DeScriptors Definitive Edition

DeScriptors, A Word Game Micro RPG. Definitive Edition

Written & Developed by Matthew Bannock Bannock Additional Writing, Editing & Layout Layout by Tim Bannock Cover & Interior Art by: Bruno Balixa, Rick Hershey, Currens, Kellepics, Pixexid Photos and images by Currens, Kellepics, Pixexid courtesy of Pixabay (used under CC0 Creative Commons license) Publisher's Choice Quality Stock Art copyright Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin Games Publisher's Choice: Quick Covers #5 copyright Rick Hershey / Empty Room Studios Publishing

Table of Contents Playing Descriptors

1

Ethanol Pop: Wondrous Days

2

Anything Goes

4

Hunters Guild of the Ancient Lands

6

SUPERMAX!

14

The Philosopher’s Stone

16

FAQ

18

Find more about DeScriptors online at facebook.com/DeScriptors/ DeScriptors © Matthew Bannock Version 1 - October 2018

Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places, items, art and text herein are copyrighted by Matthew Bannock with the exception of the text in chapters 'Hunters Guild of the Ancient Lands' and 'SUPERMAX!' which are copyrighted by Tim Bannock and used with permission. The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

Descriptors: Definitive Edition

requires a single adjective to overcome, but games with larger player counts may require tougher challenges.

Playing Descriptors

Success. The player may narrate success, based

DeScriptors is a quick play narrative tabletop RPG. This is the game where a storyteller and one or more players will work together to create a story. The storyteller sets up adventure scenarios, describes the setting and non-player characters, and acts as referee for the rules. Players create characters and choose actions that best suit their characters in the situations presented to them by the storyteller.

on the adjective they spent, another adjective their character has, or the descriptor.

Failure. If a character picks failure, they gain an adjective picked by the Narrator, often with a negative connotation: this is called a setback. The player may narrate failure, but the narrator may veto if it isn’t dramatic or interesting enough.

Characters Locations & Fishing

Your character is a descriptor and a number of adjectives. You may use a sample character below or create one of your own by creating a descriptor of a noun or two and selecting four adjectives.

Every location has a refresh number, this is the number of adjectives you may pick up in a location, typically 0-3. To fish for a new adjective, announce you are doing so and use an adjective you desire in a sentence to describe the scene or an act your character makes. The GM will reward you that adjective and let you know if any more are available. Note you may only have one of each adjective at a time, so if you are already clever, you must fish for an adjective other than clever.

Format:

Character Name : Descriptor - Adjective 1, Adjective 2, Adjective 3, Adjective 4

Sample characters in a typical modern world setting: ❖ Trey: Bartender - Watchful, Insightful, Loving, Mysterious ❖ Leena: Park Ranger - Tough, Rugged, Strong, Resourceful ❖ Roland: Mythos Investigator - Curious, Grizzled, Observant, Unhinged

Puns and synonyms are encouraged, if you pick up a “sharp” knife and write Sharp on your character sheet you may intimidate someone with words for your “sharp” tongue or dress to impress because you look “sharp.”

Sample characters in a fantasy world setting: ❖ Valenara: Elven Alchemist - Clever, Magical, Dexterous, Charming ❖ Pardis: Human Farmer - Wise, Curious, Lucky, Attractive ❖ Gren Rondmanfreend: Gnomish Reporter - Stubborn, Insightful, Probing, Forceful

Combat Combat -- any type of physical aggression -- is a special type of challenge. Even if you succeed you will lose an adjective of your choice: this represents the accidental scrapes and bruises people take in a fight.

Out. If a character runs out of adjectives they

Sample characters in a science fiction world setting: ❖ Cybok-01: Android - Bright, Wild, Tough, Sexy ❖ Captain Voidspanner : Space PirateQuick, Agile, Sleepy, Witty ❖ Varend Blade: Bounty Hunter - Clever, Fast, Sureshot, Intimidating

are out and usually wake up at a (dramatically appropriate) later time with only a single adjective, such as “Sore”.

Advancement A session ends once the story is complete. If your character will continue on in future stories, they begin their next session with whatever adjectives they had at the end of their last session, and can pick new ones until they have up to 4 total. (If they have more, great! Keep ‘em, but don’t pick any new ones.)

Actions When a character faces a problem you may bid your adjectives to succeed or choose to fail to gain new adjectives. Normally a task only

[1]


[2]


Ethanol Pop: Wondrous Days

Hot Tips! Setting Details Gizmos encouraged! Feel free to improvise devices if you use an appropriate adjective to invent or jury rig something

Journal: March 9, 1907 This is my first day in Garden City; the place is amazing! The airship ride from the mainland was smooth enough

Nouns! It is possible to use the gizmo rule to trade an adjective for two or more nouns such as gun, potion of invisibility or wrench, Note nouns are less versatile and can not be spent to activate a descriptor or an adjective

to sleep, which is good. I woke up in time to see our approach. Garden City is nestled on the Eastern side of the island and it sprawls out encroaching on the ocean

forests to the east.

