Universalis is a story-telling game that's piqued my interest, whereupon individual players collaboratively spin a yarn, but there are interesting game mechanics added that separate it from normal collaborative fiction.
Here's how the game works:
BASIC RULES
~Each player is given 25 "Coins" to start with. These are the chief means of controlling action in Universalis. (25 is the default number. Since none of us have played together before, this would presumably be the number we used at first.)
~A position order is arbitrarily decided. This influences turn order and bidding order. I recommend using Hatbot, and having the position order be based alphabetically on whatever names folks start with. ALTERNATELY, using Hatbot, and having the position order decided also by Hatbot.
To start, players bid on "Tenets" Tenets fall into three categories: Story Elements, Social Contracts, and Rule Gimmicks.
Story Elements are the skeletal structure of the game. The genre of the game is defined here. The first player pays a coin and introduces one story element they want. Such as a base genre. Each player can add something significant to the setting until all players pass (in a row). Players do not have to introduce a story element if they are comfortable playing what the others came up with.
This time can also be used to introduce the Social Contract: These are house etiquette rules. "Your turn is skipped if you don't act within five minutes" would be an example of a proposed Social Contract rule. As with all elements of Universalis, these cost one coin to propose.
Rule Gimmicks are exactly what they sound like. They are proposed changes to the core rules of the game. While nothing STOPS you from introducing these, it seems like we ought to be a bit more familiar with the BASIC game before we start changing the rules. Rule Gimmicks, like everything else, cost a coin to propose.
BUT WHAT IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH THE PROPOSALS?
ANY action can prompt a challenge from another player. Challenges have two phases: Negotiation and Bidding.
In the negotiation phase, the two players involved in the challenge can attempt to reach a common ground without any further dispute. If this happens, then play continues as normal.
However, if the players cannot agree, then the Bidding phase begins. Bidding begins with the challenger. He must spend at least one coin. If s/he refuses, then the challenge fails and play progresses as normal. Bidding progresses as per the usual turn order, however the person being challenged is skipped and bids LAST. Each player bids in turn any number of coins (including zero) for either solution, OR they may propose their OWN solution and bid coins for that.
Bidding continues in this manner until everyone passes. The total coins bid are counted, and the side with the most coins wins the challenge. Ties go to the player being challenged.
-If the Challenger wins, then the challenged item is adjusted, and play resumes as normal on whatever turn it was.
-If the person challenged wins, then no changes are necessary, and the item challenged is immune from further challenges.
-All coins bid from any side are spent.
HOWEVER, if an action contradicts an established fact, then all coins in defense of the fact during the challenge count for double. Retcons that people dispute will cost you dearly. (But if no one disputes it, then it's a fact!)
A fact is any piece of information that a player successfully spent a coin on. A fact is absolutely true until someone pays for a contradictory fact, and that contradiction is either not challenged, or successfully defeats the challenge.
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Play works in scenes. At the beginning of each scene, all players earn a refreshment of coins. The default of which is 5.
At the beginning of the game, and at the end of all scenes, players bid in secret for the right to frame the scene. This bid is revealed simultaneously, with the highest bid winning the right to frame the scene. In the case of ties, the winner is the person closest to next in line in play order to the last person who framed a scene.
Failed bids are not spent. Players regain the use of their coins if they did not successfully win framework of the scene. The coins used in the winning bid are ALSO not spent, however, if they are not spent at some point in time during the scene, then they are forfeited.
Framing a scene works as follows:
The framing player establishes and pays for Location, time, and any components present. (Components are things like characters, or just additional information in the setting. A component that is paid for is a fact. Additionally, opponents can be purchased multiple times. If "Roy" has a component of "strong" bought for him twice, he's VERY strong. It's like having two traits.)
Each individual fact about the location or any present component costs an additional coin. For instance, saying the setting is "A bar" is one coin. Saying it is a "Bustling tavern" is two coins. One for the location, and one for the descriptor. Notice that, even though the tavern is "bustling", since no characters have been introduced as components, it's all flavor text. Only when someone pays a coin to introduce someone as a component, can other people interact with it. You can't shoot the bartender until someone pays to have a bartender.
Time costs one coin. In all scenes past the first, if the time is not immediately after the last scene or simultaneously to the last scene, then it costs a coin. If the framer introduces a scene that rejoins a group of characters in an established setting, he neither has to pay for the characters nor the setting. (However, taking the established characters to an established setting they weren't already at costs a point, because the setting CHANGED. Savvy?)
Once the first EVENT is payed for ({x} talks to {y}. A tree falls down. There is a roar of thunder. Et cetera) then the framework is over, and play resumes as normal. That is, the player can now be interrupted and lose his turn. Or, if they aren't interrupted, they can end their turn, or even the scene.
