TEXT: Coming of Age
  A Tale Telling Game for 1 to 6 Players
  We are more than we appear.
  by Mendel Schmiedekamp
  wyrmwood@sluggy.net
  Version 3.0.0 - Apr 6th, 2014
  Playtesters: Briana Schmiedekamp, Maura Dailey, Dug Swank, Mike
  Whyte, Adam Klein, Lia Talmas, Andrew Lindsey, Matthew George,
  Josh Sholes, Julia Heinemann, Zach Gotsch, Gabor Koszper, Shreyas
  Sampat, and many others.
  Other Contributors: Cassie Konkle
  A Few Words ...
  Coming of Age is a game that
  you and your friends play by tak-
  ing on the roles of characters who
  are coming of age, and telling the
  tales of those characters as they
  overcome adversity, both personal
  and external.
  Together you will
  decide what sort of setting and
  characters most interest you, and
  then together you will tell the
  story as those characters overcome
  their failings and realize their
  destinies.
  A coming of age story isn’t
  the same as your standard heroic
  tale. At the beginning of the story
  your characters aren’t particularly
  capable. Early on your character
  might wish to charge a dragon
  or make the love of your life fall
  for her, but she is more likely to
  hesitate out of fear or inexperience
  or trip on her feet or words. But
  as the game goes on she will be
  tempered by challenges, learning
  from defeat to become the the
  person you destined her to be.
  Though a coming of age story
  seems to be about an external
  threat or adventure, the meat of
  it is in the inner struggle for each
  character to overcome their fail-
  ings and weaknesses. In Coming
  of Age, failure can be good if you
  1
  
  learn something from it.
  And
  though success is sweet, when it is
  undeserved and not fought for, it
  can slow your character’s growth
  into her new self.
  If you’re not too familiar with
  this sort of game, don’t worry
  about it.
  The most important
  thing to remember is that as you
  play Coming of Age you will
  describe what happens to your
  character and the world around
  her. You can do that by acting her
  out, you can tell it like a story, or
  even jump between the two.
  The
  second
  most
  important
  thing is that all of you playing the
  game can and should help each
  other.
  When someone is getting
  stuck deciding what trouble to
  face or how to describe what
  happens with his character,
  if
  you’ve got an idea, give him a
  suggestion. Hopefully he’ll return
  the favor.
  If you are familiar with this
  sort of game, that last paragraph
  still applies.
  But also be aware,
  Coming of Age does some things
  differently.
  There may be things
  that are missing from the kinds of
  role-playing games you’ve played.
  By and large, those aren’t impor-
  tant for Coming of Age to play
  well.
  If you really miss them,
  take a look at Bits and Pieces,
  towards the end for some options
  and strategies that might make
  things more familiar.
  The Basics
  Coming of Age doesn’t have
  a default setting.
  Instead each
  game is based around a setting
  chosen by the players. Thus, one
  game of Coming of Age can be
  about adolescents stranded in the
  wilderness ﬁghting to survive and
  the next about heirs to greatness
  being introduced into high society.
  There are only two important
  details about any Coming of Age
  setting. First, all the players must
  agree on the basic idea. Second,
  there must be a group in the
  setting who are in the process of
  coming into their own. Those will
  be the characters you will all play.
  Don’t worry if you get stuck, this
  book is full of examples.
  As important as the setting are
  the dice.
  Like many games,
  Coming
  of
  Age
  uses
  dice
  to
  determine some of what happens.
  When talking about dice, I’ll write
  2
  
  d4 for a four-sided die or d20 for
  a twenty-sided die.
  This game
  uses lots of dice of different sizes,
  often called polyhedral dice.
  To
  tell the difference, it often helps to
  get dice that are different colors.
  There are three types of dice in
  Coming of Age:
  • Self dice - representing your
  character’s destiny.
  • Issue dice - representing your
  character’s ﬂaws and inner
  difﬁculties.
  • Trouble dice - representing
  outside adversity facing all of
  you.
  Self dice are one d20, one d12,
  and one d8 for each player. Issue
  dice are three differently colored
  sets, each set having a d12, d8,
  and d4.
  Issue dice are shared
  by everyone. Lastly, trouble dice
  should be several dice of all sizes
  (from d4 to d20), and visually
  distinct from self and issue dice.
  Self dice represent the compe-
  tency of the characters, named af-
  ter titles, compliments, or virtues
  your
  character
  might
  one
  day
  receive.
  Issue
  dice
  represent
  the weaknesses and faults of the
  character, the very things that she
  is trying to overcome. Over time,
  your issue dice will drop in size,
  from d12 to d8 to d4, and dis-
  appearing altogether when your
  character conquers that weakness.
  Trouble dice are shared:
  they
  represent external problems, ob-
  stacles, and goals. They come in
  two subtypes, ﬁxed dice are per-
  sistent problems. Like a recurring
  annoyance, a dangerous place, or
  some other ﬁxture of your tale,
  ﬁxed dice can’t be defeated; they
  can only be avoided.
  Goal dice,
  on the other hand, can be beaten,
  acting as problems to be solved or
  opponents to defeat.
  As you play Coming of Age,
  you
  take
  turns
  choosing
  your
  character’s action. As you do so,
  you select the dice you will be
  rolling. First, the trouble dice you
  are working against and the self
  die that represents how you are
  striving against that trouble. Then
  add all your issue dice, since your
  inner obstacles are always present.
  First roll your Self die,
  this
  will be the die roll that all other
  dice are trying to beat, by rolling
  higher.
  Then you roll your trouble and
  issue dice to ﬁnd if any of them
  beat your self die’s roll.
  If they
  do not, then your character has
  defeated
  the
  trouble,
  and
  can
  3
  
  even cross out a goal trouble
  die, permanently or temporarily
  defeating it.
  If a trouble or issue rolls higher
  than your self die, you have been
  defeated by the highest rolling
  die.
  You give way the trouble,
  whether through its adversity or
  an inner fault.
  However the
  highest rolling issue is reduced, as
  the defeat teaches your character
  a lesson about that issue. In some
  ways this is the best outcome,
  because here your character has
  the opportunity to grow and take
  a real step to her destiny.
  Regardless of the outcome, you
  always describe something hap-
  pening when you take an action,
  even if it isn’t quite what you
  intended. And don’t forget to ask
  and accept suggestions from the
  other players.
  Continuity
  At the center of telling the com-
  ing of age tale of your character
  is the idea that the world of all
  the characters will retain a certain
  consistency, that events will ﬂow
  from one moment or description
  to the next. Coming of Age relies
  on this continuity to help bring
  the characters and hence you the
  players together.
  Because the
  troubles are shared among you,
  how you describe the changes in
  those troubles and in the wider
  world of the game directly affects
  what your fellow players can do.
  While often taken for granted,
  continuity isn’t automatic.
  Most
  of the time,
  each of you will
  respond to each others ideas and
  incorporate them into your actions
  and description.
  But sometimes
  a player will forget some detail
  important to you, like the fact that
  the demon knight has entered the
  castle, meaning that to overcome
  the knight may require entering
  the castle as well. If that happens,
  tell him.
  Politely remind him of
  the fact, and if it changes what he
  was planning to do, try to give
  an alternate suggestion. Be open
  to clariﬁcation by others,
  they
  might have different ideas of what
  had happened. Most importantly,
  work together to resolve the gap.
  It may seem odd, but one of
  the keys to keeping the continuity
  working in Coming of Age is to
  not plan too far ahead.
  You
  already know where your char-
  4
  
  acter is headed, because of her
  self and issue dice, the purpose of
  the game is to discover how she
  gets there.
  The dice, and more
  importantly your fellow players
  will surprise you. And that’s what
  you should look forward to as part
  of playing Coming of Age.
  Number of Players
  Coming of Age is very ﬂexible
  to the number of players.
  In its
  simplest you can play by yourself,
  buying and confronting trouble
  and mapping out the growth of
  your character. For solitaire play, I
  recommend writing down a short
  line or sentence for each action,
  to help keep you honest about
  describing what happens.
  On the other side, Coming of
  Age for more than four or ﬁve
  people can become difﬁcult for
  everyone to follow what is going
  on,
  so special care should be
  taken to make sure that everyone
  can hear and understand each
  other. These sorts of games often
  work better with a Director (see
  Optional Rules).
  The number of players will also
  loosely determine the time it takes
  to play your tale from creating
  your characters to a natural con-
  clusion. In solitaire play, you will
  likely take between an hour and
  two. For three to four players, the
  time will likely be between two
  and three hours.
  For six players
  the tale may take more than three
  hours.
  Settings
  The
  ﬁrst
  step
  in
  starting
  a
  Coming of Age game is for all
  the players to decide roughly what
  setting to use.
  Do you want
  sword and sorcery? Perhaps you
  want modern crime drama?
  Or
  maybe school children ﬁghting
  zombies? There are many options,
  but several factors are essential.
  First, the protagonists need room
  to grow.
  So teenagers ﬁghting
  crime works well, but a special
  ops teams doesn’t unless they are
  completely out of their element.
  Second, the characters should all
  have reasons to know each other,
  even if it’s just because they all live
  in the same town, go to the same
  5
  
  school, or work in the same bar.
  Jan, Peter, Anna, and Dave have
  gotten together to play Coming of
  Age. When it comes to choosing the
  setting, they have very differing ideas.
  They pass around a sheet of paper,
  each writing down an idea for the
  setting.
  Jan has just watched the
  Goonies and writes, “Geeky kids in
  modern day, searching for treasure.”
  Peter writes, “Assassins in training.”
  Anna writes,
  “Med school grads
  doing their ﬁrst internship.”
  Dave
  writes, “Academy of Magic.”
  They pass the paper around, each
  voting for a setting other than their
  own. Jan votes for Med school grads.
  Peter votes for Academy of Magic.
  Anna votes for the Goonies.
  Stuck
  with breaking or making a tie, Dave
  asks if the med school grads could be
  in a hospital in the future, perhaps
  with alien patients and doctors. No
  one has a problem with this, so the
  setting becomes “Med school grads
  doing their ﬁrst internship in space!”
  If you’re looking for inspiration,
  the next section has a few setting
  sheets, pages with a short setting
  description and suggestions for
  self, issue, and trouble dice. You
  can use these as lists to pick
  from, as a starting point to build
  from, or even as an example for
  playing another setting entirely.
  Remember that these sheets aren’t
  exhaustive, so try to come up with
  new ideas to mix with the existing
  ones.
  6
  
  Space Police Cadets
  Coming of age as a police cadet has never been easy. But with space
  pirates and maniacal computer given exams, it has never been more
  interesting.
  Potential Self Dice:
  • Chief of Police
  • Relentless Detective
  • Ace Pilot
  • Best Dressed Alien
  • Bringer of Peace
  • Hero of Cadia IV
  • Smooth Negotiator
  • Brightest Mind
  • Deductive Genius
  • Death Incarnate
  • Ambassador
  • Friends Above and Below
  • Loving Parent
  • Crack Shot
  • Master of Politics
  Potential Issues:
  • Naive
  • Forgetful
  • Clumsy
  • Unobservant
  • Self-Doubt
  • Excessive Exuberance
  • Doesn’t Understand Humans
  • Airhead
  • Teen Angst
  • Parental Shadow
  • Need to Rebel
  • Need to Conform
  • Bad Timing
  • Computers Hate Me
  • Terriﬁed
  Potential Troubles:
  • Final Exams (goal)
  • Talia, the new girl (goal)
  • Vince, the new guy (goal)
  • Food Fight! (goal)
  • Surprise Inspection (goal)
  • Pirate Inﬁltrators (either)
  • Romance in the Air (either)
  • Heroically Wounded (either)
  • Talkative Computer (ﬁxed)
  • Astrogation Class (ﬁxed)
  • Professor Chaf (ﬁxed)
  • Corrupt Principal (ﬁxed)
  • Space Pirate Incursion (ﬁxed)
  • Venusian Flu (either)
  • Academy Security (either)
  • Doufnar, Space Hero! (either)
  7
  
  Squires of Sword and Sorcery
  Someday they will be heroes and villains, their exploits told in smoky
  taverns and the great halls of kings. But that day is not today. Now
  they face their ﬁrst real challenges, learning whether their training has
  been of any use, as they begin to show the ﬁrst glimmers of greatness.
  Potential Self Dice:
  • Invincible Duelist
  • Mother to Princes
  • Archmage of the Swamp
  • Hero of Kroag’s Den
  • Defender of the Faith
  • Fist of Gods
  • Warmaster
  • Of Terrifying Aspect
  • Arcane Inventor
  • Siege Commander of Thul
  • Serpentfoe
  • Hunter of Beasts
  • Teller of Truths
  • Loyal Adviser
  • Infamous Lover
  Potential Issues:
  • Sickly
  • Terriﬁed
  • Wizard’s Curse
  • Obsessed with Romance
  • Obsessed with Fighting
  • Obsessed with Studying
  • Uncontrolled Shapeshifter
  • Disrespectful
  • Obsessed with Money
  • Overenthusiastic
  • Lazy
  • Dishonorable Lineage
  • Servant Mentality
  • All Thumbs
  • Terrible Luck
  Potential Troubles:
  • Squire’s Tournament (goal)
  • Training Course (goal)
  • Demon Knight (goal)
  • Vicious Bandits (either)
  • Traitor in Your Midst (goal)
  • Visiting Knight (either)
  • Love is in the Air (either)
  • Magic Storm (either)
  • Dark Wizard (either)
  • Castle Guards (ﬁxed)
  • Castle Dungeons (ﬁxed)
  • Rival Squires (either)
  • Teilek, King’s Adviser (ﬁxed)
  • Balash, Court Wizard (ﬁxed)
  • The Axe of Ages (either)
  • Sir Kelor, Instructor (ﬁxed)
  8
  
  Rite of Passage
  You’ve been prepared by your people for a special ordeal. You will
  face challenges, struggling against the elements and the dark things
  that dwell in the wild lands. But when you return, you will be a child
  no longer.
  Potential Self Dice:
  • War Leader
  • Shaman
  • Gifted Medium
  • Aspect of the Bear
  • Wisewoman
  • Storyteller
  • Master Crafter
  • Beloved Father
  • Truth Seer
  • Trickster Reborn
  • Dutiful Husband
  • Fastest Runner
  • Hunt Leader
  • Great Builder
  • Chosen of Gourash
  Potential Issues:
  • Irresponsible
  • Uncooperative
  • Ignorant
  • Fearful
  • Sickly
  • Hesitant
  • Leaps Before Looking
  • Foolish
  • Unaware
  • Homesick
  • Troubled by Spirits
  • Pampered
  • Too Clever
  • Domineering
  • Bloodthirsty
  Potential Troubles:
  • Ordeal of Fire (goal)
  • Ordeal of the Beast (goal)
  • Rival Initiates (either)
  • Gourash’s Challenge (goal)
  • Shadowy Pursuers (goal)
  • Spirit Quest (goal)
  • Dalar, the Winter Wolf (either)
  • Enemy Ambush (goal)
  • Lost in the Spirit Realm (goal)
  • Mount Tyuth (either)
  • Thunder Storm (ﬁxed)
  • Dark Reﬂections (either)
  • Wild Lands (ﬁxed)
  • Hostile Spirits (either)
  • Proof of Maturity (either)
  • Old Man Yutal (ﬁxed)
  9
  
  Magic Academy
  You are students in a magical academy held secret from the mundane
  world. Here they teach the four arts of magic: the wand, the cauldron,
  the seal, and the sword. But it is a place ripe for corruption by subtle
  enemies. Only you can keep them at bay. Of course, you also need to
  pass your examinations...
  You can build your own magical academy or club using Appendix 1.
  Potential Self Dice:
  • Dragon Hatcher
  • Discoverer of Is La
  • Trollfriend
  • Finder of the Lost Seal
  • Enemy of the Dark
  • Loyal Friend
  • Prince of Wizards
  • Potion innovator
  • Successful Novelist
  • Swordmistress
  • Invented the Magicmobile
  • Deputy Minister
  • First in Class
  • Transmutation Instructor
  • Forged the Peace of Nock
  Potential Issues:
  • Magic is the Answer
  • Too Shy
  • Obsessed with Boys
  • Ambiguous Destiny
  • Teen Angst
  • New to Wizardry
  • Second Class Citizen
  • Can’t Stop Talking
  • Easily Confused
  • Superiority Complex
  • Unreliable Magics
  • Cursed
  • Romantic Confusion
  • Recovering from Trauma
  • Arrogant
  Potential Troubles:
  • Ixana, Dark Sorceress (goal)
  • Mid-Term Exams (either)
  • Spring Ball (either)
  • School Curfew (ﬁxed)
  • Transformation Potion (goal)
  • The Antlered Beast (either)
  • Curious School Nurse (either)
  • Artifex Class (either)
  • The Three Swords (goal)
  • Guardian Statues (ﬁxed)
  • Parents (ﬁxed)
  • Exchange Student (either)
  • Academic Squabbling (goal)
  • Secret Romance (goal)
  • Quest of Blackstone (goal)
  • Labyrinthine Library (ﬁxed)
  10
  
  Scions of the Superspy
  The mysterious superspy known only by a number has foiled many
  nefarious plots, and broken many hearts. Each of you comes from one
  such dalliance. But something has gone wrong the superspy is missing,
  the world is in peril, now it’s time for you to live up to your heritage.
  Suggested by Cassie Konkle and Briana Schmiedekamp.
  Potential Mothers:
  • Mimi La Troube - French-
  Canadian Gambler and Huslter
  Self
  ◦ High Roller
  ◦ Invented "Lo Mein to Go" Con
  Issues
  ◦ Searching for the Big Score
  ◦ Doesn’t Know When to Quit
  Troubles
  ◦ Marcel La Troube
  ◦ Gambling Debts
  • Dr. Becky Wellhead - Ameri-
  can Nuclear Scientist
  Self
  ◦ Nobel Prize Winner
  ◦ Chief of anti-WMD Operations
  Issues
  ◦ Lost In Thought
  ◦ Technobabbler
  Troubles
  ◦ Dr. Ivana Milovich
  ◦ Dirty Bomb Network
  • Capt.
  Yekaterine Federov -
  Former KGB Cryptographer
  Self
  ◦ Brilliant Mathematician
  ◦ Master of Deception
  Issues
  ◦ Always Suspicious
  ◦ Lost in the Numbers
  Troubles
  ◦ Leningrad Code
  ◦ KGB Remnants
  •
  Rasamee
  Sookdhis
  -
  Thai
  Sniper in Chinese Intelligence
  Self
  ◦ Decorated Sniper
  ◦ Master Chef
  Issues
  ◦ Perfectionist
  ◦ Oblivious to the World
  Troubles
  ◦ The Titanium Chefs
  ◦ Jacque Minette
  11
  
  • Kitty Grand - Former British
  Heiress and Huntress
  Self
  ◦ CEO of HMDR International
  ◦ Famous Conservationist
  Issues
  ◦ Haughty Nobility
  ◦ Nature Obsessed
  Troubles
  ◦ Blue Crossed Loon
  ◦ Potential Sutors
  • Verena Kurtz, East German
  Archivist and Secretary
  Self
  ◦ Translator of Linear B
  ◦ Loyal Assistant
  Issues
  ◦ Overly Honest
  ◦ Stuck in the Books
  Troubles
  ◦ The Mazerach Code
  ◦ Society of the Golden Horn
  • Gloria Tatas - Bolivian Agent,
  Raised in the Ukraine,
  Master
  Poisoner
  Self
  ◦ Rodeo Superstar
  ◦ Collector of Venoms
  Issues
  ◦ Overly Careful
  ◦ Can’t Stop With a Taste
  Troubles
  ◦ Jackie Cojones
  ◦ Assassination Job
  • Jenny Èntendre - Surviving
  sister of the Èntendre twins, Fa-
  mous Haitian Acrobats
  Self
  ◦ Brilliant Performer
  ◦ Linguistic Genius
  Issues
  ◦ Cultural Confusion
  ◦ Soft-Hearted
  Troubles
  ◦ Grandfather Mikhail
  ◦ The Show Must Go On
  • Nanami Mami - Ninja by Day,
  Flower Arranger by Night
  Self
  ◦ Master of Assassins
  ◦ Artist’s Eye
  Issues
  ◦ Bound by Honor
  ◦ Bloodthirsty
  Troubles
  ◦ The Perfected Lotus
  ◦ Corporate Ninjas
  • Lt.
  Mona Bhoot - Logistics
  Ofﬁcer in North Indian Command
  Self
  ◦ Fantastic Dancer
  ◦ Master Planner
  Issues
  ◦ Rigid Procedures
  ◦ Doing Too Much
  Troubles
  ◦ Missing WMD
  ◦ Arranged Romance
  12
  
  • Sugar Brown - Micronesian
  diver and tour guide
  Self
  ◦ Oceanographer
  ◦ Sweet Talker
  Issues
  ◦ Risk Taker
  ◦ Hopeless Romantic
  Troubles
  ◦ Shipwrecked Treasure
  ◦ Aunt Candy
  • Edith Jenkins - Welsh Military
  Nurse and Bio-weapons Expert
  Self
  ◦ Indomitable Spirit
  ◦ Encyclopedia of Medicine
  Issues
  ◦ Works in Theory
  ◦ Slow to React
  Troubles
  ◦ Troublesome Patients
  ◦ Unknown Pathogen
  Other Self Dice:
  • Irresistible to Men
  • Has the Perfect Gadget
  • Unﬂappable
  • Impeccable Dresser
  • Combat Expert
  • Perfect Chameleon
  • Tradecraft Instructor
  • Cannot be Deceived
  Other Issues:
  • Distracted by Boy Toys
  • Confusing Double Life
  • Your Father’s Shadow
  • Inexperienced
  • Existential Crisis
  • Idealize Your Father
  • Angry With Your Dad
  • Impractical Plans
  Other Troubles:
  • The Mastermind d12 (ﬁxed)
  • The Henchmen d8 (ﬁxed)
  • Attractive & Available (either)
  • Machette Vic (goal)
  • Lorelai Tubbs (goal)
  • W.R.A.I.T.H. (either)
  • The Watkins Device (goal)
  • MI6 Interference (ﬁxed)
  Mothers: Each Scion will have a mother who was once a femme fatale, love interest, or incidental
  conquest in the many adventures of the Superspy. Some possible mothers are listed above, but this is
  by no means exhaustive.
  The Villains: The Mastermind and his or her Henchmen are free ﬁxed dice, so you can pair them with
  goal dice representing their plots or your current guess for who they are. Mastermind starts for free
  at d12 and the Henchmen starts at d8. Defeating the goal die you have selected to be the mastermind
  at d20 resolves the global crises and starts one last round by all the other players tying up loose ends
  as to end the game.
  13
  
