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| Art by Max Gibson |
Interludes
It
isn’t unusual for the characters in heroic fiction to engage in
dialog or acts of storytelling that reveals something important about
their pasts or gives the reader further access to their personalities.
The system below gives a mechanical incentive for scenes of
revelatory characterization:
-
During a period of natural downtime, a player may nominate themselves to roleplay an interlude scene.
-
That player must draw a single card from a standard deck. The value and suit of the card drawn determines the essential content of the interlude, as per the Interlude Table.
-
The player will then tell a story based on that theme in the voice of their character. The story should reveal something about the character’s backstory or give the other players a greater sense of who that character is, their motivations, their hopes and fears, etc.
-
After a player completes an interlude scene, their character immediately gains inspiration.
- The next time an interlude scene is invoked, a different player must nominate themselves.
Interlude
Table
Clubs
|
Diamonds
|
Hearts
|
Spades
|
|
Ace
|
Realization
|
First
day on the job
|
Blossoming
romance
|
New
insight
|
Two
|
Cunning
plan
|
Patience
rewarded
|
Dangerous
attraction
|
False
impression
|
Three
|
Skilled
leadership
|
Teamwork
leading to success
|
Celebration
|
Failure
to express an idea
|
Four
|
Goal
achieved
|
Victim
of greed
|
Solitude
|
Recovery
from injury
|
Five
|
Competition
|
Victim
of theft
|
Tragic
loss
|
Hollow
victory
|
Six
|
Glorious
victory
|
Spending
a vast sum
|
Childhood
nostalgia
|
Long
journey
|
Seven
|
Last-ditch
defense
|
Changing
your path
|
Treasured
daydream
|
Practiced
deceit
|
Eight
|
Short
journey
|
The
devil in the details
|
Leaving
someone behind
|
Feeling
trapped
|
Nine
|
Prolonged
battle
|
Self-reliance
|
Sexual
satisfaction
|
Guilty
nightmare
|
Ten
|
Burden
of duty
|
Inheritance
|
Familial
happiness
|
Martyrdom
|
Jack
|
Quick
temper
|
Hard
work
|
Falling
in love
|
Fiery
rebellion
|
Queen
|
Utter
chaos
|
Maternal
instinct
|
Emotional
dependence
|
Sharp
intellect
|
King
|
Artistry
|
Rags
to riches
|
Wise
diplomacy
|
Self-reflection
|
***
NOTE: This system is an adaptation of the interludes from Savage Worlds Deluxe, but I have significantly expanded the table found in those rules.