I've played in the #SundayMorningSwords game for the last few weeks, and it has been a blast.

I've played in the #SundayMorningSwords game for the last few weeks, and it has been a blast. :D Really enjoying it!

Something I have noticed is that it seems fairly rare for the people to bring their Rogue's Tricks or Feats Heroic into play.  Based on my initial reading of the game before playing it I expected to see a lot of these, but in play there has been maybe one or two Feats Heroic per game, and probably one trick used in all of the three games I've played in.

I was wondering how this observation lines up with everyone else's?  Is this something that has more to do with the culture of#SundayMorningSwords, or playing the game online in general compared to playing it in person?

If one were dissecting the game to see how it worked; how necessary are these parts? Could you remove them and still play something sufficiently "Swords Without Masters"-y?

2015 Feb 29 (Gammon)

2015 Feb 29 (Gammon)
“A Turn of the Cards”
A tale of #SundayAMSwords

Four rogues before a witch. A skeletal hand wrapped in the stench of death.  A deck of cards: http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/sfery/images/6/64/The_Waking_Dream.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width/380?cb=20140131144527

A draw: The Raven: http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/sfery/images/9/9a/Raven.jpg

Large black birds flying out of the card. The deck seized. Birds soaring as bidden by The Eightfold God of Navigators, scattering to the compass points. The seventh daughter of the seventh daughter, guarding the cards for seven centuries. “Ruin shall follow if the cards are not recovered.”

The card: The Necromancer: http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/sfery/images/7/7e/Necromancer.jpg

Weeks later, the rogues pursuing the card in a Northern graveyard at night. Skeletal hands crawling from graves. Crosby striding forth. An evil sorcerer’s robes are ripped away. Smoke within. Fighting a necromancer, in a graveyard at midnight should be no-one’s first choice. 

Arvin’s shadows and The Scythian’s moonlight seeking the missing card. A liquid darkness dissolving the pale light of an enchanted full moon. The necromancer crumbling to dust. Skeletons bowing before their new lady. Bones walking beyond the graveyard. Gammon leaping, blocked. A skeleton shattered by force.

The card. The Enchanter: http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/sfery/images/4/45/Enchanter.jpg

Weeks later, in a Southern market in the day, another sorcerer keeps a treasure concealed. Crosby hurling the Enchanter through the building. A card seized. The God of Navigators transporting Crosby to a snowfield near the mountains. Turning on his friends, seeing them as deadly yetis. Axe brandished, dodged. Gammon grabbing card from bloody grip. A starscape reflected in the crazed, possessed eyes of a companion. Battle is joined. A companion moon seized and slowly crushed. A scream. Arvin’s dagger pinning the card to the wall. A host of trinkets coming to life. Blood smeared runes banishing the magid.

The card: http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/sfery/images/1/16/Rogue_Tarokka.jpg

Weeks later, in a Western market, bustling like the first. Arvin finding the mark of The Rogue upon a pickpocket. Gammon confronting the witch “How do we end this?” “The deck must be reassembled so it can be dealt again. No matter how hard you try to get out, it always sucks you back in. All this as the bidding of Aldana, goddess of destiny and luck. They shuffled us like cards!

Crosby is no trinket of the gods! On an icy cliff, with stars in perfect alignment. An impossible ritual made manifest. The God of Navigators sealed into an iceberg, to float helpless. All who did this marked with an inexorable yearning. A yearning for another night just like this one, when the stars align so perfectly, a night that will not come for seventy-seven years, a night when a trapped god might be once more unleashed.

It was a fun game. Overplayer was Miguel Zapico  . Aaron Feild   as The Scythian. Rob Deobald  as Crosby. Richard Ruane  as Arvin the Shadow. I was Gammon.

Our virtual tabletop: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1D-TGQTVipj71BQrMimQXRct9LAWu9Qduuf7ujQX0t_E/edit?usp=sharing
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/sfery/images/6/64/The_Waking_Dream.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width/380?cb=20140131144527

Sunday Morning Swords: 29 March 2015

Sunday Morning Swords: 29 March 2015
#PatronDrive

Good morning!

