EXAMPLES OF PLAY
Four players sit down for a session. A player named Josephine plays Iosefina, an impatient mage in a blue cloak. Richard plays Sir Osric the devout paladin in metal armor and a knightly surcoat. Derek plays Eric, an enigmatic priest-in-training in white robes. Matthew plays Dirk, a thief and former leader of a gang in dark colored but ordinary clothing. I'll show you how they handle Exploration, Combat, and Social Interaction.
Exploration
GM: You are in the wooded border of High Mark. On one side is the familiar province that calls itself the capital of the Church of Lucius. On the other is uncharted territory belonging to barbarians. The Lorian soldiers that ordinarily protect the roads have been redirected due to the civil war, leaving pilgrims to the holy city vulnerable to Barbaroy brigands.
You find a suspicious clearing. There is a half-dozen dirty old tents pitched lazily around the perimeter. In the center is a cold fire pit. Large logs and rocks are arranged around it for seating. Half-eaten, rotting food, animal bones, empty wineskins, and a dozen wooden bowls are littered all about. There's a very faint smell like a latrine coming from the west. What do you do?
Author's Note: Bright-Dark handles exploration through descriptive play rather than mechanical procedures or dice rolling. These players are experienced and don't need to ask about how to play. Players describe what they do. The GM describes what they perceive. Meaning emerges from the fiction, not the rolls.
Sir Osric (Richard): Sir Osric steps into the clearing. He refuses to show cowardice.
Dirk (Matthew): Dirk whispers very aggressively. "Wait! Sir Osric! It might be dangerous!"
Iosefina (Josephine): I look at Eric. "There goes your friend."
Eric (Derek): I shake my head. "Ugh. Just stay close to him."
Dirk (Matthew): I keep low and I walk around the perimeter of the clearing. I stay in the trees. I approach the nearest tent slowly and cautiously. I listen for any breathing or small sounds that might be coming from the tent.
Author's Note: Dirk's player does not declare that he's sneaking, he describes what sneaking looks like when Dirk sneaks. He does not ask if he detects anything, and he does not ask for a roll to detect anything. Instead, he describes how he's trying to detect something (listening). This prompts the GM to provide the sensory details, not the answer, for the player.
GM: Dirk, you don't hear anything coming from the tent.
Sir Osric (Richard): I announce to the party, "there's no one here. Come on out."
Iosefina (Josephine): I give Eric the side eye.
Eric (Derek): I step into the clearing and jog to Osric. I don't want to be far from my bodyguard.
Iosefina (Josephine): I am going to wait in the woods.
Sir Osric (Richard): I yell over my shoulder at Iosefina. "Witch! Stop hiding! You're making us look weak!"
Iosefina (Josephine): I ignore Sir Osric. He can drag me out if he wants to. I am going to cast my gaze around the woods to see if I can spot anyone hiding in ambush.
GM: The woods are quiet and peaceful. You see rows and rows of trees and shrubs that go one and on. They get darker and darker as they get further except for a couple of bright spots where light pierces the canopy.
Author's Note: The GM does not tell the player, "you see nothing." Instead, he describes what the character sees and allows the player to deduce that there are no threats hiding just out of sight.
Dirk (Matthew): I am going to draw my dagger, and I am going to touch the tip to the inside of the tent flap and slowly draw it open.
GM: You see someone's soiled bed roll and frayed winter blanket. It smells like it hasn't been washed in a while. There's an empty clay bottle turned on its side and a small leather pouch.
Dirk (Matthew): I duck-walk into the tent and reach for the bottle. I hold it to my nose.
GM: It smells like it once contained wine.
Dirk (Matthew): I set it down gently so it doesn't make any noise. I reach for the pouch. I give it a shake.
GM: You hear some things rustle inside. There are obviously a few coins.
Dirk (Matthew): I open it up and look inside.
GM: There is some copper and silver Lora, a small clay bottle with a cork, a set of dice, and a beaded bracelet.
Author's Note: Lora is the currency in the Empire of Loria. The players are familiar and don't need this explained in this session.
Dirk (Matthew): I look at the beaded bracelet and try to recall where I might have seen this before.
GM: It's clearly an Evrwyr craft.
Author's Note: The players are familiar with the Evrwyrs. They're itinerant people and their girls and women often sell handmade crafts such as beaded jewelry to earn some money for traveling. How it got here is up to the player to wonder about.
Dirk (Matthew): I am going to take out the small clay bottle and turn it in my hands to read the sides.
GM: There are no markings of any kind.
Dirk (Matthew): I shake it.
GM: It rattles with a soft sound. It might be filled with sand or small grains.
Dirk (Matthew): I pull out the cork.
GM: A smell of spice hits your nose instantly. It smells like that dinner you were served at the tavern in High Mark.
Dirk (Matthew): I'm going to put everything back into the pouch and secure it to my body. If we confront anyone out here, I want to ask them and find out if this is something stolen from one of the pilgrims.
Sir Osric (Richard): I march into the center of the clearing. I look down and all around it. I give a few things a kick to turn them over and see what might be under them.
Eric (Derek): I keep up with Osric, and I look around carefully to make sure there's no one hiding in any of the tents.
GM: Osric, you kick over a few things. A dirty cork rolls away from your boot. A clay bottle spins away and makes a little p'tut sound. One utensil half-buried in an impression of a boot in the dirt is silver. Eric, some of the tents are wide open. You don't see anyone, but you do see their bed rolls and small, personal things they left behind sticking up from under the blankets.
Author's Note: The GM is resolving Sir Osric and Eric's actions together because Eric gave his immediately, and it makes sense within the narrative.
Sir Osric (Richard): They've discarded something silver. Maybe they don't need valuables, or maybe something happened?
Eric (Derek): They might have left some personal possession behind too. I tell Osric about the half-hidden personal possessions sticking out.
Author's note: Eric's player has opted to describe what his character said rather than repeat what the GM said in-character.
Sir Osric (Richard): They didn't just leave their camp and possession unguarded. That's either sloppy or foolhardy. I sniff the air around the fire pit.
GM: They recently had a cooking fire. There are two poles holding up a skewer with portions of two thoroughly cooked, skinned rabbits. Slightly burned fur and feathers are at the edges of the fire pit.
Dirk (Matthew): I creep along the perimeter and keep an eye for any signs of danger in the woods. I keep low and approach the next tent cautiously.
GM: Iosefina, what about you? You haven't said anything in a little while.
Iosefina (Josephine): I'm scanning the woods. I'm not letting anyone sneak up on us. If I see anyone, I'm yelling before they get close.
Author's note: Iosefina's player determined that the clearing feels abandoned, but not safe.
GM: OK, Iosefina. Dirk, you are in front of your second tent. What do you do?
Dirk (Matthew): I part the flap with the blade of my dagger and peer inside.
GM: *Rolls dice to determine discovery*. You spot a small leather bag with a single strap.
Dirk (Matthew): I duck-walk inside and give it a gentle whack to hear what might be inside.
GM: There's some brief clattering from inside the leather bag.
Dirk (Matthew): I open it carefully.
GM: You see small gauze, clay jars with clay or wooden caps, neat wax paper, a mortar and pestle, small measuring spoons, a knife...
Dirk (Matthew): It's a doctor's bag?
GM: You may think that.
Author's note: The GM rolled a medicine bag, but he's not announcing that to the player. The GM is describing it for immersion and allowing the player to determine its value. The game has no rules for a medicine bag. It's something that exists inside the fiction.
Dirk (Matthew): I want this, but not right now. I'm going to place this in an obvious spot on the edge of the tent so that I don't forget it.
GM: Sir Osric, you are standing in the middle of the clearing with Novice Eric at your side. What do you do?
