Silent Spur

fantasy wild-west role-playing game

Introduction

What is a role-playing game?

A role-playing game or RPG is similar to an actor playing a character in a TV show or a movie. But unlike an actor, a role-player does so without a script. What the player says has an effect on the outcome of the game.

The Silent Spur uses the Realmicon System of rules, in which a player takes on the role of a character. Each player is involved in creating an interesting story together with the other players in the game. Anyone can learn how to play a role-playing game. They are fun to play and deal with understandable ideals and motivations.

The rules in Silent Spur allow you to make up stories based around the wild west. Instead of just watching a western film or reading a western novel, you will get to play as one of the main characters. You decide the actions the character will take. You choose how your character will behave when he meets other characters in the game. In general you behave as if you were that character. The character will take part in an adventure as described (and typically devised) by a player refered to as the Gamesmaster.

The characters that the players use are often refered to as Player Characters or PCs for short. Characters or roles that are played by the gamesmaster are called Non Player Characters or NPCs for short.

A gamesmaster is a player who is familiar with the Realmicon System basic rules and with the additional Silent Spur rules. The gamesmaster is like the director of a film or the writer of a book. He has the task of playing all the other roles that the characters of the players will meet. The gamesmaster must have a good knowledge of the game system as he his required to conduct the game and act as a referee. Gamesmasters often create their own adventures for the other players to take part in. He writes down the the basic ideas behind a story, as well as creating plans for any locations used. He creates any NPCs that will appear in the story, and devises any plot twists that occur within the adventure.

When you finally play a game, everyone will have a role. Players will have their characters, while the gamesmaster will run everyone else. It is the gamesmasters role to then introduce the beginning of the story to the group of players. He will try and help the players imagine themselves within the Silent Spur world, by describing the locations, people and interesting facts about the situations the PCs find themselves in. As a player you have to fill the role of the character. Once a situation is described, you have to decide how your character will react. What will they do? What will they say? Its all up to you.

When you act the gamesmaster will ask you for information about your character. Each character is given a series of numbers or ratings that measure his various attributes and skills. Occasionally the gamesmaster will ask you to roll dice. This is how the players determine how successful their characters are in certain situations. Once the dice are rolled (with you often telling him the result) he will determine the result of your actions.

As a player. you control the game. You and the other players must deal with the obstacles and decisions placed before your characters by the gamesmaster. Your characters may have to fight bad guys, rescue children, search for clues or perform a whole multitude of tasks with which to keep the story moving. You just don't know what will be required in order to reach the conclusion of a particular adventure.

The rules given here provide a framework with which to build a world of the Fantasy Wild West. It allows you to create strange places, experience new adventures and weave strange tales of magic and heroism.

Role-playing is meant to be fun. It stimulates the imagination, and helps people develop a team spirit. It promotes individuality, creativity and honesty. But perhaps most importantly, it allows you to immerse yourself in another world and share in the adventures of heroes.

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