TEXT: P u b l i s h i n g
  ™
  P o l y c o s m
  l i g h t
  i  sophasm
   i  c
      t h e   whole group rules
  P o l y
   P
  
  isophasmic is a game for two or more people,
  as well as a system for resolving fictional problems.
  Inspired by approaches to early adventure gaming,
  it provides a set of simple tools for exploring a
  shared world. Specific rules are created on the fly,
  allowing new players to jump straight in, but also
  offering a challenge to more experienced gamers.
  This version is laid out as a PolyP booklet to make it
  easier to play spontaneously and on the move, and
  it can be copied for anyone interested in joining in.
  In isophasmic a World can be defined as briefly or
  fully as the Players wish. For practical purposes it
  can be treated as a set of Landscapes, Beings and
  Events, with the Players defining the basics of each.
  Once a game is underway, the World is likely to develop further, with the Players
  interpreting its agreed nature and expanding on this. By allowing the Referee to
  make some or all decisions alone, the other Players add potential for surprise; the
  Referee can then include prepared or published material unseen, e.g. adventures.
  What you need, as well as this booklet or another version of isophasmic, are
  a) two or more Players, b) ideally at least one six-sided Die (the cube used for
  many traditional board games, with six equally-sized faces marked 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
  and 6, often called a D6) and maybe c) a way to make notes, e.g. a pen and paper.
  How it works depends on the Players. One Player is the Referee, who describes
  the current situation in the imagined World. The other Players each guide one or
  more Characters through this World by listening to the Referee and declaring
  the actions that their Characters are taking at any given point. The Referee guides
  any Beings met on the way and updates the World as everyone interacts with it.
  Of course, the precise nature of a given situation and the feasibility or result of a
  given action may be debated by the Players.
  A Character is part of a given World. For practical
  purposes, each Character can be treated as a Being
  associated with Landscapes and Events. 
  In isophasmic a Character can be defined in any agreed form.
  Words and possessions are points of reference for what a Character might do,
  know and have, while a given score can be used as a target number for Skill rolls.
  isophasmic assumes that random numbers will be
  used in deciding and resolving, and be generated
  by rolling one or more Dice. If no Dice are available,
  the alternative at the end of the booklet can be used.
  The term '1D6' means 'one Die' or 'the result rolled on one Die'. The first digit is
  the number of Dice; if above one, the results are totalled, so '2D6' is '1D6+1D6'. A
  D3 is a D6 divided by two, a D2 a D6 divided by three, in both cases rounding up.
  An asterisk (*) means that if the maximum is rolled, the minimum is deducted and
  a further roll made and added, repeated for each further maximum, e.g. if '2D6*'
  is initially a 12, 2 is deducted and 2D6 rolled again, which if a 7 is a total result of 17.
  The game is then an ongoing dialogue between the Referee and the other Players.
  The Players guiding the Characters declare the actions which their Characters are
  taking, with the Referee doing so for any other Beings present. If a given action is
  feasible and has a clear duration and result, its effect on the situation in the
  World is taken into account and the updated situation is described by the Referee.
  If they cannot agree, the Referee proposes a favourite solution. This is Solution 1.
  If the other Players agree with Solution 1, it is applied. If not, they propose a
  Solution 2, even if this overlaps. If they cannot agree on a 2, 1 is applied after all.
  If the Referee cannot agree with Solution 2, someone rolls  1D2 to determine
  which of the two solutions is applied: a result of 1 is Solution 1; a 2 is Solution 2.
  Three standard rolls - STATE, SCALE and SKILL - can be used to answer common
  questions quickly and simplify any solutions the Players might need to propose.
  Any of these rolls can be modified by a number set by the Players, to adjust the
  range of results and likelihood of an outcome, and better reflect the World. The
  Players can also define new rolls or mechanisms for resolution and set other
  conditions, e.g. cases in which a result may be ignored and the roll made again.
