Roleplaying Guidelines

Roleplaying, like acting, is imagining yourself in the place of another person -real or fictional- and playing out the role as if you were them. In the context of Horizon: out of the ashes, this means taking part in the events of a story by assuming the role of a fictional character. Unlike in a play or movie however, Characters in a roleplaying game are not only created by the storyteller. Instead, each Player may create a Character for themselves, then use the strengths and abilities of their Character to play out the adventure. This Character can be anyone and do anything, limited only by the setting and the rules of the game.

Also unlike traditional media, a roleplaying adventure can be different every time you play. In the role of your Character, you begin by exploring mysterious events or desperate struggles created by the storyteller, but as the story unfolds, your choices and actions shape the events that follow and can change how the story ends: for better or worse. You can also make any number of Characters, so if you feel like a change of pace, the sky is the limit! While you're only able to play one Character at a time, the experience can still be fresh and new each time you play. In our game, we recommend a group of 4 Players, though more or fewer is always possible.

The last element of roleplaying is the storyteller, referred to in Horizon: out of the ashes as, “The Director”. This person creates the story and oversees events as they play out. Players have total control over their Characters, but the world they explore is imagined and created by the Director. In the event that something happens with an uncertain outcome, the Director decides the result. In this way, stories can be very flexible, so no matter what Characters or events happen to collide, it's always possible to have a great experience. Have a cool story idea? Get some friends together and have fun!

Roleplaying games are often complex and there can be a lot to keep track of. In the beginning this can feel a little overwhelming so here we're going to cover the basics of how our game works. The first things you need to know are the roles of Player and Director along with what each entails. Next, we cover how to be a good roleplayer, then we move on to describe the mechanics of play, like making tests and rolling dice.

PLAYERS

The Player is you! Players make up the majority of any roleplay group and play the part of Characters in a story. Every Player may create a unique Character for themselves to play as during their adventures, acting as that Character when making decisions or taking action. Players normally have total control over the actions of their own Character and whenever that Character does something, it should normally be the Player who decides when or how.

Sometimes this may change however; for example, your Character may be unaware of something and the Director may make a test on your behalf to see if your Character detects it. In this case a request from your Director to “make an Awareness test” will immediately alert you to potential danger or opportunity and completely ruin the surprise. This makes it reasonable that sometimes the Director may test for you in secret, even if you would normally be in total control.

This also leads naturally to next point: within reason, you should play the Character, not yourself. Situations may arise in which your Character doesn't know something that you do in real life, or they may be convinced of some deception that you would never believe if you heard it in real life. Part of the fun in playing with fictional Characters is that they aren't you, but along with the awesome abilities you don't have also come certain weaknesses you don't have either. Try to play as true to the Character as you can and remember that the same rule is true in reverse too: if your Character tells a convincing lie, the Director will now have to play their own Characters in the game as if they believe it, likely to their detriment and your amusement.

There are limits to this, of course. Even if the most natural thing your Character would do is attack another Character, this can't happen if you want to keep playing. The best Players roll with such contradictions and find amusing ways of giving each other space to do their thing. Even if this doesn't completely make sense, the point is to have fun. On the other hand, if what you want is a really gritty, realistic experience, then try to find some like-minded people and build yourselves a realistic group. Either way, if things get really out of hand, either because someone is overplaying their Character, or because they aren't playing the Character enough, and you're not having fun, just say so. Most people worth playing with will respect that, just lead by example and be polite.

THE DIRECTOR

The Director is the group member who oversees the story as it is played out. Most Directors also create many of their own stories. The Director has total freedom to allow or disallow any part of a Character's design for the games they run. Just because it is allowed in the rules doesn't obligate a Director to allow it in their story. A Director may also ask for new Characters to be created for a specific adventure. Anyone who wants to play should follow the Director's instructions; it's their story.

During a session, it's the Director's job to make decisions about how the story changes in response to Player actions. Because of this, Directors may need to make judgement calls about unexpected events or conflicts in the group. They should try to be consistent as well as fair and keep things as fun as possible: the Director can bend or break every rule in the system if they think it's the best course of action in a given situation, but that doesn't mean they are obligated to do so.

If you decide to take on the role of Director, remember we're in this to have fun together. All Players should be treated equally and fairly. In the same way that one Player shouldn't be allowed to prey on another, your enjoyment shouldn't come at the cost of theirs and vice versa. Do your best and talk to your Players. Earn their respect. Having a good understanding between Director and Player often leads to the most enjoyable groups.

COMMUNICATION

At its heart, roleplaying is a social activity, in which groups of people get together to share a fun experience. As with any other shared event, it's important to communicate, not just to maintain a friendly atmosphere, but also to make sure everyone knows what's going on. Social activities usually stop being fun if people feel they can't do what they enjoy, especially if that's because of decisions made by someone else. Roleplaying games can often struggle with this issue, and Horizon: out of the ashes is no different. Every Player can create their own custom Character and the Director makes up a unique story themselves. With the number of variables this creates, if every Player is tyring to go their own way and nobody is listening to the Director, the session can very quickly grind to a halt or alternatively go completely overboard. This makes communication crucial: it's important to share what you're thinking and how you plan to act. Plus, you never know when your conversation might uncover an opportunity you otherwise would have missed! This also leads us to our next point.

RESPECT

We mentioned before that a large part of our vison for Horizon: out of the ashes is creative freedom; both for the Director when making their story, and also for Players building their Characters. Now let's introduce the idea that these freedoms of choice that make the game so engaging are mutually dependent. When a Player or Director doesn't show regard for the others in the group, their enjoyment comes at the cost of someone else's. While this might balance out naturally over time, as unpleasant Players or Directors find they have fewer and fewer people to play with, we felt it was better to address this directly right at the start of everyone's Horizon experience: Let's be considerate, so we can ALL have fun. This means several things: