City in Darkness.pdf

City in Darkness

City In Darkness

The Journeyman Magi RPG

V 0.2

by Dave Michael

Dedicated to Cheryl, my joy.

A Game Chef 2k10 Game

Ingredients:

City

Desert

Edge

Skin

Dave Michael

Theme: A Journey

Congratulations!

You have completed your Apprenticeship and you are now a Journeyman Magi. What does that

mean? Well, first off, you don’t have to go to school anymore. You are a full-fledged Magi. Journeyman

Magi are expected to work with various Master Magi in order to learn new and different techniques. In

this way, you can become a Master yourself. You are expected to train diligently under different

Masters and in different cities so that your technique does not stagnate, or worse your art becomes

inbred.

This RPG is about the mysteries you and your fellow Magi will encounter on your journey to become

a Master. For you live in a magical world and your duty, as a Magi, is to protect those weaker than

yourself. Mostly you are protecting the people from warlocks. Warlocks are Magi who have turned their

eyes away from the light.

Your new found friends in this city are all Magi, and they all learned their craft from various other

schools. The most prominent schools are:

City College of Wizardry

In every city, there is a City College of Wizardry. Usually, they are funded by the Order of the

Magi. But some schools are able to get funding from the Government in more liberal cities. In

these colleges, Magi are taught by engaging each lesson as a mystery that needs to be solved.

Even after graduation, these Magi approach the world around them as a mystery.

deSert University

The original deSert University was founded in Barcelona. They have many satellite campuses

in wealthy suburbs however. People who join these Universities do so in order to make a name

for themselves. Graduates of the deSert University are world-renowned amongst the Order of

the Magi.

Edgemoore School for Enchanters

The orignal Edgemoore School was founded in Las Vegas. This was a place where a school

of magic wouldn’t be given a second thought. Nowadays, this chain of schools have been

established in areas on the outskirts of normal society. Edgemoore has a great tradition of

Fellowship and graduates can always count on each other for aid, should the need arise.

Hopskins Academy of Sorcery

These have been established in almost every inner city. Admission is free and no applicant is

turned away for any reason including the color of their skin, financial ability, gender, sexual

orientation or family history. In order to motivate the students, professors are encouraged to

come up with methods to encourage competition in their teachings. Hopskins graduates

typically embrace this spirit of competition and rise to any and every challenge presented to

them.

Just remember, no matter what, we have to protect those weaker than ourselves and we must follow

the Code of the Magi. There are hundreds of laws that make up the Code of the Magi, the principal

laws are:

Code of the Magi

● A Magi must make themselves worthy of their art

● A Magi must not end a life

● A Magi must not take what is not given

● A Magi must fulfill their parents' duties

● A Magi must raise their children to follow the Code of the Magi

● A Magi must honor and support their parents, spouse, relatives, teachers, friends and

associates

● A Magi must safeguard their students from all dangers

● A Magi must not abandon those in trouble

● A Magi must be charitable

● A Magi must be impartial

● A Magi must abstain from divisive speech

● A Magi must not associate with evil companions

● A Magi must abstain from carousing, gambling, wine, liquor and intoxicants that cause

heedlessness

● A Magi must not be idle

Those who break our most sacred laws are called witch or warlock and must be brought back to the

light. If necessary, we may even need to find a way to prevent the warlock from being able to work

magic anymore. Further, the acts of the warlock need to be rectified by a Magi of the Order.

Still, this is secondary to our role of protecting those weaker than ourselves.

How To Play

Below is a simple overview of play, the full details follow:

1. Players pick a city where the game will start.

2. Players will decide who the Director is. This player will not have their own Character, but will

get to play Rivals and other Non-Player Characters.

3. The rest of the players will make Player Characters

4. All of the players (including the Director) will make Rivals, these are Characters that have a

goal that is the same or the opposite of the Player Characters’ Goals.

5. Clue Points are put in the Mystery Pool. And dominoes are drawn.

6. The Director sets a Discovery scene so that the players can get a clue

7. Players will take turns setting scenes.

8. Players can guess who the Warlock is by bidding one Clue Point This is a Trick called

Clairvoyance, they can perform other Tricks as well).

9. Once the Mystery Pool is empty, the warlock is revealed and the players must work to

overcome them.

10. The player that finally overcomes the warlock, gets to narrate the ending.

Glossary

Ability - This is a Player Character’s natural ability to succeed at what they do.