Slice of life! This can be played as slice of life with lighter tone and goals, this is optional but can be used to emphasize the seeming paradise of the setting. One example I ran involved the heroes chasing a trouble making kitten to try to get it back to the owner. The setting can be kept slice of life or play it to show how shocking and jarring a change to a darker tone can be for people used to a comfortable happy life.

Arrival at the airport was amazing, I wish you could see

What Do You Do? Scenes & Adventures

it. It wasn’t just big, it was huge, like a stadium. I think

Delivery! Players hired to deliver a box run into bad luck bad weather and possibly bad guys between them and the destination.

in long arms of artificial peninsula. The buildings are bright and colorful and it seems like every roof has a garden. From a distance it was easy to see not only the city itself but the sprawling suburbs and dense protected

there were more people there then in our entire e ntire town. Inside there weren’t just humans, but all manner of

Parts! Make the players retrieve two or more seemingly unrelated things for an invention or alchemical formula.

species and cultures: lean elves with magical wares; stout dwarven traders with drinks in one hand and contracts

Culture shock! Cultures only have one or two words to describe them above, flesh them out continuing on theme or going in unusual or surprising directions let newcomers feel that they have lots to learn and discover.

in the other; gnomes tinkering with the latest cameras (instant photographs!); photographs!); sweet voiced hethler chatting about the day (don’t call them halflings unless you want them to kick you in the shins and tell you they aren’t “half” anything!); anything!); Bovathi that ain’t like our cow people

Who Are You? Sample Characters

friends in the farmlands, these were stately folk in layers

Catling Pilot - Quick, Agile, Sleepy, Witty

and layers of fine cloth, with bangles and dangling

Elven Alchemist - Clever, Magical, Dexterous, Charming

jewelry. I even saw a belly dancer! Catling Catling napping napping on

Human Farmer - Wise, Curious, Lucky, Attractive

benches or zipping around like goats that munched on coffee beans...one local even gave me a necklace of flowers.

Gnomish Reporter - Stubborn, Insightful, Probing, Forceful

I am pretty sure this place isn’t paradise, but it sure

Bovathi Merchant - Strong, Healthy, Smart, Thoughtful

looks like it from here.

[3]


Anything Goes Your cellphone chimes: new message!

[4]


Hot Tips! Setting Details Gates. Closing a Gate is a tough challenge! Bloodsuckers. If a vampire knocks you out, they can steal your descriptor -taking your form (or a similar one) in the process -- and replace it with “Vampire!”

What Do You Do? Scenes & Adventures Consider a chase! One or more challenges may be given with narrative time pressure or optionally real time pressure by giving people 30 seconds to respond. Supernatural survival-horror. The system encourages avoiding combat: let players know that the people who survive are those that run, hide, or otherwise trick potential enemies. Keep it moving. Allow fishing in intuitive locations. A scene in a n empty gas station might not have very many (if any) adjectives. Let the players have an incentive to work past dangers to get to useful sites.

Who Are You? Sample Characters Were-Collie - Wise, Lucky, Charming, Colorful Robot - Bright, Wild, Tough, Sexy Bartender - Watchful, Insightful, Loving, Mysterious Catgirl Pirate - Clever, Fast, Magical, Cuddly Park Ranger - Tough, Rugged, Strong, Resourceful

[5]


[6]


Hot Tips! Setting Details

Hunters Guild of the Ancient Lands

Not all monsters need killing! Some are friendly, some are smart, some are cuddly and trainable, and while there’s always a few that are mean, there’s also the ones that just taste exquisite in a well prepared dish!

Creed of the Hunters Guild: 1. All monste monsters rs are creati creations ons of the world: all are sacred and deserve our respect, for they serve a purpose, no matter how big or small, no matter how good or wicked. 2. Monste Monsters rs that that are in need must must be helped. 3. Monste Monsters rs that that can be trai trained ned should should be given the gift of training in order to make the world a better place. 4. Monste Monsters rs that that destro destroyy othe otherr habitats must be contained as much as possible, without harming them or their habitat. 5. Knowle Knowledge dge of monste monsters rs must must be be catalogued, preserved, and shared. 6. The Guild Guild know knowss and and respec respects ts no no foreign powers, no political affiliations, and no antagonistic viewpoints.

Monsters

Monsters have three categories of traits that may provide fuel for challenges: Intelligence: Instinctual, Clever, Basic, Intelligent, Civilized, Highly Intelligent, Superior Rearing difficulty: Easy, Tricky, Complicated, Challenging, Difficult, Extremely Difficult Attitude: Friendly, Indifferent, Unfriendly, Hostile, Extremely Dangerous The Ancient Lands

Monsters, provisions, and facilities are influenced by which Ancient Land the characters are exploring. Each of the Ancient Lands are described below.

Activities of the Hunters Guild: ❏ Guild members will catalogue all monsters they come across. ❏ Guild members will share their catalogues with every Guild Lodge they come across. ❏ Guild members will help monsters in need. ❏ Guild members will train monsters to help better the world. ❏ Guild members will contain monsters that are destructive to the world. ❏ Guild members will provide lodging to any guild members in need for no less than 10 days, regardless of any other allegiances. ❏ Guild members will provide 5% of all earnings in gems to a Guild Lodge once per 20 days.

Ashen Sands This sand-blasted terrain extends for leagues and while many see it as a barren, forlorn place, it hides many great and wondrous sites. Monsters:

Couatl. Flying snakes with healing properties tied to the dreamlands. Sphinx . Living recording devices for the world’s ancient secrets given the form of winged cats. Landwyrm. Huge, burrowing desert snakes. Hazards: ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖

[7]

Quicksand Sandstorm Extreme heat Acidic sand


Sites:

Sites:

Mirrorlake Oasis Lying at the center of a ring of small hills is an oasis with a lake at the center, and just barely breaking its waters are the upper battlements of a sunken fortress featuring strange ornamentations and devices -- the chains and pulleys of old siege engines, watergates, and various tubes -- that jut out from its submerged structures.

The Temple of Sunlight Once a temple created by giants to serve as their most sacred place of worship, this is now a ruined scar that has been frozen by the elements. Toppled columns that once stood a mile high break up the landscape, and the skeletal remains of random walls and outbuildings poke up out of the thick snow that blankets this mute testament to a series of structures that once sprawled over miles and exalted the powers of sunlight and life.

Stormdragon Tower Anchored to a hill by a massive metal chain -each link is several feet thick! -- is a floating mote of land upon which stands a crumbling tower from which deadly windstorms emanate every few months.

Dragonfrost Graves The landscape in this valley is broken by dangerous cliffs, jagged frozen spires as tall as trees, and other strange formations of rock, ice, and snow that hide deadly drops and potential avalanches. Amidst all of that are the frozen carcasses of dragons, many of them perfectly preserved in the ice and snow, though all of them -- skeletal or not -- show the signs of terrible, gaping wounds that signal what killed them in the first place.

Pillars of Heaven A mountain range of impossibly tall, spire-like mountains is broken up by magical pools of multi-colored water, dammed by ancient machines and incredibly thick stone walls. A few have been breached, flooding long dry valleys.

Gloaming Shores Blackrime Wastes

A series of beaches, coastal cliffs, and rocky reefs peopled by merfolk, pirates, and sharks. The Gloaming Shores are perpetually blanketed in a twilight state, for the world was broken not far from the shoreline, and the deep ocean was rent by the claws of some Outerworld beast, creating a breach in the very fabric of reality.

An icy wasteland, where huge patches -- many of them leagues across -- of ice and frozen earth are colored black, like obsidian. Monsters:

Ice Drake. Reptilian creatures with icy breath weapons.

Monsters:

Rock Crab. Crustaceans armored with earthen shells as big as wolves.

Bear Mammoth. Massive, shaggy bears with a mean temperament and huge tusks.

Cliff Harpy . Short, bird-winged humanoids.

Yeti. Peaceful arctic apes.

Sea Steed. The preferred pets of the merfolk, these creatures feature the head of a horse and the body of a dolphin.

Hazards: ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖

Extreme cold Snowstorm Thin ice Avalanche


[8]

Outerworld portals Tidal waves Lightning storms Whirlpools


Sites:

Tomb of the Drowned It's as if a vast, futuristic city crashed into the waves and came to rest at the edge of an impossibly deep trench just off the coast. The city features bizarre technology based around gemstones, focused light, and sound waves, creating three dimensional illusions, messages recorded through strange devices, automated alarms and defense systems (like animated furnishings), and various areas still fully protected from the watery environment that surrounds this place. Temple of Utara Sprawling over miles is effectively the opposite of The Tomb of the Drowned. a beautiful -though ruined -- city of ancient stone monoliths and temples built by the hands of dragons and elves, but cast beneath the waves to collect detritus and undersea plant life. The merfolk have taken over a complex of side halls built into the side of an underwater mountain that once served as a flying city for the dragons. Rend A peninsula of land stands overlooking the sea, but both land and sea have terrible gashes in them, floating motes of rock and ocean water jettisoned from the world, left to drift in the starry black void at the edge of the known world.

Hive Canyon Plains A series of sinkholes spiraling down several miles into the dry earth, revealing a network of caves, shielding outcroppings large enough to hide villages, and -- at the lowest reaches -lava-filled chambers and scalding hot geyser springs.

Hazards: ❖ ❖

Monsters:

❖

Roc. Massive predatory birds.

