What tale is this?!

What tale is this?!

http://pulp-lit.com/270.html
http://pulp-lit.com/270.html

I would like to organise an online game of Swords without Master for a group of friends.

I would like to organise an online game of Swords without Master for a group of friends. What would be the right tools to have the visual greatness of the speed runs that were recorded this summer?

The Utopiales is one the biggest SF Festival in France.

The Utopiales is one the biggest SF Festival in France. And there is a Gaming Area in it. Some 40 games simultaneously at some time. And here I was, creating a fine tale with four rogues ... The article is in French, and I took the "Fictive Fun" style for exposing the Motifs.

Also, I ran two games of "The RadX Orphans", a Diesel-punk / kids with powers hack of SWM (more on that on my blog in french, but I can talk about it in english), and one more game of Ghosts Without Master, a lighter "hack" with mainly two other Tones : Calm & Sinister. This one will soon be presented ^^. Think Dark Souls, Ravenloft, Castlevania, Darkest Dungeons, Seven to Eternity ...

French people, in the west, start to know how good SWM is ^^.

http://www.gulix.fr/blog/2018/11/05/utopiales-2018-swords-without-master/
http://www.gulix.fr/blog/2018/11/05/utopiales-2018-swords-without-master/

Here are the visual threads of our game during Gauntlet Con 2018. Jason Cordova Pawel Solowczuk V C Anders Smith

Here are the visual threads of our game during Gauntlet Con 2018. Jason Cordova Pawel Solowczuk V C Anders Smith
https://fictivefun.com/visual-threads-swm-gauntlet-con-2018/

A thing I’ve been doing for the last few SWM games I’ve run.

A thing I’ve been doing for the last few SWM games I’ve run.

Problem - SWM and RPGs in general are very open. Without a grounding in a setting it can be very difficult for all players (GM included) to have a shared vision of an encounter, scene, or heck even a predefined setting.

I’ve played and run SWM games where player perceptions never really line up. I’ve seen this in more traditional RPGs too. One thing I’ve been trying that seems to help is:

1) before play begins every player including GM states a single word or short phase that epitomizes Sword & Sorcery for them.

2) everyone then provides a brief explanation of “why”, including any details of what they hope to bring into the game from their term or phrase

This process seems to then have an effect on the phases as we move forward - even if it were subconscious or unintentional.

Example list for a recent game:

Hyborea
Scheming Guilds
Forming Bonds w/ Strangers
Magical Travel
Unexpected Transformations

And another:

Hyborea (ok guess which one is mine)
Low Magic
Finding Home
Camaraderie

Wow.

Wow. We started with epic Rogues (including a psychopomp of the gods) and opened in the realm of the dead, and went...well. You'll see just how far we went. Ready for some of the trippiest Swords you've ever seen?
https://youtu.be/OS-cx7n-zuI

A successful Sunday hosting 2 games of Swords Without Master At Big Bad Con - sharing the game with 7 new players...

A successful Sunday hosting 2 games of Swords Without Master At Big Bad Con - sharing the game with 7 new players who were all enthralled. Good times.

Rogues Without G+

Rogues Without G+

The auguries have been read, and this world is destine for an apocalypse. Where then should rogues such as yourselves find the adventure you crave?

Discord Without Master is a great place to find a game to play in: https://discord.gg/7RWbHM5
It's also got its own alchemical laboratory.

I'm on Facebook, but only rarely, and I'm not super comfortable with its interface. I'm also on Twitter (@Epidiah): https://twitter.com/Epidiah There's no centralize community over there, but that's nothing a few hashtags can't solve. #SwordsWithtoutMaster #SundayAMSwords and #Eidolon are a good place to start.

There's also a bit of a indie gaming community over on dice.camp. I'm over there as well.

If anyone has other suggests of where to find like-minded rogues, please leave them in the comments below.

Another game is kicking off this morning! Come on in to the Discord and we'll show you the ropes. #SundayAMSwords

Another game is kicking off this morning! Come on in to the Discord and we'll show you the ropes. #SundayAMSwords

Originally shared by Josh McGraw

Rogues and Overplayers! Come join us on Discord Without Master this weekend for Sunday AM Swords! We'll be organizing at 0900 GMT-4, with additional opportunity available at 0900 GMT-7. No prior experience or prepared Rogue is necessary; newcomers welcome!

This event is Epidiah Ravachol endorsed! :D
https://discord.gg/u9BxdyY

Starting in 10 minutes!

Starting in 10 minutes!

Originally shared by Josh McGraw

Rogues and Overplayers! Come join us on Discord Without Master this weekend for Sunday AM Swords! We'll be organizing at 0900 GMT-4, with additional opportunity available at 0900 GMT-7. No prior experience or prepared Rogue is necessary; newcomers welcome!

This event is Epidiah Ravachol endorsed! :D
https://discord.gg/u9BxdyY

This one has been marinating for quite a long time on the Discord server but is now finally complete.

This one has been marinating for quite a long time on the Discord server but is now finally complete. #crowdsourcedrogues

All That Deserves a Name
Fundac: My stockpile of ancient contraptions. Hidden but not inconspicuous
The Catornet: An urn holding the ashes and spirits of my ancestors
Lapistani: the merchant caravan clan to whom I have broken my vows of fealty

Feats Heroic
Glum: A pinch of ash upon my tongue and I become one with the spirits
Jovial: I dig excitedly through my contraptions, I have the perfect thing for this!

Rogues and Overplayers!

Rogues and Overplayers! Come join us on Discord Without Master this weekend for Sunday AM Swords! We'll be organizing at 0900 GMT-4, with additional opportunity available at 0900 GMT-7. No prior experience or prepared Rogue is necessary; newcomers welcome!

This event is Epidiah Ravachol endorsed! :D
https://discord.gg/u9BxdyY

Scoundrels!

Scoundrels!

After countless eons, I am once again called to speak the words of Swords across the void of distance.

As in, I'm facilitating a game over hangouts soon. Last time, I used some Google Drive play aids created, I think, by Epidiah Ravachol himself. Are there any other instruments that we could use? Anything on Roll20?

Remnants, Year 2 Summer features two new characters in Geddy and Gaon.

Remnants, Year 2 Summer features two new characters in Geddy and Gaon. They are tasked with investigating a beast that shouldn't be around.
Jeff Beltran Larry S

https://fictivefun.com/visual-threads-remnants-year-2-summer/

Remnants, Year 2 Spring features Ysill, Mananan, and Raolla as they search for a hidden graveyard rumored to house...

Remnants, Year 2 Spring features Ysill, Mananan, and Raolla as they search for a hidden graveyard rumored to house the elusive blood lotus.
Ary Ramsey Lu Quade Tomer Gurantz

https://fictivefun.com/visual-threads-remnants-year-2-spring/

Year 1 on of the Remnants series is in the books and with it more visual threads.

Year 1 on of the Remnants series is in the books and with it more visual threads. Phillip Wessels Ary Ramsey Shawn McCarthy

Stay tuned as Year 2 fires up next week.

https://fictivefun.com/visual-threads-remnants-year-1-winter/

Here are the threads from Remnants - Year 1, Fall in visual form

Here are the threads from Remnants - Year 1, Fall in visual form

https://fictivefun.com/visual-threads-remnants-year-1-fall/

Another session of the Remnants series is in the books. This one turned a bit bloody.