Sir Osric (Richard): I call to Dirk "thief, what are you finding?"
Dirk (Matthew): I roll my eyes. I don't answer because I'm trying to be sneaky.
GM: And as far as you know Dirk, you're doing a pretty good job *grin*.
Sir Osric (Richard): I look around the clearing for the biggest tent, or the tent that is most obviously the leader's tent.
GM: One tent fits that description. It's red, slightly bigger than the other ones, and its newer looking.
Sir Osric (Richard): I march to it. As I do I call out "anyone in the red tent, don't anyone try anything foolish. I am Sir Osric Garriot, Paladin of High Mark." I reach out a hand and pull open the flap.
GM: The air feels heavier near the red tent. There's a foul odor from the gap. Inside, you see the remains of a man lying on his back. His flesh has been preyed upon, possibly by several beasts.
Author's Note: This last discovery by Sir Osric is the wound of this small camp. What the players do next is up to them.
Combat
GM: The four of you are trekking through the forested borders of High Mark. The sunlight turns a soft dusky purple. Shadows darken, lengthen and spread...
Sir Osric (Richard): "We break for camp!"
Iosefina (Josephine): "No! We march! I'm not tired."
Sir Osric (Richard): "Don't be a fool, witch. There are savage barbarians hiding in these very woods."
Iosefina (Josephine): Iosefina grabs a lock of her barbarian red hair and coils it around a finger as she glares at Sir Osric.
Sir Osric (Richard): Osric returns Iosefina's glare with a mock glare.
Dirk (Matthew): "I'm with the paladin. I'm tired."
GM: You hear a shaking of a leafy branch. A very broad man standing easily a head taller than Sir Osric, covered in scars, and wearing a bearskin pelt, appears standing at the edge of your clearing. His eyes have a thousand-yard stare. Iosefina, you know from stories that he's likely been fasting and breathing in herbs to induce a battle trance as part of his warrior's training. He's not in his right mind today. He presents his bloody battle axe. His face is a twisted mix of sadness and anger. It doesn't appear directed at you. It's the sadness of someone who's lost too much. What does the party do?
Author's Note: Bright-Dark play does not make a distinction between combat and non-combat. The narrative and play are continuous and seamless. A potential threat is presented to the players, and each player plays their character. In narrative terms, the man in the bearskin pelt appears, but doesn't act while the party is distracted by in-fighting even though he had surprise. In game terms, the GM has yielded the GM-side turn and is permitting the player-side turn first.
Iosefina (Josephine): Iosefina draws her small sword to show that she's dangerous, but she doesn't raise it to show that she's peaceful. She shouts in warning "You there! Stay away!"
Sir Osric (Richard): Osric draws his longsword and assumes a battle stance. He refuses to show any cowardice. "Back Barbarian!"
Dirk (Matthew): Dirk draws his dagger and steps into the shadow of a tree.
Eric (Derek): Eric chants an incantation and casts a minor light spell.
Author's Note: In Bright-Dark, player-side turns have two phases; a declaration phase, then a resolution phase. This was the declaration phase. Experienced Bright-Dark players won't need to be told this. Three players make no actions that require a resolution phase this round.
GM: Eric, I'm not going to make you roll to cast your spell because you'll probably succeed anyway.
Eric (Derek): A floating orb of light appears from Eric's hand, flies to Eric's shoulder, hovers in place, and lights up the space.
GM: The strange man in the bear pelt lets out a huff. "S, sorcery? No!" He looses a grief-filled war cry that cracks half-way through, and charges for Eric. He swings his ax for Eric's head. *Rolls 3d6.* 12.
Eric (Derek): That hits.
GM: The axe head is buried into your shoulder with a wet plunk. His expression flickers showing an instant of regret before he is lost in his trance again, then he yanks the axe out! You take 5 points of damage! You're going to have a -1 penalty to all actions using that arm until you recover the 5 Health you lost today.
