Thought Punks

Series: Free Games

Free Christmas TTRPG: Holiday Anomalies Division (HAD)
This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series Free Games
Happy holidays! For the season, I’ve dug up another unfinished tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) from my slush pile to share with you all. Like others, it’s playable as-is. So have fun! And it’s released under a Creative Commons Attribution license, so feel free to hack away or even flat out flesh out and finish the game if you want!

Welcome to the Division, Merry Agent

The holidays are supposed to be magical, but when things go wrong, it’s up to the Holiday Anomalies Division (HAD) to restore balance. Whether it’s rogue magic, runaway cheer, or traditions gone haywire, HAD agents are on the front lines, armed with festive gadgets, quick thinking, and a healthy dose of improvisation.

In this game, you’ll face off against bizarre holiday crises, like out-of-control snowstorms, sentient ornaments, or time-warping New Year’s Eve balls. Your team of holiday protectors must use their wits, their gadgets, and each other to bring order to the chaos. Expect creative problem-solving, hilarious mishaps, and moments of unexpected brilliance as you save the season, one anomaly at a time.

Get ready for a wild ride filled with absurd challenges and holiday magic. The season’s chaos is just beginning… are you ready to step in and save it?

Core Gameplay

Mission Stages

Each mission unfolds in three stages, ensuring every scenario is packed with humor, action, and heartwarming resolutions:
1. Investigation: Explore the environment, gather clues, and piece together the source of the anomaly.
  Example: “The local snow globe collection is projecting a blizzard into real life. Let’s interview the toy store owner and see what’s going on.”
2. Containment: Use your skills, gadgets, and creative thinking to stabilize or neutralize the anomaly. Expect to deploy wild plans, sometimes on the fly!
  Example: “We’ll use the Christmas tree stand as a containment circle and trick the animated ornaments into it with carols.”
3. Aftermath: Wrap up any lingering consequences, smooth things over with the public, and report back to headquarters.
  Example: “Well, we stopped the giant mutant gingerbread man, but now the city smells like burnt cookies. We might need an apology card.”
Stats and Motif Rolls

Stats

Each agent assigns values to their stats: 0, 1, and 2. These stats define your agent’s strengths:
- Contain: For wrangling, neutralizing, or redirecting chaotic forces.
- Connect: For negotiations, teamwork, or emotional appeals.
- Improvise: For creating plans, blustering off the top of your head, or finding unexpected solutions.
Motif Roll System

Whenever agents take action, they describe their effort, ask about how they effort turns out, and roll 2d6:
- Answer Die: The first die answers the question about your effort. Your relevant stat adds to this die.
  - 1-3: No
  - 4-6: Yes
- Wrinkle Die: The second die adds a twist or extra flavor.
  - 1-2: But
  - 3-4: Plain answer
  - 5-6: And
Example Outcomes
- “Yes and” (6, 6): Your success snowballs into even greater outcomes, but it may get hilariously out of hand.
- “No but” (3, 1): You fail, but something mitigates the consequences or sets you up for future success.
- “Yes plain” (4, 3): A straightforward success, nothing fancy but it gets the job done.
Special Outcomes
- Double 6s: Over-the-top success. You succeed so well that the action spirals into chaos in unexpected ways.
- Double 1s: A catastrophic failure that introduces hilarious and humiliating consequences.
Interpreting Rolls

This is a game of chaotic fun and anarchic joy, even as the character strive to solve problems. Failures should not be punitive or simply stop the action. Failures and complications should introduce interesting consequences or simply move the story forward. There is intentionally no health system to this game. The results of actions and outcomes follow the fiction. Use common sense and the flow of the emerging story.

Chaos Meter

During the Investigation and Containment phases, the Chaos Meter tracks the growing instability of the anomaly, starting at 0 and maxing out at 10. Each failure (No result) adds 1 to the meter. If you roll a “No and” result, add an additional +1 (for a total gain of 2). The Chaos Meter resets to 0 at the start of each phase.