Another session of the Remnants series is in the books. This one turned a bit bloody.


https://youtu.be/GyfI11EyYf0

Here’s something I tinkered with over the weekend. An update to my 3x5 character sheet, now as a pocket folio.

Here’s something I tinkered with over the weekend. An update to my 3x5 character sheet, now as a pocket folio.

Can be found here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-FeUoUZX5IsMSEoSb2xpdbuouhleUPDM

Morning - running today for a couple of new folks.

Morning - running today for a couple of new folks. Have 2 year and 2 maybes. Anyone interested in joining us today @ 9a PST google hangouts & Roll20.

Have maybe 5 spots at the table with these earlier folks having precedence.

As an aside - very challenging to find players. Has this been your experience with Swords too? Is it just too far outside the standard paradigm?

I found a few morals lying round from an old game, I found them evocative....

I found a few morals lying round from an old game, I found them evocative....

* Don't cross the fat man!
* Do anything for shekels
* "Immortality" can only be bought at a cost.

Our game of Swords Without Master just concluded on Rolegate featuring two of the #crowdsourcedrogues!

Our game of Swords Without Master just concluded on Rolegate featuring two of the #crowdsourcedrogues!

It's a brief, but epic tale that you can read in its entirety here. If you decide to scry it, please let us know!
https://www.rolegate.com/ref/A554551N/completed-swords-without-master-of-forest-flames-and-death
https://www.rolegate.com/ref/A554551N/completed-swords-without-master-of-forest-flames-and-death

Because I couldn't make it to the most recent speed run of #SwordsWithoutMaster⚔️ on the Actual Play Twitch:...

Because I couldn't make it to the most recent speed run of #SwordsWithoutMaster⚔️ on the Actual Play Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/actualplay/

Below are images of my simulacrum, the map of the astral sea Emily Care Boss made that is the cover of my scrying journal, my scrying implements, and the final result of the scrying. You can follow along in my Twitter thread here: https://twitter.com/Epidiah/status/1022475319972962305?s=19

One thing that surprised me was how much my seer was developing into a full fledge character with desires and a personality. I must ponder this phenomenon more.

Here's our game from last night featuring Blake Ryan Aaron Feild & Maria Rivera.

Here's our game from last night featuring Blake Ryan Aaron Feild & Maria Rivera. Scry away if your heart so desires. It also featured one of the #crowdsourcedrogues
https://youtu.be/woQB1M_8Wn4

I want to write short stories, but I'm also interested in doing it collaboratively and with game-y elements to guide...

I want to write short stories, but I'm also interested in doing it collaboratively and with game-y elements to guide and inspire more than just writing whatever I want straight up. I'm compelled to adapt SWM into a GM-less partners' writing prompt and pacing engine, essentially as one long rogues' phase. How do you all think this would work?

With a writing partner:
1. Choose two styles for your tale, and possibly a title thread. (obviously some styles 'rules' may work differently in this mode; just adapt and go with it).
2. Create either one or two protagonists, as usual for SWM (eidolon, all deserving of a name, feats heroic), but without tricks.
3. Someone rolls an overtone and establishes an opening shot/scene including thunder.
4. Alternate turns playing out one long rogues phase (rolling dice for tones, overtone, and noting motifs, mysteries, and morals as usual). They both answer the demand given them and end their turn by making a follow-on demand.
5. If someone wishes, while they hold the dice, rather than making a new demand, they may temporarily shift into a discovery stance and describe something about the setting, environment, or a side character that a main character notices or fails to notice, followed by asking a loaded question of the other writer, who then rolls the dice and follows through on developing the new discovered information in the rolled tone.
6. As usual, when three motif threads are filled, enter endgame and reincorporate threads. When both writers have reincorporated, end after one more reincorporation occurs. The writer who didn't get a second reincorporation may add an epilogue statement or choose to end the tale.
(7. Note questions and implications that could fuel a new tale.)

This type of game would probably get fuzzy with affordances and constraints since main characters may be more shared, unless each writer's noted named items are fully within their purview, even if they're different aspects of a same character. The pacing and intimacy would depend heavily on the sorts of rogues' phase demands the players give each other. They could go wildly broad and action-oriented or wildly tight and personal/internal.

What would work or not work about this? Is adding possibility for the pseudo-discovery phase unecessary and complicated? Should it just be mechanically all a rogues phase?

A question came up, could you please help me sort it out?

A question came up, could you please help me sort it out?

A stranger is OPing for me and my friends in PbP. During play I raised my character unstated 'power level' to be able to beat his enemies because the situation looked diresome (the rogues against a whole city state). The OP did the same because he felt that we are slaying our enemies like flies. We basically tried to match each other a couple of times and this created a frustrating loop. We realized this conflict of agendas but could find any written principles on what to do and how to solve this problem.

I've always thought that in the end rogue players have nearly full control of what is weaker and what is stronger than them. I played a shitload of Sw/oM but I'm not sure if I say this from a flawed conviction.

Add another rogue to registry. #crowdsourcedrogues

Add another rogue to registry. #crowdsourcedrogues

All That Deserves a Name
Myrna: The name that was mine when I yet lived
Ghoul Hunter: The title and duty my clan cursed me with merely for my appearance
Shiala: the rover who still loves me
Erhar & Wa'hi: The twin Wolves I carry inside me

Feats Heroic
Glum - I lie still as death until my prey approaches; a sudden bolt snaps from my crossbow.
Jovial - Erhar & Wa'hi howl through me, happy to be free for a few moments of happy hunting
https://www.deviantart.com/stevegibson/art/Barceline-Grimslingers-Art-676406605

I will be running 4 sessions of Swords without Master in the near future.

I will be running 4 sessions of Swords without Master in the near future. I created a form to sign up for sessions if you are interested in playing. https://goo.gl/forms/pHKos0LtNBYfxIeI2

We will be using some house rules which can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1egzxb4w1KuEyZerN8V4ZJhOUgpNwFNIQXX2RcL2vg5o/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks!

Rogues! What is that on the horizon? Could it be? The tell tale dust storm stirred up by an after action report!

Rogues! What is that on the horizon? Could it be? The tell tale dust storm stirred up by an after action report!

I do an autopsy of the three linked sessions of Swords I ran at the recently concluded Dexcon.
https://keithestetson.dudaone.com/swords-without-master-anthology-debrief

Tomorrow, I'm experimenting with Itch.io's wackiest idea!

Tomorrow, I'm experimenting with Itch.io's wackiest idea!

Swords Without Master and the rest of Worlds Without Master, issue 3 will be on sale for one day only at the low-low price of $7.98.

That's a savings of negative 100 percent!

Originally shared by Epidiah Ravachol

Folks, folks!

Itch.io lets me create reverse sales!

Stay tuned! Tomorrow, for one day only, you will be able to buy issue 3 of Worlds Without Master for TWICE the price!

One more #crowdsourcedrogues and we're all caught up!

