AMALTHEA/HENWEN

[soulping]

RULES:

• In this game you take control of a post-apocalyptic community attempting to build itself up over the course of one year, before the mysterious Frost Shepherds arrive to end the game. The goal is to rebuild the community through creative responses, and to survive!

• Every turn represents two months. The Frost Shepherds will arrive in the second winter - You need to be prepared!

• There will be eight seasons total.

• During each turn, a player draws a card. The characters discuss which response to answer, and turn in an answer. This answer will develop what happens to the community over the years.

• You can also submit an action for the community to take every round! This shouldn't be overly complicated*, and you can't magically make up resources - You'll need to rely on what you've got, and your answers to the cards.

• Drawing a card: Every card contains information and choices you can make. Here's an online card shuffler you can use.

Only draw the suit of cards that matches the season:
Hearts = Spring
Diamonds = Summer
Clubs = Autumn
Spades = Winter.

Do not repeat cards! If you get the same card twice, re-roll.

• Failure to build defences against the Frost Shepherds, improve the community or make all resources necessary for survival abundant by the last round will land you in trouble.

*If it is, you might not like where the action goes.

Your runner is Rikki.

Comments

ROUND 1

[soulping]

[ Behold, a mighty fortress! ...or at least, the crumbled remains of what was, at one time, a fortress, probably. The ruins are located in a deep valley.

There is a nearby lake to the east, inhabited by a tame kraken.

Some farmlands to the north, though the land is poor and the food they produce is very little.

To the west are some natural salt deposits in the face of the valley, though they are difficult to reach. Prey animals inhabit the nearby area, but they are few and far between.

Your community has a small legion of spear-wielding warriors to defend it, but even without them your community is currently invulnerable...because there is literally nothing else in the area yet, so there's nothing to hurt you. Yet. This is where your band of survivors has settled to try and rebuild away from the danger of the Jackals. ]

What natural predators roam this area? Are you safe?

Wolves! And we're safe, because our action is gonna be a 4-week project to tame them!

Abundant Resources
• Invulnerability
• Tame wolf pack

Scarce Resources
• Prey animals
• Food
• Salt

DISCUSSION

[soulping]

CARD DRAW

[soulping]

Please use this shuffler to draw your card! Your current season is Spring.

ACTION / ANSWER TURN IN

[soulping]

[ Include both your final answer to the cards, and the action you wish to use this round. ]

ROUND 2

[soulping]

[ Behold, a mighty fortress! ...or at least, the crumbled remains of what was, at one time, a fortress, probably. The ruins are located in a deep valley.

There is a nearby lake to the east, inhabited by a tame kraken.

Some farmlands to the north, though the land is poor and the food they produce is very little.

To the west are some natural salt deposits in the face of the valley, though they are difficult to reach. Prey animals inhabit the nearby area, but they are few and far between.

Your community has a small legion of spear-wielding warriors to defend it, but even without them your community is currently invulnerable...because there is literally nothing else in the area yet, so there's nothing to hurt you. Yet. This is where your band of survivors has settled to try and rebuild away from the danger of the Jackals. ]

There is a disqueting legend about this place.

The lingering spirits of those who came before us, who lived and settled here before misfortune befell them and they met their fate. In the evening one can sometimes see the wispy visages around the fortress, and their murmurs. If one listens closely enough you can hear the warnings, of the mistakes and missteps they've made while they were alive. Some are of the things that lead to their deaths. And some are their regrets, like the things that should or shouldn't have done, the people they'd hurt and people they'd lost...

But those brave enough to stick around and hear them out, they offer help. Perhaps as repayment for the compassion? They offer directions to the places they've hidden food and supplies and little treasures, and we are free to take if we can find them. Just so long we do not forget who allowed us to have them in the first place.

It is unwise to forget. Misfortune only befalls those who show no gratitude to the dead.

Action
We are setting out to revitalise the farmlands, so we can grow crops.

JACKALS HAVE ATTACKED. No warriors are killed, but invulnerability is removed.

Thanks to your creepy ghost ancestors wailing in their haunted homes of the impending teeth and blood, and your tame wolf pack you know the attack was coming and successfully kill some.

Abundant Resources
• Tame wolf pack
• Crops
• Jackal hide
• Haunting.

Scarce Resources
• Prey animals
• Salt

DISCUSSION

[soulping]

Draw a card

[soulping]

Your season is Summer.

ACTION / ANSWER TURN IN

[soulping]

ROUND 3

[soulping]

[ Behold, a mighty fortress! ...or at least, the crumbled remains of what was, at one time, a fortress, probably. The ruins are located in a deep valley.

There is a nearby lake to the east, inhabited by a tame kraken.

Some farmlands to the north, though the land is poor and the food they produce is very little.

To the west are some natural salt deposits in the face of the valley, though they are difficult to reach. Prey animals inhabit the nearby area, but they are few and far between.

Your community has a small legion of spear-wielding warriors to defend it. [

The entire community works together to care for them and get a cure and save the eldest!

They survive!

