Rock of Tahamaat, Space Tyrant
The Kaliste is an asteroid world, thousands of habitable asteroids and moons - hundreds of thousands uninhabitable - sprawling thick throughout the warm zone of a great smoldering gas planet. From his throne on Pium, at its heart, Rock of Tahamaat rules the Kaliste with iron, fire, blood and fear.
ROCK OF TAHAMAAT, SPACE TYRANT
You’ll need at least 3 players (4-6 is probably best). One player’s the GM. One player plays Rock of Tahamaat. Each other player plays a character who is suffering under Rock of Tahamaat’s tyranny.
Rock of Tahamaat
You are an 8’ giant of a man, moody, energetic, possessed of vast appetites. Whatever you achieve, whatever you consume, whomever you bring to heel, you are never satisfied for long.
Your rule in the Kaliste is accomplished, no one dares dispute or defy it. Now your restless hunger demands that you look outward, into the galaxy at large. Already your first fleets of raiding ships are bringing you the wealth of the nearest stars. Your closest galactic neighbors fear your ships’ sinister silhouettes and only whisper your name. Soon you will bring war and terror to the greatest powers the galaxy knows, confederations and empires spanning star systems in the hundreds. You hope that perhaps, when all the galaxy lays its tribute before you, at last it will fill the ravening void in your soul.
But this isn’t that story! This is the story of the people who don’t dare dispute or defy your rule, here in the Kaliste. It’s the story of ... what happens when they dare after all.
CHARACTER CREATION
Rock of Tahamaat
You don’t go into the Kaliste anymore. You rule from your deep pleasure fortress on Pium, surrounded by your slaves, your informants, your functionaries, and your concubines by the twenties and fifties. At your feet kneel always three most astute psychics, whose duty - subject to death by torture - is to understand your every intent without your even speaking it, and to pass it by occult means on to your generals, your spymasters, your secret police, your overseers, your squads of murderers and infiltrators. Your intents, born here in your vast beds or at your vast tables in your pleasure fortress on Pium, become consequences in the Kaliste without so much as a glance or a crooked finger from you.
Consequently, rank the following from 10 (the best) to 6 (merely very, very good):
Your concubines, cooks and slaves
Your guards, soldiers and enforcers
Your infiltrators and assassins
Your informers
Your overseers and magistrates
Your attention is not occupied by trivialities. At the bottom of your character sheet write “the name of no mere person can hold my attention.”
Now everyone else needs to make their characters, so entertain yourself imagining your feasts, your orgies, and your plans to bring the galaxy to its knees before you.
Other Players’ Characters
You are a man or a woman of the Kaliste.
First choose your trade (or what used to be your trade). Choose 1:
Engineer
Entertainer
Freeworker
Goodseller
Labor Gang Master
Landlord or -lady
Moneylender
Murderer-for-hire
Ne’er-do-well
Philosopher
Physician
Psychic
Teacher
Technician
Veteran
Name how the tyranny of Rock of Tahamaat is destroying or has destroyed your life, leaving you desperate and fearless.
If you can’t come up with something good enough to please the GM, your punishment is: instead, you have a beautiful 14-year-old daughter, who is the love of your heart and the pride of your soul, whom you have until this very day kept hidden from the eyes of the concubine-takers of Rock of Tahamaat.
Now divvy 10 points between the following, rating each from 1 to 4. 4 is best for you, 1 is worst:
I’m craven
I’m desperate
I’m unlucky
I’m vicious
You’ll be sad if you rate “I’m craven” at 1, but it’s your choice.
The higher your rating, both (a) the better that quality serves you, when you need it, and (b) the better able you are to overcome that quality, when it won’t serve you.
Now list five names:
My own given name
My family name
The name of my association, gang, fellowship, caste, office, occupation, or service
The name of the city, moon or asteroid in the Kaliste where I was born
The name of the city, district, moon or asteroid in the Kaliste where I currently reside
Your own given name will never occupy Rock of Tahamaat’s attention, but the other four names can, might and will.
You can share any or all of the other four names with any or all of your fellow players’ characters. For instance, two of your characters might be both born on Vruk, and another two of your characters might both be of the Wren family. That’s fine.