Here's our organizational thread. Comment below if you're interested in playing this morning and mention if you're comfortable being an Overplayer and whether or not you have play Swords before.

When we get an Overplayer and three or four Rogue Players, those players will run off and start their hangout. For now, let's focus on getting everyone into a group. We'll probably wait until 9:15 or 9:30 EST to start the last group. I will be a swing player, jumping in where needed to fill out the final groups so we can make sure we have 3-4 Rogue Players in each group.

Feel free to enjoy some breakfast or brunch while playing. I know I'll be having some coffee and some oatmeal, myself.

Also, feel free to use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias.

P.S. Got some tips on how to do this and links to useful files here: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords

There are three sisters, each living in their own castle, each enthralled in their own perilous research, and each...

There are three sisters, each living in their own castle, each enthralled in their own perilous research, and each about to receive an unwelcomed visitor.

Originally shared by ALAS SUPERSONICAS

Edli Akolli

Filed under Rogues, Eidolons & Simulacra because I'm looking for a musical eidolon for Worlds Without Master.

Filed under Rogues, Eidolons & Simulacra because I'm looking for a musical eidolon for Worlds Without Master.

As you've probably heard, I'm revamping the Patreon page for Worlds. A large part of this revamp involves getting a new video.

Behold, the old video below. The music in that video is "Stoneworld Battle" by Kevin MacLeod. If you are unfamiliar with Kevin's work, he's behind Incompetech, which is like a one-stop shopping place for royalty free music. http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/collections.php

I've spent the past hour down that rabbit hole looking for new music for the new Worlds video. I dig "Stoneworld Battle." It feels like the Basil Poledouris soundtrack for Conan the Barbarian. But it's a bit ponderous and long. I'm looking for another piece that says sword and sorcery and high adventure, but does it in about a minute and a half to two minutes.

I'm starting a thread here to save some of the ones I like. If you have a moment to dig around on the site and happen to find a few you like, too, feel free to post them. But be forewarned! Time with evaporate on you swifter than you can imagine. Tread carefully.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue0Ui7sF8Lc

1.

1. In #InvisibleEmpire  you have as many Favor (~Motif) cards as there are players, but you must discard one of them when a character receives a black mark of displeasure. When rolling you have around 25% chance for this if I'm right.

Because of this rule our session was extremely quick, around 25 minutes long. We greatly enjoyed it but had little time to explore our ideas and characters. Did we use the rules correctly? One player mentioned that it would be really cool if a black mark would only discard the last slot in the last Favor card. I'm not sure. I also realize that the session would be longer if we'd have more then 3 players. What do you think?

2. The kids in my class loved #SorceressBloodySorceress  and they wanna play more! I realized that in Judgement phase it is important to point out to the sorceress player that the order of her questions determines the probability of being the guilty guest:
0: ~17%
1: ~28%
2: ~22%
3: ~17%
4: ~11%
5: ~05%

3. Also I had a fun last night with a plain no-hackie  #SwordsWithoutMaster session. Oh, the joy of playing a magic user and describing spellcasting without rules restrictions is priceless!

#GamesWithoutMaster

Hello swords fans, I'm building a few characters.

Hello swords fans, I'm building a few characters. I have a concept based loosely around the comic Valen the Outcast (kind of an undead Conan).

I'm seeking an inspirational eidolon. Any help

I'm imagining an undead Grey Mouser, a slight man. More zombie, slowly rotting, and less vampire in the romantic gothic sense. Picture a Grey Mouser, hooded, perfumed, trying to hide the rot, but ultimately failing.

It is official, I will be running Swords in Spanish at the first Google+ convention in Spanish.

It is official, I will be running Swords in Spanish at the first Google+ convention in Spanish. It will be on Easter Sunday (April 5th), at noon eastern time.

Sunday Morning Swords: 22 March 2015

Sunday Morning Swords: 22 March 2015
#PeachesAndRogues 

Good morning!

Here's our organizational thread. Comment below if you're interested in playing this morning and mention if you're comfortable being an Overplayer and whether or not you have play Swords before.