  Bureau of Time - First Mission
  The Bureau of Temporal Reconnaissance and Defense holds the line
  against criminal cartels who smuggle across the time lines and parallel
  worlds, dark conspiracies of temporal hegemony, and nefarious aliens
  from the far future. Always light on agents, your probationary team
  been sent out on a routine mission, but in BTRD there is no such thing
  as routine.
  Potential Self Dice:
  • Poly-Linguist
  • Master of Arms
  • Doctor of Temporal Physics
  • Averted the Yarshok Incident
  • Perfect Timing
  • Senior Time Pilot
  • Inspector Temporal
  • Healthy Family Life
  • Inter-Temporal Diplomat
  • Human Computer
  • Steady Headed
  • Past and Future King
  • Gifted with Gab
  • Unstoppable
  • Councillor of Dreams
  Potential Issues:
  • Forgetful
  • Attracted to . . .
  • Hero Worship
  • Provincial
  • Something to Prove
  • Hesitation
  • Time Slippage
  • Over-Attention to Detail
  • Craves Danger
  • Excessive Curiosity
  • Raised in the Past
  • I Don’t Belong
  • Married to the Rules
  • Inﬂated Ego
  • Dangerous Nostalgia
  Potential Troubles:
  • Weight of History (ﬁxed)
  • Demanding Future Self (goal)
  • Enigmatic Device (goal)
  • Paradoxical Romance (goal)
  • Alluring Natives (goal)
  • Causality Eddies (both)
  • Imperial Agent (goal)
  • Branch Commander (ﬁxed)
  • Smuggling Ring (goal)
  • Temporal Raiders (goal)
  • The Quiet Ones (both)
  • Time Line Changed! (ﬁxed)
  • Enraged Dinosaur (goal)
  • Alien Inﬁltrator (goal)
  • Cartel Enforcer (goal)
  • Chronon Maelstrom (both)
  14
  
  Playing the Game
  Now that you’ve all agreed on
  a setting, you’re ready to start
  building characters and creating
  troubles.
  Building Characters
  The ﬁrst step in describing your
  character is to get a copy of the
  character sheet and write down
  your character’s name and setting.
  Since Coming of Age is a game
  about potential, your characters
  are described in two other ways,
  self dice and issue dice, which you
  name by ﬁlling in the boxes.
  First, you must choose the des-
  tiny that one day your character
  might be achieve. Think of titles
  like: Maﬁa Don, Archmagus, or
  Protector of the People. These all
  suggest an accomplishment. They
  can imply many things, such as
  who you know and what you can
  do. These self dice represent your
  character’s destiny.
  Each character has ﬁve self dice.
  The highest is a d20, indicating the
  most important self die describing
  what your character will become.
  The d12s are meant to ﬂesh out
  the core of that future career.
  Destiny as a Dashing Duelist is
  one thing, but it has a different
  connotation if you will also be
  destined as the Life of the Party, a
  Hunter of Beasts, or an Infamous
  Lover.
  Finally, the d8s add the
  last dimension, leaving room for
  ﬁnal details, such as the general’s
  musical talent or knowledge of
  engineering.
  Avoid doubling up the self dice;
  each should be distinct. Also, con-
  sider referring to speciﬁc places,
  people, and things.
  Protector of
  the Southside suggests that South-
  side will play a role in the game
  to come.
  Likewise Husband of
  Lady Margaret indicates that Lady
  Margaret will feature in the course
  of the game.
  These sorts of self
  dice are fairly ﬂexible, as exactly
  what happens in Southside, or
  what being a husband to Lady
  Margaret might imply,
  can be
  developed during play, whether or
  not Southside or Lady Margaret
  appear themselves.
  Once you’ve considered who
  your character will become, you
  should consider what personal
  failings stand in their way. Choose
  three faults or problems to be-
  come your character’s issues, each
  starting at a d12.
  Issues, unlike
  trouble, is an internal difﬁculty
  for your character.
  Cowardice,
  15
  
  ignorance,
  shyness,
  depression,
  inexperience, or an unhealthy ob-
  session are all examples of issues.
  Issues can be more physical, such
  as bad vision or frailty.
  They
  might be more social as well, such
  as being distrusted or a second-
  class citizen.
  You will overcome issues over
  the course of the game.
  At
  ﬁrst
  they
  will
  dominate
  your
  character’s
  actions,
  leading
  to
  failures and complications,
  but
  these complications will enable
  your character to grow, as the
  trouble she encounters force her
  to face her problems and grow
  beyond them.
  Jan, Peter, Anna, and Dave are
  ready to start choosing their self
  dice. Anna quickly picks her d20 as
  “Gifted Surgeon”, her two d12s as
  “Well Respected” and “Exceptional
  Teacher”, and her two d8s as “Always
  Cheerful” and “Wiz at Space Golf”.
  Dave picks his d20 as “Prestigious
  Alien Researcher”.
  Peter inquires
  whether Dave’s character is an alien
  or researches them.
  “Both.”
  he
  replies.
  Building on that,
  Dave
  picks his d8s as “Space Traveler” and
  “Black Belt in Centauri Judo” and
  his d12s as “Savior of the Kroneck”
  and “Diagnostic Expert”. He doesn’t
  know who or what the Kroneck are,
  but that doesn’t matter; he’ll ﬁgure
  that out as the game goes on.
  Jan and Peter are having a little
  more trouble.
  Jan wants to be a
  cold and somewhat abrasive doctor-
  in-training. She’s just not sure how
  to put that as self dice. Anna offers
  “Makes the Hard Decisions”, and
  Peter suggests just taking “Abrasive
  Personality”. Jan takes both, the ﬁrst
  at d12 and the second at d8. From
  there, she decides to take “Director of
  Medicine” as her d20, and then a d12
  as “Politically Savvy” and her last d8
  as “Harsh, but Fair”.
  That leaves Peter,
  who has been
  focusing more on the other players’
  characters
  than
  his
  own.
  Not
  sure of what he wants to play,
  he asks the others.
  Jan suggests
  a womanizing troublemaker,
  Dave
  suggests a pediatrician, and Anna
  suggests a veteran medic working
  to become a doctor.
  Peter shufﬂes
  those ideas together and decides on
  his d20 as “Brilliant Pediatrician”,
  his two d12s as “Faced Fire” and
  “Irresistibly Attractive”, and his two
  d8s as “Loved by the Nurses” and
  “Respected by the Paramedics”.
  With the self dice ﬁnished, the four
  16
  
