Tell-Tale: A New Game by Yours Truly

Tell-Tale

A game that aims to combine elements of Magic: the Gathering and D&D, my chief goals are Simplicity, Flexibility and Variety.


Overview

The GM tells a story using cards, and the Players participate in the story using decks of cards they have constructed to represent their characters, animal companions, gear and spells which they'll cast in the course of their adventure.


Character Creation

Each player selects a legendary humanoid creature or planeswalker to role-play, and may choose a non-legendary animalistic creature within the color identity of the player's character as an animal companion. The player's character and companion are not considered "summoned creatures", are not part of the player's deck, and are never "cast"--they begin the game as part of the story and continue unless killed or exiled to another plane. If they are killed or exiled and then resurrected (returned to hand or battlefield), "enters the battlefield" effects will take place.

Animal companions are considered either familiars or mounts, at the GM's discretion. If the companion is a familiar, it cannot be ridden but fights alongside the player on the player's turn. If the companion is a mount, it may be used as a pack animal and/or ridden, and may affect the stats of the player, but will not participate in combat when not mounted. Players should bear in mind that mounts may be too large to follow the players into all areas of the story.

Each player rolls 4xD6 dice 7 times, writing down the totals. The player then distributes these numbers among the following stats (discarding unused numbers):

• Initiative [I]
• PC Vitality [V]
• PC Speed [S]
• Companion Vitality
• Companion Speed

Obviously, having an animal companion will use up more numbers, requiring you to choose lower numbers for some stats.

Stats

PC, Companion, and NPC Stats are defined below.  Players should use player sheets/mats and individual counters to track changes in Stats throughout the game.

• Initiative: turn order.  After players initially assign stats, they should sit around the table in Initiative order, with highest initiative to the left of the GM.  If Initiative changes, players will exchange seats to maintain Initiative order.
• Vitality: life.  If life is gained or lost, Vitality goes up or down accordingly.  Damage reduces Toughness first, then Vitality.  The GM does not have Vitality/Life, but NPCs do.  Vitality of 0 = unconscious, negative Vitality = dead.
• Speed: distance a character can move per combat turn. Distance-to-Speed ratios are set per encounter by the GM.
• Power: maximum damage dealt on a successful attack.  Power listed on a character card is that character's base power and can be modified with +/- counters, equipment, and spells/abilities/effects.  Cannot go negative, minimum is 0.
• Toughness: hit points of damage absorbed before Vitality is affected and permanents are lost.  Like Power, a character's base toughness is listed on the card and can be modified.  Damage dealt to a character and negative effects (e.g. "gets -0/-2") reduce toughness first, and when toughness is at 0 reduce Vitality.  Toughness regenerates at the end of a combat encounter, though Vitality does not automatically regenerate.  Toughness is needed to maintain permanent spells, specifically summoned creatures, creature tokens, and enchantments.  As soon as Toughness is reduced to 0 (via damage or negative effects), all permanent spells are dispelled and go to the graveyard.

Planeswalkers as PCs

A planeswalker PC starts with a base Power and Toughness equal to the starting "Loyalty Counter" number on the card. There are no loyalty counters in Tell-Tale, as players are role-playing the planeswalkers themselves. The PC counts as a "creature" in terms of game/spell effects such as "Target creature you control gains X".

Planeswalker abilities are special activated abilities, one of which can be activated once per combat encounter any time you could cast a sorcery. There are two activation costs: (X) where X is the absolute (positive) value of the printed loyalty counter cost, and an increase or reduction of toughness matching the same until the beginning of your next turn. Effects of an ability will match Tell-Tale rules, with emblems lasting until the end of the combat encounter.

Deck Construction

Lands form a stack separate from the deck along with the Player Character (PC) and optional Animal Companion cards.  All cards including lands correspond with the color identity of the PC (colorless is always allowed).  Players will start a new campaign at Level 3 and lands available will always match player level.

Decks comprise the remaining spells, artifacts, and equipment in the PC's arsenal.  Deck size, apart from lands, PC, and companion, is 40 to 100 cards, with no more than 4 identical cards and no legendary creatures or planeswalkers aside from the PC.  In general, Modern format MTG cards are allowed, though effects of cards may differ from MTG rules and the GM has ultimate authority to ban cards from play.

The GM constructs a deck of spells, a "loot deck" for trades and rewards, and an NPC deck he will always have access to for presenting encounters.

Gameplay

Games or "Campaigns" will function much like a D&D campaign.  The GM will give the setting and present the PCs with encounters.  Players, in Initiative order, will describe their characters' actions to the GM and the GM will resolve those actions.  Cards can be moved around the table to indicate relative positions.

The GM does not have or need life or mana, and doesn't "cast spells" in the traditional MTG sense.  Rather, as the GM tells the story, he reveals creatures, enchantments, and environmental effects that the PCs encounter.  Sentient creature NPCs may cast spells directly, and the GM determines the amount of mana available and spent per spell.  This means spells with an (X) cost cast by an NPC can have whatever amount paid the GM chooses.  The GM's goal is to weave an interesting and fun story, and to challenge the players, (hopefully) without killing them all.

The PCs engage in combat, cast spells, and use equipment and other artifacts to participate in the story.  They aren't trying to "beat" the GM, and players may have ulterior motives given to them by the GM or devised on their own.  Bonus experience may be awarded for exceptional role-playing.  Spells and abilities are cast/activated for their listed costs, and "instant" spells or abilities may be activated out of turn if their costs can be paid.

Players and the GM begin with a 7-card hand, 1 free mulligan, and reduced card mulligans after that.  Outside of a combat encounter, players do not draw or discard unless an effect says otherwise.


Combat

A player or the GM may initiate combat.  The GM may roll for NPC initiative or begin with whichever character initiated the attack, proceeding clockwise.  A combat turn consists of:

1. Untap step - Player untaps tapped mana, but not tapped creatures (see "Tap/Untap").
2. Upkeep step - Effects that reference upkeep happen here.
3. Draw step - GM draws up to a full 7 cards if his hand is less than 7; he has no maximum hand size. Player draws a card and has a maximum hand size of 7 unless an effect says otherwise.
4. Character actions - PCs, Familiars, Summons, and NPCs get 2 actions each. Actions are allowed at the GM's discretion and include:
1. Move at the Speed of the character
2. Attack a specific target
3. Charge in a straight line through multiple targets (see "Trample")
4. Get up if knocked down, prone or kneeling (see "Tap/Untap")
5. Kneel (see "Tap/Untap")
6. Pick up or equip something
7. Cast a sorcery
8. Hide
9. Flee
5. End step - Player discards down to 7 cards as necessary.

Combat in Tell-Tale is very different from MTG.  Characters (creatures) attack specific targets that are within their range.  The GM will rule whether a character has a melee or ranged attack based on the character's depiction (artwork and description) and equipment.  In other words, the literal or implied presence of a ranged weapon such as a bow, a sling, or a magical fireball will press the GM to rule for a ranged attack, while artwork depicting teeth and claws will indicate a melee attack.  Equipping a melee character with a piece of ranged equipment and vice versa will change the means of attack.

An attack ruled to be in range will commence with the attacker rolling a D20 (sometimes 2d20, see "Advantage/Disadvantage") and acting according to the result:

   - 1-5 = Miss

   - 6-14 = Half damage (Power)

   - 15-19 = Full damage (Power)

   - 20 = Critical Hit, Power x 1d4 damage

Fractions are always rounded down, so if the attacking creature has a Power of 1 and does half damage (rolls 6-14), no damage is dealt.

Advantage / Disadvantage

Conditions may cause a character to have Advantage or Disadvantage, for example attacking by surprise, attacking a character which has partial cover, or attacking while prone or knocked down (see "Tap/Untap"). In either case, roll 2d20. Advantage must use the higher number, Disadvantage the lower.

Summoning

Summoning also is unique in Tell-Tale.  When a player casts a creature spell, they are channeling not only their mana but their concentration as well to maintain an ethereal construct of a creature that will do their bidding.  Only one summoned creature (i.e. "summon") can be maintained at a time, the exception being creature tokens, which represent less complex duplicates of creature constructs and can be maintained in numbers by the most powerful summoners.  A new creature can be summoned any time the PC could cast a sorcery (1 of 2 character actions per combat turn), but an existing non-token summon will immediately dispel and disappear, and will not count as a sacrifice.  In addition, all summons including tokens, as well as enchantments, must be maintained by the Toughness of the caster.  If Toughness is reduced to 0, all summons and enchantments immediately dispel.  Artifacts, PCs, and animal companions are permanent and physically present, and do not dispel when Toughness is compromised.