Escalating Chaos
- Reduction: Successfully helping civilians escape danger or making significant steps toward containing or calming the situation reduces the meter by 1.
- Weirdness Die: As the meter rises, the world becomes more bizarre:
  - Chaos 3: Add a third Weirdness die to all actions to measure how surreal things are getting.
  - Chaos 5: Add +1 to the Weirdness die rolls.
  - Chaos 7: Add +2 to the Weirdness die rolls.
  - Chaos 10: Crisis Peak! The situation reaches its boiling point, and the team must make a desperate attempt to resolve the chaos before it goes critical.
Weirdness Die

Rolled as a third die on actions when Chaos 3 is reached. Measures how the world bends under the strain of chaos as the characters act:
- 1: Normal and mundane.
- 2: Slightly odd or unusual.
- 3-4: Notably awkward or somewhat surreal.
- 5: Outright strange and surreal.
- 6: Reality is bleeding, expect total holiday mayhem.
Gadget Invention and Use

Creativity is key to resolving the holiday-themed anomalies, and agents can invent or tweak gadgets to aid in their missions.
- Invention Rolls: When agents create new gadgets, they roll 2d6 with no modifiers. They use whatever random holiday items are on hand or around in the scene as the core of their invention.
- Use Rolls: Using gadgets involves another 2d6 roll with no modifiers. The outcome is determined by the Motif system and failure could lead to hilarious malfunctions.
Example Invention

“I rigged this Rudolph-nose flashlight to repel candy cane bats. It works, more or less, except now it attracts sentient mistletoe!”

Example Use

“The snow globe containment device worked perfectly… until it started projecting disco lights into the blizzard.”

Holiday-Related Goals

Each agent has a personal holiday-related goal they’re working toward, perhaps a long-lost tradition, an unfulfilled wish, or simply a desire to make the season brighter. If it fits the situation, agents can rearrange their die after rolling to help achieve their goal.

Tone and Focus

This game is about embracing the chaos of the holidays with a heavy dose of humor, absurdity, and spontaneous creativity. Each mission is a wild ride, and players are encouraged to think outside the box, improvise, and roll with whatever unexpected twists come their way. The focus is on fun, the chaos of the holiday season, and keeping things light and entertaining.

Mission Variety

HAD deals with all sorts of absurd holiday crises, including but not limited to:
- Recovery Missions: Retrieve or contain rogue holiday artifacts.
- Containment Missions: Stabilize out-of-control magical events.
- Negotiation Missions: Convince sentient holiday creatures to play nice.
- Multi-Stage Anomalies: Tackle layered events, like a New Year’s ball countdown that creates a bubble of time and additional weird effects with each second counted.
Each mission should be treated like a holiday adventure, with bizarre problems and off-the-wall solutions that keep everyone laughing and on their toes.

Mission Loop: Building Your Holiday Adventure

The Mission Loop is the heartbeat of your holiday-themed adventures in Holiday Anomalies Division (HAD). Each mission unfolds in three key stages—Investigation, Containment, and Aftermath—ensuring that your game stays dynamic, fun, and full of surprises. In this section, we’ll guide you through how to create and run your missions, with advice on pacing, setting the scene, and a few tools to spark your creativity.

Investigation: Unravel the Mystery

The investigation phase is where your agents get to explore the weirdness surrounding the holiday anomaly. It’s time to gather clues, interview NPCs, and piece together what caused the problem in the first place. This is where the mystery unfolds and the tone is set.

Tips for Investigation
- Setting the Scene: Introduce a holiday setting that’s been turned upside down. A toy store filled with rogue, talking ornaments. A Christmas market under siege by malfunctioning reindeer. Let your players discover how far things have gone awry.
- What to Do: Encourage players to investigate with a mix of asking questions, gathering physical clues, and talking to quirky NPCs. They may need to use their “Connect” stat to get information from a nervous shopkeeper or “Improvise” to find hidden clues.
- Rewards: If the player successfully uncover helpful information and/or the root cause of the problem, all of their first actions in the next phase gain +2 on both dice.
- Consequences: If players fail too hard and too much, causing the Chaos Meter to rise too high to 10, reality completely melts down in a surreal dream-like scene. The fundamental cause or main responsible figure will be revealed. The character them suddenly find themselves waking up in res media in the Containment phase, with the Chaos Meter reset to 0.
Investigation Oracles

You can use some all flavor (or dice label) oracles to help fill things out and guide the investigation process.