Grabgrass Briar patch Mudslide

Sites:

Leaping Goat. Goats with incredibly powerful nine-jointed legs, making them capable of leaping dozens of yards.

Thunder Gorge Thunder Gorge is named for the sounds constantly rolling out from this mazelike series of canyons cut into an immense mesa. Standing inside it is deafening.

Wyvern. Dragon-like creatures with bat-like wings and poisonous scorpion-like tails.

[9]


Smuggler’s Ravine A series of airship docks somewhat hidden in the walls of a deep ravine featuring many natural earthen bridges spanning it, this place is now a graveyard of busted airships, winding caverns, rusted mechanical winches, pulleys, and loading machines, and dangerously unstable work stations originally for the building of makeshift airship parts. An enormous latticework wall was built at one end of the ravine, cutting it off from the deafening sounds of Thunder Gorge: this is the so-called Wall of Silence. Wall of Silence The wall is made of natural stone formations with a lattice of curved, metal beams holding up heavy curtains. Affixed at various parts are bizarre-looking mechanical golems holding short rods tipped with pea-sized quartz crystals. These golems are, in many cases, still operational and can attack anyone trying to tamper with them. The rods create zones of silence, and the golems were needed to continuously recharge and activate the magic stored in them. Of course, many of the rods, and several of the golems, are no longer enchanted, or have taken enough environmental damage as to be useless.

Mist Shorn A vast swamp stretches out from the plains, clearly sloping downward and becoming wet and boggy almost immediately. The humidity rises exponentially, and a rolling mist perpetually blankets the land, often limiting sight to a mere few feet, and feeling so oppressive as to silence nearly all sound. In one of the largest continuous bodies of water to be found in Mist Shorn rises a series of truly enormous trees called the Spire Trees, connected to one another by all manner of stone, wood, rope, and even mechanical bridges. Monsters:

Giant Toad. Horse-sized toads with poisonous tongues. Marsh Hydra. Multi-headed dragons that are equally good on land as they are in the water. Mist Bat. Nearly man-sized bats that can “poof” in and out of mist as if teleporting through the stuff.


Vampiric mist Humidity that spoils food Poisonpools Grasper vines

Sites:

Talaneshta, The City of Poisoned Leaves Built amongst a hundred Spire Trees spanning several miles of Mist Shorn’s deep swamps, Talaneshta was once an unparalleled city of beauty, lovingly crafted to bring out the natural shape and growth of the trees’ branches. There is little stone to be found here: all of the structures are built from the natural curve of branches, dead wood gathered from below, vines, leaves, moss, and clay-like earth. At some point deep in the past, something poisoned the trees, or perhaps the trees revolted, and poisoned the inhabitants. Regardless of its origins, venomous leaves, acidic sap, and tainted plant-like creatures overran this place, and left it in ruins. Overgrowth has warped the once-beautiful homes, moss and vines cling to almost every surface, and even the colors are muted now, deadened by the sickness that infects Talaneshta. The World Tree Once, the World Tree was rooted to the earth. In recent memory, the ground beneath it tore free, a mountain of earth floating into the sky, exposing the roots of the tree to the sun and moon, and sending its highest branches to pierce the clouds. Today, less and less of the giant roots -- some hundreds of feet wide and miles long -- cling to the earth, anchoring the tree from what seems like an inevitable trip into the upper reaches of the planet’s sky. Violent tremors shake the floating rock that the trunk grows from, and some of the branches are beginning to die, giant leaves drifting to the earth in greater numbers to dry up and decay. Well of Light Located amidst some of the roots of Karma is a small standing well, a circular cobblestone enclosure with a bucket/pulley system in place (that still works!). The well emits a focused beam of light every night, piercing the mist and clouds and shooting straight up into the sky, as far as the eye can see, towards the heavens.

[ 10 ]


captured Hallow-dwellers have to face ogres, frenzied wolves, trolls, and worse in mortal combat.

Ruins of Hallow Hallow is a huge, sprawling ruin of marble and granite structures that must have been enormous when they stood, but are built into a vast, miles-in-diameter bowl in the earth. Approaching it, one stands at the edge of this bowl and looks down into the city, with only the tallest structures rising above the lip of this depression. The ruins that make up Hallow are perhaps defined most by the incredible vertical height of many of the structures, as if building up was far more important than building out. Even in the state of disrepair that the city is now in, most of its accessible structures are well above "street" level, often hundreds of feet. But that mostly just means there are lots of ways to fall, and the few attempts by humanoid monsters to build bridges and new structures are at best precarious, and at worst designed to send interlopers tumbling to their doom as wooden planks creak and splinter, and stone overlooks crumble.

The Castle Built into one side of the “bowl” and on whose other side are the jagged cliffs that descend hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of feet down to Dragonskull Beach, is a truly massive fortress called simply The Castle This enormous stronghold is nearly as large as the city itself, a sprawling complex of towering walls and tiered inner buildings. While it remains largely unexplored, it's under-works lay exposed to the sea, revealing vast caverns filled with ancient machines designed to pump water, move massive supplies up and down into the castle's bowels, and otherwise perform complex -- now inexplicable -- tasks on a scale so grand as to be unimaginable today.