  The flexibility of isophasmic allows material for other systems and settings to be
  used too, even without adaptation.
  If no Die is available, a result for a given Die size
  can be generated using the grid below. Place a
  fingertip at the far left and run it to the right with
  eyes averted and in good faith to an unknown
  column; the number in the given row is the result.
  Print this page once on each side of a sheet of A4 so that the top edge is the same edge on both. Cut between the double lines and fold along the single to create two double-sided booklets. Feel free to give the second to a potential Player.
   
   s o p h a s m
   
   c
  3d2  =
                        1           1           2        =    6 
  3d3* =
                        3           3           3        =    9 
     - 3  +
                        2           1           2        =   11
  L a n d s c a p e s
  W o r l d
  B e i n g s
  E v e n t s
  g e n e r a t i n g  n u m b e r s  -  1
  m a k i n g  d e c i s i o n s
  e x p l o r i n g  t h e  W o r l d
  c r e a t i n g  t h e  W o r l d
  ?  |  → 1  |  ?  |  → 2  |  ?  |  1/2
  c r e a t i n g  C h a r a c t e r s
  John Polycosmith       3
  daring human gamer
  dice bag, notebook, pencil,
  snack, loose change, keys
  s a m p l e  p r o f i l e
  i s o p h a s m i c  l i g h t
  ©  Copyright  John  Polycosmith 2014.  Polycosm
  Publishing, isophasmic and the Polycosm Publishing
  logo are trademarks of  John Polycosmith. All rights
  reserved.  This  work  presents  fiction,  reflects
  subjective personal observation and is made available
  in  support  of  creation  and  exploration  of  such
  material.  No  harm  is  intended  and  no  liability
  accepted for the natures and/or effects of the same.
  This pdf is embedded with subsets of  Gent ium
  P lus, provided for by the Open Font License.
  g e n e r a t i n g  n u m b e r s  -  2
  Where is it, and when?
  Who lives there?
  What does it look like?
  How has it
  developed?
  What's going on ?
  ←   P   ↔   R   ↔   P   →
  1D2
  1
  2
  2
  1
  1
  2
  2
  1
  1
  2
  2
  1
  1
  2
  2
  1
  1
  2
  2
  1
  1
  2
  2
  1
  1D3
  1
  2
  3
  1
  3
  2
  1
  2
  3
  1
  3
  2
  1
  2
  3
  1
  3
  2
  1
  2
  3
  1
  3
  2
  1D6
  3
  5
  1
  2
  4
  6
  1
  5
  3
  6
  4
  2
  3
  5
  1
  2
  4
  6
  1
  5
  3
  6
  4
  2
  SAMPLE  SOLUTIONS   for inspiration, based on rolls including STATE, SCALE and SKILL
  Order of actions?
  Each Player rolls 1D6 + score, +/- 1 per related word etc.; highest is first
  Something near?
  STATE, +/- for Landscape and related Events; does the Ref. roll secretly?
  Detect presence?
  SKILL, using score, +/- 1 per related word etc., incl. behaviour and health
  Nature of group?
  SCALE, for a) no. of types then b) no. in type; SCALE, for attitude on range
  Distribution?
  Roll 1D6: positions of individuals reflect layout of pips or shape of number
  Local features?
  SCALE for no. of dice: roll these onto a surface for positions; results are size
  Attack  /  Defend?
  SKILL, using score, +/- 1 per related word etc., incl. behaviour and health
  Injury inflicted?
  SCALE, based on weapon + deg. of success: reduces victim score(s); death at 0
  Complication?
  STATE, then SCALE for severity; if history, reroll, or roll twice and pick best/worst
  R e c o v e r y ?
  STATE for care; SKILL for diagnosis; SCALE for period to recover 1 score
  Gain in ability?
  STATE per Event or situation, for a new word or +1 to specific ability score
  ™
  i
  i
  light  
  i  sophasm i c
  P o l y c o s m
  P u b l i s h i n g
  P o l y  P
  l i g h t
  STATE  True or not?   Someone rolls 1D6: if the result is 5 or above, this thing is true.
