You will need: Pens for each player and the GM Red and white card cut into squares Lots of dice A deck of cards Character Generation You are each members of the Coven of a small town and each of you is still human enough to count. Each player takes 25 pieces of card – some of them red, some of them white. The number you take of each is up to you. On each of the white cards write something you have by virtue of being human. These can be anything you like. Some examples are: Skills Memories Hopes and Dreams Friends and family members Possessions Parts of your body Abstract qualities like your name, your reflection or your voice Together these completely describe everything that is human about you. If something a normal human being would have doesn’t make it onto a card – it’s something you gave up as part of the practise. On the back of the white cards make some sort of mark to indicate they’re yours. On each of the red cards you write something you gained as part of the practice. Some examples are: Knowledge about aspects of the supernatural world A supernatural quality or ability A spell Other or practitioner contacts The Coven and The Game At the beginning of each month the players hold the Coven to discuss their plans for the town and negotiate deals amongst themselves. At the end of the coven all practitioners play The Game. The Game is played with a deck of cards. The GM plays the part of the Others. At the beginning of the round the GM writes a red card for each player. The Others own these cards. The Others decide the order of play. At the beginning of the round, each player puts a card in the pot. The first player bids an additional card. Then go round the table with each player bidding a number of their cards. To stay in the game you must either match both the number of white and red cards bid exactly, bid two cards of the other type for every card of one type you don’t bid, or bid all of your cards. If at least two practitioners don’t stay in all the pot goes to the Others. Then each practitioner (including those no longer playing) suggests a rule for The Game. Every practitioner (including those no longer playing) votes for whether or not to include the rule. If more practitioners vote for the rule than against it – it is a rule of The Game. In the event of a tie the Others decide. Rules cannot change the structure of The Game from what is covered here. Rules cannot govern what each player bids – that’s their choice. Then cards are dealt and any rules that need resolving at this stage are resolved. If there isn’t a rule governing how the cards are dealt then the Others get the pot. Then each practitioner (including those no longer playing) in turn has an opportunity to negotiate with the Others. The Others are not bound by the original rules of the game but by any rules they agree to at this stage. Players may offer the Others their cards to be bound to these rules and play the game. Players may also make an agreement with the Others at this stage to follow a given rule themselves. Players may also offer to do the Others some favour in the outside world. If the Others agree to any rules they must either match the highest bid, or else bid the cards they have. Another round of bidding follows. If at least two practitioners don’t stay in, the pot goes to the Others. Then all additional rules that need resolving are resolved and the winner gets all the cards. If there aren’t enough rules to determine who wins, then the Others get the pot. Becoming Other If you lose all of your original white cards you have become Other. You are still a practitioner who goes to Covens and plays The Game, but you are no longer human. You lose any of the protections or allies that are afforded to you simply by virtue of being human. Even if you regain the humanity you lost – it will be forever altered in some way. The Danger Pool and Crises At the beginning of the game put 2 dice for each player and 1 dice for each red card into the danger pool. At the beginning of each turn roll each dice in the danger pool. The GM takes every dice that came up 6 and distributes them as they choose between any number of crises. Each of these represents The Others gaining influence over some part of the town. At the end of each round add 1 dice to the danger pool for each human player, 2 for each Other player, a dice for each card possessed by the GM and a dice for each unresolved crisis to the danger pool. If there are more dice on crises than white cards owned by human players the town falls to the Others and the players lose. If a player tries and fails to resolve a crisis the GM decides which of their cards it makes sense to be claimed by the Others. Taking Action When a player attempts an action they roll 1 dice for each white card they use and for every red card they roll 3 dice and add 1 to the danger pool. If an action would cause chaos add a dice to the danger pool. If they are dealing with a crisis the GM may play any cards owned by the Others they think might come up to increase the number of dice they have to beat, plus an extra dice for each player. Ordinary actions are 1 + 1 dice per player for a straightforward action, 2 + 2 dice per player for a tougher one and 3 + 3 dice per player for a very tough one. Players opposing each other roll dice for each relevant card. The GM can add one or two dice from the danger pool to any roll (on either side) to represent the whims of the spirits. Learning Magic If a player seeks a new supernatural advantage, write it on a red card and add a dice to the danger pool. This advantage lies with the Others, the GM keeps it until the player finds a way to get it. Roleplaying a Practitioner It’s not your problem. Be callous, suspicious, greedy and scared.