Clue Shape
- Visibility: How noticeable is the clue?
- Condition: Is the clue in good shape?
- Urgency: Does this clue feel pressing?
Clue Value
- Importance: Is this clue significant?
- Clarity: How easy is it to understand?
- Connection: Does this point toward the source of the anomaly?
Clue Examination
- Strangeness: How weird is the clue?
- Reliability: How trustworthy is this clue?
- Relevance: Does it relate directly to the anomaly?
Clue Result
- Source: Does the clue have a clear origin?
- Difficulty: How hard is it to piece together?
- Direction: Does it lead to more clues?
Containment: Stabilize the Situation

Once your agents have gathered enough clues and identified the cause, it’s time to contain or neutralize the anomaly. This is where improvisation, creativity, and quick thinking come into play. Players will need to come up with wild plans, deploy gadgets, and sometimes use their holiday skills to stabilize the situation.

Tips for Containment
- Setting the Scene: Now the stakes get high! The anomaly might be growing, so it’s important to make the environment feel tense. Maybe the snowstorm is getting bigger, or the rogue candy canes are multiplying by the minute.
- What to Do: Players may need to work together to come up with a containment strategy, using their tools and talents. This could involve everything from singing a holiday song to calm down a rabid reindeer to using the Christmas tree stand to trap a rogue snow globe.
- Rewards: If the players manage to solve the problem before the Chaos Meter caps out, the aftermath will be easier to manage. NPCs will be naturally more forgiving and understanding. The extant of damage or disruption will be less than it could have been. They should also gain a friendly NPC who is grateful for their help, who they may call upon for friendship or even assistance at times.
- Consequences: The higher the Chaos Meter, the crazier and riskier the containment will be. At 10, the full power and strangeness of the event is unleashed and the characters must face a final showdown. The outcome will depend on their choice of actions and rolls, with no further chances.
Containment Oracles

Just like the Investigation phase, this phase also has some example oracles you can use to help flesh out and run the scenes.

First Impression
- Control: How easy is it to take charge of the situation?
- Strength: How powerful is the anomaly?
- Stability: How stable is the environment?
Assessment
- Speed: How fast is the anomaly growing?
- Disruption: How much damage is the anomaly causing?
- Intervention: How much can the agents intervene?
Planning
- Clarity: How clear is the containment strategy?
- Resources: How many resources are available for the plan?
- Consequence: What happens if containment fails?
Contact With Reality
- Duration: How long will it take to contain the anomaly?
- Effectiveness: How well will the containment strategy work?
- Risk: How risky is the plan?
Aftermath: The Clean-Up and Consequences

After the anomaly is contained, it’s time to wrap up. But the aftermath is never as simple as it seems! The town, city, or holiday environment still has to deal with the fallout of the situation, and your agents will have to make things right with the public and report back to headquarters.

Tips for Aftermath
- Setting the Scene: The holiday chaos should have left some quirky consequences behind, even in the best outcomes. Maybe the town is now covered in frosting, or there’s a herd of sentient snowmen wandering the streets.
- What to Do: This phase is about managing the fallout. Players will need to smooth things over with any panicked civilians, undo the effects of the anomaly, and maybe even deal with an unexpected twist (such as an apology tour or media frenzy). The phase should end with a debriefing and review back at headquarters.
- Rewards: If the aftermath is handled especially well, the Department may offer minor helpers or a less unreliable gadget for use on the next mission. There is also a chance to avoid gaining enemies and develop alliances.
- Consequences: If the Chaos Meter was high, things won’t be as easily fixed. Maybe there are lingering side effects, like an overabundance of holiday spirit that causes everything to turn ridiculously festive, or the return of an anomaly that wasn’t fully contained. If the phase is badly handled, the team may end up with some persistant enemies or bad PR.
Aftermath Oracles

There are also some example all flavor oracles using dice labels for this phase too! Use them to help introduce more surprise and round out details in play.

Simple Aftermath
- Public Response: How well do the townsfolk feel about the team?
- Holiday Spirit: How is the holiday mood affected?
- Damage Control: How much effort is needed to fix the situation?
Alternate Aftermath
- Civic Reaction: What’s the general mood of the crowd?
- Long-Term Effects: What lasting impact does the anomaly have?
- PR Recovery: How much does the team need to manage public relations?
Leftover Mess
- Clean-Up Effort: How easy is it to restore order?
- Media Frenzy: How does the media spin the event?
- Community Impact: How is the community dealing with the aftermath?
Fallout
- Reputation: How do the locals view the team post-mission?
- Festive Echoes: How much does the anomaly affect holiday celebrations?
- Side Effects: Are there any lingering issues?
Appendix: Using the All Flavor Oracles

You ask about how things are or turned out. Roll 3d6 for an answer. Assign the labels in order from left to right or closest to farthest. Each label is interpreted according to its plain meaning, as illustrated by the example question that the flavor answers. Follow the intuitive scale below, judging the weight of the label by how much the flavor comes through or how positive/negative the outcome is.

Scale
- 1: Absolute absence or the complete opposite; most negative response
- 2: Not at all or somewhat the contrary; clear negative response
- 3: Somewhat or slightly so; mildly negative response
- 4: Average or mediocre; slightly positive response
- 5: Above average or notably strong; strongly positive response
- 6: Peak or overwhelming; most positive response
Also on:
- dice.camp
- Bluesky
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December 23, 2024
Free Duo Game: The Immortal’s Affairs
This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series Free Games
The Immortal’s Affairs – A TTRPG About Legacy and the Passage of Time

Dug up from my slush pile, inspired by this post about dice labels. I never got around to fully fleshing this out. But it’s quite playable as-is.

Welcome to The Immortal’s Affairs, a two-player tabletop roleplaying game about a dying immortal and their final journey toward peace. This game invites players to explore themes of time, legacy, and closure, as one immortal, weary from centuries of existence, seeks to settle their affairs before their inevitable passing. The second player assumes the role of Mother Nature, the ancient force of the world itself, who has come to observe the Immortal’s passing and learn from this unique being. Together, you will navigate the challenges and emotions of final goodbyes, unfinished business, and the ultimate acceptance of death.

Game Overview

The Immortal is an ancient being who has lived for centuries but is now aging, their time in the world coming to a close. They have come to accept the inevitability of death, finding peace in the idea of rest after so many long years. However, before they can pass, they have five complex, unresolved affairs they wish to settle, matters that, if left unfinished, could weigh on their soul forever.

Mother Nature is the spirit of the world, the embodiment of the Earth’s cycles and forces. She has witnessed countless lives, but the Immortal stands out. Mother Nature has come to understand the Immortal’s existence, and now seeks to understand why the Immortal was created and why their passing is now inevitable. She inhabits the people and places around the Immortal, observing them, interacting with them, and learning about the Immortal’s journey. Perhaps the Immortal’s passing is not just about death but about something deeper, the meaning of their long life and their eventual end.

Game Roles

Those key figures are also the main game roles. Each player takes on one of the roles, while the other player takes the other.
- The Immortal: One player takes the role of The Immortal. This character is an ancient being nearing the end of their life, filled with wisdom, regrets, and unfinished business. They will use their Approaches to navigate the world and attempt to resolve their five chosen affairs.
- Mother Nature: The second player becomes Mother Nature, the spirit of the world. You embody the forces of nature, inhabiting the world around the Immortal and learning about their history, their motivations, and their end. You are not just an observer! You interact with the Immortal, guiding them or complicating their journey as you see fit.
Core Mechanics

The gameplay is driven by narrative choices, dice rolls, and thematic exploration. Through these mechanics, you will tell the story of the Immortal’s final moments and the legacy they leave behind. Below is an overview of the key mechanics you’ll need to understand.

Approaches and Dice Rolls

Approaches: The Immortal character has 6 Approaches to choose from at the beginning of the game. Approaches represent the Immortal’s personality and guiding principles. They can range from qualities like Aggressive and Bold to Humble and Resilient. These approaches shape how the Immortal reacts to challenges, interacts with the world, and solves problems. Each time the Immortal takes an action, they choose three of their Approaches to guide them. The three Approaches are linked to the dice they roll during that action, and each die reflects a different aspect of the action:
- Low Roll (1-2): The action fails or leads to unintended consequences. The Immortal’s attempt doesn’t align with their intentions and creates complications.
- Middle Roll (3-4): The action succeeds in some capacity, but it may not be as clean or satisfying as hoped. The Immortal’s approach may feel incomplete or leave room for further work.
- High Roll (5-6): The action succeeds beautifully. The Immortal’s approach is effective and their intention is realized fully, often beyond their expectations.
- Weirdness (optional 3rd die): If only two Approaches are chosen, a third die can be rolled that represents the weirdness and surreal aspects of the Immortal’s existence. This die adds unexpected twists and dreamlike elements to the outcome.
At the beginning of the game, the Immortal selects 6 Approaches from the following list. These approaches will guide their actions throughout the game and shape how they interact with the world: Apathetic, Assertive, Bold, Brave, Calm, Careful, Compassionate, Creative, Curious, Cunning, Decisive, Determined, Dreamer, Friendly, Grateful, Honest, Humble, Honorable, Impulsive, Inventive, Patient, Proud, Reckless, Resilient, Resourceful, Sarcastic, Shrewd, Stoic, Thoughtful, Understanding, Vulnerable

World Events and Time Pressure

World Events: The Immortal’s journey is not just about the affairs they are attempting to settle, there is an ever-present, unpredictable element of the world around them. Every time the Immortal rolls for an action, Mother Nature must roll a d6 to determine if a World Event occurs. On a roll of 1, something happens that radically changes the world around the Immortal or complicates one of their affairs. These events can take many forms:
- A sudden illness or injury affects the Immortal.
- An ally betrays the Immortal or a new foe appears.
- The world around the Immortal changes dramatically, shifting the stakes of their affairs.
- The Immortal learns something surprising or unsettling about themselves or their past.
If 5 World Events occur, the Immortal’s time runs out, and they begin to die. At this point, they must face the final consequences of their unfinished affairs. The game shifts toward the negative end, leaving the Immortal with unresolved regrets and a legacy left incomplete. The number of World Events keeps both players on their toes, adding a layer of unpredictability and pressure to the Immortal’s quest for closure.

Settling Affairs

Choosing Affairs: At the beginning of the game, the Immortal player must choose five complex affairs to resolve before they die. These affairs represent significant emotional, relational, or practical matters that the Immortal must confront in their final moments. The affairs can be as grand or as intimate as the player desires. What is most important is that each affair feels like a key part of the Immortal’s journey toward peace.

Some examples of affairs might include:
- Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend: The Immortal must reconcile with someone from their past, perhaps a person they betrayed or neglected.
- Releasing Control of My Empire: The Immortal may have built an empire, and now they must ensure its future without them.
- Forgiving a Betrayer: The Immortal must come to terms with a past betrayal that still weighs heavily on them.
- Finding Peace with My Past: The Immortal may be haunted by past mistakes or regrets and needs to find a way to make peace.
- Reconciliation with a Loved One: The Immortal must heal a fractured relationship, perhaps with a partner or child.
Time Limits: Each affair should be structured to take between 3 and 7 rolls to resolve, and the number of World Events that occur during the game will shorten the time remaining. The Immortal is under time pressure, and though they may wish to take their time, their final moments are always slipping away. Players should balance the Immortal’s need for closure with the unpredictability of the world around them.

The Empathy Mechanic

Mother Nature’s Role: As Mother Nature, you are not just a passive observer of the Immortal’s journey. You can actively shape the Immortal’s path. One of the key ways you interact with the Immortal is through dreams and reflections. These moments provide an opportunity for the Immortal and Mother Nature to understand each other better, to share perspectives, and to gain insight into their respective roles in this world.

Empathy and Understanding: Throughout the game, Mother Nature appears to the Immortal in dreams or moments of reflection. This happens after each affair is handled. During these conversations, the Immortal and Mother Nature can share their thoughts and feelings, gaining a deeper understanding of each other. If the two come to a full mutual understanding, the Immortal can gain 1 additional completed affair of their choice. If they come to a partial understanding, the Immortal automatically succeeds at their next action. If they reach no understanding, Mother Nature will be difficult or slightly hostile during the next affair settling, frustrated by the lack of needed insight. These moments of emotional connection can significantly influence the Immortal’s ability to resolve their affairs, offering insight into their heart and motivations. It is also a way for Mother Nature to more deeply engage with the events of the game.

Endgame Resolution

The story of the Immortal concludes in one of three ways, depending on how well the affairs are settled:
- Positive Resolution: If the Immortal completes all five affairs in time, they pass away peacefully, their soul at rest, having reconciled with the past and the future. Their death is a moment of calm acceptance and fulfillment.
- Negative Resolution: If time runs out, the Immortal dies with unfinished business, leaving regrets and a legacy that will never be complete. The end comes with uncertainty, perhaps even sorrow for what could not be done.
- Mixed Resolution: If the Immortal makes it through all five affairs with some left in a bad state or unfinished, they are rewarded for the completion with an ending that starts like the positive resolution. However, their moments of peace and comfort are interrupted by doubts and regrets about the improperly finished affairs.
Example of an Affair in Play

Affair: “Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend”
- Preceding Actions: The Immortal tried to play it off smoothly, but the friend was put on edge knowing something was up. The friend was convinced to play a parlour game a bit as a distraction, they eventually became suspicious. Desperate for more time to just enjoy their friend’s company, The Immortal proposed an outing to the movies but they put the friend on full alert, who demanded immediate answers. So far, no World Events were rolled. Now the Immortal is making their last attempt.
- The Immortal’s Roll: The Immortal uses the Approaches Friendly, Resilient, and Inventive.
- Bad Roll (1, 6, 2): The Immortal tries to express their feelings, but their words fall far short (perhaps even coming across as insulting or demeaning), and their old friend feels distant and confused.
- Middle Roll (6, 2, 4): The Immortal manages a bittersweet goodbye. Their friendship and love is clear, but the moment is far from ideal, too-clever-by-half word choices and uncontrollable tears leaving both parties with unanswered questions.
- Good Roll (6, 4, 5): The Immortal shares their feelings fully and insightfully, and their friend understands them completely. While there are a few tears, they part with love and peace, each knowing they are truly understood.
Mother Nature’s Dream Interaction: After the Immortal has made some progress on their affairs, Mother Nature may appear to them in a dream, where they reflect on the Immortal’s life. They talk about the meaning of friendship and how the goodbye ended and what it means to The Immortal. Mother Nature has a hard time fully grasping the pain, as all things pass in nature. Similarly, The Immortal still feels the pain of loss each time after all these years and cannot understand Mother Nature’s “callous” attitude. But they come to a mutual understanding about fondness and love, as pairing and bonding are common in nature, even if the love of friendship is unique. The Immortal’s first action next affair will automatically succeed.

Conclusion

The Immortal’s Affairs is a game about time, legacy, and the search for closure. In the end, the Immortal will either die in peace or with unfinished business, but the journey of completing their affairs and understanding their purpose offers a deep, emotional experience for both players. Through the mechanic of rolling dice, the unpredictability of World Events, and the heart-to-heart conversations between Mother Nature and the Immortal, this game provides an immersive, thoughtful exploration of life’s most poignant moments.