One more #crowdsourcedrogues and we're all caught up!

All That Deserves a Name
*The Brothers Chistino - They'll never stop hunting me for what I have done
The Drums of Altalec - Their rhythm pulses through my dreams, and they guide my steps
The Dance of al' Jamil - The dance that tells a story of victory and defeat

Feats Heroic
Glum - I touch the shadow of my foes, and they know their doom
Jovial - Awakening Mind - I see clearly the inevitable conclusion of my actions

Eidolon:
https://youtu.be/XUhVCoTsBaM
https://youtu.be/XUhVCoTsBaM

Your daily dose of #crowdsourcedrogues

Your daily dose of #crowdsourcedrogues

All That Deserves a Name
The Doom of Night - The prophecy that foretells my people's end
The Scarlet Dragon - The hidden rage and bloodlust contained in the hearts of all.
The Hour of the Dragon - The ritual that brings forth the Longest Night

Feats Heroic
Glum - I call upon the Black Gods to shroud the hearts of my enemies in despair. When their hope is extinguished I simply walk away, leaving them to the prison of their thoughts.

Jovial - I become as the Scarlet Dragon incarnate, unleashing relentless fury

Eidolon:
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/463735699040894986/464940867346497556/image.png?width=702&height=702

Hi all !

Hi all !
I've already spoke about that, but I'm currently writing a SWM hack. In French. As I'm french ...
But I've decided to share with you some parts.

This post is about the Powers in my game. The characters are children with Powers (X-Men like) but not unlimited Powers.

Happy to get questions, feedbacks, comments on all this ! Thanks for reading ! And please excuse my "french" english.
http://www.gulix.fr/blog/2018/07/10/in-english-swords-with-powers/

An earlier #crowdsourcedrogues that didn't get put on G+ yet:

An earlier #crowdsourcedrogues that didn't get put on G+ yet:

All That Deserves a Name
The White Bands of Caramhghas, which bind the soul as well as the body
The Scars of Caramhghas, which can only be seen by those who have worn the White Bands
The Black Hall, where the Bands are used
The Vizier Rowanoak, it was he who imprisoned me in the Black Hall, delighting in my torment.

Feats Heroic
Glum - Wrists together, hands spread open, they thrust their soul towards the foe with deadly intent.
Jovial - The Scars ignite into brilliant light, inflicting pain to both parties in equal measure

Another entry from #crowdsourcedrogues

Another entry from #crowdsourcedrogues

All That Deserves a Name
Howler - I'll wear your skin till my death to honor your sacrifice
The Frozen Valley - The battle where all of my comrades fell
Selport - the mysterious city of the West where I forged my scale shirt

Feats Heroic
Glum - A cold wind blows as cold steel overlaps at your throat
Jovial - Howling in the wind, I call my companions to me.

The #crowdsourcedrogues keep coming!

The #crowdsourcedrogues keep coming!

All That Deserves a Name
Aether - The lifeblood of all living things. Mine to control.(edited)
Philanius - My hidden paradise and sanctuary
Amortium - The Empire that would pay any cost to seize my power

Feats Heroic
Jovial - I let loose the wild pulse of my molten heart, as the energy of life surges through my surroundings.
Glum - With a whisper I draw the Aether from another living soul

The #crowdsourcedrogues party continues over on the Discord.

The #crowdsourcedrogues party continues over on the Discord. Just add a name and a trick! (https://discord.gg/C7rZcac to join the Discord!)

Things Deserving a Name
The Crows of the Shadow Wood - My Clan, executed for their beliefs
The Vicious Murder - A large group of crows, each housing the vengeful soul of one of my kin
The Waykeeper - A shrouded being who commands and guides me

Feats Heroic
Jovial - I toss my clansman's black-stained noose as a lasso, and pull it with all the fury of the Crows.
Glum: A Waykeeper's whisper and the call of a distant crow foreshadow the demise soon to befall the non-believers.

Hello Rogues!

Hello Rogues!

I am running three interconnected sessions of Swords at Dexcon this weekend. I plan to tie them together using Echoes of the Past, a shared communally created map, and just general good gamemastering. I think that those three will likely do the trick, but I was wondering what feats all of you might perform is undertaking such a task - especially as I see Epidiah Ravachol has been cooking up new phrases, rituals and such!

Swords Without Master; "Anthology" by Dig a Thousand Holes Publishing; presented by Keith Stetson. An INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED GAME - Part of the Indie Games Explosion! Sundered from us by gulfs of time and stranger dimensions dream ancient worlds and ancient tales. Take up sword and staff, pen and ink, and inscribe your own tale in the Anthology. These stories written on air will be composed by us over a series of three linked gaming sessions. Play one session to play a short story; play them all for the full Anthology.

So we decided to make a crowd-sourced rogue over on the Discord channel.

So we decided to make a crowd-sourced rogue over on the Discord channel. The rogue has everything but a name and a trick. Feel free to use this as a pre-gen for an impromptu game of Swords Without Master. Come join us on the discord for more Swords! #crowdsourcedrogues

All that deserves a Name
The Silver Sand – An endless desert filled with strange devices of bright metal, capable of wondrous effects
Ancient Chrome - Shiny stain-resistant artifacts of various shapes and usefulness. Sometimes good armor!
The Emperor's Daughter - So beautiful the Chrome Samurai cannot put his eyes directly on anybody else

Feats Heroic
Jovial - The silver of his equipment rings, buzzes, vibrates with a powerful energy, erupting in a fearsome explosion!
Glum - The memory of the Emperor's Daughter fills his mind, clouding his judgement and reminding him how alone he is in the world

Trick
Your Choice!

I have created a SWM "Helper" on RoleGate.

I have created a SWM "Helper" on RoleGate. It is a complete quick-reference you can add to a game on RG, usable as both a play aid and an onboarding tool for introducing new players. If you're already a RG user, it's under the new Helpers ("?") button. If you're not already a RG user, come join the fun!
https://www.rolegate.com/ref/gornul

Fuck it's warm!

Fuck it's warm!

Give me your freezing cold eidolons!
http://frazettamuseum.com/product/APN2TSW.html

Around 11 AM EDT this morning, Misha B, R Shel Kahn, Stras Acimovic and I will be making our 4th attempt at the...

Around 11 AM EDT this morning, Misha B, R Shel Kahn, Stras Acimovic and I will be making our 4th attempt at the #SwordsWithoutMaster Speed Run Challenge live on the Actual Play Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/actualplay

Join us if you can!

Sean Nittner will be hosting and monitoring the chat, and I believe some of our Rogue Players will dip their toes into the chat as well. I'll try, but I'm an old wizard who is confounded by these new was. So there's no guarantee there.

Many fine seers will be watching our rogues' activities from afar, scrying for clues to what fate has in store for them! You can join them with the Ritual of Scrying: http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2018/5/30/to-craft-an-enthralling-short-story
https://www.twitch.tv/actualplay

Call for Rogues / Over Player

Call for Rogues / Over Player
Event Name: Valley of Glass
Date & Time: June 23 @ ~12:00 PST (20:00 GMT)

Notes: Roll 20 + Discord VOIP, or . . .
Who: @AronBC (Rogue or OP) @Luiz F (Rogue?)

