Fantasies

At the end of each Session the GM will pose the Players Questions regarding the actions they took during the Story.

If Players can answer Yes to the Questions posed, they will gain Experience Points which they can spend to, among other things, Level Up their Characters, allowing the Story to progress.

Among these Questions are ones which are specific to the Fantasies being explored. Each Fantasy poses different Questions for the Players to answer, representing the different goals and themes associated with those Fantasies.

If combining multiple Fantasies, you may ask any of the Questions posed by the Fantasies chosen, although we recommend only using those from two of the Fantasies chosen if three or more Fantasies are used.

See the Experience Page for more.

Depending upon the Fantasy, certain Character options may or may not be available for Players to choose. For example, in the Knights and Nobles Fantasy magic does not exist, and the Character options available to Players reflects this.

Character options are additive however. If you are combing the Knights and Nobles Fantasy with the Dragons and Demons Fantasy, you will have access to Characters Options which do have access to magic, despite these being unavailable in the Knights and Nobles Fantasy.

As well as certain Roles being specific to certain Fantasies, many Themes and Perks are also restricted to certain Fantasies. Generally this is because the benefits granted by those Themes and Perks may be best suited to particular Fantasies (e.g. many of the Themes restricted to the Pirates and Plunder Fantasy may grant Characters improved swimming capabilities which are a significant benefit in that context).

Not all Fantasies are intended to allow Characters to play out a Story from Level 0-20. Indeed Stories whose narratives extend from Low Fantasy roots to the heady heights of Epic Fantasy are few and far between!

Each Fantasy has an intended range of Levels for which the Player Characters should be. When Characters reach the Level limits of that Fantasy, then Characters may continue to progress by instead expending experience on gaining additional Perks if they are not ready for the Story to end.

When combing multiple Fantasies, the Level range is defined by combined maximum and minimum limits of the Fantasies. By combining a Fantasy with a low Level Range with one which has a high Level Range, Stories may reasonably be extended across multiple tiers of Fantasy.

A Character’s Story ends when they take three Wounds (which are typically caused when a Character exceeds their Damage Limit).

Depending upon the Fantasy the ending of a Character’s Story may take many different forms. While Death is a common ending for Characters in the Dragons and Demons Fantasy, in the Flowers and Fairies Fantasy such endings would be out of place.

When combining multiple Fantasies, Players may use any of the endings proposed by them when their Character’s Story ends.

The Monsters a GM may utilize are determined by the Fantasies in play. The presence of magic or other supernatural phenomena greatly effects the Monsters which a GM may reasonably introduce to the narrative.

Just as Player’s gain additional Character Options when combining multiple Fantasies, so to does the GM. This ensures an even playing field between the World and the Player Characters.

While the Fantasy will greatly effect many aspects of the world the Players tell their Stories within, the crucial Objects of the World with defined mechanical effects are Equipment and Fantastical Items. Consequently the Fantasy will dictate which Equipment and Fantastical Items are available.

Equipment however is strongly dependent upon the period of time in which a Fantasy takes place. Due to this, Fantasies are presented in one of three time period groupings: “Historic” (i.e. pre-industrial revolution), “Modern” (i.e. post industrial revolution to modern day) and “Futuristic” (i.e. when space colonies are common place, or technology is otherwise significantly more advanced than modern day).

When combining multiple Fantasies you may use any of the Equipment or Fantastical Items from the Fantasies available. However, Equipment from Fantasies with a later time period may be more powerful than those available from older time periods (i.e. the armor may be more effective for it’s weight, and weapons (particularly Firearms) may be more powerful or have less detriments associated with them.

Certain Fantasies may introduce additional game mechanics, or alterations to existing game mechanics in the core rules.

Generally, such Rule changes are kept to a minimum, as we wish to limit the number of changes to Core Rules Players must learn when changing Fantasies.

Special Rules may potentially conflict with Rules from other Fantasies. In such cases the Group will decide how to resolve these conflicts.

Few have the courage or the skills to take on the jobs you and your adventurers take on. Hunting down hideous giants, fighting unspeakable fiendish horrors, and even challenging the might and dominion of the deities themselves.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for discovering, hunting down and combatting monsters who pose a danger to civilization.

Inspirations: The Witcher, worldwide myths and folklore, later iterations of Dungeons and Dragons and similar TTRPGs, Monster Hunter, Final Fantasy.

