Troika!: The Million-Sphere Crawl | Acid Fantasy Adventure

Creating your character

Character creation in Troika! is fast, simple, and delightfully unpredictable. We’ll create characters together at the table using the official rules as written. New players are absolutely welcome, and no prior experience with Troika! is required. Characters begin by randomly rolling a Background, which determines your starting skills, equipment, possessions, and general place in the strange worlds of the million spheres. Troika! backgrounds are intentionally unusual, ranging from eccentric scholars and wandering mystics to bizarre travelers and professions that raise more questions than answers. After selecting a Background, you’ll roll your Skill, Stamina, Luck, and starting money. The entire process usually takes about 15 minutes before we jump directly into the adventure. If you roll a Background that does not appeal to you, I allow rerolls until you find one that excites you. The goal is to create characters that feel fun, strange, and inspiring rather than forcing anyone into a concept they dislike. New characters for replacement characters or newly joining players are handled at the beginning of the session whenever needed, making it easy for new travelers to enter the Million-Sphere Crawl at almost any time. All you need is: 🎙️ A microphone for voice chat 🎲 A free Roll20 account 💬 Discord access ✨ A willingness to embrace weirdness, danger, creativity, and chaos If you are brand new to Troika!, don’t worry. The system is extremely approachable, and I’ll guide you through everything you need to know before play begins.

Preparing for the session

Preparing for the Million-Sphere Crawl is simple, and I aim to make onboarding quick and painless for both new and experienced players. Before your first session, please make sure you have: 🎙️ A working microphone for voice chat 🎲 A free Roll20 account 💬 Access to Discord 🌐 A stable internet connection ✨ A willingness to embrace weirdness, danger, creativity, and chaos Once you join the campaign on StartPlaying, I will send you a Discord invitation for voice chat and campaign communication. No rules knowledge is required before joining the game. Troika! is extremely approachable, and I teach the system as we play. Character creation happens together at the table and usually takes about 15 minutes. Sessions are run using: Discord for voice communication Roll20 for character sheets, maps, handouts, tokens, and visual references You do not need to purchase Troika! or read the rules beforehand unless you want to. Everything necessary to play will be explained during the session. My games move quickly and focus heavily on creativity, player choice, role play, exploration, and problem-solving rather than system mastery. If you enjoy collaborative storytelling, strange worlds, and improvisational adventure, you will fit in perfectly.

What Ukulele Mike brings to the table

I run fast-moving, narrative-focused games that emphasize creativity, exploration, roleplay, problem-solving, and memorable moments over rigid optimization or rules mastery. Troika! thrives on strange ideas and unexpected solutions, and I strongly encourage players to experiment, improvise, and interact with the world in unusual ways. While I use the Troika! rules as written, I also embrace the Rule of Cool when it helps create exciting, hilarious, dramatic, or surreal moments that fit the tone of the game. The million spheres are strange places where clever thinking and bold risks often matter more than statistics alone. My sessions are theater-of-the-mind focused, supported by maps, tokens, handouts, visual references, and custom artwork through Roll20. I use visuals to inspire imagination and establish atmosphere without slowing the pace of play. Combat is dangerous, chaotic, and often unpredictable, but violence is never the only solution to a problem. You can expect: 🎭 Character voices and expressive NPCs 🎨 Visual aids, maps, tokens, and custom art 🌌 Surreal worlds filled with mystery, danger, humor, and cosmic weirdness ⚡ Fast-paced sessions with minimal downtime 🎲 Rules taught naturally during play 🧠 Creative problem-solving encouraged and rewarded 📖 Collaborative storytelling shaped heavily by player decisions ☠️ Dangerous situations where choices matter 😂 A balance of comedy, wonder, tension, and occasional horror I generally do not use ambient music because I prefer clear communication and strong table interaction over background audio. The atmosphere at my table comes from description, pacing, roleplay, imagery, and the unpredictable nature of the spheres themselves. My goal is for every session to feel like an unforgettable journey through a bizarre and dangerous universe where the players’ choices genuinely shape the story.

Homebrew rules

Homebrew Rules While I primarily run Troika! rules as written, I use a small number of house rules designed to encourage creativity, experimentation, and character growth. 🍀 Beginner’s Luck Outside of combat, if a failed skill roll misses by no more than 2 and the relevant skill is 7 or less, a player may choose to attempt Beginner’s Luck. This functions as a Luck roll: Success: the original skill roll succeeds Failure: the attempt becomes a catastrophe determined by the GM This rule helps inexperienced characters attempt daring or creative actions while embracing the unpredictable chaos that makes Troika! so much fun. 📚 Journeyman Skill Test Once per session, before making a Base Skill roll, a player may declare it their Journeyman Skill Test. If the roll succeeds: the character gains the attempted skill as an Advanced Skill at Rank 0 the skill immediately gains a Success mark, making it eligible for advancement after a major rest This allows characters to grow naturally through play and develop new talents based on their adventures and experiences across the million spheres.

How Ukulele Mike creates a safe table

Player comfort and mutual respect are important parts of my table. Troika! can shift quickly between comedy, danger, horror, absurdity, and surreal situations, so I use several safety tools to help ensure everyone feels comfortable and supported throughout the campaign. Safety tools used in this game include: 🛑 X-Card Players may pause, redirect, or remove content at any time for any reason, without needing to explain themselves. The X-Card may be used verbally, through chat, or by direct message. 📜 Lines & Veils Before and during the campaign, players may establish Lines (content that will not appear in the game) and Veils (content that may exist but will fade to black or remain off-screen). These are treated as a living discussion that can be updated as needed. 🚪 Open Door Policy Players are always free to step away from the table temporarily or permanently if needed. Real life and personal comfort always come first. ☕ Breaks Sessions include a short mid-session break, and additional breaks can be taken whenever needed. ⭐ Stars & Wishes At the end of sessions, players are welcome to share highlights they enjoyed and things they would like to see explored in future adventures. This helps shape the ongoing campaign collaboratively. My goal is to create a welcoming, creative, and respectful environment where players feel comfortable engaging with the strange, dangerous, hilarious, and occasionally horrifying worlds of the Million-Sphere Crawl.