Here's an extract of our game we completed a few days ago via Role Gate, good times.

Here's an extract of our game we completed a few days ago via Role Gate, good times.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ckoz5XaFHdPGWFwO1l7a5WpQoMbi9eFCaFP6eHzxM3Y/edit?usp=sharing

The Summers Without Master Sale is going on for the next five days over at...

The Summers Without Master Sale is going on for the next five days over at https://itch.io/s/11982/summers-without-master-sale

25% off of any back issue of Worlds Without Master or get the whole lot of them for only $29.99!
https://itch.io/s/11982/summers-without-master-sale

A little teaser peak at my design process for something new and very Swordsy.

A little teaser peak at my design process for something new and very Swordsy.

Evidence of a successful first game of Swords Without Master last night!

Evidence of a successful first game of Swords Without Master last night! We hacked (really, reskinned the tones) the game for use in my original folklore-meets-wuxia fantasy setting, The Blackwood. We're putting together an audio drama for the setting and this game was the perfect way to hone in on our characters and discover some juicy motifs and plot points for our writers.

The game is awesome but we definitely encountered some stumbling blocks on the way. A couple players are fairly new to RPGs (especially rules-light, narrative-heavy games), so the worldbuilding opportunities of the Discovery Phase kinda melted their brains. They rose to the challenge but it was a big adjustment on their part. They loved the challenge though!

We also found the endgame/reincorporation mechanics to be a little confusing, mostly because I as the Overplayer hadn't done enough reading and pondering for that stuff. All the same, it was a wonderful first game. Everyone wants to play again!

I just wanted to give a shout out to Josh McGraw for setting up the Discord Without Master and this community for...

I just wanted to give a shout out to Josh McGraw for setting up the Discord Without Master and this community for embracing it.

It's been an absolute delight watching folks organize games and share their eidolons, threads, scrying, & whatnot on there.

Here's one I whipped up for #SundayAMSwords.

Here's one I whipped up for #SundayAMSwords. Pretty simple cause I was in a rush, but also simple enough for anyone to use!

Sinter, absconded assassin
One-time assassin, who failed badly on his first mission and decided to take to the road rather than face the Guild's wrath.

All That Deserves a Name
Necker - Keen assassin's blade
Baneballs - Balls of magic smoke carried by assassins to cause chaos
Mystery Mask - Used by assassins to keep their identities secret and protect from the banesmoke

Feats Heroic
Jovial - Toss a baneball and slash through purple smoke at choking foes
Glum - Slide behind and take a hostage with Necker at their throat

Trick
Inevitable Foe - The Guild of assassins coming to reclaim their mask and baneballs.

https://sandara.deviantart.com/art/PQ2-assassin-199314185?q=gallery:sandara/514931&qo=57
https://sandara.deviantart.com/art/PQ2-assassin-199314185?q=gallery:sandara/514931&qo=57

Just had my first game this morning on #SundayAmSwords and it was awesome! This is the rogue I cooked up

Just had my first game this morning on #SundayAmSwords and it was awesome! This is the rogue I cooked up

Galgo
Once-consumed by an eldritch amulet that made him travel the world in an endless rampage, Galgo was stopped by the sight of a single flower, that grounded him and allowed him to break free from the spell. He now roams the world trying to make reparations.

All That Deserves a Name
Jasmine – The spirit of a little flower
Endbringer – A cursed amulet that unleashes chaos and death
Penitence – An oak staff harboring the accidentally bound spirits of those killed in the rampage

Feats Heroic
Jovial – I let Endbringer take me once more, and destroy what stands in my path
Glum – I loosen the binds on Penitence and the sorrow of the imprisoned souls floods forth

Trick
Locus – A humble shrine that marks the place my rampage stopped

https://alectorfencer.deviantart.com/art/Startling-Beauty-206393238
https://alectorfencer.deviantart.com/art/Startling-Beauty-206393238

Sunday Morning Swords

Sunday Morning Swords
#SundayAMSwords #DiscordantEdition

Good morning! We are organizing a live game over on the new Discord server. Click the link below to join (for free!). Once there, click the channel "looking-for-group" and we'll get you started.

New players are welcome and encouraged to join! (Having a microphone is preferred.)

We're looking to start around 9AM PDT (4PM UTC).

https://discordapp.com/invite/u9BxdyY
https://discordapp.com/invite/u9BxdyY

Fan art from last week's speed run!

Fan art from last week's speed run!
https://twitter.com/buttopian/status/1008052914923933696?s=19

You know how every day is the national day of "something".

You know how every day is the national day of "something". Well today is National "Pop goes the Weasel" Day and I decided to make a rogue with the song as my eidolon.


https://fictivefun.com/weasel-a-swords-without-master-rogue/

So, I've been reading this comic lately (yesterday, to be precise).

So, I've been reading this comic lately (yesterday, to be precise). And, well, that's a story I would want to tell via SWM. It's full of inspiration. Great characters. Strange towns / sceneries. Surprises. I think to make it as an eidolon for a short run.

https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/seven-to-eternity
https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/seven-to-eternity

This is happening

This is happening

https://www.bigbadcon.com/events/sunday-morning-swords/
https://www.bigbadcon.com/events/sunday-morning-swords/

Warning: Rambling Thoughts

Warning: Rambling Thoughts

I've been thinking about #Starward and #GammaThrones recently, and starting to stretch those old Swords design muscles again. (This is in no small part due to the wonderful reception the speed runs have received.) I've been thinking of them as campaigns that are essentially collections of thematically appropriate rituals.

But in truth, #GammaWorld messes with some really fundamental aspects of the game. It adds a new phase and thread, it changes the whole timing mechanism aspect of the motifs, and it eliminates the end game altogether. That's perhaps a bit more substantial than a campaign.

That World Phase and Map Thread are pretty nifty, though, and wouldn't be too out of place in Swords as an advance phase and thread, like like the Lore Phase and Thread or the Mark Thread.

What's really happening here is that I'm starting to think real earnestly about what a stand-alone Swords Without Master rulebook would look like and contain. And how to think about things like additional threads and more thunderless phases. Because there's a couple more I want to introduce.
https://twitter.com/Epidiah/status/1006605882904457216?s=19

Have made an update to my collection of play aids, now includes:

Have made an update to my collection of play aids, now includes:
* Roll20 environment set-up
* Table top tiles
* 2 page play aid to introduce new players
* Simple character sheet, 3:1 landscape page
* Collected character creation procedure
* Trick cards

Find it all here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VIS4P1Y_PIRBZyWYRlpul_qlQcozO7hn
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VIS4P1Y_PIRBZyWYRlpul_qlQcozO7hn

Here is my effort with the ritual of scrying from speed run episode 2.

Here is my effort with the ritual of scrying from speed run episode 2.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Dfs8N4USpG4f1OUW99rfmIZuYMyHmCCkvsJFIRJjjNc/edit?usp=sharing

I peered into the inky black of my scrying bowl and uttered the ancient words.

