Too Many Flashbacks
(working title)

Dear Next Designers,

Can I call you both ND, or even Andy and Andie? I’ll try not to waste too many words on this, but I felt like I should talk directly to you. I'm doing this at the last possible minute and am not feeling the best, so please forgive me if this is a horrible mess. Feel free to twist my ideas, adapt them, or replace them in any way you wish. This is more your game than it is mine now. 

Yours, 

Previous Designer (call me Peedee)

In Too Many Flashbacks, you create a world, its mythology, and its stories while you are adventuring. My original idea (that you can totally ignore) was to make a game that:
 ●	Requires no prep
 ●	Encourages crazy mashups (think Adventure Time or Shadowrun or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies)
 ●	Leaves you with worlds and people you want to explore further

GM-ful, GM-less, something else? 
At this stage, the game could work with both approaches, provided someone is in charge of framing each scene, setting the stakes and describing the world. These responsibilities can perfectly be shared among players. I guess this one's up to you, Andy. For the time being, assume the word GM in the text means the player in charge at this point.

Character creation
In fiction, a character and their story are the same thing. To create their characters, the players go through scenes depicting their childhood, struggles, experiences and the choices that led them to their present adventure. 

Sequence of play
 1.	Genre and tone. Agree on the general idea for your game: dungeon delving, gang of thieves, space exploration, contemporary drama... Keep it short and vague (a couple of words, a short sentence at most) because things will evolve from there. 

 2.	Characters. The players take a character sheet (an index card will do) and write a name along with a short descriptor, such as Derrin the Adventuring Archeologist. Do not consult each other at this stage.

 3.	Opening situation. The GM describes an in media res scene: a chase through an asteroid field, a vicious knife fight, a deadly trap, a high stakes poker game... No need to fill in the details, that's what the Origin scenes are for (see 5 below). Go around the table and have every character engaged in something risky or interesting. For example: while her friend is driving the getaway car, Derrin is in the back seat, deciphering a ritual on an ancient tablet.

 4.	Who, what, how, when, why? Now that we know what the characters are doing, it's time to find out who they are. Everyone asks questions about the situation and the protagonists, maybe going around the table, starting with the GM. Each question, or series of questions, should prompt a short scene that you will play out immediately. We could ask Derrin's player: Why is it so important to decipher the ritual?

 5.	Origin scene.  Answer the first question with a flashback framed by the player whose character is concerned. If needed, the other players can play supporting characters. The GM must present the character with an important choice that will help define who they are. During the scene, the player writes 1 to 3 traits on their sheet, for example: 
◦	something they are good at
◦	a weakness
◦	a resource
◦	an ally, enemy or rival
◦	a lifelong goal or cause

Derrin's player wants to tell about her fascination with the occult, and how it led her to learn about the curse of the Ancients. She decides her Origin scene takes place on her freshman year, when she first met Doctor Durnfeld. The GM thinks he will offer Derrin a chance to walk away from the dangerous life of an adventuring archeologist. In about fifteen minutes of roleplaying, we learn that Derrin is preternaturally knowledgeable about magic, that she has a problem with authority and that, as a Professor of Archeology, she has access to the forbidden books at Mahkra College Library.

 6.	Back to the action! Closing the scene, the GM carries on with the opening situation, moving the plot forward and pausing to ask questions about another character. 

 7.	More introductions. Repeat 5 and 6 until every character has been introduced. Resolve the opening scene and decide where it goes from there. 

 8.	Back and forth. The game goes on, with more adventure scenes and more flashbacks or cutscenes (see below). 

Resolution

The players don't roll dice in the Origin scenes, they collect them. Each trait gives them a die of their choice to roll during subsequent Adventure scenes; they write down the die type next to the trait. In an adventure scene, they can roll a trait die if the GM thinks it is relevant. Otherwise, they roll a d4. 

When a die is rolled, the player and GM ask a yes or no question. The answer depends on the result: 

1-2: Yes, and... Things go well and the GM comes up with a beneficial side effect or circumstance.
3-4: No, and... Things go badly and the GM narrates a complication.
5-8: No, but... Things go badly and the GM adds a helpful side effect.
9-20: Yes, but... Things go well, and the GM describes a negative consequence.

Andy - here's a quick stats table to help you decide if my maths makes any sense. My idea is that players can choose interesting fiction over the certainty of success.  

	d4	d6	d8	d10	d12	d20		
1 – 2	50%	33%	25%	20%	17%	10%	Yes, and	
3 – 4	50%	33%	25%	20%	17%	10%	No, and	
5 – 8		33%	50%	40%	34%	20%	No, but	
9+				20%	34%	60%	Yes, but	

Spending and reactivating dice

Any die that rolls 6 or more is spent. It cannot be used until it is reactivated in a flashback. A flashback is a short scene, similar to an Origin scene, where we learn more about the characters. Each character present in a flashback can either:
•	get back all their spent dice
•	add a new trait and a die of their choice

What's missing
•	Health, fatigue, wounds and the such.
•	A more defined background or angle?
•	A way to actually encourage crazy mashups. 
But that is really up to you guys...