Sunday 7 August 2016

In Brief: Mage: the (other) Awakening

So you might recall a couple of posts where I devised new versions of games based purely on their titles, including one called Mage: the Awakening.

It's back. I read a "200-word RPG" thing that was going about a while ago, and decided to try my hand at it. So here's the 200-word version (title excluded).

Mages: the Awakening

You ended up at the remotest, loneliest branch of Lie Inn (No. 666) because you’re a bunch of losers. But nobody reckoned on magic. Now a wizards’ conference is on, and travelling sorcerers in need of lodging. Impossible coffees must be brewed, flying tomes kennelled, silken robes spotlessly dry-cleaned at 4am, wake-up calls made yesterday and of course, breakfast served in bed.

Characters: Pick ten descriptors. Assign 4/5/6 to Endurance, Morale & Employability.

Mechanic: Roll 2d6, +1d6 per keyword that helps. Pick two. One determines how Successful you are. One determines how Conciliating you are.

Troubleshooting

Find out what’s going wrong and fix it! Work together to survive.

Difficulty: 1 Trivial, 2 Simple, 3 Difficult, 4 Very Difficult, 5 Complicated (several), 6 Gordian (interconnected & several customers) – overcome with Successful plus roleplay.

Customer: Food, Sleep, Interpersonal, Facilities, Weather
or
Crisis: Spells, Behaviour, Paraphernalia, Familiars, Monsters

Wizards

Character: Confused, Irascible, Pompous, Spiteful, Affable, Businesslike – pick one.

Appearance: Handlebar Moustache, Enormous Beard, Twinkly Eyes, Dreamy Lashes, Sixpack, Piercings, Bald, Rainbow Hair, Bizarre Tattoos, Frills, Starry Robes, Pinstripes, Pyjamas, Corset and Stilettos, 9-Inch Nails, Withered, Shadowy, Faintly Glowing – pick two.

Touchiness: roll 1d6 to generate – overcome with Conciliating.

When things go badly, your stats drop. Don’t run out.


UPDATE: A supplementary Random Wizard Table is now also available on the blog, but this is a tool, not part of the core 200-word RPG.

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