FOUNDERS CIRCLE EDITION

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 Inadequate Thanks
Bhaloidam has been made possible by every Spinner who has ever spun storyworlds with me around a table, in
an empty apartment, sprawled on comfy chairs, or huddled around a campfire. Without each and every one of
you, I wouldn't have learned enough about sharing storyworlds to even conceive of this.

And there are a few people I'd like to call out especially.

This is for Kari and Ken who have been spinning storyworlds with me on and off
for over 20 years now. They were there when I first put Go stones in
hexagonal origami boxes and said, "I want to try something new today." And
they stuck it out through every rule change, every terminology shift, every
new (and often broken) attempt to create Bhaloidam. And after all that, they
became generous Kickstarter backers (which is why they appear in costume
here).

Thank you, my friends. I love and cherish you for this and for so much more.

And then there is Rachel - my wife, my partner in life, and in creativity. Her contributions
to Bhaloidam go far beyond her project management and editing skills. They go far
beyond her faith in my vision. They go beyond her willingness to be the breadwinner
while I work on my dream.

Rachel was there when Bhaloidam began and stuck it out along Kari and Ken. She also
listened to long theoretical rants about design and story in between sessions, gave me
honest feedback when I made difficult changes, and it was when her eyes lit up that I
knew I was on the right track.

But that only touches on the surface. Suffice to say that without Rachel, I don't know
that I would ever have had the confidence in myself to pursue this. And if I had, the end
result would have been 1/10th as good.

No amount of words can express the depth of my appreciation, so I'll settle for a
simple, Thank you, my love.

And of course I'd be remiss not to thank (T.S.) Eliot, Poodle, for cuddles, afternoon
walks, and unconditional love.

And now you, reading this page, are joining our Skein. Bhaloidam is yours. I hope you
enjoy it as much as I have.

Hoc ludite quasi carmen,

I. Introducing Bhaloidam...............Page 1-4
II. Lifewheel Overview...................Pages 5, 6
III. Source..........................................Page 7
IV. Domains..........................................Page 8
V. Elements..........................................Page 9
VI. Potency Tokens...........................Page 10
VII. Influences..........................Pages 13, 14
VIII. More on the Lifewheel....Pages 15, 16
IX. Storyplay..............................Pages 17, 18
X. Opportunity Track.................Pages 19, 20
XI. Reclaim........................................Page 21
XII. Declare.....................................Page 22
XIII. Exert.................................Pages 23, 24
XIV. Roll.....................................Pages 25, 26
XV. Perform...................................Pages 27, 28
XVI. Resolving Outcomes............Pages 30-32
XVII. Embellishments...................Pages 33-36
XVIII. Clear........................................Page 37
XIX. Storyplay Recap...........................Page 38
XX. Thoughts for Spinners.........Pages 39, 40
XXI. Thoughts for Weavers........Pages 41, 42
XXII. Variants..............................Pages 43, 44
XXIII. Bhaloidam Demos............Pages 45-48
XXIV. Storyplay Samples.............Pages 49-60
XXV. Glossary...............................Pages 62-64

APPENDICES
i. Printable Lifewheel
ii. Printable Lifewheel Guides
iii. Funeral Demo Shame Cards
iv. Founders Circle Thanks
 We have always played together...

... just as weve always told stories together.

Telling stories is more fun when we add Play. Just as playing games is more fun when we add story.

Story and Play are two sides of the same creative coin.

Role Playing Games blend story and play, There are a lot of RPGs that focus on a
providing rules for creating characters & handful of specific actions your
exploring fictional worlds. characters are allowed to perform.

RPGs often have a Game Master who knows the plot

and enforces the game rules for a group of
players who each control a single character.

1
 Bhaloidam is a modern expression of a timeless idea:

Bhaloidam uses colorful personal game boards

to represent your characters and storyworlds...

...and has simple universal rules for every

interaction.

These rules focus on your characters relationships, ...means every story you tell together can
rather than specific actions they can perform... be full of unexpected surprises.

...which, coupled with the freedom to

create any storyworld you like...

2
 Everyone who helps tell a story with
Bhaloidam is called a SPINNER.

They spin stories together in a group, which

is called a SKEIN.

If one Spinner is charged with creating the

storyworld & controlling the plot, she is
called a WEAVER.

Its the Weaver's job to weave the Spinner's story-

threads together into a compelling tapestry.

The fictional world a Skein creates

together is called a STORYWORLD.

And using Bhaloidam to guide the spinning

of stories is called STORYPLAY.

3
 At the heart of Bhaloidam is the
LIFEWHEEL .

The Lifewheel can represent storyworld

elements like a single character, an entire
village, or even a mystery to be solved...

...even more importantly, it represents the

Spinners INFLUENCE upon the Storyplay
itself.

By placing & moving tokens about the Lifewheel, the Skein

tracks every element of storyplay...

... from how much impact a single PERFORMANCE can have...

...to when a Spinner has an OPPORTUNITY to perform next.

4
 In fact, the Lifewheel contains ALL the
information you need to play Bhaloidam.
Everything is communicated through icons
& colors and quickly makes sense after
just a Performance or two.

Every image on the Lifewheel

falls into one of a few simple
categories:

5
6
 An energy pours from every Spinner, Source takes two forms-- EGO, which is
through their character, into the your investment in your story's outcomes...
Storyworld.

...& WILL , which lets you try and achieve

This energy is called your SOURCE those outcomes.

Within the story, Ego might represent your Will is EXERTED & SPENT during
character's health, or their social standing. performances.
And if all your Ego is SPILT...

The more Will you exert, the more

...you'll need to reclaim it before elaborate and impactful your performance
continuing to share in the storytelling. will be.

The number of Source tokens you start And as your spin your story, your Skein can
with depends on the story you're telling. decide how = or if = you gain more.

Try starting a story with one Source token

per year of your primary character's life.

7
 3 DOMAINS govern your character's
attributes.

The Domain of Spirit governs the practice of

magic & social graces.
Spirit houses the Elements of LIFE & ENERGY.

Thinking about which Domains are important to

your character helps you decide which Elements
to focus on.

The Domain of Body governs physical The Domain of Mind governs intellectual
exertion & movement. pursuits & psychic abilities.
Body houses the Elements of EARTH & AIR. Mind houses the Elements of WATER & FIRE.

8
 6 ELEMENTS are housed within the 3 Domains. Each
Element defines an ATTRIBUTE of your character.

There are 3 Elements associated with Ego

and 3 associated with Will.

LIFE is CONTROL .
Life Serves as the Ego of Spirit.

FIRE is WIT.
Fire serves as the Will of Mind.

EARTH is STRENGTH.
Earth serves as the Ego of Body.

AIR is AGILITY.
Air serves as the Will of Body.

WATER is LORE.
Water serves as the Ego of Mind.

ENERGY is CRAFT.
Energy serves as the Will of Spirit.

9
 These are ELEMENTAL POTENCY TOKENS. By placing potency tokens on an Element,
you define the importance of that attribute
for your character.

Here, for example, 2 potency tokens on An Element may have as few as 0 potency
Earth give this character a Strength of 2. tokens and no more than 3.

For every 3 Ego tokens, you may place 1 For every 3 Will tokens, you may place 1
The number of Source tokens determines potency token on an Ego Element. potency token on a Will element.
how many potency tokens you may have. (Life, Earth, or Water) (Energy, Air, or Fire)

As you gain more Ego & Will, you may place

additional potency tokens on your The potency of adjoining Elements defines the CAPACITY
Lifewheel, keeping the 3:1 ratio. of the 6 Influences.

10
 The stories we tell are about relationships...

...relationships with our world...

...relationships with other people...

...or even our relationship with our own past.

6 Influences define the relationships And by extension, the relationships between Influences are what you use to describe
between the Elements. the Domains relationships within your Storyworld.

11
 An Influence's Capacity is defined by its Capacity can be modified by the placement
relationship to adjacent elements. of positive or negative modifier tokens.

Each adjacent potency token adds 1 to the Capacity determines how many Will tokens
Capacity of the Influence the Influence can safely hold. (see pgs. 35, 40)

12
 MASTERY Mastery is the control of your strength... ...& the strength of your control .

The crown, which symbolizes control over

others, and the hammer, which requires Performances of physical & social dominance are based on
self control to wield, represent Mastery. Mastery.

PERSISTENCE Persistence is the strength of your lore... ...& the lore of your strength

The slow & steady pace of the venerable Performances that require drawing deeply from your physical
tortoise represents Persistence. or mental reserves are based on Persistence.

DESIGN Design is the lore of your craft... ...& the craft of your lore.

The compass, an ancient architectural

design tool that is a symbol of precision Performances involving creation & planning are based on
and shrewdness, represents Design. Design.

13
 POISE Poise is the craft of your agility... ...& the agility of your craft.

The martial artist's graceful bow and the

diplomat's ceremonial sash both represent Performances involving graceful movement & graceful social
Poise. interactions are based on Poise.

SLEIGHT Sleight is the agility of your wit... ...& the wit of your agility.

The con artist's shell game perfectly Performances involving deceit & trickery are based on Sleight.
represents Sleight.

CHARM Charm is the wit of your control ... ...& the control of your wit.

The heart pendant, seen as a lucky charm

or an openly expressed emotion, represents Performances involving both persuasion & quick thinking are
Charm. based on Charm.

14
15
16
 Adding gameplay to storytelling adds risk,
uncertainty, & infinite variability.

Each roll of the dice, each new Spinner in

the Skein, each split-second decision, can
forever alter the course of a story.

But too much risk, too much uncertainty,

can paralyze even the strongest of
storytellers. In order to manage this
delicate balance, we use a very simple set
of storyplay rules.

The heart of Bhaloidam's Storyplay consists

of 6 simple steps that guide your
Performance, which are represented by 6
icons at the bottom of the LifeWheel.

1. RECLAIM 3. EXERT 5. PERFORM

2. DECLARE 4. ROLL 6. CLEAR

17
 These 6 steps are actual things you = the Spinner = do while
performing, but they also represent energy flowing through
your characters and storyworlds as well.

RECLAIM : If you are able, move Will DECLARE: State which Influence you'll use & EXERT: Move Will tokens from Source
tokens from Spent to Source how many characters will be impacted. to the declared Influence.

A rush of anticipation hits your character Your character visualizes what she is about Your character commits to her action.
as she prepares to act. to attempt.

ROLL : Roll up to three 6-sided dice (3D6). PERFORM : Perform the scene, accounting CLEAR: Move spent Will from the
for the outcomes determined by the previous Influence to Spent.
steps.

Events in the world impact the outcomes of Your character's actions impact the world Your character releases her energy as she
your character's actions. and those in it. prepares for her next action.

18
 OPPORTUNITY TRACK

Located on the left border of the LifeWheel, the

Opportunity Track helps the Skein decide who gets
to perform in what order.

At the beginning of a storyplay session,

place your pawn on the hex with the
number that's equal to your highest
capacity Influence.

This reflects your character relying on her strengths as

she approaches a situation. For example: Graceful
characters rely on Poise, brainy characters on Design,
and roguish characters on Sleight.

19
 All spinners move their Pawns up the Opportunity Track When you reach the Perform icon, you
together, one hex at a time, until a Spinner lands on the immediately move 1 Will token from Spent
very top hex (marked with the Perform icon). to Source.

It's helpful to have one Spinner, often the Weaver, call

out TICKS for each hex while moving up the track.

