Editing ConsensusFantasy

= Consensus Fantasy, the Piecepack Matrix Game = | Players | 1-20 | | Length | 30-180 minutes | | Equipment Required | 1 or more piecepacks | | Designer | ChrisEngle and RonHaleEvans | | Version | 0.6 | | Version Date | 2020-03-12 | | License | [[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ CC BY-SA 4.0]] | == Overview == Consensus Fantasy is a generic roleplaying, storytelling, and wargame system. It can be played solo or with a group, with or without a gamemaster. It makes a freeform, improv style of play possible, and includes some simple miniatures rules, which can easily use the piecepack. Consensus Fantasy is based on Matrix Games, which are a good match for the piecepack. Like the piecepack, they //seem// small, but are infinitely adaptable to playing many kinds of game and telling many kinds of story. With Matrix Games, you can run very complicated stories, from rescuing a hostage to saving the cosmos (or both!) in only a couple of hours -- or play campaigns that go on for years. Matrix Games have decades of play and have been used by the British and U.S. armed forces, among other institutions, to run political and military "serious game" simulations. Matrix Games were invented by Chris Engle. Ron Hale-Evans adapted them to the piecepack and wrote these scenarios. Consensus Fantasy was also influenced by Tana Pigeon's [[https://rpggeek.com/rpg/1510/mythic-role-playing|Mythic Game Master Emulator]]. == The round at a glance == 1. Players move the characters they control. While moving, players can talk and roleplay with one another. 2. The gamemaster asks the players to each make one argument about what happens next. 3. After each argument is made, the gamemaster decides how **strong** it is, and whether it will cause **conflict** (fighting between characters) or **trouble** (lasting bad effects). This is totally up to the gamemaster! No arguments automatically cause conflict or trouble. 4. After all the arguments are made, the gamemaster decides which arguments are **competing with** (inconsistent with) one another. 5. An argument's strength determines what needs to be rolled on a piecepack die for it to happen. Players roll one piecepack die for their own arguments. If they roll any of the target numbers, then the argument happens. (If an argument will always fail or always succeed, they don't roll for it.) The tables below show how to roll on both standard six-sided dice (d6) and percentile dice (d100) as well as piecepack dice. """ | **Strength** | **piecepack** | **d6** | **d100** | | VERY STRONG | 2,3,4,5,A | 2,3,4,5,6 | ≤ 85 | | STRONG | 3,4,5,A | 3,4,5,6 | ≤ 70 | | AVERAGE | 4,5,A | 4,5,6 | ≤ 50 | | WEAK | 5,A | 5,6 | ≤ 30 | | VERY WEAK | A | 6 | ≤ 15 | Piecepack dice have six sides: N 2 3 4 5 A, where N means "null" and A means "ace". In Consensus Fantasy, nulls count as 1 and aces count as 6. N is an automatic failure and A is an automatic success. If you roll either of these special values, roll again. (But don't roll again when settling **competing arguments** or **conflicts**.) If your second roll is another special value, this is what your rolls mean: | **piecepack** | **d6** | **d100** | **Success?** | | N & N | 1 & 1 | > 85 & > 85 | "No, and..." an extra failure | | N & A | 1 & 6 | > 85 & ≤ 15 | "No, but..." a positive side | | A & N | 6 & 1 | ≤ 15 & > 85 | "Yes, but..." a negative side | | A & A | 6 & 6 | ≤ 15 & ≤ 15 | "Yes, and..." an extra success | The gamemaster determines what these results mean by making an argument for an unexpected event. (See **Unexpected events**.) """ **Note**: Percentile dice work differently from piecepack dice and d6. On piecepack dice and d6, success means rolling //over// a target number, but on percentile dice, success means rolling //under// a target number. For example, with a Strong argument on a piecepack die, you have a roughly 67% chance of success, which is greater than or equal to 3 (3, 4, 5, or A). You also have a 33% chance of failure, which is less than 3 (N or 2). On percentile dice, these rolls correspond to a 70% chance of success (less than or equal to 70), and a 30% chance of failure (greater than 70). Remember: On regular dice, a //high roll// means success. On percentile dice, a //low roll// means success. If you find this confusing, it's probably best to stick with a piecepack die or standard d6. 6. Players only roll once to see if their argument happens unless their argument is competing with another argument. Competing arguments cannot both happen. Only one can. Players settle it with a dice rolling contest. """ Two or more arguments can be in competition. Each player rolls for their own argument. Arguments that fail their rolls drop out of the contest. Keep on rolling until only one argument is left. If all of the arguments fail then a new contest begins. One argument **must** succeed. """ 7. Successful arguments happen. They change the "matrix" of the world by adding to it, taking something away, or altering it. 8. Conflict and trouble arguments that happen cause extra rounds of arguments to find how they come out. """ **Conflict causes extra rounds of arguments.** **Common conflicts**: combat, recruiting new characters, stealing things, magic, politics, building things, arresting people, trials The gamemaster decides who is involved with the conflict and how strong each player is. The strongest player gets to make an argument about what happened in the conflict. The gamemaster decides how strong it is and the player rolls for it immediately. If it happens then the conflict is settled. If it fails then the next strongest player gets to make an argument. Players keep on making arguments until one succeeds. The gamemaster can decide that a conflict argument causes another conflict. **Trouble also causes extra arguments.