One page game: Stone Creatures

Singing gargoyle in its natural habitat.

La version francophone de cet article est disponible ici. / The french version of this article is available here.

Some auto-promotion : I published Stone Creatures a hack (another one !) of the excellent Lasers and Feelings from John Harper. 

If you don't know the core concept, it is a one-page RPG where each player character is defined by few words and a score between 2 and 5. In case of a difficult action the player throws more or less dice and. Depending on the type of attempted action, each die result must be under or over this score.

Some examples for Creatures of Stone:

For Creature type actions (climbing, flying, empathy, communication etc.) you need to roll over your score, while for Stone type actions (calm, intimidation, toughness, stealth etc.) you need to roll under your score.

Rockery is a gargoyle with a score of 3, with the style Ancient and the role Diplomat. 

1) Rockery would like to negociate some informations with a troll group. 

This is a Creature type action. The character is expert (Diplomat, +1d6), so rolls 2d6 and obtains 4 and 6. Gosh, total failure. The trolls look angered.

2) Rockery decides to change methods and to intimidate their interlocutors to obtain these informations, willingly or by force.

It's a Stone type action with neither preparation nor expertise. The character rolls only one die, and obtains 3: their score.

The Stone Creature’s instinct of Rockery (or the GM's voice) suggests that these trolls could be persuaded by the promise that the ogre mafia will not threaten them anymore.

3) Rockery chooses to change their previous action, sympathizing with the tough situation of the trolls. The gargoyle reminds them the old feys laws allow them to ask gargoyles intervention to protect them from the ogres.

Still a Creature type action, but here Rockery is both expert (Diplomate, +1d6) and prepared (thanks to knowing what is bothering the troll community, +1d6). Rockery rolls 3d6, and get 6, 2 and 1. Two successful dice, which signify a victory: the trolls are hearing its arguments!

Where are hitpoints?

There is no HP. Tell ahead the consequences of a failure. Interpret the situation. Be creative. A gargoyle lost a wing? It's a quest opportunity to heal this harm (does the group have to convince a carver-witch? Or to find a legendary sanctuary?)  

No XP, or gain of levels?

Develop characters based on what they accomplish. Have they made new allies? New enemies?

Faites évoluer les personnages d'après ce qu'ils accomplissent. Se sont-ils fait de nouveaux alliés ? De nouveaux ennemis ? A significant event could result in a change in score as the character's personality changes.

Something else to know?

Have fun. Also, check for other Lasers and Feelings hacks. Same rules, and there is something for everyone' s taste (The Witcher, Vampire: The Mascarade, spaghetti western, bloodborne, romance, cyborgs deers ... ).