TEXT:  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Imago Deck 
   
   
  A Freebie Supplement for 
   
  Dead Inside:
  The Roleplaying Game of 
  Loss and Redemption 
   
   
   
  ATOMIC SOCK MONKEY PRESS 
  < http://www.atomicsockmonkey.com > 
   
  
   
  ATOMIC SOCK MONKEY PRESS 
  < http://www.atomicsockmonkey.com > 
  Imago Deck 
  ©2004 Chad Underkoffler 
   
  SHIFT OR FIAT? 
  The Imago Deck is a collection of cards that can be used to 
  enhance your gaming sessions, whether you’re playing the Dead 
  Inside RPG or another roleplaying game. This PDF contains two 
  pages of rules and suggestions, along with ten pages of card text. 
  The card pages break down this way: 
  NOTE - Before starting to use the Imago Deck, the GM 
  should determine if he wants card-play to be on the Shift 
  or Fiat level, and tell the players which they’re using. 
  Shift level simply means that if the card is played in a 
  relevant fashion, it can provide an applicable Upshift or 
  Downshift; if the card isn’t relevant, it simply has no 
  effect. Fiat level means that when the card is played in a 
  relevant fashion, the stated effect just occurs. 
  − Four pages of the Imago Deck proper (Imagos, 1 Soul 
  Point card, 2 Upshifts, and 2 Downshifts). 
  − One page of Damage Rank and Failure Rank cards (see 
  below, Diceless DI). 
  Let’s take an example to show the difference between 
  the two. Say a PC has been caught parking in a 
  handicapped space by a cop, and has gotten into an 
  altercation. Luckily, the player has the Father: Authority 
  card in his hand, and plays it to influence the argument 
  with the police officer, saying “Listen, I have a right to 
  be here!” If cards are being used at the Shift level, the 
  card could provide an Upshift to whatever Quality the 
  PC is using for the argument (if the GM accepts the 
  play). If cards are being used at the Fiat level, the player 
  could instantly win the argument: in the cop’s eyes, he 
  does have the Authority to park there (again, if the GM 
  accepts the play).  
  − One page of “Character Sheet” cards. 
  − One page of Quality Cards. 
  − One page of Upshifts and Downshifts (see below, 
  Diceless DI). 
  − One page of Soul Point cards. 
  − One page of Virtue & Vice cards. 
  − One page of card backs. 
  PRINTING OPTIONS 
  Simply print out the pages with cards on heavy paper stock, cut 
  along the gray lines, and shuffle them together. Alternately, the 
  cards can be printed on pre-scored business card forms. 
  Another option is to print them out on label sheets and stick 
  them to index cards. 
  Each player gets three cards at the beginning of a session. They 
  may play them at any time, stating how the card effect is 
  relevant. If the GM accepts the explanation and incorporates 
  the idea (modifying it to fit the Scenario better, if necessary), the 
  player gets to draw a new card. If the GM chooses not to 
  incorporate the player’s idea, the card is simply discarded, and 
  the player does not draw a new one.  
  HOW TO USE 
  There are four major ways to use the Imago Deck in a 
  roleplaying game: 
  But how does this work in practice? 
  1. 
  Imago Deck Proper: To allow the players to control or 
  influence elements of the game that are normally 
  outside the scope of what their PCs can effect. 
  Relevance is what’s important here: each card has an Effect 
  listed under the controlling Imago’s name. Depending upon 
  how generous a GM wants to be with evaluating an Effect, the 
  Imago Deck can be very powerful. For example, a player may 
  attempt to play the Family: Hidden Connections card to “discover” 
  a secret tunnel between the master bedroom and library of the 
  mansion. Some GMs will feel that’s a perfectly kosher use of the 
  card, while other GMs will veto it, feeling that the intent is 
  aimed at hidden connections between characters rather than 
  locations. Do whatever is most fun for your group. For what it’s 
  worth, “loose interpretations” can make cards much more 
  useful. 
  2. 
  Diceless DI: To replace dice in the central DI 
  mechanics. 
  3. 
  Idea Mine: To help spark GM creativity in coming up 
  with Scenes and Virtue & Vice Checks. 
  4. 
  Handy Handouts: Just a neat way to keep track of PC 
  information. 
  Imago Deck Proper 
  The basic Imago Deck consists of the first four card pages (35 
  Imago cards, 1 Soul Point, 2 Upshifts, and 2 Downshifts). Some 
  GMs may want to add in the Virtue & Vice cards, additional 
  Soul Points, more Shifts, etc. It’s really up to how your group 
  decides to use them. 
  Players can use the cards in the Imago Deck to affect any 
  character – or even elements of the setting – to make things 
  easier, harder, more interesting, or more fun during a session. 
  The Imago Deck allows players to take a share in the narrative 
  power of the game... provided they have the right cards, can give 
  a good rationalization for the card’s use in that situation, and 
  can convince the GM that the rationalization is cool.  
  1 
  
