Two Paths Diverging

Do you know the Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken?

Of course you do. It’s one of his most famous. Everyone knows at least the last three lines:

I have heard multiple stories about the writing of this poem. Generally it is agreed that it was written as a bit of a joke, poking fun at an indecisive friend. The entire poem, in defiance of the last three lines, is actually a bit of irony; specifically about how his friend would always regret taking the one path and not the other.

I don’t remember where I heard it, and it’s probably an apocryphal story, but supposedly Robert Frost wrote the poem after spending years editing what would be his first published book: A Boy’s Will. According to the tale, he sent off the final manuscript to his publisher, walked back into his house, typed out The Road Not Taken in one sitting, and published it without any edits or revisions.

You’ve heard of this poem. Have you heard of A Boy’s Will?

This is a long way around to tell you about an RPG that I made with my friend a while ago at dinner. It was born from a side-comment, as after talking a bit about the RPG I was spending a good amount of time and energy on, we got to talking about other systems. I described the solo-RPG Elegy to him, saying it was as involved and detailed as Vampire: the Masquerade, but its solo-RPG nature was a suitable nod to the fact that being a ennui-filled stalker of the night is largely a loner’s occupation. Brooding is difficult when you’ve got seven other Vampires standing around you, trying to hog the brooding-light.

My friend nodded and said that was why he had always preferred Werewolf: The Apocalypse. We talked a bit about that system and setting, before I scratched my head and said: “It’s interesting, there’s a thousand indie RPGs where you can play a Vampire, but I can’t think of one where you play a Werewolf.” (I have since found several, but they are largely focused on more than just being a werewolf, but rather werewolves who are also project managers, high-schoolers, pizza-deliverers, and lesbian crimefighters, naturally.)

“You should make one,” my friend said, “and call it ‘Two Truths and a Lycanthrope.’”

When I could breathe again, I accepted his challenge, and we made the core of the game then and there.

Two Truths and a Lycanthrope

Your character is someone who has become cursed with Lycanthropy. Maybe by accident, maybe by design, but your character is caging a monster in their blood. It is currently controllable to an extent, but this may not last.

To do anything that your character could reasonably be expected to do, all you have to do is declare it done. If there is dramatic tension, roll 1d6 + 1d for each asset that might make the action easier, such as previous experience, training, a picked-up wrench, what have you. Forged In The Dark style, if your highest die is a 6, you succeed without cost. If your highest is a 4 or 5, you succeed at a cost. If you roll 1-3, you fail and receive a narrative complication that makes the situation a little bit worse.

Your character has two truths, two aspects that define their character. If you’re familiar with FATE, you’re familiar with these. Your character also has a Lycanthrope; this is a quality that drives the beast within. Any time your character feels this way, they must make a Beast Check, or shift their shape. Here is a small table of possible Lycanthropes and Forms if you wish to roll for them:

Roll	Lycanthrope	Form
1	Rage/Love	Canine
2	Hunger/Lonely	Ursine
3	Greed/Loss	Feline
4	Envy/Shame	Porcine
5	Pride/Scorn	Arachnid
6	Fear/Judgment	Serpentine

A Beast Check starts as a d12. Roll a d12, and if you roll a 1, you succumb to the Beast. If you don’t roll a 1, you carry on with the game until you are subjected to another Beast check, which should be rolled with a d10. This decline in die-size continues until you roll a 1 or you are forced to roll a beast check after succeeding with a d4. In either case, you succumb and change into your were-form.

Depending on the situation, if your character feels an intense emotion that isn’t their Lycanthrope, their die can still reduce in size, even if a roll is not required. Alternately, they may roll the die but not reduce it in size afterwords. These two options are left up to the GM’s/players’ judgment

Once shifted into their were-form, the character will go on a rampage for the rest of the session. What this “rampage” looks like can vary from a massive killing spree, to wide-spread property destruction, to total focus-on and tormenting-of a single person that really irks the character. This is dependent on what the trigger was, the state of the narrative, and what the table thinks is most appropriate.

The character will wake up next morning with little recollection of what happened. They may have fuzzy memories, discount them as a dream, or suspect something horrible happened, again depending on the constructed narrative and the table’s agreement.

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And that’s that! A one-pager easily augment-able with whichever oracles or tables you want. It’s a simple system, akin to Honey Heist or Lasers & Feelings, not really designed for complex mechanics but more for narrative play. It still needs some polishing and improvement, but I’m more focused on other projects at the moment. Will I go through the trouble of polishing and actually making it a pdf that can be distributed on Itch.io? Maybe someday, but for now I just want it on that when it becomes more widely played than MANIFEST, I saw it coming.