  SCALE  How much?  The Players set a suitable range (e.g. xD3+y), then someone rolls.
  SKILL  Successful?  The Players set a window for success, from 1 (narrow) to 6 (wide);
  the Player guiding the Character attempting the action then rolls 1D6: if
  the result is equal to or below the number, it succeeds, but if equal only just.
  Before each game the Players decide the nature of
  the World in which their Characters are to exist.
  If the feasibility, duration and/or result of an action or any aspect of the current
  situation in the World is unclear, the Players decide how to resolve this problem.
  The Players decide where in the World the Characters are as the game begins,
  why they are together, assuming they are, and what is happening around them.
  The Players decide before a game which Player is Referee. They may decide at any
  time to: a) change Referee; b) allow the Referee to make any or all decisions alone.
   If the situation in the World or the
  realisation of any action is unclear, the Players together decide how to resolve this.
  Unless the Players
  decide otherwise, each Character has a general ability score of 3, and is described
  in three words and assigned up to six related possessions by the creating Player.
  decide how many Characters each of them creates
  decide how many Characters each of them creates
  and guides, as well as any restrictions as to nature.
  The Players
  When the Players have a decision to make they discuss what to do. If they agree,
  the decision is applied: all agreed rolls are made; the Referee updates the World.
  The Players decide how material is included.
  
  isophasmic        | example of play
  Together at a game store, Akira (A), Bobby (B), Chris (C) and
  Deniz (D) decide to play isophasmic, although A can only
  stay for half an hour. They decide that D will be the Referee.
  They discuss the nature of the World. A suggests a high
  fantasy setting and B agrees, adding in aspects of horror and
  sketching a troubled land, with dark forests and labyrinthine
  tombs as key Landscapes. C agrees on horror, but prefers a
  sci-fi feel and proposes the World be at least post-apocalyptic;
  D likes the potential in this for lost technology. The group has
  a good discussion and agrees on a benighted realm enclosed by
  deep fungal woods, with fading folk memories of an ancient collapse
  and haunted tunnels beneath the thin soil. For a key recent Event,
  D suggests that the mists part to reveal the sky is a phosphorescent
  vault formed of fused, decayed craft. A would prefer these to be
  wooden, for a more classical tone, and C likes wood as suitably
  weird, but B and D feel that metal ships are a more evocative
  approach. The group chooses to go on to the solution proposal
  procedure. The Referee, D, opts for 'metal' as Solution 1. But
  A, B and  C cannot agree a Solution 2. Rather than let 1 be
  applied by default, A suggests a compromise, that the materials
  are unclear to the observers. The others agree and this becomes
  Solution 2. D is happy to accept, meaning that no roll need be
  made. For Beings the group agrees that many are descended
  from the crews and cargos of the various ships, but most are native
  flora and fauna. They agree that the people of the realm are largely
  humanoid, of whatever natures the Players choose for their
  Characters. The Players now feel that they have a good starting
  point and know generally what their Characters might know.
  Next they discuss and create Characters. They agree
  that A, B and C will each create and guide one Character at a time,
  while D creates others as needed, secretly, subject to confirmation
  by the group. For speed, and to keep things simple as they get
  used to the game, they agree to use the basic Character profile,
  but allowing extra words at the cost of one item each. A creates a
  fallen elven noble with the full six items, but one of these is
  an enchanted sword of great power so B proposes that each
  unusual feature cost one item extra, capped at two, or the
  other Players add a drawback. A prefers no cap and C agrees,
  hoping to create a powerful psychic, but D sides with B. As
  Referee, D makes B's idea Solution 1. A, B and C cannot agree
  a Solution 2 so 1 is applied: each unusual feature costs one item
  extra, capped at two. For the purposes of counting words they
  agree that hyphenations count as one and conjunctions none, so B
  creates a part-fungal human head forester with five items
  (the hyphenation costs one), C a precognitive, telepathic and
  telekinetic dwarven outcast with one item (two extra words
  and three unusual features). The elf and dwarf carry all of their
  items, but the human keeps a toolbox at the foresters' lodge.
