Chronicles of Skin.pdf

sebastian hickey presents

CHRONICLES OF SKIN | by sebastian hickey

CHRONICLES OF SKIN

A PICTOGRAPHIC STORY GAME

CHRONICLES OF SKIN is a collaborative storytelling

game about people at war. Through a series of atrocities,

players build a picture of the war as told by the victors, and

record it with drawings, called GLYPHS , on a hieroglyphic

mural called the SKIN .

THE CITY OF SERIPHIN

Most of the game takes place in the area surrounding the

City of Seriphin ; a ictional medieval fortress-city populated

by two ictional peoples—or cultures—called the Croen

and the Iho . Collaborating, you and your friends will build

up a picture of these places and cultures during play.

First, get these things:

E mblEm P hasE 1: a sPEct

One player takes a random card from the clubs ( ♣ ) deck.

Using the number on the card, the player checks the result

on the chart above. The artist draws the corresponding

symbol on the Croen emblem on the CHRONICLE SHEET .

Three to ive co-operative players.

One deck of standard playing cards.

One copy of the CHRONICLE SHEET and one copy

of the PLAYER SHEET (per player) at the back of

this book.

A pencil, an eraser and around three hours.

Now, interpreting that symbol, the player who took the

card should invent an Aspect (an outlook or vocation—see

the sidebar) to describe the Croen culture. The artist then

writes this Aspect in the space marked by the ♣ symbol

below the Croen emblem.

PART 1: THE EMBLEMS

One of the great lags burned, and the people were no more.

a sPEct ?

An Aspect should be short and evocative. For example, if

you got the serpent symbol, you might choose any of the

following for the Aspect: “cunning,” “poisonous,” “quick,”

“sensual,” “wild,” “snake charmers,” “cultists” or “scaled

people.” Let the image inspire you!

First, players generate an emblem for each of the two

warring cultures. Standard playing cards are used to

determine each emblem’s components (you will scribble

these onto the CHRONICLE SHEET ) and then each

component (called a TRAIT ) is interpreted.

To begin, separate the deck of cards into the four suits ( ♣ ,

♦ , ♥ and ♠ ). Give the CHRONICLE SHEET to the most

enthusiastic artist among the players—but don’t worry if

no one is good at drawing! It’s mostly copying.

For example, let’s say Jason,

Roger, Eoin and Daniel

are playing a game of

CHRONICLES OF SKIN .

The cards are sorted into

the four suits and Jason

is elected the artist. Jason

takes the irst card, a 7♣,

indicating the ish symbol. Jason draws this symbol onto

the Croen emblem and Jason interprets this Aspect to

mean “seafarers.” Jason writes “seafarers” below the Croen

emblem in the space marked by the ♣ symbol.

Shule each of the four suit decks. Setup is handled in

seven phases …

Lots of the fun comes from building an illustrative story of

your game by copying icons. But don’t feel constrained to

the icons presented in this book. The best SKINS will be

illed with your own freestyle elements. Be creative!

Part 1: the emblemS

E mblEm P hasE 2: b EliEf

The next clockwise player around the table takes a card

from the hearts ( ♥ ) deck to determine the Belief. The artist

draws the corresponding symbol on the Croen emblem

and the player who took the card, interpreting the symbol,

invents a Belief for the Croen culture (see below), writing

it beside the ♥ symbol below the emblem.

E mblEm P hasE 3: R ulE

The next clockwise player around the table takes a card

from the diamonds ( ♦ ) deck to determine the Rule, and,

in the same fashion as the others, the Rule is interpreted

and recorded below the emblem (see below).

R ulE ?

Each symbol has an inluence—the part of society that

rule afects. Using this, invent a law or a basic right:

Law —something is forbidden to some/all people

Right —something is permitted to some/all people

You may indicate whether it is permanent or temporal. For

example, if you got the sickle symbol, you might choose:

“Women are forbidden to work,” “Everyone has the right

to work in winter,” or “Workers may not look at leaders.”

b EliEf ?

A doom, superstition or prophecy: Someone or

something brings evil or good . E.g. Destruction,

corruption, slavery, paradise, fortune or immortality. For

example, if you got the star symbol, you might choose any

of the following for the Belief: “Night brings corruption,”

“The Star Will Save Us,” “Shiny things are bad luck,” or “The

Astronomer Will Guide Us To Slavery.”

Continuing the example,

Roger takes the second

card, an 8♥, indicating the

lower. Jason draws this

onto the Croen emblem and

then Roger interprets it as a

Belief. Flowers make Roger

think of beauty and youth,

so he decides to include the

superstition that “poppies hold the secret to youth.” Jason

writes “poppies hold the secret to youth” below the Croen

emblem in the space marked by the ♥ symbol.

Continuing the example,

Eoin takes the third card,

a 2♦, indicating the arrow,

or “hunting.” Jason draws

the arrow onto the Croen

emblem and then Eoin

interprets the Rule. Since

they are seafarers, he thinks

it would be interesting if

every sailor must hunt a deadly animal before he could

join the navy. Jason writes, “Sailors must hunt sharks”

below the Croen emblem in the space marked by the ♦

symbol.

