Title: Under the Broken Moons #ThreeForged design challenge. Author 1588’s stage two game as worked on by author 1528 in stage three. Media inspirations: Doomed Pilgrim, Dune, Flash Gordon, He-Man, Heavy Metal, John Carter, A Martian Odyssey, Seveneves, The Shadow of Yesterday, Thundarr the Barbarian. Game design influences: Apocalypse World, Lady Blackbird, Mac Gerdts, Trollbabe, Unknown Armies, Utopia Engine, Vast & Starlit. Thanks to: [REDACTED]. -*-*-*-*- Listen. This is as I heard from my father's father who heard it from his father's father: We do not belong to this World. This knowledge does not need to be taught. It is clear to us. Once, perhaps, there were those who knew why we came to the World, but none of those of the blood who now walk under this sun and broken moons have this knowledge. Perhaps we were proud and wanted to steal from gods. Perhaps we were unworthy offenders and were expelled from our home. Perhaps we came down from the bright rings above to touch these baser soils below. Perhaps, even, it was an accident that we are here. We do not have this knowledge: why we came, how we arrived, for what purpose. I see our goal. We all have this knowledge. It is clear to us and evident: Survive on this new World. Thrive. This World despises us, and on bad days I will tell you it openly hates us. The true Children of this World are given full loaves while our many generations have the sparse crumbs and leavings. We are not guests here, we are a nuisance and a pestilence. The Children of the World and their beasts ignore us or tolerate us on a good day and attack us or worse on a bad one. The true Children despise us and they hate us. But we have this knowledge: The Children of the World fear us; knowing what we can do to them and remembering what we did to their World. This knowledge we have: Among the first of us to come here was one with power, intelligence, skill and wisdom. She gathered our people around her, and the ones who followed her knew no disease, nor did they fear death. They wielded power like gods. Our people were no longer divided. Led by the one that called herself Barbarian, we attacked the World and its Children. One by one she broke the one moon into the three broken moons we see in the sky and the World suffered terribly! And with it suffered the Children of the World. In the aftermath of the terror caused by The Barbarian, the Children swore they would never teach another Visitor the ways of their magic. But some of this knowledge we keep. Some say the Barbarian defied death for too long, for every person of the blood it comes time to meet with the Spirit Traveler. The Traveler took The Barbarian back to our home beyond the sea of night riding a star. But she left behind many such things: tools and techniques, lore and secret ways, machines and magics, vehicles and seeds. This knowledge was sealed in her tomb. Since her departure it has never been found. So Wanderers scour the mountains and deserts, seas and forests, ruins and cities, hoping, praying the Traveler Spirit will guide us, to the Tomb of the Barbarian. Wanderer, go you out into the World. I pray we are not too late… or too early. -*-*-*-*- What’s really happening? What is this game about? In a couple hundred years from now, earth is threatened with global disaster. Humanity flees to space in a huge generation ark. Some are left behind. Thousands of years later, the ark ship automatically returns to earth, but things have gone wrong. The ark people have forgotten their past. The ship deconstructs in orbit into a series of orbital rings and the humans are evacuated to earth. This, the escape pod, is the Tomb of the Barbarian. The ark people, the Visitors, have evolved differently from those who remained, the Children of the World. The Barbarian was able to access and understand the pre-apocalypse technologies and wield them; the title is an ironic misnomer. She was able to use both Visitor technology and Children magic. For this reason, she was feared and revered. The Children are superior physically to the Visitors. They have evolved in a harsh, cataclysmic world. They can endure more, survive more, and have developed some psionic and other mental powers from mutations. They have lost much knowledge, but still retain some command of ancient technology. All they know is they make certain metal offerings to the sky birds and their talismans still work. GPS, farsight, drone command, communications… the satellite network still holds. Children and Visitors are both human, but look radically different and foreign to each other. Both groups’ culture inherently distrusts each other. Yet they are still human; they can still breed. Half-breeds have many societal restrictions and mixed physical abilities from both parents. A character who is half Visitor and half Child of the World will never truly fit in with either