Hi all, going to try and share some development of my card-based tabletop roleplaying game via posts on the forum!
Today’s post is about the initiative system (a.k.a. Tempo System).
Components
Reconsider Tempo Card
When this card is on top of the Core deck, the Guide may change the top card of the Tempo Deck. Then the Guide activates the top card of the Tempo Deck.
These activated card effects are listed below.
Tempo Deck
The Tempo Deck is a pile of nine face-up cards. Eight cards are units of time. The ninth card defines the Tempo Deck and serves as a reference to players.
The top card of the Tempo Deck shows what units of time matter to the current scene.
For example if the top card is “Days” then the story cares about what characters do each day, but the individual hours, minutes, and moments of those days are not particularly important to the story.
Tempo Cards
- Moments: Place the Reconsider Tempo card seventh from the top of the core deck. When the Reconsider Tempo card next appears on top of the core deck, six moments will have passed.
- Minutes: Place the Reconsider Tempo card seventh from the top of the core deck. When the Reconsider Tempo card next appears on top of the core deck, six minutes will have passed.
- Hours: Place the Reconsider Tempo card seventh from the top of the core deck. When the Reconsider Tempo card next appears on top of the core deck, six hours will have passed.
- Days: Place the Reconsider Tempo card eighth from the top of the core deck. When the Reconsider Tempo card next appears on top of the core deck, seven days will have passed.
- Weeks: Place the Reconsider Tempo card fifth from the top of the core deck. When the Reconsider Tempo card next appears on top of the core deck, four weeks will have passed.
- Moons: Place the Reconsider Tempo card fourth from the top of the core deck. When the Reconsider Tempo card next appears on top of the core deck, three moons will have passed.
- Seasons: Place the Reconsider Tempo card fifth from the top of the core deck. When the Reconsider Tempo card next appears on top of the core deck, four seasons will have passed.
- Years: Place the Reconsider Tempo card sixth from the top of the core deck. When the Reconsider Tempo card next appears on top of the core deck, five years will have passed.
- Tempo reference card
Time Tokens
Each character has a unique time token in the core deck. When their token is on top of the deck the character may act.
A character’s actions define how far “buried” they move in the core deck. Players can strategize by choosing certain actions that take more or less time.
Character actions can be informed by the top of the Tempo Deck. For example, a character may act to integrate into a community more easily over the course of a few seasons, but that might be impossible (or very difficult) for the character to do in a few moments.