I peered into the inky black of my scrying bowl and uttered the ancient words. I pricked a finger and let a drop of blood fall into darkness, falling forever. The ripples took form and I lost myself in the gazing of another world for a time. I witnessed many strange and terrible things, a tale of great heroism emerged and I recorded it here:

Motifs
1) She stands, drawing both daggers
A strange woman with the Baron's ear

2) Streets plunged into sudden darkness
1) Flying daggers rain down
A flying leap across rooftops

3) Drinking Ale you can't afford
Beyond the Valley of Mausoleums

4) A Horde of Undead Monkeys
3) Drinking Away Your Troubles in a dim tavern
4) Chunks of meat and exposed bone
A spear bursts from his chest in a spray of blood!
2) Lights go out across the city
2) Losa steals the light that remains

Morals
Don't draw attention you're not prepared for
(ECHO: The Monkey King steals the amulet)

Mystery
Why did the geyser choose this moment to erupt?
-----------------------
The numbers to the left of the motifs indicate those that I linked with silver thread (just match the numbers!)

This is my scrying report from today's #SundayAMSpeedSwords over on the livestream. I also did one for the second half but I was too enthralled by the story to finish it.

A question that came up for me: Is it intended that we should arrange our Motifs into three portions the way the Rogues do? Or do we keep ours more of a running list and just mark the echoes with silver thread?

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/455359014293733377/455400021299429376/JPEG_20180610_115651.jpg?width=527&height=702

So I had my second round of using the Scrying rules during this morning's speed run episode.

So I had my second round of using the Scrying rules during this morning's speed run episode. This one went smoother than the first, which was fortunate since the first game of the doubleheader finished in just over 40 minutes! Here were my threads and such:

First motif:
- Roasted beasts of questionable origin
- A fountain fed by hot springs beneath the city, surrounded by torches
- An epic duel with the baron's champion

Second motif:
- Being pursued by the tiger-mounted city guard
- Throwing flames from the city fire dancer's torches from the tips of daggers
- Ducking into the shadows as the guards run past

Third motif:
- Drinking ale that you can't afford
- Pulling a well-worn map from a pouch
- Previously unknown missing pieces of a map linking party members through mystery
- The enormous looming shadow of the monkey king

Mysteries:
- What caused the eruption of the geyser?

Morals:
- Watch for signs when you need them most
- Beward of meddling in the wars of other kingdoms

All in all it was another great time, and the episode was the best of the bunch so far. The group got in two games since the first went so quickly, but I only took notes for the first. My goal for the next go-round is to try and get a handle on the silver threads that link my motifs to the groups', but I think I might also take a stab at rewatching the episode when it hits YouTube and seeing if I come up with different motifs when I get some time this week.

Episode 3 of our Swords Without Master speed run goes live in just about an hour!

Episode 3 of our Swords Without Master speed run goes live in just about an hour!
https://m.twitch.tv/actualplay

Any online Sunday Morning Swords happening tomorrow? I’m PST.

Rogues without Tales.

Rogues without Tales.
Oh man. Discord and the Scrying ritual makes me want a SWM ritual for an out-of-game impromptu invitation to create S&S micro-fiction. Something like a micro-rogue's phase challenge that people can invite and offer others (or play solo) in a setting like the Discord chat, G+ community, or casual conversation. Not even a scene, more like a single evocative in-character moment that one or more people can explore. Basically a spotlight, nearly context-less motif, or raw S&S cover art as a poster with a story but not a tale.

What are the minimum mechanics/structure necessary for empowering cool on-the-go micro-fiction? Should dice or a similar simulacrum set a tone for the reply or is that cumbersome/limiting? How should/could such a thing invite communal participation/affirmation and tie into other rituals and game modes in the SWM ecosystem?

How about this as a starter draft:
The Ritual of the Pregnant Moment
Share an eidolon for any ephemeral Moment you want to wrap in a shred of fictional flesh. Then direct a loaded challenge illuminated by the eidolon to a willing companion (or yourself) in the following form: "Who can show us an [adjective] rogue... [doing something]?" The challenge can be open or directed toward a specific person.

Whoever dares answer the challenge should roll dice to set a tone, and offer an incisive reply in the rolled tone, perhaps as the internal monologue of the rogue in question. Others may offer alternate responses. After a response, anybody else present may ... [?]

"Who can show us a blood-smeared rogue... wrestling with destiny" "Who can show us a sympathetic rogue... suffering for their irreverence." "Who can show us a famously brutal rogue... showing tenderness?" "Who can show us a broken rogue... wielding power."

(Embrace a pregnant pause between the described rogue and the task demanded, especially when the two deliciously contrast.)

Rogues!

Rogues!

Thanks to Josh McGraw , the enterprising rogue who set this up, the Swords Without Master pack now has their very own Discord to organize and play games on!

I'm a bit of a Discord neophyte, but I'm eager to learn its ways. Join us on this adventure using the invitation link below!

Rogue Tip: Typing "/roll 2d6" will get a bot to return a roll of 2d6 to you. The bot will add them up for you, for the arithematically curious, but it will also list the roll on each of the dice. Our convention is to assign them to tones alphabetically. So the Glum roll then the Jovial roll in the basic game. Or the Glory result then the Hell result if you're playing a Tale …of War. Or the Beautiful dice followed by the Glum die if you're playing an Unparalleled rogue who has substituted Beautiful for Jovial. You get the picture.
https://discordapp.com/invite/u9BxdyY

I went on and on about the advanced game of Swords Without Master over on Twitter over the past couple days.

I went on and on about the advanced game of Swords Without Master over on Twitter over the past couple days. I figured share it with you good folks as well. Especially since I mention the community here a few times.
https://twitter.com/Epidiah/status/1003996557115568133?s=19

So had my first run of the Scrying rules during the stream yesterday.

So had my first run of the Scrying rules during the stream yesterday. I missed a few descriptions here and there (particularly on the Morals) due to the baby being in the room while I watched, and kind of had to fill in based on what was on the board so to speak. I also briefly forgot about tying the Motifs together, but that ended up working itself out. So not ideal, but still pretty good I think.

Anyway, if anyone is interested, here's what my sheet ended up looking like. But all in all it was a good time, and hopefully as the speed runs continue I'll get a bit better at it.

Today's speed run starts in less than a half hour at https://t.co/pkRRgkpiUb

Today's speed run starts in less than a half hour at https://t.co/pkRRgkpiUb
https://t.co/pkRRgkpiUb

Can anyone help clarify?

Can anyone help clarify?

Rogue phase is essentially a demand of the rogue player: “Show is how you...”

Rogue phase stymies them become: “Show us how you do not...”

Is this a reasonable explanation?

A blog post putting some of the speed run and Ritual of Scrying material all in one place.

A blog post putting some of the speed run and Ritual of Scrying material all in one place.
http://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/blog/2018/5/30/to-craft-an-enthralling-short-story

More Ritual of Scrying Pondering...

More Ritual of Scrying Pondering...

Thinking about the name for the player who participates through the Ritual of Scrying. I'm tempted by Mage Player, to fit with the whole Rogue Player business, and to resurrect "mage" after I expelled it from the name of the thread. But I'm not entirely onboard with it.