group. The Children think half-breeds can’t wield their most powerful magic, thinking they have been tainted with the madness of The Barbarian. Visitors will (sometimes grudgingly) accept half-breeds, knowing they are outnumbered on the World. Visitors tend to be between 2.25 and 2.5 meters in height, slender, large-eyed and long-fingered, with prehensile toes and virtually every joint is hypermobile- double-jointed. They are more human than human, having been engineered for space, not the harsh new Earth. They often will wrap themselves in fabrics and eye protectors to ward of radiation damage- sunburn can be severe to a Visitor, potentially blinding. They have trouble digesting animal products or raw, unprocessed food. Children of the World tend to be 1.75 to 2 meters in height, broad and robust, strong, and quick of wit and sharp of memory. They are more human than human, having been hyperevolved by the harsh new Earth. They can take the punishment dealt by the World and come back with a saga. They are familiar with pre-apocalypse tech and consider it magic, but some of them have developed true transhuman abilities. They can eat just about anything from the World. The World is earth after some five to ten thousand years after humanity is no longer the dominant species. Cities are overgrown where they aren’t destroyed. Forgotten works of man abound, and nature unchecked is proliferating. The World bears wounds from space; some can be discerned by the naked human eye. On the World, magic and technology are combined in a natural way leaving room for scientists and magicians both. As Arthur C. Clarke says, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." And as Larry Niven ripostes: "Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology." Players are Wanderers, people who travel the unfamiliar World in search of adventure and the legendary Tomb of the Barbarian. Exploration, mystery, and an epic mythos are the rule of the day. The World is full of the obvious signs of the vestiges of a glorious past empire. The common folk have forgotten their heritage and many live in ignorance, with secret nuggets of truth passed down among worthy notables. The civilizations of the World are broken, can they be healed? Play to find out. -*-*-*-*- How do I create a Wanderer? Each Wanderer has a number of different aspects: 1. Nature 2. Identity & Origin 3. Stats 4. Lifepath 5. Skill tags 6. Trouble 7. Items 8. Relations * Nature is what kind of human you are: Visitor, Child of the World, or hybrid. Note hybrids are not solely half-breeds. A child of a half-breed and a full blood is still a hybrid, with characteristics and drawbacks from both lineages. * Identity & Origin: This defines your character in terms of how your community identifies you, either through work or deed or childhood history. Here are some key phrases for a Wanderer’s backstory. These phrases are meant to be wildly interpreted or willfully misinterpreted. This list is far from exhaustive, so feel free to invent your own- they should be one word or a mashup of two. Artgranter, Beastowner, Breaker, Brightmind, Creator, Curator, Darkwit, Deathfinder, Disciple, Dreamfinder, Enemychild, Fareye, Fingers, Forger, Leafseeker, Loreholder, Minebird, Murderer, Noname, Passion, Rockholder, Scholar, Skintearer, Spiritear, Spiriteye, Starknower, Swiftfeet, Trailfinder, Visionary, Voice Spend a couple sentences to develop your key phrase backstory. Work with the other players if things click. * Characters have three stats: Savagery, Sorcery, and Science. Spend seven points on the stats however you like- none can be less than 1. For each stat, also note down a brief visual descriptor of your stat. It can be an item, a habit, a piece of clothing, a weapon, a style, perhaps even a special effect or an adjective. It should be obvious and clear to any other character who sees you. Descriptors have no mechanical effects, only narrative ones. On the character sheet, the three stats are arranged in a circle. Put a distinctive token on one stat to indicate your current focus. Whenever you take an action that relies on your focused stat, add one marker. When you have more markers than your stat’s value, you must change focus by moving your token to one of the other two stats and clearing all markers. You may optionally change focus if you have at least one marker down. You may not change focus if you have zero markers down. * Lifepath is what calls your heart to explore and seek. It is more than a mere job or a role, it is the destiny of your soul at this moment. It is not unheard of for a soul’s destiny to change, but it is never done lightly and is often associated with severe stress , revelation, trauma or another life-changing event. Lifepaths are chosen from one of three kinds and have no relation to your stats. It’s perfectly possible to be a Savage Science-type