When we get an Overplayer and three or four Rogue Players, those players will run off and start their hangout. For now, let's focus on getting everyone into a group. We'll probably wait until 9:15 or 9:30 EST to start the last group. I will be a swing player, jumping in where needed to fill out the final groups so we can make sure we have 3-4 Rogue Players in each group.

Feel free to enjoy some breakfast or brunch while playing. I know I'll be having some coffee and some vegan peaches and cream muffins, myself.

Also, feel free to use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias.

P.S. Got some tips on how to do this and links to useful files here: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords

My First Rogue! (A work in progress)

My First Rogue! (A work in progress)

Crosby Halvard

All that deserves a name
Clan Halvard: Crosby’s people who shape their arctic lands with sturdy stone castles. 
Gull Halvardottir: The new Avatar of the Stallo and leader of Clan Halvard.  She claimed Adjourn the axe of the clan's ancestors after Crosby shamefully broke it and then undertook a quest to see it repaired. 
The Stallo: The feared cannibal giants of the wilderness who speak for the old gods. 
The Yearning - As punishment for imprisoning the Eightfold God of Navigators in an iceberg lost at sea, Crosby is cursed with a deep and powerful longing for a certain starry night seventy seven years hence. 

Feats Heroic
Jovial: Yank the weapon of my puny foe from their hands and show them how a true warrior uses it!
Glum: Slowly and deliberately extinguishing the life from his foes while mourning his lost prowess; for no longer is he the wielder of Adjourn, nor the Avatar of the Stallo. 

Trick
Canny Cognition— The Stallo make contact, through dreams, visions and otherworldly illusions, to pass on the words of the Old Gods. Before the Overplayer chooses a new phase, you may demand that it is a Discovery Phase that will not end until you have demonstrated your rogue’s unique insight.

------------------------------------

Heroic Feats of the Past:
Jovial: Swing with both hands gripping my ancestors axe, sundering all that falls before it. 
Jovial: Howl like the arctic wind as he crushes a foe with his bare hands. 
Glum: Fall to my knees and scrawl the runes of the old gods in the snow, praying for their intervention. 
Jovial: Command foes to stay their arms and bring forth their leaders for honest parley.

Crosby's Old Tricks
Adroit Prowess: Crosby becomes an Avatar of the Stallo, increasing in size sevenfold or more to tower like a giant.  Before the Overplayer chooses a new phase, you may demand that it is a Rogues’ Phase and that the Overplayer opens it with a demand that highlights this feature

Destiny: On each Motif, fill in one element before the first Overtone is rolled. In addition to filling in the other two elements on the Motif as you play, someone must include your element in their narration before the game can progress beyond the Motif.
  I ) Shamed before a thousand eyes.
 II ) The castle of the giant king.
III ) Adjourn, the axe of Crosby's ancestors is reborn!

Sunday Morning Swords: 15 March 2015

Sunday Morning Swords: 15 March 2015
#PostPiRoguery  

Good morning!

Here's our organizational thread. Comment below if you're interested in playing this morning and mention if you're comfortable being an Overplayer and whether or not you have play Swords before.

When we get an Overplayer and three or four Rogue Players, those players will run off and start their hangout. For now, let's focus on getting everyone into a group. We'll probably wait until 9:15 or 9:30 EST to start the last group. I will be a swing player, jumping in where needed to fill out the final groups so we can make sure we have 3-4 Rogue Players in each group.

Feel free to enjoy some breakfast or brunch while playing. I know I'll be having some coffee and some leftover vegan apple pie, myself.

Also, feel free to use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias.

P.S. Got some tips on how to do this and links to useful files here: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords

Originally shared by Teo Morgan

Source: http://nateflamm.com/

Character for the 'Shades Without Mirror' hack for Friday Night Firefight.

Character for the 'Shades Without Mirror' hack for Friday Night Firefight. 

Dem Eveson

All that is Named
Johnny Lost - An algorithm parading as an A.I. Johnny Lost is program that behaves close enough to sentient that it fulls other A.I.s into believing he is one of their own. Dem slips into the program from time to time to keep tabs on A.I. activity. 

