Tavern Tales Smooth

High-Powered, Classless Fantasy RPG

Based on Tavern Tales: CC-BY-SA by Dabney Bailey

Primary Contributors: Plexsoup, VerbalFlourish, Pseu, MrSnout,
Almechik
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Tavern_Tales/
Discord: https://discord.gg/36ckNh8

Read on for the players guide and gamemastering guide.

● Appendix A: Traits List

● Appendix B: Directors’ Commentary

*TODO Commented [1]: update the gear/equipment section to

explain that weapons are flavour and you don't need
one if you want to play a monk.
Commented [2]: There's no trait for gathering a bunch
of cheap minions at once. They're mostly focused on a
single good minion.
Commented [3]: Command could use a few more
Exploration traits: designate scout, trailblazer, etc,
something about having/getting a map, expanding
empire borders? something about resources, like the
old Settlement trait?
Commented [4]: _Marked as resolved_
Commented [5]: _Re-opened_
TAVERN TALES

Commented [6]: lose a resource or item isn't listed in

the narrative bad tale options. Maybe that's covered
under action backfires?
Commented [7]: Add some narrative options:

* Make progress towards your goal

* Deal harm directly to opponents
Commented [8]: Consider making "mark a box"
automatic.

notes Commented [9]: Take a shortcut isn't listed on the

good tale options
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Artwork by VerbalFlourish. http://vf-portfolio.tumblr.com/

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Player’s Guide

Getting Started
Tavern Tales is a fantasy-themed tabletop roleplaying game (RPG) that
invites players to take on the roles of powerful heroes who fight
dangerous monsters, explore exotic locations, and interact with
amazing characters. RPGs have no winning condition. Players don’t win
or lose - they simply make decisions and see where the adventure
takes them. An RPG is a collaborative story where everyone affects the
outcome, guided by the results of dice-rolls.

Tavern Tales is played across one or more sessions which typically last
several hours. Past that, it’s up to your gaming group to determine the
scope of your game. Tavern Tales supports one-shot, single session
games just as well as it supports long-form campaigns which last
months or years.

Before you Start

You’ll need a few friends, some way to take notes, and three twenty-
sided (d20) dice. Roll20.net has a Tavern Tales character sheet
designed to facilitate note-keeping and dice-rolling. Discord.gg is an
excellent way to communicate with friends over long distances.

Make Tavern Tales Your Own

Tavern Tales is designed to be malleable. Look at the various systems
and subsystems in TT-CC-Smooth and TT-CC-Crunchy and mix and
match to fit your playstyle. Ignore rules you don’t like, introduce new
rules, tweak default values. It’s your game.

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Work Together
You’ll see the word “Collaborate” a lot. It means: “Work with your
group to decide…”.

Many traits require collaboration to determine exactly how they work

in your world and how powerful they should be in your game.

The end result is, you get a game that suits your particular power-level
and style.

The GM and the Players

One of you plays as the Gamemaster (GM). The GM facilitates the
game, sets up situations for the characters to react to, establishes
challenges and acts the part of all non-player characters (NPCs).

Every other player will create their own player character (PC) that they
will use during the game.

In Tavern Tales, players have more creative authority than in most

RPGs. When a player gets a bad result on the dice (a bad tale), they get
to decide exactly what happens, including the introduction of new
threats.

The rule of Cheese and Infinite Loops

It’s up to the group to curb gamebreaking behaviour and loophole
exploitation. This is especially clear when someone chooses the same
bad tale option over and over again, or if they pursue repetitive
behaviour which exploits trait combinations.

At any time, the group may call “Cheese” and ask the offender to
change their action.

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Character Creation

Come up With a Concept

Tavern Tales accommodates virtually any character concept
imaginable.

You might play as a something truly unique, or you might choose a

standard fantasy archetype.

Example Character Concepts

● minotaur earth-shaman ● brawny tax collector

● stealthy halfling ● mind-altering cat

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● sentient swarm of bees ● sturdy dwarven fighter

● agile archer

Spend XP on Traits
By default, all Characters start with 5 experience points (XP). These can
be spent to purchase Traits.

There are 3 broad categories of traits; Combat, Interaction, Exploration.

The XP cost for a new trait is equal to the number of traits you will
have in that particular category.

For example:

Steve is building a character, starting with 5 XP.

He buys two combat traits, for a cost of 1 and 2 XP.

Then he buys one exploration trait, for a cost of 1 XP.

He has 1 XP remaining, which he saves for later so he can add a

third combat trait for 3 XP.

Choose your traits from: Appendix A: Trait List

Reskinning Traits
If a trait describes an ability you like, but the Theme doesn’t match the
idea you had your character, feel free to “reskin” it to look and feel the
way you want.

See Interpreting Traits at the end of the Trait List for more information.

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Formatted: Font: Bold

Assign Attributes
Assign the values: 3, 2, 1, -1 to your attributes (Brawn, Mind, Finesse,
Spirit) in any order you like.

Brawn Mind Finesse Spirit

Brutish Shrewd Agile Determined

Strong Logical Graceful Empathetic
Direct Astute Precise Charming
Powerful Mindful Fast Faithful
Forceful Intellectual Subtle Lucky
Clever Sneaky Passionate

Assign Resource Values

Health, Wits and Endurance start with 3 boxes [ ] [ ] [ ] each.
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You also have 6 boxes you can distribute across your signature
resources (read on to “Describe Signature Resources”).

Health Wits Endurance

Endure bodily harm Make rational decisions Withstand exhaustion

Receive Medical attention Meditate, Relax without Eat, Drink, Rest

or wait for natural healing making any decisions

Combat Challenges Interaction Challenges Exploration Challenges

Describe Signature Resource(s)

Traits are fueled by resources. Each character will have one or more
Signature resources. They could be Mana, Materials, Adrenaline,
Reagents, Scent, Shadows, Seeds, DNA, Respect, Reputation, or
whatever else you can think of.

When you select a trait, make note of the resource it uses. If you like,
all your traits can use the same signature resource. In the game, you’ll
just describe how “materials” fuels your Dragon’s breath trait.
Alternatively, you could have different resources for different traits.

Describe, in general, how your character will recover their signature

resource. Ie: the conditions under which your Signature Resources
might recover if you spend a good tale.

See also: Resources, Signature Resource

Signature Resources

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Materials, Reagents, Mana, Ki, Willpower, Blood, Souls, etc.

Can be spent on bad tales involving traits.

Some traits require resource expenditure.

Describe Equipment
Each character may carry up to 5 large items, or equivalent armloads of
stuff in various sacks and packs. We don’t track encumbrance carefully,
but it’s useful to have some limit on what people can carry.

In most games, food, drink, ammunition, and light sources don’t need Commented [10]: Removed for clarity. Read as in
most games, food, drink ammo... etc. were the things
to be tracked.
what did not need to be tracked. Without a comma, it
designates that food, drink, etc. is a list of it's own, and
does not include games.
Determine Defenses
Some of your traits may give you a defense box. Defenses act like
additional resources you can lose on specific bad tales.

When you get hit in combat, for your bad tale, you can select “Lose a
Resource” to mark a Defense box.

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Example Character

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Gameplay

Taking Turns, Initiative

Play takes place as a conversation, with everyone acting in character,
and describing what their characters intend to do. We call this, “telling
Neutral Tales”. Speak up whenever it makes sense to do so. Sometimes,
the GM will call on a player explicitly.

GM: “The Dragon rears back its head and opens its mouth, you can
smell the brimstone as it clears its throat. Warrior, you’re closest.
What do you do?”

If you’re used to other RPGs with strict initiative rules, the lack of an
initiative system might seem unusual. Work with your group to make
sure everyone gets a turn to shine. Sometimes obvious teamwork
opportunities will emerge. Players can pass the initiative to each other
and coordinate their activities.

Rolling Dice
The group assigns a Difficulty for uncertain actions based on the situation,
the approach and character Conditions.

● Bolstering and Being Bolstered makes the roll easier.

● Audacious Actions make the roll harder but result in triple effect.

When they want to do something with an Uncertain Outcome, a Player

rolls 3d20+attribute.

● Normal: keep the median result

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● Easy: keep the highest result

● Difficult: keep the lowest result

On results of 10 or higher you get a “Good Tale”. On 0-13 you get a “Bad
Tale”. Yes, one roll will often trigger both a Good Tale and a Bad Tale.

Telling Tales
The foundation of TT-CC-Smooth is the “Tale”, something you say
about the world or your character. Every tale falls into one of three
categories: Good, Neutral, Bad, as told from the perspective of the
active player’s character.

Neutral Tales
Typically told before the dice are cast

A neutral tale is anything that neither benefits nor hinders the active
character. Neutral tales may help propel the story forward or help
everyone visualize the current situation.

On a neutral tale, a player may:

● Describe what their character sees - “I recognize that uniform.”

● Speak in character - “You have my axe!”
● Succeed at a simple, risk-free task - “I go look at the door.”
● Declare an objective - “I’d really like to get inside that vault.”
● Attempt something uncertain - declare an approach and roll dice
○ “I climb, hand over hand to get up the rope.” (normal
action)
○ “I want to help, by pulling the rope up from the top.”
(bolstering)

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○ “This is taking too long. I see a faster path up, but I’d have
to clear that overhang, so I can’t use the rope.” (audacious
action)
● Spend a resource to activate a trait - where required in the trait
description

Good Tales
Told after you get a high dice roll

Good tales have a significant, positive benefit for the active character.

Narrative Descriptions for Good Tales

When you get a good tale, choose one of the Narrative Description
options below and describe what happens. If you can’t decide, look to
the GM or collaborate with your group. The option must make sense,
given the objective you described in your neutral tales.