  players are ready to ﬁgure out their
  issues, all of which start at d12. Anna
  takes “Lack of Conﬁdence”, “Easily
  Distracted”, and “Clumsy”.
  Dave
  takes “Can’t Relate to People”, “Self
  Serving”, and “Uneducated”.
  Jan
  takes “Desire to be liked”, “Shy”,
  and “Cheated in Med School”. The
  others point out that “Cheated at Med
  School” isn’t really an internal issue,
  it might be trouble if it comes up, but
  Jan’s character won’t just learn to get
  over it. Dave suggests “Loose Ethics”
  as the last issue and Jan puts it down.
  Peter looks over his selection. He has
  taken “Foul Temper” but he really
  wants to have “Shy” and “Lack of
  Conﬁdence” as well.
  He asks the
  other players if there’s any problem
  with doubling up on issues, and no
  one seems to mind, so he selects those
  as well. With this done, each of them
  has developed a character and they’re
  ready to buy some trouble and start
  playing.
  Creating Trouble
  Once you’ve built your char-
  acter, each player gets 10 story
  points to use in collaboratively
  building the troubles for their tale
  and in encouraging the other play-
  ers.
  Troubles are also described
  as dice, and are purchased by one
  or more players using their story
  points. You should place a trouble
  sheet in the middle of the table to
  record these dice.
  There are two types of trouble
  dice.
  First, ﬁxed dice represent
  persistent aspects of the setting,
  such as a treacherous forest or
  difﬁcult school work, or anything
  you want to be a ﬁxture in the
  tale.
  The important thing about
  these dice is that they cannot be
  won, only avoided.
  This means
  that they act as backdrops for
  the other dice: Goal dice.
  Goal
  dice represent speciﬁc people and
  situations that present trouble for
  a character and can be overcome.
  Trouble dice cost half their highest
  value in story points.
  So a d8
  costs 4, a d12 costs 6, and a d20
  costs 10.
  Fixed dice go up to
  a d12, while goal dice go up to
  a d20.
  Raising an existing die
  costs the difference in the costs,
  so raising a d8 to a d10 costs 1,
  while raising a d12 to a d20 costs
  4. You can purchase new dice or
  raise an existing die at any time.
  You can even bring a goal die back
  from being overcome by raising
  its size and describing how that
  trouble has returned or changed.
  However, you should discuss and
  purchase a few trouble dice at the
  17
  
  beginning. It helps to get things
  ﬂowing.
  Jan, Peter, Anna, and Dave all
  have ten points to spend on trouble
  dice. While thinking about troubles,
  Jan and Peter start to lay out dice
  for the game. Jan puts out a set of
  red dice from d4 to d20, and another
  orange set next to it. Those will be
  the trouble dice, since they are of a
  wide range of sizes, so she puts them
  next to the trouble sheet. Meanwhile,
  Peter hands out different colored trios
  of dice: a d20, a d12, and a d8 to each
  player.
  Those will be the self dice,
  since each player only ever rolls one
  self die at a time. Lastly, Jan puts a
  white, a gray, and a black trio of d4,
  d8, and d12 near the middle of the
  table.
  Those will be the issue dice,
  as they go down in size. Each player
  assigns one of those colors to each of
  their issues, writing it down on the
  side to keep track.
  At
  the
  same
  time,
  Anna
  has
  decided on a trouble die, a “Sadistic
  Supervisor” which she decides is ﬁxed
  (since she doesn’t want the supervisor
  to be removed by defeating it).
  She
  spends three of her story points to set
  it at a d6, hoping that the others will
  add to it. Jan and Dave both agree
  to add one point to the supervisor,
  making it ﬁnally a ﬁxed d10. Dave
  has decided on a goal die instead,
  speciﬁcally a “Transport Accident”
  ﬁlling the ER on the characters’ ﬁrst
  day.
  He spends ﬁve points on this,
  making it a d10 goal die.
  Peter then buys a “Cheating Scandal”
  based on his troubles in Med School.
  He plans to build things up, so he
  only spends four on it, making it
  a d8 goal die.
  That leaves Anna
  with seven story points left, Peter
  with six story points left, and Dave
  with four. Jan decides there’s enough
  trouble for her at the moment, and
  keeps her remaining nine story points
  in reserve. That’s ﬁne, since she can
  spend them at any time during the
  game.
  Taking Turns
  Once you are ready to play,
  choose someone to go ﬁrst. Start-
  ing with her you take turns, going
  around in a circle.
  Each turn
  one player’s character makes a
  signiﬁcant action.
  Usually this
  involves trying to confront one
  or more trouble dice using an
  appropriate self die.
  Take the
  self die, the trouble dice, and any
  issue dice that aren’t explicitly
  irrelevant (which usually means
  all of them). Roll the self die, then
  18
  
  the trouble dice and issue dice.
  Eventually you may want to roll
  them all at once, but at ﬁrst it
  is easier to see what is going on
  if you roll them in two or more
  steps.
  If the self die isn’t exceeded
  by any of the trouble or issue
  dice, you gain two story points.
  If at least one trouble or issue
  die exceeds the self die,
  then
  reduce the highest (or one of
  the highest) rolling issue dice by
  one step, from d12 to d8, from
  d8 to d4,
  or from d4 to no
  die.
  If all of your issue dice
  are already gone,
  you instead
  lower another character’s issue
  die, telling how your difﬁculty
  shows them something.
  Once
  you’ve done this, you can describe
  the outcome of your action:
  • If your self die rolled equal to
  or greater than all other dice
  you are victorious.
  Describe
  how your attempt to overcome
  the trouble succeeded.
  You
  may cross out any one goal
  trouble die you rolled.
  If
  you do so, describe how your
  success overcomes that goal
  (perhaps only temporarily).
  • If the self die is less than
  a trouble or issue die, you
  failed to beat that external
  adversity.
  Describe how you
  failed, but learned something
  in the process, remember you
  reduced the highest rolling
  (or one of the highest rolling)
  issue dice by one step. Even
  if you have no issue dice left,
  you still teach someone else in
  your failure.
  When a roll is completed, any
  other player may choose to spend
  a story point to give you another
  chance to roll.
  Both outcomes
  apply; treat this as a refocusing
  of your efforts, a sort of extended
  screen time.
  You should do this
  for other players as a reward for
  an interesting action;
  after all,
  a good story deserves a good
  reward. After any additional rolls,
  the player to your left takes his
  turn.
  At
  times,
  players
  ﬁnd
  their
  characters at odds.
  In this case,
  if both of you agree, you may
  roll another character’s self die as
  one of your trouble dice. If your
  self die is above all other dice,
  including the other character’s self
  die, then you may reduce any one
  issue die of that character. Do this
  instead of overcoming a trouble
  die. You have literally taught him
  a lesson. In any case, the outcome
  19
  
