My Supernatural Romance: All-Vampire Archipelago Edition

Introduction
My Supernatural Romance is an RPG for couples, originally inspired by True Blood, Twilight, Let the Right One In, Buffy, and other tales of star-crossed vampire-human romances. This game is a hack of Matthijs Holters Archipelago II. One should learn Archipelago II before one plays this. This uses the same cards for resolution. One can get them at http:// www.thegamecrafter.com/games/archipelago if one does not like doing paper crafts. In these rules, You means the player who plays the Protagonist, the poor soul who will-if I am doing my job right--fall for a vampire. (Or, if they are a vampire, fall for a human.) I means a more-or-less traditional game master, who plays both the Crush, the object of the Protagonists desire, and the cruel Fate that conspires to keep them apart. And so, the rules assume that I am a story-gaming veteran, familiar with improv, sceneframing games like Universalis, Fiasco, Shock, or Primetime Adventures, and that you are not.

An Overview Of Play
You pretend to be the Protagonist, the hero of the story. I pretend to be mostly everyone else, including the character you (hopefully!) will get a Crush on and the whims of Fate, though if you have ideas for what my characters should do let me know. I have played games in which the game master is the complete authority and the other players only get to say what their characters think and do; in this game, although my role is akin to that of game master, Im going to mostly relinquish that authority. If you have an idea, I will run with it. Sometimes, though, you will have to draw a card to get your way, particularly if your character attempts something difficult or dangerous - like trying to seduce a vampire.

Playing Fate and The Crush

My rules come first, because thats really whats important about this game. I dont tell these to you, but if youve already read them on your own thats okay.

Mantras
1. I make the Crush desirable. (But, at first, unavailable.) 2. I make sure someone or something is always trying to get the

Protagonist and the Crush together; and make sure someone or

something is always resisting the union, until the end.

How do I make the Crush desirable?

Ideally, we want to feel some bleed - we, not just as characters but as players, should be attracted to our partner's character. But I can't force it. I can't tell you how you feel I can't say You start crushing on him or You fall in love with him. Unlike some games, where one player can seduce another and the other player isn't allowed to refuse, I don't want to put my story-game-newbie significant other in that position. I want you to want me. To make matters worse, a phenomenon called 'reactance' is working against me you know you're supposed to get together with the Crush and, because you feel obligated, there's going to be a natural resistance. Because it's work, not play. A job, a chore, not fun. So, what am I supposed to do? Here are a bunch of moves, more or less in the order I might pull them out. Let you create the Crush and make sure you make one you want Since youre creating the Crush, hopefully you'll create someone you like. But sometimes you don't. So, when you pick or create a character to be the Crush, I may want to vet you to be sure. Maybe. Does he seem like someone you could be attracted to? What Actor (or Celebrity) Plays Them? Ask you what actor/actress (in their prime) would be playing them when the movie version comes out. Be The Protagonist's Glands I can't say, Oh, you're totally in love with him now, but there are some things I can say, such as: He's cute. When he looks at you, your heart beats faster. When your hand accidentally touches hers it's like an electric shock. You feel a bit faint. When he leans in to talk to you, it's like the room is spinning. Maybe you've drunk too much? "Her eyes meet yours for a second; your heart skips a beat. Then she looks away." I've found that one or two of these in a game is fine - I imagine it would be easy to hit a point where Im overdoing it. Although you control the Protagonists conscious mind, I get their subconscious. I could even have you dream about the Crush... Use the 3rd person I take some of the pressure off; I don't ask, Are you crushing on him yet? I ask - Is Sally attracted to him? Is she going to try to do something to get his attention? or Is she flirting? Or I mention, If you don't have any ideas for what to do you could try the Oracle of Seduction. I switch between 2nd and 3rd person as needed. He's wearing just the right amount of cologne just a hint but it makes you [here 'you' means Sally] dizzy. Huh - do you [here 'you' means you, the player] think Sally's getting a crush? When playing with someone who isn't my wife or significant other, I always talk about the Crush

in the third person, but when playing with my wife or significant other, I can try the first. "I'm wearing just the right amount of cologne - just a hint - but it makes you dizzy." Play hard to get There are two reasons the Crush is usually mean or inattentive in a love story one is because if they give themselves right away, there'd be no story, but the other is if they seem unavailable it makes them more desirable. So start with the Crush being aloof; maybe they're already in a relationship or seem to be. But being an outright asshole probably will backfire. I ask you how I should play So how would you want (him/me) to approach you? Knight in Shining Armor + Florence Nightingale Effect From the Oracle of Seduction, these are the most effective moves. The Crush protects the Protagonist but gets hurt in the process. Now the Protagonist knows they're on the side of good but they're hurt the Protagonist will have to help! Damsel In Distress Works even if the Protagonist is female and the Crush is male. Accidental Crush You could pick someone I didnt intend you to crush on. If that happens, Ill make that character the crush.

Give Up
If I push too hard to make the Protagonist player go for the Crush - that's called railroading. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. Maybe the story we're telling is actually like one of those protagonists-who-never-get-together-because-it'll-ruin-the-series TV shows - so I let it go, and turn the subplot into the main plot, and when the subplot is resolved, have a little epilogue with the two of them. (Maybe one where a third character comes in and says "You're such a cute couple" or "Don't fight, wouldn't want to see you two get divorced" so they can protest - "Oh no, we're not a couple.") As long as we still had fun and told a good story, it's a win.

The Game Is Asymmetric

On the other hand, I, the Crush/Fate player Im a good sport, I've played this sort of game before, I can simply act attracted to the Protagonist. I don't have to be feeling it. You dont have to make me feel bleed or elicit desire. You just have to Consult the Cards to seduce me. It's so unfair.

How do I make make sure the Crush and Protagonist are both pulled together and pushed apart?
If you are pursuing the Crush then my work is done: either the Crush resists or Fate gets in the

way. If you arent pursuing the Crush, and its the beginning of the game, then Fate will throw you and the Crush together. If were four scenes into the game, and you still arent pursuing the Crush, then I will have the Crush pursue you. If you let the Crush catch you, then hell change his mind or Fate will get in the way. Etcetera.

Structure of the Game

The key phrases of Archipelago are in force here - the ones youll use are: Can You Describe That In More Detail? Try A Different Way. The ones Ill use are: Can You Describe That In More Detail? That Might Not Be So Easy.

Preproduction
It looks like theres a lot of steps here but it should go pretty quick. A few seconds to pick a rating, a few minutes to discuss setting and how vampires work, a minute or two for some bookkeeping, and then you can actually play.

Agree on How Much Sex And Violence

Unless we know each other really well, we should agree on what sort of rating the game has before we start playing. Using movie ratings, like Breaking the Ice does, is a pretty clear way of expressing to each other, I'm comfortable with about this much sex and violence. We could go anywhere from G to XXX. We could also have separate ratings for both sex and violence.

Agree on Time And Place

Here's where we decide what story we both want to tell. If we want to go for tried-and-true, we pick a time and place we're very familiar with, like the town or city we live in, today. If we want to stretch, though, we might want to pick one of your favorite literary time periods. If we want to really stretch, you can draw a card and consult the Oracle of Time.

Which of us is the Vampire - and what kind of Vampire?

You get to choose if you want to be the Vampire or you want me to be. Lets spend a moment talking about what vampires in our story are like. Think about a few of the questions below. What we dont decide now well let come out in play later. What causes vampirism? Something science-fictiony, like a virus, or something fantastic - magic, demons? Which vampire myths are true about our vampires, and which are false? Are they really immortal? Just very long-lived? Just like people? Do they need human blood or will animal blood or some sort of blood substitute suffice?

Maybe they dont feed on blood at all - maybe they feed on emotion or energy? Can they go out in the day? Why? What special powers do they have? Are there a lot of vampires, with their own culture and politics, like an Anne Rice novel, or are they very rare, like Bram Stokers? How do they sire new vampires? Does a single bite infect you, or do you need a more elaborate ritual? What happens if they try to reproduce the old-fashioned way? With a human? If theyre so powerful and infectious, how come they havent taken over the world already? Why do so few people know about them? (Or, you may want to play a story where they have taken over the world, like Daybreakers, or where theyve come out of the coffin, like True Blood.) If this process gives us any neat ideas about our Vampires, we bounce them back and forth. You are always right - any idea you have is valid. But my ideas are subject to your approval.

One thing our Vampire should not be is a creature of pure evil. Maybe vampires in our world are evil - like the vampires in Buffy - but our specific Vampire should be like Angel - for some reason, able to love and be loved. I dont want to be the Vampire but I dont want to be a boring ordinary human either Totally fine. You want to be a vampire-slayer, a shapeshifter, a psychic, a sorcerer or sorceress, a demon, an angel? Awesome. Go for it. Ill be the Vampire.

How Long Do We Want To Play?

A game of My Supernatural Romance can be under an hour long or stretch to three or even four hours depending on how you play it. Well discuss it ahead of time and watch the clock as we play.

Explain How Seduction Works

I tell you, At any time, you can try to seduce someone - just tell me how you do it. If you don't have any ideas how to do it there's the Oracle of Seduction.

Production
The game is broken into scenes - we take turns framing the scenes and then doing a little bookkeeping for what the scene meant in game mechanics. The first two or three scenes are special, because thats where were introducing our characters and having them meet.

Who Sets Each Scene

I set the first scene, the scene that reveals who the Protagonist is. After that we take turns. You can always refuse, in which case I frame the next scene, and you get the following scene, if you want it. And it's okay for scenes to stay in the same place, to just pick up where the last scene left off.

Scene 1: Reveal The Protagonist

Our first scene should be a typical moment in the life of the Protagonist. We are learning who you are. This is the stable platform your life stands on; later you will meet your Crush and your life will tilt out of control. Scene one is also where we create your character. That way we get to start playing right away. But you dont get total control over who you create. I take a strong hand in creating your character - and, later, you create mine. I Frame The Scene I set a scene, and then we roleplay, and see what comes out. A good starting scene is your workplace if Id like you to play a doctor, for example, Id start at a hospital. Or if I want you to be a super-spy, I might you in the middle of an important mission. If youre the Vampire I might start at your home or while youre stalking prey. But I need to keep in mind that if you dont like your character you won't have fun and won't want to play again. So I ask first - How about we start in a hospital? or How about we start in the middle of a covert operation? You need to make no such concessions, when youre setting my scene. If we can't think of anything we could consult the Oracle Of Openings. I consider our establishing shot for the opening I might want to start wide (show the countryside? City?) and zoom in (to the exact room). I Create Some Action Then, I dont tell you who you are or what you do I create a situation and ask you. A gurney is wheeled in from the street, I might say. Theres a trauma victim on the gurney, an ambulance driver looking in past the sliding doors, a couple of nurses, an EMT, and a doctor looking up from some paperwork. Shes losing a lot of blood, the EMT says, and then I ask, Who are you in this scene? When whatever situation I've created calms down, it's a good time to have a character ask you something that sheds light onto whether you already have why such a desirable person doesn't have a boyfriend or girlfriend, such as: How did that blind date go last night? (Or maybe they do have a boyfriend or girlfriend, but the relationship isnt working.) A little conversation and we might find out a lot about them. When The Scene Is Over Once we feel the scene is resolved: If You Haven't Thought of a Name For Your Protagonist Yet... Now's the time. Choose A Blessing And A Curse We think about what has been revealed about your character - whats a positive trait or asset they have, and whats a problem? Blessings and curses have no game effect other than in the fiction.

Example blessings might include: Brave, Knows a bad egg, Master of elemental magic, Stylish trenchcoat. Example curses might include: Alcoholic, Insomniac, Cant go out in daylight, Cant control her shadow, Controlling mother. I suggest blessings and curses and you confirm or veto them until we have one. The Question of your Destiny Like Archipelago, you have a destiny question you are trying to answer in play, but it is always: What will it cost to be together? Choose An Aspiration Then I suggest possible Aspirations for the Protagonist. Again, it should have something to do with the scene we just played. But if I can't think of anything there is an Oracle of Aspirations. You either agree or veto until you come up with one they like. Do You Have A Dark Secret? Optionally, you may choose to have your own Dark Secret. If you have one, you dont need to tell me yet. And you dont have to choose it right away you can wait until you get a better idea. Or, you could come up with a working Dark Secret now, and change it if you think of a better one later. I will definitely need a Dark Secret, but Ill come up with it a bit later.

Scene 2: We Meet
Most romance novels are first person perspective, so we don't get a good look at the personality of The Crush right away the Crush remains a Mystery Man or Woman. You set the scene, using the Oracle of Destiny if you wish, and put my character, the Crush, in it. I can help if youre stuck. From tvtropes.org: A meet-cute is almost always rife with awkwardness, embarrassment, and sometimes outright hostility. It's often used in films ... due to time constraints; while on television a relationship can develop more naturally over many episodes, a movie has to get their couple set up right away to fit within 2 hours. There is no clear cut definition of what constitutes meeting cute. One criterion is that it's not any way you would expect to meet a significant other. We make this scene a meet-cute. It's okay to be clich, we're trying to have fun, not write great literature. You introduce a character that could be me and Ill tell you if they really are or not. You are trying to make my character - whether Im the Vampire or not - be someone you could be attracted to. Someone dreamy. During this scene, if you come on to me or seem attracted to me I will resist you. If you ignore me or dont seem attracted to me I will subtly come on to you and be charming about it. I don't get a Motivation that's because my Motivation is always either to Pursue or Resist you, depending on what stage of the story we're in.

Break: Take a Moment And Think About Our Dark Secret(s)

So, we've got two characters, and they're probably attracted to each other (though they dont both admit it to themselves), and they're not getting together yet. Now's the time to think about why not. It may be obvious: one of us is the Vampire, so were not going to get involved with a mortal. So we go deeper. Why not get involved? What about being a vampire makes things particularly difficult what Dark Secret do I have on top of the first, obvious, secret? (Since the first mystery was obvious, a second mystery will add seasoning.) If I come up with a Dark Secret now, I can foreshadow it. Then, when you figure it out, or I choose to confess, things will 'click.' Even if youre the Vampire, Im still the one who needs a Dark Secret - because youre the Protagonist and there has to be a reason I havent fallen for you yet. If Im stuck, I can always use The Oracle Of Dark Secrets. I dont tell you the Dark Secret yet. I may change my mind as the story progresses, before I reveal it I might think of something better, or you might mention that you think you know my Dark Secret and it might be a better idea than I had in the first place.

The Remaining Scenes: Conflict Scenes and Consulting The Cards

We continue taking turns setting scenes. When Im setting the scene, I will either be setting a scene where the Crush can pursue the Protagonist (maybe using the Oracle of Seduction); where Fate is trying to bring the Crush and the Protagonist together (Oracle of Destiny); or Fate is trying to push us apart (Oracle of Denial). When you are setting the scene, you are probably trying to shed some light on your character or have your character pursue their Aspiration. At some point you may decide that your character wants to pursue my character, and frame a scene to accomplish that. I will usually try to subvert your scene to my own ends: for example, if you set a scene at home, the Crush might happen to show up at your door. If you set a scene where youre going on a sales call itll turn out to be at a place I own. If you set a scene where youre pursuing me, youll get a phone call - theres an emergency, youre needed somewhere else. Conflict is probably going to happen -you will either pursue your Aspiration, or you may try to "seduce" (in the most general sense - any attempt to win the Crushs heart) the Crush. And doing either of these things aren't going to be easy. Now you Consult the Cards. Typically you will be consulting the cards about once each scene to further your goals. At first they're like practice draws, to get you closer to your Aspiration. Later they're draws to seduce or win over the Crush. Still later they're draws to stay with the Crush despite obstacles.

Consulting the Cards

This works just like Archipelago. I draw a card and interpret what happens. We do not shuffle the cards between draws, so if you get a lot of bad results, you know youll get a good result eventually.

Revealing Dark Secrets

Immediately after I am seduced the first time, I can reverse it (if we have a lot of time left) by revealing my Dark Secret. This could be immediate, if I control the narration, as my Yes, But...

Maybe I will have the Crush confess... Otherwise maybe Fate will reveal the Dark Secret and the Protagonist will be horrified, and Ill be chasing them again. Also, if the Protagonist is the Vampire, I can use that to reverse seduction. "What are you? I...gotta go." The same character can have multiple Dark Secrets, if we have time. For example, the first Dark Secret of Vampire Diaries is that he's a vampire. The second Dark Secret is that the Protagonist is a double for his dead evil loved one, and there were more.

Subplot
A subplot almost always emerges from our play and the Oracles. Maybe it has to do with the Protagonist's aspiration; maybe it's a story element that's such a big deal we can't ignore it. We will roll with it, and try to resolve the subplot before - or at the same time as - the climax. It's quite possible that we'll consult the cards more - or a lot more - trying to resolve the subplot than our love story plot, as we hunt down clues in a murder mystery or try to stop demons.