What do you think of this game? Have you tried to play it? Are you taking any inspiration from it? Are you planning to hack it? I’d love to hear about any of that. Come scream at me on Bluesky about it!

This game is released under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Just give credit to Rev Casey or Thought Punks as a source.

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December 18, 2024
RPG Idea: Hard Road Ahead
This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Free Games
Something I may never complete. Inspired to share this from my slush pile by my post about Ghibli-inspired games. Putting this out there for anyone else to finish, if they want. Fully open license, public domain. Use as you will.

Hard Road Ahead

A two-player micro-RPG inspired by the darker elements of Studio Ghibli.

Overview

One player takes the role of The Young Person, someone desperately striving to save a loved one who will die without their help. The other plays The World That Is, a callous, indifferent force that cares only for the endless cycles of life, death, and the laws of the universe. Together, you will tell a story of hardship, fleeting hope, and the cruel beauty of persistence.

What You Need
- 6-sided dice (d6), at least three.
- Paper and pen for tracking progress.
- A quiet space to reflect and tell your story.
Setup
1. The Young Person names their loved one and describes why they must save them. Define the relationship and what makes this bond vital.
2. The World That Is describes the setting: is it a crumbling city, a storm-lashed forest, or a war-torn countryside? Frame the narrative tone.
3. Both players collaboratively decide on the loved one’s three essential needs:
  - Medicine to treat or prevent sickness. What treatment do they need?
  - Food to stave off starvation. What kind of allergies and other food issues must you avoid?
  - Clothes to protect against deprivation. What is needed for the season, weather, and terrain?
4. Draw two trackers:
  - Young Person’s Needs: Hunger, Exposure, and Exhaustion, each starting at 0.
  - Loved One’s Needs: Sickness, Starvation, and Deprivation, each starting at 0.
How to Play

The story unfolds across at least five quests that The Young Person must pass to gather the resources their loved one needs. Each quest is an encounter, framed by The World That Is, which presents as (roll a d6):
- 1-2, A Social Trap: An overprotective guardian, a deceptive merchant, or others with conflicting goals.
- 3-4, A Task: Delivering messages, retrieving a lost item, or fulfilling a troubling request.
- 5-6, Internal Struggles: Phantoms or hallucinations of doubt and despair.
For each quest, the conditions available in the quest may offer a chance to reduce negative conditions for the player and there are two possible outcomes:
- Pass: The Young Person earns a vital item (Medicine, Food, or Clothes) and/or a step of relief for their own Needs.
- Fail: The World That Is offers a deus ex machina escape at a steep cost: an increase of 1 in either Sickness, Starvation, or Deprivation for the loved one, as well as usually an increase of one of the young person’s Needs.
Mechanics
1. Encounter Timers: Each encounter is resolved in three rolls or less, symbolizing the limited time available. The timer reflects urgency, a collapsing bridge, approaching danger, or window of opportunity closing.
2. Rolling for Progress: The Young Person rolls 1d6 per action. Actions must align with their described approach to the challenge. They may choose to accept 1 negative track for +2 dice. Once per encounter, you may also pick one of your loved one’s Needs and roll twice as many extra dice as the track is at. But if you take a cost (partial success or failure), it adds +1 to one of their other Needs tracks in addition to the young person’s. However, if you succeed, reduce the loved one’s Need used by 1. Possible results:
  - 6: Overwhelming success.
  - 4-5: Partial progress; the player may advance but at a cost, such as 1 Hunger, Exposure, or Exhaustion.
  - 1-3: Failure; no progress and +1 to one of the young person’s Need tracks.
3. Tracking Needs: Needs can be alleviated to some degree by the encounters, such as eating at a strange festival to reduce Hunger or taking shelter with that witch for a while to reduce Exposure. When any of The Young Person’s Needs (Hunger, Exposure, or Exhaustion) reaches 5, they collapse, lost to the indifferent world. The game ends with tragedy, as they are discovered dying by their (probably also soon to perish) loved one.
4. Loved One’s Condition: Failures during encounters add to the loved one’s Sickness, Starvation, or Deprivation. They cannot be alleviated under they are reached by the Young Person. However much Medicine, Food, and Clothing they have reduces Sickness, Starvation, and Deprivation that much. If the game ends with any higher than 1, or 1 in all, their future is ambiguous. 1 or 0 in all, except for all 1s, they go on to be well. When any of these reach 3, the loved one succumbs before The Young Person can reach them. The story ends in sorrow.
5. Winning the Game: If The Young Person successfully passes at least five quests and delivers at least 1 Medicine, Food, or Clothes, they reach their loved one in time, saving them (at least for now) from death. Note the loved one’s condition to judge their epilogue. And the journey’s toll remains, leaving scars and questions about what was lost to succeed.
Example Encounter