Accomplishment Scene - This is a Scene in which at least one Player Character tries to accomplish

their Goal.

Assigned Clue Points - These are Clue Points assigned to a Player Character or Rival. These are

done through the Challenge System or by trying to Overcome a warlock.

Bid Clue Points - These are Clue Points spent performing the Clairvoyance Trick. They go with the

Rival indicated by the player. But should be kept separate from the Assigned clue Points. Player

Characters should never have these.

Caution Ability - This is a Player Character’s natural Ability to protect themselves from the

unexpected.

Caution side - This is the side of the domino that the player wants assigned to Caution.

Challenge - Anytime two Characters want something different they are Challenging each other. The

Director will always play one side of a Challenge.

Character - This is any fictional entity in this Adventure.

Clue Point - These are used to pace the Mystery, activate Tricks, and allows the players more control

over the Adventure.

City - This does not have to be a big city, but it does have to be a community large enough to support

a Master Magi.

Code of the Magi - This is a list of precepts that a Magi must not deviate from. there are over 300

known to apply to Journeyman Magi, over 600 for Master Magi.

Discovery Scene - This is a Scene set by a Player that is focused on unravelling the Mystery or

uncovering the warlock.

Domino side - Every domino has two numbers. Each number is called a side.

Friendship Scene - These Scene includes two or more Player characters. the point of the Scene is

to either build up or break down the relationship.

Goal - This is the one thing that a character is trying to accomplish.

Hand - This is a number of dominoes held by one player. It should never exceed the character’s

Caution Ability.

Journeyman Magi - This is a Magi who has graduated from a school of magic, but has not yet been

confirmed as a Master Magi.

Magi - Anyone who can work magic and is a member of the Order of the Magi.

Master Magi - A Magi who has graduated from a school of magic and has mastered many different

kinds of magic through the Journeyman system.

Mystery - This is something that a warlock is doing. the actions may be know, but who is doing it and

why are, as yet, unknown.

Mystery Pool - This is a pool of Clue Points that represent clues that have not yet been discovered.

Mystery Scene - This is a Scene set by the Director. In it the effects of the warlocks actions are first

witnessed. Since no one, not even the Director, knows who the warlock is yet, this should not yet be

apparent.

Narrates - This is telling the story of the adventure. When the game gives a player permission to

narrate the outcome, this means that that player can temporarily describe how other Player

Characters, Rivals and/or Non-Player Characters act and react to the situation.

Non-Player Character - Some times called NPCs. These are any characters that are not Player

Characters or rivals.

Overcome - This is any effort to solve the mystery, reveal the warlock or bring them to justice.

Player - Anyone playing this game, including the Director.

Player Character - A character belonging to a player other than the director.

Resourcefulness Ability - This is a Player Character’s natural Ability to adapt to the situation in

unexpected ways.

Resourcefulness side - This is the side of the domino that the player wants assigned to

Resourcefulness.

Rival - This is a character portrayed by the Director.

Rivalry Scene - This is a Scene with at least one Player Character and one Rival. The point of these

Scenes is to explore the Rivalry between a Player Character and a Rival.

Scene - Any encounter between Player Characters, Rivals and Non-Player Characters.

School of magic - Any organized institution that teaches young Magi their art.

Sides (of a Challenge) - A Challenge happens when there are at least two desired outcomes. The

Challenge needs to be between two sides.

Token - This can be anything, glass beads, coins, poker chips, dice, even snacks like pretzels or jelly

beans.,

Trick - this is magic performed by Magi, they can and will change the course of the Adventure.

Unused dominoes - There should always be a pile of unused dominoes in reach of all the players.

dominoes that are used, go back into that pile.

Warlock - This is a Magi who has broken the code of the Magi and committed an unspeakable act

against those weaker than themselves.

How To Pick A City

Try not to over think it or dwell on this for too long. Find a city that all the Magi Player Characters

would visit in order to learn a new kind of Magic. For me, the best kind of city is one that everyone

knows a little something about.

Once everyone agrees, you can pick the Director.

How To Pick A Director

One player needs to be the Director. This is the player who will describe how the city reacts to the

Magi’s adventures. They keep the other players on the edges of their seats. They even jump into the

skin of the NPCs and play them as if they are their own characters. The person most enthusiastic to

be the director should probably be it. Although the person that hasn’t seen a movie with magic in it for

the longest period of time would be a good choice too.