If you're not ready to Perform, call out, If you are ready to perform, call out, Once you're done Performing, reset your
"Hold!" & move your pawn back to the 6 hex. "Ready!" and follow the storyplay steps pawn to the hex numbered with the capacity
starting with Reclaim. of the Influence you just used.

On the next tick, move to the perform hex

again, moving another Will token. Hold as If the capacity of that Influence is 0, reset
many times as you like. to 1.

When 2 Spinners are ready at the same time, you can either perform in an
order that makes the most sense to your skein, or you can share the
performance, working together to describe the scene.

Once the Performance is over and your Pawn has been

reset, everyone = including you = begins moving up the
Opportunity Track again.

20
 RECLAIM

This is the first step in your Performance.

You'll only need to do this step if you have
Will tokens on Spent.

You start your performance by Reclaiming

1 Source token for every Potency token
you have on life.

This is in addition to any Will tokens you moved from spent

to source when hitting the perform icon.

21
 DECLARE Instead of announcing exactly what you
plan to do during your performance...

The second step in your performance is

deceptively simple & can be daunting to new
Spinners.

...you declare the STYLE of action you

intend to perform...

...And dealing with the often harsh ...which gives you more flexibility if the
consequences of unfavorable outcomes... outcomes aren't what you hoped.

So, you only need to declare two things First, you declare which Influence you'll be
during this step. basing your performance on.

And second, whether you want to Impact

just 1 character in the scene (usually your
own) or multiple characters.

22
 EXERT WILL IS EXERTED BY MOVING WILL TOKENS
FROM SOURCE TO THE DECLARED INFLUENCE.
PERFORMANCES HAVE A MINIMUM NUMBER OF
WILL TOKENS THAT MUST BE EXERTED.

IN THE THIRD STEP YOU EXERT THE AMOUNT OF THE TABLE IN THE LOWER LEFT CORNER SHOWS
WILL YOU WISH TO SPEND ON YOUR THE MINIMUM PERFORMANCE COST FOR
PERFORMANCE. INFLUENCE-BASED PERFORMANCES.

YOU MUST EXERT AT LEAST THE NUMBER OF

TOKENS SHOWN IN THE TABLE.

IF YOU WANT TO HAVE MORE IMPACT ON THE OVEREXERTED TOKENS WILL BE MOVED TO SPILT YOU CAN PLACE 1 TOKEN ON AN INFLUENCE
SCENE, YOU CAN EXERT AS MANY WILL TOKENS INSTEAD OF SPENT WHEN YOU CLEAR THEM. WITH NO CAPACITY WITHOUT OVEREXERTING.
ON AN INFLUENCE AS YOU LIKE...

...BUT IF THE TOTAL EXERTED IS GREATER THAN RECLAIMING SPILT WILL DURING A SCENE
THE INFLUENCE'S CAPACITY, THE EXTRA TOKENS REQUIRES AN EMBELLISHMENT, WHICH HAS A HOWEVER, IF YOU PLACE MORE THAN 1 ALL OF
ARE CONSIDERED OVEREXERTED. HIGHER WILL COST (SEE PP. 33-36) THE WILL IS OVEREXERTED.

23
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF PERFORMANCES THAT THE FIRST ARE NON-GUARANTEED, INFLUENCE- THESE MUNDANE PERFORMANCES - THAT STILL
DON'T REQUIRE YOU TO EXERT ANY WILL. BASED PERFORMANCES THAT ONLY IMPACT A COULD RESULT IN UNFAVORABLE OUTCOMES -
SINGLE CHARACTER. NEVER REQUIRE THE EXERTION OF WILL.

INSTEAD OF USING WILL FOR THESE IF YOU EXERT EVEN A SINGLE WILL TOKEN FOR
PERFORMANCES, YOU USE THE INFLUENCE'S THESE PERFORMANCES...
CAPACITY.

...YOU GET TO USE THE INFLUENCE CAPACITY WHICH MEANS YOU CAN EASILY MEET DAY-TO-
SO AN INFLUENCE WITH A CAPACITY OF 3 IS PLUS THE EXERTED WILL AND YOU GUARANTEE DAY CHALLENGES AND SAVE YOUR WILL FOR
EXACTLY LIKE HAVING EXERTED 3 WILL TOKENS. THE PERFORMANCE! MORE IMPORTANT THINGS.

THE OTHER PERFORMANCE THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE THE THIS SPINNER DECLARES WHICH INFLUENCE IS
EXERTION OF WILL IS A PASSIVE PERFORMANCE. SOMETIMES REQUIRED FOR THE PASSIVE PERFORMANCE &
SPINNERS DON'T KNOW ABOUT A DANGER IN THE STORYWORLD. ALL OTHER SPINNERS ROLL A SINGLE D6.

SO ANOTHER SPINNER, OFTEN THE WEAVER, WILL IF THE CAPACITY OF THE INFLUENCE + THE
CALL FOR A PASSIVE PERFORMANCE TO DETERMINE NUMBER OF PIPS ON THE D6 IS >= 6, THE
HOW MUCH TO REVEAL TO THE SKEIN. SPINNER REVEALS MORE ABOUT THE SCENE!

24
 ROLL
THE OUTCOMES D6

IN THIS STEP, YOU ROLL THREE 6-SIDED DICE, THIS DIE DETERMINES WHETHER THE OUTCOMES
DETERMINING THE OUTCOMES, IMPACT, & OF YOUR PERFORMANCE WILL BE FAVORABLE OR
OPPORTUNITY THAT GUIDE YOUR PERFORMANCE. UNFAVORABLE.

THE OPPORTUNITY D6
THE IMPACT D6

THIS DIE DETERMINES HOW MUCH OF YOUR THIS DIE DETERMINES HOW MUCH OF YOUR
EXERTED WILL CAN BE SPENT ON MOVING EGO EXERTED WILL CAN BE SPENT MOVING PAWNS UP
TOKENS DURING YOUR PERFORMANCE. & DOWN THE OPPORTUNITY TRACK.

AFTER YOU ROLL, YOU CHOOSE WHETHER TO IF YOU EXERTED MORE WILL THAN THE IMPACT IF YOU GUARANTEED YOUR PERFORMANCE,
SPEND YOUR EXERTED WILL ON IMPACT, & OPPORTUNITY DICE ALLOW, THE EXTRA DON'T ROLL THE OUTCOMES D6 BECAUSE ALL
OPPORTUNITY, OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH. CANNOT BE SPENT ON IMPACT OR OPPORTUNITY. YOUR OUTCOMES WILL BE FAVORABLE.

SO, IF YOU ONLY EXERTED 3 WILL YOU CHOOSE HOWEVER, ALL EXERTED WILL IS CONSIDERED
IF AND HOW TO SPLIT THAT WILL BETWEEN SPENT AND IS MOVED TO THE SPENT ICON AFTER
IMPACT & OPPORTUNITY. YOUR PERFORMANCE.

25
 4-6: FAVORABLE OUTCOME! SPEND YOUR
EXERTED WILL ENTIRELY ON YOUR DESIRED
OUTCOMES - IMPACT, OPPORTUNITY, OR BOTH!

3: MIXED OUTCOMES. THE HIGHEST D6

(IMPACT OR OPPORTUNITY) IS FAVORABLE &
THE LOWEST UNFAVORABLE.

SPEND YOUR EXERTED WILL ON FAVORABLE

OUTCOMES 1ST, ONLY PERFORMING UNFAVORABLE
OUTCOMES IF YOU HAVE WILL LEFT OVER.

2: MIXED OUTCOMES. THE HIGHEST D6

(IMPACT OR OPPORTUNITY) IS UNFAVORABLE &
THE LOWEST FAVORABLE.

SPEND YOUR EXERTED WILL ON UNFAVORABLE

OUTCOMES 1ST, ONLY PERFORMING FAVORABLE
OUTCOMES IF YOU HAVE WILL LEFT OVER.

1: UNFAVORABLE OUTCOME! YOUR PERFORMANCE

DOES NOT HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR DESIRED
OUTCOMES. ALL EXERTED WILL MUST BE SPENT...
IF YOU'RE USING STANDARD D6, IT IS BEST TO USE 3 DIFFERENT
COLORS SO ALL SPINNERS CAN EASILY IDENTIFY WHICH DICE
CORRESPOND TO OUTCOMES, IMPACT, AND OPPORTUNITY.

Rolling doubles on the Impact & If you roll doubles with UNFAVORABLE or If you roll a critical with FAVORABLE
Opportunity dice is a CRITICAL ! This means MIXED outcomes (1-3) on the Outcomes D6, outcomes (4-6), you DON'T have to use all
you get to use ALL of the Impact & you MUST use ALL the available Impact & the available Impact & Opportunity
Opportunity shown on the dice. Opportunity Adjustments. adjustments.

...no matter how much Will you exerted.

26
 AND NOW THE STEP YOU'VE BEEN WAITING
FOR...

YOU BASE YOUR PERFORMANCE ON THE INFLUENCE

YOU DECLARED, HOW MANY CHARACTERS YOU'RE
IMPACTING, AND THE RESULTS OF YOUR ROLL.

PERFORM!

WHETHER YOU'RE PERFORMING AN ACTION WITH

FAVORABLE OR UNFAVORABLE OUTCOMES, THIS IS YOUR
MOMENT TO ADD SOMETHING MEANINGFUL TO THE
STORYWORLD YOU'VE HELPED CREATE.

27
 WHEN YOU'RE PERFORMING, YOUR DECISIONS CAN
IMPACT THE ENTIRE SCENE. AND YOU WILL WANT TO
BE SURE AND INCORPORATE THE STORY THREADS YOUR
SKEIN HAS ALREADY SPUN.

BUT DON'T WORRY, YOU'RE NOT ALONE! THE REST

OF THE SKEIN IS THERE TO SUPPORT & HELP YOU
BE THE BEST SPINNER YOU CAN POSSIBLY BE.

28
 SO HOW DOES ALL THAT BECOME STORYTELLING?
WHAT'S INVOLVED IN PERFORMING THE SCENE?

TO REVIEW: YOU'VE DECLARED AN INFLUENCE & YOU'VE EXERTED WILL....

DECIDED HOW MANY CHARACTERS TO IMPACT....

...AND YOU'VE ROLLED DICE TO DETERMINE OUTCOMES, WE'LL EXPLAIN THE BASIC RULES FIRST & THEN
IMPACT, & OPPORTUNITY. AND NOW... LOOK AT THE SPECIFICS.

SIMPLY PUT, FOR EACH WILL TOKEN YOU EXERTED

...YOU PERFORM THE SCENE BASED ON THAT YOU GET 1 DESCRIPTIVE SENTENCE TO USE
INFORMATION. WHILE PERFORMING THE SCENE.

THE SENTENCES CAN BE USED TO PROVIDE EXPOSITION, After you describe the events of the scene
DESCRIBE ACTION, OR DELIVER LINES OF DIALOG. you resolve the outcomes...

IT'S OKAY TO USE COMPOND SENTENCES, JUST ...determining exactly how your
REMEMBER THAT OTHER SPINNERS ARE WAITING FOR storytelling Impacts Ego & alters
OPPORTUNITIES TO PERFORM! opportunity for the Skein.

29
 IMPACT IS USED TO MOVE EGO BETWEEN
SOURCE & SPILT. EGO IS VERY IMPORTANT.

IF IT'S ALL MOVED TO SPILT, YOU CANNOT PERFORM ...OR THE SCENE CHANGES TO A NEW LOCATION,
AGAIN UNTIL ANOTHER SPINNER RESTORES YOUR WHICH ALLOWS EACH SPINNER TO RESTORE 1
EGO FOR YOU... EGO TOKEN TO THEIR SOURCE.

