The Space Toast Pages

Matthew Rasmussen's journal of journals on various topics of interest, published here, there or somewhere since 1999.

Admiral Bulletin

A game of storytelling
Rules for v0.1 (first beta)

[This document pertains to the version 0.1 rules. $file::bulletingame is the latest version.]
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Admiral Bulletin is a storytelling game set against a '30s pulp adventure backdrop. 3-6 players cooperate to tell a classic adventure in 9 chapters. There are no winners or losers, no stats, and no dispute resolution -- just rewards for bringing the awesome. Players begin by deciding what genre themes are allowed, deciding on a title, and coming up with locations. Play is a simple matter of speaking as many lines as you're allowed every round while trying to work in certain events that must take place in the chapter. As the game advances through three acts, these events change subtly, pushing the story toward its thrilling conclusion.

1. SETUP

To get started, players will need:

• 1 to 5 dice (six-sided)
• Counters (beads, pennies, etc.)
• Scrap paper

Optionally, players can print off from this site:

• A game sheet
• Event cards
• Character cards

One player elects to keep the game sheet. His or her job will be to keep track of Chapters and Locations.

Put a pile of counters into the middle of the table and give each player 4. These are the Awesome. Every piece of the Awesome is equal to one natural speaking breath.

Prepare three columns for Character cards somewhere on the table. These columns will track Protagonists (Pro), Neutral (Neu) Characters, and Villains (Vil). Characters are represented by a name on a piece paper. Two Characters are required in the Protagonist column at the start of play: Admiral Bulletin and Miranda. (See APPENDIX A. - CHARACTERS)

2. THEMES

Themes give a rough sanity to the game by deciding its boundaries. Themes must be chosen unanimously. Players may select as many or as few Themes as they'd like -- none at all is often a good place to start. (For available themes, see APPENDIX B. - THEMES)

3. TITLE

Players now choose a title for the Bulletin book they're creating. (Classic examples include Admiral Bulletin and the Snows of Tan Ana, Admiral Bulletin and the Lost Fleet, Admiral Bulletin and the Eudoxian Delay and Admiral Bulletin and the Foreign Star.) Record the Title on the game sheet.

4. LOCATIONS

Each player now secretly writes down four locations.

Every chapter takes place in one location. Locations can be as specific (The British Museum, The H.M.S. Reliant) or as general (France, The Pacific) as a player likes, as straightforward (Shanghai, The South Pole) or as intangible (Among the Ruins, At Tea) as need be.

The first player writes down "Eppings on High St." as the location for Chapter 1 and initials it. A Bulletin book always starts here, at Bulletin's headquarters.

Play proceeds to the right. The next player selects one of his or her Locations, and announces it as the Location for Chapter 2. This is recorded on the game sheet, along with the player's initials. The next player to the right may now choose one of his or her Locations, or return to one which has been used previously. Continue choosing locations in this manner until Chapters 1-9 have all been filled.

5. EVENTS

Before Chapter 1 can begin, the Events that take place within it must be decided. Roll 5 dice, and place the 5 Event cards corresponding to the dice rolls into a pile in the middle. (Printable Event cards are available on this site.) Add one additional, special Event card: The Hook. This is the Event that allows the player to end the Chapter. A Hook may not be played until all other Event cards have been used.

The player who rolled the location of the Chapter chooses one Event from the pile. Continue to the right. The next player may select any of the remaining events. Continue until all are gone, including the Hook.

Events behave differently depending on the Act of the Chapter in which they happen. (For all Events, listed by Act, see APPENDIX C. - EVENTS)

6. CHAPTERS

We're about ready to begin Chapter 1. The person who selected the Location (check the initials on the game sheet) starts. He or she announces the Chapter number and Location. All dialogue hereafter during the Chapter should be story content.

As previously stated, each of the 4 pieces of the Awesome a player begins with equal one natural speaking breath.

To begin, the first player slides one piece back toward the pile and speaks the first line. He or she continues until all four pieces have been used, and then recovers the 4 pieces for his or her next turn.

