Eustace & Hitomi and the Case of the Rambler's Inn, Intermission #1: A (slightly) New Model for Mythic Threads, Characters, and Features

 


Intermission #1: A (slightly) New Model for Mythic Threads, Characters, and Features


Doug Has a Problem

I have a problem, Space Pilgrims.

Specifically, I have a problem with Mythic's Characters and Threads lists. I overload the heck out of them. The Threads lists ends up with the actual threads but also character motivations and some events going on, many which do not get resolved in a session or two and so stick like barnacles. Likewise, the Characters list includes the main NPCs but also random folks, some objects, some places, maybe more events if the event feels to me to be more like a person than a happening.

Many characters from the Characters list ends up with their own partial thread.

This is a way to play and it has worked well for me in the past but it means that sometimes things get so overwrought that any attempt to generate a likely character or to figure out a likely thread may or may not generate anything usable since said character or thread might have nothing possible to relate to the current scene.

The first thing I have been trying to change is to keep the Threads list a bit tighter and keep the Characters list a bit more contained. This sometimes causes a few problems where I have to rebuild the lists from scratch semi-often when a thread or character comes up again. It also loses some of the side-story developments I like in my games.

Thus, I am going to use the Eustace & Hitomi series to try out a slightly new model for tracking my Mythic lists. A bit of a guinea pig if you will. The idea is to take advantage of my new taxonomy to generate lists on an arc level while still building the campaign and world levels.

This is not really new in the least and there are several prior versions of this both by Tana Pigeon and other Mythicists. I just wanted a version that fit how I was making my campaign.

First, See The Example

Here is the full list of Threads, Characters, and Features for Eustace & Hitomi and the Case of the Rambler's Inn as of Chapter 9 [which, by the time this is posted, is still forthcoming].

It has some very minor spoilers about a couple of characters (Milly, the Meyers) but nothing that really should wreck anything. It was easier to show the forward than to try and delete back to the past.

Note, I did add some emojis to threads and characters to try and show which are related. It helps me to see which characters are at the center of the most threads when making some decisions.

Now, The Breakdown

Now to explain what is different about it.

Focus Threads & Focus Characters

The first page of that document has what I am calling the Arc lists. Arc Threads are basically the threads important to the given arc. Arc Characters are likewise characters important to the given arc. These are threads and characters that have some impact on the story not including the main or supporting characters that I play.

These two lists are, for all intents and purposes, identical to your core lists for most Mythic games.

The idea (for me) is try and get my thread count down. Character count is boom big. It's how I literally roll.

Campaign Features Lists

Following that, there are three pages of six Campaign Features lists.

  1. Features: People has the various characters, factions, and so forth that add to the world and might show up in a scene or so but which are not directly related to the plot. If the characters become part of the main plot, they might shift into Arc Characters (and vice versa).
  2. Features: Places is for locations where the story tends to take place, both during the arc and previously established in the campaign world.
  3. Features: Events is for ongoing events in the world that are changing the world over time.
  4. Features: Artifacts is for objects (some maybe not so tangible and possibly like boons or agreements) that exist in the world and can have some impact or act as background information.
  5. Features: Themes is a little bit fuzzy but is effectively a list of semi-threads that are impacting the game world and the characters but are not of the level of Arc Threads. At various times, some might shift between Arc Threads and Feature Themes.
  6. Features: Sparks is a collection of words related to common ideas, frequent oracle results, and likewise. These can be rolled on to generate an idea or element of a scene.

Some Campaign Features might be empty (especially at the start) or have very few entries. That is ok. It is an organic approach.

Much like the Arc lists, the Campaign Features lists are limited to 25 elements each. If a 26th+ element shows up, it should be swapped out with a previous one.

Much like with Threads in Mythic, you can diversify any of these elements if it suits your gameplay style. Elements can also appear on multiple lists in various ways. A game in which there is a search for a magic orb going on in the background might include "Hunting for the orb" and "The Orb" and "Orbhunters" all on their respective lists.

Using These in Play

Each of the Campaign Features list is numbered between 1 and 6. If inspiration is needed for content of a scene, session, or otherwise a 1d6 roll can be made 2-3 times and then the appropriate table rolled upon.

If you have very few items (less than 5 or less than 10 depending on how much background flavor you like, I like a lot) then perhaps roll as if you had 5 or 10 and getting an empty blank is a prompt to add something new. I am going to use this approach.

Arc Threads vs Campaign Features: Themes

There is some degree of choice whenever you get any kind of Random Event or otherwise want to test against a thread. You can just choose outright which list to roll on.

If you prefer some degree of randomness, you can roll 1d10 and take it as { 1-7 = Arc Thread | 8-10 = Feature Theme }. That should be good for most tests where you are maintaining focus on the arc. However, if you want something a bit more background or more personal, you can invert the odds: { 1-3 = Arc Thread | 4-10 = Feature Theme }. It's a completely sliding gradient so you can adjust however you need (1:6, 17+:20, etc).

Arc Characters vs Campaign Features: Persons

Identical to above, essentially.

Sparks

Sparks are a little bit different in that they are added in a similar way but can be used to flavor just about anything. The prime use of them is take certain keywords and key one-word concepts — a mix of actions, descriptions, nouns, and whatever — and use them like seasoning. Need a concept for a scene? Roll 2! Need a reason why a character might have done something? Roll 1 or 2! Since they are focused on what the arc and campaign focuses on, this means most should fit somehow to expectations.

If you have a two or three word phrase, try to split it up into single words. For instance, Family Troubles would be Family and Troubles. Secret Doors would be Secrets and Doors. That kind of thing.

This is an informal list, so sometimes you get words that are very close together: for instance, something like Hidden, Secret, Stealth, etc. That is ok. That means that clusster of sparks is a big part of your campaign.

Speaking of...When to Add One

That is a little tricky. There is a kind of irony here. The Campaign Features are meant to be "less" impactful on the current arc but also have a potentially larger chance to stick around after the arc and be absorbed into the campaign.

My golden rule on this was if something showed up two or three times to keep it for a bit at least and re-evaluate later. If it showed up just once but was something fun to me, go ahead and keep it. If it shows up a bunch of times (for right now we'll define bunch as more than five times), then lock it down. Otherwise, maybe it fades off when something else shows up to replace it.

Now to Try It Out

I already had the Sparks in place when I started the test and those worked well enough I wanted to expand it out some.

I'll figure out if this really works for me or if I need to just scrap it and let my lists grow a bit overloaded.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sinister Semester X: Leftfield Takes another Bad Turn

Expanding my Tricubes Tales Solo Card-Based Oracles and Adding Several Framework Rules (July 14, 2024 Edition)

Eustace & Hitomi, Chapter 5: In which drunken nights, hungover mornings, and various mistakes occur before our two lovers meet again [Tricubes + Mythic]