Intersession Add-ons

For games of Universalis that are intended to go for more than a single session, players may want to set up a set of Tenets for continuing play. Below are a set of standard Tenets that can be adopted by the group via social contract before play, or paid for with a single Coin after play has begun. They are very standard and intuitive, and most people playing adopt something very similar even if the specifics are unspoken.

Standard Intersession Rules

• The first scene framed in the subsequent session is considered concurrent with, or immediately following the end of the last scene of the previous session, unless Coins are spent to set the time differently.. 
• Scenes that are open at the end of the last session are still considered open, and can be continued as normal.
• All players begin the next session with the same number of Coins that they had at the end of the previous session.  at the end of the last session.
• At this point play continues as if there had been no interruption

Players Present Limit
Submitted by Mike Holmes

Subsequent sessions can only be played if all players from the first session are present, and wish to play.  

Revisit Game Tenets
Submitted by Mike Holmes

At the start of the subsequent session, a new Game Preparation phase occurs wherein players can discuss and modify current Tenets. When this is finished begin with a new scene.  This gimmick is intended to address any concerns players may have over the direction the story is going, and to make sure everyone is on the same page to start the new session (players satisfied with the current direction of play may just pass in this phase in order to get directly to the first scene).

Each new player is introduced to the game by a special Rules Gimmick so that the other players can object to the new player's presence if they so wish. Alternatively, one can have an "open-door" policy, and allow any player to add any other new players that they like.

If new players are allowed, the number of players who are involved in the story can be capped, as can the total allowed to play in a single session. If the latter is selected, and too many players present themselves for play, players should bid Coins in round robin fashion for the right to play. Those who bid lowest cannot play in that session. 

If persons who were not players in a prior session are allowed to become players, then a rule for how many Coins they start with needs to be adopted. Often a group will endow new players with whatever the standard starting Wealth is for that play group. Other options include starting them with the same number of Coins as the player with the most or least Coins; or an average. Any number that seems sensible can be selected. Such a Coin level Gimmick can be declared to be a one-time thing, or a policy for all new players.

(One can also see here the possibility of using similar player-adding gimmicks to allow new players mid session. The author highly recommends this.)

Gimmicks can be established to allow players to flex their creative muscles between sessions.

Allow for a limited amount of Coins to be spent between sessions on creating things. Potentially players may be given a pool of Coins for just such a purpose that are used or lost between sessions. The results of such creativity can be presented at the time of the Game Preparation phase at the start of the following session, each player presenting one Component on his turn, at which time they can be challenged.