While I ponder, I'm curious about your opinion. Do any of these appeal to you? Do you have a better one?

Hi!

Hi! I've only played Swords a couple of times and have watched a couple of actual plays. I love the system but have a couple of issues with the way that gameplay seems to unfold in practice:
1. The rogues are so different from each other that it is unclear how or why they would work together.
2. There is very little if any interaction between rogues. Maybe one rogue comes to the rescue of another, but no sustained dialogue. The dice are almost like a talking stick -- whoever has the dice narrates while everyone else sits and listens.
Is this true of other people's games? If so, do people see these issues as problems or just characteristics of the swords & sorcery genre? If they are a problem, have people adopted any measures to help address them?

This is a writeup of a Discovery Phase quickstart.

This is a writeup of a Discovery Phase quickstart. This isn't something I normally do, which is strange as often there is a key mid-game Discovery Phase that melds the start of the game with the end.

I feel that maybe the Discovery Phase doesn't really let us see that much about the Rogues unless you allow a lot of colour around their investigations.
https://medium.com/@robert_carnel/the-golden-pass-between-the-theocracy-of-dumator-and-the-forests-of-the-fallen-has-a-famous-resting-7f0a0e1dd72c

Seen in the wild @ Kublacon 2018 - Burlingame, CA. Let’s see if we get any takers.

Seen in the wild @ Kublacon 2018 - Burlingame, CA. Let’s see if we get any takers.

I've written up an opening Rogue's Phase, generally I tend to come up with something after the characters are...

I've written up an opening Rogue's Phase, generally I tend to come up with something after the characters are generated so it reflects the world implied by their backgrounds but I also think it's useful to have situations that have already worked in the past and could perhaps work with a range of character types.

I have a couple more of these I'd like to share.
https://medium.com/@robert_carnel/the-palanquin-ambust-dad05984e5bc

Working on a ritual for those who enjoy watching Swords games on YouTube and Twitch.

Working on a ritual for those who enjoy watching Swords games on YouTube and Twitch.

The Ritual of Scrying

A thousand sorcerous eyes watch the rogues with keen and unfathomable interest—for rogues are disruptors of the delicate plots of destiny and wizards alike. If your eyes are among the thousand, you may invoke the Ritual of Scrying to peer across the astral plane and scrutinize the rogues while protecting your own eldritch machinations.

While watching a game of Swords Without Master unfold—but not participating as an Overplayer or Rogue Player—you may record Scrying threads. Scrying threads are aberrations, apocryphal versions of the Motif, Moral, and Mystery threads that you record based on your personal inclinations and observations of the game.

To prepare your Scrying threads, you will need a sheet of paper and a simulacrum. The paper must have room enough to scribe and sketch the visions as they come to you. Here you will record your observations and map the patterns they weave into fate's skeins. The simulacrum is an object of our world that reminds you of your wizard's souls. It will anchor you to this world as you journey into that of the rogues.

Cast now your soul across the astral sea to the realm of the rogues. Place yourself in their situation. Listen with care to the words of the players. Your sorcerous senses will bridge the worlds and present to you a rich vista. Heed the words and when you hear something worthy of a Motif, record it on your Scrying thread. The Scrying thread is yours and yours alone. So it matters not if the players also record the Motif. All that matters is what you have witnessed and recorded.

Likewise, when a Moral is rolled, you shall write your own lesson to be learned upon your Scrying thread and when a Mystery appears, you shall write your own question worthy of investigation. Undoubtedly these will not match those recorded by the Rogue Players.

Write your elements wherever and in whichever manner serves your arcane purpose. Leave room to add to it as the game progresses. For, unlike the Motif of the Rogue Players, the Scrying thread is not limited to a mere three elements.

When you hear the players narrate something that echoes an element on your own Scrying thread, record that echo and draw a silver cord connecting it to the original element. As the game progresses, the patterns in your web will begin to reveal themselves. But will you behold the truth before the game ends?

Upon the end of the game, recall your simulacrum and let it draw you back to your world. Now the contemplative work of the wizard begins. What meaning lies among your scrawl? What has been woven and how will it affect your own plans?

Compare your notes with fellow wizards so that you may glimpse theirs. What secrets have they uncovered?

Should you find yourself at the table as an Overplayer or a Rogue, you may take any three elements from a Scrying thread that are connected through silver cords and present them as part of a Destiny trick.

My SWM character sheet. Design in line with some of my other play aids.

My SWM character sheet. Design in line with some of my other play aids.

Available here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VIS4P1Y_PIRBZyWYRlpul_qlQcozO7hn

Going to try running over the weekend at our local Kublacon

Anyone care to play a Tale over RoleGate?

Anyone care to play a Tale over RoleGate? It's a new asynchronous roleplay service that looks like it would work very well for SWM. I've started a game, password is "ep".
https://www.rolegate.com/swords-without-master

Resharing this post for the community.

Resharing this post for the community.

Rogues! The first speed run of Swords Without Master is up on YouTube. Links should be in the blog post.

Also, if you missed it on Twitter, we have some fanart from the first episode!
https://twitter.com/buttopian/status/990970122432077832?s=19
https://twitter.com/buttopian/status/991764825062674434?s=19
https://twitter.com/buttopian/status/993796642682949632?s=19


Originally shared by Epidiah Ravachol

It has begun! On Sunday, April 29th, over on the ActualPlay Twitch channel, we had our first of several Swords Without Master speed runs. You witness the glory for yourself!
https://dig1000holes.wordpress.com/2018/05/09/speed-runs-of-swords-without-master/

Speed Runs on Twitch

Speed Runs on Twitch

Here's our first speed run of #SwordsWithoutMaster up on the Actual Play channel on Twitch. I was super nervous going into this for some reason, despite having played Swords approximately a thousand thousand times, but I had absolutely no reason to be. It was glorious!

The link to the video on demand is below. The whole video is about 2 hours long, but our speed run, from first Overtone to last Reincorporation, minus the brief intermission between first and second Motif, was 50 minutes and 16 seconds.

The beginning of the video is Rogue creation and a brief barfing of the rules. The speed run itself starts around 42 minutes in.

Technical Details

I can't speak to how the Twitch set-up worked entirely. Sean Nittner worked that magic. Our gorgeous playmats are courtesy of Tim Denee.

But I can tell you how we made the dice work in Roll20. I've uploaded all 36 pairs of dice facing to the Swords Community resource folder. You can get them here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FIZqfa_bVq8Dj525W1GGJJq2ru154YFu

Log into Roll20 as a GM and set up your game. Go to the Collections tab in the sidebar on the right. At the bottom of that you should see Rollable Tables. [Add] one and then click on the table you just added. That should bring up a dialogue box for creating your table.

Name it something fun, like Tone-Bones. Check the box next to "Players can roll from table?" because you'll want that.

Now let's add table items. Click [Add Item] drop g1j1.gif in the icon spot and label it 1 Glum 1 Jovial. Now repeat this 35 more times. Save changes.

Now on the sidebar by your Tone-Bones there should be a button that reads [Token]. Click that and dice will appear in your play area. As the GM you can move them about, adjust their size and do what you will with them. Most importantly, you can right-click on them, choose Multi-Sided from the pop-up menu, and then choose Random Side to roll them.