● Succeed at your uncertain action

○ “I dove out of the way, just in time.”
○ The potion worked, I can feel my flesh knitting back
together.
● Discover something beneficial
○ “Hey, look, a Cave!”
● Gain the upper hand
○ “I draw my opponent backwards, feigning weakness until I
have him exactly where I want him.”
● Provide help
○ “Take my hand!”
● Overcome an obstacle - “I picked the lock on the door and it
opens. We’re a little bit closer to our goal.”
● Look to the GM to see what happens

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Mechanical Effects for Good Tales
Once you’ve chosen and described your narrative option, figure out
which mechanical effect it has below. Collaborate with your group if
you’re not certain.
● Mark box(es) on a challenge track - to simulate making progress
toward the end of the challenge.
Mark one if you’ve acted normally, or three if you’ve followed a
shortcut or taken an audacious action. Some traits will also grant
bonus challenge boxes.
○ Normal, direct and obvious actions mark 1 box
○ Shortcuts mark 3 boxes, but must be discovered first
○ Difficult shortcuts (audacious actions) mark 3 boxes and
can be invented by players on-the-fly
Note: Marking boxes isn’t always an available option. If your
objective was “stop, drop and roll”, no amount of success gets you
any closer to defeating the wizards opposing you if you agreed that
challenge boxes represent wizard health.
● Remove a mark from a resource track
○ Health, Wits, Endurance, Signature Resource, Defense,
etc.: [/] → [ ]
● Gain a new resource track - Cover, etc.
● Gain a new ordinary item - like a sword, rope, or ladder.
Powerful magic items are reserved for the GM to award when the
situation calls for it. Possibly after you complete a difficult challenge.
● Grant someone the “bolstered” single-use temporary condition
-= 14 =-
Commented [11]: Discover a shortcut and follow a
shortcut: Needs playtesting
Commented [12]: "get 2 boxes" is a bit weirdly
worded. I wasnt sure if it was talking about marking two
boxes on the track or spawning a new challenge with 2
boxes on it's track.
If a shortcut needs discovering first (using a good tale),
then it's mechanically the same as using 2 good tales
to mark 2 boxes.
Commented [13]: Thanks. I need to run some
numbers. Shortcuts should clear 3 boxes for 2 rolls, but
that makes them almost identical to audacious actions.
Maybe I'll have to take out shortcuts for now.
I'm trying to figure out additional ways for players to
interact with the mechanical layer, so it's not always "i
hit it with my sword", "mark 1 box"
Commented [14]: I'll throw in my opinion without ever
having actually played the game, so please take it with
a grain of salt: I think shortcuts might be a better way to
achieve what you're trying to do than audacious
actions. In the end it's very similar, but I think
audacious actions might be perceived as too
"automatic" (as in, I get to mark 3 boxes anyway, now I
just need to make up a reason for it). With discovering
shortcuts, I think the incentive to actually invent a
plausible shortcut is greater, because there are no
numbers involved and it feels more grounded in the
fiction.
Also I read around here that 3d10 keep 2 for bolsters
has a smoother probability curve than 3d20 use highest
but would make bolstered audacious actions "too
good". So by replacing audacious actions with
discovering a shortcut you might possibly also change
the dice rolling mechanic without producing a clearly
dominant strategy.
Commented [15]: A nod to "defy danger" type
situations.
Commented [16]: What DO challenge boxes
represent? This isn't made clear anywhere.
 TAVERN TALES

● Identify a shortcut opportunity - Shortcut opportunities allow

you to spend a subsequent good tale to mark three boxes on the
challenge track instead of one.

Bad Tales
Told after you get a low dice roll

Bad tales have a significant, negative impact on a character. They

represent moments in the story where things take a dramatic turn for
the worse. Don’t feel bad about receiving a bad tale. They also
represent problems to overcome and opportunities for character
growth.

Narrative Descriptions for Bad Tales

When you get a bad tale, choose one of the Narrative Description
options below, and describe what happens.

If you can’t decide, look to the GM or collaborate with the group to

choose.

Note: some gaming groups prefer that the GM decides or has final
say on all the bad tales. That’s fine, but we encourage you to try
letting players choose their own bad tales first.

● Your action backfires

○ “The magic is too powerful, I can’t control it. Look out!”
● Discover a New Threat
○ “Oh damn. He brought his friends.”
● Notice an existing threat is getting worse
○ “The chasm cracks and I can’t see the bottom anymore”
● Lose position or Cede the Advantage
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○ “I think he’s a better negotiator than me, why did he have

to bring his kids into it?”
● Expose your weakness or vulnerability Commented [17]: mirrors discovering a shortcut. Next
hit will cost you 3 defense boxes.
● Lose a golden opportunity (only if you had one)
Commented [18]: Undecided whether to keep this or
○ “The door is closing. We just lost our way out”
not. It's likely just a bad tale sink. Players would choose
● Take a blow or suffer a lingering condition it once, then never choose to take another blow in that
challenge.
○ “The sword hits me in the shoulder”
Commented [19]: I concur, provided that it's possible
○ “The poison is making me sick” not to take another blow before the weakness closes.
● Lose or break something
Though, at the same time, it could be pretty interesting
○ “I snagged my pack on the way down. Pretty sure depending on the kind of weakness exposed. For
example, if you're behind cover, then someone flanks
something fell out.”
you, that could drastically change your next actions.
● Surrender, pass out, or die
So maybe "lose a situational advantage or expose a
● Look to the GM to see what happens weakness?"

Mechanical Effects for Bad Tales

Once you’ve described your bad tale, figure out which mechanical
effect it should have. In most cases it will be obvious which mechanical
effect fits the narrative option. If you’re uncertain, collaborate with your
group.

● Create a new challenge, subchallenge, or setback/delay.

● Lose a Resource - Make a Mark “[/]” on any of your relevant
resource tracks (Health, Endurance, Wits, Defense, Signature, etc.)
● Lose Equipment, Make note of which items go missing
● Lose a pre-established Shortcut Opportunity Commented [20]: New. It takes a bad tale to lose a
shortcut opportunity
● Write a new lingering condition Make another mark on a
previously marked resource box [/] → [X] to indicate a lingering
condition. Then, write the name of a condition on your character
sheet (eg: sick, blind, lost, etc.).

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Note: Lingering conditions require at least a CL3 challenge to be
removed [X] → [ ].

● Escalate a previous condition Fill a previously marked resource Commented [21]: New. Escalate a previous condition:
box completely:[X] → [∎] to indicate that the lingering condition per VerbalFlourish's suggestion

has become permanent.

Permanent conditions are cannot be removed. Collaborate to

determine if there’s any mechanism for recovery of permanent
conditions in your game. If you allow it, it should require at least a
CL10 challenge.

● Take Disadvantage on your next roll

● Mark a box on an NPC project track
● Surrender, pass out, or die - Take a break or permanently retire
your character

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Obstacles and Objectives

Whenever characters have an obstacle to overcome, they’ll describe
how they intend to overcome it with some sort of action (typically
risky) where the outcome isn’t certain, then roll dice to determine the
result.

Roll 3d20+attribute. Keep highest, middle or lowest depending on

difficulty.

Neutral Tale -> Obstacle -> Uncertain Action

Sometimes a player will start with a Neutral tale, but the GM or
someone else at the table will declare that there’s an obstacle
preventing the character from getting what they want, or they think
the outcome of the tale is uncertain, or that a twist or failure would be
interesting. In that case, the player will need a good tale in order to
overcome the obstacle. It’s time to roll some dice.

Note: If the task is not actually risky and failure wouldn’t be interesting,
no dice roll should be required. (Badass Heroes shouldn’t fall down for
no reason.)

Task Difficulties (Easy, Normal, Difficult)

For all tasks, first, describe your approach overcoming to the obstacle.
“I use all my strength to climb the rope hand over hand.”, then choose
an attribute (eg: Brawn). And add the value of that attribute to your
dice roll. Your group should agree that that particular approach is
reasonable and the attribute is relevant.

Then, the GM will assign a difficulty: easy, normal, or difficult.

Difficult Tasks Normal Tasks Easy Tasks

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min(3d20) + attribute med(3d20)+attribute max(3d20)+attribute

(also called (also called advantage)

disadvantage)

/r 3d20kl1+@{attribute} /r 3d20dl1dh1+@{attribute} /r 3d20kh1+@{attribute}

Raising and Lowering Difficulty

Some situations or actions will make a task easier (eg: bolstering), or
harder (eg: audacious actions). Just choose the next easier or harder
difficulty level as appropriate.

Objective → Challenge → A series of Obstacles → many Uncertain

Actions
When your objective wouldn’t be met by overcoming a single obstacle,
it becomes a challenge. Challenges represent a whole series of
obstacles. See the Chapter: “Challenges”.

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Approaches
Anytime you’re facing an obstacle, you have options in how you
approach it.

● Bolstering (aiding, assisting, orchestrating)

● Normal Actions (typically require normal rolls)
● Audacious Actions (Hail Marys)

Movement is free.

Bolstering
When you’re helping someone else or actively working to improve
your own odds without directly pushing towards the goal, you are
Bolstering. Bolsters are one-step easier than normal actions and they
make a subsequent action one-step easier as well.

For example: If you’re attempting to climb a mountain, you might

describe your character plotting a different trajectory which has an
easier grade and more frequent handholds. Or you might describe
yourself digging your heels in and helping someone else make the
climb. This action doesn’t get you any closer to the goal, but it
improves the odds when you continue your ascent.

If you’re the recipient of a bolster action, you are considered

“bolstered”. The bolster goes away after you spend it on a related
uncertain action.

Normal Actions
When you’re pushing directly towards a goal, with a pretty obvious
direct approach, you’re performing a “normal” action which requires a
“normal” dice roll. Most of your actions will likely be normal actions.

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Audacious Actions Commented [22]: Basically the same thing as

negotiating position and effect in Blades in the Dark
Sometimes you need a hail mary. Players may choose to make their
action more difficult, in exchange for following an undiscovered
“shortcut” in a challenge. They’ll roll “decreased”: If successful, their
Good Tale will be worth triple effect on a challenge track.