  2 
   
  THE IMAGO CARDS 
  Imago 
  Effect 
  Anima/us 
  Cause Desire 
  Anima/us 
  Form Relationship 
  Anima/us 
  Break Relationship 
  Anima/us 
  Understand Relationship 
  Child 
  Innocence 
  Child 
  Salvation 
  Child 
  Pity 
  Child 
  Abandonment 
  Family 
  Hidden Connections 
  Family 
  Social Structure 
  Family 
  Place of Safety 
  Father 
  Belonging 
  Father 
  Authority 
  Father 
  Prohibition 
  Mother 
  Nurture 
  Mother 
  Support 
  Mother 
  Permission 
  Nemesis 
  Thwart 
  Nemesis 
  Reversal 
  Shadow 
  Survival 
  Shadow 
  Appetite 
  Shadow 
  Creation 
  Shadow 
  Play 
  Shadow 
  Curiosity 
  Syzygy 
  Know Desire 
  Syzygy 
  Weakness into Strength 
  Syzygy 
  Strength into Weakness 
  The Voice 
  Yes or No? 
  The Voice 
  What Must Be Done 
  Trickster 
  Weigh the Risks 
  Trickster 
  Follow the Rules 
  Trickster 
  Break the Rules 
  Wise Old 
  Wisdom 
  Wise Old 
  Answers 
  Wise Old 
  Questions 
   
  − At least two more copies of the Upshift/Downshift 
  card page should be printed out. The Imago and 
  Virtue & Vice cards can also be used at the GM’s 
  option, to break up the monotony of just shifts.  
  − Each player gets five cards at the start of the game; 
  the GM also gets five. 
  − The players or GM can play up to two cards per 
  turn, either as an action or a reaction, to 
  temporarily change a relevant Quality Rank of any 
  character or a relevant Difficulty Rank of any part 
  of the setting. A Good [+2] climber could play an 
  Upshift on himself to temporarily become an Expert 
  [+4] Climber, and thus able to scale a Good [+2] wall. 
  Or, he could play a Downshift on the Difficulty Rank 
  of the wall, temporarily degrading it to Average [0], and 
  thus below his climber Rank. 
  − Players draw new cards (sufficient to fill their hand 
  to five) at the beginning of a new Scene.  
  − GMs must play (or discard) all of their cards before 
  drawing new ones. 
  − Conflict situations are resolved by comparing 
  Quality Ranks. Damage or Failure Ranks applied to 
  an unsuccessful defender are equal to the difference 
  between Ranks after being modified by cards. Thus: 
  o 
  Attacker’s Rank is lower than defender’s Rank: 
  No Damage or Failure Ranks accrued. 
  o 
  Attacker’s Rank is equal to defender’s Rank: One 
  Damage or Failure Rank accrued by attacker 
  and defender. 
  o 
  Attacker’s Rank is one Rank higher than 
  defender’s Rank: One Damage or Failure Rank 
  accrued by defender. 
  o 
  Attacker’s Rank is two Ranks higher than 
  defender’s Rank: Two Damage or Failure 
  Ranks accrued by defender; and so forth. 
  Idea Mine 
  If pressed for ideas on how to utilize Imagos or central conflicts 
  for Scenes, inspiration is just three draws away. The GM should 
  shuffle the Imago Deck and draw three cards, then try to 
  explain how the three Effects interrelate. For example, Trickster: 
  Break the Rules, Wise Old: Answers, and Father: Prohibition could 
  spark the concept of a Kobayashi Maru-esque adventure where 
  the only way to correctly find the solution to a problem is to 
  “think outside the box.” For another GM, those three cards will 
  probably inspire a different type of adventure – like a powerful 
  authority figure coming down hard on a seditious rebel, a la 
  Harlan Ellison’s short story “’Repent Harlequin,’ said the 
  Ticktockman.” 
  Diceless DI 
  Handy Handouts 
  The Imago Deck can also be used to play DI without dice. A 
  few quick rules modifications are needed: 
  As an alternative to a character sheet, the PC cards, Quality 
  cards, and Soul Point cards can be used to provide a more tactile 
  way to have a character’s information right at hand. For 
  example, instead of the GM saying “Add a Soul Point to your 
  Pool,” he can give a Soul Point card directly to the player. 
  − Everything is a simple situation. That means that a 
  Good [+2] climber cannot normally climb a Good [+2] 
  wall without help. 
  − Cards are played at the Shift level.  
  
