What is Triptycho?
Triptycho is a home-brew card-based RPG I've developed. The name comes from the three-pronged focus of the game: combat, exploration, and interaction. Each type of scenario gets equal attention from the rules, played out through cards and dice. For PbP purposes I've developed a rudimentary digital version for deck building (character creation), shuffling, drawing, discarding, etc. It's currently very early in development; I've run one adventure for some friends of mine, and there have been a couple one-shots, and that's it. Currently I only have level 1 ready to go with a fairly small subset of roles (classes, etc) and will add (and test) additional content as we go.
What's the purpose of this playtest?
To see if the overall design is functional and fun, and to balance-test some of the early numbers. Previous playtests have resulted in a slew of improvements to add depth, reduce player frustration, and enhance options.
Can I join?Probably! I'm looking for four players for this particular run. I have a couple slots still available. RPG experience is a big plus to help with critiquing, but you probably have that if you're reading this. You'll have to be willing to deal with a relatively cumbersome digital toolset as this is intended to be a physical game in the end. And you'll need to be trustworthy since you'll be getting private access to a system that needs fairly limited traffic and is not intended for public use.
If you're interested, feel free to post in green and/or send a PM regarding your interest.
Signup is closed for now. Additional interested parties may be able to join the next playtest or replace someone who has to drop the current one.
How do you play?
I have a rudimentary wiki set up with a draft of the basic rules written in a mostly mechanical (direct & stale) manner. It'll make a lot more sense if you have access to the cards, but if you're interested, you can check it out
here.
I'll walk through the details with the players as we go. I'll provide access to the digital system once everyone has signed up and chosen their roles.
Character Creation
Characters consist of a class (for combat), craft (for exploration), and profession (for interaction). For this test, I'd like to avoid having any repeats of a given role to test a greater number of cards and options. So, if you're a playtester, go ahead and claim your choices so those who come after don't wind up doubling-up on your selections. The roles currently available at level 1 are as follows:
CLASSES
Warrior - Melee specialist that defends allies from enemy attacks
Archer - Ranged specialist that can deal major damage to isolated enemies
Brute - Lone wolf fighter that focuses on heavy weapons
Healer - Combat medic with light weaponry and armaments
Sorcerer - Wielder of powerful elemental magics
Shaman - Divine caster that debilitates the enemy
CRAFTS
Hunter - Skilled in wilderness and stealth settings with a focus on creatures
Thief - Skilled in civilization and stealth settings with a focus on traps and lockpicking
Witch - Wielder of nature magics at home in the wilds
Delver - Spelunker and classic adventurer, skilled in dungeons and against obstacles
Priest - Healer and buffer, a boon in any situation
PROFESSIONS
Dignitary - Leader that "heals" and focuses on diplomatic methods
Thug - Damage-focused intimidator that solves problems more directly
Merchant - Silver-tongued smooth talker that mixes diplomacy with bartering
Bard - Charismatic individual with various buffs and a general off-turn focus
Magician - Wielder of illusions, telepathy, and parlor tricks
The Players@Marshmallow - Gavin, Warrior/Hunter/Dignitary
@Grunt's Ghosts - Rolinken, Archer/Thief/Merchant
@The Ender - Kimberly Jones, Brute/Delver/Thug@El Skid - Feldegast, Sorcerer/Witch/Magician
@Capfalcon - Matthew of the Chain, Brute/Priest/Bard
PrologueFor many centuries, the Wraith Fens served as the southwestern border of civilized lands. Horrid creatures prowled the haunted swamps, and no tales whispered of things of value hidden within or beyond. The remote village of Meadowsbend was the closest settled area. Nestled against the Red River, Meadowsbend functioned as little more than a food and rest stop for trade vessels and other boats sailing the river.
All that changed when the Wraith Fens abruptly turned to stone.
News of the miraculous event spread quickly. Cayar IV, reining king of Vectany, declared the area under direct crown rule and dispatched a unit of Vectan Knights to collect - and control - information. A great bounty was placed on the discovery of the cause of the petrification, and the Knights work to ensure that any who do find anything report and deliver only to the crown.
In the two months that have passed since, Meadowsbend has changed drastically. In addition to the Knights, the village now hosts a variety of explorers, adventurers, scholars, cartographers, craftsmen, and merchants. And a recent discovery has only heightened the excitement - nestled deep within the Fens was a forgotten land of forest and meadows, dotted with ruins of a civilization no one ever knew existed. Dubbed the "Gorgondale" by the locals, this area was completely spared the petrification that struck the Fens.