Here’s an example:

Player: “I’m nearly out of health, and we’re not even close to the top
of this mountain yet. I need a Hail Mary: I see there’s another path,
where the cliff face ends lower and a gentler trail leads up from
there. Only problem is, it’s across a chasm. I want to leap across that
chasm to get to the shorter path.”

GM: “Ok. Sounds like an audacious action. You’re taking a big risk in
order to get a shortcut. Roll with disadvantage. If you succeed, I’ll
mark three obstacle boxes on the challenge track.”

Note that players can generally invent things about the world. The
player above invented a shortcut. Fantastic! GM’s should observe the
first rule of Improv and say yes. In TT-CC-Smooth, GMs do not own the
world.

Movement
Movement is generally free as part of some other action. Unless there
are some mitigating circumstances, you can run across the battlefield
and stab someone in a single action. If that path of movement seems
particularly dangerous, your GM might rule that just getting there is an
uncertain Action, and as such, requires a dice roll.

In combat, your opponents on the battlefield are not static pawns. You
may utilize your wits and abilities to move them into positions to your
advantage. Orchestrating an opponent’s movements like that might be

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considered a bolster action, since it works to improve the odds for a

subsequent action.

Note: Movement distances are intentionally vague. If you need more

clarity, consider allowing close movement while facing opposition, or
near movement if there is no immediate pressure.

Teamwork and Helping Out

When you want to help your teammate, choose the bolster approach
above.

Challenges

A Challenge is a series of obstacles which prevent characters from

achieving their Objective.

Climbing a wall is a single obstacle. Climbing a mountain is a challenge.

Defeating a single mook is a simple obstacle. Defeating a horde,

lieutenant, or boss is a challenge.

Challenges are composed of an Objective and a Challenge Length (CL).

The CL roughly defines how multiple obstacles will be faced in the
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challenge. You don’t need to identify the specific obstacles until they
come up in play. Overcoming an obstacle typically requires a good tale
to be spent on “Overcome an obstacle”.

Write a challenge as an Objective with a number of boxes beside it.

Mark a box [/] after the players overcome an obstacle.

For ease of reading, groups of 5 boxes are separated with a line or a

space. Alternatively, make lines at clear milestones or logical
delineations. If a Group of enemies includes a boss, a lieutenant and
3 mooks, it makes sense to place the lines between the logical
enemies.

Here’s a few examples:

● Sneak into the house (CL2): □□

● Sneak into the dragon’s lair (CL8): □□□□□|□□□ Commented [23]: We might need a section about
sneaking. In other games, one failed sneak roll reveals
● Slay the dragon (CL20): □□□□□|□□□□□|□□□□□|□□□□□
the player. In TT, what would it take to get caught?
● Escape the dragon’s lair (CL5): □□□□□
Sneaking might be a bidirectional challenge.
● Climb a small mountain (CL4): □□□□
● Climb the world’s tallest mountain (CL15): □□□□□|□□□□□|□□□□□
● Stay 24 hours in the haunted mansion (CL8): □□□□□|□□□
● Defeat the demon, hellhound, and 3 imps: □□□□|□□|□|□|□

The challenge length will be determined by the particular objective the

characters want to achieve. “Escape the Dragon” is much easier than
“Slay the dragon”. It will also depend on the power-level of your
characters and the tone you’ve agreed on. Climb the world’s tallest
mountain might be CL50 for a peasant, or only CL2 for an invulnerable,
teleporting wizard.

Pause once you’ve written down the objective, and make sure the
players agree that the stated objective matches their intentions.

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 TAVERN TALES

Note: an isolated “obstacle” could be called a “CL1 challenge”: a

challenge with only one obstacle.

Overlapping and Nested Challenges

Characters will typically have more than one big objective they’re
working towards. There might be a list of 5 or 10 active challenges.
That’s totally fine.

Some challenges might overlap. Some might conflict. Imagine these

abstract challenge paths to be more braided than linear.

Shortcuts
Shortcuts speed up the challenge by allowing a player to mark more
than 1 box.

For example, suppose that the PCs have a Challenge with the Objective
to “Get to the top of the mountain”, and one of them has a ring which
can magically transport people. That player rolls the dice and spends
their Good Tale to activate the ring, opening a portal halfway up the
mountain.

That action discovers a shortcut, which means a subsequent good tale

can be spent to mark 3 boxes on the challenge track instead of 1.

See also: Approaches: Audacious Actions

Delays (aka subchallenges)

Delays are the opposite of a shortcut. They’re represented as extra
boxes on a challenge track or new subchallenges. When a player
chooses the narrative option to “discover a new threat”, they can opt
for the mechanical effect of: “create a subchallenge or setback/delay”.

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Subchallenges can be written below, or tangential to, the current

challenge. They must be dealt with in some fashion before the current
challenge can be considered complete.

For example: Our players are engaged in an exploration challenge to

“Discover the Lost Mines” [/] [/] [ ] [ ]. One of them rolls badly and
discovers a new threat. They decide that a chasm separates them and
their objective. The GM could add new boxes to the original challenge,
increasing the challenge length:

● Discover the Lost Mines [/] [/] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ].

But it might make more sense to write down a new subchallenge

below the original challenge.

● Discover the Lost Mines [/] [/] [ ] [ ]

○ Cross the chasm [ ] [ ] [ ].

Note: The GM has authority to set the difficulty and number of boxes
for subchallenges. As a general rule, the delay/subchallenge should
have 3 boxes (just like a shortcut), unless there’s a good reason
within your fictional circumstances to make it shorter or longer.

Detours (aka Changing Objectives)

Premature Termination spawns new Challenges

If the objective can no longer be met, the challenge ends prematurely.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you “lost” or “surrendered”, it just means
the objective is no longer available, so the challenge is moot.

If your objective was: “Don’t fall into the river”, and someone jumps in
the river, that ends that particular challenge right away. This may
present opportunities for character development or spawn new
challenges, eg: “Swim to safety.”

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 TAVERN TALES

Here are a few ways a challenge might end early.

1. The target of the objective no longer exists

2. The objective as written didn’t match the intention of the players
3. All the characters “surrendered, passed out, or died”

Even when a character dies, their story might not be over. The
remaining characters might come up with the objective: “resurrect
them”, or that player might come up with a challenge “defeat death
in a game of chess”, or “escape Hel”, or “haunt my murderer and
force a confession.” See “Character Death”

Types of Challenges
Challenges encompass a huge range of situations, from marching
through the mountains, to fighting demons in hand-to-hand combat,
to convincing a king to lend you his aid.

Combat Challenges
Combat Challenges represent life-or-death conflict with other
creatures or characters. They are typically very short in game-time, with
each Round only lasting seconds, though it might take a few minutes
to play out.

Combat usually involves taking Health damage from things like sword-
blows or magical fire. Conditions applied through Combat are usually
injuries such as Massive Burn, Blinded, or Bleeding Out.

Exploration Challenges

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Exploration Challenges are fights against the elements or the PCs

environment. They are tests of the PC’s Endurance and fortitude. They
may be a grueling march through pouring rain, or a desperate chase
after a thief in a city.

Exploration usually result in loss of Endurance and possibly health as

PCs fight against starvation and the elements. Conditions afflicted will
usually be something of the effect of Winded, Starving, or Frostbitten.

Interaction Challenges
Interaction Challenges are contests of wits, typically against another
character or group. These could be academic challenges, debates,
singing contests, bartering, attempts at persuasion, manipulation,
intimidation, etc. They might also represent attempts to gather
information about a topic, like perusing the halls of the great library.

Interaction challenges usually result in loss of Wits and possibly

treasure as PCs lose arguments, run into dead ends, and fail to outplan,
out-think, or outmaneuver their opponent. Conditions afflicted could

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include: Uncertain, Confused, Demoralized, Befuddled, Depressed,

Awkward, Anxious.

NPC “Challenges” aka NPC Projects

Factions and Iconic NPCs have their own challenges, which we’ll call
“NPC Projects”.

If they’re getting too close to reaching their goals, you may be able to
cause delays and setbacks for them. If you complete an objective which
contributes to their delay, you can ask your GM to remove one or more
points from an NPC Project track.

For more about factions, iconic NPCs and NPC Project, see the section
on Gamemastering.

Bidirectional (Tug of War) Challenges Commented [24]: New - bidirectional Tug-of-War

challenges to represent races and negotiations

This Section is currently in development. It’s likely to change.

Most challenges have the players progressing from the left, all the way
to the right, marking boxes as they go. When they reach the end, they
reach their objective and the challenge is over.

You can also have Bidirectional (aka Tug-of-War) Challenges, used to

represent flexible outcomes. Good Tales fill in boxes from the left and
Bad Tales fill in boxes from the right.
The goal could be to reach the middle of the challenge track first, thus
capturing an objective before your opponent, like in a race situation.
Commented [25]: Bidirectional Challenges: the rules
weren't clear during the last playtest. Is every bad tale
a mark for the NPCs, or can Players still choose other
bad tale options, like discover a new threat?

Or the goal could be to capture as much of the challenge bar as

possible, like in a mass combat situation, or haggling with a vendor for
a price.

Example:
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Objective: Convince the Magic Ring Vendor to give us 3 treasure for

our magic locator beacon.

X => [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] <= O

After a bunch of actions, discussion about the merits of magic

locators, the risk of being detected by enemies, and the likelihood
that it might be faulty, the challenge bar looks like this:

X => [X] [X] [O] [O] [O] <= O

The NPC Buyer marked 3 boxes to the players’ 2. The group decides
that the NPC buyer will only give them 2 treasure for the beacon.

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Resources

Types of Resources
Resources are things that can be acquired or drained from your
character. They’re represented by boxes, such as in the following
examples:

● Health □□□ ● Ki □□□

● Endurance ⊠⊠□□ ● Blood ⊠⊠□

● Wits ⊠□□□ ● Reagents □□□

● Mana □□□□□ ● Contracts ⊠□□□

● Shield □ ● Rage □□

These are the some common resources, though players might acquire
other resources during gameplay.

