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Play Types

Different play types using various dice schemes

Dice are often referred to as 'stones', 'bones' or 'pebbles', and represent the influence of the Deus.

A simple cubic six-sided die or dice is referred to as a d6.

The core of the game, whatever the specific play type, is that the players command an imaginary character within the realm of imagination (the game reserve of Fairyland, otherwise known as the 'Metaverse'), and these characters or avatars performs various activities - usually of the heroic or roguish sort - for various reasons and purposes, fun perhaps most of all. A Game Master (or Master of Ceremonies) directs and adjudicates the game, providing scenarios and situations full of challenges for the players to overcome: mysteries to solve, foes to vanquish, and great rewards for the worthy to attain.

Thus ultimately, players take turns at proposing movements and actions for their characters to perform, and dice rolls in combination with elements of the characters' imaginary makeup represented numerically as 'bonuses' or 'penalties', are used to resolve each action or situation.

There might be a small stone bridge over a rushing river in the mountains. The bridge has collapsed and the players need to leap over it to continue on their journey. Intuitively, in order to succeed in jumping over the gap in the bridge, the players must each succeed at a jump action, rolling dice to see if the result meets or exceeds the Difficulty rating of the task at hand.

We need to leap (a) river. Let us say the gap in the bridge is about 8 feet. The players must roll 8 or above in a jump check, which takes their character's muscle strength into account. If the result of the dice roll is below 8, the character falls into the river, and will have to perform other actions to save themselves, if other characters cannot find a way to rescue them quickly. Alternatively, perhaps there was another way over the river to be found by some investigation. Perhaps the character has three levels of training in the art of jumping at a gymnastics school and has a +3 bonus on the essay to leap the stream.

So the game involves rolling dice, and there are many different systems of dice rolling that have been designed to accommodate this purpose. Every long-time player has a favourite dice mechanism that adheres them to certain games and play styles.

Somewhat contrary to the stated goal of simplicity, this game system attempts to provide for a number of different dice-rolling methods in it's rule descriptions, rather than presuming or enforcing a single scheme.

Game types:

A. Simple game with d6 as the base dice (and the only dice, used by all players and the Game Master for all dice rolls). This game uses low-valued fixed numeric bonuses for character attributes (otherwise known as 'ability scores' or 'vital statistics').

B. Simple game, as 'A' above, but using 2d6 or 3d6 (ie. bell-curve rolls), or perhaps some other dice as the only base dice, such as a d8, d10 or d20.

C. A more detailed game with variable-sized body dice used for base dice rolls. The body dice represent a creatures' size or mass, while fixed numeric bonuses are still used for character attributes. This game (and all the subsequent types) requires a full set of dice.

D. A game with fixed base dice (of whatever size, as per game types A and B), but with variable-sized dice representing vital attributes, rather than fixed numeric bonuses.

E. Combination of C and D. A game using variable body dice (that implies creature size or mass) as well as variable dice for it's vital statistics, where each game action might use two dice rolls of different sizes to represent the characters' effort, such as a d6 signalling a medium-sized creature, and a d4 representing it's lower-than-average muscle strength (and that before any additional factors are taken into account).

F. A game where the core of a character is defined by an alphabetic flash card. The card determines: 1). potential magical power; 2) maximum attack prowess; 3) base health points; 4) maximum defensive ability; 5) base mana reserve; 6) default move speed; 7) senses; 8) stealth. Any additional statistics (including the vitals or ability scores) are laid on top of this framework.

In all cases the rules for 'mundane' activities such as moving around, investigating, communicating, hunting, survival and physical combat are not too dissimilar to many other simple fantasy role-playing games. Except for the case of generating difficulty levels for challenges, this system does not attempt to break any new ground in those arenas, but the so-called 'magic system' is, I believe, rather unique in that it trusts to language and to spelling as certainly more wizardous and perhaps inherently more magical than we tend to think. This game attempts to re-ignite the old power of words, and to encourage new investigation into language. All the spell lists you've collected for other games are not rendered obsolete, and might find new vigour in this altered context. For they are 'merely' words. The majority of magic systems in such games are dissociative, in that the various numerical aspects of power, time, cost, etc. recorded in the rulesets, while not arbitrary, are disconnected from the actual spelling itself - which is funny when they are, after all, spells.

A magician in this game knows how to calculate the important numerical details of a spell without reference to rulebooks, because they are already embedded in the word itself.

Fireball <-- (almost) everything you need to know about the fireball spell.

The wizard who is not just playing at wizardry must feel the urge to look up a lemma, or seek a synonym...

This, because all the synonyms of a certain word are within it's clerical domain, being part of a spell progression, or path of mastery.

Which is more powerful, heal or cure?

What is the actual difference in meaning, if any? The game master might want to look it up.

Moreover, you might find the enemies' language has a more powerful version of 'lightning bolt' than yours...

Whose sword is more powerful?

Whose words are more powerful?

Ponder this:

Another word or name for "letter" is "character".

What is a 'character' in a Role-Playing Game?

Who is your favourite character?

Or should I ask, which is your favourite character?

What is the name of your character?

What sort of character will your character have?

How can you imaginatively travel Fairyland with your friends from the comfort of your living room couch?

Because the word 'Fairyland' exists.

Because it's written in an Alphabet.

...

On that topic...

What is the average muscle strength of an aelf?

What is the average effectiveness of a dragon's immune system?

Such information is to be found in it's name.

This game provides no official Bestiary, because the dictionary definition of 'dragon' provides a minimal description of a dragon, for all legal purposes, unless the Game Master says otherwise. Any book you find that speaks of dragons might be speaking truth, and contain information that is relevant. Any lore you can lay your hands on in the 'real world' that speaks about fairies, might be useful in aiding your understanding of those fairies in Fairyland.

If you want to play the best Wizard in this game, you will do better if you can find an older, fatter dictionary than your competitors.

You cannot cast a spell (ie. word) unless you've looked up it's meaning in your spellbook, and distilled it's essence onto a scroll. The true Archivist will trace it's etymology, and be sure to include this in his latest treatise.

You need to know that heal is a 4th level spell, having 4 glyphs in it's construction, and know how to calculate it's power levels, difficulty of casting, and it's cost to your body in mana - all details encoded long ago into the published orthodoxy of the word... but never mentioned in plain.

You might discover the heal spell can be cast in one round by a wizard of a certain power and ability, but also be cast over 4 rounds one glyph at a time by a novice. That novice will find it easier if they are an aelf of the Alarim, or folk of Ala, whose house sigil is the sound 'L', which is found in heal, and signifies their most ancient ancestor, the first incarnation of 'L' itself.

It is such that herein lies the reason for recommending nom-de-plumes (assumed names) for your characters you generate to play with. Do not play your own name, or that of loved ones, or you might discover your dice rolls might be more powerful and meaningful than you'd like. You got the warning from Stranger Things, right?

You don't yet know if spells are real, yet you write and speak them every day....

Continue on to Size and Scale.

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