[Game Chef 2011] A Serpent's Tooth
Jason Morningstar:
Of course not, make the game the way it wants to be made. I try to ask myself "is there an easier or less gimmicky way to do this?" Sometimes I listen to the answers, too.
Ross Cowman:
-getting closer, here is the doc I will be going into playtest with. I'm open to any feedback or observations.
Serpent’s Tooth
“How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is
to have a thankless child!”
-King Lear
Introduction
Serpent’s Tooth is a story game about an old King in the twilight of his life, watching his power give way to ambition. You will take on the role of King, who begins the game with vast powers of creative authority, the other players take on members of the King’s family and court, each with their own relationships and nature. To play you will need 3-5 players, and about 2.5 hours of time.
We will act out a cycle of scenes around the table, each of us taking up these roles, and creating other supporting characters when needed.
Over the corse of the game the King loses his power to the younger generation, until, Kingdom divided, he meets his end.
What follows are the steps for playing this game.
Prepare the stage
Before you play, gather the following
-A deck of cards separated into face cards (A-J) and numbered cards (2-10)
-Pens
-Paperclips (no more then 10)
-Notecards
-Printouts of the Character Sheets (you need one for each player other then the king)
-Printouts of the 3 Regalia
Act I - Prologue
1. Introduce the Game
Text in italics is intended to be read aloud to the players gathered at the table to facilitate teaching the game.
Welcome to Serpent’s Tooth, in this game I will take on the role of an elderly King in the twilight of his rule. You will take on the roles of members of my family and court.
Our game has three act. Act I, which has already begun, is the prologue. In it I shall introduce the game, guide you to create a character, and go into more detail about the powers of the King. In the second act, we will play out a cycle of scenes. At the start of Act II, I wield vast power and creative authority over the fiction we create together, but as we play, my authority will erode as the kingdom is consumed piece by piece. Act III, the epilogue, is triggered when I have been stripped of all Regalia and authority. The game then concludes with a parting scene.
2. Create Principal Characters
Pass out a character sheet to each player besides the king.
To create a character we will each decide our nature, our relationships, and our title. These characters will be the principal characters in our story. You will control them and get to decide their fate. I will ask you some questions and use your answers to create the supporting characters. We will write our answers on these character sheets and then fold them into tents that stand on the table. Make sure to write clearly so we can all see your answers.
i. Nature
Lay out the numbered cards in the center of the table where everyone can reach them.
Each of these cards represents a set of opposing natures, when you are ready, choose one, then decide which is your public nature, and which is your hidden nature. Your public nature will be how your reputation, your hidden nature will be your true self. Be cause it is your true self, and because it is hidden, the moment you reveal your true nature, will be a pivotal moment for your character in the story.
Put the cards away after the players have made their choices.
2- Traitorous / Loyal
3- Confidant / Jealous
4- Loving / Hateful
5- Foolish / Wise
6- Brave / Cowardly
7- Insane / Rational
8- Honest / Deceptive
9 - Noble / Savage
10 - Passionate / Cold
ii. Relationship
Lay out the face cards where everyone can reach them.
These cards represent relationships. You will each have two relationships. One is a current relationship, called a relationship to the court, the other is called your relationship to the past. This is an old relationship that has ended or changed.
Now we will take turns, when it is your turn you will select a relationship and give it to someone who does not have two relationships. They then decide if it is with the court or with the past and tell us why. The rank of the card shows who the relationship is with. The suit show what kind of relationship it is. I am the King, the character to my left is the Queen, and the character to my right is the Jack, an Ace, can mean any of us. Hearts show you are loved, Clubs show you are trusted, Diamonds show you are favored , Spades show you are protected.
On your turn, you can also force someone else to make that choice. Do this by giving them a relationship to themself. They must then pass it to another character. For instance if anyone gives the queen the Queen of Hearts, she does not keep it, instead she choose another character to give it to. Then we continue taking turns as normal. Note that this is the only time you may pass a relationship card to the King.
When everyone has their relationships written down, take back the cards.
iii. Title
I am King, the person to my left is my eldest daughter, and the person to my right is either my advisor or eldest son. The rest of you are either lords and ladies of other lands in the Kingdom.
Pick a name, and an honorific, if you are a lord, a lady, or a married princess, you have land, add this to your title, also write your land down on a notecard. I will decide where my castle is and write that down. This is the capital of the kingdom.
iv. Populating the Map
Put the castle in the center of the table.
Now I am going to go around the table and ask some questions about where you live and who is in your life. We can create new elements of the story, and integrate other characters into our lives, with our answers, however, whenever we integrate other characters into our lives you should do so in the form of a question, and leave them to decide if that is true.
Go around and ask these questions, and do these things…
When someone introduces a new character,
-give them a name
-write them down in the supporting cast.
When someone introduces a place, write it on a notecard and put on the map,
For each place decide ask ’Is it easy to get to from the Capitol?’
-If so place it near the capitol. Ask ‘what connects it?’
