The Conversation

A game of Pocket party unfolds through conversation. The Guide sets up Scenes, stakes and challenges for their friends to interact with. Each Adventurer can interact with the Scene by describing their characters actions, and the Guide answers by describing how the world reacts. It’s as simple as that.

Sometimes you will run into tense moments that call for cards to help decide on a fun outcome. Most of the time, the Adventurers’ actions just “happens” and the story moves forward.

Conversation also means that Players are encouraged to exchange ideas, ask questions and throw in a joke or two! The goal is to keep the ball rolling and build the story together while having fun bouncing ideas around.

Sharing the Spotlight

In Pocket party, Adventurers influence the story through their actions, but also by improvising details of the game’s universe through their character’s point of view.

When playing the game with your friends, you should encourage each other to enrich Scenes by coming up with story elements. Adventurers can take the spotlight in three different ways:

  • The Guide needs to regularly give the spotlight to an Adventurer by asking them a simple question about the world around them: What is a detail you notice about this tavern? Why would bandits be afraid of this character? Describe how you try to sneak past the guards?
  • Rules can explicitly give an Adventurer the spotlight. For example, winning an Action draw allows you to describe the outcome of the action using the cards.
  • When anyone asks a question about your Pocket world, you are the one expected to answer. After all, you created it!

Sometimes, you can be out of ideas, and that’s okay. When you are in the spotlight but can’t come up with anything, don’t panic, call for help around the table and let other players pitch ideas for you to build on.

Setting up a Scene

When you adventure in Pocket worlds, you essentially go through a chain of Scenes until you reach a conclusion, usually by kicking some Local villain’s butt.

A Scene is a focused moment of play where specific characters interact in a defined situation at a particular place and time, pursuing a clear goal. It begins when the situation is framed and ends once Adventurers either reached their goal, or something prevents them to do so.

You only need to come up with three elements together to compose a Scene:

Where does the Scene take place?

Setting up the location and the atmosphere is crucial to how a Scene is going to play. The Guide provides most of the décor, and calls in players to enrich it with specifics.

Who is involved in the Scene?

Actors in the Scenes can be hidden from Adventurers, but the Guide needs to have a good idea of which characters are involved and what their positions are. Is there a focus on a specific character? What is the general mood among the actors?

What is the Adventurer’s goal?

Every Scene is played to resolve an essential question for the story, usually framed by the Adventurers’ goal. Ask yourself: if the Scene ends one way or another, does it drastically change the story at play? If the answer is “no”, you should just fast track through this segment of the story and get to the interesting bits.

Playing a Scene

So, we set up a nice exciting Scene, now what?

Once the elements of the Scene are in place, it is up to the Adventurers to describe how they intend to reach their objective: discovering what the villain is up to, locate a legendary artefact, or protect the civilians against a swarm of robots.

Chasing goals is the main, simple way to move the action forward:

  • A situation is set and described to the Adventurers.
  • Adventurers interact with the world by describing their characters actions.
  • The Guide describes how the world reacts to characters’ actions, sometimes calling for an Action draw to help shape the narrative.
  • As the world changes, a new situation arises. Repeat the cycle!

You usually play this cycle until Adventurers reached their goal, or until a story element prevents them from doing so. Once we reach this point, it is time to move on to the next Scene!

Moving Forward

Scenes we leave behind should carry some kind of meaning moving forward. Players should take notes upon closing a Scene to carry some details forward and help shape the narrative in meaningful ways.

At minima, you should note if the Adventurer’s goal has been reached, and if not, what obstacle prevented them to get to their objective.

By chaining Scenes together, you create a memorable adventure where friends explore the world, tackle challenges and eventually triumph (or not) over adversity. You are playing the game!

To help you move smoothly from one Scene to another, we created two transition tables depending on outcomes. Feel free to tap into it to add more weight to the the Adventurer’s success or failures!

Triumph transition

When Adventurers triumph in a Scene, what do they get for it?

1 An easier route toward the goal reveals itself.
2 You find a powerful item to carry forward.
3 A foe agrees to help you in your quest.
4 You learn one thing about the Big bad evil.
5 You inspire common folk to take action.
6 You gain control of an essential resource.
7 An unexpected ally appears.
8 You push foes into a disadvantageous position.
9 You uncover a vital piece of information.
10 A hostile phenomenon turns out good.

Fiasco transition

When Adventurer’s scrumble and stumble, failing to reach their goal, what are the consequences?

1 A road to victory closes forever
2 Your foes gain a new power.
3 An ally suddenly turns against you.
4 The Big bad evil learns one of your weakness.
5 Common folk are enslaved to evil’s bidding.
6 Your foes gain control of an essential resource.
7 An unexpected threat appears.
8 Your foes gain an advantageous position.
9 You lose a vital piece of information.
10 A friendly phenomenon turns hostile.