TEXT: written and illustrated by
  Nich Angell
  COLOSTLE Game System 
  Patent Pending
  All world, story, setting and characters 
  copyright © Nich Angell 2020
  Patreon Digital Content #3
  August 2021
  A SOLO RPG ADVENTURE
  ®
  2-PLAYER 
  CO-OPERATIVE PLAY
  
  2
  
  3
  ADVENTURING TOGETHER
  Adventuring in the Colostle is typically a lonely life. 
  It is not often that one meets another person who 
  is willing to trek out into dangerous Rook-infested 
  lands, brave new territories, and uncover the 
  mysteries of this strange structure... most would 
  rather stay at home, where it is safe.
  But from time to time, the adventuring spirit 
  awakens in two instead of just one. Maybe they’re 
  best friends, partners, a couple, or siblings, but their 
  ambitions align; they want to head out together.
  Adventuring together has its positives and 
  negatives. On the positive side you have each 
  other’s back in combat, being able to work 
  together to formulate strategies to take Rooks 
  down and help defend your partner.
  On the negative side there is the healthy rivalry 
  of 2 adventurers, both looking for treasure, fame 
  and glory, it is an inevitability of the high spirits of 
  adventure, that the fire of competition will light.
  When exploring, one of you might notice 
  something the other doesn’t, after all two pairs of 
  eyes are better than one. And when fighting, you 
  might fall, but your partner will be there to defend 
  you and pick you back up again... maybe...
  
  4
  2-PLAYER GAMEPLAY - EXPLORATION
  Colostle plays a little different when playing with 
  another player. For starters, the journalling aspect 
  of the game takes a bit of a back seat. You can 
  still journal your adventures if you want to, but 
  since you now have another person to talk to 
  about what happens, talking will be the primary 
  way to make your adventures real.
  The game will now take the form of a co-
  operative storytelling game, where both players 
  must discuss out loud how their characters deal 
  with, overcome and explore the prompts thrown 
  at them by the game.
  This is partly done by using your EXPLORATION and 
  COMBAT scores when in each of those phases, 
  but on top of that, there is an additional system 
  that creates more narrative roadblocks for your 
  characters, and will force them to find creative 
  ways to work together, or perhaps disagree.
  EXPLORATION
  The EXPLORATION phase still involves drawing a 
  number of cards and checking those prompts 
  against the encounter table. However, the 
  number of cards drawn and then what happens 
  after that, changes in the 2-player version of the 
  game.
  For starters, to establish how many cards are drawn 
  for the EXPLORATION phase each turn, involves 
  choosing a LEADER of that phase. The LEADER is 
  the character who is narratively taking the lead in 
  that day’s adventuring. You as a pair can decide 
  who the leader is yourselves, but consider using 
  narrative aspects to help decide. Maybe one of 
  you is wounded from a previous battle and so 
  can’t lead this turn, or perhaps one of you is bull-
  headed and confident that they know the right 
  way and so forcefully take the lead.
  The leader draws a number of cards equal to 
  their character’s EXPLORATION score and keeps 
  them in their hand. They then narrate to the other 
  player what they are discovering this phase. As 
  LEADER, they get to sew the prompts together 
  however they like to create the day’s scenario. 
  (For example if they drew ‘Ancient Ruins’ and 
  ‘Cave’ they could decide to combine the 2 into 
  underground ruins)
  After the LEADER has described the setting, the 
  other player gets to draw a single card and check 
  it against the encounter table. This is something 
  that only their character has noticed. They can 
  choose when they want to tell the other player 
  what they have seen. They keep the card secret 
  in their hand until they want to tell the LEADER at 
  which point they reveal the card and tell them.
  They could do this at a pivotal point in the story 
  to make it more interesting (EXAMPLE 2), or for a 
  roleplaying reasons (EXAMPLE 3)
  With the setting described by the LEADER and the 
  additional card either revealed or currently held 
  in secret by the other player, it is then up to the 
  players to decide how that day plays out.
  This can be added to, using the COMPLICATION 
  prompt table (over the page).
  Each ENCOUNTER phase players may also opt to 
  draw from the COMPLICATION table, to affect 
  the narrative this phase even more. This draw 
  can happen at any time and then it is up to the 
  players to discuss what happens and what they 
  do. Once the discussion has reached a natural 
  end, the characters can move on. (EXAMPLE 4).
  With the encounters and any complication 
  completed it is up to the characters to conclude 
  the day’s adventuring and say what each of 
  their characters does to finish that phase’s story, 
  perhaps round the camp-fire.
  If any of the cards drawn trigger a COMBAT 
  scenario then these can be weaved into the 
  day’s story at any point by the players, as part of 
  describing what happens. They can choose to 
  combine the COMPLICATIONS with the COMBAT 
  too if they want. Read on, for the rules for 2-player 
  combat
  
  5
  2-PLAYER GAMEPLAY - COMBAT
  COMBAT
  2-player combat in Colostle pretty much follows 
  the rules in the base book with a couple of 
  additional twists to spice things up, and allow for 
  more dynamic co-op moments to occur.
  Firstly, in order to accommodate 2-players 
  fighting together, the combat scores of your 
  enemies need to be adapted. To do this, simply 
  multiply your enemy’s combat score by 2.  
  See the table below:
  The two of you are victorious in combat if you can 
  defeat the majority of your opponent’s incoming 
  attacks. For example, if you were fighting a 
  Medium Rook, you would need to have defeated 
  4 out of 6 of its incoming attacks.
  The enemy alternates which player they are 
  targeting each round of combat, and the players 
  keep their hand of combat options to themselves. 
  As players, you decide which player is targeted 
  first, perhaps one of you rushes in, or perhaps 
  one of you is weaker and slower and the enemy 
  targets them first.
  Battle proceeds according to the base rules, 
  however, there is a slight twist in battle if you 
  cannot beat the enemy’s attack.
  If the enemy’s current attack targeting you is 
  higher than any of your counter attacks in your 
  hand, you must allocate a weaker attack from 
  your hand and take the wound, as normal.
  At this point however, when you have placed your 
  weaker card down, your partner has the option 
  to step in and defend you, to prevent you from 
  taking a WOUND. They do this by playing one of 
  their cards from their hand in opposition to the 
  enemy’s attack.
  Their card must match or beat the incoming 
  enemy attack to defend.
  Its up to you to describe the awesome moment 
  that happens when one character protects or 
  defends another.
  Obviously doing this leaves your defender with one 
  less card, and it might have been a particularly 
  good one, so its a risk! But it’s worth it to help your 
  friend... isn’t it?
  OPTIONAL BATTLE MODIFIER
  If you decide to engage an enemy you can 
  draw an additional card to tweak its combat 
  score slightly according to the table below. You 
  can only do this once you have decided you are 
  going to engage.
  If you successfully beat an enemy that has had a 
  +1 to its combat score, then both players gain a 
  TREASURE as well as the standard reward.
  COMBO ATTACKS
  At any point in battle, the two of you can opt to do 
  a COMBO ATTACK, in response to any incoming 
  enemy attack. To do this, one of you must indicate 
  to the other player that they think they should go 
  for it, and the other player must agree.
  Then, both players must count down from 3 and 
  play a card. If the suits on the cards match, 
  regardless of their number you have delivered 
  a COMBO CRITICAL HIT! This does 3 WOUNDS of 
  damage to your opponent and reduces their 
  remaining attacks by 3.
  If your suits do not match, the 2 cards you have 
  played are now used and do not return to your 
  hands, and the current enemy attack wounds 
  whichever player it was attacking.
  As players you cannot confer and agree on which 
  suit to play ahead of initiating a COMBO ATTACK, 
  that’s the fun of taking the risk! But what a payoff 
  if you get it right!
  OPPONENT
  SOLO COMBAT SCORE
  CO-OP COMBAT SCORE
  ANOTHER PERSON
  1
  2
  MEDIUM ROOK
  3
  6
  MASSIVE ROOK
  5
  10
  RED
  BLACK
  COMBAT SCORE 
  MODIFIER
  +1
  -1
  
  6
  GAMEPLAY EXAMPLES
  These examples are to illustrate some of the rules 
  described in the previous pages. The examples 
  are from a game of 2-Player Colostle that Nich 
  and Alice are playing. Nich’s character is called 
  ‘Forx’ and Alice’s character is called ‘Zelmae’.
  EXAMPLE 1
  Alice is the LEADER this phase and she drew 
  ‘Ancient Ruins’ and ‘Cave’ for EXPLORATION. She 
  decides to combine these 2 into Underground 
  Ruins.
  EXAMPLE 2
  Alice is the LEADER this phase and has taken 
  the adventure into the Underground Ruins. Nich 
  has secretly drawn the ‘Trap’ card. At one point 
  as the two players are discussing the story, Alice 
  describes an uneven floor that the characters 
  must carefully pick across. Nich decides this would 
  be a great time to play his ‘Trap’ card and says 
  that the floor below their feet breaks opening up 
  a cavernous hole below them.
  EXAMPLE 3
  Forx and Zelmae have had an argument the 
  previous day. Forx accused Zelmae of not being 
  experienced enough for their adventure. Alice, 
  not being the LEADER this turn, drew the ‘Wild 
  Animal’ card and kept it secret, noting in her head 
  that her character Zelmae had noticed they were 
  entering into Boar territory and had dumped any 
  food she was carrying.
  At a certain point in the phase she reveals the Wild 
  Animal card and says that it charges right at Forx, 
  because he is still carrying food. He is knocked 
  off his feet. Zelmae boasts that she was more 
  experienced than Forx because she had noticed 
  they were in Boar territory and Forx hadn’t.
  EXAMPLE 4
  Forx and Zelmae have drawn an adventurer, a 
  small settlement and a cave this EXPLORATION 
  phase. After meeting with the other adventurer 
  and having a nice chat, they head into the town 
  and decide to draw a COMPLICATION for this 
  phase. They draw the Queen of Diamonds and 
  find out that they have been poisoned! As the 
  symptoms set in, they ask around the village and 
  find out that there is a strange character living 
  in a cave in the outskirts of the village, brewing 
  strange pungent potions.
  Their strength fading they head to the cave 
  as their only lead. Sneaking in they find bottles 
  upon bottles of poisons and after a quick search, 
  antidote!
  Forx and Zelmae both swig from the antidote 
  bottle and feel their strength returning as a figure 
  appears in front of them, the adventurer they met 
  earlier! Our two heroes prepare to fight...
  ---
  Playing 2-Player co-op is all about the fun of 
  discussing ‘what could happen’ with your partner, 
  and the solving of the puzzle of how you could 
  sew the various prompts you have received that 
  turn, into something like an episode of a story.
  There are no right or wrong answers, and the 
  prompt’s open-endedness and broad meaning 
  are to allow you to come up with your own way 
  to tell your story.
  In the case of EXAMPLE 4, the complication 
  prompt says that you as players need to work 
  out how you were poisoned and then come up 
  with a way to cure it. The best solutions to the 
  story problems your character’s face, make use 
  of all the prompts. Who could have poisoned us? 
  Well the only person we met before now, was 
  that other adventurer! Don’t be afraid to create 
  situations that change and evolve as you gain 
  more information as players!
  Then, with the ‘cave’ prompt still unused you 
  could make that the shady adventurer’s base of 
  operations for brewing his horrible concoctions 
  and then the scenario is complete!
  
  7
  USING THE ORACLE
  Over the page, along with the complications 
  tables, is also a smaller table called the 2-Player 
  Resolution Oracle.
  Oracles are tables or mechanics in a system that 
  allow for the generation of new content, or the 
  answers to certain questions. Essentially, all the 
  tables in Colostle are a kind of Oracle.
  This Oracle is specifically to help you decide on 
  something when you would rather the outcome 
  was randomised, or out of your player’s hands. 
  Sometimes a situation might perfectly suit your 
  story and so you dictate exactly how it goes down.
  But other times, you might want to see what the 
  universe deals you, and react to that instead.
  There are a few places in the complication tables 
  where it suggests you use this Oracle to establish 
  which player is affected by that event. But don’t 
  feel like this is the only place you can use it.
  Any time your story needs a way to randomly 
  decide on the outcome of something, or to 
  decide which player is affected by something, 
  you can always choose to use the Oracle to add 
  some randomness to your adventure!
  Try to get into the habit of using it often, to keep 
  things fresh and randomised, it will make your 
  adventure all the more fun!
  
  8
  PERSONAL COMPLICATIONS TABLE - RED CARDS
  2-PLAYER RESOLUTION ORACLE
  CARD DRAWN
  PROMPT
  A ACE
  Someone only one of you knows - a figure appears before you, perhaps they were 
  following you, perhaps you just happened upon them. They know one of you, and 
  one of you knows them, but the other might be suspicious...
  2
  Disagreement/Argument - Something you discover this ENCOUNTER phase causes 
  your characters to disagree. Think about your characters NATURE to determine how 
  they might react.
  3
  Bonding - Something you discover this ENCOUNTER phase causes your characters to 
  come a little closer in their relationship. Maybe you overcome an obstacle together 
  or help one another out.
  4
  Ambush! - 2 human bandits attack your two characters. Each player must now run 
  a separate COMBAT encounter of one human opponent, each.
  5
  Helping hand - One of you helps the other this turn. Use the Oracle to find out which 
  one is needing help.
  6
  Loss - One of you loses something important this phase. It could be a weapon or an 
  item. You might be able to recover it, but you’ll need to come up with a plan for 
  how. Use the Oracle to check your plan’s success once you have done it.
  7
  RUN! - You must run from something you cannot fight! Perhaps a huge beast or a 
  rolling Rook that your weapons cannot damage.
  8
  A secret - Something that happens this encounter phase threatens to reveal a secret 
  about one of the players. Use the Oracle to find out which of you has a secret.
  9
  Damaged Item - something important to one of the characters is damaged or 
  broken by the actions this phase. Use the Oracle to find out which character’s item 
  is damaged
  10
  Nemesis - A clue to an enemy/antagonist/opponent from your shared past. They 
  have been this way.
  J
  A wild Rookling appears and wanders up to you both.
  Q
  A strange feeling comes over you both. You are poisoned! Work out how you might 
  have gotten poisoned this ENCOUNTER phase and then come up with a way to 
  cure it.
  K
  +1 to the COMBAT score of any opponent this turn
  CARD DRAWN
  MEANING
  RED
  BAD OUTCOME - NEGATIVE - NO - PLAYER 1 - LEADER
  BLACK
  GOOD OUTCOME - POSITIVE - YES - PLAYER 2 - NON-LEADER
  
  9
  CARD DRAWN
  PROMPT
  A ACE
  One of you is trapped - something you encounter this phase traps one of you. Use 
  the Oracle to find out which of you is trapped.
  2
  Fork in the road - There are 2 paths to choose from. You can split your Encounter 
  prompts across these 2 routes if you like, forcing you to make a decision together 
  which way to go.
  3
  Obstacle - Something blocks your path that cannot be overcome solo. Perhaps a 
  Rookfall in a canyon pass, or a fallen tree...
  4
  Shelter - A heavy weather outbreak forces you both to take shelter. You can use the 
  WEATHER table from the OCEANS section of the rulebook to establish the sudden 
  weather change.
  5
  Challenging Terrain - The terrain ahead is rough and challenging and will slow your 
  progress. Perhaps a desert or a swamp...
  6
  Blockage - You find yourself at an impassable blockage on your path. You will have 
  to come up with another route.
  7
  Collapsing floor! - You both suddenly fall through the floor and find yourselves in a 
  whole new area. You may completely redraw your ENCOUNTER phase cards once 
  this card is revealed.
  8
  Your mount, arm, helm or Rookling breaks down and won’t function normally. 
  Maybe it needs repair work or new parts, but you won’t be able to use it until it is 
  fixed. Use the Oracle to establish which of you this card affects.
  9
  Vantage point - you come across something tall to climb, a Rookhusk or a tall tree. If 
  you choose to climb it, check the Oracle to see how successful your climb is. If you 
  make it to the top, you may draw 2 full sets of ENCOUNTER phases simultaneously 
  and then choose which set you want to make your next ENCOUNTER phase. The set 
  you don’t choose must be discarded.
  10
  If you find an item or treasure this turn, just before you go to pick it up, you notice it 
  might be rigged with a trap...
  J
  If you have drawn a Rook this turn then this card makes it a Massive Rook. But, as 
  it approaches you it collapses and falls down dead. What could have made that 
  happen? A door on its side falls open, if you choose to investigate inside the Rook, 
  you can apply some of this ENCOUNTER phase’s cards to the inside of the Rook. 
  If you have not drawn a Rook this turn then ignore this card.
  Q
  You wake up in a cell! Whatever you have drawn this phase, this card comes first 
  and the other ENCOUNTER cards relate to what you can see around you both inside 
  and outside the cell. You are going to have to come up with a way to get out!
  K
  Sharp Eyes - The Leader draws an additional exploration card this ENCOUNTER 
  phase. They can opt to reveal this when they like within the phase’s discussion.
  ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLICATIONS TABLE - BLACK CARDS
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Colostle.-.2-Player rules.pdf