Climax
Once we've been through a combination or three of trying to keep the Protagonist and the Crush apart -- she resists, he resists, he's used a Dark Secret or two, fate's tried to keep them apart -- and were getting near the end of the time we agreed to play, it's probably time for a good climax: Fate is keeping us apart, it seems like an insurmountable challenge, but we win the day. Maybe after failing once or twice, though... Side note: It won't happen every time, but a great climax is one that resolves a sub-plot and resolves the love in the same scene. Examples: The Matrix: "I love you, therefore I know you're the One" (People bitch about this but I always thought it was clever.) Wall-E: "I love you, so I want to finish the mission and go back to Earth." Common Fairy Tale Ending: "I love him, so don't kill him, take me instead." Followed by Badguy: "The power of your love destroys/banishes me!"

Epilogue(s):
And then, you can narrate an epilogue, if you want. It will be about how you're together and it looks like it's going to last, but you still feel some sorrow over the prices you've paid to get here. Or maybe we died in each other's arms, like Romeo & Juliet. Or maybe we each went our separate ways. Whatever it is, we will have answered your Destiny Question: What did it cost us to be together?

The Oracles
Use a standard deck of playing cards to consult the Oracles.

Oracle of Time And Space

A - A Medieval City, Castle And Cathedral 2 - Florence During The Renaissance 3 - Neighboring Estates On The English Countryside 4 - The South During The Last Year of The Civil War 5 - Chicago, after Black Tuesday 6 - France Near the End of World War II 7 - New York in the Fifties 8 - Berkeley in the Sixties 9 - Seattle in the fall 10 - Long After The Apocalypse, After The Green Returns J - Tokyo 2089 AD Q - On A Generation Ship In The Year 2322 AD K - In The Dark Land That Nightmares Call Home

Oracle of Ambition
A - make friends and fit in in this strange new place 2 - the promotion, the corner office, your own secretary 3 that boy/girl/man/woman who caught your eye 4 - find a good match for your friend 5 - take care of your sick father 6 - the legendary treasure that your uncle pursued for so long 7 discharge your responsibilities so you can leave this place 8 revenge for your dead loved one 9 to finish your masterwork sculpture 10 to get into the exclusive club J get elected to local office Q clean up this town K a quarter of a million dollars

Oracle of Openings
A at their place of work 2 while they are competing at their favorite sport 3 at their best friend's home 4 at their ancestral home 5 at their place of worship or at a meeting of an organization they belong to 6 in a classroom 7 on a ship or horse-drawn carriage 8 in media res - where they are getting up to some mischief 9 - in media res - where they are getting in trouble 10 at their home J - at their "third place" Q - in media res - in a cell K -in media res - where they don't belong

Oracle of Destiny (when they meet, or when fate is pursuing togetherness)

A - shelter from a storm 2 - come together in common defense of a mutual friend 3 rescue the other from danger 4 - assigned on a mission together 5 run into each other in the neighborhood 6 at a funeral/at a wedding 7 transferred into the same department 8 at a nightclub 9 invited out together by a mutual friend 10 end up sharing a ride together J set up on a blind date Q both entered into the same competition K volunteered for the same project

Oracle of Dark Secrets

A I'm with someone else 2 I'm promised/married to someone else 3 I was only pretending 4 - "My family would not approve" 5 - "I've taken a vow" 6 - "You would be in danger 7 I don't deserve you 8 - "I can't control myself 9 - "I must kill you 10 - "My people and your people are enemies" J - "Society won't accept us" Q - "My work is too important" K - I've been hurt

Oracle of Denial (when fate is resisting)

A sent far away 2 kidnapping 3 - the family intervenes 4 the other intervenes 5 the club / church intervenes 6 the supernatural being loses control 7 war between your peoples 8 hunted 9 work gets in the way 10 the supernatural being hibernates J returning home Q captured/imprisoned

K moving on

The Oracle of Despair (when you're coming up with fallout for a yes, but... or results for a bad roll)
A - family member is lost/estranged 2 friend is lost/estranged 3 - illness 4 hunted by badguys / wanted by law 5 - heart is broken 6 - physically hurt 7 - owe a debt 8 - lose standing 9 - do wrong 10 - make an enemy J - lose possession Q - lose ability K - lose job / position

The Oracle of Seduction (ways in which one character might pursue the other)
A ask for help 2 proposition / ask out directly 3 - accidentally touch / tease 4 have a friend put in a word 5 write poetry/letters (anonymously?) 6 call 7 use powers 8 impress 9 share common interests (falsely?) 10 get hurt J make jealous. Q pretend you're acting K protect/help

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