Tracking Resources
When a resource is lost, mark an “/” in the box. When a resource is
restored, remove an “/” from one of the boxes. When all of a resource’s
boxes have an “/” in them, that resource is depleted and can’t be used
anymore. Neither the player nor the GM can choose the “Lose a
Resource” Bad Tale option for that resource.

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 TAVERN TALES

Having zero in a resource like Health does not mean you’re out of
the conflict. You’re only out when you decide to surrender, pass out,
or die.
Default Resources (Health, Endurance, etc.)
Health, Endurance, and Wits are assigned at Character Generation.
Health
Health represents your ability to endure bodily harm. You typically lose
health when you suffer injuries.
To recover health, declare objectives like “pursue medical attention”,
“wait for natural healing”, “drink potion”, etc.
Commented [26]: This was controversial in
playtesting. Something should happen when you drain
a resource track dry.
Commented [27]: I think that when you drain a
resource track dry, you're required to either choose
"Surrender, Pass out or Die" or "Suffer a lasting
Condition" Either way, you uncheck some CB from the
dry track, giving you additional Resource to continue on
as appropriate.
It would be nice if when you chose the latter, you
recovered some CB depending on the magnitude of the
condition. If you lose an arm, you might regain 5 CB.
While if you "just" get an infected wound, you only
recover 2 CB.
Commented [28]: This would make the severe options
important. they exchange Resources for Lasting
Conditions or bad turns of plot.

See Recovering Resources below. Commented [29]: If I understand this correctly, when
someone loses a leg and gains the condition "one-leg",
they get health back? Not sure how I feel about that.
Endurance
Endurance represents your ability to withstand exhaustion. You
typically lose endurance when you travel great distances, push yourself
too far, experience harsh weather, or go without food, water, or sleep.

To restore endurance, declare an objective like “eat and drink”, “rest a

while”, “splash water on my face”, etc.

Wits
Wits represent your ability to make intelligent decisions, to "survive"
difficult social situations, to manage your social anxieties and keep
your intellectual avenues open during debates.

To restore wits, declare objectives like “relax without making any

decisions”, “meditate”, “practice logical problem solving”, etc.

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Signature Resource (Mana, Reagents, Willpower etc.)

When you purchase a trait, make a note of which resource it uses. You
also receive 2 points of that resource.

Note: even if a trait seems like no resource is required (eg: a passive

trait may never receive a bad tale), take the 2 resource points
anyways, to fuel your other traits.

The resource must make sense, given your particular character concept
and the effect of the trait selected. For example, you’ll have to convince
your group that your flowers power the dragon’s breath effect.
Collaborate!

Describe the conditions required for you to attempt to recover your

signature resources. Then, spend good tales to recover them. Commented [30]: Needs more guidance for GMs.

See also: Character Generation → Choose Signature Resources Should be more than 1 point recovery per good tale.

It's too boring to roll for "I rest" 8 times, just to get 5
points back and give the GM 3 points for NPC project
Defenses as a Resource tracks.

Defenses are provided by traits. They act like other resources which can
be marked, to indicate loss, when you get a bad tale. Good tales can
recover them, provided it makes sense, given your situation, objective
and action.

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 TAVERN TALES

Even if you don’t have a trait which provides a defense, if you come
up with a suitable objective, you may spend a good tale to “gain a
resource: defense [ ]”. For example, blocking someone with a shield. Commented [31]: we might need a new category of
"temporary" resources. They should go away after the
current situation is over.
Treasure as a Resource

This section is currently under review. it’s likely to change.

An abstract representation of how much currency you hold in assorted

coins, gems, and promissory notes. Characters start with 0 treasure, but
may acquire (recover) treasure at the end of challenges.

Temporary Resources
Some resources will be temporary by nature and fill up or disappear
automatically after a certain time has elapsed. Work with your group to
determine which resources are permanent and which are temporary.

For example: During combat, you declared the objective “use my

shield to block” and rolled well, good tale. You spend your good tale
to “gain a resource: defense [ ]” Everyone agrees that’s a temporary
resource which will go away after the current combat is finished.
(Note: in this situation, you could have declared the same objective
as a bolster instead of a normal action. See “Approaches”)

Optional Resources (Ammo, Food, Drink, Light)

Normally, we don’t track ammo, food, drink, or light.

If you prefer, you can treat Food, Drink, Ammo, and Light as custom
resources. Be aware though, the presence of additional resources gives
players additional sinks to soak bad tales.

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 TAVERN TALES

Ammo
Ammo is not tracked. Archers can shoot as much as they want without
running out of arrows.

In some cases you could substitute your signature resources to

represent a limited quantity of fuel or ammunition. For example,
characters with tracking traits might list ammunition as one of their
signature resources.

Design Note: The Ammo resource was cut from the game because it
provided an inexpensive sink for bad tales, thus undermining a lot of
traits and acting like a defense.

If you want to represent ammo in your game, your players can take the
condition “out of ammo” when they suffer a bad tale.

Light
Light is not tracked as a resource. Characters don’t have to worry about
running out of torches or oil. That’s not to say that darkness can’t be a
problem, but it should be treated more like a condition than a
resource.

If you want a particularly hardcore game, you may introduce light as a

resource. If you do track light, characters should have disadvantage
when they’re fumbling around in the dark.

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 TAVERN TALES

Adventurers often travel to dark places, and need something to light

their way. Oil, torches, even magic can all fail you in the depths of
the earth, or in the catacombs. In those places, it may be important
to track how much longer you have in the depths.

Losing Resources
When you get a bad tale which might result in you losing resources,
you can choose the “Lose a Resource” option on the bad tale list. Then
mark one box on that resource track.

The resource you lose should be related to the objective at hand. If

you’re dodging a boulder, does it make sense to lose your arrows?
That’s up to your group. Begin and end with the fiction.

Recovering Resources Under Pressure

Even in the heat of combat, you may be able to recover resources.
Some traits and items allow resource recovery. If not otherwise stated,
you’ll need to come up with a suitable objective, make a roll, then
spend a good tale in order to choose the mechanical effect “gain a
resource”. Some traits may allow you to spend your signature resource
to replenish other resources (Health, End, Wits).

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 TAVERN TALES

For example: you’re in combat but running desperately low on

health. Earlier, one of your allies used an Alchemy trait to craft a
healing potion. Drinking the potion during melee combat would still
require a roll, and you don’t want to risk a bad outcome, so you
declare a bolster objective to “escape the melee and find a safer
position”, then you declare a normal action objective to “drink the
potion and recover health”. Depending on your current situation,
that could be an easy roll or no roll required. Discuss the difficulty
with your group.

Running out of a Resource

When you are out of a resource, you are no longer able to lose that
Resource as a Bad Tale. Instead, you must take the other, often more
severe options.

Conditions
Conditions describe anything which hinders a character, which can’t be
easily characterized by traits or resources.

Temporary conditions, like grappled and dazed, are represented by

disadvantage and need not be recorded on the character sheet.

Lingering conditions are represented with Xs in resource boxes: [X].

When a character suffers a lingering condition, like “exhausted”, “deaf”,
“blind”, “bleeding”, “entangled”, “on fire”, “starving”, etc. turn your
resource loss from [/] into [X].
Commented [32]: We don't really have a mechanic for
temporary conditions like DoT and Root anymore. We
said temp conditions are just disadvantage, and
lingering conditions occupy health slots. What about
effects that have short duration but go away on their
own?

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 TAVERN TALES

Collaborate: Determine the implications and mechanical effects of

your conditions. For example: if a character is “blind”, they’ll rely
more on smell and hearing, which will probably make some
obstacles more difficult, and others less difficult.

Removing or Recovering from Conditions

Some traits can remove conditions. If you don’t have suitable traits,
you will probably need to undergo an exploration or interaction
challenge to resolve it.

Collaborate: What would it take to remove your condition?

When you remove a condition, change the mark in the resource box
from [X] to [/]. That resource can now be healed or recovered normally Commented [33]: Question: Should removing a
condition go from [X] --> [/] or [X] --> [ ] ?
again.

Downtime, Time, Rest, Recovery, Healing

this section is currently under review. it’s likely to change.
When you’re in a calm situation, you will probably want to accomplish
some personal goals and recover some of your own resources. You can
still make objectives outside of any specific challenge. If there’s no
active opposition, rolls should be easy (increased). Bad tales can be
spent in the normal way, or to advance NPC objectives.
Commented [34]: We're talking about removing the
"spend time" mechanic and replacing it with some sort
of pressure-release so players can make easier rolls
during downtime. Rolls already have mechanics to gain
resources, so we don't need an additional "spend time"
mechanic.

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 TAVERN TALES

For example, you might want to “rest to recover your health”. There’s
no active opposition, so you make an increased roll but only get a 7
(bad tale). You could get worse (lose a resource), or you could make
your life more difficult by discovering a new threat, but you decide to
give the GM a good tale to advance one of their active NPC
challenge tracks: the Vampire Elizabeth is raising an army to
conquer the east. The GM marks one box on that challenge track.

Downtime Challenges, Crafting

Some downtime objectives will require their own challenge tracks.
Discuss challenge lengths with your GM.

For example, you want to craft a new set of armor, and you consult
with the group on the difficulty, which you set at CL4. Next, you’d
probably want to declare individual objectives to get access to a
forge, find materials, spend some time pounding metal, and make
sure the fit is appropriate. Any of your bad tales could be spend in
the normal ways, including giving the GM a good tale to advance
NPC challenge tracks.

Recovering Conditions
Removing a condition should require completion of a challenge. Work
with your group to determine the Challenge Length.

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Equipment

Currency
Currency is abstract in Tavern Tales. To a typical PC, 1 unit of treasure is
worth about 1000 gold coins. We don’t bother to track anything less.

Treasure

this section is currently under review. it’s likely to change.

Treasure is tracked as a resource. Characters start with 0 treasure.