  involves description from the in-
  volved players, working together
  to say what happened.
  Jan, Peter, Anna, and Dave have
  played a few turns already,
  and
  now its Jan’s turn again.
  Jan’s
  character Beka is trying to work
  on two patients at once, due to the
  Transport accident, while her Sadistic
  Supervisor is keeping an eye on her,
  looking for any mistakes.
  Jan takes
  a red d10 (supervisor) and a orange
  d10 (accident) as her trouble dice.
  She decides to use Beka’s Makes Hard
  Decisions, a blue d12, and also takes
  her three issue dice, all at d12 as well
  (black, gray, and white).
  She then rolls all six of these dice.
  She rolls a 3 on her self die, which
  is the lowest of her dice.
  Her
  issue dice rolled highest,
  11,
  8,
  and 11, respectively.
  Her self die
  was also beaten by her trouble dice,
  particularly the accident, which rolled
  a 9.
  Because issues and trouble
  dominated Jan reduces one of her
  highest issue dice, either Desire to be
  Liked or Loose Ethics.
  She decides
  to reduce the former as she’s learning
  that being likeable just doesn’t cut
  it. Jan describes how Beka runs from
  one patient to another, rapidly losing
  her calm, until, as she’s working on
  stabilizing a woman with a leg full of
  splinters, her other patient starts to
  die.
  Since
  its
  Peter’s
  turn
  next,
  he
  responds, “Great, I run to the the
  dying patient.”
  He decides his
  character, Geoff, will roll much the
  same dice (no one else has had a
  chance to lower their issue dice yet),
  except he will use his self die of
  Brilliant Pediatrician,
  deciding on
  the ﬂy that the coding patient is
  the woman’s young daughter.
  He
  rolls a yellow d20 as his self die,
  and rolls a 12 on it, automatically
  beating all the other dice, since none
  of them can roll above a 12. So Peter
  gains two story points and crosses
  out the Transport Accident.
  Peter
  describes reaching the girl side by
  side Beka, as another doctor is about
  to give up on her.
  He cries out,
  “We’re not letting her die!”
  and
  starts to resuscitate again, succeeding
  through his intuitive understanding
  of resuscitating children. He describes
  how the patients are handled and
  things come back to a relative calm.
  He then spends a story point to bring
  back the Transport Accident, this time
  as a d12, mentioning how another
  wave of trauma patients come into
  the space dock a few minutes later.
  20
  
  Anna calls out, “Let’s hear some
  more!”
  and spends a story point
  to give Peter another turn.
  He
  goes to another child hurt in the
  accident and attempts to work a
  miracle. Unfortunately, he rolls an 8
  on his self die: above the two trouble
  dice, but not his issue dice 10, 5,
  9, respectively.
  Geoff would have
  succeed, except for his Foul Temper.
  As he is working, he takes out his
  aggression on a nurse, and while
  distracted his patient gets worse.
  Although Peter doesn’t succeed, Geoff
  will realize what his temper has done
  and this will make him less likely to
  blow up again, as he reduces his Foul
  Temper from a d12 to a d8. Now it is
  Anna’s turn to come to the rescue.
  21
  
  Bits and Pieces
  Coming
  of
  Age
  is
  a
  fairly
  simple game.
  In many ways it
  is like a set of tools.
  There are
  many ways to use them to create
  your own coming of age tale.
  Different settings are just the tip
  of the iceberg. Optional rules and
  strategies, as well as ways of using
  trouble dice you might not have
  considered, can all be found here.
  Settings
  • Black Ops Retirement (set-
  ting) - The best at what you
  do. No secret mission, no cun-
  ning conspiracy, no maniacal
  villain too tough. All of that
  can’t prepare you for what
  you face now, settling into a
  normal, mundane life.
  • Diamond Edge (setting) - The
  world is changing, and those
  who don’t keep up won’t see
  tomorrow. You’re on the edge
  of the nano-tech revolution:
  governments
  fear
  you
  and
  corporations want to recruit
  you. Or at least that’s who you
  plan to be in a few years.
  • Family
  Matters
  (setting)
  -
  Growing up in a family can
  be tough, especially if your
  family is a Crime Family. Will
  you embrace the life or run
  from it?
  Or will you go
  straight for the top?
  • Heroes
  of
  the
  Revolution
  (setting) - You were leaders
  and soldiers struggling with
  your friends and allies to free
  your country. Then you died.
  But others carry your memory
  on to greatness.
  In the end
  they will forget your failings,
  and you will become a legend,
  a Hero of the Revolution.
  • In
  the
  Wilds
  (setting)
  -
  Stranded
  together
  in
  the
  wilderness,
  you
  must
  be
  resourceful and clever if you
  are to stay alive.
  Without
  the
  comforts
  of
  civilization
  what will you discover about
  yourself? And what will you
  discover about each other?
  • Introductions (setting) - High
  society and high culture have
  their
  own
  rituals
  to
  mark
  adulthood. For the pampered,
  they come all too fast.
  Will
  you do your family proud? Or
  will you ﬁnd another path?
  • New Recruits (setting) - The
  vets tell you that nothing will
  22
  
  prepare you for when you go
  under ﬁre. Maybe you’ll be a
  hero, maybe you’ll just make
  it through.
  But one thought
  that keeps you going,
  you
  and your buddies are going to
  make it out together.
  • On the Street (setting) - Lon-
  don is a hole in the ground
  haloed with choking smog,
  and more kids get lost there
  everyday.
  But if you have
  to choose between the work-
  houses and the street, you’ll
  choose the street.
  If you’re
  clever enough, you’ll do more
  than survive, you’ll make it
  big.
  • Sharks in Training (setting)
  - Chaladni, Morris, and Zech
  are the most prestigious ﬁrm
  of defense attorneys in the
  city. You’re the new hires, and
  the partners say half of you
  won’t make it past your ﬁrst
  case.
  • The
  Next
  Day
  (setting)
  -
  Yesterday was a horrible day.
  Your town was destroyed with
  power you’ve never seen be-
  fore. Your friends and family
  are dead or, worse, enslaved.
  Only a few of you are left.
  And it’s up to you to face the
  next day.
  • Unlikely Heroes (setting) -
  The local dark lord is starting
  a nefarious plan that bodes
  ill for all.
  The people of
  the land cry out for someone
  to save them.
  But all they
  got was you, a rag-tag band
  most wouldn’t call heroes. But
  it doesn’t matter, because it’s
  time to save the day.
  • Wild West (setting) - Young
  and idealistic, you converge
  on
  a town
  of troublesome
  folk, train robbers, and crazy
  prospectors. Your team is the
  new law in town.
  You just
  have to get everyone else to
  believe it.
  Optional Rules
  • Avoiding Issues (option) - If
  you don’t think an issue die
  applies to your action explain
  why before you roll.
  If no
  one objects, you can omit it
  from the roll. Remember that
  if you do so, you can’t reduce
  the die as part of the outcome.
  This option makes it easier to
  achieve victory, but makes it
  tempting to put off learning
  and improving until later. Be
  warned.
  23
  
  • Blanks (option) - If you want
  to discover more about your
  character during play,
  con-
  sider starting with only your
  d20 self die and one issue
  die named.
  Then when you
  want to use another self die,
  or one of your unnamed issue
  dice causes you to fail or gets
  reduced,
  decide
  right
  then
  and there what that die is
  named. This can help if you’re
  having trouble naming all the
  dice before you play, or if you
  want the various character’s
  plots to be more intertwined.
  This is related to the Revise
  option below.
  • Director (option) - Many role-
  playing games have someone
  who
  (instead
  of
  playing
  a
  main character) helps to facil-
  itate the game by playing the
  part of supporting characters
  and generally keeping things
  ﬂowing.
  You
  might
  ﬁnd
  some of that useful.
  If so,
  consider having one player
  be
  the
  director.
  She
  can
  still play a character, but she
  gets the authority to hurry
  along slow descriptions or ask
  questions to help other players
  be more creative.
  Of course,
  she also gets the responsibility
  to keep things moving and
  fair.
  In Coming of Age all
  the players are encouraged to
  do this, but the director in
  particular is assigned to pay
  special attention.
  • Endgame (option) - You may
  have noticed that as issue dice
  drop and trouble is defeated
  the game moves towards a
  natural ending. Typically the
  game ends when the players
  feel that the tale is concluded.
  But if you want a speciﬁc rule,
  there are two good options for
  triggering an endgame.
  One
  option is starting after any
  one player has dropped all her
  issue dice to 0. Another option
  is when a number of d20 goal
  dice are defeated equal to the
  number of players.
  In either
  case, that player has just had
  her last turn this game. Then
  let each other player take his
  last turn in order, working to
  resolve any dangling threads.
  • Pacing (option) - A regular
  game of Coming of Age will
  take about 3 hours, maybe
  a
  little
  more
  if
  you
  have
  more than ﬁve people.
  You
  can
  spread
  this
  out
  over
  24
  