Some places were best left alone, and yet the secrets and treasures they hide are too great a draw to you and your companions. Venture deeper, and deeper into dangerous dungeons. Watch with concern as the last of your torches threaten to sputter out their last light as you battle with the ultimate foe: the darkness itself.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for exploring dungeons, mines, tombs and temples and all manner of other dark and desolate places of the world in search of the truths or treasures they hold.

Inspirations: Shadowdark, Five Torches Deep, earlier iterations of Dungeons and Dragons, Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, Portal, Minecraft.

Gleaming swords and armor, sumptuous velvet robes, whispers of poisonous words. The world of medieval Europe is equal parts of tales of glory and chivalry, and of politics and poison. Will you seek the glory of honorable battle or the adoration of deceitful nobles?

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for your noble deeds, forming alliances with the nobility and accomplishing great Quests.

Inspirations: Arthurian legends, the Mabinogion, historical accounts of Europe, Fire Emblem, Real Time Strategy games such as the Total War Series.

The world of folklore sparks both wonder and horror. Tales of delightful elves helping lowly shoemakers, interspersed with deceitful and vain stepmothers and bloodthirsty hags preying on wayward children. Step into worlds of whimsy where dreams are made real, including your nightmares.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for providing help to the many colorful characters which inhabit the world, besting the monsters of the world, and completing Stories.

Inspirations: Grimm fairy tales and Disney’s animated retellings, Dimension 20’s Neverafter, Inkheart, The Pagemaster.

Salt water spray cast by roaring winds dash against your skin as they propel your vessel across the great blue, in search of the treasure which surely lies beyond the golden horizon. The treasure, it will be yours, for who else would dare stand between your crew and it, feared as you are even among the most brutal of Pirates who sail these seas.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for sailing the seas in search of treasure, all awhile building a fearsome reputation, such that your flag alone will make ships turn.

Inspirations: Pirates of the Caribbean, One Piece, Tales of Sinbad, Greek and Middle Eastern myths and lege

A green haze chokes the streets you tread, threatening to blot out the weak light of gas lamps. There is danger in every shadow, or so you have heard. Tales of gothic horrors, of vampires and werewolves, of ghosts and ghouls, of experiments gone terribly, or of scholars who delved too deep into mysteries which must never be solved. Surrender your sanity as you step into a world of steam, superstitions and supernatural beings who must be stopped at all costs.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for seeking out the truth of the dark tales and legends that lurk in the shadows, maintaining your standing among civilized society, and for preventing the threats who would bring an end to existence as you know it.

Inspirations: Call of Cthulu, Vaesen, Blades in the Dark, steampunk aesthetics, Sherlock Holmes, Gothic literature such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

What mysterious signals exist between the crackles of static? What glimpses of unspeakable horrors exist amongst the white noise? This Fantasy tells of the unique fears borne out of the rapidly changing technologies of the late 20th century. Tales of alien signals being picked up by ham radios, or urban legends of cursed cassette tapes proliferate this world. The truth of these phenomena is out there, for those who dare to seek it.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for exploring abandoned corners of quiet sleepy towns, facing your fears and uncovering the true nature of things that go unnoticed by most.

Inspirations: Books and film adaptations of works by Steven King, Stranger Things, science-fiction of the 80s and 90s, Kids on Bikes.

Step into a world of anime tropes. Of high schools and horror, of magic girls and mechs, of trucks and time travel. The possibilities of Fantasies inspired by Anime are endless, though they all tend to stretch our suspension of disbelief and allow for a good measure of humour. In this Fantasy the tropes and ideas of Anime are represented through the many perks and Characters you will engage with, and may be combined with other Fantasies to help bring to life the unique charms of those Fantasies as typically portrayed through the lens of Anime and Manga.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for engaging in the common tropes of Anime, focusing of developing bonds between you and the Characters of the world, and pursuing your Character’s heartfelt dreams.

Inspirations: Japanese Manga and Anime.

What infinite possibilities exist when we accept that our world is but one of many parallel ones which comprise the totality of existence. What strange creatures and beings we might meet, or wondrous landscapes might be traversed. And amid these myriad Dimensions, we might find the Deities themselves walk among us.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for travelling to wondrous and unsafe worlds, obtaining powerful artefacts whose craft is beyond our understanding, and resolving the strife we find among the peoples we find.

Inspirations: Stargate SG-1, Sliders, Planescape.

You’ve built the perfect team. You’ve got the smooth talker, who’ll distract the concierge as the locksmith opens the doors to the security room, allowing the hacker to work their magic on the surveillance system, so no one notices as the demolitions expert breaks through the doors of the hotel’s high security vault storage while the muscle keeps the guards occupied.

