TEXT: That Oh So Little Death
  A Dessert RPG of the Sacred and Profane
  an Iron Game Chef Entry for 2006
  Mendel Schmiedekamp
  March 19, 2006
  Forward
  This game is the last in a Full Course of Love and Death, a quintology of RPGs. It is
  the dessert, and has been design to add a delightful twist to the chronicles of Love and
  Death through which the players have already ventured. What the other games have danced
  around, That Oh So Little Death embraces. When played as the dessert, each player should
  choose a character from a previous RPG in the course, and should remake them for this
  game. In many cases, the archetypes below will make that an easy matter. As playing That
  Oh So Little Death in this way, consider how the events of the previous game could have
  been simply a metaphor for the activities in this one. Like all games in this Full Course,
  That Oh So Little Death is intended for ﬁve players, ideally the same ﬁve who started this
  journey with Escape from Prince Charming.
  As a game designed for Iron Game Chef 2006, it is necessary to discuss the allotments
  made for that contest. Indeed, for the theme of time, That Oh So Little Death fulﬁlls the
  single session of 2 hours requirement. And it uses all of the contest terms: Glass, Committee,
  Ancient, Emotion, Law, Actor, Steel, and Team.
  Author’s Note
  That Oh So Little Death is a RPG about sex. Simply put, the players all take on the roles
  of characters who are engaging in sex, seeking heights of emotional, physical, and spiritual
  pleasures. And at the most basic level, that’s all it is. But many things in art and ﬁction are
  metaphor for sex, and sex itself is a metaphor for many things. This is a game that explores
  those boundaries, and uses them to allow the players to break down the entire arena that is
  sex, and see it as it is, as interactions between people.
  Games are languages, and RPGs are especially languages of what they express. With the
  sexual, words often fail us. What That Oh So Little Death attempts to do is provide a lan-
  guage of relationships, not words, and so gives another way to understand and communicate.
  If it helps, then I am glad. But either way, I hope you enjoy this game.
  1
  
  Into the Fray
  A game of That Oh So Little Death consists of a single short session, with each character
  attempting to provide the others with various pleasure of the emotional, physical, and spir-
  itual kinds. Characters are simply a name and an archetype and what ever description the
  player wishes to add. Play goes around the group, as each player describes what his or her
  character is attempting to do, and determines how well the action is received.
  For example:
  A’s character Vera, an angel has just enticed and B’s character Doran, a beast, with the
  emotional foreplay by blowing across his back. It’s now B’s turn to narrate.
  B: Alright, Doran’s going to reciprocate. He turns to Vera and lays her down on a cush-
  ion. Loosening her robe he runs his ﬁngers along her stomach and chest, he’s trying to get
  her ready for more physical activity.
  B decides that this is a d6 emotion roll, and following the Law of Glass, reaches for a
  d4 physical and a d1 spiritual. Rolling all of them, B gets a 3 on the d6 and a 4 on the d4.
  Vera’s pleasures are at 3 emotion, 2 physical, and 4 spiritual. So that gives her +1 emotion,
  since B’s roll equaled or exceeded her emotion, and a -1 physical because Law of Stone comes
  into eﬀect with a roll at least double. Doran’s exuberance caused a loss of one pleasure in
  that category, but Doran can use his beast archetype to re-roll his physical die, and does so,
  rolling a 1. That’s not enough for Vera to gain physical pleasure, but it ensures she doesn’t
  lose any.
  A decides that Vera wants more, and plays one of Vera’s preference cards. It turns out
  to be a turn-oﬀ.
  A: Unfortunately Vera has a very ticklish stomach, and she starts chuckling uncontrollably
  as Doran runs his ﬁngers down it.
  The turn-oﬀ reverses the emotional gain, putting Vera at 2 emotion, 2 physical, and 4 spir-
  itual. If it had been a turn on then her emotional gain would have doubled, giving her a 5
  emotion.
  Because That Oh So Little Death involves sensitive themes, it is important for play-
  ers to set some ground rules. All the players should agree to what sort of language will
  be used. This can run from innuendo only, through technical terms only, as far as nothing
  banned. It is important to set these limits before playing, and especially listing any words
  which a player wishes to never be used. A second limitation is how far the characters will
  go. This is best done by going around the group a few times and having each person say a
  thing they would rather not have in the game. Everyone must add at least one thing to this
  list, and ideally two. This way a player with a speciﬁc concern will not feel singled out.
  Ultimately That Oh So Little Death is a game about trust. For this reason, the last
  2
  