Cloudreach Once the kingdom of the giants, this magical region is made up of floating earth motes, semi-solidified clouds, and massive flying ships that have been tethered together. A strange, magical plague infected parts of the kingdom, however, killing most of the giants and driving the rest to abandon Cloudreach.

Monsters:

Gargoyle. Intelligent, winged guardians carved out of rock and given life. Psychic Rat. Highly intelligent rats with oversized brains that give them psychic abilities.

Monsters:

Messenger Raven. Large ravens with the ability to mimic human speech.

Chimera. A dragon-like creature with the heads of a lion, a dragon, and a goat.

Hazards:

Griffon. A flying creature that has the head, wings and foreclaws of an eagle and the hind body of a lion.

❖ ❖ ❖ ❖

Swaying rope bridge Collapse Guardian golem Rotted pulley & winch

Brain Slime. Intelligent ooze monsters that are semi-intelligent and easily made docile by the promise of food...and they can eat ANYTHING.

Sites:

Hazards: ❖

Old City Coliseum For a time, this was a popular rallying point for mercenaries, adventurers, and treasure hunters seeking to raid the various monster lairs of Old City, since it was a fairly large and still largely intact walled area, easily defensible. But in recent years, the few monstrous humanoids that have taken over parts of Old City have -- for their continued survival -- turned the Coliseum first into a neutral meeting ground, and then into a blood sport arena (not unlike its original use, if the tales are to be believed), where

❖ ❖ ❖

[ 11 ]

Poisonwater geyser Rot leeches Powerful wind gust Low oxygen


Sites:

Antiquity This floating island is teeming with ancient animals, flying predators, and other esoteric beasts acclimated to the ancient past, all of it overseen by an enigmatic group of sphinx and their loyal subjects, the aviren (bird-like humanoids). The Airship Graveyards Once dockyards for an airship fleet, these floating rock motes are bound together by sturdy bridges that have withstood countless generations of weather and age thanks to their magical construction by the giants of ages past. Unfortunately, sections of these floating rocks have succumbed to a curse known as Skyrot. Skyrot The flying rock motes infested with “skyrot” become riddled with labyrinthine caverns and covered in fetid water. In every case, they sport bizarre obsidian megaliths that hide even more macabre, gruesome laboratories for unspeakable experiments in death and monster breeding. Worse, the poison water flows off of Skyrot-infected rock motes in sickly green waterfalls, a curse wherever it happens to fly over.


Collectors & Trainers. Hunting monsters doesn’t have to be bleak and all about killing them! Baby monsters can be reared and trained to become pets, while intelligent specimens might become allies. There could be a whole economy around knock-out fights between monsters in arenas. Somebody has to find, collect, train, bolster, and bet on these monstrous minions. Why not you? History Unknown. Perhaps the world faced some strange cataclysm in which all of humanity simply forgot the past as part of some mystical or spiritual purge. It’s now up to the brave among them to go forth into the world and gather lore about it and its inhabitants. Some monsters may be dangerous, but others might hold secrets regarding the terrible cataclysm that caused racial memory to be erased. Still other monsters may be so long lived that they witnessed the cataclysm themselves...but their tales are often vague, contradictory, or only come at some price or sacrifice.

Who Are You? Sample Characters Team Rocker - Rebellious, Sneaky, Wiley, Stealthy Eager Collector - Clever, Determined, Lucky, Energetic Curmudgeon - Old, Grumpy, Knowledgeable, Stubborn Veteran Veterinarian [vet vet] - Insightful, Busy, Wise, Adaptable Hunter - Determined, Quiet, Fast, Accurate

Monster Hunters. You might hunt monsters down for sport, or to protect the people of a small village or imperiled kingdom. These sorts of scenarios should be about building the tension during the hunt. During the finale, consider making the monster(s) a tough challenge, or even force the players to have to whittle it down by making different body parts or different forms for the creature each act as separate, distinct challenges: running up its legs is one, weakening its giant-sized sword is another, and then blinding the creature so it tumbles over a cliff would be the final one.

I pick you! (Optional Rule) Instead of an adjective a player may write a monster’s name, spending it to do something that monster could reasonably do or could assist with.

[ 12 ]


[ 13 ]


SUPERMAX!

[ 14 ]


Hot Tips! Setting Details SENTRY Program. If you register your powers, you become a member of SENTRY and you have a job: 6 months of grueling patrol work for random petty crimes or emergency situations, 1 year of work consulting/guarding in a superpowered prison system, and then 1.5 years of random month-long assignments, possibly to space stations monitoring the solar system in case more Skrylexians show up trying to overrun the Earth. Mutant Origins. Skrylexian DNA is highly mutable...and likely was the cause for superpowers manifesting in humans, because Skrylexian sleeper agents infiltrated humanity hundreds -- if not thousands -- of years ago. Utopian Dystopia. The UEG truly believes they live in a utopia, despite the fact that most of Asia hasn’t signed on, there’s unrest as ordinary humans are losing work to superpowered people who retired from SENTRY duty, and there’s a hold out of unregistered supers and their human allies in Antarctica, using crashed Skrylexian ships as their headquarters. Jailbreak. Did we mention how all the supervillains are currently in SUPERMAX prisons? Alongside the worst mass murderers and the Skrylexian sleeper agents that were captured? Yeah, because you know that’ll last...

Who Are You? Sample Characters

What Do You Do? Scenes & Adventures A law too far. One or more laws has become ethically sketchy, will the team want to send good people to the the Supermax. Note this breaks slice of life tone so unless you want to play the setting as a grim one try to use this type of situation sparingly. Super dog walkers! A scientist is willing to hire you at a suspiciously high rate to take care of his “dogs” easy money right? … Right? Titanium Chef! As the crime rate plummets supers are called upon to participate in odd competitions a cooking show should be pretty easy money… right?

Tank - Tough, Strong, Hearty, Enduring Tech Hero - Clever, Loaded, Armored, Resourceful Cat Person - Agile, Clawed, Intuitive, Feline Mutant - Winged, Scaled, Horned, Mutable Magic-User - Arcane, Mysterious, Psychic, Witty Mentalist - Telepathic, Inquisitive, Manipulative, Telekinetic Alien - Fast, Strong, Tough, Famous

[ 15 ]


The Philosopher’s Stone

[ 16 ]


thus ensure the walls to chaos and madness are not weakened.

Hot Tips! Setting Details Warped Reality. The introduction of magical materials that can alter substances has terrible repercussions, causing reality itself to transmute and distort. These aren’t portals, but nihils: wounds upon the very fabric of reality. They can be mended, often as tougher challenges requiring locating, identifying, sealing, and repairing the nihil. Madness and Fear. Distortions in reality most often take the form of substances or even the laws of physics acting slightly differently in the region of a nihil. Gravity may grow weaker or stronger, or reverse. Fumes and fog are common. Senses are often scrambled. Rarely is this outright deadly, but it often leads hallucinations, feelings of depression or paranoia, or reality being affected by dreams and nightmares. The totality of this is that fear becomes rampant, and insanity can take hold over time.

Recovery. Healing the trauma of seeing horrific things and portals into mind-bending realities requires time, patience, the cultivation of mundane relationships. Often, it will also require investigation into alternative medicines and meditations on the greater mysteries of the Universe...hopefully the more positive ones! Seeing the subtle signs of reality falling apart might always threaten this recovery time. Being someone that’s involved in such dangerous work is also hell to pay when it comes to maintaining any semblance of a “real” life with loved ones, children, friends, the law, and even your cable pay. Consider adding scenes of mundane activities catching up with characters, threatening their homes or marriage with legal, financial, or other burdens. But always be willing to cast a dark light on it, adding a vision just at the corner of their sight that maybe something bigger, darker, and otherworldly influences even these “small moments.”

Creatures from the Dark Beyond . Frighteningly, there are creatures that are now able to feed on the madness and dark energy of nihils. Whether they come from another reality, or they are nightmares given form and adapting to this alterations in the fabric of the Universe, the end result is the same: they are beings of madness and savage instinct. Most will tear you apart where you stand, but others require a slow and steady diet of building fear, paranoia, anger, resentment, or bloodlust, and thus they play the long game. All of them must be stopped...but how?

Who Are You? Sample Characters This setting is specifically written without an obvious era, world, or tech-level. You can easily use it for a 1920’s Call of Cthulhu-esque scenario, or as a grimdark fantasy world of ancient ruins to explore for answers, or to seal nihils. Whatever assumptions you choose will influence the types of characters players create. Investigator - Grizzled, Suspicious, Alert, Resolved Mystic - Wise, Formal, Wary, Vain


Student - Excitable, Empathetic, Dynamic, Motivated

Finding Ancient Tomes. Alternate realities and the makeup of our Universe have been studied for eons, but only now do we know just how close some philosophers got to the larger truths, and how badly science may have failed us. But interestingly, both arcane tomes and cutting edge technology have their place in fixing the world. The search for new spells, ley line maps, arcane rituals, anachronistic machines, chemical formula, and high-tech gadgets is the only surefire way to mend the broken Universe.

Soldier - Dutiful, Unbending, Fierce, Focused Priest - Faithful, Brave, Responsible, Proud

Healing Reality’s Wounds. Healing the wounds of reality requires not only rituals, foci to channel power, formulas to repair a breech, and the restoration of natural objects. It also requires mundane actions and relationships to be cultivated near a nihil so as to continuously reinforce the strictures of known reality and

[ 17 ]


FAQ The answers to the following questions were provided by DeScriptors creator and indie game designer Matthew Bannock, and also by the creator and host of podcast Worldbuilder’s Anvil, Jefferey Ingram, who ran DeScriptors in a multi-part arc on the podcast. Consider these tips, tricks, advice, and experiences as a sort of “Game Master’s Guide” to running DeScriptors! Q: What sort of advice would you give players of more traditional mechanical games -- like D&D, Shadowrun, Vampire: The Masquerade, or Call of -- who are getting into a narrative Cthulhu -trait-based game with lots of player-driven content like DeScriptors for the first time?

Matthew: Think in terms of co-operative story telling. Players: Don't be afraid to shoot yourself in the foot as a character because sometimes things get more interesting after a setback. GMs: Thinks in terms of setbacks and pressure. If you are going for laughs, setbacks can be comically over the top, whereas dramatic setbacks can force a player into challenging decisions. “You can rescue one of two beloved NPCs,” for example. Use this sparingly for maximum effect. Jeffery: Remember there is winning in roleplaying. The GM does not triumph not triumph by killing the scum... err.... players. The players do not prevail by gaining loot. The only winner is the story: all parties have fun weaving together a narrative.

I believe in a system like this you all have to accept the role of co-storytellers. Share in the sacrifice to stay with the tone and pacing that is being pushed by the narrative. You must play together to have fun! Q: Any general advice for story tellers regarding how to riff off player-driven character concepts? Improv tips or inspiration?

Matthew: For low prep improvised games both the game runner and players should take inspiration from improv. Remember that improv is collaborative. Try to focus on building up each other's ideas and inspirations. A quick conversation about expectations and what you find fun will set the stage nicely for a great game.

When you get the chance watch improv on video sites: they can provide a great insight into

banter, plus the wit in comedy improv can help you get the feel of collaboration for even more dramatic styles. (The phrases “say yes,” “yes, but,” and “yes, and” are huge parts of comedy improv.) Jeffery: If you do not think you have improv experience, you must watch videos of improv games. They have a topic and a common goal that all the actors are working together to achieve. They are usually based in comedy; however, the same principles can be applied to any narrative.

Agree with the overall style of the game, so everyone knows the goal, And if you have time to prep come up with goals for your scenes to help guide the players to each of the goals. Q: How do you gauge how many scenes or encounters are appropriate for a single player character versus a group of player characters (say the usual 4-6 PCs in a "party")?

Matthew: I keep an eye on how many adjectives people have. I will often let people front load at the top of an adventure up to 6 or 7 but keep them challenged to the point that they drop to 3-4 quickly, or have more but multiple setbacks to deal with (trading traits for negative-seeming adjectives). Sometimes S ometimes when when a player gets low I will offer a setback on something I wouldn't even challenge someone on.

As an example I offered a person a setback as they were leaving a building. Leaving a building is not something I would normally make someone spend on, but I was happy to add a monster sighting and "Fearful" if someone accepts a setback. The game does get cumbersome with a high player count, but if you give players the opportunity to challenge themselves or fish for descriptors it can inspire scenes. Jeffery: Outlines for plots are crucial, so you know the minimum number of scenes required to complete the plot of the story. Look at the characters and see who "should" work well and shine in the story.

If certain characters "might" struggle to have good moments in the story, create subplots to help them shine. Also keep a few additional subplots in reserve, because when the game starts you might find that characters you expected to shine in the story do not. And remember if the story is falling flat or the players take off in a wrong direction you might

[ 18 ]


have to use scenes or subplots to change the narrative or get them back on track. And if you have nothing left, go back to scenes you remember for fiction and use them. You will never have the right story prepared, just have fun and use your imagination. Q: How do you go about setting refresh values? Have you ever gone too high? Do you handle it differently when playing with a small group of players (or one-on-one) versus a larger group?

Matthew: I start to challenge people more often if they are well stocked with adjectives. When it comes to group make sure to spread challenges around to give everyone everyone screen time. While larger groups can be more challenging for tracking, they can also be very fun. The system lends itself well to letting every person contribute to the story meaningfully and someone stingy on spending early in the game may be the perfect candidate for a great dramatic scene mid- to late-game. Jeffery: I find that most players are not going to think about refreshing values. values. I find it essential to slip them hints when they are running low. If the group is smaller, it is easier to balance. However, if a player starts hoarding, work with the other members of the group to burn off adjectives for players, or require them to use their adjectives up to score automatic successes. That will make the game more interesting for all! Q: What sort of circumstances would you see as being better for handing out "negative" or setback adjectives?

Matthew: Setbacks amp up tension within the stories. I find it good to offer setbacks if things ever seem too safe or lacking in urgency. If a player wants to have a more slice-of-life relaxed story they may frequently turn these chances down and that is OK as long as you are both aware that is what is desired.

dramatic death and bittersweet farewell to said character (the game tone was grim humor). Now this is not to say spending an adjective attached to an NPC needs to lead to a grim end. The character could just end up tired, tied up, or otherwise unable to pitch in unless another descriptor is used on their behalf. Jeffery: I love language. I have been shocked in almost every scene how the players work to get through it. I am not sure I can pick one. Q: Any times you felt like you had to especially prod a player along, or felt like they just didn't have the "right" adjectives or character concept for a given situation?

Matthew: In the beginning of a game -particularly the first time playing -- it can be awkward until banter leads to spending and collecting words. Usually a well-placed challenge or setback will give the player something to work toward or off of. (Additionally, starting a scenario en media res -- in the middle of the action -- can force the need to pick up or spend adjectives very quickly.) Jeffery: In the conclusion for the Wine Steward story on the Worldbuilder's Anvil, the player needed to escape or die in his sleep! However, he felt the need to sleep on it. We played it through and then replayed it since his death had no real value. Q: As a player, what was your favorite in-game experience?

Matthew: I am not entirely sure I have a favorite scene other than to say I love the mid- to lategame as there are more frequent trades of words leading to interesting scenes that really start to showcase what is possible within a simple but flexible system. Jeffery: Play...what is that? (Somebody’s always thrust into the storyteller role!)

Jeffery: I typically reserve "negative" or setback adjectives for blunders by the players or trying to increase the difficulty if they are solving the story to easy.

Connect with Matthew Bannock at: ❖ facebook.com/DeScriptors ❖ Twitter @proudgamer If you love building worlds for fiction, roleplaying games, video games, or other mediums, check out Jefferey Ingram and the Worldbuilder’s Anvil: ❖ Gardul.com ❖ Worldbuilder’s Anvil on Facebook ❖ Twitter @JefferyWIngram

Q: Favorite use of an adjective or string of adjectives in a scene? Any out-of-left-field uses of adjectives by a player that surprised you? How’d you handle it?

Matthew: A player decided to befriend an eccentric madman as part of a scene. He fished for an adjective to represent the help of the character and when spent later it lead to the

[ 19 ]

DeScriptors: Definitive Edition

Options, Variants, and Add-ons As new settings and mechanics are released for for the DeScriptors game, we will continuously update the Definitive Edition. It wouldn’t be definitive if we didn’t! Thus, the following represents all of the mechanics that have come out since DeScriptors: Definitive Edition was released. Enjoy!

Gear As an alternative to the Gizmos and Nouns rules in Ethanol Pop: Wondrous Days, you can use the following mechanics to represent items. How It Works. One or more adjectives may be

attached to an item; any such item is ‘gear.’ Gear may be traded between characters, but spent adjectives are still spent, and any setbacks specific to that item represents damaged or lost gear. It will require some narrative juice to get the item repaired, found, or replaced: likely a scene of activity involving barter, challenging searches, or tracking down a new supplier.

Encumbered If you use either the Gear or the Gizmo related mechanics, you can also add this rule to keep players from stocking up on too much stuff. This also represents a good mechanic for covering scenarios where the players have to collect lots of things, even if the things themselves aren’t immediately useful (i.e. a source of adjectives or nouns).

cannot face. This is especially useful in combat-heavy scenarios, or especially gritty settings. In these cases, you can use the following mechanics. How It Works. You control multiple characters

at a time, but they share any adjectives that are fished for in a scene. This doesn't change adjectives that individuals gain as setbacks. The Storyteller can create setbacks that do affect the entire party. If you use Gear or Gizmo rules, you should track which character currently has which item. Swapping items in the middle of a challenging scene might result in an automatic setback if the Storyteller wishes (though probably not more than one in any given scene). A Storyteller can announce some setbacks setbacks as a deadly setback -- ‘one of your party members is in jeopardy of dying’ -- for added challenge. If you choose to fail, that character dies; this should only occur in dramatically appropriate situations, such as a major guardian, boss fight, or incredibly daring sequence. You can request from your your Storyteller that your characters face a deadly setback. If the Storyteller frames a scene in which you feel it is worth the cost of a party member’s life, the Storyteller will give you two setback adjectives instead of just one. These could be individual setbacks for other party members (to represent the situation or how they deal with the party member’s death) or they could be party setbacks.

How It Works. If you gain more than two pieces of gear, you also gain encumbered . If you fish for adjectives that might influence gear -- such as upgrades to an item (adjectives attached to a piece of gear), or an adjective like upgraded, augmented, or enhanced) -- you may only have two such adjectives, or else you also gain encumbered.

One Sprite, Entire Party When presented with the possibility possibility for troupe-style play -- players with multiple characters at the same time -- or one-on-one play between a Storyteller and a player, there might be challenges that a single character

[ 20 ]

DeScriptors Definitive Edition

Recommend Documents