Role-Writing Games FAQ
Q1. What is "role-writing"?
My "Role-Writing Games" are multi-layered story-telling games in which I tell a story without having full control of the main character. They can be thought of as a mixture of a table-top role-playing game (TTRPG), a "play-by-email" role-playing game (PBEM), a fan-fiction "ask me anything" (AMA) role-play, an augmented reality game (ARG), an escape room, and a hidden mystery novel!
Q2. A game? Who is playing?
As strange as it may seem, there are two separate games. One for a single person who acts on behalf of the protagonist of a story, and a second game for the readers who get to play in this website after each chapter gets published.
Each story is written with a single person (the "actor") who is not the author taking on the role of the protagonist. The author discusses with the actor what the protagonist is called, and between them decide on the protagonist's personality, appearance, traits and abilities. From this point on, the author and actor take it in turns to describe sections of story, the actor getting to make decisions on behalf of the protagonist and the author filling in the story around them.
After each chapter has been written, it is re-edited to make it flow and the result is published to this website. Readers can then stay up-to-date with the story, and have a few extra things they can do beyond just reading the text. They can look at what game mechanics were used at each point in the story, and also search through the text to find hidden clues - documents, images and riddles that even the actor doesn't know are there but can add extra layers of hidden information about the world of the story and its inhabitants.
Q3. How does the story get written? What are the rules?
All my role-writing games have been set in the world of Invisible Sun by Monte Cook Games. GrayNeko Games in no way wishes to claim the invention of the system, lore and depth of wonder found in this amazing role-playing game, but a lot of the characters, items and places are entirely from these stories only. Also, the game uses a heavily modified version of the Development Mode rules in order to make the game playable at this unique speed.
As the story progresses, if the actor has the protagonist perform an action that could carry come level of risk, or if there is some form of randomness at play, then a card is drawn from the Sooth Deck that comes with the Invisible Sun game. This card's meaning and number help determine the outcome of the action which is then written into the story that you get to read.
Occasionally, the author will want to add in an important element or interrupt the action of the protagonist, in which case a new Sooth card is drawn to determine how this new plot-point affects the protagonist, with the interpretation being shared between the author and the protagonist.
Please note that the artwork of the cards has not been replicated from the official game. All artwork has been made for this site as a vague rendition of a similar image to the real artwork that belongs to Monte Cook Games. We heartily recommend buying a copy of these cards if you are at all interested in other ways of dealing with story points in your own TRPGs, as they are both beautiful and exciting as a story-telling tool!
Q4. How do I read these stories? How do I play as a reader?
Alternating through each story will be two "voices":
- The author will write in a typewriter like font in third person. They should be avoiding describing the protagonists feelings or thoughts.
- The actor writes in a script like font in first person. They should be avoiding describing the outcomes of their actions or the feelings or thoughts of other chracters.
As you read, you will come across icons in the side of some paragraphs which indicate times when the game required a Sooth card to be flipped. The general meanings are below, and in an actual story you can click on them to find out detailed information about the event.
This card with a sun and key symbol indicates that the protagonist-initiated action went well for them.
The moon and lock symbol on this card means that things didn't turn out as well as the protagonist (and the actor!) might have hoped.
A star and compass moon on a card signifies that the author interrupted the story with an important plot point, for better or worse!
Other fonts, images and icons may appear throughout the stories to mark things of special or significant interest... Even if the significance is unknown to you at the time. You may also find some clues toward places you could click on to find knowledge, secrets and riddles that even the actor doesn't know about.