Creating a Player Character

Player Characters are a collection of important information that are used to play City in Darkness. try

to come up with interesting answers to the following:

● Name - This can be anything, even a nickname.

● School - This should be one of the four popular schools, you can include which of the

school’s various campuses you graduated from if you have one in mind.

a. City College of Wizards

b. deSert University

c. Edgemoore School for Enchanters

d. Hopskins Academy of Sorcery

● Resourcefulness - Choose a Resourcefulness Ability between 1 and 5,

● Caution - The Caution Ability is automatically set to a value equal to 6 minus the Player

Character’s Resourcefulness Ability.

● Which Player Character do you know? - During your travels you met at least one of the

Player Characters, who was it?

● How do you know that Player Character? - So, you know another Player Character, how

do you know them and how well do you get along?

● Speciality - What type of magic is your Magi best at.

● Quirk - What is the one thing that your character says or does that makes them so

memorable?

● Admirable Quality - What is the one thing that your friends, family or teachers admire most

about your Player Character?

● Annoying Quality - What is the one thing your character says or does that annoys the

people around them?

● Goal - What is the one thing your Magi wants to accomplish in life?

● Magic Item - Your character uses an item to focus their magic, what is it?

● Trick - All Magi can perform these Tricks, but they must spend a Clue Point to activate them.

However, your Magi knows how to do one of these tricks without spending a Clue Point.

● Aid - Perform any other Trick for another Player

● Binding - Switch the Caution side of the warlock’s domino with your

Resourcefulness Ability

● Charm - Switch the Resourcefulness side of the warlock’s domino with your

Resourcefulness Ability

● Clairvoyance - Bid on which Rival is the Warlock.

● Flight - Switch the sides of your domino

● Hex - Add one to the Resourcefulness side of the warlock’s domino, subtract one

from the Caution side of the warlock’s domino

● Illusion - Switch the Resourcefulness side of your domino with your

Resourcefulness Ability

● Invisibility - Add one to the Resourcefulness side of your domino, subtract one from

the Caution side of your domino

● Jinx - Add one to the Caution side of the warlock’s domino, subtract one from the

Resourcefulness side of the warlock’s domino

● Mending - Add one to the Caution side of your domino, subtract one from the

Resourcefulness side of your domino

● Mesmerize - Switch the Resourcefulness side of the warlock’s domino with your

Caution Ability

● Scry - Establish Facts about the Story.

● Shapeshifting - Switch the Caution side of your domino with your Resourcefulness

Ability

● Shield - Switch the Caution side of your domino with your Caution Ability

● Stun - Switch the Caution side of the warlock’s domino with your Caution Ability

● Telekinesis - Switch the sides of warlock’s domino

● Teleport - Discard all your dominoes and draw the same number to replace them.

● Transmutation - Hold an extra domino in your hand

● Ward - Switch the Resourcefulness side of your domino with your Caution Ability

● Werelight - Create a Law for the Code of the Magi that is in affect at least during this

Mystery.

Creating a Rival

Rivals are simple to make. Just include the following information:

● Name - This can be anything, even a nickname.

● School - What school of magic did the Rival graduate from? This should be one of the four

popular schools, you can include which location they graduated from if you want.

e. City College of Wizards

f. deSert University

g. Edgemoore School for Enchanters

h. Hopskins Academy of Sorcery

● Which Player Character do they know? - During their travels they met at least one of the

Player Characters, who was it?

● How do they know that Player Character? - So, they know another Player Character, how

do they know them and how well do they get along?

● Speciality - What kind of magic is the Rival best at.

● Quirk - What is the one thing that the Rival says or does that makes them stand out?

● Admirable Quality - What is the one thing that their friends, family or teachers admire most

about the Rival?

● Annoying Quality - What is the one thing the Rival says or does that annoys the people

around them?

● Goal - What is the one thing the Rival wants to accomplish in life?

● Magic Item - The Rival uses an item to focus their magic, what is it?

Director Sets Up

Dominoes are placed in an area between the players. Each player (except for the Director) draws a

number of dominoes equal to their Player Character’s Resourcefulness. Players cannot draw more

dominoes, unless they have none remaining in their hand.

Your group will need some kind of Tokens (City in Darkness calls them Clue Points). You can use

pennies, poker chips, or even glass beads. You will need a number equal to the Player Characters’

Caution Abilities combined plus the number of players (including the Director), These Clue Points will

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