Abundant Resources
• Tame wolf pack
• Crops
• Jackal hide
• Haunting.

Scarce Resources
• Prey animals
• Salt

DISCUSSION

[soulping]

Draw a card

[soulping]

Your current season is Autumn.

ACTION / ANSWER TURN IN

[soulping]

ROUND 4

[soulping]

[ Behold, a mighty fortress! ...or at least, the crumbled remains of what was, at one time, a fortress, probably. The ruins are located in a deep valley.

There is a nearby lake to the east, inhabited by a tame kraken.

Some farmlands to the north, though the land is poor and the food they produce is very little.

To the west are some natural salt deposits in the face of the valley, though they are difficult to reach. Prey animals inhabit the nearby area, but they are few and far between. ]

In a stroke of good fortune, an adventurer returns to the village from her long journey., burdened down with furs, meat, and salt to get us through the winter. Their arrival's timing would mark them as a hero, certainly, if not the kind who slays foes.

As for our action, we will be harvesting our crops and storing them against the coming winter, so we will have enough food and seeds for the coming spring.

The adventurer returns with great wealth, but bloated with pride and success, she is no longer the sort of person to share it freely with people poorer than her. The ghosts judge you after, just a little.

She lures away the WARRIORS and the TAME WOLF PACK for adventure, but leaves behind furs.

Abundant Resources
• Crops
• Jackal hide and furs
• Haunting.

Scarce Resources
• Prey animals
• Salt

DISCUSSION

[soulping]

Draw a card

[soulping]

Your current season is winter.

ACTION / ANSWER TURN IN

[soulping]

Round 5

[soulping]

[ Behold, a mighty fortress! ...or at least, the crumbled remains of what was, at one time, a fortress, probably. The ruins are located in a deep valley.

There is a nearby lake to the east, inhabited by a tame kraken.

Some farmlands to the north, though the land is poor and the food they produce is very little.

To the west are some natural salt deposits in the face of the valley, though they are difficult to reach. Prey animals inhabit the nearby area, but they are few and far between. ]

You see a good omen. What is it?

A flock of doves descends nearby, leading us to a huge deposit of salt! Our action is going to be to bring a lot of salt back home, protecting the birds as our sacred helpers.

You survive the winter!

Abundant Resources
• Jackal hide and furs
• Haunting.
• Salt


Scarce Resources
• Prey animals
• Crops

DISCUSSION

[soulping]

Draw a card

[soulping]

Your season is Spring.

ACTION / ANSWER TURN IN

[soulping]

ROUND 6

[soulping]

[ Behold, a mighty fortress! ...or at least, the crumbled remains of what was, at one time, a fortress, probably. The ruins are located in a deep valley.

There is a nearby lake to the east, inhabited by a tame kraken.

Some farmlands to the north, though the land is poor and the food they produce is very little.

To the west are some natural salt deposits in the face of the valley, though they are difficult to reach. Prey animals inhabit the nearby area, but they are few and far between. ]

The omen is a falling star, which we're going to bring back to make tools with!

Our action is going to be to try to find wild oxen and tame them, so we can make them plow our fields and give us milk and meat!

Abundant Resources
• Jackal hide and furs
• Haunting.
• Salt
• Crops
• Food


Scarce Resources
• Prey animals

DISCUSSION

[soulping]

Draw a card

[soulping]

Your season is Summer.

Round 7 (FINAL ROUND, NO NEWCOMERS PLEASE)

[soulping]

[ Behold, a mighty fortress! ...or at least, the crumbled remains of what was, at one time, a fortress, probably. The ruins are located in a deep valley.

There is a nearby lake to the east, inhabited by a tame kraken.

Some farmlands to the north, though the land is poor and the food they produce is very little.

To the west are some natural salt deposits in the face of the valley, though they are difficult to reach. Prey animals inhabit the nearby area, but they are few and far between. ]

The dispute was over a baby oxen! Since the mother and father were owned by different people, it was hard to tell who owned it, but the calf stayed with the mother, and the owner of the father was compensated with extra milk and the promise of getting the next one if it happened again!

For our action, we're going to try to ask the kraken to be our ally in return for taking care of it!

The fight is over, although you no longer receive milk. The kraken demands food in exchange for protection. ... Krakens can talk, okay? Roll with it.

THE HAUNTED GHOSTS WARN OF GREAT DANGER.

Abundant Resources
• Jackal hide and furs
• Haunting.
• Salt
• Crops
• Kraken

Scarce Resources
• Prey animals
• Food

DISCUSSION

[soulping]

ROUND 8 - FINALE

[soulping]

The Parish are holy warriors, Sworn to fight the Frost Shepherds. They have come to us to have their glorious stand against their sworn enemies, and brought with them supplies enough to feed the Kraken. They build a defensive line at the lake and await the final battle.

We build a fortified shelter in the village, to protect our children and other noncombatants against the Shepherds. The ghost's warnings have given us time to do all we can to defend our future.

[ All goes black... ]

YOU HAVE WELL-SURVIVED THE FROST SHEPHERDS. PLEASE PROCEED TO END GAME.