Author note: That ends the GM-side turn. Now for the Player-side turn. First the declaration phase.
Iosefina (Josephine): Iosefina sings an incantation for a minor spell, conjures a magenta dart in her off-hand, and hurls it at the leg of the man in the bear pelt.
GM: Minor spell TN 9, but I'm raising it to 10 because you're making a called shot.
Sir Osric (Richard): Sir Osric yells "Novice Eric!" and he charges for the man, stops in between the man and Eric, and aims a cut for the man's leg.
Dirk (Matthew): Dirk bends down and picks up a stone, and he hurls it at the man as hard as he can hoping to distract him. He isn't trying to hurt him, just break his focus.
Eric (Derek): Eric writhes on the ground and clutches his wound. He chants an incantation to cast a major light spell to blind the man in the bear pelt.
Author's note: Now for the resolution phase of the Player-side turn.
GM: Dirk, I'm going to rule your stone will hit him. Everyone else roll.
Iosefina (Josephine) *Rolls 3d6.* 13! *rolls 1d6* 4 points of damage.
Sir Osric (Richard): *Rolls 3d6*. Natural 4.
Eric (Derek) *Rolls 3d6*. 14.
Author's note: Now that dice have been rolled, the GM resolves all player actions at once.
GM: Iosefina, your magic dart streaks across the clearing and impales the strange man in the leg. There's a single splash of blood, but the man doesn't appear aware of the injury. Dirk, you clearly see the rock strike the man and bounce off, and you clearly see he doesn't seem cognizant of the rock. Eric, you blind everyone. It's like looking into the sun. You all feel pain behind your eyes. Eric, subtract 3 Ether for the strain of this spell. Sir Osric, Eric's light came upon you faster than you realized. In the brightness, you crash into the man in the bear pelt by mistake. He's so large and hefty, you bounce off him and crash into Eric. Both of you land prone at the feet of the man in the bear pelt. *Rolls 3d6*. The man in the bearskin pelt fails his morale check. He yells in horror. You can't see anything, but you can hear him stomp away and out of the clearing. His voice fades and carries on the wind.
Sir Osric (Richard): Sir Osric looks at Eric's wound, grunts in frustration, punches the ground, and stands up. "Coward!" He runs after the man in bearskin pelt.
Iosefina (Josephine): "Wait, Sir Fool!" Iosefina races after Sir Osric.
Eric (Derek): Eric rolls his eyes at the recklessness of his companions. He's missing half his Health, so he's too seriously wounded to chase after them.
GM: Dirk, Eric is wounded. Two of your fellows have chased after the barbarian without any plan or coordination. What do you do?
Dirk (Matthew): Dirk assumes Iosefina will be OK no matter what, and he's confident that Sir Osric is too stubborn to die. He kneels down besides Eric, opens his priestly robe, and inspects his wound.
GM: Dirk, Eric's wound is quite nasty. The collarbone might be broken. The trapezius muscle is split. It's bleeding and turning Eric's white robes red.
Dirk (Matthew): I'm going to try to stanch that with gauze.
GM: As Dirk tends to Eric's wounded shoulder, we cut to the courageous, zealous Sir Osric and the impatient, overly eager to find danger, Iosefina. You're running through the woods which are now dark. The land tilts and rolls. Uneven ground and bulging roots are concealed by tall grass that crunches under foot. A gauntlet of low hanging branches swat at you. You two emerge in a new clearing. You've caught up to the man in the bearskin pelt. He's sweating profusely and breathing heavily. His axe arm is trembling. Eric's blood drips from its edge and you hear a ragged sob from the man.
Author's Note: Chase rules in Bright-Dark need no mechanics. If a side chooses to flee, they flee. This is automatic on their turn. If a side chooses not to pursue, the side that flees escapes successfully. Otherwise, if a side chooses pursuit, they catch up to the fleeing side automatically. Combat simply resumes in a new location. Turn order is re-established by the logic of the fiction.
