Tower of Power! (Survival Game/Battle Royale in Cypher System)

Creating your character

Character creation will start in Session Zero. If we make a lot of progress and the rest can be wrapped up quickly, it'll continue into session one. If not, I'll schedule another Session Zero and make it free, and we'll finish character creation then. Characters will be created at Tier 1, and I will provide a comprehensive list of the Descriptors and Foci from the core rulebook that are on the table for this setting. Any Descriptors or Foci taken from other Cypher system rulebooks (Numenera, The Strange, Magnus Archives, Old Gods of Appalachia, etc.) must be approved by me first.

Preparing for the session

You'll need an account on Discord and Roll20 to play, but neither cost any money to get the features you'll need to participate. When you join the game, you'll be sent a link to my Discord server and the Roll20 game page in the prep materials email, as well as a link to the Lines and Veils form. If you want to have your own copy of the rules, I encourage you to buy one. This is a good game system, and we should support it however we can. If you can't justify the expense, that's fine, I have a PDF that I will share with the group.

What Jacob Johnson brings to the table

I like to focus on narrative and character progression in my games over crunchy combat. I do my best to make fights interesting, but constant, nail-biting difficulty isn't what I aim for. I enjoy giving characters unique voices to the best of my ability (my range is always growing with practice), and thanks to Zapsplat.com, I have a large library of royalty-free music and foley tracks to call on for ambience. I like to make detailed maps when I can, but I don't currently have the resources to do so for any setting more technologically advanced than steampunk. Since the settings of each individual Tower of Power that the players will climb will be decided by the players in a poll during or after Session Zero, I can't promise pretty maps all of the time. I'm normally the kind of GM to strike a balance between Rule of Cool and Rules As Written, but honestly, with the inherent flexibility of the Cypher System, I doubt I'll need to rely much on the Rule of Cool. That said, if you want to do something crazy, make sure you think of an explanation that emphasizes your character's backstory, skills, and in-game journey if you want me to be likely to accept it.

Homebrew rules

I don't currently have any homebrew rules, but if we make any up during play, I'll keep a thorough record of them.

How Jacob Johnson creates a safe table

As mentioned before, the Lines and Veils form will be linked in the game's prep materials email. Fill it out before Session Zero, and I'll compile the results into a single document and pin it to the Discord channel so anyone can see it at any time. Session Zero will be used to introduce the players, go over the table's Lines and Veils, go over (and potentially add to) the details of the setting, and create characters. I'll aim to take at least one 10-minute break every session, somewhere roughly in the middle. If anyone needs to take more breaks, at any time, for any reason, let me know and it'll be done without question. The X,N,O cards are digital, part of the Roll20 VTT interface thanks to the Roll20 Safety Toolkit. They'll be labeled Stop, Slow Down, and Keep Going rather than X, N, and O, but the function will be the same.