IsabellaRose

That is correct. Edmund already had TIAL-V as a d8 Resource, so he'll change it to a d8 Relationship with TIAL-V.

Oh, and so everyone knows, the pharmacy and Mr. Kay have been left in play, and Ramona has been left on the steps in the beginning of the "My Copies of Steampunk Characters" thread so we know where we left off with character creation. That way if Dreams can join us later, we'll know where we left off with her character creation and Mr. Kay and the pharmacy will be established in town as her base of operations.

...and with Edmund complete, we're moving on to Step 7 - Modus Operandi. Remember that priority from the previous step? Well this step tells us how you pursue that goal. Make sure to note that during the map step, when you draw an arrow from your square to another circle, that Extra will become a Relationship for anyone connected from their square to that NPC. It doesn't add the person as a Relationship if the NPC is connected to your square from their square, only if you're connected to them from your square. But when someone connects to your NPC, they're going to step up to a Relationship if they were previously a Resource. Currently, NPCs that should be Relationships for anyone connected to them are: TIAL-V, Jack Bennett, and Kirsa Autenrieth. Make sure to update your sheets accordingly.

After careful consideration, Dreams has been dropped from the campaign. I'm sorry to see her go, and I'll be wishing I got to see that pherosol in action for the rest of the game. Thanks for playing along, Dreams! We'll miss you and I hope to get to play with you in a different game in the future! To complete Step 6 I think we just need @MagnificentBastard's steps. Also, I've included the bits people will want to re-visit below. Chiyako gets to Draw an arrow back to a lead square, and AsBloodTurnsEverCold and WickedCadrach both get to step up a Relationship. The original steps performed are listed below. @Chiyako: Draw an arrow back to a Lead square: Jack Bennett > has something of a crush on > Ramona Hart @AsBloodTurnsEverCold: Step up a Relationship, Asset, or Resource: Ramona to d6 @WickedCadrach: Step up a Relationship: Ramona Hart up to d6

My bad. Then I guess we're just waiting for you to finish it. :) For connections, they're purely one-sided. Make the connection you want to make and go from there. The only time I'd say we need to check is if someone puts down that they own something and then someone else puts that they hold the deed to it. Check then, yes. But if you just want to make your own one-sided connection to a thing or person, do so with no need to check. That's the fun of this game. It's a messy web of interconnectedness. The pharmacy is a real pharmacy, as far as we know the only one in town. That was established in an earlier post. For historical reference there's this tidbit: "It was extremely easy to get drugs, including potent and addictive narcotics, from a pharmacy in the 1880s. There were virtually no federal regulations governing the contents or sale of most medicines, and no prescriptions were required for common items that contained ingredients such as opium, morphine, heroin, and cocaine. Drugs that today are strictly controlled substances could be purchased over the counter without any doctor's authorization. These substances were available not only in pharmacies (also called apothecaries or drug stores) but also in general stores and could even be ordered through the mail. Patent medicines (concoctions with high levels of alcohol and narcotics, which were often advertised as "cure-alls" for various ailments) were an affordable and easily accessible alternative to consulting a doctor, who was often expensive or difficult to reach in rural areas. Opium, morphine, and laudanum (opium dissolved in alcohol) were common ingredients, used to treat pain, sleeplessness, coughs, diarrhea, and "nervous disorders". Cocaine, touted as a safe stimulant, was an ingredient in various tonics, toothache drops, and even early versions of Coca-Cola. Products could contain alcohol (sometimes up to 16%), cannabis, chloroform, and even toxic substances like mercury and arsenic, which were used to treat conditions like syphilis. Many morphine- and alcohol-laden remedies were marketed for use in infants and children to calm fussiness or relieve colic." So it looks like you can get damn near anything from your local apothecary in the 1880s, if that helps you form your connection.

Okay, so we're just waiting for @MagnificentBastard to begin Step 6, and @DreamsnThings to complete Step 5 and begin Step 6. There are only 3 more steps after 6... I'm hoping that we can get them all done so we can start playing in the new year, but I know the holidays are a timing/scheduling nightmare for online roleplays, so we'll see...

