The Game Moves
Six Trials of the Weavers, along with 1888 Amenti, was an experiment to see what short-stories could be created through solo journalling RPGs. The following is the behind-the-scenes dice-rolls and card-pulls that created the short-story.
The Character Holly was created with the following stats:
| Mind || Spirit || Body | |:—-:|:——:|:—-:| | 3 || 2 || 1 |
The draw of the cards was in the following order, complete with rolls:
Ace of Hearts
Introduction.
King of Diamonds
Trial die: 6
Hard Mind Test
| Roll || Results || Difficulty || Stamina | |—–:|:———-:|:———-:|:——-:| | 1 || 2, 3, 4, 5 || 5 || 2 | | 2 || 1, 6, 3, 4 || 4 || 2 | | 3 || 6, 2, 4, 2 || 4 || 2 | | 4 || 4, 3, 5, 5 || 1 || 2 | | 5 || 6, 4, 5, 4 || -3 || 2 |
Success
7 of Hearts
Trial die: 6
Gain +2 on next mind roll
9 of Spades
Trial die: 6
Gain -2 on next mind roll
5 of Diamonds
Trial die: 6
No change
Queen of Spades
Trial die: 6
Medium Spirit Test
| Roll || Results || Difficulty || Stamina | |—–:|:——-:|:———-:|:——-:| | 1 || 2, 3, 6 || 4 || 2 | | 2 || 3, 4, 1 || 4 || 2 | | 3 || 4, 3, 1 || 4 || 2 | | 4 || 3, 4, 2 || 4 || 2 | | 5 || 1, 6, 4 || 3 || 2 | | 6 || 4, 6, 6 || 0 || 2 |
Success
Jack of Diamonds
Trial die: 6
Easy Mind Test
| Roll || Results || Difficulty || Stamina | |—–:|:———-:|:———-:|:——-:| | 1 || 3, 3, 5, 3 || 1 || 2 | | 2 || 2, 4, 2, 3 || 1 || 1 | | 3 || 5, 4, 5, 1 || -1 || 1 |
Success
Jack of Spades
Trial die: 6
Easy Spirit Test
| Roll || Results || Difficulty || Stamina | |—–:|:——-:|:———-:|:——-:| | 1 || 2, 1, 6 || 2 || 1 | | 2 || 2, 6, 6 || 1 || 1 | | 3 || 2, 3, 1 || 1 || -1 |
Fail
5 of Spades
Trial die: 5
Gain -2 to next Spirit Roll
7 of Spades
Trial die: 5
Gain -2 to next Spirit Roll
Jack of Hearts
Trial die: 5
Easy Body Test
| Roll || Results || Difficulty || Stamina | |—–:|:——-:|:———-:|:——-:| | 1 || 4, 4 || 0 || 2 |
Success
King of Clubs
Trial die: 5
Hard Any (Mind) Test
| Roll || Results || Difficulty || Stamina | |—–:|:———-:|:———-:|:——-:| | 1 || 4, 4, 2, 4 || 4 || 2 | | 2 || 3, 1, 5, 5 || 3 || 2 | | 3 || 5, 5, 2, 2 || 3 || 2 | | 4 || 2, 3, 4, 6 || 2 || 2 | | 5 || 4, 5, 2, 3 || 1 || 2 | | 6 || 6, 5, 6, 4 || -3 || 2 |
Success
Final Thoughts
Starting off with a hard test was a little nerve-wracking, mitigated only because it was Holly’s highest stat. I didn’t know what to expect, so having the first three rolls go so middling was curious. Having two really good rolls afterwards gave me a confidence that probably wasn’t earned.
The game itself was full of setups and undercuts: Gaining a bonus to my next mind roll was instantly countered by getting a penalty to my next mind roll. After an extended struggle and subsequent victory over a medium difficulty spirit trial, I quickly failed the easy spirit trial. With Holly’s lowest stat in Body, the only body trial she encountered was defeated in a single roll. Crushing penalties to my next spirit roll never came up, because I could choose the final stat to test.
I certainly would want to revise this story before submitting it as any stand-alone short story. I’d want to seed some more of the arc in the beginning, smooth some of the transitions, and develop Holly more as a character, to say nothing of the cabin and her family. As it was, it was what it was — a quick and dirty description of action and effect.
I didn’t realize what this story was even about until the final trial and explored what nightmares Holly experienced. I then realized what the horror of feeling trapped could mean, and the imagery guided me to her real pain.
What is her real pain? That’s not for me to say. Dreams are dark and frightening places, and the mind doesn’t always explain itself plainly.
Her balm, however, is the same as it usually is. We can help each other, support each other, love each other, and do everything we can to make sure our fellows are safe, healthy, and happy. Support from others can sometimes be the best medicine, and the best cures in the world won’t work without good friends and family at your side.