Table

A list of prompts.

Definition

Tables are lists of prompts that players will pick from when instructed.

• Each table will have a specific theme or grouping of prompts.

• Prompts are usually an establishing line followed by one or two questions.

  • E.g. "An event has transpired. Question about the event? Follow up question?"

Intention

Tables are another way to give players a structured choice about where to take their story. When a player chooses a prompt from a Table, it usually establishes something true that has happened in their story—an event, effect, etc. They will then have a chance to further elaborate through a number of questions.

Example

Artefact has are four Tables: two for use with Keepers (Agents) and two for Rests. These are described in the examples for those components.

Each Table has six prompts of typically two or three sentences each. Here are a selection of prompts from across Artefact's Tables:

• Gold and silver dull. Iron rusts. Colours fade to a sepulchral grey. What would your creator say if they saw you now?

• Whether by frost, corrosion or something stranger a prominent setting or rune is damaged irreparably. How does the damage affect one of your properties?

• You are swallowed by a passing sentient ooze—translucent and hungry. Where does the strange creature make its home, and what else of note churns with you in its viscous form?

• You intentionally deceived or refused to help your Keeper, leading to their demise. What took place and why did you act in that way?

• A stronghold of great importance was attacked by a dreadful, monstrous horde. How did you help your Keeper drive off the fearsome assailants?

Advice

While the content in a Playbook is unique to that Object, Tables are shared between all Playbooks. As such, the prompts contained within a Table need to be applicable to all included Objects.

Players are usually instructed to choose a prompt from a Table, but they could also randomly determine one. Using a fixed number of prompts in each Table makes it easier to do this, especially if the number is a common die size (e.g. 6).