  thing the players should do before starting playing this game is to agree on a safe word,
  like “aardvark” or “safeword”. Sometimes another player brings up something you would
  have mentioned as forbidden, but it never even occurred to you. In that case just say the
  safe word, and roll things back to before the narration. Add the problem area to the list,
  and continuing playing once everyone is ready.
  That Oh So Little Death works only if
  the players work toward trusting each other, and remain aware of each other’s responses.
  You may want to have your boundaries pushed, but that doesn’t mean letting yourself be
  emotionally harmed.
  There is nothing wrong with calling the safe word, and using it shows the other players
  that you trust them enough not to push that button. Sometimes however, trust fails. If
  a player continues to push something placed on the list, then the game should be stopped.
  Not every group will be able to play That Oh So Little Death, and the players should not
  be afraid to stop playing if they ﬁnd themselves within a group which cannot.
  Choosing Who You Are
  Making your character in That Oh So Little Death is a simple matter. First choose a name.
  Then choose an archetype card, from the following list. This card gives you room to record
  your emotional, physical, and spiritual pleasure, as well as a special ability.
  • The Actor - The actor is most at home in someone else’s identity. The actor ap-
  proaches sex as a series of roles, each building on the last, perhaps leading toward a
  time when masks are not longer needed. The actor starts with 2 emotional, 4 physical,
  and 3 spiritual pleasure. When narrating a scene the actor may impose roles on both
  everyone involved. When doing this, the actor chooses a color. When the dice are
  rolled, the actor may re-roll a die of that color.
  • The Ancient - The ancient is the most knowledgeable of the lovers. As the elder, the
  ancient brings a wide array of experiences, but this can be a mixed bag. The ancient
  starts with 3 emotional, 3 physical, and 3 spiritual pleasure. The ancient contributes
  and is dealt a total of six preferences.
  • The Angel - A creature of reﬁned spirituality, the angel seeks to elevate the act of
  sex into an almost religious experience. The angel starts with 3 emotional, 2 physical,
  and 4 spiritual pleasure. When narrating, the angel may re-roll a spiritual die.
  • The Beast - A creature of animalistic drives, the beast is focused on the physical, on
  lusts and passions. This focus gives the beast a special insight into the pleasures of the
  body. The beast starts with 3 emotional, 4 physical, and 2 spiritual pleasure. When
  narrating, the beast may re-roll a physical die.
  • The Fiend - The ﬁend is warped and twisted monster. So obsessed with pain and
  pleasure, the ﬁend knows how in the heights of passion the two can be mixed. The
  ﬁend starts with 2 emotion, 3 physical, and 4 spiritual pleasure. The ﬁend may use
  turn-oﬀs of other characters as though they were turn-ons.
  3
  
