Flushed

You open your eyes to reveal the putrid labyrinth before you. Your brain writhes against your skull, grasping at the fleeting thoughts that are your memories. Furiously, you try to reclaim your memories, but each attempt is met with splitting pain.

Cold steel touches your wrist, as you find a rusty crowbar, hiding under the corpse of something... almost human. Dragging the tool out, you are frozen by the sudden presence of a gun barrel against your back. A quick, quiet voice tells you to stand. Not wanting to explore your own intestines, you comply.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" the voice demands.

"I don't know, I just woke..." you reply, meekly, before being interrupted.

"Welcome to the club. You won't last long without a weapon."

The lithe figure, covered in muck, hands you a small handgun.

"That's the last magazine. Don't get crazy with it."

Your confusion still fresh, you ask "Where are we going?"

"Anywhere, but here." is the reply as you and your companion begin exploring.

Necrolux: Exile

The above is an example 'first meeting' of a pair of characters in my latest game design, Necrolux. With some luck, they will survive the denizens of the sewers, and escape to the city above. Along the way, they will encounter an assortment of creatures, equipment, and events that will test the limits of their sanity.

Necrolux is a 1 to 6 player RPG utilizing cards for easy generation of randomized adventures. Players create characters, draw equipment, draw specific traits and powers, roll for any phobias or flaws, and choose their character's motivations. Then they may set out, on their stinky way, into the sewer's of the city.

Required to Play

A few things are required to play Necrolux: A copy of the game's rules, 5 decks of cards, (A Gear deck, Creature deck, Scene deck, Event deck, and Power deck.) character sheets for each player, two six-sided dice, (more are recommended) paper, pens/pencils, and some warm bodies.

Scene Cards

After the players have made their characters, and drawn the necessary Gear and Power cards, the first Scene card is flipped over. Scene cards define the location, it's physical size/area, the number of 'exits' or 'adjacent' Scene cards, and how many Event and Creature cards are drawn for that particular Scene. Scene cards have two sets of these numbers, one for defining the Events and Creatures the first time the Scene is encountered. The other set is used when re-visiting an already played Scene. Additionally, several of the Scene cards will have forced or optional skill checks, that can open up new Scenes, or cause cards from the other 4 decks to be played. The "Utility Room" Scene card is a good example, allowing a character that can pry open a lockbox, an extra Gear card.

Players draw Scene cards, and place them adjacent to the Scene they just left. This helps form a logical map that the characters can explore, and retreat to, when needed. This semi-random dungeon generation, ensures that no two adventures, are exactly alike.

-More to come...