GM
GM, your job is to:
1. Set scenes in rounds for each player’s character in turn, ending each round with a scene for Rock of Tahamaat.
2. In free play, take the part of all NPCs and setting elements.
3. Call for resolution whenever a player has her character do the requisite things.
4. Adjudicate resolution.
5. Return to free play according to the outcomes resolution provides.
SCENES
Scenes, not Rock of Tahamaat’s
Start by finding out where the character is now, and who else is there. Let the character act and have NPCs present react and do their thing. If anyone’s ever going to stand up to the rule of Rock of Tahamaat, it’s these people, so see if they’re going to. They aren’t going to if they aren’t desperate, so make them desperate. They also aren’t going to if they don’t have opportunities, so give them opportunities.
If the players’ characters get together, great! They still get the same number of scenes between them, it’s just that now they’re all in each of them.
When a player says that her character takes any concrete action that might bring her into direct conflict with another character or an NPC, or that might expose her to any danger to her person, stop her and go to resolution. Meanwhile just make like a GM and play free.
When you get back from resolution, keep playing free until, again, somebody says that her character takes a concrete action that might bring her into conflict or danger, or else it’s time for the scene to end.
Rock of Tahamaat’s Scenes
Once all the other players’ characters have had their scenes, it’s Rock of Tahamaat’s turn. Find out whether Rock of Tahamaat is at his vast tables, in his vast beds, or in his vast war room. Free play as much as you like, and eventually introduce Rock of Tahamaat’s informers. These informers sum up for Rock of Tahamaat what happened in the other character’s scenes.
However, nobody here cares about individual people, not remotely, so don’t use the characters’ given names. Refer to them by trade or by one or some of their other four names. You can occasionally refer to them as sole actors, like “some freeworker was causing trouble in the Barant marketway today, majesty,” but most of the time it’s better to refer to them as a body, like “the Wren family overtook and murdered one of your concubine-takers on Vruk today, majesty.”
Remind Rock of Tahamaat’s player about the three most astute psychics kneeling at his feet. Ask her what Rock of Tahamaat intends for such people, and take it to resolution.
When you get back from resolution, keep playing free until, again, Rock of Tahamaat has some intention for some group of people, or else it’s time for the scene to end.
Time
All of the scenes take real time in the fiction.
Some of the characters’ scenes can “meanwhile…” with each other, that’s fine. However, Rock of Tahamaat’s scene comes definitely after the other characters’, so his informers can tell him about their events. And as you’ll see from Rock of Tahamaat’s resolution rules, significant time might pass between the end of his scene and the start of the next character’s.
Until…
Keep playing cycles of scenes until the characters’ desperations all come to their ultimate conclusions.
If a character dies, she gets no more scenes, and that player is out of the game.
If Rock of Tahamaat dies or is overthrown, collaborate together to give all the surviving characters epilogues, and end the game.
RESOLUTION
Characters’ Actions, not Rock of Tahamaat’s
Recall that you’re here because somebody said that her character takes an action that would bring her into conflict or expose her to bodily danger, and you interrupted her before it became so.
First have the player roll dice for “I’m craven.” That many 6-sided dice, take the highest.
If the highest die is 1, 2 or 3, the character can’t bring herself to take that action after all. Instead she must (player’s choice, but choose one that applies) cower, flee, hide, back away, back off, back down, humble herself, give in, keep walking, hold still, or submit. Return to free play.
If the highest die is 4, 5 or 6, the player keeps it and discards the others, and the character does actually take action, as the player said.
Now GM, you have to judge. You can ask the player for more information about her character’s action if it helps.
1. Is the character now making an attack upon someone? Either a direct attach upon their person or an indirect (but concrete) attack upon their life or livelihood otherwise? Then call for the player to roll for “I’m vicious.”
2. Is the character now blocking someone, preventing them from doing what they otherwise would do? Then call for the player to roll for “I’m desperate.”
3. Is the character now exposing herself to danger intent upon her, personally? Then call for the player to roll for “I’m desperate.”