  multiple sessions if someone
  makes notes about the situ-
  ation when you leave.
  But
  if
  you
  just
  want
  a
  longer
  paced game, consider adding
  two or four steps between
  each size of issue dice.
  That
  way,
  you must learn three
  or
  ﬁve
  lessons
  before
  the
  die reduces in size.
  This
  will mean signiﬁcantly more
  trouble will appear and be
  defeated.
  Adding two steps
  will about double the time,
  while adding four could as
  much as quadruple it.
  • Revise (option) - Sometimes
  you may regret a choice for a
  self or issue die. If so, bring
  it up on your turn and ask
  the other players and if no one
  objects, change it.
  Generally
  you shouldn’t do this for a self
  die you’ve used frequently or
  an issue die that has already
  started dropping.
  This is
  related to the Blanks option
  above.
  • Sequels (option) - This option
  is a way for you to play a
  sequel to a game of Coming
  of Age you just ﬁnished. First,
  remove any character who has
  two or more issue dice at 0.
  Those players will create new
  characters,
  or build a new
  version of their prior char-
  acter as a starting character
  for the sequel.
  Then take
  the remaining characters and
  copy to a new sheet their self
  and non-0 issue dice.
  Raise
  those issue dice by one size
  each (up to d12).
  Then if
  your character had an issue
  die at 0, give her a new issue
  die at a d12.
  Each player
  then chooses one trouble die
  to keep, copying it over to a
  new trouble sheet. Lastly, the
  returning characters gain 10
  story points, less 2 for each d8
  issue die they have. So if your
  character has two d8s, she gets
  6 story points to start with.
  Strategies
  • Continuity Tricks (strategy)
  - One of the subtle but im-
  portant parts of Coming of
  Age is that the description of
  one character sets the situation
  around those the troubles for
  the other players.
  This can
  be surprisingly useful. Sepa-
  rating two troubles geograph-
  ically can help make people
  choose between them.
  In
  the same way, if you push
  25
  
  troubles together other players
  will ﬁnd it easier to confront
  all of them, and harder to
  avoid some.
  These sorts of
  tricks can be very effective,
  but should be used carefully.
  It’s easy to push to hard and
  make things seem contrived or
  annoying.
  • Escalation (strategy) - If you
  have an important trouble die,
  it’s a good idea not to start
  it much higher than d8. You
  might want it to be a bigger
  danger,
  but
  part
  of
  what
  makes troubles signiﬁcant is
  the scope of their inﬂuence
  on the game.
  By starting
  lower you have more room
  for escalating the trouble, so
  when it becomes time to raise
  it to d20 more players will be
  invested. And it is no accident
  that this strategy gives you
  more
  bang
  for
  your
  story
  points.
  • Indirect Action (strategy) -
  You’re not required to make
  your character the center of
  her actions.
  After all, she
  could inﬂuence subtly, acting
  through others and causing
  her plans to occur with com-
  plex chains of events.
  For
  these
  sorts
  of
  actions,
  de-
  scribe the inﬂuence as part
  of what happens, but focus
  on supporting characters, like
  friends,
  allies,
  and
  family
  members.
  Lots of indirect
  actions can lend the game a
  strategic feeling,
  where the
  characters are above getting
  their hands dirty. One pecu-
  liar application of this strat-
  egy is characters acting after
  Death.
  • Instant
  Return
  (strategy)
  -
  This
  highly
  recommended
  strategy exploits the fact that
  you can spend story points at
  any time to instant return a
  trouble die you just defeated.
  Since you get two story points
  when defeating a goal die,
  and it usually only takes one
  to raise that die and return
  it, this effectively costs you
  nothing (until you want to
  raise the goal die to a d20, in
  which case you might want to
  ask some help). This is easily
  described
  by
  giving
  your
  trouble
  a
  set-back,
  causing
  a
  change
  in
  its
  tactics
  or
  approach.
  • Losing and Learning (strat-
  egy)
  -
  If
  your
  issue
  dice
  26
  
  aren’t dropping fast enough,
  it’s time to prioritize losing
  and learning.
  Find ways to
  use your lower self dice, and
  select the largest trouble dice
  you can.
  A few actions like
  these should ensure your poor
  character gets some scars, and
  some lessons to go along with
  them.
  • Reveal
  (strategy)
  -
  If
  you
  name some of your self dice
  with proper names like Hero
  of Block Seven or Master of
  the
  Jin
  Rah,
  you’ve
  given
  yourself the opportunity to
  reveal what that means as you
  play. Thus, if the giant squid
  is attacking your city,
  you
  could decide that your battle
  with it occurs in Block Seven
  or that the secret technique
  needed to defeat it is the
  geomantic art of Jin Rah. This
  naming style provides a great
  deal
  of
  ﬂexibility
  and
  lets
  everyone discover something
  unexpected during play.
  • Versus (strategy) - The rules
  allow you to include another
  player as an trouble to your
  actions.
  This means that if
  you work with another player
  you can play out a back-and-
  forth duel, each taking the
  other’s self die as a trouble
  die. This duel could be a battle
  of wits, competition over a
  romantic
  opportunity,
  or
  a
  physical ﬁght.
  In any case,
  this strategy gives a great way
  to tie two characters together.
  • Victory
  (strategy)
  -
  If
  you
  really want to win, there is no
  substitute for taking your d20
  self die and going after low
  trouble dice. This is especially
  helpful if you ﬁnd yourself
  lower on story points than
  you’d like.
  Using Trouble
  • Advantages (trouble) - Ad-
  vantages are things like allies,
  equipment, or special training.
  Oddly enough they appear
  as troubles, not when they
  are used, but when they are
  missing or unhelpful. A ﬁxed
  die of Outside Our Territory
  can be a good way to show
  the advantage the heirs to a
  crime family might have close
  to home.
  Likewise, a goal
  die of Magic Sword Shattered
  brings
  to
  light
  the
  power
  of that sword.
  Ultimately,
  coming of age is about inner
  growth.
  That means that
  27
  