Example:

Lets say another player liked the bit about the fire in this example. He or she may award the speaker more of the Awesome from the pile in the middle -- completely on a whim. Use the Awesome to reward what you enjoy. The next time it is the first player's turn, he or she will be able to use the additional Awesome to speak more, or hang onto it for later.

Each player also has one or more Events which must be worked into the story. To play an Event card, he or she narrates its payload into the storyline and discards the card to the center of the table.

Example:

The cast is tracked with Character cards (which need only be scraps of paper with a name on them) in the Protagonist, Neutral and Villain columns. CAST Event cards allow addition and subtraction of Characters in these columns. SWITCH cards allow the movement of Characters from column to column.

Example:

When all Events for a given Chapter have been achieved, the player holding the Hook card is free to conclude the Chapter on any of his or her subsequent turns.

The procedure for beginning a Chapter repeats. Players roll the 5 Events for the next Chapter, add the Hook, and divide them up. The player who initially chose the Location for the Chapter announces the Chapter number and Location, and begins speaking.

7. ACTS

Chapters 1-3 make up Act I. This is the Act for introductions, both of characters and the overall contents of the story.

At the beginning of Chapter 4, Events change slightly. Act II -- Chapters 4-6 -- is the Act of switching. SWITCH Events can go in either direction, pushing the secondary cast regularly between columns. Your MISC. Event becomes a change of overall objective for the team.

Act III -- Chapters 7-9 -- are about danger and, ultimately, resolution. Characters can no longer be introduced with CAST Events. SWITCH will only resolve Neutral Characters into Protagonists or Villains. MISC. Events trigger dire snap decisions or the catastrophically unexpected.

APPENDIX A. - CHARACTERS

Some classic Bulletin characters are provided below to get you started. Printable Character cards are available on this site. Note that some Characters are restricted to certain columns, unless playing with the "Literary" or "Countercannon" themes.

• Admiral Bulletin - PRO
  -Must be in play
  Our hero. Head of the British Office of Special Projects, based out of the old Eppings Bank building on High Street in London, UK.

• Miranda - PRO
  -Must be in play
  Bulletin's second in command. A woman of mysterious past. Crisp, dry and sharp, she is the brains behind the Bulletin. When not on missions, she spends her days pondering and cataloguing the mysteries she's packed away from past adventures in the Eppings vaults. The precise nature of her relationship with Bulletin is an enduring mystery.

• Dr. Posthaste - PRO / NEU
  The Admiral Bulletin of a couple generations previous. He keeps a room at Eppings on High Street and serves as Bulletin's mentor. He has a taste for good mysteries and good scotch, and keeps a remarkably full schedule for an old man enjoying retirement.

• Robespierre - PRO / NEU
  -Requires Magic
  The jovial and unswervable Frenchman, with only a confusing swirl of illusions for a head. Overtaken by the mystical energies within at a young age, he has spent his life searching for the secrets of his peculiar transformation. One of Bulletin's oldest and most loyal comrades.

• Lord Timothy - PRO / NEU
  -Requires Antagonism
  So closely Bulletin's match in duties, rank and age that it's inevitable that they should deeply loathe one another, Lord Timothy never the less will work with Bulletin when the well-being of Britain is at stake. Suggestion of a past with Miranda, who is oddly pleasant with him.

• Merideth "Mimi" Songbird - PRO
  The front desk girl at Eppings on High Street, rarely brought on missions. She is young, anxious to please, and very smart. Mimi spends much of her time assisting Miranda, and regards the older woman with a hero's worship. Lord Timothy was somehow involved in her decision to leave New Zealand, and she becomes brittle at his mention.

• Madame LaChance - PRO / NEU
  -Requires Spiritualism or Magic
  French-Creole spiritualist given to remarkable feats of intuition -- or are they messages from the spirit world? Silky and aloof, but prone to open flirtation with Bulletin -- especially with Miranda in earshot.

• Space Boy - PRO / NEU / VIL
  -Requires Sci-fi
  An astronaut of the Royal Space Force, somehow transported back to Bulletin's day. He is garrulous, gee-whiz and mischievous -- not to mention a bit annoying.

