Ry
Explorer
This isn't a d20 game, but something I'm going to try to make a setting with my players.
Someone suggested getting players to help build a setting, Universalis-style. I don’t like Universalis, but here's something a little different: my god-game version of Zak Arntson's Shadows.
Preface
My players enjoy collaborate creative stuff like god games, but it’s always a challenge to sustain conflict in the games. Basically, if I run NPC gods to balance the other PCs, the PC gods take a back seat as I make a world. On the other hand, without something else, the PCs really just agree on everything, and don’t come into conflict with each other because everybody’s friends and nobody wants to say that someone else’s idea is stupid. Zak Arntson’s Shadows showed me a possible way forward.
Social Contract
Creating a social contract is a way to get everyone's expectations on the same level. Before the game begins, your group should discuss what is reasonable and not. Unless the Players wish, a Game Moderator does not rule the game, and you are encouraged to invent your own ways of resolving disputes (most often, this can be done with a simple vote).
Materials
There is a single Game Moderator (GM) who jots down the players’ ideas, provides encouragement and ideas, encourages conflicts to develop in the world, and generally keeps the game moving. The GM also rules whether or not the Created come into play, and solves disputes.
Each Player needs two dice, of the same number of sides but different colors.
Play tokens, called Meddlers, are also required, three per Player (and a few spares). Fantasy miniatures work best, and each token must be different. If you don’t have fantasy miniatures, cards with some kind of fantasy art on them work, as do printable miniatures like Sparks Minis, or small pictures drawn by each player.
Lastly, you should find some paper and pencil crayons.
Setup
1. You will play a God in the game. Come up with a concept for the god’s portfolio, appearance, and personality. All 3 can change during play.
2. Now create the God’s Shadow. This is the God’s dark counterpart, who always wants to cause strife and corrupt the God’s works.
3. Decide which of your dice is your God die and your Shadow die. Note these on your character sheet.
4. Select three Meddlers. Each Meddler represents a different demigod, called the Meddlers. Each Meddler should have a name, but doesn’t need much more definition at this stage – they will develop personalities over the course of play.
Playing the Game
The game starts with the gods adrift in a formless void. The gods declare certain actions - these actions are unlimited, especially before anything is Created. At any time the GM can call for a Shadow Roll or End the Era.
Shadow Roll
1. Players grab their God die and their Shadow die
2. Tell the group what the God wants to happen
3. Tell the group what the Shadow wants to happen. Remember, your Shadow always wants to cause strife and ruin your Gods’ works. If the GM thinks your Shadow's desires are not conflicting enough, or cause ends that are too similar to your God's goals, then you may have to revise your Shadow action. The GM may also ask you to revise either your God or Shadow’s goals if either one avoids doing anything meaningful or interesting (before this happens, your GM may also declare the End of an Era).
4. Roll both dice. Add any bonuses for Prophecies or the Created (see below).
5. If your Good Die is equal to or higher than your Shadow Die, what the God wants happens. If you Shadow Die is higher then your Shadow wins! The Good Die always wins ties.
The Meddlers
Don't forget your Meddlers! After somebody rolls her dice and before things are narrated, you can force that Player to reroll either the God Die or the Shadow Die (your choice). If you do this, you must give the Player one of your Meddlers, and describe how the Meddler tries to alter the outcome in favor of the God or the Shadow.
The first time a particular Meddler is used, the player using it describes how it is created by a God or Shadow, then describes how it will change the action based on which side it wants to re-roll.
You can only give Meddler to another Player, never to yourself. If you have given someone a Meddler, and you don't like the reroll, you can keep giving the Player Meddlers and forcing rerolls as many times as you want (or you run out of Meddlers).
If you run out of Meddlers, you cannot force anyone to reroll dice. You can, however, beg, convince or bribe another Player into forcing you to reroll by giving you a Meddler.
The Created
Gods and Shadows create a lot of stuff – that’s what we call “the Created.” Each item in the Created gets a point. The GM looks at the list of the Created that can be involved in a God’s action, and if it could be a factor in whether a god or its Shadow is successful, you add 1 point to that side of the roll. Created that help a Shadow and Created that help a God cancel each other out, and the sum of the various Created factors cannot influence a roll by more than 3 – either 3 points for the God, or 3 points for the Shadow. Created always resist their own destruction.