  • The God - Passionate and bold, the god is always getting into trouble. Especially
  romantic trouble. Ever ready, gods are all too willing to engage in any sort of physical
  pleasure, and are just as ready to abandon it. The god starts with 2 emotional, 4
  physical, and 1 spiritual pleasure. The god is immune to the eﬀects of the law of stone.
  • The Goddess - Sensual and sultry, the goddess is always looking for her own brand
  of special pleasures. But she is as ﬁckle as her counterpart. The goddess starts with 4
  emotional, 2 physical, and 1 spiritual pleasure. The goddess is immune to the eﬀects
  of the law of stone.
  • The Innocent - The opposite of the ancient, the innocent has the least experience
  with the pleasures of the ﬂesh and soul. This also means the innocent lacks the bad
  experiences that laden others. The innocent starts with 2 emotional, 2 physical, and
  2 spiritual pleasure. The innocent contributes and is dealt a total of two preferences,
  and all the innocent’s preferences are turn-ons.
  • The Legend - A steeped in heroic deeds and dashing manner, the legend walks a path
  that is truly larger than life. The legend’s presence alone is alluring, but seduction
  only masks an inner loneliness. The legend starts with 4 emotional, 3 physical, and 2
  spiritual pleasure. When narrating, the legend may re-roll a emotional die.
  • The Noble - Reﬁned and decadent, the noble is well used to being served by others,
  both mundanely and in the ways of desire. But this very way of the life leaves the
  noble less able to connect with others. The noble starts with 3 emotional, 3 physical,
  and 1 spiritual pleasure. The noble may re-roll one die when the subject of an action
  using law of the team.
  • The Servant - Reserved and passive, the servant is unused to being the subject of
  other’s attentions. The servant has learned to predict and understand others, but is
  also used to being neglected. The servant starts with 4 emotional, 2 physical, and 3
  spiritual pleasure. The servant may re-roll one die when narrating an action using law
  of the committee.
  Once you’ve chosen an archetype take two black playing cards and two red playing cards.
  The Innocent only takes one of each, while the Ancient takes three of each.
  Then one
  player takes all the cards and shuﬄes them, dealing the same number back as each player
  contributed face down in front of the player. These cards are the character’s preferences,
  various turn-ons (red cards) and turn-oﬀs (black cards). No player may look at these cards
  until they are revealed using the law of preference.
  Mind, Body, and Soul
  The goal of That Oh So Little Death is to reach the upper heights of pleasure. Pleasure
  comes in three colors. Emotional pleasure is the pleasure of sensuality and the mind. It is
  the pleasure of sights and sounds and seduction. Physical pleasure is the pleasure of the
  body. It is direct and unabashed. Spiritual pleasure is the pleasure of connection and unity.
  4
  
  It is found in shared looks and rhythms and in the loss of self. Pleasure is counted in these
  three colors, and all the characters seek to gain more an more pleasure hopefully leading to
  the perfect ten.
  When preparing a session of That Oh So Little Death, a small number of dice and tokens
  of three colors should be gathered. Each color should be associated with a color of pleasure,
  and when rolls are made to increase pleasure, they will be made using dice of the appropriate
  color. In each color of pleasure there should be a d12, a d10, a d8, a d6, and a d4. There
  should also be a token or bead of that color as well, acting as the d1. Only one die of each
  size and color will be needed.
  Once these are prepared, the game is ready to begin.
  Laws of Love
  Once everyone is ready to begin to play That Oh So Little Death, choose one player to begin,
  and then have each player in turn narrate and resolve a short attempt to pleasure one or
  more characters. Each attempt is resolved using the Laws of Love, and then the next player
  has the chance to narrate.
  • Law of Pleasure - Pleasure builds scene after scene. That is the underlying movement
  of That Oh So Little Death. But to build pleasure, everything must become more
  intense. When a die is rolled to increase a character’s pleasure, if it equals or exceeds
  the current pleasure of that color, then that color pleasure increases by one. If it rolls
  lower then it has no eﬀect. Equal or Above → +1
  • Law of Glass - The mind is the greatest ally, and greatest barrier, to sexuality. It is
  the window to the deeper levels, but it is fragile. When a player narrates a sensual or
  verbal activity he or she chooses any emotion die. The law of glass then adds the next
  smallest physical die, and the spiritual die two sizes smaller, if possible. For example,
  a sensual narration can provide a d8 emotion, d6 physical, and a d4 spiritual or it can
  provide a d4 emotion, d1 physical, and no spiritual, but it cannot provide a d8 emotion,
  d6 spiritual, and d4 physical. To put it another way, the emotional leads to physical
  pleasure, leading to spiritual pleasure, the body cannot be bypassed. Emotional →
  Physical → Spiritual
  • Law of Steel - Sexuality is an innately physical thing, and the body is the driving
  force behind it. It pushes, but can push too far and too fast. When a player narrates a
  physical activity he or she chooses any physical die. The law of steel then adds the next
  smallest spiritual die, and the emotional die two sizes smaller, if possible. For example,
  a physical narration can provide a d8 physical, d6 spiritual, and a d4 emotional or it
  can provide a d4 physical, d1 spiritual, and no emotional, but it cannot provide a d8
  physical, d6 emotional, and d4 spiritual. To put it another way, the physical leads to
  the connection needed for spiritual pleasure, leading to emotional pleasure, but this
  connection cannot be bypassed. Physical → Spiritual → Emotional
  • Law of Light - Sexuality is about contact and connection, and spiritual pleasure is
  exactly that. But that same connection can be terrifying for the unprepared. When a
  5
  
