You have the Freedom to tell whatever Stories you want with this Game.

Try to see the Game as a tool which guides you and your fellow Players through a Collaborative Storytelling Experience, and not as a set of rigid rules which restrict what Stories can be told.

This Game does not assume a particular Genre or Setting for your Stories, you are entirely in control of this!

If you want to tell stories using the tropes of traditional fantasy (i.e. including magic spells, swords, dragons and epic quest) which are prevalent in so many roleplaying games: you can!

But equally you can incorporate the tropes of horror, science-fiction, comic books, Japanese manga and anime, cinema and more.

There are no limits to the Stories you can tell with this Game.

So if you are looking for a game which is focused on storytelling and is flexible, then this is the right game for you!

Fantasy

Having so much Freedom can be daunting. So to help you tell Stories within a specific genre, you may choose to use one or more “Fantasies”.

Fantasies are a set of guidelines for how to use this Game to bring to life a particular Genre or Setting.

They will include recommendations of how to create Characters for that Fantasy, what challenges they should face, how to structure stories, and also may provide optional rules which can be used to help bring those Stories to life.

However, in all cases the Stories told in Freedom Fantasy are assumed to be Fantastical.

Some Genres may encourage more realism than others, however a Story is still a Story, and is not meant to replicate the rules of reality.

The goal of this Game is to provide rules to create compelling Stories with interesting choices and unexpected outcomes, not simulate reality.

Because of this, many rules in the game will be related to narrative ideas.

For example, Characters are more likely to Succeed if they have Momentum, which narratively speaking represents when a Character is due a swing in their favour.

Similarly what defines a Character is not so much what they are (e.g. their “Class”) but rather the Themes and Aspects they have.

Freedom Fantasies assumes Friends are coming together with a shared goal: to tell interesting and compelling Stories.

It is a Collaborative Game, not a Competitive One.

Each Player should not see themselves as the Characters they control, but instead as a “Bardd” working as part of a group of Storytellers.

But what is a Bardd?

You may already have some idea if you are familiar with Bards from popular culture: a minstrel who is often something of a flirt!

The word itself however comes from the Welsh word “Bardd”, which is pronounced “bar” with a rolling or trilled “r”, ending with a “th” sound (you can just say “Bard” though if that’s easier!).

It refers to the tradition of being a storyteller and lore keeper of historical events and people, though often poetry may be used as part of this.

And that is your role in the Game: to be a Storyteller and also the authority of how certain Characters within that Storywould act.

At times you may choose to Roleplay as the Characters you control (e.g. mimicking their voices and mannerisms, and immersing yourself in their point of view). Equally you may prefer to simply Narrate their actions.

Both approaches to Storytelling are entirely acceptable within this game!

However you approach Storytelling, please be mindful of your Character’s impact on the overall Story and be considerate of what is happening outside of the Game (i.e. the enjoyment of it by all of the Players).

Freedom Fantasies is a storytelling Game.

By playing this Game the Players are agreeing to use it’s Rules.

This will include using Dice to determine certain outcomes.

Such Dice are rolled openly for all Players to see, and unless the Rules allow you to do otherwise you must respect their Results.

The fun of the Game is in Finding Out how the Story will progress

Similarly, much of the information about Characters, including secrets they may have from each other, is assumed to be known by all of the Players.

Where Players know information which Characters do not, they should embrace the Dramatic Irony of the situation!

Freedom Fantasies was not created in a vacuum.

It has been influenced by many Games which have come before it, including Roleplaying and Video Games.

Below are just some of it’s biggest influences:

Roleplaying Games: Dungeons and Dragons, Blades in the Dark, Powered by the Apocalypse, Call of Cthulhu, Fabula Ultima, Modiphius 2d20, DC20, Draw Steel, Daggerheart

Video Games: Fire Emblem, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Final Fantasy, Pokémon

It has also been influenced by numerous contributors to the subject of Game Design and participants in Roleplaying Games. I would like to give special mention to the following people and their content:

People: Teos Abadia, Alan Bjorkgren, Ben Byrne, Daniel Floyd, James Haeck, Aabria Iyengar, Dael Kingsmill, Derek Malenda, Matt Mercer, Shawn Merwin, Brennan Lee Mulligan, James Portnow, Mike Shay.

Content: Critical Role, Dimension 20, The Dungeon Coach, Extra Credits, Ghostfire Gaming, Knights of last Call, Mastering Dungeons, Shut Up and Sit Down, Sly Flourish

Having gotten this far I hope that I’ve convinced you to give Freedom Fantasies a try!

If so you can get started now by going to the Introduction Page.

But maybe you feel like this isn’t the game for you.

Perhaps you’d prefer a Game designed to tell Stories of a specific Genre?

If so then worry not, we’ve got you covered!

Below is a list of other fantastic Roleplaying and Storytelling Games which you may wish to explore instead.