Update on Interview with Troy the Devil Man

I sat down with Troy the Devi Man- one of the Rain Coast's most experienced Ceremonial Magicians. We spoke at length, and even remembered to record some of it! We generated about 90 minutes of really interesting occult discussion.

I am currently reviewing the audio and adding intro and outro audio, and will be uploading the whole interview shortly.

Hand Size, Card Recovery, Drawing with an Empty Hand

The hand size is five cards. On an Amazing Success, the active player(s) only, not assisting players, may draw 3 cards up to a full five cards. On a Normal Success, players draw 2 cards or to a full hand. On a problematic Success, players draw up to one card or to a full hand.

If a player fails, they regain no cards. During Sequels, the player may spend two vajra to draw one card- up to their maximum hand size.

If a player has no cards in hand, they may always draw a single card- face down- to boost an action resolution attempt. In this a zero is applied towards the player avatar's own total value (giving no boost). Players may bolster other players attempts, but may not draw cards in such cases even if the active player succeeds.

The Deck of Void

Gameplay Resolution is done with a deck of cards rather than with dice. A Player's Avatar in the Shadowlands can do whatever the player themselves is physically capable of doing.

Anything beyond the capacity of the Player requires the expenditure of cards to accomplish. If they are unable to do the action in the real world, the Storyteller will define the Difficulty and Consequences as listed in that Section.

The player will then attempt to have their Avatar resolve the action. This can be accomplished by spending Vajra, using Story Elements in play or playing Cards from their hand.

The Deck of Void is a 72 card deck. Every card has a value between 4 and 0. Each card is assigned an Action type as well as listed in that Section: Hero, Scoundrel, Villain, Mind, Body, or Hands.

Each card has a Denizen, Realm or Season depicted on it to help provide players with mythos lore and world familiarity through play.

There are six cards with a value of four, the highest value in game and thus the rarest. There are twelve cards with a value of three, eighteen cards with a value of two, and twenty four cards with a value of one.

All the cards with a value between four and one have a denizen of the Shadowlands depicted on them. There are twelve value zero cards, divided into two groups based on what they depict. Six cards depict Realms in the Shadowlands. Six Card depict the mythic seasons.

Cards with a value between four and one can be laid to boost the chances of success. Player may play cards on any attempted action, even if it is not their attempt.

Cards with a value of zero nullify all card bonuses (and only card bonuses) played prior to the zero value card being played.

This can be used against another player, who may elect to spend more cards to counter the effect. If played against a Denizen, then the single card played by the Storyteller is negated and no more cards will be laid by the Storyteller for that action. A value zero card that is played which matches the action type (hero, scoundrel, villain, mind, body, hands) nullifies the cards already played, and halves the difficulty- provided the player can describe in story what is done to make this occur.

Further Deck of Void Design Work

Action Types and Matching type to Action

Action Types:
Hero, Scoundrel, Villain, Mind, Body and Hands

Players can double the value of a card that they play (see detail in the Deck of Void Section for details) if the card they play has an Action Type matching the action that they are attempting.

Actions can be defined in one of two ways, by their virtue, and by their method. By virtue we mean whether the action would be considered the action of a hero, a scoundrel or a villain. There is no hard and fast set of tables for this. The player will have to argue through storytelling why an action matches the virtue listed on the card that they are laying. If the storyteller agrees, then the value of the card is doubled for the attempted action.

If the player is matching their Avatar's method of resolving the action with the method listed on the card, then things are more straightforward. There are three methods defined: mind, body, and hands. Mind means that the method of resolution is primarily intellectual: involving thought, persuasion, charm, problem solving and so forth. Body means athletic performance, from feats of strength and endurance pain resistance and fasting. Hands mean learned skills, from automotive repair to juggling to swordplay.

As you read this you may be noticing grey areas and overlap. Yes, that's fine- it's up to the players to convince the storyteller through their own storytelling why the method matches. That's the point of this, to encourage storytelling not attempts to exploit loop holes and so forth.

Risky Actions, Bad Decisions and Sacrifice Plays

Risky Actions, Bad Decisions
and Sacrifice Plays

Players can boost their Avatar's chances of success by taking short term bonuses in exchange for penalties down the road. These take the form of four modifiers to actions: Foolish Optimism (described under difficulty and consequences), Risky Actions, Bad Decisions, and Sacrifice Plays.

Risky Actions.

Players may add up to +3 on any action by explaining how they taking some to boost their chances of success. This becomes a Story Element card with an identical value as a penalty that the Storyteller may apply later in a way that matches and/or relates to the risk taken.

Bad Decisions.

Players may transform a failed action into a Problematic Success in exchange for a Story Element that has an ongoing penalty affect that lasts until the remainder of the session unless the reversal is applied.

Sacrifice Play.

Players may voluntarily shatter their Aura- removing them from active gameplay for the remainder of the session- in exchange for an amazing success on an action.

Consequence Levels

Consequence Levels

Mild

• Attempt fails
• Apply an increase to difficulty level of 1 to subsequent attempts
• Apply a penalty of 1 to subsequent attempts
• Apply a penalty of 1 to later related action attempts
• Apply 1 point of damage to Avatar Aura

Ugly

• Attempt fails loudly and visibly
• Apply an increase to difficulty level on 2 to subsequent attempts
• Apply a penalty of 2 to subsequent attempts
• Apply a penalty of 2 to later related action attempts
• Apply 2 point of damage to Avatar Aura

Disastrous

• Apply an increase to difficulty level on 3 to subsequent attempts
• Apply a penalty of 3 to subsequent attempts
• Apply a penalty of 3 to later related action attempts
• Apply 3 point of damage to Avatar Aura

Apocalyptic

• Apply an increase to difficulty level on 1 to subsequent attempts
• Apply a penalty of 1 to subsequent attempts
• Apply a penalty of 1 to later related action attempts
• Apply 4 point of damage to Avatar Aura