THE CHALLENGE We're going straight into our holiday season challenge! Write anything inspired by the season and/or seasonal celebrations. You've got 3 weeks! Deadline Midnight (EST) Saturday 20 Dec, 2025 Limits 1 entry per person keep it around 2,000 words, no penalty for going a little over but remember, everyone has to read these to vote Prizes 1st Place: 4,000 EcchiCredits 2nd Place: 2,000 EcchiCredits 3rd Place: 1,000 EcchiCredits

Correct - SFX are unlocked at d4, d8, and d12 ranks. No worries! Millie is all caught up!

Alicia is all set!

By the rules, once a second Player Character links to an Extra, they become a "Feature", so you can add Jack Bennett as a Relationship instead of a Resource, jut in case you didn't already. Otherwise you're all set!

Clayton should be 2d6 Other than that, you're all set!

Don't forget to step up a Resource: Extra!

That's exactly why I click so well with narrative-focused games. The mechanics, achieving the "win scenario" requires making interesting narrative choices that aren't always in your characters' best interests. I imagine all those min/max players dislike this kind of game. That's the thing to me, really. Games are designed with mechanics, and the mechanics are the thing you engage with to play the game. If your core mechanics are combat, you will resort to combat to solve every encounter. That's the problem with D&D. You can "flavor" things, but you're still playing a class. You can add systems, subsystems, things to try to drive the narrative, and do all these things to try to make the game more narrative, but at the end of the day, it's a combat simulator with roleplay tacked on as an afterthought. No amount of "updates" or "improvements" are going to make it less of a combat simulator. That's what it's built on. That's why I get so bored playing it... all my fun roleplay is overshadowed by a 2 hour long slogfest of dice rolling and tactical decision making. If I want that kind of combat, I'll just play a wargame.

...and we're ready for Step 6! Now that your character has faced their Life-Changing Event, we're going to focus on who they are after the event. First, it's your Priority. After the event that changed your life, you struggle to retain or regain some sort of normalcy, whether it’s the comforts of your old existence, or the circumstances of your new reality. Your Priority is what you cling to in the hopes of finding that sense of grounding. It’s a near-obsession that absorbs you in your daily life. In some cases it’s the tie that binds; in others, it’s that which keeps the demons at bay. At night, when you lie awake in your bed, this is what occupies your mind. You get to choose between: Friends & Family, Work, Moving Forward, Looking Back, or Performance Everyone gets to: Draw an arrow from your square to a new or existing circle (NEW Extra) or diamond (NEW Location). Draw an arrow from any circle or diamond to another circle, diamond, or square. ...and then perform a few other steps based on what you choose as listed over in the rules thread!

From my perspective and the way I enjoy playing, Cortex Dramatic sort of forces narrative choices that I wouldn't always make for my character (like if I stress out my Angry stress track, storming off in a huff), but that work in the context of a dramatic scene and dramatic storytelling. I like that sometimes my characters' emotions will get the better of them. I also like that sometimes I'll have the choice to do something that does NOT benefit the team or our goal (but that's totally in character) to earn a plot point for later. I like that those choices carry mechanical weight. But one of my favorite aspects is that in order to earn dice for your Growth Pool, the only way you can improve your character and get better at the things you do, you have to either challenge your values and relationships, working at odds with the things you think you believe and the things you think you know about the other characters, or you have to take stress. Taking stress, essentially "damage", in the game is one of the only two ways to earn dice to make you grow. It's almost like they baked the philosophy that "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" right into the game, and I think that part, and the challenging your own beliefs and assumptions about people, are the cornerstones of improving your abilities. I don't know of any other game that makes your values and relationships the key to being able to act, and makes those other two bits the keys to getting stronger.

I definitely found it much more approachable from a narrative perspective than so many of the games I grew up playing. All the old stuff was very simulationist - combat simulations, resource management, etc. The waves of games that turn telling a narrative into mechanical elements really hit my zone, even though I bounced hard off of them after decades of old style games under my belt.

I read it voraciously, but ultimately I'm still not a fan of class-based systems.

