The No Combat Game.

My current game resolves around a puzzle piece plot with subplots customized for each character. This last Sunday the party reached an akashic node. using one of the variant rules from Akashic Nodes (home of memory), I created an aspect of an ancient dragon akashic who used to lair atop the node. This as a Npc who would only answer the questions with cryptic answers if you did not make a good delve the collective memory check. The party spent a huge amount of time investigating various questions, then went off investigating if two islands would make good military bases in a looming war. When they got to the island a number of options were presented,, the party avoided a fight with a horde of spinned grapplers and decided to transverse a spectral maze.

Lots of solid role-playing in these encounters, the tone of the game is rising as the storm of war gathers.

Just a reminder that you can have a great game, have action and adventure and not have a single moment of combat.

Deisgn Diary: Evocative City Sites (part II)

Last night I sat home and hammered out the idea for a "Little shop that was not there yesterday" and came up with Kaveat Imptor's Curiosity Shop. I played this trope pretty straight.

I did put a slight twist to the idea that these need not be cursed items but actually they are fenced items, and the reason the shop disappears is because of the law wanting to track down their sale. They can afford to undercut the competition because it’s all profit for them.

Still I did leave in the ability that Kaveat is a Demonic/Fey imp who is simply happy to make a bargain and is always getting the better end of the deal.

I did add one item "Mercykiller" that is a subverted trope in that the item was a horribly vile and dangerous weapon after gaining sentience it became a strict pacifist.

For now I am just trying to burn these out, and will go back and convert them to a first person point of view as I edit them.

This is going to be Rite Publishing's first non Arcana Evolved product, since it is systemless, making it compatible with every fantasy rpg available. I am really looking forward to seeing how it does.