Fun!

Now double-click on the dice to bring up the Edit Token dialogue. There is a bit in there where it says Controlled By. Make sure that reads "All Players" so that your Rogues can grab, shove, and roll the dice as well.

I think that's it. Go forth and adventure!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/255806623

#SundayAMSwords with Jon Cole Mark Delsing Eric Farmer E.T. Smith

#SundayAMSwords with Jon Cole Mark Delsing Eric Farmer E.T. Smith

#SundayMorningSpeedSwords #Rogue

#SundayMorningSpeedSwords #Rogue
(art by Huo Shen)

Arahan Fire-Haired
Arahan Twice-Dead

All That Deserves a Name:

Rakahar - my village. Destroyed by Zanrisar the Black.
Zanrisar the Black - A black wizard. Who destroyed my village. And razed our Temple.
Karad-Hazar, the Black Serpent who Devours the Stars - A powerful demon who Zanrisar owed his soul to, cranky about Arahan killing his minion.
Dur Nahar - The high priest of the Serpent Cult, who worship Barak-Hazar.
Roysh - the temple guardian, whose hide I wear, who whispers in my ear.
---
T'klik Ch'ik - A grasshopper man I met on a bridge made of a dead giants bones.

Feats Heroic:

Jovial: Arahan dances through his enemies grinning, sword flashing, and hair flickering in the light as Roysh roars unheard in his ear.

Jovial: Arahan, roars with fury, leaping into battle, cutting through enemies, hair flickering like actual fire, Rosh roaring unheard by others.

Jovial: Arahan moves like the wind, dashing and leaping, thews pumping.

Glum: Arahan pulls his cloak close and hugs the walls and shadows, slipping by eyes—unseen.


Tricks

Inevitable Foe: The serpent Karad. Servant of Zanrisar the Black.
Unparallelled: Write another Feat Heroic for one of your tones. is feat may be used once in addition to the usual use of one feat per game. When it is used, the Overtone immediately becomes the same tone as this feat, changing everyone’s tone to match.

Hail, rogues, and well met!

Hail, rogues, and well met!

I have wandered to these halls from distant Twitter, a land of fast and ephemeral voices. I seek adventure!

How do I get on a list for #SundayMorningSwords? I don't need to play this Sunday but I've been itching to try this game for quite a while now and I'd like to play soon.

This very Sunday and for several more Sundays, at 11 AM EDT, over on the ActualPlay Twitch channel we will be...

This very Sunday and for several more Sundays, at 11 AM EDT, over on the ActualPlay Twitch channel we will be streaming speed runs of #SwordsWithoutMaster⚔️!

Mark your calendars!

https://twitch.tv/actualplay/

Rogues, have any of you experience playing Swords on Roll20? Any thoughts or tips for someone about to dive into it?

Rogues, have any of you experience playing Swords on Roll20? Any thoughts or tips for someone about to dive into it?

I was just now thinking about #Starward.

I was just now thinking about #Starward.

That is all.

Sharing this write-up of Michael Miller 's With Great Power as an excuse to recommend this game to anyone thinking...

Sharing this write-up of Michael Miller 's With Great Power as an excuse to recommend this game to anyone thinking about hacking Swords. It has a lot of a great insights, and it's a particularly interesting read if you pay attention to how it differs from Swords. I dig what's been added to make the game better suited to the superhero genre, but I also really dig what's been left out.

Oh, and if you're interested in superhero games at all, check it out!

Originally shared by Jason D'Angelo

Michael Miller's 2016 edition of With Great Power looks like a really cool game. This version, called the "Master Edition" - and you'll see why in a moment - is a complete reimagining of the game and very different from the 2005 version.

The Master Edition is "Descended from Monkeydome" - aka, it uses the system Epidiah Ravachol designed for Monkeydome and - dare I say perfected? - for "Swords without Masters."

This is the first game that is descended from Monkeydome that I have read, and it blew open a few doors in my mind to how a game can make use of the phases and tone-shifts that are at the heart of play in "Swords without Masters."

Character creation looks like a blast, and as the hero players build their heroes, the villain player builds her villain, complete with monomaniacal master plan. There is a fantastic set of tables at the back of the book to inspire ideas for powers, origins, relationships, as well as the elements of the villain's plans. Everything about the game eases the creative pressure to give you something inspired to say that will push the story in interesting and productive directions. This is a tiny, but I think effective, example of what I'm talking about: After you use the random tables to jolt your thinking about your hero, and after you create a quick sketch of who they are, you are not allowed to give your hero a superhero name. Everyone else has to propose a name, and you can choose from that list, or reject them all an call for another round of proposals. It's a simple and effective solution to avoid creative freeze.

All the things that make "Swords" an incredible experience are here - the prompting of other players to tell how their hero performs incredible deeds, the creation of a list of awesome things players say that eventually trigger the end game, shifting tones, unexpected stymies, mysterious questions that can only be answered as the game draws to a close. And to that, it adds everything you love about superhero stories, including how the heroes' super lives collide with their normal lives, as well as the piecing together by the heroes of what the villain is up to and how to stop her.

The book is a great read, and the game looks awesome. Moreover, if you are interested in monkeying with the Monkeydome, this is a great place to start if you want to see how the game can be adapted and stretched.

Check it out.

Sunday Swords Without Master at #Fastaval18

Sunday Swords Without Master at #Fastaval18
This in-character photo is all washed out and 90s and I don't even care! Squeezing a game into the last day of a con is always a great, especially when we can do it with a person new to the game and with such wonderful skill as Muriel. Not including character creation, the session was a whirlwind 50 minutes helmed by our Overplayer Jonathan Jung Johansen. I can't wait until next year!

Question: have any of you all made use of the Motifs mechanic in other games you run?

Question: have any of you all made use of the Motifs mechanic in other games you run? As a way of pushing for reincorparation or as a pacing mechanism?

Happy anniversary “Swords Without Master”!

Happy anniversary “Swords Without Master”!

I fell in love with you when I first heard of your tale. Had then pondered your mysterious texts, and traveled to the City of Fire & Coin with two brave companions.

I have little to repay you with given the wonder my mind’s eye now beholds. Here is one small token of my appreciation, play aids designed by my own hand for any to enjoy.

Herein I have included:
• character creation outline
• overtone and rogue tone
• playing cards depicting our tricks

Perhaps others will be inspired as I have.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VIS4P1Y_PIRBZyWYRlpul_qlQcozO7hn

I've been going on about this on Twitter a bit: https://twitter.com/i/moments/978259165243166722

I've been going on about this on Twitter a bit: https://twitter.com/i/moments/978259165243166722

But this weekend marks the 4th anniversary of the official release of Swords Without Master in issue 3 of Worlds Without Master.

Folks, I'm so grateful for all the support I've seen for this, let's face it, weird little game over these past 4 years. No small part of that is this community.

You're all the rogues of my 💚🧡💜!
https://twitter.com/i/moments/978259165243166722

As I was playing some games of SWM (and my own hack) recently, I've made up some cards for Tricks & Styles (in...