4. Is the character now exposing herself to insensate or indiscriminate danger? Then call for the player to roll for “I’m unlucky.”
5. Otherwise, call for the player to roll for “I’m unlucky.”
Start at the top, and stop when you get to one that’s true! If others are also true further down the list, that’s fine, ignore them.
Anyway, the player rolls that many dice, takes the highest, and adds it to her high die already standing. Now she has a sum from 5 to 12.
If her sum is 5, 6 or 7, something interrupts the character mid-action. Instead, she gets (your choice, but choose one that applies) thrown aside, pinned down, diverted, blocked, turned around, misled, caught out, parried, overthrown, pushed past, overruled, overwhelmed, undercut, brought up short, knocked down, put off-balance, or held off. Return to free play.
If the character’s opponent was another player’s character, have that player choose the interruption, and give that player’s character the initiative when you return to free play, to follow through or respond with an action of her own.
If her sum is 8 or more, though, her character follows through, completing to concrete effect the action that started all this.
Time to make another judgment, GM. Look at the list below and choose 3 different effects that the character’s successful action might have. Choose the worst possible effect, a good effect, and the best possible effect (all from the character’s point of view). Again, you can ask the player for more information as you need.
It’s fine to create standard sets of outcomes. Every time a character’s in a rock slide, for instance, maybe she - jumps clear - manages to drag free - barely survives.
Now, looking at all three possible effects, what is the worst human harm that the character’s successful action might inflict upon someone else?
1. If it might kill them, call for the player to roll for “I’m vicious.”
2. If it might, at worst, cripple, maim, break, terrorize or shatter them, call for the player to roll for “I’m desperate.”
3. Otherwise, call for the player to roll for “I’m craven.” (If the character has no opponent, it’ll always be “I’m craven.”)
The player rolls that many dice, takes the highest, and adds it to her standing 2-die sum. Now she has a sum from 9 to 18.
If her sum is 9-13, the worst possible effect happens.
If her sum is 14-16, the good effect happens.
If her sum is 17-18, the best possible effect happens.
Return to free play.
possible effects: the acting character
She:
jumps clear
gets away
holds onto it
gets rid of it
finds out
keeps it secret
avoids notice
gets away with it
arouses suspicion, but goes unchallenged
wins free
bears it without breaking
barely survives
protects it
sails through
slips out
makes it
powers through
manages to drag free
she gets [specify] from the next list
Possible effects: the character’s opponent
They’re:
inconvenienced
put off course
humiliated
caught out
hurt
dismayed
bruised and battered
stripped
beaten
overawed
left culpable
forced to flee
stuck
captured
robbed of goods
impoverished
branded
abandoned
disfigured
blinded
crippled
maimed
dismembered
terrorized
shattered
left for dead
killed
they [specify] from the previous list
(It’s possible for a player’s character to die this way.)
Rock of Tahamaat’s Intent
Recall that you’re here because Rock of Tahamaat’s player has told you what Rock of Tahamaat intends for a group of people.
Groups can be: everyone who shares a certain trade, everyone who shares a certain family name, everyone who shares a certain named association, everyone born in a certain named place, everyone residing in a certain named place.
Rock of Tahamaat can narrow groups by intersecting them as he likes (and he usually will): every freeworker born in Barant, everyone of the Wren family residing on Vruk, every philosopher who is a member of the Cult of Dena. However, remember that no mere individual person can occupy his mighty attention.
“My three most astute psychics” is a legit group.
Example intents:
enslave
disband
massacre
imprison
exile
outlaw
disbar
hobble
investigate
celebrate
terrorize
overburden
grind down
suborn
call to account
coopt
You can and should ask his player for more information, as you need, until you arrive at his clear intent.
Examples: “tenfold my taxes upon the freeworkers of Barant,” “put the Wren family to public execution,” “infiltrate the Cult of Dena; any philosophers among its membership, make them disappear.”
Now, make a judgment. (You can imagine yourself to be his three most astute psychics, if you like.) Which of his agent bodies should best carry out his intent?
his concubines, cooks and slaves
his guards, soldiers and enforcers
his infiltrators and assassins
his informers
his overseers and magistrates
Have Rock of Tahamaat’s player roll dice for that agent body. Roll that many dice, take the highest three and sum them.