The World That Is: “You step briefly inside a well-maintained old cottage and suddenly an old woman blocks your way. Her house is warm, filled with food, and she offers you shelter. But she insists you stay and never leave. Her smile is kind, but her grip on your arm is iron the moment you step anywhere near the doors or windows.”

The Young Person: “At first I may have no choice, so I will rest a while and eat a bit to put her at ease.”

The World That Is: “The old woman seems happy that you accept so easily. She presents course after course of food, then covers you with a blanket as you rest afterward in a deep comfortable chair, reducing both your Hunger and Exhaustion by 1.”

The Young Person: “When she settles down herself, that is my chance. I will try to distract her by singing a lullaby to make her sleepy.”

Successful Quest

The young person rolls a 4, a partial success with a cost. The old woman’s eyes droop, but she shakes her head and her gaze remains fixed on them. They also take 1 Exhaustion as they sing a lullaby but resist the urge to sleep. Continuing to sing, they make a second roll. The old woman finally nods off, lulled to sleep by the soft melody. The Young Person gathers food and escapes, having some time while the woman sleeps so both reducing their Hunger by 1 and earning 1 Food for their loved one.

Failed Quest

The young person rolls a 2, a failure. The song is off-tune as the old woman eyes them suspiciously and remains perfectly alert as she sips her tea. The awkward tension is draining and adds +1 to Exhaustion.

The Young Person: “I see this isn’t working. I’m going to try making increasingly bothersome requests to see if I can get her away long enough to slip out.”

The young person groans as they roll a 3, another failure. They ask for different blankets, pillows, obscure snacks, and the whole lot of it but she never has to leave the room to accommodate the young person. The whole process is so tiring and adds another +1 to Exhaustion. Their Exhaustion is creeping very high and they decide to not risk any further action.

The Young Person: “If I can, I’m going to accept that there is no escape for now and rest to recover a bit before the other shoe drops.”

The World That Is: “You may remove one of those Exhaustions you gained. As you fitfully nap, you are rudely awakened being pushed out of the chair. The old woman is screaming at you about some request you made while half-asleep. As far as you can tell it was for some kind of cookie or snack, but she is taking it as a deadly insult. You are thrown out of the house in the middle of a storm, gaining 1 Exposure. Reflecting the plenty that you’re leaving behind, your loved one’s Starvation goes up by 1.”

Themes of Reflection

After each quest, The Young Person pauses for a moment of introspection. The player must describe what keeps them going despite the rising toll and stress, while The World That Is narrates how the environment reacts: indifferent stars, whispering winds, or the cold indifference of a collapsing society.

Conclusion

Hard Road Ahead is not about triumph or comfort but persistence against the odds. It captures the heartache, fleeting beauty, and relentless hardships that echo the darker undertones of Studio Ghibli’s masterpieces, while also mixing in non-traditional conflicts and whimsical encounters to reflect the other side of the inspiration. Will you make it in time, or will the world’s callousness win?

Have you hacked this into a more complete game? Are you incorporating some of these ideas into your own game? Or have you even tried giving this raw/mini version a try? Please, shout at me on Bluesky about it.

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December 17, 2024