Now, new expeditions are being prepared to explore this Gorgondale and unearth its secrets. Surely the cause of the mass petrification can be found somewhere within...
Triptycho: A card-and-dice tabletop indie RPG currently in development and playtesting
Posts
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I'm thinking of being especially magical, so Sorcerer/Witch/Magician would be my preference
Also, I think the end of a sentence got clipped off in the "Drawing Cards" section of Chapter 3, second paragraph, first sentence.
I'm not particularly married to any roles yet, though I've got a pretty good characterization in mind. I'll tentatively latch on to Warrior/Hunter/Dignitary, though if anyone thinks those would work for a character they've got in mind I'd be happy to cede them and switch tacks.
Edit: Actually, I think I may prefer Hunter over Delver. Bit hard to decide which role would fit better with a character concept when I haven't seen the cards yet.
I'd like to see how the disparate elements come to play, so I'd like to try a Brute/Priest/Bard.
I'm picturing a wandering devotee of a god of combat, who gets divine boons by using his brutal skills. Also, from his wandering, he's picked up a lot of random knowledge.
Twitch Stream
Or maybe that doesn't matter as much in this game, especially considering there's no doubling up allowed.
@El Skid - I tried to design the game such that having a variety of capabilities in the party is nice but not necessary. Especially in exploration and interaction, diversifying will let you handle a wider variety of scenarios you'll be faced with, while specializing would make some easier and some harder. For instance, a party with three Thugs will dominate interaction scenarios where you can win solidly with WP damage, but you'll have a serious problem in scenarios where that's not a valid victory condition or doesn't make much sense strategically.
Since I have so few roles developed at this stage, it's almost impossible not to have everything covered. For instance, looking at what's left for @The Ender, assuming Skid sticks with those initial magic-themed choices - For classes, you can get HP restoration with either the Healer or the Shaman (the latter requiring the use of a specific two-handed focus, but it's reliable), and if you go Brute you guys will kill stuff so fast you may not need healing to begin with. For your craft you have Priest and Delver, and you honestly can't go wrong with either; the Priest will give healing, which otherwise has to be done with trail ration items, but the Delver is the only dungeon and obstacle specialist, so it's a tough choice. For your profession, the Thug would be the role that's currently missing (damage focus), but if you go Bard you guys will have a much easier time winning on the debate counter, so again there's no wrong choice.
@Marshmallow - Thanks for the catch!
I'll try to get you guys some accounts prepared later tonight so you can start on making your characters. If it turns out you don't like one of your deck selections, you can still swap before we get started. The interface doesn't let you, but you can make a second character, or I can go in and change it for you manually.
A huge thank-you to all of you for your help and interest I'm glad you like what you've seen so far, and I hope everybody has a lot of fun.
Call me Indiana Jones.
Call Me Hans Solo.
Twitch Stream
The rules for character creation are as follows:
I recommend allocating approximately 5 Wealth per role, so that you spend 5 on Combat, 5 on Exploration, and 5 on Interaction. Feel free to bend this a little, especially if you're a Warrior and need lots of combat gear.
You should spend most of that Wealth on Gear and Expertise cards instead of Items, probably. I'd prioritize in this order:
Currently I am being greedy and didn't buy any light/height gear and have spent everything. This can (maybe should?) be revised based on others' experiences.
My Warrior Combat deck should play nicely with people who have low-Hit-high-Damage attack options, and Reactions that grant them Miss Dice but no Defense Dice (Such as Dodge and some Shields). Other than those quirks, exactly what you'd expect out of a protect-y Fighter type character.
The Hunter Exploration deck is a little situational, but I suppose that might be the point. Lots of team-up options versus Environs, a few solo tricks for Creatures, and beyond that nothing too fancy. I ended up forgoing the Stealth options available, but if no one else is interested in picking those up I'll reconsider.
Things get a little interesting with the Dignitary Interaction deck. It has an incredible amount of WP healing available, and a hefty amount of Debate Counter increasing shenanigans. One has the option to negate a Debate Counter advance towards defeat during an ally's turn, so if you've got any neat cards that could take advantage of that, it could be worth it.
