What You'll Need
Minimum Requirements :
- 1 Storyteller
- 1 Player
- Paper
- Pencil
- 1d6
Recommended :
- 3 Players rotating 1 as the Storyteller
- Paper
- Pencil
- 1d4, 4d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12, 1d20
- Index Cards
- Miniatures
Tables
Before your players are able to generate characters, they need you to create two tables. The first is a table of races, factions, nations, or any other group characteristic you'd like to split the world into. You need to create tags for each of them that are based on the inherent qualities of being a member. That means that Elves can have the tag [Ageless] but should not have the tag [Intelligent], as all Elves are [Ageless] but some are not [Intelligent]. Include a "negative" tag and a "positive" tag for each group.
I'll provide an example but you're expected to have your own rad setting with your own unique groups.
| Race | Tag 1 | Tag 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Human | Resourceful | Greedy |
| Elf | Ageless | Foreign |
| Dwarf | Stonewise | Stubborn |
| Orc | Strong | Prideful |
The second table you need to make is an equipment table. At minimum, you should include common armor types and their tags. You can expand it to include anything else that would need the specificity tags provide. If that means weapons with unique qualities or magic items, do that. Give your players options that they can rely on being woven into your world. I'll provide an example, but you're expected to create your own rad in-lore armor types and tags. A general material durability table will also help you later.
| Armor | Durability | Tag 1 | Tag 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloth | 1 | Nimble | |
| Leather | 3 | ||
| Chainmail | 4 | Noisy | |
| Plate | 6 | Heavy | Restricted |
| Shield | 13 | Block |
Player Prep
Players should be provided with a basic description of your setting alongside these tables. It also helps to give them some kind of introduction to who they are and what they're doing. You need to have a solid idea for a story you want to tell. Don't overwhelm them with backstory, but give them something to weave into. After being provided these tables, players are expected to show up with completed character sheets.
Name : Snazzle
Race : Human (Resourceful, Greedy)
Tags : Charismatic, Cheater, Musician
Words : Convince, Daze, Steal
Inventory : Harp, Empty Glass Vial, Cloak
Weapon : Rapier 1d6 / 1d6, Crossbow 1d6 / 1d4
Armor : Leather 3
HP : 4/6/6/6
A Word on Campaigns and Rotating Storyteller
Words of Power is intended to be played as a series of one-shot adventures. An NPC Fate Weaver approaches the party with a story to tell and the party goes into the story/memory/thing alongside them to change the outcome that has canonically already happened. Players may work with or against the storyteller once they've entered the story. It's very easy to swap out Storytellers because we swap out narrators frequently. A full campaign might be something like : the party tries to determine who committed a murder by going into a story of each person present. They would play through 8 somewhat related stories that are each separated and obfuscated. At the end of the campaign, they'd have to make some big out-of-memory decision to cap it all off.
Encourage your players to try running a one-shot. It just takes an NPC and a short story to tell.