** The gamemaster decides who is affected by the trouble and what status it gives to those who fail to deal with it. Each affected player gets to make an argument about how they deal with the trouble or why it doesn't affect them. The gamemaster rules on the arguments' strengths and if any are in competition. Players then roll to see if they succeeded in avoiding the trouble. Players who fail must use their regular arguments to fix the trouble or live with the consequences. """ **Now begin the next turn!** Don't be afraid if you're making it up as you go along. That's how Matrix Games are played! For more detailed rules, see ["MatrixRules.pdf"]. === Example === You are a small, greedy Pomeranian named Humphrey. Your human is offering you a Meaty Treat to learn a trick called "dance." When she plays "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees, she wants you to stand up on your hind legs and wave your front legs with a big grin on your face. Can you do it? You've been training for days, and the gamemaster rates your chances as Strong (3,4,5,A on a piecepack die). """ |3,4,5,A|You succeed. You learn the trick and get the Meaty Treat.| |N,2|You fail. You can't learn the trick.| |NN|You fail! You backflip, fall on your face, and cry. You refuse to learn any other tricks for a month.| |NA|You fail, but you //do// spontaneously learn to dance to "The Liberty Bell", the theme to //Monty Python's Flying Circus//.| |AN|You succeed, but you'll only do the trick when nobody else is watching, like the frog in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wd_6Y0wQOA|that Warner Brothers cartoon]].| |AA|You succeed gloriously, and also learn to dance across the room to "Boogie Oogie Oogie" and "Shake Your Groove Thing". You get //two// Meaty Treats and a tummy rub!| """ == Unexpected events (through bookpokery) == The Consensus Fantasy system generates unexpected events by interpreting words picked out of books. To create unexpected events, open a book to a random page, and with your eyes closed, place your finger on a random word. If you find it necessary, repeat this procedure a few times until you have collected enough words to inspire your argument for the unexpected event. (See below.) After that, judge the strength of the argument and roll for it as usual. You can even select phrases or sentences from the book, either by putting your finger on a phrase or sentence that exists in the book, or by making one up from scratch. If you're doing the latter, be sure to create a template beforehand so you know what kinds of word you're looking for. For example, you could make a template like //adjective noun//, so you would first poke your finger into the book, and then find the nearest adjective on the page. To fill in the rest of the template, you would poke the book and find the nearest noun. Finally, you would "glue" the adjective and the noun together. If you select //silent// as the adjective and //week// as the noun, your final phrase would be //silent week//. (These words were taken from the horror anthology //Black Wings of Cthulhu 5//, edited by S.T. Joshi.) Interpreted as an unexpected event in a horror game, this phrase could mean that all mysterious activity being investigated suddenly ceases for a week or more, leaving the suspense to build. //It's too quiet...// Consider your choice of book. One that's related to the scenario you're playing can give more relevant results. For example, a campaign about vampire hunting could use a copy of //Dracula// as its source of random words (//Dracula// has the benefit of being in the public domain), while a space opera setting could use a novel from //The Expanse// series. On the other hand, a dictionary is almost always appropriate, no matter what the scenario, and an unusual book can be interesting too -- what happens if you use a cookbook instead of //Dracula// in the vampire game? """ **Note:** It's easier to "poke" a bound paper book for words, but it's possible to do so with ebooks as well. Ebook reader software varies so widely, however, that such techniques are beyond the scope of this game. You'll have to experiment. """ == GMless and solo gaming == You can play Consensus Fantasy in a group without a gamemaster, and you can even play it solo without a GM. Most of what's true about playing solo applies to "GMless" group play as well. To play Consensus Fantasy solo, you can either start with a predefined scenario and characters, or you can just make them up on the fly. Consensus Fantasy is an "oracle" that can answer any question about your game with a simple roll of the dice. Ask the oracle questions that you would normally ask the GM, such as "Can I hear anyone behind this door?" Treat the question as an argument and judge it strong or weak as usual, then roll to resolve the argument. When you get stuck, insert an unexpected event. In this way, you're acting as your own gamemaster. (In group play, take turns with gamemaster duty.) You can even use this technique to play other roleplaying games solo, such as Dungeons & Dragons and Call of Cthulhu. Use as much or as little as you want of the other roleplaying game's rules, and fill in the rest with the oracle. Typically, you would use the other RPG's rules to resolve questions specific to its world, such as magical combat, and resolve the rest with the dice oracle. Finally, you can use solo roleplaying with Consensus Fantasy as a writing exercise, to explore from within worlds you create as you create them. Not needing a weighty gamemaster's tome means you don't need to set aside special time to do this -- you can do it in odd moments as you wait in line, ride the bus, or fall asleep. """ For an excellent introduction to solo roleplaying, see the 7.5-part series [[http://tabletopdiversions.blogspot.com/2015/01/solo-role-playing-series-part-1.html|How to Play an RPG Solo]] on the blog //Tabletop Diversions//. """ == Miniatures == You can use the piecepack to play wargames and dungeon crawls instead of traditional 25-30 mm scale pewter miniatures. (This is the scale of a typical piecepack pawn.) You can also use traditional miniatures or [[http://zenseeker.net/PaperMiniatures/index.htm|printable paper miniatures]] with [[http://news.thegamecrafter.com/post/173897027801/check-out-our-new-paper-miniature-bases-they-are|bases in piecepack suit colors]] alongside your piecepack. Here are some tips. * Characters are represented by coins. //Main// characters are represented by pawns. * The map is mostly the grid side of the tiles, but terrain can be shown with the suit sides, such as green crowns for forests, red suns for fire or lava, etc. * Tiles can be stacked to show altitude. * Ravines and rivers can be depicted by leaving a slight gap between tiles. * The Four Seasons piecepack can add some nice new types of tile, as well as adding more tiles in general. 48 tiles = 192 square inches of potential terrain. * Once tiles are done with and arguments show what kind of terrain is ahead, you can pick the tiles up and reuse them. * Shadows (unknown things) can be Moon coins. Once they are known, they can be flipped to show the values (which unknown things they are). For more information on miniatures and military matrix games, see the Matrix Game supplement ["PoliticsByOtherMeans.pdf"]. Here are some conversions between Consensus Fantasy and PBOM terms: |**Politics by Other Means**|**piecepack equivalents**| |stand (100 soldiers)|coin or pawn| |1 inch|1 square (back of tile)| |1d6 (six-sided die, 1-6)|1dP (piecepack die; N=1, A=6)| == Consensus Fantasy Scenarios == === Life During Wartimes === A wargame matching armies from different places and times, such as a Roman legion versus a 22nd-century UN peacekeeping force armed only with stunners. * Build a battlefield out of tiles. Equip each army with its typical weapons and armor based on historical record, or conjecture if necessary. * Turn them loose and play according to the rules in ["PoliticsByOtherMeans.pdf"]. For example, UN stunners probably have infinite range, based on the lasers in PBOM. * For extra chaos, mix units from different eras on the same side. For example, mix stunner troops with archers and give the archers poison arrows. You'll have to argue for them on the battlefield... === DogStar === Household pets of every description vie to go viral by becoming Cute Pet of the Day on the fabulously popular ZooTube video service. Play your own pet! # Some players are humans, and some players are pets. Decide ahead of time whether or not pets can talk to humans. (All the //players// can talk to one another.) # Humans assign each some clever tricks to learn, then pets argue whether they can learn them. # Make some ZooTube videos of pets doing their tricks -- make the argument that they can do their tricks under pressure and adversity. # Finally, all pets (and their humans) engage in a dice-rolling competition to see who gets the most ZooTube views and the big prize! Below are some example pets, or make your own. * **Humphrey**: 10yo male Pomeranian. Very smart. Very secure. Submissive. Loves Meaty Treats and getting up at 3:30 in the morning. Hates other dogs, birds, cats, and horses, on TV or otherwise. * **Bridget**: 9yo female Pomeranian. Lives with Humphrey. Smart. Insecure. Dominant. Loves to kiss humans on the mouth. Hates and fears big dogs. Jealous of Humphrey. * **Fredo**: 2yo iguana. Dumb. Insecure. Submissive. Loves lettuce. Hates loud noises. === Prohibited Where Void === [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YouWakeUpInARoom|You awaken]] in an [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhiteVoidRoom|empty white room]] with [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LaserGuidedAmnesia|no memory of who you are]]... That's it. That's all you get. That's the entire scenario. Use the make-it-up-as-you-go-along features of Consensus Fantasy to determine where you are, what your plight is, and how to escape. For example, you argue you've been kidnapped. Your gamemaster judges that very strong. You roll a 5. So you've been kidnapped! You argue you've been uploaded into a virtual reality. Your gamemaster rules that weak... And so on. This is an especially good scenario to play solo. === Passport to the multiverse === The adaptability of Consensus Fantasy and Matrix Games means you don't need to wait for a big RPG publisher to create a sourcebook for your favorite fictional world. You can enter those worlds whenever you want. Imagine being able to visit the universes of * //[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permutation_City|Permutation City]]// and //[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspora_(novel)|Diaspora]]// by Greg Egan * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeeves#Jeeves_canon|Jeeves & Wooster]], by P.G. Wodehouse * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poictesme|Poictesme]] by James Branch Cabell * The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Seraphinianus|Codex Seraphinianus]] by Luigi Serafini * The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Fenwick|Duchy of Grand Fenwick]] (or the fantasy life of your favorite real-life [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micronation|micronation]]) I'm already packed. Let's go. == License == Copyright 2018 Chris Engle and Ron Hale-Evans. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/>. If you create derivative works, please include the sentence, "Matrix Games were invented by Chris Engle." == Reviews == **First Piecepack Roleplaying Game** Noncompeting entry. Someone else want to critique it? --RonHaleEvans, [[Where No One Has Gamed Before]], October 2018 ---- CategoryGame CategoryRolePlayingGame CategoryMiniaturesGame

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