Note that Created items don’t have to be objects in the world; they can even be decrees that govern the gods’ behavior, as in “No god may destroy the Elven civilization.” However, these rules still only count as one point, and may be broken by other gods.
Prophecy
Prophecy is a special kind of Created. To make a Prophecy, a player must have at least one Meddler available. The player makes a God/Shadow roll - as with any roll, the God and Shadow have opposing goals for what the Propecy will be. Based on the outcome of the God/Shadow roll, the player selects one of their Meddlers (the Prophet), who is then removed from play.
A Prophecy is a special kind of Created, in that it counts as 2 points instead of 1. If a Prophecy is averted, or comes to pass, a new Meddler is added to the game, granted to the player that acted last before the prophecy was fulfilled or averted.
Ending an Era
The GM can declare the End of an Era, which basically has the gods sit back for a moment while the world evolves. The GM goes from player to player, getting them to make 1 Shadow Roll each to describe how the world will change. Meddlers and the Created remain in play as normal. Once each player has acted to shape the transition between eras, the Game Moderator describes the period, including any results of the Shadow rolls. Any of the Created not covered in the gods' actions are fair game for the GM - this may even cause Created to be destroyed or make new Created elements. This is the GM's chance to help the world evolve. Once this is complete, play resumes as normal.
Game Moderators
As the Game Moderator, it is your role to keep the story moving along and to call for Shadow Rolls when you want to increase tension. This is not limited to typical conflicts, like combat between gods or attempts to create things. When you announce a Shadow Roll, you are handing the story to a Player and asking her to outline two possible outcomes. Where you place the tension goes a long way towards the feeling of the game. Calling for Shadow Rolls at unexpected times will surprise the Players and force them to improvise interesting situations. On the other hand, asking for a Shadow Roll consistently, such as whenever the Players are doing something epic and mythical, provides an expecting excitement like that found in a well-known story.
You may help your Players with their Good and Shadow outcomes, especially if they are too similar. Try not to give too heavy a hand, because your goal is to encourage creativity and exploration of the outcomes of their divine acts.
Someone suggested getting players to help build a setting, Universalis-style. I don’t like Universalis, but here's something a little different: my god-game version of Zak Arntson's Shadows.
Preface
My players enjoy collaborate creative stuff like god games, but it’s always a challenge to sustain conflict in the games. Basically, if I run NPC gods to balance the other PCs, the PC gods take a back seat as I make a world. On the other hand, without something else, the PCs really just agree on everything, and don’t come into conflict with each other because everybody’s friends and nobody wants to say that someone else’s idea is stupid. Zak Arntson’s Shadows showed me a possible way forward.
Social Contract
Creating a social contract is a way to get everyone's expectations on the same level. Before the game begins, your group should discuss what is reasonable and not. Unless the Players wish, a Game Moderator does not rule the game, and you are encouraged to invent your own ways of resolving disputes (most often, this can be done with a simple vote).
Materials
There is a single Game Moderator (GM) who jots down the players’ ideas, provides encouragement and ideas, encourages conflicts to develop in the world, and generally keeps the game moving. The GM also rules whether or not the Created come into play, and solves disputes.
Each Player needs two dice, of the same number of sides but different colors.
Play tokens, called Meddlers, are also required, three per Player (and a few spares). Fantasy miniatures work best, and each token must be different. If you don’t have fantasy miniatures, cards with some kind of fantasy art on them work, as do printable miniatures like Sparks Minis, or small pictures drawn by each player.
Lastly, you should find some paper and pencil crayons.
Setup
1. You will play a God in the game. Come up with a concept for the god’s portfolio, appearance, and personality. All 3 can change during play.
2. Now create the God’s Shadow. This is the God’s dark counterpart, who always wants to cause strife and corrupt the God’s works.
3. Decide which of your dice is your God die and your Shadow die. Note these on your character sheet.
4. Select three Meddlers. Each Meddler represents a different demigod, called the Meddlers. Each Meddler should have a name, but doesn’t need much more definition at this stage – they will develop personalities over the course of play.