or a Sorcerous Savage-type, and so on. What you are good at is not the same as what drives you. Lifepaths of the Savage: -------------------- Bellator Bellatori are classic warrior barbarians, a lust for blood and mayhem in their veins. Comfortable in groups of thousands or solitary on the plains, they are experts in the art of ending life. Do not underestimate them, for none who are stupid will live long. Latro Latronis are plunderers and raiders, highwaymen and raiders most feared. When there is an enemy hold to be taken, a caravan to ambush, or a keep to raid, look to a Latro. No strangers to violence or thievery, these. Some only live for the rush of the raid, some look at the big picture and the long story. Saltuarius Saltuarii know the hidden paths in the woods and in the hills. They know the language of animals and the words in the rocks. All of the secrets of the flowers and the clouds are their domain. The World is wild and untamable, but these people can walk alongside the storms and make their homes between the barrows. Lifepaths of the Scientist: ---------------------- Arcanus Arcani know and seek the past. They discover much of the history of the World, either from new finds in ancient ruins, or by chasing down the lost truths behind rumor and folklore. Some are regarded as graverobbers, but most are driven to know and to understand the historical significance and context of their finds. Botan Botan are natural philosophers in the truest sense. They study plants, animals, environments, and the landscapes of the World. They can identify plants for food or poison, tell you what manner of beast is stampeding towards you and how to kill it, or identify the rocks that contain valuable gems or minerals. They excel at working with facts, numbers, and observations. Ingeniator Ingeniatori are the builders of dreams. They possess the knowledge, skill, and talent in creating machines. They may have expertise in transportation, hydraulics, mechanics, cybernetics, or simply general tinkering. These are the men and women who create the best mechanical innovation on the World. Lifepaths of the Sorcerous: -------------------- Halen Halen are mystic healers. By long-standing tradition, they will spend their lives caring for a series of settlements, moving between them along a set circuit. They learn their magic from their elders over the course of years in an apprentice relationship. They wear white cloaks that acquire more intricate embroidery and length as they gain in magical knowledge. Magus Magi have a strong oral tradition of lore, keeping secret mental techniques to memorize encyclopedic amounts of information. They train from early childhood from other members of their Guild. Several are always in training separately so there is no risk of losing history. They have some overt sorcerous abilities, and have a powerful bond with the World itself. No one Magus knows everything; there is simply too much for the human mind. Sortiarius Sortiarii have the most magical power, able to wield raw sorcery as a weapon or a tool. The weaving artistry they can create will be talked about for months, sometimes generations. It is extremely unusual for a Visitor to walk this path, as most sorcery is kept by the Children. Very little magic is beyond their grasp, however large the price may be. * Skill tags are open descriptors that can cover as wide or narrow as range of activity as makes sense for a given task or conflict. Skill tags are knowledge, expertise, and experience that helps a character to get things done. Choose three skill tags for each stat. Choose a bonus skill tag for the stat that has the highest value. Here are some sample skill tags, showcased for beauty and evocative flavor. This is not an exhaustive list. Savagery: Assassin, Beast mastery, Bloodhewer, Brute, Construction, Danceleader, Folk medicine, Foodfinder, Gladiator, Lore, Meatfinder, Murderer, Musicdowser, Pickpocket, Runner, Stalker, Warcrafting, Weather eye, World survival Sorcery: Alchemy, Artifact use, Cleansing, Common magics, Computer use, Crowd Control, Languages, Lore, Petty magics, Psychology, Runes, Speak with dead, Strong magics Science: Alchemy, Archaeology, Astronomy, Chemic, Chirurgeon, Communications, Cybernetics, Gatherer, Lore, Natural Philosophy, Optics, Physics, Radio, Vehicles, Wind-Chime programmer * Trouble: Trouble is an element, usually internal or personal, that is opposed to your goals or prevents your achievements. Trouble holds you back in one way or another Spend a couple sentences to clarify what this means for your Wanderer. Here are a few suggestions (feel free to roll) if you’re stuck: 1. You are too kind for your own good 2. You have a deep, unrequited love 3. Your parents hate and despise you 4. You have visions of the Pre-pocalypse 5. You have dreams of an important ruin 6. Your heart is in the stars 7. Your family has a powerful artifact 8. You have a strict moral code 9. You are friends with someone from the other community 10. You hate and despise your own people 11. You have visions from the future 12. Your loyalties are with the other community 13. You have a secret that will drive you from your community 14. You wish to forge an alliance between the communities 15. You must sacrifice what is important to you 16. You hold grudges 17. You want to free the Spirit Traveller 18. You wish to become the Barbarian 19. You must defeat powerful enemies 20. You want to see the end of the World * Items: All characters start with two special personal items: one that they wouldn’t mind sharing openly to strangers, and one they would only share with close friends. Don’t spend more than a few words or two sentences here. These personal items should become relevant during play. Also jot down any impersonal items that it makes sense for your character to have. * Relations are people who are close to you, to help or to hinder. Characters have Friends, Allies, Rivals, and Enemies. These will change over the course of play, but everyone starts with at least three in at least two different categories. Give these notables a name and a few lines of description, and answer why this person has this sort of relationship with you. Feel free to use other members of the play group here. Do not start with another player as an enemy unless all are in agreement. Friends are those true souls who want to help you achieve your goals or who you can trust with your secrets, a person who shares a connection with you. These folk you can tell anything or ask any favor... But the road of friendship goes two ways. Allies are regular types who can support you, but with strings very much attached. You may owe them something, or pay them, or perhaps your families go back generations with arranged marriages and intricate oaths. It is up to you both how far trust will extend. Rivals are that type of adversary that you simply don’t get along with. They will thwart you and yours, hinder your goals, or just attempt to get the better end of any mutual dealings. They aren’t inherently evil nor want to see you lifeless unless things intensify... or even de-escalate. Enemies are out to get you, even more so than the World itself. -*-*-*-*- Making the World During character creation at the start of the first session, the entire play group will collaborate to make the map of the World. It should be understood that this is not the World Entire, but the couple weeks’ walkabout for the surrounding area that matters to play. Of course there’s other parts of the World and in the sky above, but basic play presumes that most of the action will take place in a relatively small area by contemporary standards. If your game group wants to include higher-tech vehicles or beasts of burden or sorcerous transport, feel free; but adjust your scale accordingly! An area three by four weeks’ travel is probably fine. Take two sheets of paper and tape them together at the long edge. (If you have access to tabloid-size paper, go get a sheet.) Note that rolling for the features below is a guideline. The World is yours to discover; if your group is keen to see lots or fewer of a given feature, trust your group and adjust. Everyone should share in the dropping of dice and the drawing of the map, even if they “can’t draw.” First, natural features: 1. Roll a d6 for craters: 1-2, one crater; 3-4, two craters; 5-6 three craters. Again, drop the needed number of dice on your map and use the value rolled to indicate the depth of the crater. Draw these about the size of a fist. 2. Roll a d6 for mountains. 1-2, few mountains; 3-4, some mountains; 5-6 very mountainous. Now, take either 2 (few), 4 (some), or 6 (many) dice and drop them on your map. If you see the World as more of a wasteland, drop an extra die. Where each one lands is mountainous terrain. The number that comes up on the die indicates the size of the peaks. Draw these in on the map where the dice lay; if it makes sense to connect a pair as a mountain range, do so. Feel free to re-drop those that land in craters, but it’s not a requirement. Your mountain areas should be about the size of two dice. Clusters are okay. Give names to the mountains with the highest two values rolled. (So if you roll 112256, only name the five and the six. But if you roll 133334, name all the threes and the four.) 3. Roll a d6 for forests: 1, few forests; 2-3, some forests; 4-5, many forests; 6, lots of forests. This time, take 3 (few), 6 (some), 9 (many) or 12 (lots) dice and drop them on the map. Again, use the number they come up as to indicate the density of the wooded areas. Your wooded areas should be about the size of three dice. If pairs or triplets are close, connect them with some less-dense woods. Clusters are still okay, but feel free to re-drop a few if there’s only one giant woods. (Although that would be interesting in its own way!) Name the largest areas of forests. 4. Roll a d6 for water: 1, scattered oases; 2-3, one river; 4-5, two rivers; 6, three rivers. On an odd number, the land borders and ocean. Draw it. For rivers, roll a single die for each to determine how mighty a river. Draw these in where it seems sensical; start on high ground, move to a coast or a crater, meander. If you’re stuck, drop three dice on the map and use those as points to hit with the river. 5. Special features: If there are any particularly compelling ideas you wish to add, do so now. This is the place for majestic volcanoes, secret mesas, mazes of canyons, packs of wild Beasts wider than the sky, impossible glaciers, pieces of a moon. Now, human things: 1. Roll 4d6 and discard the lowest of the four. Of the remaining three dice, the lowest die is the number of Visitor villages and settlements. The remaining two dice will be the number of Children towns and cities. Drop Visitor dice on the map, but move the dice closer to be near craters or rivers. The values of the dice indicate a settlement (1-3) or a village (4-6). Drop the dice for the Children on the map and move them closer to be near rivers and forests, but occasionally in mountains, and never near or in craters. The values of these dice indicate a town (1-4) or city (5-6). Name every location from this step. 2. Finally, drop six dice on the map, anywhere. These are places of interest to be discovered in play. Name them. At least one should be a pre-apocalypse ruined city. Optionally, one can be a pocket civilization of a forgotten branch of humanity. Optionally, one can be a pre-apocalypse landmark or place of significance. 3. The GM should note the location of the Tomb of the Barbarian and keep it secret. -*-*-*-*- How to make beasts of the World? Go around in turn if you like, or leave it to one player. Always talk out the process. 1. Start with a perfectly normal earthly beast. 2. Exaggerate one of its central aspects. 3. Twist another one of its aspects. 4. Give it some aspect of humanity. 5. Do one of the above steps again, and you’re done. Describe in lurid detail. 6. One other player may ask a question to develop the beast further. 7. Optional: Do not change its name. -*-*-*-*- How to do things? Whenever a Wanderer faces a significant obstacle of some kind or there is a chance of failure, as always: say yes or roll dice. Don’t bother to roll if there’s no real risk. First, assemble your dice pool. You will only use regular six-sided dice. Two dice for being a Wanderer.. A die for focus, if it applies. A die per skill tags that apply. An extra 1-3 dice for any situational bonuses: some created advantage, a notable item or artifact, or help from another character. Roll all your dice. Any that come up four or better are a hit. Count all your hits. Obstacles will require a number of hits to overcome, generally 2-5, depending on the severity or narrative weight of the obstacle. A standard obstacle should require about three hits. If you succeed with more than two hits over the obstacle target, you have succeeded with style, grace, power, or speed. Choose one and incorporate into your results. -*-*-*-*- Is there experience? Do Wanderers improve? The GM never give out experience, only players. Whenever one player does something in-game that moves the other players (dramatically, humorously, awesomely, emotionally), one player will give the other an experience point. When a player has accumulated five experience points, they gain an advance. Do not give out experience lightly- it’s fine if not everyone gets one every session. Advances include: A new tag, a new notable artifact, a new relation, a new magic, etc. Two advances may be spent (with good story reason) to change lifepath. -*-*-*-*- What happens when injured? Depending on the injury, apply the following mechanical effects. Ongoing effects require medical treatment. Grazed: -1 die for the rest of the scene or until you get a rest/refresh moment. Wound: -1 die ongoing. Second wound: -2 dice ongoing total. Debilitated: Basically nothing past talking or gestures. Narrative effect. Unlikely to roll dice now. Dead. -*-*-*-*- How to run the game? Sorcery. Science. Savagery. Bring it. Show the World. Seek and embrace conflicts. Don’t hide the Pre-pocalyse. Fear the Beasts of the World. Know the people. Everyone is human. There are no gods. -*-*-*-*- What is sorcery? I won’t tell you. This is one area you need to decide amongst yourselves. Is magic just a nanobot plague? Is it genetic engineering? Is it mana unknowable? Is it granted by the gods? Is it GPS? Is it true, real, psychic power? Is it chance mutation? Is it all radio and robots? What you choose here is central to the World. It is yours to discover, and I envy your finding out.