-If not, ask ‘What is in the way?’ Place that on a card and put it between the castle and the place.
For Princess’
Ask ‘are you married?’
if so ask ‘who is your husband?’ ‘Do you have children?’
If not ask ‘how many suitors do you have?’ ‘what lands do they rule?’
For Princes
Ask ‘are you at war?’
If yes ask ‘where are you fighting?’
If not ask ‘why not?’
For Lords and Ladies
Ask ‘who is your spouse?’
Ask ‘do you have any children?’
3. Introduce Regalia
Place the Regalia before you. Each of the Regalia grants you an authority. When you introduce regalia, place your hand on it and say what follows.
I carry these Regalia, as symbols of my power.
This is my Castle, the center of my monarchy, from which I pass laws and rule my kingdom, The Castle grants authority over the details of the setting.
This is my Crown, symbol of my personal authority and power. The crown grants me authority over the people in my kingdom.
This is my Sword, symbol of the armies and knights who enforce my will with their steel. The sword gives me the power to bring a scene to its resolution.
Invoking Regalia
Invoking regalia always takes first priority over all other acts. When you invoke your regalia, place your hand on the regalia and say what follows.
Castle
When you invoke the Castle;
-Say where we are
-Say 3 details about the scene using at least two senses
-Reveal additional details during the scene
Crown
When you invoke the Crown;
-Say who is in the scene
-Say what they are doing
Sword
When you invoke the Sword;
-Describe the aftermath then end the scene.
4. Introduce Character Moves
Play your Part
You job is to play your part with integrity. Telling us your thoughts, speaking your words, and describe your actions.
When you describe your actions, go ahead and tell us what happens, when our actions influence another character, tell us what you are trying to do but stop short of describing the effect, we look to them to tell us how the story proceeds.
These are the duties of the King, to listen to my subjects, and to give up my power. These are the duties of the people, to be true to your character’s nature, to peruse their ambitions.
Play your Part
When you play your part
-Tell us your thoughts
-Speak your words
-Describe your appearance
-Show your actions
Resist Influence
When an action influences you, choose one;
-Accept the influence
-Say “But when…” then escalate, or offer a cost
-Describe the aftermath
Reveal your Nature
When you reveal your hidden nature
-Flip your character sheet
-Show your action
-Describe the aftermath
Your nature is now revealed whenever you are in a scene with that character,
you may not reveal your nature if it is already revealed
Regalia can be Seized or Relinquished
Seizing Regalia
You may seize regalia as part of describing the aftermath, if it follows through with the causes in the fiction.
Relinquishing Regalia
When you relinquish your regalia
-describe your action,
-give the regalia to another character
Act II
This is the body of the game, the first scene begins with you, the king, invoking your Castle to create a setting, then invoking your Crown, to tell us who is there and what they are doing. Then the scene opens up to everyone playing their parts. This kind of play is more like a conversation, it goes back and forth with people jumping in and adding details, and maybe changing things that don’t quite fit. At the start of the game you are in charge of the setting and all of the npcs. When you set scenes, start small, one or two characters at a time. Try and mix it up so every character gets good screen time. You can include yourself in a scene or not if you like.
Passing of the seasons
Every three scenes, the season advances. We begin in the summer.
Summer - the king may not lose regalia
Fall - the king may lose up to one regailia / scene
Winter - the king must lose or relinquish one regalia / scene
Playing your part - in detail
Say “But when…” then escalate
When you do this, you get to add detail to the scene, it does not have to be linear, I could say,
“I cut off your head with my sword.” And you could say
“but as you draw your sword, you see our father looking on from the balcony.”
This does not negate your statement, regardless what happens, you think you cut my head off with a sword.
Describe the Aftermath
When we describe the aftermath we accept what has just been said and then describe the effect.
For example,
I could say, “I enter the room and you are so stricken by my beauty that you instantly fall in love with me.”
And you could respond “But when I come closer you see is the Dutchess of York who stands just behind you that I greet.”
What if I Die?
If you die, you die, but it won’t happen without your consent. Remember their truth ends at your perception. If they say, I cut off your head with a sword, that won’t be final until someone describes the aftermath. If you describe the aftermath, you’re only beholden to the fact that they think they cut off your head with a sword. Maybe it wasn’t you? Of course if they cut off your head and you let them describe the aftermath, then all bets are off.
So, if you do die, you can still appear in scenes, you’re just, well, dead.
Act III - Epilogue
When the King loses their final regalia, the game ends after the next scene.
fin.
OrionCanning:
This game is fun. I actually wanted it to go longer.
Ross Cowman:
A Serpents Tooth - A King in the twilight of his life loses his kingdom (and GM Authority). A game for people who always wanted to do in the dungeon master.
www.storygamesolympia.com/files
Ross Cowman:
I'd like to personally thank, woodelf, nolan callender, paul beakley, and ashly for taking the time to review a serpent's tooth. I've gone through your reviews and cut and pasted the tasty bits together in a document for me to work off of for the next revision.
super helpful stuff, thanks!!
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[*] Previous page