Realism in Gameplay

Some elements of MTG that might be assumed to work the same way are different in Tell-Tale.  The simplest explanation is this: if you can't envision something working in a fantasy-based story, it probably won't work in this game.  Some specific examples:

Artifacts including equipment, and enchantments including auras, can be played liberally, as long as the casting costs can be paid; however, common sense must apply to the number and size of artifacts that can be carried and used at one time, and enchantments other than auras are area-of-effect, they will attach to an area and dispel when that geographic area is left behind.  The GM will make rulings regarding the size and weight of artifacts, and extraordinarily heavy objects, once "manifested into the game world" will remain in the spot where they were "found" for the remainder of the campaign.

Equipment and small artifacts can be dropped to the ground, exchanged between characters, and stashed in packs and sheaths.  Common sense rules apply here: equipping one weapon generally requires sheathing or stashing another; a character can only wear one set of footwear, one headgear, etc.; and activating multiple artifacts may use up available turn actions.


Levels and Mana

PCs begin at Level 3, with 3 lands that produce the mana colors in their color identity--dual- and tri-lands are allowed.  The GM will award rough estimates of experience (XP) to the PCs for slaying enemies, accomplishing feats of grandeur, and sometimes maybe for exceptional role-playing.  At periodic intervals the GM will announce that the players level up--usually all at the same time--at which time a leveling player will place down an additional land, increment one of their PC or animal companion Stats of their choice by 1, and regenerate their PC and animal companion (if they have one; see "Regenerate" below).  New lands come in untapped.

Mechanics

The following glossary of mechanics / keywords defines their functions in Tell-Tale.  If a mechanic is not listed here and appears on a card, it has no effect and does not apply unless explicitly permitted and defined by the GM.