The MuntriCorp Patents - Like Dem himself, all of Dem's cybertech is out of date. The company that originally created it no longer, and has been carved up and fed to other megacorps. Dem has been slowly and secretly stealing all the patents to his own cybertech so he can die a free man.

Hack
Street - Old, clanking cyberware jerking about in a slightly off kilter response time.
Corporate - Shutting down all his cyberware except for his heart so he can focus. 

Edges
Canny Cognition - Make me plug into the net!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/503629170805830771/

Character for the 'Shades Without Mirror' hack for Friday night.

Character for the 'Shades Without Mirror' hack for Friday night.

KYLIE COLOGNE
My eidolon is this videoclip. Especially the guy with the silencer from 0:40.

All that is Named
YuanMei Synergy - The biggest asian corporate in beauty industry. They financed his 'pheromonsexual' transformation and revitalized/replaced his old body. Now they own him and use him as a special way of advertisement.
Olympus Rex - Kylie's good old flashy limo. He used to remember the name of his drivers but after so many changes he just doesnt give a shit.
Visage Otaku Konglomerate - after exiting from the music industry and emigrating from the eurolands Kylie lost his slowly aging fanbase but among a bodysculpting subculture now he has a strong underground cult following. His biggest fan is a weird but friendly guy called Lord Cher.

Hack
Street - he pulls off his idiosyncratic mask and loudly inhales the smell of the streets.
Corporate - pheromones squirts from his artificial pores and flashy YuanMei ads sweep through his billboard surfaces as he reaches inside his extragant robe.

Edges
Locus - a surreal car chase with an awesome party in his limo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk30a0qsVIk

I've wanted to make a game about a silent emperor for a long time!

I've wanted to make a game about a silent emperor for a long time! And now  #InvisibleEmpire  is here. And it's awesome! (awful?)

But i need some help:
> Page 27 says: 'when you have the dice you have the opportunity to reincorporate a Favor or a Secret.'
> Page 28 says: 'You need not roll the dice to reincorporate and may do so while answering a loaded question from another player’s testimony.'

How to interpret these? When I answer loaded questions I dont have the dice, right?
#gameswithoutmaster

Character for the 'Shades Without Mirror' hack for Friday Night Firefight.

Character for the 'Shades Without Mirror' hack for Friday Night Firefight. 

Tessa Morgan

All that is Named
Rintachi Macrotech - Tessas previous employer. A Multinational corporation with cybernetic fingers in many pots. Their symbol is a hydra holding a gear, sword, and an arm in three of its heads.

Damien Steward - Tessa's teacher and once head of Ritntachi macrotech's security division. Tessa had to take him down in order to exit the company. She's not aware he survived and is now less human than augument.

Lissa - Tessas current roomate. A clone exibiting free will that Tessa refused to end. Her barcode starts with L155A, hence her moniker.

Hack
Street - Tessa blends in with crowds, stepping through the constant rain and neon like she was born to the lower levels.
Corporate - The metal tang of activating neural overdrive system. The nauseating sensation of time slowing down. The bone-conducted resonance of arm servos spinning up to combat speed. Then the dance begins.
Corporate - Her monofilament blade a silver crescent of violence, Tessa cuts her way past opponents, using her arms to shield herself from copious bullet fire. 

Edges
Undenied - Tessa spent too much time in in the Corps. She starts with a second Corporate hack.

Wanderers, Rogues, Ravening Wolves and Trusted Companions

Wanderers, Rogues, Ravening Wolves and Trusted Companions,

I am suiting up for a brief campaign to swell the ranks of the Patron Horde. Afore I embark on this perilous endeavor, I wish to ensure I have the best chances for successs. This means redesigning the Patreon page (www.patreon.com/Epidiah), redoing the intro video ( https://youtu.be/Ue0Ui7sF8Lc), and updating the Join the Patron Horde page (www.worldswithoutmaster.com/about), among many other things.

What I desire are blurbs and quotes! Blurbs and quotes for my Lord Arioch! Quotes about the ezine itself, about the experience of being a member of the Patron Horde, about specific tales found within Worlds, about the comics, about the miscellanies, or about any of the games: Enter the Avenger, Wolfspell, Swords Without Master, Sorceress Bloody Sorceress, A Scoundrel in the Deep, and Invisible Empire. If you have something encouraging to say about any of these things, or anything else related to Worlds Without Master, feel free to comment below.