At the end of a particularly difficult “Challenge”, your GM may allow
you to gain 1 to 3 points of treasure. This eliminates the need to
carefully search every location.
Commented [35]: Should I make a note that players
can also find treasure when they "search a room" and
get a good tale, then select the discover something
beneficial option.

Would that lead to too much room searching? Bad

You can spend treasure at appropriate locations, like, blacksmiths,
tales might get them a trap, so they'd have to consider
bazaars, artificers’ workshops, alchemists’ laboratories, or wizards’ their options.
towers. Declare an objective that you want to obtain some item and
the GM will set up an interaction challenge.

Optional Rule: Precious Items instead of treasure resource Commented [36]: new optional rule: precious items
instead of treasure resource. (The default rule is to
You may find it more interesting to find actual items instead of some treat treasure as a resource)
abstract treasure resource. If so, your GM will hand out 1-3 precious
items at the end of every major challenge (tapestries, statuettes,
swords, whatever). Then it’s up to the players to transport those items
and barter them into more useful goods and services.

If you use this rule, for any trait which relies on “treasure”, just
substitute “precious item”.

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Tools of the Trade

It’s safe to assume that competent adventurers always carry the
appropriate tools for their trade: sword, shield, thieves’ tools, rope,
wizard’s staff, spell components, etc.

You can make note of some of these at character creation. They don’t
cost treasure.

Did I remember to pack that thing?

If you find yourself in a situation where a particular tool would be
useful, but you haven’t made note of it on your character sheet, you
could ask the GM for a roll to see if you remembered it. Spend your
good tale to “discover something useful.”

Shopping

This Section is currently under review. It’s likely to change.

Most towns will be able to provide you with ordinary items. The
acquisition of rare items requires one or more challenges.

Find a vendor via an Exploration Challenge

To buy something, describe the item you’re after, and come up with a
suitable objective for an obstacle or challenge: “eg: Find an artificer
who can make the magic ring.” For rare items, this will probably require
an exploration challenge. For ordinary items, this could be a neutral tale
or a single obstacle.

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 TAVERN TALES

Negotiate the Purchase or Sale via a Bidirectional Interaction
Challenge
If you find a suitable location and a willing buyer or vendor, they’ll
probably tell you a price they can afford as a neutral tale. You could
then trade the item for treasure as another neutral tale.
Commented [37]: Shopping: Modified based on
suggestions from Verbal Flourish. Set the price first,
then run through the interaction challenge. (It'd be up to
GMs whether or not to allow players to use Treasure as
a resource for soaking good and bad tales.)

However, if you disagree with their price, you could enter a

bidirectional interaction challenge, with an objective like: “Convince the
vendor to buy my magic beacon for twice their offering price”.

The length of the challenge and the difficulty of the obstacles should
reflect the value of the item, the negotiating prowess of the vendor,
and the rarity of the item in your current setting.

The final price will be modified by what portion of the challenge bar
you managed to capture. If the middle represents an equitable price,
consider that each end represents half price and double the price.

commentary Commented [38]: I wish there was an easy way to

make Treasure act more like a resource. So players
could spend good tales to acquire it and bad tales to
Magic Items lose it.

See Gamemastering

Defenses and Armor

Some traits will provide defense boxes. These act like resources which
can be used to block bad tales from various types of attack. To use
heavy armor, you must acquire a trait like Warfare.Juggernaut or
Artifice.Armor Plating. Look through the various themes to find traits
which provide defenses.

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 TAVERN TALES

Note: mundane items do not ordinarily provide defense boxes. It’s

not sufficient to buy heavy armor at your local blacksmith without
the proper armor training. However, anyone with a suitable objective
may spend a good tale to “gain a resource” and generate a defense
box. For example, if you’re “blocking the enemy with your shield”
and roll well, you could gain the temporary resource “shield defense
[ ]”.

Character Advancement
Purchase Traits with XP
The cost for any given trait is equal to the number of traits that will be
in that category: Combat, Exploration, or Interaction. For example, the
first Combat Trait a Character would buy would cost 1XP, the fourth
combat trait would cost 4XP.

So long as players pay the progressive XP cost, traits can be purchased

in any category, and need not be evenly distributed.

Upgrade Existing Traits

Instead of purchasing a new trait, you may choose to upgrade an
existing trait. Collaborate with your group to determine what the
upgraded trait can do. Upgrading a trait still adds 1 to the category
count for purposes of even trait distribution.

Character Death
Sometimes it time for a character’s story to end. They’ve served their
purpose and left an impact. When you have a bad tale, if you select the

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 TAVERN TALES

option “Surrender, pass out, or die” you may choose to die and kill off
your character, never to be seen again.

Other times, their story’s not over. You can work with your group to
see if it would be appropriate, given the tone and setting of the
campaign, for your character to continue.

The remaining characters might come up with the objective: “resurrect

them”, or you might come up with a challenge “defeat death in a game
of chess”, or “escape Hel”, or “haunt my murderer and force a
confession.” Depending on the style of game, it may be interesting or
more

Whatever’s appropriate for your story.

Minions
Minions are characters that obey another character, referred to as their
leader. Minions are typically expendable or temporary, so they follow
special rules to speed up gameplay.

Minions are considered to be part of their leader. Therefore, leaders

effectively control their minions, make their decisions, and roll on their
behalf if necessary.

Minion loyalty is not absolute. Minions will abandon their leader if the
situation calls for it -- for example, if their leader is torturing them or
sending them on obviously suicidal missions. It’s up to the GM to
decide when minions abandon their leaders.

Minions can be acquired through any number of means. Typically,

leaders acquire minions by going to populated areas and recruiting
minions by offering something they want -- gold, glory, adventure, etc.

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 TAVERN TALES

When you “declare an objective” to recruit someone as a minion, your

GM will probably set a challenge. The length will depend on the
difficulty or likelihood that they would join you.

Minion Attributes and Traits

By default, minions will come with 0 XP. Some traits will allow you to
recruit minions which have ½ of your traits or XP. The attribute array of
a recruited minion is 0/0/0/0, unless obtaining them requires tougher
than usual challenge.

Minion Contracts
Minions won’t serve you for free. Every minion requires a contract,
which is an agreement about the minion’s services. The term “contract”
isn’t literal — you don’t need your minion to sign a contract (though
you’re welcome to do that if you like). Contracts also include verbal
and implicit agreements.

The wording for contracts is as follows: “Minion_Name will

Perform_this_Service in exchange for Something_of_Value.”

Here are some example contracts:

● Your trusty Dog will serve you loyally in exchange for food and
companionship.
● Gerald the Scout will lead you through the mountains in exchange
for a bag of gold coins.
● Hargaesh the Demon will help you slaughter your enemies in
exchange for 1 favor to be redeemed at a later time.

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 TAVERN TALES

Minion advancement
Minions recruited without a trait do not gain XP. If you recruit a minion
with a trait, they always have the same XP ratio, typically ½ your XP.

Patrons, Deities, Spirits

If you take traits from Faith, Occultism, or Nature, you may want to
describe your Patron, Deity or Spirit. Consider the following:

● Instinct, Desires or Motivation

● Domain of Control or Authority
● Where they come from or exist
● What sort of followers and worshippers do they attract
● What they look like or how they manifest themselves

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Traits List
See Appendix A: Traits List

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Gamemastering

Temporary art: King with Large Scroll - 1469

Building Challenges Commented [39]: New: Building Challenges. Includes

status effects
-= 47 =-
 TAVERN TALES

this section is currently under review. it’s likely to change.

When the players come up with an objective, you should construct a

challenge using 2 bad tales per player. Bad tales can be spent in the
following ways:

● Introduce a new threat, by adding 1, 2, or 3 boxes depending on

the nature of the threat
● Create a setback or delay, thus increasing the length of the
challenge by 3 boxes
● Introduce a new threat by adding status effects to a zone in the
field of conflict. Set up challenge keywords, like pseudotraits.
○ Eg: floor is “slippery”, field is “ablaze”, archers have “cover”
● Claim the advantage, by making a section of the challenge more
difficult, requiring decreased rolls to overcome obstacles

You can gain additional bad tales by granting good tales (1 for 1). Use
good tales to:

● Provide a resource [] [] [] which players can use.

● Identify shortcut opportunities which players can discover.
● Give players the advantage, by making a section of the challenge
easier, requiring increased rolls to overcome obstacles.

You can withhold some of your bad tales for use later on during the
challenge. Commented [40]: new: GM gets an active role in
challenges, because they might be "holding" bad tales.

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 TAVERN TALES

Telling Good and Bad Tales (GM)

1. Take your turn whenever “a player looks to you,” there’s an
obvious pause in the conversation, or the game is getting
significantly derailed.

2. Tell at least 1 Neutral Tale, and as many more as you like.

3. If applicable, explain the results of any Good or Bad Tales that the
last player told.

Good Tale (Roll Neutral Tale Bad Tale (Roll Commented [41]: Add an option to call for a dice roll in
response to "I look around, what do I see?"
10+) 13-)
Commented [42]: "What do I see" isn't an objective,
though. Players roll dice when they declare objectives.
● Show the results ● Describe what ● Show the results "I want to look for an exit tunnel" is an objective.

of their Good they see of their Bad Tale (There's a reason that "describe what they see" is a
neutral tale.)
Tale ● Speak as an NPC
If a player looks to
● Perform a simple
If a player looks to you:
action as an NPC
you:
● Menace them ● Show how their
● Give them a with a present action backfires
resource threat; if they ● Make them lose a
● Show them don’t overcome Resource
something it, tell a Bad Tale ● Reveal or
beneficial escalate a threat
● Show their ● Inflict a lingering
enemy suffering condition
● Award a ● Make them
beneficial surrender, pass

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 TAVERN TALES

condition out, or die

Good Tale Options

Show the results of their Good Tale: You don’t have to give the
player anything -- the player already did that. Simply describe the
results.

If a player looks to you: Players may look to you to determine what

happens with their Good Tale. When they do, choose one of these
options:

1. Give them a resource: Let them remove a mark from one of their
marked resource boxes. It should correspond to the situation -- for
example, restore Health if someone is treating their wounds. You
can also give them gold, treasure, fame, etc.
2. Show them something beneficial: Present the player with a new
option or useful tool, such as an eager ally or an easy escape route.
3. Show their enemy suffering: Make things hard for their enemies,
either through direct player action, or through unfortunate
circumstance.
4. Award a beneficial condition: Give them a benefit that lasts
longer than a single bolster or discovery. Energized, Flying,
Balanced, etc.

Neutral Tale Options

Describe what they see

Select this option often -- ideally, every turn. Describe the sights,
sounds, smells, etc to help create a vivid scene.

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 TAVERN TALES
Speak as an NPC
Speak in character as a present NPC.
Perform a simple action as an NPC
Have an NPC perform a mundane action, such as walking, opening a
door, or picking up something from the ground.
Menace them with a present threat
This is your way to push the players towards conflict without actually
hurting them. Threaten them with a known threat and make it clear
that something must be done, or bad things will happen. For example,
you could say that the wooden door is starting to splinter under the
onslaught of the zombie horde outside. Clearly, unless something is
done, the door will burst open and the zombies will pour in. Give the
players at least 1 turn (maybe more, if you like) to deal with your
threat. If they don’t tell a free Bad Tale to follow through with your
threat, even if players haven’t rolled.
Note: If you’re a kind-hearted soul, and don’t feel comfortable
unilaterally amping up the pressure on the PCs, consider this
alternative:
Whenever a character looks around, considers their situation, or
otherwise takes stock, you may have the player roll the dice for a
mind or spirit test. Bad tales result in the situation getting worse
(discover or escalate a threat), good tales result in the situation
getting better (discover something beneficial).
Describe the consequences and ask
If a player isn’t certain about a course of action, you can tell them what
the possible range of consequences might be. Then ask if they want to
go ahead with the action.
-= 51 =-
Commented [43]: What does present mean?
Can the GM invoke suddenly ninjas, or do the ninjas
have to be present already?
Commented [44]: From VerbalFlourish:
How I had read it: "being present already" doesn't
mean that it has to be conjured in by a bad tale.
Demons "are present" in the firelands because it is the
firelands (either because during session zero you
agreed on it, or the GM gave it the "demon infested"
tag, or during play someone asked "what's dangerous
about the firelands" and the answer was "demons",
etc.)
If the players go to the heart of the firelands and never
see a single demon because they're rolling well, then
the GM is not leveraging the "present threat."
Commented [45]: Added text to give GMs the option
to call for a dice roll whenever characters "take stock of
their situation".
Commented [46]: It seems what you want is a Die of
Fate. When the GM is unsure about how things should
go, roll and see how they're going.
I agree that the GM needs some tools to help them
populate scenes. It might be best to divorce it from the
characters and just roll it on the meta level when a new
situation is entered. (Like love letters. those were fine.)
Commented [47]: Yes. I also feel like Super Intelligent
characters don't get enough payoff for having high
Mind. Sherlock Holmes would carefully plan things to
prevent a lot of bad outcomes, or at least have the
advantage when things do go bad.
We don't have a way to model that yet though. Having
the advantage is more fun than skipping encounters.
Maybe we need a fate die for the GM, then the players
... [1]
Commented [48]: You used to, way back in the day,
have that random 1d6 table to roll on, with the results
mapped from "hell no" > "no but" > "yes but" > "hell
yes", etc. Maybe we need to bring that back?
Super intelligent characters have a few traits they can
pick up for planning, scouting the area, etc. It's just ...that
[2]
 TAVERN TALES

Bad Tale Options

Show the results of their Bad Tale

If the player resolve their own Bad Tale, you don’t have to enforce any
penalties -- the player already did that. Simply describe the results.

If a player looks to you

Players may look to you to determine what happens with their Bad
Tale. Remember that players are taking a big risk when they choose
this option. If you’re too harsh, they won’t choose it often. Choose one
of these options:

1. Show how their action backfires: This is your opportunity to turn

their action back on them. For example, if they threw a fireball,
catch someone or something useful on fire.
2. Lose a Resource: Suggest a resource to lose. It should be a
resource appropriate for the situation. The player may suggest
another resource, which you should accept, so long as they can
explain how that resource is relevant.
3. Reveal or Escalate a Threat: Make the situation worse for them
somehow, such as guards arriving to stop them, or a portcullis
slams shut to close off their only escape. Mechanically, this
probably means spawning a subchallenge. Write some new Commented [49]: new
challenge boxes below, or tangential to, the current challenge
track.
4. Inflict a Lingering Condition: Lingering conditions are ongoing
effects that are difficult to remove, such as a sprained limb
(combat), sickness or infection (exploration), or a bad reputation
(interaction). It’s up to the GM to decide how lingering conditions
affect your character -- perhaps they temporarily suppress one of
your traits, or reduce one of your attributes. This option is
generally viewed as one of the worst options. Choose it when the
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 TAVERN TALES

situation truly calls for it, or when the player has already exhausted
all of their other Bad Tale options.
5. Make them surrender, pass out, or die: Defeat the player’s
character. In combat, that often means the PC is bloody and dying.
While exploring, that often means the PC is hopelessly lost,
starving, and exhausted. While interaction, that often means the PC
has exhausted all of their options, given up hope, or can’t continue
due to social pressures. Choose this option when the situation truly
calls for it, or when the player has already exhausted all of their
other Bad Tale options.

Conditions
Embrace conditions! Conditions on characters provide some of the
easiest adventure seeds. “Deaf? Find the old witch who can heal you,
but she’ll require a payment, and not in coins.”

Conditions give players an opportunity to put their characters in the

spotlight. Show them fighting against adversity and overcoming the
odds. Conditions help rally and unify a group.

Status Effects

Damage over Time (DoT)

DoT effects are best represented as a resource which automatically
transfers one of it’s boxes onto the recipient’s Health or Wits. Mark a
box on the DoT to indicate that it’s expiring and generate an automatic
bad tale for the specific purpose of causing health or wits damage.
(Lose a Resource: health, wits).

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 TAVERN TALES

Collaborate: Should this effect be armor penetrating, ignore defenses,

ignore bad tale countermeasures?

Area of Effect (AoE)

AoE effects are best represented as shortcuts on challenges, marking 3
boxes instead of 1. Players can work to generate AoE effects without
any traits, exactly the same way they generate shortcuts or take
audacious actions.

For example: A clever player wants to knock out 3 opponents at once,

so they spend a turn to “discover something beneficial”, and declare it
to be a conveniently located shelf. Next turn, the player spends their
good tale to “succeed at their action” and “take a shortcut”, which
means they knock over the shelf, and harm all three NPCs. The GM
marks three boxes on the challenge track.

Remember: To use shortcuts, players can attempt a difficult audacious

action, or spend a turn discovering a shortcut, then another turn to
follow the shortcut at normal difficulty.

When NPCs use AoE abilities, the GM should menace all those affected
with a “present threat”, then let the players try to avoid the damage
with their good tale. If they ignore or fail to avoid the damage, the GM
can tell a bad tale against the player.

Race against Time (eg: Turning to Stone)

Short Duration Status Effects (eg: Root)

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 TAVERN TALES

Concentration

Creating NPCs
Most of your NPCs will be mooks. They don’t need traits or attributes.
You can name them on the fly and give them some characteristic
features, but “Third Goblin on the left” and “Fred, the ruddy peasant
with the limp” may not occupy more than a single challenge box for
the players to overcome.

However, your Lieutenants and Boss NPCs should get some abilities. As
GM, you don’t have to stick to the list of character traits. It’d be too
time consuming to pour through the entire traits catalog for every NPC
you want to build. Instead, you can quickly invent a few abilities as
keywords to trigger your memory later. Let’s try an example.

For a combat challenge: the lich is “invulnerable to weapons”, “comes

back 1 hour after death”, and “has a soul draining gaze.” Or just:

Lich: Invulnerable, Resurrects, Root+Drain

For an interaction challenge, perhaps: the high priest is “fanatical”,

“believes in miracles”, also “a self-doubting masochist.” Or just:

High Priest: delusional, zealot, guilty conscience

If you prefer, and you have the time, feel free to go through the
catalog of traits and assign a few to your Boss NPCs. You might have to
tweak the mechanics a bit because NPCs never roll dice, but at least
they’ll give you some inspiration.

Lieutenants should be worth at least 3 challenge boxes. Bosses could

be anywhere from 5 to 20 challenge boxes.

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A few of your NPCs will become Iconic. These are recurring characters,
typically very powerful and in charge of some faction, with the ability
to alter the geopolitical landscape.

Creating Factions
During your Session 0 Worldbuilding session, identify a few clashing
states, guilds, associations, or groups. Those will be your factions. Who
holds influence in those factions? What are their ambitions? If the PCs
did nothing, what would happen. Give your Factions some projects.

NPC Factions and Projects

You want your world to seem alive. Changes can happen, as a result of,
or in-spite of, actions taken by the Player Characters. To facilitate this,
set up a few Challenges for your iconic NPCs and Factions. We’ll call
these “NPC Projects”.

Each project will represent an important project the NPC is working

towards. The length of the challenge is related to the perceived
difficulty of the task.

NPC Project Examples

● Demon King: Build a bridge made entirely of skeletons
○ □□□□□|□□□□□|□□□□□
● Armadillo Tribe: Divert the great river and drain the swamp
○ □□□□□|□□□□□|□□□□□
● Guard Captain: Build a massive siege engine
○ □□□□□|□□□□□
● Shadowy Figure: Kidnap the Emperor

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 TAVERN TALES

○ □□□□□

In the examples above, “Kidnap the Emperor” was a very easy project.
That could indicate that the emperor was very poorly guarded, or that
the antagonist, “Shadowy Figure” was already working on the inside.

