StoryCube:The RolePlaying

Game

StoneLovecharm

GregSchulze

Sam

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Sam

ple

file

StoryCube:the roleplaying game

Stone LovecharmGame Designer • Lead Playtester • Marketing

Greg SchulzeGame Designer • Editor • Layout Artist

PlaytestersKevin Helander • Celeste Lovecharm • Stone Lovecharm • Chris Rosenberg

Abby Schulze • Aidan Schulze • Andrew Schulze • Greg Schulze • Wendy Schulze

Creepy Assassin • www.creepyassassin.comCreepyAssassinCreations@gmail.com

A Creepy Assassin Publication

StoryCube: The Roleplaying GameCopyright © 2015 Creepy Assassin

All rights reserved.

First Edition 2015.

No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the

prior express permission of the publisher. That being said, just ask and we’ll say yes, go for it.

Thanks to the following artists at Fiverr:Olie Boldador (front cover & page 32) • Paraxyzm (page 14)

Archsider (front cover & page 74) • Andra_Gradesign (page 112) • Nizar86 (back cover)Also Jeshields (pages 48, 62, & 128)

And to Rory’s Story Cubes for all the various Cube images throughout. www.storycubes.com

All commissioned artists were compensated for and agreed to Creepy Assassin’s complete and unrestricted commercial use of their work. All image editing, cropping, color changes, and enhancements of original work

were performed under Fair Use as defined by United States copyright law.

All Rory’s StoryCube images appearing throughout this book were modified and transferred to print media from original images appearing on Rory’s Story Cubes without permission from Rory O’Connor, Rory’s Story Cubes,

or The Creativity Hub Ltd. under Fair Use as defined by United States copyright law.

This product is in no way licensed, owned, associated with, or approved by Rory’s StoryCubes, Rory O’Connor, or The Creativity Hub Ltd. and was created entirely by Creepy Assassin as a transformative work under Fair

Use as defined by United States copyright law.

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ContentS1 • Introduction

5 • The Players

15 • The Gamemaster

33 • Actions

49 • Conflict

63 • Designing Adventures and Encounters

75 • The Campaign

87 • Villains

109 • Traps and Hazards

113 • Settings: Toypocalypse

129 • Settings: The Wizard Universities

140 • Quick Reference Rules

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Welcome! Greetings! Well met! This is StoryCube: The Roleplaying Game, where you and your friends get together and act out stories filled with adventure and excitement. This story-based roleplaying game (RPG for short) uses Rory’s Story Cubes to build Characters and have adventures in whatever setting the Cubes, the Gamemaster, and the Players come up with. There is no right or wrong answer with StoryCube RPG, there is only creativity and fun. The Cubes help inspire the Players’ imaginations, they don’t limit it.

To play StoryCube RPG the group needs at least the Actions, Original, and Voyages Rory’s Story Cubes. Any other sets, including the Clues, Enchanted, Intergalactic, Medic, Prehistoria, and Score Rory’s Story Cubes will round out the Players’ experience, but are not necessary. Though it is suggested that one or two of those sets are used to make a more focused setting. Want to play in a fairy tale-like fantasy setting? Use the Enchanted Rory’s Story Cubes. Want to adventure on a long lost island that time forgot? Use the Prehistoria Rory’s Story Cubes. Want to investigate crimes in the dark alleys of a city? Use the Clues Rory’s Story Cubes.

StoryCube RPG needs two types of people to play: a Gamemaster and the Players. The Gamemaster presents challenges to the Players and takes the role of all the characters, called Non-Characters and Villains, that aren’t controlled by the Players. The Gamemaster is also the final referee when everyone plays. She makes the final ruling, determines when action checks are needed, and when the story needs to continue. The Gamemaster is the one who comes up with the basics of the setting or the adventure that the Players play in, and that can even mean rolling the Cubes and using that as the start of the setting and adventure.

The other type of person needed to play is the Player, or more accurately Players. Each Player takes on the role of a Character and acts and makes decisions during the story as the Character would. Though there is only one Gamemaster, there can be any number of Players. There can even be one Player, but the game plays better when there are more Players, such as 3-5, that can combine their imaginative ideas together to form a story. With smaller groups, the Gamemaster can also be a Player, not only making sure that the story moves along, but also adding her imagination to it.

