Bright and Terrible: The Game Moves

This story was made using the solo RPG Bright and Terrible, by Rose on Mars. What follows is the die rolls that resulted in the transcribed narrative:

Tell: 5 - Breath turns to steam, even in hot weather Fell Weapon: 3 - A hammer that breaks not bones, but minds

Number	Crisis	Object	Twist	Dice	Action	Roll	Result
3	2,1 - 3,3	1,5	2,2	1 Black, 1 Yellow	Terrible	2B, 2Y	Failure, Foretell Doom
3	3,1 - 5,6	6: 4,1 - 2,3	6: 2,3 - 2,4	2 Black, 1 Yellow	Bright/told Tragedy	5B, 3B, 5Y	Success, Resolve Doom, Foretell Doom
4	4,4 - 6: 5,3 - 1,5	2,5	2,5	2 Black, 1 Yellow	Terrible/told Glory	3B, 5B, 1Y	Success
4	6: 3,5 - 1,3 6: 4,5 - 3,2	6: 1,5 - 3,3	4,3	1 Black, 2 Yellow, 1 White	Bright, Resolve Doom	3B, 6Y, 4Y, 6W	Success, Companion Wounded
3	1,1 - 4,6	2,1	1,2	2 Black, 1 Yellow, 1 White	Bright	6B, 1B, 5Y, 1W	Success, Companion Shifts

Final Thoughts

Bright and Terrible succeeds mostly through its simplicity. All in all, there are only three aspects to each crisis: two factions, one object of desire, and a twist. From there, the player is free to construct whatever challenge or story they see fit. While there is no rule that only one roll can be made for each crisis, I felt it fit well in the confines of an episodic narrative.

I’ve spoken before about my struggle between writing the story either during or after playing the whole game, and in this case I did a kind of hybrid: I rolled up the situation and wrote it down, leading the Exile to their climactic action. Once I had decided what they would do, I rolled the dice and wrote the chapter’s conclusion. I think this process worked well, as it gave me the chance to play with the situation before I knew whether I was writing a successful action or a failure.

For myself, I found the setting lent itself to more mythological and poetic prose, but I can easily see how this game could be used to create a more down-to-earth story, with the Atlantean being little more than a powerful human, but if you don’t know by now that I favor more extravagant prose, well…you haven’t read a lot of my work.

This flowery prose, however, encouraged a story about loneliness, isolation, and hubris. It wasn’t until later in the game, when the character had lost some of their pride and arrogance, that they even allowed the idea of companions to enter their plans. A more down-to-earth setting for Atlantis would have encouraged more companions and more gritty action, but the mythological flavor was just too interesting to pass up.

I think this is a game that, due to its elegant simplicity, makes for a brilliant framework for both simple and complex stories. You could tell the tale, like I did, of a single Atlantean Exile trying to reclaim their purpose in a world that now is moving beyond them; or of a humbled Atlantean struggling to build a coalition of allies, resources, and reputation in an attempt to atone for past wrongs. Bright and Terrible hits the sweet spot of providing just enough so that it’s your story that guides the action, while the system supports your choices.