I've read it and I'd like to play it, but I haven't yet. Two of my other groups played it and loved it. From reading it, it looks like Fabula Ultima is what D&D pretends to be: a dramatic, character-driven, high-stakes, over-the-top adventure game where story is the engine and combat is one expression of that story, not the whole point. D&D is ultimately a tactical miniatures combat system with roleplay strung between initiative rounds. Fabula Ultima, on the other hand, assumes that big melodrama is normal, that emotional motivations matter mechanically, that characters change as the story changes, and that over-the-top, cinematic actions are expected. My friend described their game as "like a Final Fantasy cutscene seamlessly connected to a Fire Emblem character moment and a Persona relationship beat." Classes are modular and combo-focused. Each character picks two classes and blends them, much more JRPG-like. Classes synergize heavily, creating party role synergy without strict roles. Fabula Ultima builds characters like a skill tree in a JRPG. Damage and death work like in JRPGs. Combat isn't a tactical grind; it’s fast, flashy, narrative, and tense because characters don’t just die, they hit dramatic thresholds. Often, characters become more dangerous when wounded... again, very JRPG. Another thing of note is that the GM doesn't roll dice, just like in Powered by the Apocalypse games. The GM runs the world, the players roll all dice and enemy attacks happen because players fail, not because the GM wins. It reframes the whole table dynamic and puts narrative flow above tactical turn-grinding. There are generally increasingly difficult "boss" fights, which definitely feels like a JRPG. I also like that there aren't just items like "another +1 sword" laying around. The game focuses more on unique gear, relics tied to the story, magical items with purpose, and JRPG-style equipment sets. D&D has “bonds” that don’t matter after session 0, but Fabula Ultima makes them part of the actual gameplay. Bonds are the heart of the system. Characters define Bonds toward each other and toward NPCs. These Bonds give dice in crucial moments, evolve over time, break, heal, twist, grow, and shape the entire story arc mechanically. Ultima Points reward theme, drama, and intention. They're gained when PCs follow dramatic instincts and allow characters to supercharge actions to turn the tide of a battle and perform iconic moves. It's like D&D Inspiration, except you actually award and use it. As for what kinds of games you'd run with Fabula instead of D&D? Personally, any game (I'm pretty done with D&D), but my list includes: 1. Anything Where the Story Actually Matters. If you want actual character arcs, emotional bonds influencing outcomes, games that feel like anime stories, scars that change PCs, consequences that aren’t just HP loss, then Fabula Ultima crushes D&D. This is where D&D fails entirely, because its mechanics only care about hit points, AC, and DPR. 2. JRPG-Inspired Campaigns. Obviously. If you want something like Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Fire Emblem, Tales of Symphonia, Persona, Golden Sun, or Skies of Arcadia, then Fabula Ultima is built exactly for that style of play. You could run them in 5e, but D&D can't hit the drama and characters arcs without heavy hacking. 3. Big Emotions, Big Villains, Big Swings. If your story has over-the-top villains, dramatic reveals, theme-driven transformation forms, summons that reshape battlefields, characters who yell attacks when they use them, rival fights that turn into friendship... this is your game. Yeah, that's not mechanical, but still, D&D isn't built to support this. Fabula Ultima is. 4. Party-Focused Stories (NOT lone-wolf murderhobo stuff). If the party matters more than the individual, backstories interconnect, character relationships drive the plot, internal conflict isn’t sidelined by stat blocks... this is where Fabula Ultima shines. 5. Games Where Cinematic Combat Trumps Tactical Combat. Fabula Ultima is for battles that look like signature attacks, overdrives, cinematic finishers, spellstorms, summons that consume whole arenas, transformations mid-fight... the FUN stuff. D&D is just, “Okay, I cast Firebolt… again.” 6. Stories With a Strong Thematic Core. Fabula Ultima has an extremely powerful structure for coming-of-age arcs, fated heroes, tragic villains, found family, hopepunk fantasy, epic journeys that change characters permanently. D&D doesn’t do theme unless the GM imposes it artificially. My two cents about why to choose FU over D&D - because D&D is a combat simulator that pretends it’s a roleplaying game. Fabula Ultima is a storytelling engine that treats combat as another tool for drama. If you want tactical grid combat - D&D. If you want story-first, character-driven, anime-style epic fantasy - Fabula Ultima. If you want emotional arcs to matter mechanically - Fabula Ultima. If you want classes that encourage creativity instead of locking characters in boxes - Fabula Ultima. If you want sessions that feel like watching a JRPG anime come alive - Fabula Ultima. Fabula Ultima is simply the better tool for running emotional fantasy, cinematic fantasy, stylish fantasy, narrative fantasy, or anything that isn’t “simulating hit point loss.”

One more thing - you get to find face claims for your NPCs. I'll use thumbnails of them when posting as your NPCs to make it easier to find them! @Chiyako - Aldert Helsink, Jack Bennett @AsBloodTurnsEverCold - Kirsa Autenrieth, Joshua Thane, Clayton Cash @WickedCadrach - Jane Montgomery, Adelaide Montgomery, Red Jenny, 'Judge' Holland Buck @StarlitSiren - Willis Sloan, Otis "Sparks" Tully @MagnificentBastard - TIAL-V @DreamsnThings - Mr. Kay (aka Kyle Cruze), Commissioner Gordon If you don't mind AI generated images and need any help creating something specific, I've become rather decent at generating images in a certain style using an AI generator. I'd be happy to whip some up for you to peek at, no obligation, just an offer to help if you want to see what I can get it to make!

Okay, for your steps: Added NPC and the arrow back to your square are both good, and you skipped both optional steps. All set! Honor up x2 as it's the replacement for Duty. All set! Duty was replaced with Honor - do you want to step up Honor or Passion? Distinctions described in my last reply, or we can add one. Choose a Distinction. Missy stepped up to d6, Edmund stepped up to d6, Kojo stepped up to d8. That leaves Alicia AND Millie still at d4. Pherotech is not a Resource. Resources are NPCs and Locations. Currently you have Kyle's Cure-All's and Commissioner Gordon listed as Resources. (see this comment where I describe how NPCs start as Resources, and which ones I'd put where if I were to change them). So you still need to select a Resource to step up. You also need to select 2 specialties for Commissioner Gordon.

So I'd say if you want to be sneaky, sneaking around, being stealthy, and you could say that maybe while sneaking around you managed to grab something from Senator Dawkins' desk or out of a drawer in the Sheriff's office, that would be "Sneaky". If you want to be playing thee card monte, picking pockets, stealing watches, and generally behaving like the cast of Now You See Me, we'd probably want to add Sleight of Hand. I think the original designers were trying to keep the list short and didn't have as many high stakes poker games or sneaky spies in the Smallville show as we're likely to have in our game. The d12 SFX for Sneaky bit seems to add just enough of sleight of hand at the end to appease anyone who asked.

In the list Sneaky says: "SNEAKY: You’re fantastic at getting in and out without being seen, with equal parts hiding in shadows, moving without making a sound, and natural agility. You have it all in spades. Roll the Distinction’s die when you’re trying to remain hidden, quiet, or off the radar." I would think conman style sleight of hand might fit better under "FAST TALKER: You’ve lost track of the problems your mouth has caused over the years. But you’ve learned to use it to your advantage, and it’s now your first line of defense. Roll the Distinction’s die when bluffing or browbeating somebody, giving evasive answers, or otherwise using your rapid-fire communication skills to your benefit." or "SNAKE OIL SALESMAN: You could sell anything with charm and fast talk. Roll when bluffing, pitching, or lying." which both kind of seem like the same thing to me, now that I think about it. See what happens when you try to change up a system to be thematic but you're in a hurry? Alternately, we could add the below Distinction, which I think captures the sleight of hand you were thinking of above.

@DreamsnThings I was going to suggest "Sneaky" but any of the other suggestions WickedCadrach made are valid here as well! Also yes to this. I guess I missed another spot where I should have changed it to Honor! But yes, you can step up Honor and think of it as Duty. Same thing, IMHO.

Well this came out more depressing than I originally intended, but here's my sad sack version of "stuff me, senpai" which actually ended up being "stuff me, sensei" but whatever...

So we've hit a slow down. I'm hoping that DreamsnThings gets her net issues resolved soon. Good luck, Dreams! This is a big step, where a lot gets added and linked on the miro board, so I'm really hoping we can wait just a little bit longer for her to catch up. How does everyone feel about the pause? I know the momentum slowed for a few reasons over the last few weeks, several of those reasons being me. Are we losing interest? Still excited? Is everyone cool with waiting on Dreams, or do you want to plow ahead and let her catch up? The problem with moving ahead is that due to the collaborative nature of the game, she'll be less connected to the other players, NPCs, and setting if we don't wait for her, and she already started behind by coming in late. I'm really hoping we can all move ahead together, but I don't want everyone to lose interest, either.