NPC Project Difficulty

GMs will have to use their best judgement to figure out how long an
NPC project ought to be. Try starting with “long-term NPC projects of
average difficulty” with 15 boxes. Adjust easy and difficult challenges
from there.

NPC Project Progress

If the characters are struggling, distracted, or unconcerned, it gives the
NPC opportunities to progress their agenda. When a player gets a bad
tale, they can choose to give you a good tale to mark a tick on one of
your NPC’s challenge tracks. This is particularly relevant if the PCs are
not under any time-pressure or facing any direct opposition, such as
while they’re attempting to recover resources during “downtime”.

Whenever an NPC project passes a milestone, 50%, 75%, 90%, 99%,

make sure there’s some sort of very obvious foreshadowing so the
players will become aware of the project and the dire consequences if
it goes unchecked.

Players’ impact on NPC Projects

Sometimes players will interfere with NPC projects. Give the players
challenges which let them knock back the plans of the NPC.

Occasionally, players will elect to allow, enable, or facilitate some NPC

projects. That’s good. It gives you a story hook.

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Game Balance
Clever players will find ways to assemble a collection of synergistic
traits which makes their character much more powerful than the other
characters in the game.

● Work with your game group to make sure everyone shares the
same ideas about powergaming and min-maxing. Use the Mini-
SamePage tool below.
● Tweak traits to be more or less powerful depending on your
experiences.
● Join the community at reddit.com/r/Tavern_Tales and call out
underpowered traits that need buffing and overpowered traits that
need nerfing.

Tips for Running Challenges

New setbacks and threats will arise naturally from players’ bad tales, so
you don’t have to always be menacing them with a present danger.
You need to be aware of pacing, however. If things have gone too well
or too badly for too long, it’s time to mix things up. One way is to use
your Neutral Tales to “menace them with a present threat”. If they’re at
sea, introduce a killer whale. If they’re in the demon-infested scorched
wastelands, introduce a few demons.

Allow the players to come up with their own objectives. Don’t assume
you know the best way to deal with a threat. Your job is to translate
their objectives into appropriate challenges.

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Pacing, Tempo, Pressure, Story Beats

From time to time, PCs need a chance to recover resources. To do this,
they need the opportunity to make some easier rolls without active
opposition.

Good storytelling and good game design both require variation in the
amount of pressure applied to the protagonists. If the players just
finished a difficult challenge, consider easing off the pressure and
giving them some downtime. You can still give them challenges, but
you can make their rolls easier if there’s no active opposition.

See: Downtime, Rest, Recovery

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 TAVERN TALES

Session 0: Getting Everyone on the Same Page

Tavern Tales is a very collaborative game.

First, you need to choose which optional rules to use.

Next, it’s important to build consensus about the tone, setting, and
expectations for the group. You may not want a player having rolled up
a goofy space marine in a grim, high-fantasy setting.

Tone and Power Level

Make sure that everyone knows where the game boundaries are, not in
terms of mechanics or setting (that comes later), but just in terms of
what sort of tone you want the table to have. What’s their comfort
level with certain topics?

Here’s a few good starting questions, but, your group might need to
hash out other things as well before moving on.

● Are PCs allowed do something not in character for the sake of a

good joke?
● Is the GM allowed to kill of PCs as a consequence for (preferably
several) Bad Tales? Or is that decision reserved to the Player who
controls the character?
● Is your game going to be a dungeon-crawling and black-and-white
adventure, or is it going to be more dramatic and cerebral?
● Would a gory, detailed description of brutally tearing the
necromancer’s head off be welcome, or would it turn some people
off?
● Is hitting on the barmaid (or anyone else) OK? Does it fade to black
if the PC is successful, or is your group after-hours?
● Are PCs allowed to fight amongst each other? Can they fight to the
death?
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 TAVERN TALES

Here’s a simple tool to help that process. Everyone collaborates on

where the limits for the campaign are.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Commented [50]: maybe replace this table with an

Situation
image.
Hopeful Dark Bleak Hopeless

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Power-level

Mice Gollum Bilbo Gandalf Thanos

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Sexuality

PG PG-13 Rated R NC-17 XXX

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Violence

PG PG-13 Rated R NC-17 ???

Tone 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Silly Goofy Serious Deadly Cancer &

Serious Genocide

-= 61 =-
 TAVERN TALES

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
PvP

NO! Routine non-deadly Routine life- YES!

conflict threatening conflict Frequent &
Lethal

Other considerations:

● Commonality of Magical or Powerful items.

● Nationalism, Xenophobia, Racism, Oppression

Building a World
Tavern Tales works best with a setting you create collaboratively with
your group.

Start with a blank map. Take turns adding 1 thing to the world map. It
can be a geographical feature, a population, an exotic location, or a
notable historical event. Ask each other questions about the new
addition. Riff off each other’s ideas.

Work together to build a world you would all enjoy exploring. Take this
opportunity to revisit Tone, Difficulty, Genre-Tropes, and Expectations.

Where does your character come from? How do they fit into this
world?

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For more detailed world-building, check out two other excellent

games: Microscope and Dawn of Worlds

Awarding XP
Award the players 1 XP for each significant, interesting thing they did.
It’s simplest to award XP for completed challenges, but you may also
grant additional XP for things they did outside of challenges, at your
discretion.

Awarding 3 to 5 XP per session is reasonable for most groups. Less if

you want slower-paced character advancement. More if you want a
short, fast-paced campaign.

Awarding Treasure
At the end of every significant and appropriate challenge, award each
player 1 or 2 Treasure. Work with your group to determine which type
of challenges should award treasure. Looting Dungeons? Negotiating
Treaties? Performing a service for a local Lord?

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 TAVERN TALES

Be aware of any characters who have traits which rely on

treasure as a resource. If the characters need treasure to
function, make sure the treasure flows.

Agenda and Principles

● Tavern Tales is about powerful fantasy heroes exploring exotic
locations and overcoming difficult obstacles.
● Your job as GM is to facilitate play, inspire a sense of awe and
wonder, help the characters feel powerful.
○ Do that by presenting a dangerous world with obstacles to
overcome.
● The group shares the world. The GM doesn’t own it.
○ In worldbuilding, players have a ton of narrative authority
○ Players can declare new threats and opportunities during
play
○ Players decide how bad results affect their character
● Exploration and Interaction are just as important as combat

Which Attribute do I Test?

The attribute is almost always determined by the player and their
description of how they attempt to overcome the obstacle. Even if it
seems like a stretch, give the players the benefit of the doubt. You
could ask them to clarify: “Cool. Just so I’m clear, how does your
towering intellect save you from the ogre’s club?”

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The first rule of Improv: Say yes Commented [51]: Should I cut this? Dungeon World is
lauded for providing GMs with rules to follow, but this
section might seem pedantic or patronizing. There's
Get used to using these reactions: other places people can learn about improv gameplay,
like "Play Unsafe"
“Yes”, “Hell yeah”, “Awesome”, “Cool”, “OMG, yes.”

Sometimes a player’s description of their plan to overcome an obstacle

might seem like a stretch. It’s possible you haven’t understood their
intentions clearly. Before you say “No”, ask them to help you
understand what they want to accomplish.

A hard “No, that’s impossible” should be reserved for things that are
outside of the tone set in Session 0. PCs can attempt the impossible,
and since this is a fantasy game, they may even succeed at the
impossible. But since this is a collaborative game, the comfort of those
at the table and the tone of the game comes first.

Instead of a hard “no,” come up with ways to make it or a similar task

feasible in a “yes, but it has this consequence” manner, or in a “No, but
you can try this instead.”

● Yes, you can jump down the 50ft castle wall and into the besieging
army. But, it’s a long fall onto hard ground. Even if you land
perfectly, you’re going to be in bad shape from the fall. Are you
sure you want to try this? Perhaps you could find something to
slow your descent?
● No, your grappling hook does not have enough rope or power to
reach the moon. But, as you look up at the moon, you realize that
the rough surface of the tower just might give it the latch it needs
for you to get a good vantage point.

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PvP
Player vs Player combat operates a little differently than running
challenges. As part of their Good Tale, a player may choose to impose
a Bad Tale on another player. Typically this will make them lose a
resource, but it could lead to conditions or even surrender.

Many gaming groups don’t enjoy PvP conflict. It often produces

winner/loser situations and results in hard feelings. On the other hand,
some conflict can create interesting situations and teach us something
about the characters.

You might want to remind players that characters can start with social
conflict and escalate from there. Also, Tavern Tales has a built-in
release valve. If someone wants out, they can “discover a new threat”
when they get a bad tale.

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Magic Items

Acquiring Magic Items

Characters may acquire magical items during combat, exploration, and
interaction challenges. Purchasing rare items from vendors requires an
interaction challenge.

Custom Magic Items

Magic items can be built with a combination of keywords, conditions,
resources, and traits.

Examples:

● Precious, obsidian GreatSword: treasure [ ] [ ], Hardness [ ]

● Official, Shiny Sheriff's Badge, with “Tracking.Deputy” [ ] [ ] [ ]
● Fancy, Elvish Cloak with “Transformation.Chameleon” [ ] [ ] [ ]
● Large, Fragile, precious mirror with Arcane.counterspell [ ]

Items with traits should always have a disadvantage or limited charges.

Example Magic Items

Here are some examples:

Talking Sword: A family heirloom imbued with sentience by the Trait:

Artificer.Spark. Mostly it’s grumpy and will weigh in on how bad your
plan is.

Ander’s Horn: A capped goat horn which magically fills with

mysterious liquid. The liquid is a type of poison. Whoever so drinks the
liquid and survives, shall have the ability to command the undead
hordes until such time as the owner drinks anything else.

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Griggs’ Gloves: Whoever wears these gloves shall be the rightful ruler
of the windswept sand-kingdom. The title confers a long-standing
marriage. Your legal spouse is an ancient lich. The gloves also allow
you to command the undead hordes from the desert.