And gird your loins, the campaign is almost upon us.

Your companion-in-arms,
Eppy

P.S. Are you a member of the Patron Horde?

A Hangout dedicated to trying out new things with the Swords Without Master engine as brought forth by Epidiah...

Originally shared by Keith Stetson

A Hangout dedicated to trying out new things with the Swords Without Master engine as brought forth by Epidiah Ravachol.

This week we'll be trying Shades Without Mirror by Veles Svitlychny, a cyberpunk hack of Swords (more info here: https://plus.google.com/104255815032136758697/posts/cYAqfNV1H3n ) Standard #SundayAMSwords  protocol applies.

Let's see what happens!
events/cgh0avthjq95cpkavdjck2er2d8?authkey=CO7MgpOZltbY2wE

I want to play this.

I want to play this. And I want to play it on a Friday night, not because my Friday nights are particularly free, but because Friday Night Firefight. This may take a bit more scheduling than #SundayAMSwords, so I'm starting this thread.

Who would like to try this with me? Is this Friday night good for you? Or next? How about the one after that? And so forth. I need to figure out the answers to these questions for myself, but I'm too excited not to get the ball rolling now.

Originally shared by Veles Svitlychny

I finally played my cyberpunk hack of Swords without Master again. So, without further ado
~~~~~
Shades Without Mirror

You play the 'punks. People that live in the liminal space between the corporations and the gangs. Connected to society but outside its order, as tumultuous and fast paced as it is 5 minutes in the future.

The Tones
Street: Loud, Lively, Organic, Urban, Squalid, Gritty, Criminal, Analog, Violent, Passionate, Melancholic, Familiar
Corporate: Cool, Distant, Digital, Antiseptic, Lifeless, Cynical, Efficient, Cybernetic, Ominous, Minimalist

All that Deserves a Name
places in the city, computer rigs, near future weapons, body augmentations are all good ideas. This is where the players can define the feel of the future and set limitations/constraints on technology. Each 'punk needs to name at least one person that is a member of a gang, a corporation, or is an augment/synth.

Ideally, play this as a Cyberpunk Story of the Near Future, of Betrayal, and of Intrigue.

...of the Near Future
A story in which the ‘punks encounter near future technology
At least one element on each Pattern (see below) thread must be about an image or detail relating to a cyberpunk technology and its impact on the City. Players may only ever introduce a new tech when an Enigma (see below) is rolled.

Patterns, Enigmas and Lessons
Patterns replace Motifs.
Enigmas are Mysteries caused by an unknown technology or conspiracy working against the 'punks.
Lessons replace Morals. A Lesson is Learned but the Damage is Irreversible.

Phases
Discovery Phase is now the Intrigue Phase, and works exactly as in Andy Hauge's Vampire hack Intrigue Phase
The Rogue's Phase is now The 'punk's Phase, but functions exactly the same.

Hacks
An alternate term for Tricks. Use your best judgment. I haven't made any new tricks yet, but it should be fairly easy to adapt most of the tricks to the genre. Let me know how it goes.

~~~~~

That's what we played with tonight and it went very well. Now the only necessary flavor to change is the name of Feats Heroic. One of the players suggested that they be "Edges", so that you have a Corporate Edge and a Street Edge, which sounds fine to me.

Whether I rogue or overplay this Sunday, this is making an appearance.

Whether I rogue or overplay this Sunday, this is making an appearance.

Edited to Add: Roguing!

Captain Finn the Exiled

All That Deserves a Name

The Bright Land: Captain Finn's antarctic homeland. A vast expanse of white and cold.

The Twilight Campaign: A failed attempt to drive strange invaders from the Bright Land. Captain Finn's role in this military campaign led to his exile.

Brikor: Captain Finn's loyal, but curious war penguin.

Feats Heroic

Jovial: Bikor exhibits a burst of speed and energy unexpected from his wobbly frame.

Glum: A lament about glories past before Captain Finn is driven to further disgraceful acts.

Trick

Compact: We do this together and we . . . are aided by the stout and loyal Bikor.

Originally shared by Teo Morgan

Source: http://nateflamm.com/

Sunday Morning Swords: 8 March 2015

Sunday Morning Swords: 8 March 2015
#TheRoguesSpringForward  

Good morning!

Here's our organizational thread. Comment below if you're interested in playing this morning and mention if you're comfortable being an Overplayer and whether or not you have play Swords before.

When we get an Overplayer and three or four Rogue Players, those players will run off and start their hangout. For now, let's focus on getting everyone into a group. We'll probably wait until 9:15 or 9:30 EST to start the last group. I will be a swing player, jumping in where needed to fill out the final groups so we can make sure we have 3-4 Rogue Players in each group.

Feel free to enjoy some breakfast or brunch while playing. I know I'll be having some coffee and some toast, myself.

Also, feel free to use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias.

P.S. Got some tips on how to do this and links to useful files here:
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords

There are these wonderful short games, Sorceress Bloody Sorceress, Invisible Empire and maybe even Wolfspell.

There are these wonderful short games, Sorceress Bloody Sorceress, Invisible Empire and maybe even Wolfspell. Is there an official name for them? Are these considered to be Sw/oM hacks? Or Monkeydome descendants? :)
#iloveravacholgames

Will there be Sunday Morning Swords tomorrow morning?

Will there be Sunday Morning Swords tomorrow morning? I've heard lots about the system and never had a chance to play it before. I'm anxious for an opportunity to try it out. :D

Anyone going to PAX East this weekend?

Anyone going to PAX East this weekend? I'll be there all three days, and I see no reason to give up on Sunday AM Swords because of it.

If anyone's at the con Sunday morning, I'm definitely going to try to run an open game of Swords in the tabletop area. Anyone interested?

Let's say that I was looking for a good place to store threads online.

Let's say that I was looking for a good place to store threads online. And let's say that this should be a place where everyone can upload or record their own threads if they wish to. What would such a place look like to you? Have you seen such a place?

Asking for a friend.

If you haven't seen Invisible Empire yet, I've written a bit about it here.

If you haven't seen Invisible Empire yet, I've written a bit about it here.

Originally shared by Epidiah Ravachol

In the latest issue of Worlds Without Master, I published the first of a trilogy of games designed to teach the fundamentals to the various Swords Without Master phases.

This first game is called Invisible Empire, which is an allusion to Italo Calvino's Le città invisibili or Invisible Cities. They share some common ground. Both are about describing to rulers of vast empires that sites to be found within those empires.

Invisible Empire is an exploration of the Discovery Phase from Swords Without Master. You don't need to know Swords to play this game, but I want to talk to the Swords players for just a moment with a string of text that might not make sense to other folk. If haven't read Swords, feel free to skip to the next paragraph. Invisible Empire is like an Overplayer-less Discovery Phase where Stymies and Mysteries make you look Suspicious, causing you to create a new thread called a Secret, and when you roll a Morale, you don't create a thread but you do bore the Silent Emperor, which is not good. The threads produced in this game can be taken to a Swords game and used in tricks or overtricks.

Right, so that's out of the way. Here's what's going on in that game. You all play explorers, emissaries, courtiers, wandering knights, astrologers, dancers, or whoever has an excuse to be in the court of the Silent Emperor. You will all stand before the throne and tell the court of the wonders and horrors you've seen in your travels through this massive empire. You start by rolling dice that will tell you whether your story should fill your audience with Awe or Dread. The dice will also tell you if you're omitting something important--either through deception or ignorance--and if you might just be boring the Silent Emperor. Whatever you describe, even if you are omitting something, you will make one other person at court corroborate your account by asking them a leading question.

The whole game is a race between the players' ability to describe the fantastic sites they've seen and the horrid fickleness of the Silent Emperor. As you give you accounts, the other players will be listening for moments of true wonder or horror, and they will record them. As you roll the dice, the Silent Emperor will be listening for lies, omissions and tedium. Characters who receive too many Black Marks of Displeasure this way are dispatched in ways design to entertain the Silent Emperor and the court.

You can get this puppy, along with two sword & sorcery tales and an episode of Barbarian Lord in issue 7 of Worlds Without Master: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/bazaar/worlds-without-master-issue-7

You can also guarantee you won't miss out on the next in the series, Beggars' Night, by becoming a member of the Patron Horde: https://www.patreon.com/Epidiah

You can also increase the odds of finding someone else who will play the game with you by sharing the hell out of those links.
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/invisible-empire

Hello all, Keith Stetson in a reply to another post of mine pointed me in this direction. I am intrigued.

Hello all, Keith Stetson in a reply to another post of mine pointed me in this direction. I am intrigued.

I was curious, is there a handy list of Motifs common in S&S somewhere? I think such a thing would help me make cohesive "how to play".

I finally played my cyberpunk hack of Swords without Master again. So, without further ado

I finally played my cyberpunk hack of Swords without Master again. So, without further ado
~~~~~
Shades Without Mirror

You play the 'punks. People that live in the liminal space between the corporations and the gangs. Connected to society but outside its order, as tumultuous and fast paced as it is 5 minutes in the future.

The Tones
Street: Loud, Lively, Organic, Urban, Squalid, Gritty, Criminal, Analog, Violent, Passionate, Melancholic, Familiar
Corporate: Cool, Distant, Digital, Antiseptic, Lifeless, Cynical, Efficient, Cybernetic, Ominous, Minimalist

All that Deserves a Name
places in the city, computer rigs, near future weapons, body augmentations are all good ideas. This is where the players can define the feel of the future and set limitations/constraints on technology. Each 'punk needs to name at least one person that is a member of a gang, a corporation, or is an augment/synth.

Ideally, play this as a Cyberpunk Story of the Near Future, of Betrayal, and of Intrigue.

...of the Near Future
A story in which the ‘punks encounter near future technology
At least one element on each Pattern (see below) thread must be about an image or detail relating to a cyberpunk technology and its impact on the City. Players may only ever introduce a new tech when an Enigma (see below) is rolled.

Patterns, Enigmas and Lessons
Patterns replace Motifs.
Enigmas are Mysteries caused by an unknown technology or conspiracy working against the 'punks.
Lessons replace Morals. A Lesson is Learned but the Damage is Irreversible.

Phases
Discovery Phase is now the Intrigue Phase, and works exactly as in Andy Hauge's Vampire hack Intrigue Phase
The Rogue's Phase is now The 'punk's Phase, but functions exactly the same.

Hacks
An alternate term for Tricks. Use your best judgment. I haven't made any new tricks yet, but it should be fairly easy to adapt most of the tricks to the genre. Let me know how it goes.

~~~~~

That's what we played with tonight and it went very well. Now the only necessary flavor to change is the name of Feats Heroic. One of the players suggested that they be "Edges", so that you have a Corporate Edge and a Street Edge, which sounds fine to me.

It is Sunday Morning, is it not?

It is Sunday Morning, is it not? Where have all our indomitable rogues gone? Defeated by the Gods of Sea and Slumber? Ha! None such as them can lay claim upon me.

But if we're not going to play I might go take a nap anyway...

Sunday Morning Swords: 1 March 2015

Sunday Morning Swords: 1 March 2015
#GroggyLikeAGroggleDrunkOnGrogEdition  

Good morning!

Here's our organizational thread. Comment below if you're interested in playing this morning and mention if you're comfortable being an Overplayer and whether or not you have play Swords before.

When we get an Overplayer and three or four Rogue Players, those players will run off and start their hangout. For now, let's focus on getting everyone into a group. We'll probably wait until 9:15 or 9:30 EST to start the last group. I will be a swing player, jumping in where needed to fill out the final groups so we can make sure we have 3-4 Rogue Players in each group.

Feel free to enjoy some breakfast or brunch while playing. I know I'll be having some coffee and some toast, myself.

Also, feel free to use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias.

P.S. Got some tips on how to do this and links to useful files here: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2014/7/14/sunday-morning-swords