Last week I did a post on the Unwritten TTRPG, which is coming out with a new sourcebook. I'm running a game with Unwritten for four friends who are brand new to Myst (or vaguely recall playing it when we were children). My own feelings about the product of the Unwritten sourcebook aside, it's still an unbelievably fun way to enjoy fresh Myst material and experience for yourself what the Art might really be like.
I wrote a test Age and ran it for a different group to work out my mechanics, my story, and figure out how to make a good puzzle. They solved my entire Age in three sessions and gave me useful feedback for my real campaign. I've now got three Ages for my players, with a fourth one coming this week. Today we had our Session 0 and character creation, and thought it'd be cool to share their ideas here so that everyone could see what's possible with this game.
So without further ado, I introduce:
Carina, the "Weaver of Meanings." A Serenian Protector with a Good Samaritan complex. She cannot deny assistance to a stranger in need, offering shelter and supplies to everyone she sees -- even those who view her as the enemy. With her Life Stone and a gentle touch, she can heal your deepest traumas. Her connection to the Dream allows her to communicate empathically, conveying emotions when words do not suffice; however, outside of her native Age, Carina's own dreams have become deeply unsettling. Out of her many years dealing in the healing arts, Carina's personal garohev is "Love."
"The Technician," our friendly Narayani tech support guy. It's really too bad that he brought stone tools to fix Stone Eater. Despite a cautious upbringing, having been warned by his elders of the perils of communicating with outsiders, he firmly believes everything can be improved. Why do his people toil endlessly weaving the roots of the Lattice Tree, waiting for the D'ni to come and finally fix their world? Surely, somewhere in their countless Ages, there's a better way than the traditions of old. The Technician has a real name, but we've only ever seen it written in the Narayani Language of Arcs. What we do know is that his intense hatred for the D'ni is rivalled only by his delight in taking apart their inventions.
Cornelius, a human explorer who heard the call to the Cleft and optimistically left his whole life behind. If you need a guy to bait the big bad into a Trap Book, Cornelius is your man. You'll come back for him, right? He never checks his Linking Books to see if anyone's torn out a page, and is absolutely certain that doors they open always close behind him. Despite his carefree (careless?) nature, Cornelius shares the hallmark curiosity of humankind. He sees how the aspects of an Age work in concert with one another, and uses his "Common Sense" stunt to intuit laws of nature which natives of other Ages can merely marvel at.
Rethan & Basil, the "Cartographer of Lives Never Lived," is a true abomination in the eyes of his kin. A very old D'ni who saw the end of his civilization, he spent many years alone in the Age to which he fled. Having only a limited understanding of the Art and dwindling supplies, it was years until he finally made contact with another intelligent species: the Bahro. Instead of greeting them with open arms, he managed to subdue one and spent years experimenting on the poor thing, believing he could use their powers to undo the work of Veovis. In a move of desperation or suicidal recklessness, Rethan broke the cardinal rule: edited the Descriptive Book of the very Age in which he stood. The resulting instability crushed both himself and his Bahro "companion" into one being. He didn't die, but when he finally did make it back to D'ni, he was clearly unwell. Today he is shunned by his own people, but has found a new place with the Guild of Greeters (the only one who would have him, as a cautionary tale of why we NEVER edit Descriptive Books).
I'm very proud of my players, and couldn't have asked for a better group of friends to dive into Myst lore with.