Crafting Magic Items

Your group should decide whether item crafting is possible. Heroes
might have better things to do than blacksmithing or basket weaving.
If you want crafting, figure out what the challenge length should be
based on the difficulty of item. Perhaps a simple knife is a CL3
blacksmithing challenge, a sword is CL5, and a full suit of armor is CL8.

Keep in mind that PCs come with all the mundane items they need to
do their job.

If you want magical properties on items, look to traits like

“Artificer.Identify and Improve”

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 TAVERN TALES

Bestiary Commented [52]: Open for anyone who wants to

contribute.

Setting: Swamp

Strangling Tree
CR: 5

Its tangled roots form a great web under the water, and vinelike
tendrils hang from this tree, waiting for unwary prey to step near it.
When they do, the tree itself springs to life, latching onto feet and
bodies, trying to pull them under to feed itself.

Its main tactic is to Grapple its prey with its Iron Grip before pulling
them under. Once underwater, its prey will begin Drowning, taking
Health damage on Bad Tales until the roots are severed and the
Character resurfaces.

Since it can’t drown fish or other amphibians, Strangling Trees often

pay them no heed. Some may use this to their advantage, using the
Strangling Tree as protection, while malicious Wisps may seek to draw
adventurers to their doom. In swamps afflicted by evil magic, the very
corpses of the Tree’s previous victims may wish to welcome more into
undeath.

Describe: The smell of decay, something brushing against your leg,

being trapped underwater, drowning.

Traits and Tags

● Iron Grip

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Setting: Caves

Setting: Tropics

Setting: Tundra

Settings and Environments

Give your exotic locations their own traits. These will help you
crystallize what’s unique about the location, and clarify the dangers
presented.

Example Setting Traits:

Start with an adjective about the setting:

Frozen, Toxic, Loud, Busy, Chaotic, Bursting, Sinking, Hard.

Then come up with a couple of tangible effects this might impose on

characters.

Causes characters to sink and get stuck.

These effects will inform the obstacles you present to players on

challenges.

Don’t waste time carefully detailing everything about your world.

Quickly note a few adjectives and potential effects. Also, try not to
define how players should overcome these obstacles. Players might
come up with something you hadn’t thought of.

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Example Settings Commented [53]: Open for anyone who wants to

contribute
World Map Commented [54]: We need something like
EotBeholder's Only Fantasy World Map:
Swamp https://eotbeholder.deviantart.com/art/The-Only-
Fantasy-World-Map-245738593

Caves
In the complete darkness of the vast caverns beneath the surface, light
is a premium most can barely afford. Filled with strange geometries
and surreal landscapes, those traveling deep into caves find themselves
rappelling down vertical tunnels and picking their way through tight
crawlspaces just as often as they would be able to walk normally.

Suggested Tags and Traits

● Encroaching Darkness: You cannot see farther than a Near
distance away from any light source.

Tropics

Tundra

Magic Mountain

Portal Network

Swamplands

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Glossary

Tales
Neutral Tale - Anything spoken by a player that neither benefits nor
hinders the active character. Additionally, some statements which have
benefit, but no risk. Typically anything which doesn’t require a dice roll,
or is spoken before the dice are rolled.

Good Tale - Anything spoken by a player that benefits the active

character. Typically after the dice were rolled and came up 10 or better.

Bad Tale - Anything spoken by a player which serves as a hindrance to,

or harms, the active character. Typically after the dice were rolled and
resulted in 13 or less.

Collaborate - Work with your group to determine the effects and

power level for this particular concept or trait. The outcome should fit
in with the tone you’ve established in session 0.

Rolls
Easy, Normal, Difficult: used to determine which die to take for the
roll result

Increase Rolls, Take Advantage: Make the roll one-step easier

Decrease Rolls, Take Disadvantage: Make the roll one-step harder

Enemies
Mook - an easy adversary. Generally eliminated with a single action.

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Minion - a subservient ally or opponent. Maintained under contract to

perform a service.

Boss - a very difficult adversary - typically has 10 resources to lose, or

presents as a CR10 challenge track.

Lieutenant - a moderately difficult adversary - has 3 resources to lose,

or presents as 3 obstacle boxes on a challenge track.

Horde - a great number of easy adversaries, collectively posing a

moderate challenge. Typically has 3 resources or occupies 3 obstacle
boxes on a challenge track.

Games and Play-styles

Session - a single sitting. Typically 3-4 hours.

One-Shot - a game designed to be fully encapsulated in a single

session.

Campaign - a long game that runs over a number of game sessions.

Characters keep all their XP, traits, attributes, and equipment across
sessions. You can pick up where you left off, or you can stage a little
interlude, cold-open.

Episodic Play - A campaign designed to facilitate players to drop in

and drop out. Each session should be similar to a one-shot, but there’s
a persistent world and overarching campaign

Sandbox - A type of campaign where the GM has no particular story in

mind. After worldbuilding, the players interact with the world in any
manner they like. There’s no scripted events.

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Characters
Trait - one of the defining characteristics of a player character. Traits
are selected from the list in various Themes. Traits cost XP to purchase.
The amount changes depending on how many traits you have in the
same category: combat, exploration, interaction, or general.

Ability - anything the a character can do, typically used to describe

NPCs with one or two tags or keywords: “Sharp Teeth, Flies”. Usually
not represented as traits.

Items
Tag / Keyword - a tag is a miniature version of a trait. Typically just a
single adjective which describes something about a setting, NPC, item,
or event. They’re quick to brainstorm, and useful to have on hand later
as a memory aid. Examples: loud, hardened, frozen, toxic.

Ordinary - items that are commonly available in your setting.

Rare - items which are harder to find in your setting. Typically because
they’re magical, or extra-powerful, or prohibited by law.

Precious - items which are extra valuable in your setting, for any
reason. A precious item is typically worth 1 treasure, but some may be
worth more.

Challenges, Actions and Tasks

Objective - The thing characters are trying to achieve. Eg: “Steal the
gem from the Lich”

Challenge - A long project the characters are working towards

accomplishing, to achieve their objective. Presented as a number of

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tickboxes which represent a series of obstacles. The obstacles don’t

need to be predefined.

CL - Challenge Length. The number of obstacle boxes on a challenge

track. Also called Challenge Number(CN), or Challenge Rating (CR)

Obstacle - A short-term problem impeding the characters from getting

what they want. Usually can be overcome with a single “good tale”
from an “uncertain action”. An obstacle could be anything, eg: a
geographical feature, a trap, an interpersonal conflict, a thesis or
argument, an enemy combatant, a test of will.

Uncertain Action - Any action whose outcome is uncertain, where

failure might be interesting. These tend to be Risky Actions: feats of
brawn, finesse, mind, or spirit. “I swing across the chasm.” Actions are
characterized by their “Approach”

Approach - type of action: Normal, Bolster, Audacious, Reaction.

Interaction
Leverage - represents having the upper hand over someone, probably
from some sort of debt or obligation. Leverage should help you
manipulate and persuade creatures.

Disposition - represents their attitude towards you. Typically described

as: enamored, friendly, courteous, ambivalent, suspicious, hostile,
murderous. The difficulty of rolls to interact with them may be adjusted
based on their disposition.

Ranges
Touch - Any distance you can reach with your hands

-= 75 =-
 TAVERN TALES

Melee - Any distance you can reach with a normal hand-held weapon
(including a step or lunge). Typically about 6 feet.

Reach - Any distance you can reach with a long weapon like a halberd
(including a step or lunge). Typically about 4 yards (12 feet).

Close - Any distance which most people could easily hit with a thrown
weapon. Typically 10 yards (30 feet).

Near, Nearby - Any distance in which you might reasonably hit a

target with a thrown weapon. Typically about the length of a large
room, or 25 yards (75 feet).

Far - Any distance in which an expert marksman could hit a target

accurately with a bow. Typically about the length of a football field, or
100 yards (300 feet).

Extreme - Only a well trained sniper could hit a target at this distance.
Typically the length of a city block.

Areas and Volumes

Handful - a volume the size of a breadbox

Small Area - an area the size of a single human about 1m (3’)

diameter, or a 5’ square if you prefer. For targeting purposes, this
generally encompasses a single individual.

Small Volume - about the size of a coffin. Enough to enclose one

individual human.

Medium Area - an area roughly the size of 10’ diameter (about 3m sq).
For targeting purposes, this generally encompasses 3-5 individuals.

-= 76 =-
 TAVERN TALES

Large Area, Zone - encompasses everything inside a Near distance (25

yards diameter 75’). About the size of a large house.

Huge Area, Large Zone - an area the size of a football field.

Cone - a Medium Area directed out in front of the active character.

Generally targets 3-5 individuals.

Blast - a Medium circular Area centered around a point in space.

Generally targets 3-5 individuals.

Huge Blast - affects everything in a Zone, or a Near distance (30’)

Balance and Power

Buff - make more powerful

Nerf - make less powerful

-= 77 =-
Page 51: [1] Commented [47] Plex Soup 12/23/2017 9:28:00 PM
Yes. I also feel like Super Intelligent characters don't get enough payoff for having high Mind.
Sherlock Holmes would carefully plan things to prevent a lot of bad outcomes, or at least have
the advantage when things do go bad.

We don't have a way to model that yet though. Having the advantage is more fun than skipping
encounters.

Maybe we need a fate die for the GM, then the players get a mind or spirit roll for the initial
approach, to determine who has the advantage.
Page 51: [2] Commented [48] verbal Flourish 12/24/2017 12:14:00 AM
You used to, way back in the day, have that random 1d6 table to roll on, with the results
mapped from "hell no" > "no but" > "yes but" > "hell yes", etc. Maybe we need to bring that
back?

Super intelligent characters have a few traits they can pick up for planning, scouting the area,
etc. It's just that none of our characters atm bothered to pick them up. XD

Otherwise, I'm not quite sure what is meant by "initial approach" or "who has the advantage."