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Welcome to the first official episode of Astonishing Adventures. This solo TTRPG campaign series will be played using the Chaos Cypher System Game Master Emulator. Throughout the series, I will intersperse in between the story explanations of how particular mechanics work. I will explain things “as needed” so as not to take too much away from the actual story.
This will be played with the Chaos Cypher System Game Master Emulator. If you are interested, you will need to buy the Cypher System Core Book which can find links to below:
I will break each episode into multiple scenes. All scenes will be available to Leet Squad members along with other extras (see Episode 0 for details). If you want the full experience, consider joining the Leet Squad today.
Understanding the Jargon
There are several abbreviations I will use throughout this Astonishing Adventure series:
GMQ = Game Master Question. When asking a question to the Game Master, I will put it into a form of a “Yes” or “No” question. Then the Game Master table will be consulted. These will be highlighted in green.
GMR = Gamemaster Roll. This is the roll for the response to a Gamemaster question. These will be highlighted in blue.
GMD = Gamemaster Dialogue. This is what the Gamemaster will say as a result of the Gamemaster Question. These will be highlighted in blue.
TDA = Task Difficulty Assignment. When trying to perform an action, I will assign a Task Difficulty to the action, then reference the Cypher System Task Difficulty table. The first number is the Task Difficulty Level and the second number is the Task Difficulty Target Number. These will be highlighted in gold.
NOTE: In the Cypher System, the target number is always three times the Task Difficulty Level.
TDR = Task Difficulty Roll. This is the result when attempting an action. These will be highlighted in gold.
ARM= Adventure Roll Modifier. After each GMR and TDR, I will roll on the Roll Modifier Table and apply the result. These will be highlighted in purple.
DR: Developer Roll. This will come into play if I need to roll a developer if I roll low on an RMR. This will also be purple.
I will reference this episode for term definitions at the beginning of each subsequent post.
Adventure Protocol
All the rolls are real. I will adjust nothing for a better result. That would defeat the purpose of displaying how the system works. Though it might take some time to work through some results, you won’t have to wait for that but can read the story as one unit.
I will only ask GM questions if I cannot use an ability or skill to get the information I need or the answer is a simple one that really doesn’t require a roll. Like, “Is the traffic light green?”
Beginning the Adventure
The first step when starting your adventure with the Chaos Cypher System Game Master Emulator is to determine the Adventure Status. They give each level a Target Number. This Target Number is what you need to roll when figuring out the direction for plot points. This shows how active the story is for a particular scene. The more active it is, the higher the target number.
Let’s get started and you can see what I’m talking about. This is the beginning of the scene set up:
Helix is taking the bus to work when he runs into the waitress at his local coffee shop.
The Adventure Status for this is Solid. This means the target number which needs to be met for the Roll Modifier is 3.
RMR = 17.
When we look at the Roll Modifier Table, we see if I roll above the Target Number; the scene remains unmodified. So we begin the story.
Scene #1 – Fancy Seeing You Here
For most people, archaeology was only interesting when Indiana Jones was involved. For Helix Brown, it was his life’s work and passion. He counted himself as one of the few who would read an archaeology textbook from cover to cover. Depending how you looked at it, that was weird or impressive. It just may have been both in Helix’s case.
Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.
“Hi,” said the young woman who sat next to him. “I don’t remember ever seeing you on the bus. You’re peach pie, coffee with cream, no sugar, right?”
Helix nodded with a weak smile that almost looked like a grimace. That was his regular order at the café he stopped at every evening. The young lady served him most of the time.
“Guilty as charged. You have a good memory.”
“Comes with the uniform,” she said, smiling. “Is your car broken?”
“No. Every once in a while, I take the bus to work to get some reading done. It’s a twenty-minute commute there and back.”
“What are you reading?”
“Digging for Truth by Harlow Jenkins. It’s a fascinating read about some of the great archaeological finds of the 19th century.”
“Oh.”
It was apparent she was not interested or knew little to nothing about it. Probably a good mix of both.
Helix began to turn his attention back to his book, then thought better of it. This was an opportunity to flex his social wings, a skill he was more than a little rough around the edges with. Ever since high school, he had a social Achilles’ heel. He connected better with projects and books. However, his work with The Safeguard caused him to reevaluate his social mores so he could relate to his colleagues better.
Helix wants to make a Perception check to see if there is anything on her as far as jewelry or something else she’s wearing he could use to start a conversation. For this, he would need a TDA. I decide this will probably be Average, so I will assign a TDA = 3 (9).
TDR = 16 (Success). So she is wearing something he could use to start a chat with her.
RMR = 10. The scene remains unmodified.
Helix eyed the golden locket around the young lady’s neck. It didn’t appear to be modern the way it was designed.
“Did you get that locket from an older relative?”
The young lady placed her hand on the locket as if she just remembered it was there.
“Oh. This? Yes. It was given to me by my mother who received it from her mother. It’s been in our family for over four generations. You have a very perceptive eye.”
“Well, the tarnished cover with the slight scratches on the surface meant it was old, or that you didn’t know how to take care of your jewelry.”
She smiled. Helix returned the gesture, though he didn’t know what she was smiling about. It would be odd for a woman not to take care of her jewelry.
They rode in silence for the next two stops before she rose to her feet.
“This is my stop. See you tonight?”
“Probably not if you’re going in this early.”
“Oh, I’m working a split shift. I’ll be there.”
She gave him a small wave goodbye as Helix dove back into his book.
This ends our first episode of Astonishing Adventures! This will give you a primer on how the series will move forward. I know most of this was a set up, but it should be smooth sailing from here on.
If you haven’t been introduced to Helix yet, go read Episode 0.
If you have an Officer membership or higher, listen to the podcast below.
Astonishing Adventures Podcast – Episode 1
If you have a Special Forces membership, watch the video below.
See you in the next one!
[…] Adventures – Episode 0Astonishing Adventures – Episode 1If you need help with the abbreviations, make sure to check out Astonishing Adventures – […]