  material advantages become
  most
  important
  when
  they
  aren’t present.
  • Death (trouble) - It may seem
  that characters in Coming of
  Age can’t die. This isn’t quite
  right. Your character can die
  if you choose to have it occur
  during one of your actions. If
  you do, you should purchase
  a ﬁxed die representing the
  state of death.
  This doesn’t
  remove you from taking ac-
  tions.
  It just means they’ll
  tend to be Indirect Actions
  (see above).
  Death might
  even be a goal die, if you
  plan to return from the dead
  during the course of play. Of
  particular note, the premise of
  the Heroes of the Revolution
  (also above) setting includes
  all the characters being dead
  from the beginning.
  • Disease and Poison (trouble)
  - Disease and poisons make
  excellent
  trouble
  dice.
  If
  they are ﬁxed, they represent
  plagues or conditions which
  cause difﬁculty for the char-
  acters.
  Perhaps they risk be-
  coming reinfected or poisoned
  repeatedly. As goal dice they
  can add signiﬁcant drama, as
  characters struggle to ﬁnd a
  cure whether they are infected
  or not.
  And sometimes you
  might decide they result in
  Death or Injury.
  • Injury
  (trouble)
  -
  Injuries
  and wounds make interest-
  ing trouble dice.
  As ﬁxed
  dice, they cause difﬁculty for
  the injured character and any
  other character that might be
  hampered by it.
  As goal
  dice, they present something
  that can be overcome (by hard
  work or perhaps supernatural
  means). Characters in Coming
  of Age rarely have negative
  consequences from their ac-
  tions,
  but every once in a
  while an injury can help make
  a game more interesting.
  • Locations
  (trouble)
  -
  Loca-
  tions are nearly always ﬁxed
  trouble dice. They are places
  you can be that cause trouble
  or are difﬁcult to deal with.
  But sometimes a location can
  be a goal die, if it’s a prison
  you’re trying to escape or a
  labyrinth in which trying to
  get to the middle.
  • Named and Unnamed (trou-
  ble) - One trick with trouble
  dice is that multiple dice can
  28
  
  apply to the same speciﬁc
  trouble. If you have a ﬁxed die
  as your commanding ofﬁcer,
  and a goal die as a hidden
  traitor, and you discover that
  he is the traitor, both dice
  apply.
  This means that you
  can defeat him as the traitor
  even though you can’t defeat
  ﬁxed dice.
  That means it’s
  a good idea to have a mix
  of proper names and more
  generic trouble dice.
  • Perils (trouble) - Much like
  disease
  and
  poison,
  perils
  such
  as
  drowning,
  falling,
  death traps, and infernos are
  represented as trouble dice,
  often as goal dice so they can
  be overcome. Thus defeating
  the peril and avoiding death.
  Or perhaps Death and Injury
  do occur.
  • Romance and Relationships
  (trouble) - Trouble dice work
  well in parallel. One way to do
  this is to have a relationship be
  a goal die, such as Romance
  or Ask Him Out. Then during
  your actions you can describe
  how you do this with one
  of people represented by the
  existing
  trouble
  dice,
  ﬁxed
  or goal.
  This gives other
  players the ﬂexibility to try a
  similar relationship with other
  troubles,
  or even the same
  one, which could lead to a
  Versus competition.
  • Situations (trouble) - After
  people,
  situations
  are
  the
  most common type of trouble
  dice.
  Often, situations are
  intended to be resolved by the
  characters, making them goal
  dice.
  Sometimes, however,
  a situation that is long term,
  such as Kingdom at War or
  largely immune to the char-
  acters, such as Hurricane, can
  be a ﬁxed die. Those sorts of
  situations will most likely be
  backdrops to the actions of the
  characters.
  29
  
  Story Points
  Coming of Age: Character Sheet
  Name:
  Group Concept:
  Self Dice
  Issue Dice
  d20
  d12
  d12
  d8
  d8
  d4
  d4
  d4
  d12
  d12
  d12
  d8
  d8
  d8
  0
  0
  0
  color: 
  color: 
  color: 
  Action Flow Chart
  Options
  Decide on action: 
  Select one or more 
  Trouble dice, one 
  of your Self dice, 
  and all Issue dice
  Roll all the 
  dice. 
  Did any Trouble or 
  Issue Dice roll higher 
  than your Self Die?
  no
  yes
  But you Learn from it. 
  Reduce one of the 
  highest rolling Issue 
  dice, or if a tie, choose.
  Gain 2 Story 
  Points
  Tell of Victory! If 
  you defeated a  
  Goal Trouble, you 
  can mark it. It is 
  defeated unless a 
  player pays story 
  points to raise it.
  After a Player's Turn:
  Spend a Story Point for that player to
  continue her action, using the 
  same dice selections.
  At Any Time: 
  Spend Story Points to raise Trouble dice.
  Player vs. Player:
  With permission use another player's Self 
  die as a Trouble die. If you achieve
  Victory, you may reduce one of their 
  Issue dice and gain a Story Point.
  Trouble wins with no Issue dice above 0:
  Gain a story point and, if possible, reduce 
  another character's Issue die, and tell
  how your difficulty teaches something.   
  Character Concept:
  Tell how the Trouble 
  or your Issues win, 
  whichever die rolled 
  highest, or if a tie, 
  choose.
  
  Coming of Age: Trouble Sheet
  Buying Trouble Dice with Story Points
  Trouble dice cost half their highest value in Story Points. Players can raise 
  the dice by paying the difference in costs and can pool story points to buy or 
  raise trouble. If a Goal die has been defeated it can be returned to activity 
  by describing how it resurfaces or reappears and raising the die to a higher 
  size. Defeating a d20 goal is final, and indicates a major step toward the 
  conclusion of your story.
  Fixed Dice
  Goal Dice
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d12
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d12
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d12
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  
  Story Points
  Scions of the Superspy: Character Sheet
  Scion Name:
  Mother's Name:
  Self Dice
  Issue Dice
  d20
  d12
  d12
  d8
  d8
  d4
  d4
  d4
  d12
  d12
  d12
  d8
  d8
  d8
  0
  0
  0
  color: 
  color: 
  color: 
  Options
  After a Player's Turn:
  Spend a Story Point for that player to
  continue her action, using the 
  same dice selections.
  At Any Time: 
  Spend Story Points to raise Trouble dice.
  Player vs. Player:
  With permission use another player's Self 
  die as a Trouble die. If you achieve
  Victory, you may reduce one of their 
  Issue dice and gain a Story Point.
  Trouble wins with no Issue dice above 0:
  Gain a story point and, if possible, reduce 
  another character's Issue die, and tell
  how your difficulty teaches something.   
  Scion Concept:
  Action Flow Chart
  Decide on action: 
  Select one or more 
  Trouble dice, one 
  of your Self dice, 
  and all Issue dice
  Roll all the 
  dice. 
  Did any Trouble or 
  Issue Dice roll higher 
  than your Self Die?
  no
  yes
  But you Learn from it. 
  Reduce one of the 
  highest rolling Issue 
  dice, or if a tie, choose.
  Gain 2 Story 
  Points
  Tell of Victory! If 
  you defeated a  
  Goal Trouble, you 
  can mark it. It is 
  defeated unless a 
  player pays story 
  points to raise it.
  Tell how the Trouble 
  or your Issues win, 
  whichever die rolled 
  highest, or if a tie, 
  choose.
  
  Scions of the Superspy: Trouble Sheet
  Buying Trouble Dice with Story Points
  Trouble dice cost half their highest value in Story Points. Players can raise 
  the dice by paying the difference in costs and can pool story points to buy or 
  raise trouble. If a Goal die has been defeated it can be returned to activity 
  by describing how it resurfaces or reappears and raising the die to a higher 
  size. Defeating a d20 goal is final, and indicates a major step toward the 
  conclusion of your story.
  Fixed Dice
  Goal Dice
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d12
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d12
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  d6
  d4
  d8
  d10
  d20
  d12
  defeated
  until raised
  2 SP +1 SP +1 SP +1 SP
  +1 SP
  +4 SP
  Special Dice
  If a Henchman is Involved + d8
  If the Mastermind is Involved + d12
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Solo/2. GM Emulators & Generic Solo Rules/Coming of Age.pdf