REMEMBER THAT EGO MIGHT NOT ALWAYS SO GET CREATIVE WITH HOW YOU SPILL EGO...
REPRESENT YOUR CHARACTERS' HEALTH.

...AS WELL AS HOW YOU RECLAIM IT.

FOR EACH EXERTED WILL TOKEN YOU SPEND ON IMPACT - UP YOU CAN ONLY SPILL ANOTHER SPINNER'S EGO
TO THE MAXIMUM ALLOWED BY THE IMPACT D6 - YOU CAN IF YOU DECLARED THAT YOUR PERFORMANCE
SPILL OR RESTORE 1 EGO TOKEN.... WOULD INCLUDE MULTIPLE CHARACTERS.

...AND IF YOU'RE RESTORING YOUR OWN EGO,

YOU RECLAIM AN EXTRA FOR EVERY POTENCY
TOKEN YOU HAVE ON ENERGY.

30
 OPPORTUNITY IS USED TO MOVE PAWNS ON THE FOR EACH EXERTED WILL TOKEN YOU SPEND ON IF YOU'RE ADJUSTING YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITY,
OPPORTUNITY TRACK... OPPORTUNITY, YOU CAN MOVE A PAWN 1 HEX IN THIS IS APPLIED AFTER YOU RESET YOUR PAWN
EITHER DIRECTION ALONG THE TRACK. AT THE END OF A PERFORMANCE.

...ALLOWING YOU TO CHANGE THE ORDER OF

PERFORMANCES.

FAVORABLE ADJUSTMENTS REFLECT YOUR THIS STOPWATCH IS THE TIMEOUT HEX.

CHARACTER BEING MORE PREPARED TO ACT
NEXT TIME...

NORMALLY, YOU WOULD NEVER GIVE YOURSELF A

TIMEOUT, BUT SOMETIMES UNFAVORABLE
...OR AN OPPONENT BEING LESS PREPARED. CONDITIONS REQUIRE IT.

ONCE HERE, YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR EVERY Like Impact, you can only move other
OTHER SPINNER TO REACH PERFORM... Spinners' opportunity pawns if you declare
...OR ALSO GET A TIMEOUT... your performance would include multple
characters.

...BEFORE YOU CAN START TICKING YOUR WAY UP THE OPPORTUNITY TRACK AGAIN.
(YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR PAWNS THAT WERE ALREADY ON THE PERFORM OR
TIMEOUT HEXES WHEN YOU LANDED HERE.)

31
 SOMETIMES THE STARS ALIGN AND YOU
SUCCEED BEYOND YOUR WILDEST
IMAGINATION.

AND SOMETIMES, NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU

TRY, THINGS GO HORRIBLY AWRY.

THIS IS WHERE CRITICALS COME IN TO PLAY. IF POSSIBLE, THE OPPORTUNITY ADJUSTMENTS

CAN BE USED TO PUSH YOUR PAWN TO THE
PERFORM ICON AGAIN, ONCE YOU'VE RESET IT...

NO MATTER HOW MUCH WILL YOU EXERTED, YOU ..MEANING YOU MAY BE ABLE TO DECLARE
GET THE MAXIMUM IMPACT & OPPORTUNITY READY AND IMMEDIATELY PERFORM BEFORE
ADJUSTMENTS WHEN YOU ROLL DOUBLES. THE NEXT TICK, REGAINING WILL AS USUAL.

OR EVEN ADJUST THE PAWN OF ANOTHER Just remember that in order to touch
SPINNER AT READY, DELAYING THEIR NEXT other Spinners' Lifewheels, you must have
PERFORMANCE... declared your performance would include
multiple characters!

...all while having the maximum impact on

Ego as well.

32
 INFLUENCE-BASED PERFORMANCES INVOLVE MOVING EGO
TOKENS AND PAWNS TO RESOLVE THE OUTCOMES OF YOUR
PERFORMANCE. IF YOU WANT TO DO ANYTHING ELSE, YOU WILL
NEED TO USE EMBELLISHMENTS.

WHEN EMBELLISHING YOUR PERFORMANCE,

YOU EXERT WILL INTO ONE OF THE 3
DOMAINS INSTEAD OF AN INFLUENCE ...

EACH DOMAIN'S CAPACITY IS DEFINED BY THE

POTENCY OF THE DOMAIN'S 2 ELEMENTS...

FOR EXAMPLE, WATER'S POTENCY OF 1 AND

FIRE'S POTENCY OF 2 MEAN MIND HAS A
CAPACITY OF 3.

33
 THE 7 STANDARD EMBELLISHMENTS, WHICH RUN DOWN THE RIGHT THE DEFAULT EMBELISHMENT IS RE-ROLLING
HAND SIDE OF THE LIFEWHEEL, ARE ONLY A STARTING POINT. THE OUTCOMES D6 AND USING THE 2ND ROLL -
EVEN IF IT'S LOWER THAN THE 1ST!

ANYTHING YOUR SKEIN WANTS TO DO THAT ISN'T IMPACT

(MOVING EGO) OR OPPORTUNITY ADJUSTMENTS
(MOVING PAWNS) IS CONSIDERED AN EMBELLISHMENT.

CREATIVE USE OF EMBELLISHMENTS IS A

POWERFUL WAY TO ENHANCE YOUR STORY!
THIS EMBELLISHMENT IS EXCLUSIVE, AS
INDICATED BY THE BOLD BORDER, AND CANNOT
BE MIXED WITH OTHER EMBELLISHMENTS.

THE REMAINING 6 STANDARD EMBELLISHMENTS ARE INSPIRED BY THE 6 INFLUENCES. THIS IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE FOR HOW TO USE THE EMBELLISHMENTS
SUCCESSFULLY. JUST REMEMBER THAT THE CAPACITY FOR THE PERFORMANCE IS DETERMINED BY THE DOMAIN YOU DECLARED - NOT THE INFLUENCE.

NON-EXCLUSIVE EMBELLISHMENTS (THOSE WITH LIGHT BORDERS)

CAN BE COMBINED TO PRODUCE DYNAMIC PERFORMANCES.

34
 THIS EMBELLISHMENT LETS YOU ROLL 1 D6 FOR EACH WILL
TOKEN YOU'VE EXERTED AND CHOOSE THE BEST RESULTS FOR
YOUR OUTCOMES, IMPACT, & OPPORTUNITY.

AS INDICATED BY THE BOLD BORDER, THIS

ENHANCEMENT CANNOT BE COMBINED WITH THIS IS THE ONLY EMBELLISHMENT THAT MUST
ANY OF THE OTHER ENHANCEMENTS. BE DECLARED BEFORE YOU EXERT YOUR WILL.

THIS EMBELLISHMENT LETS YOU RESERVE FAVORABLE IMPACT TO ADD TO YOUR NEXT
PERFORMANCE, ALLOWING FOR FLUID, HIGH-IMPACT, TWO-PART PERFORMANCES. ANY
UNFAVORABLE IMPACT MUST BE SPENT DURING THE 1ST PERFORMANCE.

THE DEFERRED WILL IS MOVED TO SPENT AFTER

THE 2ND PERFORMANCE, WHICH DOESN'T NEED
TO BE AN EMBELLISHMENT.

THIS EMBELLISHMENT TRANSLATES IMPACT TO ...ALLOWING YOU TO IGNORE THE LIMITS OF

OPPORTUNITY ADJUSTMENTS... THE IMPACT & OPPORTUNITY DICE...

..AND SPEND AS MUCH OF YOUR EXERTED WILL

ON OPPORTUNITY ADJUSTMENTS AS YOU LIKE.

35
 THIS EMBELLISHMENT CREATES MODIFIER GENERAL MODIFIERS - STACKED ON EMBELLISHMENT HEXES -
STACKS, ALTERING THE CAPACITY OF APPLY TO ALL INFLUENCES. EACH PERFORMANCE BY THE
INFLUENCES. MODIFIED SPINNER REDUCES THE STACK BY 1 TOKEN.

TARGETED MODIFIERS - PLACED NEXT TO AN INFLUENCE -

GREEN TOKENS INCREASE CAPACITY. APPLY TO INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCES. MODIFIED SPINNERS MUST
RED TOKENS DECREASE CAPACITY. USE AN EMBELLISHMENT TO REMOVE THESE.

THIS EMBELLISHMENT CREATES A WHILE YOU HAVE AN ACTIVE POOL, YOUR EGO
POOL OF WILL. CANNOT BE SPILT, BUT SPINNERS CAN IMPACT
YOUR POOL WITHOUT AN EMBELLISHMENT.

PLACE THE WILL TOKENS

YOU SPENT ON THE POOL ON THE POOL CAN BE SPENT, IN PART OR IN WHOLE,
THE UPPER EMBELLISHMENT WHEN WILL IS REMOVED FROM THE POOL FOR TO FAVORABLY IMPACT ANY FUTURE
HEXES INSTEAD OF SPILT. ANY REASON IT IS RETURNED TO SOURCE. PERFORMANCE.

THIS EMBELLISHMENT IMPACTS WILL TOKENS IT CAN MOVE AN OPPONENT'S

DURING YOUR PERFORMANCE. WILL TOKENS TO SPENT...

...RESTORE ADDITIONAL WILL ...OR - MORE DRAMATICALLY - MOVE WILL

TOKENS TO SOURCE... TOKENS TO SPILT.

36
 CLEAR THIS STEP CAN ALSO BE PERFORMED DURING
YOUR PERFORMANCE, MOVING TOKENS AS THEY
ARE SPENT.
BECAUSE I JUST HUMILATED
HIM IN FRONT OF HIS FRIENDS, I
SPILL 1 OF HIS EGO.

THE FINAL STEP IS SIMPLE... ...MOVE YOUR SPENT WILL TO THE SPENT ICON.

37
WHEN YOU REACH THE TOP OF THE OPPORTUNITY DECLARE WHICH INFLUENCE WILL GUIDE YOUR DECIDE HOW MUCH WILL TO EXERT FOR YOUR
TRACK, RECLAIM WILL BY MOVING TOKENS PERFORMANCE AND WHETHER YOU WANT TO PERFORMANCE, ACCOUNTING FOR GUARANTEES
FROM SPENT TO SOURCE. APPLY EFFECT TO OTHER CHARACTERS. & EMBELLISHMENTS.

ROLL 2 OR 3 D6 TO DETERMINE THE OUTCOMES, PERFORM THE SCENE! CLEAR YOUR SPENT WILL & RESET YOUR PAWN
POTENTIAL IMPACT & OPPORTUNITY ON THE TIMING TRACK.
ADJUSTMENTS OF YOUR PERFORMANCE.

EVERY RULE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT UP TO THIS

POINT IS REPRESENTED ON THE LIFEWHEEL...

38
39
 BHALOIDAM MAKES IT EASY TO TAKE RISKS.
AFTER ALL, GREAT CHARACTERS SOMETIMES TRY
IMPOSSIBLE THINGS...

...AND DON'T ALWAYS COME OUT ON TOP.

ANOTHER SPINNER WILL ALWAYS BE THERE TO

HELP YOU THINK OF A SOLUTION...

...OR PITCH IN TO LEND A HAND WITH THEIR

NEXT PERFORMANCE.

BAHLOIDAM CAN EVEN HELP YOU RECOGNIZE ....and when you really enjoyed another
EACH OTHER'S EXCELLENCE! Spinner's performance...