Sir Osric (Richard): I present the tip of my sword to the man and I command "you there! Barbarian! You have harmed the light of High Mark! Kneel or perish!"
Iosefina (Josephine): Iosefina raises an arm and calls for Sir Osric's patience. "Wait!" Then she says to the man in the bearskin pelt "why have you attacked us!"
GM: The man in the bearskin pelt turns to you, Iosefina. His face is twisted up. You can see grief mixed with rage, but no fear. He's fighting to stay sane. Then the trance comes over him, and his face becomes nearly expressionless. He squeezes his axe. "I will become the greatest warrior my village has ever known! They will regret casting me out!" He runs at you Sir Osric since you're the closest and most aggressive, and he aims a chop for your head. *Rolls 3d6*. 10.
Sir Osric (Richard): My Defense TN is 11. Miss. I slash at his arm with my sword so that I can cripple it!
Iosefina (Josephine): I sing an incantation and conjure another dart, but Iosefina hesitates and doesn't throw it.
Sir Osric (Richard): *Rolls 3d6*. 11, and *rolls 1d6* I roll 6 points of damage.
Iosefina (Josephine): *Rolls 3d6*. 9
GM: Sir Osric, your sword opens up a strikingly straight and red wound on the man's arm. Because your called shot did so much damage, I'm going to rule that his axe falls from his hand. The man howls in pain. His trance flickers in and out. His shoulders slump. The rage is gone. Only grief remains. Iosefina, your dart is successfully cast. If you want to throw it in the next round, you may.
Sir Osric (Richard): Sir Osric is softened by the man's face. He's also honor bound not to strike an unarmed opponent. He lowers his sword and shouts "do you yield?"
Iosefina (Josephine): Iosefina is confident that Sir Osric is safe, but she's not confident that Sir Osric won't do anything stupid. "Sir Osric, mercy!"
Author's Note: Mercy and violence are both options, but violence is not the goal of Bright-Dark. Mercy, restraint, and emotional truth are the real resolution.
Sir Osric (Richard): "Of course, witch! I'm no savage!"
Iosefina (Josephine): Iosefina looks at the face of the man in the bearskin pelt.
Author's note: Instead of asking "what do I see?", Josephine simply describes that she looks into the man's face. This prompts the GM to describe the man's face.
GM: The man's trance is gone. He's wounded from your first dart and Sir Osric's sword. He has a different thousand yard stare this time, but it's not vacant, it's recalling something painful.
Iosefina (Josephine): I approach him cautiously...
GM: The man's eyes flick to the spell in your hand and this causes him visible distress.
Iosefina (Josephine): I wave my hand and dismiss my magic dart. It disappears like a dying flame. "We want to talk."
Author's Note: The players are about to engage in social interaction with the NPC. Note that the GM has not told them they're out of combat or that the danger is gone. Depending on what they do or say, things could always get worse.
Social Interaction
Author's note: There are no dice rolls for social interaction in Bright-Dark 3d6. Social interaction is handled through roleplay and description. We show human behavior and emotional cues, and we reveal truth in the narrative rather than with mechanics or out-of-character communication. We call this narrative truth.
The players must discover what an NPC needs and then make an offer to satisfy the NPC needs in exchange for something the players need in return. NPCs may have objections to the players' offer. The players should try to get the NPC to reveal these objections so they can resolve them.
Every Complex NPC has a wound, a shield, a goal, an external obstacle, and redeeming traits. These are detailed in the Game Master Section. The players can ask prying questions to try and reveal these because knowing them is beneficial to the players' efforts.
Recap: After a very brief fight, Sir Osric and Iosefina have pursued a man in a bearskin pelt into a clearing. There, Sir Osric injured the man. It's unclear if he's still dangerous. Iosefina and Osric attempt to use merciful parley to discover truth.