As a Player, always think about the story that is being acted out and making choices that would make the adventure even better and propel it forward. Make decisions based on what you think your Character would do, even if it is not the best idea. This can make the story more interesting and exciting. Also, do

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not make decisions that hinder or impede other Players’ decisions and their Characters’ actions. The adventure is everyone’s story, and to have one Player control or even derail it ruins the fun for everyone else.

The basics of the game are as follows:

One person is chosen to be the Gamemaster. In smaller groups the Gamemaster can even be a Player. The Gamemaster comes up with a setting, such as a sword and sorcery fantasy world, modern day spies, or aliens and spaceships. There are no limits to what type of setting can be played in. The Gamemaster can also decide to roll the Cubes to determine the setting. The pictures (also called images) on the Cubes then aid in the Players’ imaginations in determining the setting.

The Gamemaster and the Players have decided they would like some type of dark fantasy setting, based on fairy tales of old. One Original Cube, one Voyages Cube, and one Enchanted Cube are randomly picked, and then all three Cubes are rolled to fine tune the setting to a specific location. A Keyhole, a Snake, and a Crown picture are rolled. The Gamemaster then decides that in this dark fantasy setting an evil prince keeps those who oppose him locked away in a prison that is surrounded by serpents, which keep the prisoners from escaping.

Next, the Players make their Characters. The Players will randomly choose and roll the Cubes. Using the pictures on the Cubes, they will determine their Core Thing. A Core Thing is a part of a Character’s race, traits, background, role, or education that adds to his overall capability. When making Characters, remember the setting and use that to aid your imagination. A Pill picture may mean a drug or medicine in a modern day setting, but can mean a herbal remedy or poison in a fantasy setting. Listen to the other Players and the Gamemaster for helpful ideas. Remember there are no good or bad ideas, just the one that you like best.

After the setting is determined and the Characters made, here’s where the real fun and imagination starts, the adventure. The Gamemaster can have an adventure idea in mind or an adventure can be rolled using the proper Cubes, but it is recommended that both are done. The Gamemaster should have an idea for an adventure and then the Cubes are rolled to flesh out the adventure idea. Sometimes it is more fun to withhold a bit of the adventure information from the Players. The Gamemaster may decide to roll one or more Cubes secretly, or interpret one or more of the Cubes differently than the Players do and not tell them.

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In the above dark fantasy setting, the Gamemaster decides that the adventure should be to break someone out of the prince’s dungeon, someone of importance. An Actions Cube, Original Cube, Voyages Cube, and Enchanted Cube are randomly picked and rolled. The Person Digging, Falling Star, Chalice, and Howling Wolf pictures come up. It is decided that there is man that can be met at the local tavern who has escaped from the prince’s prison before, by digging out of it at night. The Characters can talk to him to see how to rescue someone from the prison. The Gamemaster then decides to secretly elaborate on the adventure, adding the fact that the man the Players want to break out of the dungeon is actually a werewolf and may have some mysterious reason why he wants to escape the prison, which can be later determined by the Cubes after he is rescued.

As the Characters adventure they will come across obstacles and enemies. To overcome these a Character needs to take an action. To take an action, the Player will inform the Gamemaster what he wants his Character to do. Then the Player randomly chooses a select amount of Cubes and rolls them. The Player then interprets the pictures on the Cubes to determine how the action is completed. The more pictures the Player uses in his description, the better chance that his Character will succeed at the action.

In the above dark fantasy adventure, the Player decides that he wants his Character to climb over the castle walls so he can reach the winch to lower the drawbridge. An Actions Cube, Voyages Cube, and Enchanted Cube are randomly picked and rolled. The Lighting a Fire, Mushroom, and Shadow Creature pictures come up. The Player uses two out of the three pictures to determine that he lights a fire at the base of the castle walls, creating shadows and a distraction, that help him hide so he may climb the walls. A die is rolled and success or failure is determined.

As the Characters continue on in the adventure they will reach milestones, which is the resolution of a major event in the adventure, or the adventure itself. At this time rewards may be given to the Characters. These may include powers, skills, new abilities, or treasure and equipment. The Characters will also set Precedents during the adventure. By using his powers, skills, abilities, and equipment successfully, a Character will get better by learning new uses for them.

The StoryCube RPG rules contain everything you need to unlock your imagination for whatever world you want to adventure in. So prepare yourself for fun and grab your Cubes!

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