   
  Anima/us 
  Cause Desire 
   
   
  Anima/us 
  Form Relationship 
   
   
  Anima/us 
  Break Relationship 
   
   
  Anima/us 
  Understand Relationship 
   
   
  Child 
  Innocence 
   
   
  Child 
  Salvation 
   
   
  Child 
  Pity 
   
   
  Child 
  Abandonment 
   
   
  Family 
  Hidden Connections 
   
   
  Family 
  Social Structure 
   
  
   
  Family 
  Place of Safety 
   
   
  Father 
  Belonging 
   
   
  Father 
  Authority 
   
   
  Father 
  Prohibition 
   
   
  Mother 
  Nurture 
   
   
  Mother 
  Support 
   
   
  Mother 
  Permission 
   
   
  Nemesis 
  Thwart 
   
   
  Nemesis 
  Reversal 
   
   
  Shadow 
  Survival 
   
  
   
  Shadow 
  Appetite 
   
   
  Shadow 
  Creation 
   
   
  Shadow 
  Play 
   
   
  Shadow 
  Curiosity 
   
   
  Syzygy 
  Know Desire 
   
   
  Syzygy 
  Strength into Weakness 
   
   
  Syzygy 
  Weakness into Strength 
   
   
  The Voice 
  Yes or No? 
   
   
  The Voice 
  What Must Be Done 
   
   
  Trickster 
  Weigh the Risks 
   
  
   
  Trickster 
  Follow the Rules 
   
   
  Trickster 
  Break the Rules 
   
   
  Wise Old 
  Wisdom 
   
   
  Wise Old 
  Answers 
   
   
  Wise Old 
  Questions 
   
   Soul Point 
   
   
  Upshift 
   
   
  Upshift 
   
   Downshift 
   
   Downshift 
   
  
   
  Damage 
  Rank 
   
   
  Failure 
  Rank 
   
   
  Damage 
  Rank 
   
   
  Failure 
  Rank 
   
   
  Damage 
  Rank 
   
   
  Failure 
  Rank 
   
   
  Damage 
  Rank 
   
   
  Failure 
  Rank 
   
   
  Damage 
  Rank 
   
   
  Failure 
  Rank 
   
  
   
  Name 
  _____________ 
   
   
  Name 
  _____________ 
   
   
  Personality 
  _____________ 
   
   
  Personality 
  _____________ 
   
   
  Backstory 
   
  Virtue 
   
  Vice 
   
   
   
  Backstory 
   
  Virtue 
   
  Vice 
   
   
   
  Soul Loss 
   
  Discovery 
   
   
   
  Soul Loss 
   
  Discovery 
   
   
   
  Miscellany 
   
   
  Miscellany 
   
  
   
  Master [+6] 
  _____________ 
   
   
  Master [+6] 
  _____________ 
   
   
  Expert [+4] 
  _____________ 
   
   
  Expert [+4] 
  _____________ 
   
   
  Good [+2] 
  _____________ 
   
   
  Good [+2] 
  _____________ 
   
   
  Average [0] 
  _____________ 
   
   
  Average [0] 
  _____________ 
   
   
  Poor [-2] 
  _____________ 
   
   
  Poor [-2] 
  _____________ 
   
  
   
  Upshift 
   
   Downshift 
   
   
  Upshift 
   
   Downshift 
   
   
  Upshift 
   
   Downshift 
   
   
  Upshift 
   
   Downshift 
   
   
  Upshift 
   
   Downshift 
   
  
   Soul Point 
   
   Soul Point 
   
   Soul Point 
   
   Soul Point 
   
   Soul Point 
   
   Soul Point 
   
   Soul Point 
   
   Soul Point 
   
   Soul Point 
   
   Soul Point 
   
   
  
   
  Virtue 
  Integrity 
   
   
  Virtue 
  Hope 
   
   
  Virtue 
  Fortitude 
   
   
  Virtue 
  Generosity 
   
   
  Virtue 
  Courtesy 
   
   
  Vice 
  Hypocrisy 
   
   
  Vice 
  Despair 
   
   
  Vice 
  Cowardice 
   
   
  Vice 
  Avarice 
   
   
  Vice 
  Cruelty 
   
  
  Imago 
   
  Deck 
  Imago 
   
  Deck 
  Imago 
   
  Deck 
  Imago 
   
  Deck 
  Imago 
   
  Deck 
  Imago 
   
  Deck 
  Imago 
   
  Deck 
  Imago 
   
  Deck 
  Imago 
   
  Deck 
  Imago 
   
  Deck 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dead Inside (PDQ)/Dead Inside - Imago Deck.pdf