  player narrates a connection building between his or her character and another, he or
  she chooses any physical die. The law of light then adds the next smallest emotional
  die, and the physical die two sizes smaller, if possible. For example, a narration of
  connection can provide a d8 spiritual, d6 emotional, and a d4 physical or it can provide
  a d4 spiritual, d1 emotional, and no physical, but it cannot provide a d8 spiritual, d6
  emotional, and d4 physical. To put it another way, the spiritual connection leads to the
  sensuality of emotion, leading to physical pleasure, but the mind cannot be bypassed.
  Spiritual → Emotional→ Physical
  • Law of Stone - Intensity drives to higher passions, but too much too quickly can
  quell those same passions. Care must be used to build the intensity, not simply rush
  ahead. If a die is rolled to increase a character’s pleasure and it equal or exceeds twice
  the character’s pleasure of the same color, then the Law of Pleasure is not used, and
  the pleasure is reduced by one. Double or Above → -1
  • Law of the Team - The essence of the team is to cooperate on a common goal. And
  when that goal is pleasure the work can be that much sweeter. But team members
  must work together. When you narrate, you may invite as many other characters as
  your revealed preferences, each may participate, but only one of each die and color can
  be used. So for example, if the narrator is doing an emotional d8, and the teammate
  is trying a spiritual d6, the law of glass and the law of light would have them both roll
  a physical d4, but only one such die is rolled. Invite Teammates up to Revealed
  & Only One of Each Die Size and Type
  • Law of the Committee - A committee evaluates a topic of interest, and decides if
  it is suﬃcient. When the topic leans to pleasure the evaluation become even harsher.
  When you narrate you may aﬀect additional characters up to your revealed preferences,
  using the same dice. But you always use the worst result for each color of pleasure. For
  example, if you rolled above the Actor’s emotional pleasure, but not the Angel’s, then
  neither of them would gain emotional pleasure. Extra Subjects up to Revealed →
  One Roll, Use Worst Results for Each Color
  • Law of Preference - People rarely come into sex without biases.
  These can be
  helpful, giving their partners a useful way to enhance their enjoyment. They can also
  be catastrophic, causing an innocuous act to become threatening. Preference cards
  are these biases. Whenever a character is the subject of a narration and the dice have
  been rolled, a preference card can be revealed. If it is red, then the current activity is
  a turn-on, and is written as such on the archetype card. Revealing a turn-on doubles
  the pleasure gains of the narration. If the card is black, then the current activity is
  a turn-oﬀ, and is also written on the archetype card. Revealing a turn-oﬀ reverses
  the pleasure gains, subtracting rather than adding. Lastly, once revealed a turn-on
  can be used in a narration one more time when that character is the subject. This
  also doubles the pleasure gains, but the turn-on must be used before dice are rolled.
  Revealing After Roll → Red = Turn-on Doubles, Black = Turn-oﬀ Reverses
  & Narrate Revealed Turn-on → Doubles
  6
  
  • Law of Experience - Like any activity, sex is something people can get better at.
  Experience can be beneﬁcial, and using that experience can help give that extra little
  push. When a narrator has more revealed preferences than all subjects, that player
  may modify one die roll by 1, after they are rolled. More Revealed → Modify a
  Die by 1
  • Law of Self - While pleasuring others is the central activity of That Oh So Little
  Death, self-pleasure is something which has a place. When a player narrates, he or she
  may choose to have the character self-stimulate, or reign things in. If the ﬁrst case,
  the player may roll any one emotion or physical die. Spiritual pleasure can never be
  gained alone. Alternatively, the player may choose a pleasure color and reduce it by
  the value of a d4. This is especially useful if his or her character has been pleasured
  past 10. Roll Either Emotion or Physical or Reduce One Pleasure by d4
  In Search of Something
  That Oh So Little Death uses rotating narration. Each player in turn gets to add an action,
  and then passing to the next player. As pleasure builds it is important to keep thing ﬂowing.
  What does is the elusive goal of the perfect ten. While each pleasure rating goes up to 12,
  the perfect ten is when all the pleasures are 10 at the once. This is a subtle state, and a
  game of Oh So Little Death lasts until a character achieves it.
  What happens then? Perfect ten has many diﬀerent meanings. It could be the attainment
  of the perfect pleasure. It could be surpassing the boundaries of self. It could be a little
  death. Or it could be the big one. Which is up to you to decide.
  7
  