All the decks seem to be well endowed with HP/EP/WP, and each has an option for protecting an ally from an attack, human-shield style, so I guess I'll see how that works out.
Party-relevant-Gear-wise I picked up the Mediation Interaction Expertise (more interested in using Intervention than Calming Words), and a Torch and Hemp Rope for the usual dungeoneering purposes.
Edit: Oh, and I skipped picking up a Exploration Expertise. Neither of the Survival options seemed terribly compelling, and I needed the cash for armor so I'll just be relying on a little luck of the draw and a little Returning cards for Explorin', I guess.
A question or two:
What's the reasoning behind not drawing a card when you shuffle your discard pile back in? Is it to offer an incentive for having a larger deck?
Regarding the Expertise cards, note that "Exploration Expertise" and "Interaction Expertise" are generic and available to everyone regardless of training granted by your role. They're often weaker than the training-specific Expertise, but they're a bit cheaper and could help diversify (so, for instance, you always have some kind of Action or Reaction available regardless of what's in your hand).
The rule for not drawing a card is to impose a cost on deck designs that incorporate lots of drawing and discarding in order to "deck-search" for specific cards you need while also, as you suggest, rewarding larger decks that pay a higher level of randomness in exchange for being able to draw a little more. It's a minor thing and doesn't come up too often anyway since scenarios rarely last that many rounds.
You can completely change any of your decks any time you're able to rest for at least 6 hours.
So, you're not stuck with the cards you've chosen right now, and you can even change things up depending on what you're planning to do, as long as you have sufficient prep time beforehand. Just let me know any time you want to modify a deck.
Actually, I have a quick question while we're on the subject of building decks- how much health can we expect enemies to have, specifically in combat? Just because a lot of my sorcerer spells are "(Area) do 1d4 damage pierce 2", and... I have no idea how helpful that will be. If minions average 20 HP, 2 damage-ish doesn't really seem like it's going to do any good, whereas if we're talking 6 HP that might be very worthwhile.
Taking a quick look at Adversaries (combat), minions range from 1-9hp, regulars 11-22, and mini-bosses 26-30. I haven't built any bosses yet.
So area spells are useful for taking out minions, and don't do terribly well outside that except for finishing things off.
A couple more clarifications around card text:
Area: This would hit other characters as well as bad guys, correct?
Returning: I'm working under the assumption that these return to your hand when played, correct me if I'm wrong
There are two additional advantages to the sorcerer spells. They're Piercing, which reduces enemy Defense dice levels (so it's hard for them to reduce the damage further), and they have no Hit dice, which means they can't miss (the only risk is losing the spell during the incantation). But yes, Ice Arrow is better than Fire Blast against the bigger, tougher enemies.
I see that you have a Pistol Crossbow, which is fun, and nothing in your off-hand. You took the Parry card to get a cool Reaction. Problem is, Parry only works with melee weapons, which the Pistol Crossbow is not. Consider adding the Main-Gauche (and then you can remove the Assault card as well). You also have the Dodge card as a Returning Reaction; however, it's less effective than your Leather Armor, which you'll pretty much always have equipped, and thus has little use.
I highly recommend picking up some Expertise cards. Lockpicking in particular is something no one else can get; it's not required as there's always ways to deal with locks (less-efficient breaking down of doors, leaving behind locked treasures, etc), but at a cost of only 1 Wealth it's a great deal. Similarly, you have the Trapsmith card, but no Trapsmithing Expertise with which to use it, so it won't do any good (Rapid Retooling is similar). Some generalized Expertise cards that grant Actions and Reactions when equipped are also really nice to make sure you're not stuck without the ability to attack or defend. Of course to afford all that you'll have to lose some of those Items; you can always pick them up later when you get more Wealth.
Similarly in Interaction you've got Amiable Teamwork, but you and another player need the same Expertise card to be able to use it. You can always add it in later if that happens.
Rules-wise you seem to be fine, though, and I like your approach
The four of you know each other prior to this adventure. You don't have to be friends, but you're not enemies; no direct inter-party conflict, though roleplay drama is fine. Your reasons for traveling to Meadowsbend are your own. I've updated the OP with everyone's name.
The Arrival
Voices from the deck announce your arrival in the village of Meadowsbend. Collecting your things, you quickly climb the stairs and take in your first sight of the village. The docks are extremely overcrowded; boats wait in line for the opportunity to dock, and off to the side, another set of boats and barges are permanently anchored, linked with makeshift wooden planks and ramps.
