A toy game from the 2016 game design advent calendar.

---

This picture...this is cool. We see here the Palace of Justice in Munich, where the Nazis sentenced the members of the White Rose resistance group in 1943. My first idea for this was to make a game where the players play the members of the People's Court that did the sentencing, but that's some heavy stuff. It's a great idea, and certainly important to empathize with those most hateful members of our species. But a thing to be saved for more effort, more time, and greater investment.

You and your comrades are members of the Justice Department; of no particular country, and no particular ideology, but your tolerance for your government has reached its end. You are spymasters and spies, criminals and con men. It's time you used your powers for good.

Play to find out if your silent revolt bears fruit; if sweet, what it cost you and who had to die, and if sour, who you take with you.

Requires:

• GM + players
• 2d6 per player

Rules:

Each player has 3 stats: Spymaster, Agent, and Grifter. Assign [-1, 0, 1] to these in any order you wish.

When you roll, roll 2d6 plus whatever stat is indicated. Rolling 7 or more is a hit, and you get what you want. Rolling 6 or less is a miss, and the GM makes a move.

When you closely study a person, or size up an enemy, roll + Grifter. On a hit, ask their player two questions from the list below. On a 7-9, they ask one of you.

• Who's pulling your character's strings?
• What's your character hoping to get from ____?
• How can I get your character to ____?
• What do I notice despite an effort to conceal it?
• What happened to you recently?

When you investigate a location or study a situation, roll + Agent. On a 10+, ask three questions from the list below. On a 7-9 ask only one.

• What happened here recently?
• What is about to happen?
• What here is useful or valuable to me?
• How can I avoid trouble or hide here?
• Who or what is my biggest threat in this situation?
• Who or what is in control here?

When you go to your contacts for information, roll + Spymaster. On a hit, you learn the answer to any two questions from any list, or one question of your own. On a 7-9, you've been rumbled; silence them, find an alibi, or deal with it.

When you learn the answer to a question, take +1 forward when acting on the answer.

When you make your move and take a risk, roll.

GM:

Since this is (surprise) another Powered by the Apocalypse hack, follow the rules given in PbtA games for the GM.

The GM in this game should focus on political dangers; set up the danger of their situation, telegraph their enemies motions in the dark, and when a golden opportunity presents itself act with vicious, sudden power.

Notes:

Can I be real with you for a minute? Real real? I'm kinda phoning this one in. Chalk this one up to getting a bit behind and bit tired. This is hard work, man!

To really hammer that in, basically every question here is ripped off from Dungeon World, The Sprawl, and Urban Shadows. I'm pretty sure they steal from one another, too, but you should know that this game might as well be called "CTRL + C, CTRL + V".

Still, though this is light on new content, it builds on my thinking about the nature of information-gathering moves in PbtA games; that they're the most effective moves for moving the fiction along, and honestly some of the most powerful player moves available. So this game is built completely on them. When you finally do your thing and take a risk, your roll + nothing, except for the +1's earned by acting on knowledge previously gained.

That's pretty neat. The players study situations and people, get in touch with their contacts, and the knowledge gained all moves things forward. Then, they're rewarded for following up on that information. Sounds like a good session.

--Karaktakus the Grifter

Prompt/cover photo: Wikimedia Commons