  They discuss how the game begins. D proposes that the
  Characters meet soon after the mists part, with A suggesting
  that the elf sees a chance to take power, B that the head forester
  l i g h t
  craves the light and C that the dwarf is intrigued by the ships:
  they agree that the three meet on a low forest hill, gaze up at the
  vault and consent to travel as one to a near edge. D suggests secret
  SCALE rolls for the number of days it takes and the frequency
  of encounters; the group agrees on 2D6 days of travel at 1D3-1
  encounters per day, all rolled secretly by the Referee. They also
  agree to use the sample solutions for encounters, again for speed.
  The Characters begin exploring the World. B declares
  that the head forester sends an apprentice back to collect the
  tools. The Players disagree on how many foresters there are.
  B suggests five, the others one. As Solution 1,  D proposes
  '1D3+1', but B argues that more helps the party so Solution 2
  is '1D6+1'. D disagrees, to avoid party size becoming unwieldy,
  and 1D2 is rolled: the result is a 2, so Solution 2 is applied. B
  rolls a 3: four foresters. The Players agree that B guides these,
  subject to confirmation, and that the other foresters panicked. A, B
  and C create the new Characters while D makes a list of likely
  encounters, numbering them 1 to 6 so that rolling 1D6 selects
  one randomly. They agree that the lodge is close and that when
  the apprentice returns, they set off.  D rolls secretly as agreed:
  eight days to the near edge and one encounter the first day, which
  is 'funglid tunnel mouth'. All agree with D that the Characters
  are still in the forest and D will use the 'Local features?' solution to
  create the encounter site, rolling 3D6 Dice onto the table for stalk
  positions, with the results rolled reflecting root bulk, the lowest being
  a tunnel mouth. D suggests using 'Something near?' for funglids;
  the others are unsure, but D argues a need for license and they
  agree to a STATE roll for the presence of 1D3 funglids. This shows
  that a funglid is present; they agree that a funglid has a general
  score of 3, plus an infestation score of 1. C suggests that the dwarf
  may have had a premonition; the group agrees that a psychic
  power can be used once per day through a SKILL roll, using score as
  window for success. The attempt fails: they agree that the future
  is clouded. B declares that the head forester attempts 'Detect
  presence?' with a bonus of 2 (1 for 'part-fungal', 1 for 'forester').
  This succeeds; they agree to identify the stalk hiding the funglid
  randomly, assume distance is 1D6x10' and base speed 40' per action
  and use 'Order of actions?'. D rolls highest, going first; the group
  agrees to use a SCALE roll of 1D6 for reaction, 1 strongly negative, 6
  strongly positive, and the Referee interpreting. A 2 is rolled: the
  funglid retreats. At this point D takes a call and has to leave; it
  is almost time for A too. B and C agree that C is the new Referee:
  D gives  C the day total and encounter list and  A, B and C
  agree that B guides the elf. B and C resume. The party advances;
  and in the next round the funglid leaves the site. B declares
  that they approach the mouth, cautiously, and asks for a fuller
  description of the area; C provides it. Identifying a blind spot,
  B has the party circle round, up to the lip. C proposes a STATE
  roll for disturbed fungi and B agrees if there is a bonus for the
  skill of the foresters: none are distrubed. They agree that C will
  create a simple system to generate the tunnels, but  Elliot (E),
  watching the game, offers an unused map. They ask E to join
  in; Fran (F) is interested too. They agree that E will guide the
  foresters, B the elf and F a new Character. If B and C forget one of
  the decisions for creation, the group simply makes it again.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Collections/Duet/RPGS/Flexible Genre & Generic Systems/Isophasmic light.pdf