HOW TO PLAY
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Sphere is a tabletop role-playing game (an RPG for short) focused on make-believe and collaborative storytelling. Unlike video games or movies, the action does not take place on a screen but with a live group of people imagining the golden glint of the treasure horde, the chill of the rain on your cheek, the mysterious beauty of the spectral queen, and the heroic deeds of your characters. Though characters and in-game action may be represented by figures, tokens, maps, and drawings, the game ultimately takes place within the imagination of its participants.
The GM (short for Game Master, also known as the Storyteller) describes a scene. In response, the Players describe the actions of their characters (the PCs, short for player characters). The GM then describes how the world and its NPCs (non-player characters) react. This exchange continues back and forth for the duration of play. By describing their character’s actions, rolling dice, and interacting with the fictional world, players shape the narrative as it is being told. Imagine an interactive movie or a living novel whose characters react organically to your decisions, changing the outcome of the story with every choice; this is the essence of an RPG. |
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An example of a role-playing scene:
Matt (the GM): The train hums smoothly along the track. The rhythmic rumble and engine noise begins lulling you to sleep until your ride aboard the luxury line is interrupted by a banging noise on the roof above you. John (playing Caleb): Caleb opens the window and pokes his head out. What does he see? Matt: There are five armed men moving along the roof of the train. John: Caleb elbows Tyve in the ribs. "Hey, wake up. We've got company." Taylor (playing Tyve): "Ow! Geez, okay I'm up." Tyve gets up and grabs his weapons. An RPG is only a game in the academic sense; there are rules, there are players, there are goals…however, RPGs differ from most games in a number of important ways:
RPGs are collaborative, not competitive Everyone playing the game is on the same team. Even if their characters have different objectives, all players of the game have the same goal: to tell a story together. There are no winners or losers Success in an RPG is not achieved by scoring points or meeting certain criteria for victory. Like exploring a new trail or seeing a movie, an RPG is experiential in nature; there is no real, definitive way to win or lose. RPGs are open-ended When one arc of the story ends, another begins. This cycle can continue on indefinitely with new characters, themes, and worlds explored as time goes on. The limits of the story are set only by the players’ imaginations and interest in continuing the tale. |
Rolling DiceLiam fires an arrow at the exposed weak spot in the dragon’s hide. Does he hit or miss? Cassandra searches the room frantically for a switch as the spiked walls slowly close in. Does she find anything? Draco focuses his mind and shouts the magic words, hoping to shut the portal closed. Is he successful? When a player’s character attempts an action that stands a reasonable chance of failure, that player rolls a handful of dice to determine whether their character succeeds or fails. Throughout this book, this type of dice roll is referred to as a Feat. Quite simply, the more dice a character rolls, the better their chances are of success. All of a character’s various traits, skills, and attributes are measured numerically. This number indicates how many dice are to be rolled when using this particular trait to resolve an action. For example, jumping over a fence or climbing a tree are athletic activities and thus would rely on skills and statistics related to a character's athletic potential in order to succeed. Dice are written in shorthand as "XdY" where X represents the number of dice rolled and Y indicates the number of sides a dice has. For example, "3d6" means three six-sided dice, "2d20" means two twenty-sided dice, "4d10" means four ten-sided dice, and so on. |
Rules are malleable and open to interpretation
Every official rule and guideline found here can be “house-ruled”; that is, tweaked to suit your group’s particular preferences and the needs of your story. While the rules here have been carefully thought out and thoroughly tested, nothing is set in stone - your story, your rules.
Every official rule and guideline found here can be “house-ruled”; that is, tweaked to suit your group’s particular preferences and the needs of your story. While the rules here have been carefully thought out and thoroughly tested, nothing is set in stone - your story, your rules.
Who's Who
Players are the ones playing the game – most likely, that’s you. PCs (short for Player Characters) are characters the players control in order to interact with the game’s fantasy world. PCs may not be the most powerful or influential characters in the game world, but they should carry the most weight in terms of telling the game’s story.
NPCs are Non-Player Characters. They consist of every actor in the story that is not controlled by a player. From your next-door neighbor to the rampaging murder-bots to the High King of Avandria, NPCs populate the game world. Whether fighting them, buying their goods, or questing on their behalf, interacting with NPCs is a vital part of the tabletop gaming experience.
GM is an abbreviation for Game Master. Also known as the Judge, the DM (Dungeon Master), or Storyteller, the GM runs the game, narrates the story, arbitrates the rules, controls (and plays the part of) NPCs, and describes to players how the environment responds to their actions. The GM has the final word on the outcome of all situations and works with the players (rather than against them) towards an enjoyable collaborative storytelling experience.
NPCs are Non-Player Characters. They consist of every actor in the story that is not controlled by a player. From your next-door neighbor to the rampaging murder-bots to the High King of Avandria, NPCs populate the game world. Whether fighting them, buying their goods, or questing on their behalf, interacting with NPCs is a vital part of the tabletop gaming experience.
GM is an abbreviation for Game Master. Also known as the Judge, the DM (Dungeon Master), or Storyteller, the GM runs the game, narrates the story, arbitrates the rules, controls (and plays the part of) NPCs, and describes to players how the environment responds to their actions. The GM has the final word on the outcome of all situations and works with the players (rather than against them) towards an enjoyable collaborative storytelling experience.
What You Need to PLay
Before the game, each player will need:
- A completed character sheet
- One or more sets of six-sided dice (referred to as "d6")
- One or more sets of mixed dice (at least one d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20)
- Pencils, erasers, and scratch paper
- A laptop or smartphone (optional)
- A set of counters (colored glass beads from hobby stores work well for this)
- A detailed “game plan” for his campaign, including potential storylines, NPCs, and rewards for players
- One or more sets of dice; one for himself and one in case a player forgets theirs or doesn’t own any dice
- Pencils, erasers, and scratch paper
- A laptop or smartphone (optional)
- Access to this site or a physical copy of published game materials, along with any other supplemental gaming materials they’ve decided to use
- Chairs and a table large enough for everyone
- Snacks and drinks (optional)
- A game board and miniatures to visually represent the characters and game world (optional)
- A positive attitude and a sense of humor
The Golden Rules
Before we get into the weeds with all the rules and guidelines for how to play a game of Sphere, there are three key rules to keep at the front of your mind:
Specific Beats General
Any time a specific rule (such as one from a power, spell, item, or other special circumstance in play) breaks or contradicts a general rule (such as those outlined in this section), the specific rule always wins out.
Round Down
When multiplying or dividing a number results in a fraction, always round down.
Follow the Rule of Cool
People don’t tell stories, play games, or watch movies to simulate reality – they do so to indulge their fantasies and escape from reality. To some degree, all forms of speculative fiction require a willingness to suspend reality and embrace an exciting fantasy.
Simply put, the rule of cool postulates that an audience (or group of players) doesn’t necessarily care if something is plausible as much as they care whether or not it is cool. Skydiving through flaming debris, leaping across rooftops, fighting a dragon, and disarming a nuclear bomb using nothing but toothpicks and duct tape might not be plausible…but it’s hard to argue against the potential for drama and excitement in these scenarios.
It’s important to remember that the characters are heroes. Even if they would otherwise be run of the mill people, when placed in a heroic story, players should be encouraged to attempt the type of dramatic, over-the-top things that heroes are celebrated for.
While the limit of how fantastic such actions can be depends on the story in question (lifting a car over your head with one hand is far more fitting for a superhero story than a horror/survival story), it’s important to remember that the rules and limitations we live with in our everyday lives aren’t necessarily the same limitations characters live with in a heroic context. The point of this game is to have fun telling a collaborative story about heroes (imperfect as they may be); the cooler their actions, the better (and more memorable) the story.
Specific Beats General
Any time a specific rule (such as one from a power, spell, item, or other special circumstance in play) breaks or contradicts a general rule (such as those outlined in this section), the specific rule always wins out.
Round Down
When multiplying or dividing a number results in a fraction, always round down.
Follow the Rule of Cool
People don’t tell stories, play games, or watch movies to simulate reality – they do so to indulge their fantasies and escape from reality. To some degree, all forms of speculative fiction require a willingness to suspend reality and embrace an exciting fantasy.
Simply put, the rule of cool postulates that an audience (or group of players) doesn’t necessarily care if something is plausible as much as they care whether or not it is cool. Skydiving through flaming debris, leaping across rooftops, fighting a dragon, and disarming a nuclear bomb using nothing but toothpicks and duct tape might not be plausible…but it’s hard to argue against the potential for drama and excitement in these scenarios.
It’s important to remember that the characters are heroes. Even if they would otherwise be run of the mill people, when placed in a heroic story, players should be encouraged to attempt the type of dramatic, over-the-top things that heroes are celebrated for.
While the limit of how fantastic such actions can be depends on the story in question (lifting a car over your head with one hand is far more fitting for a superhero story than a horror/survival story), it’s important to remember that the rules and limitations we live with in our everyday lives aren’t necessarily the same limitations characters live with in a heroic context. The point of this game is to have fun telling a collaborative story about heroes (imperfect as they may be); the cooler their actions, the better (and more memorable) the story.
