The Game Moves

Short Stories

This story was made using the solo RPG: The Magus, by momatoes. It is a “crunchy” journaling game: while there are only seven “scenes,” you have to make choices about your character that drastically adjust the results of the story.

Bonds can give you focus, but since it takes three focus to increase power by 1, it is allways more “efficient” to sacrifice a bond to gain power, which makes challanges easier to overcome. There are lots of ways of dying or succumbing to calamity, and luck is the primary decision on whether you will survive or not…but the more of a monster you are, the better luck you can have.

Here are my dicisions and rolls throughout the game:

Beginning

  • Magic rolls:
    • 4: High Sorcerers act as kings and keep a close eye on who uses magic
    • 8: Fae and other enchanted creatures freely use magic
    • 3: Arcana is deeply forbidden by the state
  • Manifestation roll:
    • 4: You stole a forbidden book and spent tireless nights trying to learn its secrets.
  • Ambition roll:
    • 1: You crave control over your life. The only way you can master it, the only way you can avoid pain and hurt, is to be stronger than anything else.
  • Quest roll:
    • 4: You have decided to cut them off for their own good.

Scene 1

Power 1, Focus 0, Perfect Control

Scene 1: Bond

  • Rolls:
    • 4: A widow, craving meaning in her listless days
    • 2: Hopeless Romantic
    • 3: and Worships Ten Gods
    • 1: They begged you for help with a pressing issue

Next Scene Roll:

1 - 4 = 3

Scene 2

Power 1, Focus 0, Perfect Control

Scene 4: Bond

Strengthen Bond, Gain +1 Focus

Roll: 4 - They teach you something valuable. What it means be human, to have empathy, to connect

Next Scene Roll:

2 - 2 = 0

Scene 3

Power 1, Focus 1, Perfect Control

Scene 5: Spell

Roll: 2, 3 —“Dreamer’s Ghost”

Challenge level 7

2 Successes, gain +1 Focus

Reflect

Next Scene Roll:

1 - 4 = 3

Scene 4

Power 1, Focus 2, Perfect Control

Scene 8: Spell

Roll: 4, 5 —“Globe of Thought”

Challenge level 8

0 Successes, reduce level of Focus

Next Scene Roll:

3 - 2 = 1

Scene 5

Power 1, Focus 2, Cracked Control

Scene 9: Spell

Roll: 1, 5 —“Anger of Brokenness”

Challenge level 8

1 Successs, gain scar “Reviled”

Next Scene Roll

4 - 3 = 1

Scene 6

Power 1, Focus 2, Cracked Control, Reviled

Scene 10: Bond

Strengthen Bond, Gain +1 Focus

Roll: 4 - They teach you something valuable. What it means be human, to have empathy, to connect

Sacrifice 3 Focus to Gain 1 Power

Next Scene Roll:

2 - 2 = 0

Scene 7

Power 2, Focus 0, Cracked Control, Reviled

Scene 11: Spell

Roll: 2, 2, 4 — “Dark Rupture of Mathematics”

Challenge level 9

1 Successs, gain scar “Addicted to Dreaming”

Final Thoughts

This was a facinating game to write a story with. For the first time I broke my self-imposed rule, and went back to do some minor editing of a written turn/scene: Originally, the narrator found a random old tomb with a random gemstone, instead of finding an ancient sorcerer’s cursed artifact. After finishing the last few scenes, I want to go back and edit again, as this soul-destroying monster should clearly be found as a result of the narrator’s dream-ghost spell, only accessable because of their powerhungry ambition.

The examples in the book are smaller/shorter than my writing. Sometimes only one or two lines. I could see how this would be a fun and easy way to create a wizard’s journal for RPGers to stumble across, to give them access to a bit of history and maybe a spell or two. Good adventure hook.

All in all, this is probably more of a game than most journaling RPGs, and I think it works out quite well. Well worth the price of admission, and a relatively quick and easy play.