This is called RENOWN & your Skein can even

GIVE EACH SPINNER 3 POSITIVE MODIFIER Give them a token for the Influence they let Spinners exchange 3 Renown tokens for
TOKENS AT THE START OF A SESSION... just used. a new Source token.

40
41
The Lifewheel is an extremely flexible tool You'll quickly realize it's not practical to use individual
in the hands of a talented Weaver. Lifewheels for every single character in your storyworld!

Instead, try using a single Lifewheel to The Lifewheel could represent a dastardly
...or even an entire culture.
represent a group of enemies... plot to overthrow the world...

You may even decide to not use additional Lifewheels

at all, letting the entire storyworld be shaped by the
outcomes of the Spinners' Performances!

...or a mystery where you uncover clues as

you spill the plot's Ego.

42
 IN A WORLD OF SUPERHEROES, EACH SPINNER
HAS A SINGLE INFLUENCE THAT ALLOWS HER TO
DOUBLE (OR EVEN TRIPLE) HER EFFECT.

For example, in a world of classic movie ...MOVING ALL POTENCY TOKENS ON MIND
monsters: ELEMENTS TO BODY ELEMENTS.

HEROIC POISE MIGHT GRANT THE POWEROF

SPEED OR FLIGHT...

ON THE FULL MOON, WEREWOLVES TRANSFORM...

WHILE VAMPIRES LOSE 1 EGO PER

PERFORMANCE WHENEVER GARLIC OR HOLY
SYMBOLS ARE PRESENT..

...and can only regain Ego by feeding on a ...WHILE HEROIC PERSISTENCE MIGHT MAKE
... and spill double ego when attacked with victim (spilling their Ego as they regain YOU IMPERVIOUS TO DAMAGE.
wooden stakes... their own).

43
 IN THE CTHULHU MYTHOS... IN A WORLD OF DARK MAGICS...

EGO BECOMES HUMANITY & WILL BECOMES SANITY. ...SPILLING EGO SUPPLEMENTS YOUR EXERTED
FOR FULL CTHULHU VARIANT RULES, VISIT BHALOIDAM. COM WILL IN ARCANE RITUALS.

YOU DON'T NEED TO CREATE VARIANTS TO ENJOY

BHALOIDAM, BUT THEY'RE A GREAT WAY TO
PERSONALIZE YOUR PLAY.

IF YOU DO CREATE A VARIANT YOU LOVE, WE

HOPE YOU'LL VISIT US AT BHALOIDAM.COM TO
TELL US ALL ABOUT IT!

44
 ORPHANS ALLEY PREPPING THE TABLE
Two young orphans try to join a notorious
Stalwart Orphan
gang of thieves in Victorian London.

6 Ego, 3 Will, 1 Earth, 1 Water, 1 Air

SETTING THE SCENE

THE VARIANT RULESET

You need to track Sikes progress down

the alley either with a hex map, or an
additional Lifewheel & pawn.

If using a hex map, all Spinners must

spend will on Impact to move their
figurines on the map.
1 Impact = 1 hex of movement.

If using an additional Lifewheel, the

Spinner playing Sikes starts the scene
with a pawn on its Time Out Hex & must
spend Will on Impact to move it up the
Opportunity Track. Once it reaches the
Perform icon, Sikes has left the alley.

45
 A hex map with a narrow alley marked out
on it & 3 figures...
Nimble Orphan Sikes

... or an additional Lifewheel with a pawn on

3 Ego, 6 Will, 1 Water, 1 Air, 1 Fire 6 Ego, 3 Will, 1 Life, 1 Earth, 1 Energy the Time Out Hex.

STORYPLAY TIPS

Use the initial placement of pawns on

the Opportunity Track to allow Sikes to
perform first and so the orphans
dont reach ready at the same time.

If youre introducing new Spinners to

Bhaloidam with this scene, only explain
1 Influence to each of them and have
them use it for the entire scene. Sikes
should use Mastery, Stalwart Orphan
should use Persistence, and Nimble
Orphan should use Sleight.

SCENE OUTCOMES
Sikes's favorable outcome is exiting the Have each Spinners first performance
alley without losing any items. impact only a single character - their
own. Ask them to perform the scene to
show how their character thinks and
behaves as they react to Sikes
unexpected arrival.

Have each Spinners second

performance impact multiple
characters and encourage them to
Impact another characters movement
or Ego. If youre using a hex map, let
them reach out and move other
The orphans' favorable outcomes are character figures when they resolve
claiming at least one item and fleeing the their outcomes!
alley.

46
 THE FUNERAL PREPPING THE TABLE
After their fathers funeral, three adult siblings
Eldest Sibling
face each other for the first time in a year.

9 Ego, 3 Will, 1 Life, 2 Earth, 1 Air

SETTING THE SCENE

THE VARIANT RULESET

Ego represents the siblings shame. 3

Ego tokens = 1 shame. For example, the
Eldest sibling has 3 related shames and
9 Ego. When an Ego token is Spilt, the
affected Spinner must strongly hint at
their shame and when 3 Ego tokens
are spilt, they must fully confess. Once
they have confessed, they may no
longer reclaim those three Ego
tokens.

When a Spinner decides to spill

anothers Ego and have them reveal
some or all of a shame, they must let
the affected Spinner use one of the
sentences from their Performance.

For example: The Eldest Sibling exerts 2

Will and decides to have the Middle
Sibling spill Ego. Before she Performs,
she lets the Middle Sibling know that
theyll have one sentence and must
spill an Ego token. She then uses her
first sentence to ask a question,
allowing the Middle Sibling to reply
and reveal a portion of his shame.

Spilling all of your Ego does not mean

you can no longer perform! Spinners
who reveal their shame are free to
continue impacting the scene.

47
 Secret Suspicions & Shames for Each
Spinner.
Middle Sibling Youngest Sibling

Youll find the suspicions and shames we

6 Ego, 6 Will, 1 Earth, 1 Water, 1 Energy. 1 use on page 66. Feel free to use them, or
Air 3 Ego, 9 Will, 1 Water, 1 Air, 2 Fire write up your own!