What could possibly go wrong?

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for learning about your marks, making plans and executing on the perfect score. Who says crime doesn’t pay?

Inspirations: Blades in the Dark and the Forged in the Dark System, Heist films such as Oceans 11.

Intergalactic tyrants, mad scientists, mischievous agents of chaos, ancient gods of indescribable powers. Villains which threaten to destabilize the world around you are always just a hairs-breadth from succeeding in their dark designs, but for you and your friends who have the will and skills to stop them.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for rescuing innocents, foiling the plans of villains and protecting the world from disasters. The world needs Heroes, will you answer that call?

Inspirations: Western superhero comics, movies and video games, Boku no Hero Academia, Mutants and Masterminds.

Learn about the hidden world of magic which lurks beneath the surface of the mundane. Help guard the secrets of magic from the innocent, and stop those who would misuse it.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for studying the mysteries of magic, foiling the plans of those who would misuse it and defeating threats who would expose the hidden world.

Inspirations: Media depicting hidden worlds of Magic, including the Dresden Files, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and more.

Seasons come and go.
Dreams and bonds grow and blossom.
Small moments, Big joys.

Live out a quiet life in a small village, pursuing your dreams, sharing in the joys of others, and discovering the magical beings who hide amongst nature.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for helping your friends, following your modest dreams and observing the passage of the Seasons.

Inspirations: Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, Slice of life anime, the works of Studio Ghibli, Japanese and European Folklore, Disney’s Tinkerbell series, Ryutama.

A colorless world of intrigue, shadowy figures committing secret acts. A world of shades of grey and Characters who act outside of the law to get the results they need.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for investigating mysteries, breaking the law for the greater good, and cracking the case.

Inspirations: Media depicting spies and investigators including James Bond, noir detective stories and pulp fiction.

Welcome to the pleasant suburbs, where children play in the streets, inattentive parents gossip and philander, and high schoolers hold raucous parties. But a sinister presence lurks there, peering from above from the dark windows of an abandoned house, from below in the storm drains. Or behind you from the very room you stand in, when you were certain you were alone. Nowhere is safe, in the suburbs.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for choosing to embrace the terror, developing your relationships, and for managing to survive against all odds.

Inspirations: This Fantasy is inspired by slasher movies of the 1980s onwards, including such works as Halloween and Friday the 13th, or of pastiches on the genre such as Cabin in the Woods and Scream.

The sound of feet aimlessly shuffling. The scratching of hands seeking you out through the barred door. The low groan of a mouth ever hungry for your flesh. Life among the undead is a constant struggle for survival, as you and your friends must seek out supplies and means of reinforcing you settlement against an enemy that never sleeps.

In this Fantasy you will rewarded for discovering supplies, rescuing survivors and destroying the undead.

Inspirations: This Fantasy is inspired by media depicting zombies or other forms of the walking dead, including the Resident Evil, the Walking Dead, 28 Days Later and many more such tales.

In the not so distant future Earth grapples with the changing social dynamics caused by the advent of A.I, Androids, and the domination of corporations borne out of those technologies.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for combatting corporate greed and working with those who oppose the “system”.

Inspirations: Cyberpunk aesthetics as seen in film and novelizations including Bladerunner and Ghost in the Shell

Space presents ample opportunities to the bold. You are explorers, be it part of a formidable galactic federation or those making first contact with mysteries of Space. What strange new worlds await you among the stars?

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for exploring new worlds, engaging with their inhabitants, and uncovering the mysteries of the final frontier.

Inspirations: Media portraying futuristic science-fiction, such as Star Trek. Games such as Twilight Imperium.

The apocalypse has come and gone, leaving you and the few survivors on this planet to scavenge the remnants of the fallen civilizations from their ruins.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for improving your odds of survival, uncovering old technologies, and trying to eke out a better way of life in the wastelands.

Inspirations: Books and film portraying post-apocalyptic worlds, Fallout, Wall-E, Mad Max.

Science and magic co-exist among the stars in this far flung future fantasy. The worlds of unimaginable and formidable technologies stand in contrast to mystical teachings and unexplainable powers. And with these powers, comes strife and conflict.

In this Fantasy you will be rewarded for combatting the forces of a galactic conquerors who seek to control all within sight, as well as for engaging with the mystical underpinnings of this futuristic world.

Inspirations: Media portraying science-fantasy, such as Star Wars and Dune.