CHRONICLES OF SKIN | by sebastian hickey

Continuing the example,

the players end up with a

dragon, lame, crown and

thorns on the Iho emblem.

These are interpreted as

“mystics,” “passion brings

glory,” “men are forbidden

to rule,” and “vengeful” and

these TRAITS are written in the relevant spaces below

the Iho emblem.

E mblEm P hasE 6: l ocation i cons

Once both emblems are complete, players must draw

freestyle icons onto the area marked SKIN : Each player

draws one icon on the SKIN to represent a location. Keep

the icons small and leave enough room around each icon

so that other stuf can be added later.

l ocations & D ooDling

It is time to doodle. Each player draws a small icon to

represent the location. These are used later to interpret

where the scenes take place . You could draw a little house

or a squiggly line. Please don’t get bogged down in detail!

The aim is to produce a pictogram, not an illustration. The

simpler the better .

E mblEm P hasE 4: R EPutE

Finally, the next clockwise player draws a card from the

spades ( ♠ ) deck to determine the Repute, and, in the

same fashion as the others, the Repute is interpreted and

recorded below the emblem (see below).

Continuing the example, each of the four players must

add a location icon to the SKIN , starting with the artist.

Jason opts for a tall tower, Roger draws a river, Eoin

chooses a boat and Daniel draws a mountain.

R EPutE ?

The Repute is like the Aspect, short and evocative (and

often acerbic). It represents how other peoples look at the

culture. For example, if you got the tree symbols, you might

choose any of the following: “wooden,” “primal,” “builders,”

“hermits,” “tree people,” “woodsmen,” or “beavers.”

Continuing the example,

Daniel takes the fourth

card, a 5♠, indicating the

pointed border symbol.

Jason draws this onto the

Croen emblem and then

Daniel interprets it to

mean “sharp.” Jason writes

“sharp” in the space marked by the ♠ symbol.

E mblEm P hasE 5: W ho WERE thE I ho ?

Once you’ve added the last TRAIT , you have completed

the Croen emblem. This process of picking symbols and

their subsequent interpretation must now be repeated

for the Iho people— repeat steps 1-4 . E.g. The next

clockwise player draws a random card from the clubs

deck for the Iho Aspect, etc.

E mblEm P hasE 7: V otEs

Each player starts with three VOTES (noted on the

PLAYER SHEET ). VOTES are used at the end of the game

to determine which of the two cultures win the war, but

they are also used during play to protect or attack the

characters of the story. For now, know that they are a kind

of currency used to afect the story of the war.

Part 2: SCeneS.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

Play takes place over a number of scenes (see below) equal

to the number of players. During a scene, the players

introduce characters from one side of the war, pushing

for particular themes. One player, called the ENEMY ,

foreshadows a great atrocity. A battle is fought, some of

the characters escape the slaughter, and the results are

recorded on the CHRONICLE SHEET in the area marked

“ SKIN .” So, through the game, a history is recorded like

a pictogram. After all the scenes are complete, the players

use their VOTES to decide which of the two cultures are

the eventual victors.

PART 2: SCENES .

Continuing the example, Jason is the SCRIBE , Daniel is

the ENEMY and Roger and Eoin are OTHERS . Jason

chooses the People as his GLYPH OF PURPOSE , Roger

chooses the Heart and Eoin chooses the Crown.

s cEnE P hasE 2: D Eal

Starting with the SCRIBE , deal each non- ENEMY player a

card face-up, called a character card, and deal the ENEMY

a card facedown, called the GLYPH OF WAR (only the

ENEMY may look at this card). Any player may swap

his card for another by spending a VOTE .

A scene is a piece of storytelling in which players narrate

how characters from one side of the war are afected by a

violent ambush. Players will introduce characters, describe

the actions of these characters, and try to help them to

resolve their purposes before the atrocity begins. In every

scene, there is a SCRIBE and an ENEMY .

The artist player goes irst (that guy who’s been hogging

the pencil), and that player is called the SCRIBE for this

scene. The guy to his left is his ENEMY and the other

players are OTHERS . Shule all of the cards together and

go through each of the following six phases in turn:

s cEnE P hasE 1: g lyPh of P uRPosE

Starting with the SCRIBE , each player (excluding the

ENEMY ) picks a GLYPH OF PURPOSE .

g lyPh of P uRPosE

Every non- ENEMY player has a GLYPH OF PURPOSE .

Think of it like a theme . You will have the opportunity to

steer the scene toward this GLYPH OF PURPOSE by

inluencing the actions of the characters. When a scene

is complete, all the players will decide which GLYPH OF

PURPOSE was represented most successfully, earning the

corresponding player extra Votes. It is in your best interest

to choose a GLYPH that you think you can represent well.

Players must pick from the list below. The same GLYPH

cannot be chosen twice in one scene. The GLYPHS are

intentionally vague, so interpret them as you see it.

Crown : Fame or Proit  The rise or fall of power.

People : Peace or alliance  The unity of people.

Shield : rescue or Protect  The sacriice for others.

Swords : Duel or Destroy  Of honour and revenge.

Heart : romance or betrayal  The bitterness of love.

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: