Test Run With the Radiance Adventure Engine

Part 2

This is part 2 of my test run with the Radiance Adventure Engine from Oddfish Games. Read part 1. I have selected an RPG, now it’s time to create a player character.

Meet Laura Bravos

I won’t go into details about the Cartel RPG, except that it’s a PbtA game about “Mexcican narcofiction”. Think Sicario or Breaking Bad. As mentioned previously, my PC will be the La Rata playbook, and she will be Laura Bravos, an undercover DEA special agent deeply planted within the Sinoa cartel.

Laura has piercing eyes behind the shades, always wears a worn (but good quality) black suit with a male cut. Her very few possessions are an old reliable Saab, an old revolver and a burner phone.

Her Stress is 2/5, like all starting Cartel characters. Stress is bad. Very bad.
Her stats are Face +3, Grit +1, Hustle -1, Savagery +0, Heat +1.
Her “Llaves” (keys), the way you get XP to develop your character in Cartel, are Mercy and Paranoia.
Mercy: Mark xp when you try to head off a violent encounter with negotiation or persuasion. (Totally obvious given the core adventure theme!)
Paranoia: Mark xp when you try to get the truth out of someone about their true loyalties.

Then we have Laura’s special moves, Mentirosa (+1 to the Face stat), Conectada (finding local contacts) and Amante (clear Stress by intimacy with a lover).

Five close NPCs are Elisa (who suspects Laura’s treachery), Esteban (who always asks Laura for help), Gata, Tomas and Zola.
Her handler in the DEA is Phyllis Gene.

Laura’s team’s daily duties are counting money, track payments, accounting, as well as protecting El Narco’s (Laura’s boss) kids and spouse.

Act 1, stage 1: The Herald

Standard Radiance follows a hero’s journey structure divided into four acts of two stages each. Part of this first stage I already did in part 1, which was drawing the core adventure problem, as described on the left of the stage card below. Now the actual story begins.

All the stage cards tell you what to do and any special rules for the particular stage. In this case we have to complete a story and remember to take the core adventure problem into consideration. So, let’s draw the first story card.

This time, and with all the following story cards, I use the entire card, not just the storyline at the top. When I have decided on the possible storyline, the next step is drawing paths. With this particular story I may draw two path cards and choose one, and the story is resolved when I have resolved two paths cards. The rest of the story card adds possible complications and B-stories, which may not come into play.

But first I draw three details for the storyline: Chameleon, Chimera and Old Flame. I also have the previous detail Transport, which I decided meant Laura’s boss, El Jefe. Let’s say his name is Fernando. Perhaps this is a good time to mention that the detail cards not only have one word on them, but a main term plus some further ideas to trigger your imagination. See below for the three cards I just drew:

If you don’t like any of the words, then every single detail card also has a unique illustration on the back you might use instead. I’m a word kind of person, so I rarely go to the pictures, and that is also the case here. There is more than enough to work with. Notice that the details are not meant to be literal, but only as an idea-triggering tool, hence the extra concepts on each card.

My story line reads “Detail or hero wreaks vengeance on detail or hero for crimes or deeds committed to detail.” I think the target for the vengeance must be Fernando, because I’m allowed to reuse the Transport detail from earlier. Surely it’s too early for our hero, Laura, to do any such thing against her boss, so it must be some of the other details. I think one of Fernando’s older lieutenants has a beef against him. Let’s call him Rufio Pina. That beef is the detail Old Flame. Could be a lover, spouse, but also just their history together. One of the other two details is the partner, I decide it’s Chameleon and puts Chimera back in the bag. So here’s the storyline with the details filled in: “Rufio Pina wreaks vengeance on Fernando for crimes or deeds committed to Rufios old partner (and lover).”

And we’re off! Next step is to draw two paths cards, choose one and see where the story takes us.