  That Oh So Little Death Play Contract
  Language:
  Bannings:
  Safe Word:
  8
  
  The Actor
  The Ancient
  When narrating a scene the actor may
  The ancient contributes and is dealt a
  impose roles on both everyone involved.
  total of six preferences.
  When doing this, the actor chooses a
  color. When the dice are rolled, the
  Pleasure
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  actor may re-roll a die of that color.
  Emotional 0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Pleasure
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  Physical
  0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Emotional 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Spiritual
  0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Physical
  0 0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Preferences:
  type
  used
  Spiritual
  0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  Preferences:
  type
  used
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  The Angel
  The Beast
  When narrating, the angel may re-roll
  When narrating, the beast may re-roll
  a spiritual die.
  a physical die.
  Pleasure
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  Pleasure
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  Emotional 0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Emotional 0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Physical
  0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Physical
  0 0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Spiritual
  0 0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Spiritual
  0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Preferences:
  type
  used
  Preferences:
  type
  used
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  The Fiend
  The God
  The ﬁend may use revealed turn-oﬀs
  The god is immune to the eﬀects
  as turn-ons.
  of the law of stone.
  Pleasure
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  Pleasure
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  Emotional 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Emotional 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Physical
  0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Physical
  0 0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Spiritual
  0 0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Spiritual
  ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Preferences:
  type
  used
  Preferences:
  type
  used
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  9
  
  The Goddess
  The Innocent
  The goddess is immune to the eﬀects
  The innocent contributes and is dealt a
  of the law of stone.
  total of two preferences, and all the
  innocent’s preferences are turn-ons.
  Pleasure
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  Pleasure
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  Emotional 0 0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Emotional 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Physical
  0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Physical
  0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Spiritual
  ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Spiritual
  0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Preferences:
  type
  used
  Preferences:
  type
  used
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  The Legend
  The Noble
  When narrating, the legend may re-roll
  The noble may re-roll one die
  a emotional die.
  when the subject of an action using
  law of the team.
  Pleasure
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  Pleasure
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  Emotional 0 0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Emotional 0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Physical
  0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Physical
  0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Spiritual
  0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Spiritual
  ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Preferences:
  type
  used
  Preferences:
  type
  used
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  The Servant
  The Other
  The servant may re-roll one die when
  Make Your Own:
  narrating an action using law of
  the committee.
  Pleasure
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  Pleasure
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  Emotional 0 0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Emotional 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Physical
  0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Physical
  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Spiritual
  0 0 ∅ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Spiritual
  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Preferences:
  type
  used
  Preferences:
  type
  used
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  on / oﬀ
  0
  10
  
  Laws of Love Cheat Sheet
  • Law of Pleasure - Equal or Above → +1
  • Law of Glass - Emotional → Physical → Spiritual
  • Law of Steel - Physical → Spiritual → Emotional
  • Law of Light - Spiritual → Emotional→ Physical
  • Law of Stone - Double or Above → -1
  • Law of the Team - Invite Teammates up to Revealed & Only
  One of Each Die Size and Type
  • Law of the Committee - Extra Subjects up to Revealed →
  One Roll, Use Worst Results for Each Color
  • Law of Preference - Revealing After Roll → Red = Turn-on
  Doubles, Black = Turn-oﬀ Reverses & Narrate Revealed Turn-on
  → Doubles
  • Law of Experience - More Revealed → Modify a Die by 1
  • Law of Self - Roll Either Emotion or Physical or Reduce One
  Pleasure by d4
  11
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Collaborative & Peer & Gm-less & Shifting GM/Full Course of Love and Death/Oh_So_Little_Death.pdf