Bright‑Dark is played through conversation. This section teaches the core loop of play, how players describe actions, how the GM frames scenes, and how everyone collaborates to create a shared emotional experience. If you’re new to fiction‑first role‑playing, start here.
HOW TO PLAY
GAMEPLAY LOOP
Conversation is the medium of the game. The game has a simple gameplay loop:
- First, the GM describes the scene.
- Second, the players describe what their characters say and do, and how.
- Third, the GM determines what happens and describes it.
- Repeat until the scene is resolved, then establish a new scene.
It looks like this:
Fiction → Action → Resolution → New Fiction
Resolution may come from the GM’s judgment, from the logic of the fiction, or from a roll when the outcome is uncertain and meaningful.
WHAT PLAYERS DO
Don't just declare your actions, describe them. Describe what your character does, and how they do it. The intended outcome of your action should be clear to avoid confusion or misunderstanding. For example, don't say "I search the messy drawer", say "I carefully, thoroughly sift through the drawer, checking under and between everything. I empty it one item at a time and arrange them neatly on top of the desk."
Imagine your description is like writing a line in a book. Clear, concrete descriptions let the GM understand your intent and respond fairly.
If your character speaks, you may speak in-character, with or without a different voice or accent, or you may paraphrase what they say.
WHAT THE GAME MASTER (GM) DOES
GMs are like the narrator in a book, the kind where the narrator talks to the characters in the story but doesn't give anything away. You may ask the players what their characters are doing, or you may gently coax them into taking actions or revealing what their characters are feeling.
Think of yourself as controlling the camera: you choose what the players see first, and when to zoom in. You are responsible for showing the players what's in the scene. Use descriptions of what the players see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. Think about the mood, and start with the big things.
Example:
"The old library is quiet and cold. The air is oddly still. A soft light spills in from behind, revealing a few rows of dusty bookshelves. The shelves end only a few meters ahead, but far beyond them you catch a faint glint in the darkness, suggesting the room is much larger than it first appears."
The dimensions and features of the library, do not need to be literal and precise. You can and should rely on the players imagination to fill gaps. Again, start with big. If a player wants to pick a smaller part of the room to focus on, that is when you zoom in.
In running the game, it's important that you be fair, impartial, and consistent. That means allowing the characters to succeed or fail based on their choices. Don't help them when they're in danger or struggling to solve a challenge, but also, don't trick them or create impossible situations.
When portraying the non-player character(s) (NPC), that is your character. You portray them. You decide what they know, think, feel, and what they do and how. You don't need to be an excellent actor. You may rely on describing how the NPC expresses themself and how they sound, such as if they're clearly angry, or if they're clearly surprising their frustration.
FICTION-FIRST PLAY
Many video games prepare players to think about the game's rules and mechanics. Game mechanics and rules are intended to simulate something that the video game can't do and are a work-around for a limitation of the medium of the game.
This is a game about conversation. A human mind, or a table full of human minds, do not have as many limitations as a video game. There are things we can figure out using our own judgment.
When a player describes an action, do not consult the rules to see if it is permitted. Instead, judge the action by how the world works, not by what the rules allow. Then, decide how to resolve it. Base the difficulty of the action on how likely it would be for an ordinary person to succeed at it in real life. Don't choose an arbitrary difficulty or a difficulty with the intent of making a more challenging scene. Be consistent. If a similar action succeeded earlier, it should succeed again under similar circumstances.
This rules exist to support the fiction, not to constrain it.
When to Roll vs When Not to Roll
In following with a fiction-first style of play, we rely on the logic of the fiction to guide us. If an ordinary person could do it reliably, the character succeeds without rolling. If an action is truly impossible, no roll can make it succeed. The dice don’t override the logic of the world.
Dice are a tool for the GM to use to resolve situations where a judgment alone won't do. When an outcome is uncertain, a roll may be needed when there are meaningful consequences for failure, if there is danger, or if the action is being actively contested. Roll only when failure would matters; when it could change the situation, introduce danger, or complicate the story.
Don't call for a roll if nothing happens on a failure. Establish a consequence. Loss of time, danger approaches, etc.
Player-Skill Forward
This game relies on the players’ skill, judgment, and creativity rather than on character powers or mechanical bonuses. Players should rely on their own intelligence, wisdom, charisma, luck, and creativity.
We don’t roll to perceive things in a room; we discover what’s there by describing how we explore it. We don’t roll to influence others with speech; we persuade NPCs by making clear arguments, offering what they need, and responding to their objections. We don’t roll to solve obstacles; obstacles are problems for the players to solve using their own wits and creativity.
Player-skill-forward play keeps the game grounded and immersive. It encourages players to think like their characters and engage directly with the fiction instead of relying on mechanics to do the thinking for them.
GM PRINCIPLES
- Test empathy, not power
- Play to find out what happens
- Prepare the world, not the story or the outcome
- Challenge the characters, not the players
- Present danger honestly and clearly
- Stay neutral
- Let consequences follow
- The world is neither hostile nor friendly until the players act
- NPCs have motives, not alignments
- Use rolls only when needed
- Reward player creativity
- Respect player agency
- Roll dice openly
- Protect immersion; guide a distracted table back the fiction
PLAYER PRINCIPLES
- Characters must suit the tone and the setting
- Treat characters like people, not obstacles
- Act through the fiction, not the character sheet
- Be proactive. Seek goals
- Make your intent clear
- Embrace consequences
- Collaborate, don’t compete
- Solve problems with your wits, not your stats
- Stay curious
- Explore, investigate, and engage with the world the GM presents
- Don't exploit weaknesses in the mechanics or rules
- Put your phones away
- No pausing the movie to talk about the movie. Stay in the moment; save the meta for later
MATERIALS
Pencil, paper, and six-sided dice. Optional: miniatures (minis), a 6" grid, tokens to represent light, hope, or other narrative resources.
Next: Core Mechanics
Previous: Read this First!
Download: Full Rulebook PDF version 0.9
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