A throng of people pack the shore, extending all the way down the pier to where you now stand, waiting in line to be admitted into the village. All newcomers must pass through a makeshift checkpoint run by a Vectan official in the company of the Knights.
Eventually, it is your turn. With a bored expression on his face, the official drones, "Please present your belongings and state your business in the village."
"Gavin of Thistledore," the young man introduces himself, his voice polite and steadier than might be expected. "I aim to try my hand at the Gorgondale, sir."
On the boat ride to Meadowsbend, Gavin likely distinguished himself as a rather young and inexperienced adventure-seeker, albeit of strong character, sharp senses, and an impeccable work ethic. His naive attitude, evasiveness about his prior adventures, and un-broken-in equipment indicate this is probably his first venture into the bigger world.
Ok, I think I've got my decks in order. Do you plan on expanding character creation beyond decks or let it be more freeflowing?
For example... I need to know if anyone is trying to lie their way into Meadowsbend here
"Feldegast here yer lordship. I be lookin' ta entertain and amaze with me dazzlin' feats of wizardry an' skill, dont'cha know. I have but a few meager belongins with which I ply me trade- me magic wand with which I dazzle me audience, a small sword with which I use te protect meself, an' some minor items which be of no cause fer worry ta anyone."
With that, he pulls his ugly face into something resembling a grin. As he stands still with the grin etched on his face, a couple of doves begin to crawl out of his sleeve and attempt an escape while the magician is distracted.
"Ms. Jones. I'm here on a private matter, sport,"
She attempts to simply walk past the guards.
"No one enters Meadowsbend without the express approval of the Knights of Vectany, on order of His Majesty King Cayar IV!" the official barks at Kimberly. "And you," he eyes Rolinken, "we haven't received any word to expect a visitor here."
Roll Initiative for Interaction!
Make sure you are satisfied with the status of your decks before rolling initiative. I will take your roll to mean that you've finalized and are ready to go; since I just fixed a potentially nasty bug with the Remove Card button, you may want to take a quick glance and make sure nothing is missing. All this is assuming no one plans to actually attack the guards or break and run as yet; if you're going to do one of those things, then nevermind this.
If you go to Interaction Deck under Play, you can find your Profession card at the bottom. It has your Initiative on it. Ties go to the players; if you guys tie each other, you can go in whichever order (but stick to the order you go in on the first round).
Draw 5 cards to start the scenario. Also be sure to Equip all the Gear you want to have equipped at this time. Feel free to play around a bit with the interface first if you like; you can reset it (excluding Gear) by discarding everything in your hand and clicking Shuffle, or by going back to Customize Interaction Deck.
Interface tip: you can click on a section header to collapse it, letting you view only the cards you want to see.
Geth is currently having some trouble with dice rolling; apparently you can only make one roll per post and it has to be at the top. That's very inconvenient for us outside simple things like Initiative, so let's use Orokos for most dice until Geth is working better. For the Campaign, put: Gorgondale
Mediation Equipped
Cards drawn
Wired up, fired up, ready to go.
Hauberk, Claymore & Fine Cape Equipped
Cards drawn
What could go wrong?
Oaken Wand and Dreamcatcher equipped
Cards drawn. JustAsPlanned.jpg
Convince the Vectan Official to let you through! The Official will not respond well to threats and intimidation...
Debate Axis Initial position is 2 (from Gavin & Feldegast) - 2 (from Jones and Rolinken) = 0
Victory Conditions
Debate Counter reaches +4 or higher
Defeat Conditions
Debate Counter reaches -8, five rounds pass, or Vectan Official (Lesser Noble) is defeated
Special Rule
For this scenario, you cannot move the Debate Counter with Actions that target the Checkpoint Guards (Scoundrels). However, Assists or Interrupts triggered by such Actions can still move the Counter, as can Reactions played against their attacks.
Opponents
Vectan Official
Level 1 Debater (Mini-boss)
Simple Premise - Action
Argue: 1d6
Special: Advance the Debate Counter one notch toward defeat.
Symbol of Wealth - Interrupt
Trigger: An enemy plays an Item card.
Effect: The item is discarded to no effect. The Lesser Noble loses its next Strategy phase.
Thoughtful Retort - Reaction
Rebuttal: 1d6
Display Leadership - Strategy
An ally recovers 1d4 lost WP.
Level 1 Antagonist (Mook)
Biting Words - Action
Damage: 1d4
Turn Order
Gavin (9) - 20wp
Vectan Official (9) - 28wp
Feldegast (8) - 14wp
Checkpoint Guard A (8) - 8wp
Checkpoint Guard B (7) - 8wp
Rolinken (6) - 16wp
Kimberly Jones (1) - 25wp
Checkpoint Guard C (1) - 8wp
Gavin has initiative @Marshmallow
Quick reference for taking your turn:
1. Draw a card
2. Strategy Phase (draw another card or play a Strategy card or entry)
3. Action Phase (play an Action card or entry; declare your target and provide the Action's details but do not roll the dice, as the defender will roll all dice)
4. Discard to 5
To help mitigate missing out on out-of-turn options, feel free to declare ahead of time your intent to play such a card and on what trigger. I will not play my Opponents as though they have knowledge of these.
For example: my Vectan Official will use Symbol of Wealth against any Item card played at this time unless it has no real effect (such as playing a healing item when WP is full).
Interface tip: clicking on a card will cause it to cycle to the next card. That was nice on phones around the table, but it's probably real inconvenient here. I'll probably remove that, but until then: highlight text on the card, and before you let go of the mouse, ctrl+c. When you release the mouse it'll go to the next card; you can press the < button if you want to go back to the card in question.
Card drawn. Strategy step used to Draw again.
Holding his hands up non-threateningly in light of the on edge guards, Gavin seizes the initiative by engaging the irate Vectan Official with a Long-Winded Explanation.
"Now then, I don't think there's any call for violence here. We're just four dog-tired travelers who've come a long way with no inclination or desire to make a hard-working official's day any longer or harder than it needs to be. So what say we settle down and work out these here supposed problems all quick and friendly-like so we can all go on with our days and jobs with no further trouble to ourselves or the poor sods still waiting in line?"
The show of good will and eagerness to cooperate should hopefully get things back on the right foot. If not, well, at least he's giving the others time to gather their wits.
Argue: 1
Damage: 4
Edit: Wait, crap. Missed the "defender will roll all dice" bit in the last post. Up to you whether you want to take that roll or do it over.
I'll discard one of my Jump Ins, and if Long Winded Explanation doesn't succeed and returns to my hand, I'll also discard one of my Encouragements.
End turn, and @The Sauce is up next with Vectan Official.
Tactics:
If someone is targeted and cannot play a Reaction, I'll be using Intervention to intercept the Argument.
If anyone rolls an Argue that they don't like, I'll play Jump In as an Assist to grant them a reroll.
If anyone plays an Argue with Damage that they are confident about, I'll play Pursue the Conclusion to advance the Debate Counter if they succeed.
While I'm wrapping this up. How many Reactions/Interrupts/Assists are we allowed to play in a single turn? As many as we have cards to play/opportunities to be triggered or is there some sort of limit?
I'll go ahead and reroll your Action results for you.
Vectan Official responds with a Thoughtful Retort.
"Well now, you certainly seem wiser than your years would suggest."
Gavin's Argue: 6
Vectan Official's Rebuttal: 3
Gavin wins. Vectan Official takes 1 damage, and the Debate Counter advances one notch toward Victory.
Vectan Official draws a card, then uses Strategy phase to draw again (mini-bosses start with 3, so he now has 5 cards).
"Madam, this will go much faster if you follow protocol like everyone else," he remarks to Jones.
Vectan Official uses Simple Premise on Kimberly Jones. Kimberly has a Reaction available, so Gavin's Intervention can't fire.
Debate Axis
Turn Order
Gavin (9) - 20wp
* Vectan Official (9) - 27wp
Feldegast (8) - 14wp
Checkpoint Guard A (8) - 8wp
Checkpoint Guard B (7) - 8wp
Rolinken (6) - 16wp
Kimberly Jones (1) - 25wp
Checkpoint Guard C (1) - 8wp
Kimberly should choose whether or not to play a Reaction against the attack and resolve the dice @The Ender
Feldegast then goes next @El Skid
Simple Premise
Argue: 1d6
Special: Advance the Debate Counter one notch toward Defeat
Using my Rebuttal card to react: Reaction - Rebuttal: 1d6 6