If the three highest dice sum to…
3-11: Oh no!
12-15: Embattled or in turmoil.
16-18: Thy will be done.
3-11 - Oh no: The three most astute psychics have misjudged Rock of Tahamaat’s intent! Arbitrarily choose a different intent from the examples above (and pass its execution on to the appropriate agent body), arbitrarily ignore one component of the group in question, or else arbitrarily insert an exception into the group in question.
For example, “tenfold my taxes upon the freeworkers of Barant” might become “massacre the freeworkers of Barant.” “Put the Wren family to public execution” might become “Put the Wren family to public execution, but spare its psychics.” “infiltrate the Cult of Dena; any philosophers among its membership, make them disappear” might become “infiltrate the Cult of Dena, and make its entire membership disappear.”
Then treat it as thy will be done.
12-15 - Embattled or in turmoil: Rock of Tahamaat’s intention comes to partial effect out in the Kaliste. Make the details be as you like, but the real effect is the same: the group in question is now either embattled by his agent body, or else thrown into turmoil by its incomplete efforts.
For example, the freeworkers of Barant are now embattled by Rock of Tahamaat’s overseers and magistrates, fighting back against the overwhelming new tax. The Wren family is now in turmoil, each member racing to be the first to turn on the others, each torn between going into hiding and revealing the hiding places of the others. The philosophers in the Cult of Dena are now embattled, having noticed their fellows beginning to disappear and so barricading themselves against assassins into their stronghold on Far Ka-ooth.
16-18 - Thy will be done: Rock of Tahamaat’s intention becomes certain and overwhelming effect out in the Kaliste. The taxes upon the freeworkers of Barant are now tenfold, and the freeworkers are toiling under them. The Wren family has been put to public execution. The philosophers within the Cult of Dena have disappeared.
Since individual people are beneath Rock of Tahamaat’s attention, it’s possible that individual members of the group in question have escaped the group’s fate. If so, they’ve done it at tremendous cost and they (most likely) remain in tremendous danger.
Right now, turn to any player whose character falls into the group in question, and ask her whether her character’s suffered the fate of the group, or else escaped it at tremendous cost and with tremendous danger. She can choose whichever she prefers. Remember her answer and use it when you set her character’s next scene. (It’s possible for a player’s character to die this way, but not Rock of Tahamaat.)
For example, suppose that the Wren family has now been put to public execution, and one of the players’ characters is a member of the Wren family. Say “do you want to be put to public execution with the rest, or do you want to escape public execution at tremendous cost and with tremendous danger?” Suppose she says “escape it. (Duh.)” When it comes around to that character’s turn, you might say this: “you’re in the crowd in the public square on Vruk, hoping nobody recognizes you, watching the blood of your mother, father, brothers, sisters, neices, nephews, cousins, uncles, aunts, and husband filling up the collecting tubs. What do you do?”
Whichever happens…
When you return to free play, strictly, absolutely and without exception, whatever effect happened, it’s too late for anyone to do anything to change it. Even Rock of Tahamaat. Remember that he didn’t even glance at his three most astute psychics or crook so much as a finger. In fact, he won’t find out what’s happened until his informers tell him about it, all the way in his next turn.
Return to free play now.
Rock of Tahamaat in action
If circumstances arise and Rock of Tahamaat’s player says that Rock of Tahamaat takes action that would bring him into conflict or expose him to danger, do use the other players’ characters’ resolution rules. However:
Rock of Tahamaat is bold, not craven. Instead of rolling for “I’m craven,” his player should roll 5 dice.
Rock of Tahamaat is decisive, not desperate. Instead of rolling for “I’m desperate,” his player should roll 5 dice.
Rock of Tahamaat is energetic, not unlucky. Instead of rolling for “I’m unlucky,” his player should roll 5 dice.
Rock of Tahamaat is ruthless, not vicious. Instead of rolling for “I’m vicious,” his player should roll 5 dice.
THE END
Thanks for reading!