A game played using an experimental homebrew system to run the first scenario of the Planarch Codex: Wintry Plane. This post is published under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 licence.
Character Creation
Draw from a tarot deck, one card per ability. Take the value as the score and calculate the modifier (using the Immortal rules).
The Freebooter
Strength: 5 of Disks (Worry) [-2] Filled with doubt about their physical prowess.
Dexterity: Queen of Wands (counts as 13) [+1] Favours bold/flashy actions.
Constitution: 8 of Wands (Swiftness) [-1] Prone to minor illness, quickly recovered from.
Intelligence: 18 The Moon [+3] Genius bordering on madness.
Wisdom: 5 The Hierophant [-2] Frequently opposes authority, heedless of the risk.
Charisma: 8 of Cups (Indolence) [-1] Easily led astray by vice.
Gameplay
When a check is required, draw a card from the deck and apply the relevant modifier to the value.
- Minor arcana: 10+ succeeds with a bonus, 7-9 standard success, 6- success at a cost.
- Major arcana: No progress, but the card drawn informs the nature of the insight the character gains.
If the card drawn matches the ability used, the check automatically succeeds and the character marks XP.
The Scenario
Background: Prince of Swords.
Inspiration: 6 of Swords (Science).
Opposition: Queen of Swords.
Goal: Ace of Swords.
Overview: A scholar motivated by pure knowledge seeks to make a discovery, opposed by someone with additional knowledge that they seek to guard against discovery.
Celeste Thornheart arrives at Sultana's Crossing just before the train to Svernaria departs the station. She wraps her thick fur coat about herself, both to shield herself from the cold and to conceal herself from her mark. Esmerela Lucca, a disgraced nun going into exile in a distant convent, emerges from the waiting room and crosses the platform to board the train, Celeste weaves through the crowd, hoping to discretely board in the same carriage - without being seen by Esmerela.
Dexterity Check: Ace of Swords [1] + Dexterity [+1] = 2.
The crowds are heavy and bustling, and Celeste is not skilled at discretion. She slips on a patch of ice and collides with a porter, scattering cases and boxes into the crowd, who in turn react angrily. Esmerela mabye doesn't pick Celeste out of the crowd as the instigator, but is certainly aware that an altercation happened. As she settles into her seat, her shawl folded neatly on her lap, she glances out the window and sees Celeste emerge from the fracas and haul herself onto the train. The whistle blows and the train slowly drags itself free from the station's confines, the journey across the great plane of winter has begun.
Aboard the train and with her composure only slightly disturbed, Celeste spots Esmerela and makes a mental note of her seat before slipping into the next carriage to collect herself. As luck would have it, the carriage is the bar, and Celeste nods demurely to the bartender who pours her a tumblr of schnapps over ice. Celeste slides into a seat at the bar and takes a moment to appreciate the cracking sound of the ice, the delicate scent of the lavender in the drink, and the warmth as it makes its way down her throat. The bartender offers her another...
Charisma Check: 16 The Tower.
The tall, dark bottle stands temptingly on the bar, within easy reach, Celeste knows she must keep a clear head but is tempted nonetheless. She considers her options and decides that excess is a path to ruin, and that ruin is a pleasure best kept for when she's not on assignment. She declines politely and, seeing no further reason to linger, decides to seek out a seat in Esmerela's carriage. Technically Celeste neglected to buy a ticket for this train, so she keeps an eye out for empty seats as well as lone travellers she might be able to acquire a ticket from. Her furs are still heavy on her, but will help obscure her movements if needed.
Wisdom Check: 9 The Hermit.
Celeste spies a mature gentleman, thin wire spectacles perched on his aquiline nose, engrossed in a small tome in his lap. Celeste, shrugs her furs off her shoulders, revealing her off-the-shoulder dress and long auburn tresses, before gliding into the empty seat beside the gentleman. Feigning catching her breath she apologises for the disturbance and places a hand on his arm as she attempts to draw his eyes to her own.
Charisma Check: Prince of Cups [12] + Charisma [-1] = 11.
The gentleman is captivated by the arrival of this captivating woman, he slides his ticket into his book to keep his place, and then places it on the small table in front of him. Celeste catches this with her peripheral vision and makes a show of positioning her furs while spinning a tale of the events that led her here. The gentleman is so taken with the story he fails to spot Celeste reaching a hand beneath her furs to grasp the ticket.
Dexterity Check: 2 of Swords [2] + Dexterity [+1] = 3.
As she slips the ticket from between the pages the train lurches and book falls to the floor. The spell is broken and the gentleman looks away from Celeste, fumbling on the floor between them for his dropped book. Several other passengers are complaining about the unsteady journey allowing Celeste the chance to slip from her seat on the pretence of helping an elderly lady across the aisle. She knows that it's only a matter of time before the gentleman notices his ticket is missing and Celeste can't risk being in the same carriage when he does. She glides along the aisle, passing Esmerela who is adjusting her hat, and returns to the bar.
Celeste takes a seat at one of the small tables and decides to pass the time by ordering a brief repaste. Esmerela won't be disembarking any time soon, so Celeste can be patient. She gazes out of the window at the unforgiving expanse of tundra speeding past the window, ruefully wishing she'd brought her furs with her, until a bowl of spicy soup and a thick hunk of bread is set before her by the attentive waiting staff.
As she daintly dines on the warming meal, she habitually eavesdrops on the conversations of the other passengers in the carriage. Much is dismissed as inconsequential, but a whispered exchange at the bar catches her ear. While reaching for the salt, she glances up to a pair of men at the bar, clearly a pair of street toughs uncomfortable in the expensive suits their patron has outfitted them with. She notes the bulge of a dagger in the closest one's jacket. They are having a heated debate on the nature of their job and the value of patience; the older of the two reminding the younger that there is plenty of time and that striking too early will only put them at risk. Better to wait until the passengers are comfortable and inattentive before making their move. Celeste takes in the conversation and their appearance, trying to deduce a likely motivation and perhaps even target.
Intelligence Check: 3 of Disks (Works) + Intelligence [+3] = 6.
The pieces of the puzzle refuse to take a cohesive shape, but Celeste is nonetheless confident that these two mean harm to someone on the train, no doubt having been hired by a wealthy patron. This patron could be someone who has the wealth to hire more than one set of agents, so Celeste knows to remain on guard against such eventualities. She also knows these men are armed and more than capable of using their concealed weapons, so Celeste must avoid direct confrontation.
[I'm pausing this one here. I think that the basic concept is there; I like drawing and interpreting cards, but I'm thinkin that it maybe skews quite low, or at least has so far. I think that it needs some reworking, but has definitely inspired some other tarot-based game ideas.]