld Sorcerer among the regents of Gallantaria.*
6. How can the results from Questions 4 and 5 be adversely intensified, forcing the hero(es) to commit to a do or die course of action in accordance with their heroic motivation? The GM rolls a Story Cube and then rolls d6 twice for a scene of (1-2) intrigue, (3-4) pursuit, and/or (5-6) combat.
Story Cube: Chaos
Scene: Combat
As GM: The Brician leader suddenly begins to seize violently. "No!" he screams. "I didn't tell them anything!" Then, in seconds, the man mutates into a Gark, a foul cross between a Goblin and a Giant. The Gark easily bursts out of its bonds and attacks William and Trinette.
As player: Trinette's Awareness helps her to push William out of the way before the Gark can lash out at him, and she engages the monster one-on-one. William fails to cast sorcery twice, exhausting himself in the process. Trinette and the Gark go blow for blow until Trinette tries a Push Back off the bridge at the same time that the Gark Fumbles, sending it into the raging Border River below.
As GM: The sight of the Gark - once a man - floating helplessly to its death is a sure sign that the Netherworld conspiracy is very real...
*If you knew the world of Titan, you'd have gasped at that!
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