• Tackwater - PRO / NEU / VIL
  -Requires Potboiler
  Headquartered in a forgotten office in the London Police Annex, Tackwater has men in high places, low places and everywhere inbetween. Sharp-featured, angular and greying, the ambiguity of his rank and responsibilities bequeaths him a great deal of power. Apt to call Bulletin in when he smells something above the profitable levels of corruption.

• Jim Gear - PRO / NEU
  Bulletin's miracle mechanic. A young Scotsman prone to shouting, cussing, cracking jokes and loudly complaining. If Gear can't fix it, it's a hippopotamus.

APPENDIX B. - THEMES

The currently available Themes are as follows. A game may include as many or as few as the players wish.

• Americans - Bloody hell, here come the Yanks
• Antagonism - Protagonists can have open animosity toward Bulletin
• Countercannon - Ignore Pro/Neu/Vil limits on all Characters, i.e. Bulletin or Miranda can become Vil, etc.
• Crossover [with ________] - Crossovers with other literary canons
• Literary - Pro/Neu/Vil limits expanded by 1, i.e. Miranda can become Neu, Timothy can become Vil, etc.
• Magic - Spells, sorcery and really magic things
• Mythos - Elder gods and cults of alien machinery
• Potboiler - Radically shrinks the scope of the story and refocuses it on slow-burn urban intrigue, typically in London
• Sci-Fi - Rocket ships and laser pistols
• Spinoff Adventure - Game does not require Bulletin or Miranda
• Spiritualism - A more subdued form of magic, typically offscreen and mysterious
• Steampunk - More subtle than sci-fi, focused mainly on anachronistic technology

APPENDIX C. - EVENTS

Printable Event cards are available on this site.

Act I (Chapters 1-3)

• (1 or 6) CAST: + Pro Neu Vil
  Add a Protagonist, Neutral Character, or Villain to the storyline.
• (2) SWITCH: Pro <-- Neu <-- Vil
  An apparently Neutral Character becomes a Protagonist, or an apparent Villain becomes a Neutral Character.
• (3) BACKSTORY: Pro Flashback
  A Flashback begins, focusing on a Protagonist. This flashback may be exited by any subsequent player at any time.
• (4) MEANWHILE: Pro, Neu, Vil
  The scene cuts to another character in the given Location. In Act I, this can be a Protagonist, a Neutral Character or a Villain. Both storylines may be intercut for the rest of the Chapter.
• (5) MISC: Shift in Weather
  The weather changes.

Act II (Chapters 4-6)

• (1 or 6) CAST: + - Neu Vil
  Add or eliminate a Neutral Character or Villain.
• (2) SWITCH: Pro <--> Neu <--> Vil
  Move a character by one column in either direction.
• (3) BACKSTORY: Neu Flashback
  A Flashback begins, focusing on a Neutral Character. The flashback may be exited by any subsequent player at any time.
• (4) MEANWHILE: Pro, Neu
  The scene cuts to another character in the given Location. In Act II, this can only be a Protagonist or a Neutral Character. Both storylines may be intercut for the rest of the Chapter.
• (5) MISC: Change of Objective
  The team makes a discovery that alters their line of investigation.

Act III (Chapters 7-9)

• (1 or 6) CAST: - Pro Neu Vil
  Eliminate a Protagonist, Neutral Character or Villain.
• (2) SWITCH: Pro <-- Neu --> Vil
  A Neutral Character resolves as either a Protagonist or a Villain.
• (3) BACKSTORY: Vil Monologue
  A Villain begins to give a monologue. The monologue may be exited by any subsequent player at any time.
• (4) MEANWHILE: Pro
  The scene cuts to another character in the given Location. In Act III, this can only be a Protagonist. Both storylines may be intercut for the rest of the Chapter.
• (5) MISC: Act of God or Desperation
  A desperate act by one of our characters, or a sudden catastrophic change.

APPENDIX D. - VERSION CHANGES

This is the first beta release.


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