As I was playing some games of SWM (and my own hack) recently, I've made up some cards for Tricks & Styles (in french). But I've also made what I think is good-looking Motifs sheet. And Motifs is written Motifs in french too.

I think it's normal to share this with you.
Scroll down the post to get the download link for the Motifs sheet (inside a PDF with the cards). The post talks (in french) about the Motifs and how great I think this tool is for SWM and how I (plan to) use it for my game.

The scribus file is available on demand if anyone wants to make such cards in another language.

http://www.gulix.fr/blog/2018/03/26/motifs-gros-titres/

Keith Stetson up too late for an early Sunday game. Wishing you much adventure.

Rogues!

Rogues!

I have a new player interested in being inducted into our arcane order tomorrow morning via the ritual of #SundayMorningSwords Are there two more would would lift sword or staff to trek with him? I would like a semi-strong commitment so I can advise this wastrel what his future holds.

Oh wait!

Oh wait!

Here I was, rolling Glum, and dreading the prospect of writing up a half dozen or so pre-gen rogues for BreakoutCon on top of all the other work I need to get done before the trip. Then it struck me: there's a place I know where the rogues gather themselves!

Folks, link me to your favorite rogues (ones you create or those created by someone else, or even ones you've just created for this thread)! I need them for adventures in the north!

Going to BreakoutCon this weekend where I'll be participating in a gamestorming session.

Going to BreakoutCon this weekend where I'll be participating in a gamestorming session. Sort of a speed dating for games thing. I'll be running perhaps a total of 4 one-hour long Sw/oM snippets. There's a hard out after an hour, and though I've played quite a few games of Swords in less time, it doesn't happen that often when you're teaching it.

To hit the ground running, I'll be using pregenerated rogues, but I want to leave a little something for folks to decide on to make the rogue their own. What do you folks think? Should I let players…

Ran City of Fire & Coin for a couple of buddies a few weeks back, then immediately bought core rules.

Ran City of Fire & Coin for a couple of buddies a few weeks back, then immediately bought core rules. Great stuff but lots of new things for me to digest.

Part of my learning process is creating references and play aids, have just finished some tone cards for both overplayer and rogues. Next up we cards for tricks, a play sheet and maybe a character sheet.

Will post it all out to my google drive when complete.

Here's a ritual for the basic game!

Here's a ritual for the basic game!

Often when we're playing games and find ourselves in a spot unaddressed by the rules it is not because of the situation we are currently in, but because of some misunderstanding earlier in our play that sent us off course. It can take a while to notice something's gone awry and even longer to trace our footsteps back to the origin of our misadventure.

The purpose of this ritual is to give us room to make those mistakes and a way to right them once we realize we have. To let the stars guide us back to the path of our game.

The Ritual of the Astrolabe
When you notice that things have gone afoul of the rules and there is no clear path back to your original course, invoke the Ritual of the Astrolabe. The current phase ends immediately without concern for what is left to be done in the tale or at the table. Take a moment to stretch your thews and slake your thirsts. Once all the rogues have gathered again, the Overplayer makes a single Rogue Phase style demand of one of the Rogue Players that will show us how what was left unsaid is now resolved. Then start your new phase and proceed with confidence.

Hello new eidolon!

Hello new eidolon!
https://qissus.deviantart.com/art/Hawke-Tarot-Commission-3-726925499

The Hiding Phase ...

The Hiding Phase ...

I'm currently working on a game that will be a hack of Swords Without Master. I'm developing a new Phase that I present to you here. It's called the Hiding Phase.

My game is about Children, left alone, whose mothers were super-people (with super-powers). Those Children are seek after by numerous people / factions, for different reasons. It's set in late 1800s, early 1900s. With wondrous and strange technology. Think "Les Misérables" meets "X-Men Days of Future Past" / "Harbinger Wars" ...

I wanted to had this element in the game, and a Perilous Phase did not seem right in my mind. So here it is. The translation in english may not be perfect, as it is primarily developed in French.

It uses an additionnal element to the game. A board (a simple one).

Any comments very welcomed. Playtests are coming soon !

If any french reader wants to look at the french version : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tx0P7-nQsk1d5xA-UUfAm2zWXrGhNubJyr_H3IawDDY/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks !

What might these bells be for? Celebration? Summoning? Keeping something out? Keeping something IN?

What might these bells be for? Celebration? Summoning? Keeping something out? Keeping something IN?
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/4Rmn2

Sunday Morning Swords: 4 February 2018

Sunday Morning Swords: 4 February 2018

#SaucyWizardEdition

Good morning!

Here's our organizational thread for #SundayAMSwords. All are welcome regardless of familiarity with the game! 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 folks 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. Folks will probably wait until 9:30 EST to start the last group. If you can't make that, check back in a few hours—sometimes folks gather to play around 9 PST, or noon EST.

Use the hashtag #SundayAMSwords should you desire to chat about your game on the social medias. And bring your breakfast or brunch. Adventurers need their sustenance! And coffee.

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

I'm feeling saucy. Who's up for a #SundayAMSwords this weekend?

The fourth and final session of my January Gauntlet Hangouts.

The fourth and final session of my January Gauntlet Hangouts. Another fun one here. Kyle Hodnett Sidney Icarus Brian Wille
http://fictivefun.com/swords-without-master-echoes-session-4/

Another quick post from last night's game. This was another good one.

Another quick post from last night's game. This was another good one.
Kyle Hodnett Jesse Abelman Alex McManamon


http://fictivefun.com/swords-without-master-echoes-session-3/

Are other people here playing SWM with Rory Story Cubes?

Are other people here playing SWM with Rory Story Cubes?
For now it's really the best ruleset I've found to play with them, because of the latitude SWM gives you for interpretation, since interpreting those dice in terms of Glum/Jovial makes more sense than in terms of Success/Fail. And dice pictures can easily be translated into eidolons or threads for instance.
The other night with three friends we just kickstarted a world to play in, characters and story with just a throw of a few dice.
Anyway, a fitting combo :)

During december, I created numerous Rogues.

During december, I created numerous Rogues. I've already made a bunch for a convention earlier in 2017. All those Rogues are available on my blog, in french.

Here's two I translated for you, fellow english gamers. Hope you'll like them !

Illustrations are from Konstantin Vavilov and Nate Hallinan.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1o91r40tgod7efw/Characters-english.pdf?dl=0

"In the Hell of Jade" is a module for Swords Without Master, in the way of "The Carnival of Dreams" by Stras...

"In the Hell of Jade" is a module for Swords Without Master, in the way of "The Carnival of Dreams" by Stras Acimovic.

In this module, you'll venture in a jungle. Maybe you'll cross path with "the-one-who-wore-a-name", you'll try to escape the Green Emperor assassins, and you could go through the Trilogy.

It uses bits of the Millevaux universe, by Thomas Munier, a french author who writes a dark post-apo forestry horror universe in the public domain.

Free on DTRPG !
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/231190/In-the-Hell-of-Jade

A quick and easy post from our Swords session last night

A quick and easy post from our Swords session last night
http://fictivefun.com/swords-without-master-echoes-session-2/