Sir Osric (Richard): Sir Osric refuses to put his sword away, but he lowers it. He is absolutely ready to use it. He stares sternly down at the man in the bearskin pelt.
Iosefina (Josephine): Iosefina slowly approaches the man. She stows her small sword into its scabbard and kneels just out of his reach. She looks into his eyes and tries to express pity to the man.
GM: The man is fighting back sobs. "You. Is your hair red?"
Iosefina (Josephine): Iosefina nods. "Yes."
GM: "Why are you with this Lorian? What aren't you with your people!"
Iosefina (Josephine): "I am Lorian."
GM: His face looks skeptically at you.
Iosefina (Josephine): "You've hurt my friend. Do you remember?"
GM: He nods. There's a bit of shame on his face.
Iosefina (Josephine): "Why?"
GM: Different expressions flash and he averts his gaze. He gulps. "No. I cannot say. It was the herbs."
Iosefina (Josephine): "You induced madness in yourself?"
GM: He grits his teeth. "It is our way! We learn the state of no-mind! It makes us unstoppable in battle!"
Iosefina (Josephine): "You're covered in scars. You know that? I'm covered in scars too. I don't huff any herbs."
GM: The man looks you up and down. You have a very small stature for a full-grown woman, he's not sure of your age. Are any of your scars showing?
Iosefina (Josephine): No. I raise the front of my shirt and show him the scar on my belly from the time I was stabbed.
GM: Grief flickers on his face at the gesture of revealing your scars. His face and posture soften. His jaw trembles as he tries to speak. "They, the chief, the village, they are punishing me! I'm not allowed to go back. I must serve penitence."
Author's note: Iosefina is earning trust through vulnerability. The GM is being generous and accepting this gesture. Like a narrator in a novel, he is calling attention to the NPC's softening to the PC's action. This is a clue for the players that they are earning trust or respect. The GM has also hinted but not revealed the NPC's wound. Observant players will know this is the metaphorical knot to unravel to solve this non-player character's problem, but they may not be able to do it in this scene.
Iosefina (Josephine): "What for?"
GM: "I cannot say!"
Iosefina (Josephine): "You don't have to. Can we help?"
GM: "No! I cannot accept help from anybody until my penitence is done!"
Author's Note: This is the NPC's shield. A shield is a defense mechanism or a coping mechanism. The GM has revealed the shield and simultaneously his redeeming traits subtly. The subtext is that the NPC is either a rule-follower or is sincerely contrite for whatever wrong he committed, to a fault. Players can recognize the shield and try to help the NPC past it, or they can appeal to the NPCs redeeming traits and encourage him to embody those in this moment.
Sir Osric (Richard): "I misjudged you, barbarian. You're quite noble."
Iosefina (Josephine): I cast a quick glare at Sir Osric then I face the man again. "Let us help. Someone's been attacking people on the road. My sister in-law has been captured. We need to find her. If you can tell us anything, we promise to help you with your problem. You don't need to do it yourself. It's OK to accept help."
Sir Osric (Richard): Sir Osric's hands tighten on his hilt as Iosefina offers help without fulling knowing what she's agreeing to.
Author's note: To reiterate, the way to resolve a conflict with an NPC in social interaction is to find out what they need, then make an offer, then hear their objections and adjust the offer. In this case, Iosefina's player has partially identified the NPC's need and is sharing her need as emotional leverage to get him to change his disposition and reveal what his full need is. She's also prematurely offered to help before she knows what she is agreeing to do. Also note that Sir Osric complimented the man in his own rough way by calling him noble. This is an appeal to a redeeming trait which can soften an NPC.
GM: The man's eyes teared up. "Have you also been expelled from your family?"
Iosefina (Josephine): "My mother was."
GM: The man nods. "I will help."
Author's note: Connection is the reward for the player's choices. No major conflicts have been resolved, but the party has a temporary ally. They can regroup and, in the next scene, their NPC ally can reveal more information and allow the players to make an informed choice.