At any time a player wishes, other than the initial framing of a scene, they may interrupt the current player and take control of the scene. This costs a coin. If multiple players interrupt at the same time, the player who is closest to next in line for turn wins the interrupt. Note, that players can interrupt back and forth if they don't wish to cede control. This is essentially the same as a challenge.
Other players can do the following at any time:
Interrupt, as discussed.
Challenge, as discussed.
Create an obstacle--This turns an event into a complication, to be discussed later.
Speak dialogue for any components they control.
Pay a coin to take control of any components they do NOT control.
Control of an object is the sole ownership of the person who introduced that object to the scene. This is regardless of whether or not the person introducing the component to the scene was the original creator of the component.
The scene continues until the person who framed the scene declares it over. Only the player who framed the scene may end it. When a scene ends, players earn their refreshment (again, ordinarily five coins), and then secretly bid for the right to frame the next scene.
When a scene ends, it can be continued upon as is later in the story, perhaps even the next scene. HOWEVER, the person ending the scene can pay an additional coin to "Fade to Black", which means that particular scene cannot be reaccessed in the future.
Components have importance. Importance is the total sum value of all points spent on the creation of that component. For instance, a nameless soldier is only 1 importance. To eliminate/kill the soldier, 1 coin must be spent. The master mechanic with a surly disposition, Bob, who has a wife and daughter has an importance of -5-. One for being a master mechanic, one for being surly (assuming someone spent a coin to say "Yes. Bob is surly." One for his name. And one for each family member he canonically has. Killing Bob will require SIX coins. One for the causing event, and 5 for the result of "Bob dies", because Bob is pretty darned important. Note that if Bob is shot (1 coin) and Wounded (1 coin), Bob gains the trait "Wounded" and is harder to kill FOR STORY PURPOSES, because frankly, it's more dramatic to have the wounded guy survive than to slowly die. But if something DOES off him, it better be pretty spectacular, since Bob now has an importance of 6.
In addition, there are Master Components these are a template assumed to be fact, so that later creations that follow the same rules can be cheaper. Take the soldier from the previous example. Let's say he was based on a soldier MASTER component for the setting. The master component was purchased initially to give soldiers in the setting a Rocket Launcher, shotgun, and shovel, and make them unusually tough. The Master component cost 4, plus at least 1 to introduce an initial soldier matching that template. All further soldiers introduced will be assumed to have all of those advantages, and only the corresponding importance of "is a soldier".
Master components cannot be eliminated until all of their introduced sub components are eliminated first.
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Players cannot interact with components not under their control. If they attempt to do so, or if they decide an event is an obstacle, then they have created a Complication. Complications are the last important game mechanic, and one of the harder to explain.
Complications begin under the previous circumstances, and then players begin creating dice pools.
Dice pools consist of 1 die per coin spent on the complication (or the defense) and 1 die per component that can be factored into either side. NAMED CHARACTERS ALWAYS COUNT FOR AN EXTRA DIE.
Regular play continues, but focuses on the complication.
Players use coins to purchase dice for the pools of their choice, or draw upon components to add dice to the pools of their choice. Or both. A player may also call for a resolution on their turn. If all players agree, the dice are rolled and the conflict is resolved.
Dice are 1d10. A roll of 1-5 is considered a Success. The successes of the complication are compared to the TOTAL number of successes in all combined opposing pools. The side with the most successes wins.
In the event of a tie, add up the total number on the success dice for each side. The side with the higher number is awarded an edge die. With the new die as part of their pool, all dice are re-rolled.
When a complication has a winner, that player receives coins equal to the sum of the successes on the dice they rolled. The losing side gains a number of coins equal to the number of dice they rolled.
The winner then uses coins to dictate how the conflict resolved. He may add, remove, restore or change components as desired. In addition, he may use coins to lower the amount of coins the losing side has.
The losing side, in order of the player who earned the most coins, continue narration, using coins to establish other facts within the constrains the winner has created. If the winner spends points to say "Roy is dead", then Roy is dead. If he has not mentioned other characters involved in the complication, then coins may be spent by the losers to say "Well, Roy died, but Bob survived", for instance. Or perhaps "Bob escaped and leaves the scene".
Once each player involved has had their say, the complication ends, and play resumes as normal. Any coins not spent on the resolution are retained. Complications, are the only way to earn coins outside of scene refreshing. This is the key component that makes this a GAME and not just a collaborative fiction exercise.
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And that's it. 90 pages of manual handily compressed into one forum post. There's slightly more for some more obscure rules or whatever, but really that's the game in a nutshell. If anyone is interested, I'd like to try and get a game of this going this weekend. Let's see what we come up with! (Games would be held in IRC. The nature of the game requires possible interruptions. So posting on forum would become very tedious and result in a huuuuuuuuge topic, as players would have to post line-by-line, and allow sufficient time for interruptions)