Playing the Game
The game starts with the gods adrift in a formless void. The gods declare certain actions - these actions are unlimited, especially before anything is Created. At any time the GM can call for a Shadow Roll or End the Era.
Shadow Roll
1. Players grab their God die and their Shadow die
2. Tell the group what the God wants to happen
3. Tell the group what the Shadow wants to happen. Remember, your Shadow always wants to cause strife and ruin your Gods’ works. If the GM thinks your Shadow's desires are not conflicting enough, or cause ends that are too similar to your God's goals, then you may have to revise your Shadow action. The GM may also ask you to revise either your God or Shadow’s goals if either one avoids doing anything meaningful or interesting (before this happens, your GM may also declare the End of an Era).
4. Roll both dice. Add any bonuses for Prophecies or the Created (see below).
5. If your Good Die is equal to or higher than your Shadow Die, what the God wants happens. If you Shadow Die is higher then your Shadow wins! The Good Die always wins ties.
The Meddlers
Don't forget your Meddlers! After somebody rolls her dice and before things are narrated, you can force that Player to reroll either the God Die or the Shadow Die (your choice). If you do this, you must give the Player one of your Meddlers, and describe how the Meddler tries to alter the outcome in favor of the God or the Shadow.
The first time a particular Meddler is used, the player using it describes how it is created by a God or Shadow, then describes how it will change the action based on which side it wants to re-roll.
You can only give Meddler to another Player, never to yourself. If you have given someone a Meddler, and you don't like the reroll, you can keep giving the Player Meddlers and forcing rerolls as many times as you want (or you run out of Meddlers).
If you run out of Meddlers, you cannot force anyone to reroll dice. You can, however, beg, convince or bribe another Player into forcing you to reroll by giving you a Meddler.
The Created
Gods and Shadows create a lot of stuff – that’s what we call “the Created.” Each item in the Created gets a point. The GM looks at the list of the Created that can be involved in a God’s action, and if it could be a factor in whether a god or its Shadow is successful, you add 1 point to that side of the roll. Created that help a Shadow and Created that help a God cancel each other out, and the sum of the various Created factors cannot influence a roll by more than 3 – either 3 points for the God, or 3 points for the Shadow. Created always resist their own destruction.
Note that Created items don’t have to be objects in the world; they can even be decrees that govern the gods’ behavior, as in “No god may destroy the Elven civilization.” However, these rules still only count as one point, and may be broken by other gods.
Prophecy
Prophecy is a special kind of Created. To make a Prophecy, a player must have at least one Meddler available. The player makes a God/Shadow roll - as with any roll, the God and Shadow have opposing goals for what the Propecy will be. Based on the outcome of the God/Shadow roll, the player selects one of their Meddlers (the Prophet), who is then removed from play.
A Prophecy is a special kind of Created, in that it counts as 2 points instead of 1. If a Prophecy is averted, or comes to pass, a new Meddler is added to the game, granted to the player that acted last before the prophecy was fulfilled or averted.
Ending an Era
The GM can declare the End of an Era, which basically has the gods sit back for a moment while the world evolves. The GM goes from player to player, getting them to make 1 Shadow Roll each to describe how the world will change. Meddlers and the Created remain in play as normal. Once each player has acted to shape the transition between eras, the Game Moderator describes the period, including any results of the Shadow rolls. Any of the Created not covered in the gods' actions are fair game for the GM - this may even cause Created to be destroyed or make new Created elements. This is the GM's chance to help the world evolve. Once this is complete, play resumes as normal.
Game Moderators
As the Game Moderator, it is your role to keep the story moving along and to call for Shadow Rolls when you want to increase tension. This is not limited to typical conflicts, like combat between gods or attempts to create things. When you announce a Shadow Roll, you are handing the story to a Player and asking her to outline two possible outcomes. Where you place the tension goes a long way towards the feeling of the game. Calling for Shadow Rolls at unexpected times will surprise the Players and force them to improvise interesting situations. On the other hand, asking for a Shadow Roll consistently, such as whenever the Players are doing something epic and mythical, provides an expecting excitement like that found in a well-known story.
You may help your Players with their Good and Shadow outcomes, especially if they are too similar. Try not to give too heavy a hand, because your goal is to encourage creativity and exploration of the outcomes of their divine acts.
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