1. Keywords that function identically with MTG: Attach, Aura Swap, Bestow, Bloodrush, Bolster, Counter (as in Cancel), Discard, Draw, Enchant, Ferocious, Fight, Flash, Heroic, Hexproof, Manifest, Morph, Populate, Prowess, Scry, Soulbond, Split Second, Totem Armor, Transform, Undying, Vanishing, Wither
2. Deathtouch - similar to Infect/Wither but worse for the affected character. Damage is dealt in the form of -1/-1 counters and the damaged creature/character is poisoned and continues to get a -1/-1 counter every turn until dead or until the poison is cured. A poisoned character has Disadvantage as well. Life gain, regeneration, returning a PC or companion to hand or the battlefield, or "burning" one's own PC will cure poison. Regeneration and return will remove all -1/-1 counters, while life gain will remove X counters where X is the amount of life gained, and self-damage with burn spells will reduce vitality but halt the poison effect.
3. Defender - character cannot attack, but may defend itself and may fight in defense of another character.  For example, a creature with Defender may place itself in between an aggressor and a PC to block the incoming attack.
4. Detain - see Tap/Untap below.  Detained character is essentially tapped until the detaining character's next combat turn.
5. Double Strike - see First Strike below.  A character with Double Strike has the First Strike opportunist ability and in addition gets 2 attacks per attempt (2 attack rolls per turn; each can succeed and deal the character's power, half-power, or critical  hit damage).
6. Equip - there is no mana cost to equip an equipment, it only takes a combat turn action to pick up or exchange one equipment for another. This generally applies to activating artifacts as well--a turn action is required to retrieve and activate the artifact, and this may require a free hand or even both hands.
7. Exile - to trap a character, creature, or item in a pocket dimension until the end of time, or until freed by some miracle. Auras controlled by the exiled character will go into exile with them and will return with them if they are brought back, but artifacts will drop to the ground when the character is exiled.  Because exile is such a powerful and potentially permanent effect, any spell or ability that would attempt to use this mechanic must be cast as a sorcery, consumes all combat turn actions for the character, and must beat an opposed save throw.
8. Exploit - see Sacrifice below.  Functions basically the same as in MTG, but beware of summoning limitations.
9. Extort - see Lifelink below.  When the cost is paid, all enemy creatures/characters will lose 1 Vitality, and the character using the Extort ability will gain that much Vitality.
10. First Strike - Opportunist.  A character with First Strike is an expert opportunist in combat.  As soon as an enemy moves within attack range, the opportunist may attack before the enemy has a chance to strike.  If 2 characters with First Strike meet, they make opposed attack rolls, and the winner deals damage.  In the event of a tie, both deal damage to the other according to their Power, as in the Fight mechanic.
11. Flying - grants improved mobility on the battlefield.  A character with Flying can fly over and bypass characters/creatures on the ground that do not have Reach, so they may be able to pick their targets in combat.  If a Flying creature lands or attacks something on the ground, they make themselves vulnerable to attack by ground-based forces.
12. Haste - increases the Speed stat by 50% and grants Advantage to attacks and reflex saves throws.
13. Indestructible - cannot be dealt damage or affected by the "Destroy..." effect.  Loss of Life/Vitality, negative Toughness, Deathtouch/Infect/Wither, and Exile effects will all still function as normal and may be ways to bypass the restriction of Indestructible.
14. Infect - Wither.  There are no poison counters, only -1/-1 counters which will reduce the Vitality of an "Infected" character after Toughness is reduced to 0.
15. Lifelink / Life Gain / Loss of Life - Life = character Vitality.  The only difference between Tell Tale and MTG in this is that players and the GM do not have life totals and do not gain or lose life.  Instead, characters gain and lose Vitality.  If a spells says "You gain X life", that is redirected to your PC.  If the card says "Target player gains (or loses) X life", you can target a friendly or opposing character for the change in Vitality.  Lifelink requires that damage be dealt before equivalent Vitality is restored/increased.
16. Protection - basically the same function as in MTG, but "Protection from everything" and "Protection from all colors" are banned, and permanent Protection is frowned upon.  Protection from X until end of turn is allowed, and may cause auras to dispel and artifacts to drop from the protected character's possession.
17. Reach - attack range extends to characters with Flying.  This does not mean the character/creature with Reach has a ranged attack--that is determined by the GM and may change based on equipment.  Reach does mean that nearby creatures with Flying can be attacked, and if a Flyer attempts to fly over a Reach-capable enemy, the character with Reach gets an attack of opportunity.
18. Regenerate - the classic "full health potion", the fairy-in-a-bottle.  Regenerate immediately restores full Vitality and Toughness, removes any negative counters or de-buffs, and dispels any negative auras on the Regenerated character.
19. Return (to Hand or Battlefield) - causes creature tokens to dispel permanently, but causes other summons to return (as a summon scroll to the caster or as a summoned creature to the battlefield). PCs and animal companions are special. Returning them from anywhere puts them onto the battlefield regenerated. Return functions for them like teleportation and resurrection rolled into one: the player decides where on the battlefield the character appears.
20. Sacrifice - if a cost or effect allows for or requires Sacrifice, the effect is the same as in MTG, but remember that only one non-token summon can be maintained by a PC at a time.  A player may Sacrifice his/her animal companion, but not the PC.
21. Tap / Untap - characters do not get summoning sickness and don't tap to attack.  Voluntary tapping as in paying a cost such as to generate mana means sitting or kneeling as in prayer or meditation.  Involuntary tapping as in spell or ability effects means forcing a character to their knees or knocking them down.  Involuntary tapping requires an opposed saving throw in addition to the spell or ability attempting it.  Untapping and voluntary tapping each consume a combat turn action.  Tapping an artifact signifies activating it, and at the GM's discretion may mean holding it in one or both hands.
22. Trample - this ability allows for a special charge attack, running in a straight line through one or more enemies.  Separate attack rolls are thrown for each enemy, with successful throws dealing damage and requiring an opposed saving throw against being knocked down (tapped).
23. Vigilance - immunity to attacks of opportunity and knockdown.  Vigilant characters cannot be attacked by surprise, do not provoke attacks of opportunity (see First Strike), and have the option to jump aside to avoid charge attacks from characters with Trample.  A Vigilant character receives a +5 bonus to saving throws to avoid involuntary tapping (see Tap/Untap).
24. Win or Lose the Game - does not stop the game, but "winning" grants resurrection and regeneration to the character, allies, and all creatures controlled and removes all negative auras & effects, while "losing" takes the character, allies, and all creatures controlled to 1 Vitality.