SCENE OUTCOMES

STORYPLAY TIPS

It can be helpful to start each Spinner

out with 2 spilled Ego. Ask them to
make their first performance only
impact their own character and
reclaim their Ego, using the
performance to portray their
character doing something
comforting, something that will let
them feel less vulnerable.

If this is the Skeins first exposure to

Bhaloidam, its helpful to only explain
one Influence to each of them and
have them rely on that Influence until
they get comfortable. The Eldest
Sibling should use Mastery, the Middle
The scene ends when every Sibling has revealed all their Sibling Poise, and the Youngest Sleight.
shame, or the Spinners decide that it has reached a good
conclusion.
You may want to use the initial
placement of Pawns to prevent the
Eldest and Youngest Siblings from
reaching the top of the Opportunity
track at the exact same time.

48
 DUEL TO THE DEATH
Inspired by a Submission from Wayne Grimmer

Starring Travis as Parflax, a Wanderer

And a Mysterious Foe

Heres the first of three samples that will

give you an idea of what storyplay sounds like. In this
sample I, as the Weaver, set the scene and provide some
guidance, but the entire scene unfolds based on Traviss
exertion of Will and rolls of the dice.

49
 As Parflax walks up to the Ready! Ill use Sleight, impacting multiple
bridge, a large man steps forward. characters. Ill exert 3 Will, guaranteeing it.
He is heavily muscled and wearing a
chainmail shirt. Lets say he has... 9 Ego.
Grimly eyeing your approach, he draws his
greatsword and flourishes it
skillfully.

...aaand I roll a 4 on Impact and 3 on

Opportunity.
I step boldly forward, as if paying no
heed to the warrior. He steps forward and
swings with all his might at my head. I quickly
Right, hmmm. ...and to our mutual
duck and thrust my sword into his stomach...
surprise, my sword-tip finds a defective link
Dont forget hes wearing and pierces his chainmail easily.
chainmail.

Nice. Your eyes meet as your

sword tip passes clear through his midriff,
blocked only by the intact mesh on the back of
his chainmail shirt.

50
 Ready! I reclaim 1 Will and Ill use
How much of his Ego do you Mastery this time, impacting multiple characters,
want to spill? and exerting 2 Will. Thats not enough to
guarantee, so Ill roll and...
Three, since Im the only
Spinner in the scene and dont
really need the opportunity
adjustment.

Okay, that leaves him with 6 Ego.

Dont forget to clear your will.
And, Tick!

Oh no! I rolled a 1 on outcomes and

double 3s on Impact and Opportunity.
As I try to withdraw my sword,
the warrior swings wildly and I feel his
sword bite into my side, sending me
sprawling. I land heavily on a rock, knocking
my breath out of me, and dropping my
sword.
Drat, thats my two sentences.

Since it was a critical, go ahead and

take one more.

I struggle to regain my weapon

and my breath as the warrior looms
I spill 3 of my own Ego and reset my
over me, poised to deliver the coup de
pawn to 2 and pushing it back as far as
grace.
I can to the Time Out.

Wait. Im the only one in the scene,

how do we handle Timeouts?

51
 Good question. How would you feel
if you had to overexert Will on your next
Performance, but couldnt guarantee it?
Sure, like I pull out all
the stops to get out of a tough
situation, but I have very little
control so it could still go
wrong? I like it.
Excellent, so Tick 7 and its
back to you.
As the warriors sword swings down
towards my head, I finally manage to grab my
sword. I do a back roll onto my feet just as his sword
tip buries itself into the ground. I lash out at his face and
he wildly pulls back, losing his footing and his
balance.
Ready. I regain 1 Will. Ill use Poise,
multiple characters, and Ill exert all 6 of
my remaining Will and hope for the
best! Are you sure? I didnt mean you had
to overexert that much.
Im sure! This is a Hail Mary pass for
Parflax. I roll and, YES! 4 on outcomes, 6
on Impact, and 3 on Opportunity.
He overcompensates, throwing his
weight forward, only to find himself falling
onto the hilt of his sword, which somehow finds
the exact spot my sword tip had. All his weight
comes down on the sword hilt, causing it to
puncture his gut.
He screams, blood flecked spittle
flying from his lips, spasms, and dies, his
sword wedged between stomach and
ground, propping him up like a grotesque
puppet.
Nice performance, if
somewhat gory! Obviously youre
spilling his remaining 6 Ego.
Yep! And now I clear 3 Will and
Spill 3 Will. With all my Will gone and half my
Ego gone, I think Parflax is going to pass out now
and wait for Jos character to show up,
hopefully with a doctor!
52
 STAR CROSSED LOVE
Inspired by a submission from Sara Schirman and Duane Jeffers

Starring Jo as Bella Terra, Daughter

of the Earth King
Travis as Agapito, Eldest Son of the
Human Queen

..and Alex as a passing Zephyr, a

blustery Agent of Fate

In this storyplay sample, Travis and Jo are

playing star-crossed lovers, meeting for the very
first time. Ill use a Lifewheel representing the forces
that conspire to keep them apart while Jo and Travis will
do everything they can to keep their characters
together..

53
 Jo, last time Bella Terra had seen a cloud of dust
on the far horizon and dashed off to see what it was with a
passing Zephyr. Travis, Prince Agapito - feeling trapped by the
confines of his castle - took a hunting party out to the distant
reaches of the plains in search of rare game.

We left off as Bella Terra and the zephyr

came upon the source of the dust cloud and
heard the noise of many people. The sun was
beginning to set, the sunset bathing everything in a
bright red glow.

And lets see. Tick 3.

Ready! Lets see, Poise impacting a single

character. Ill exert 1 will and guarantee it.
I roll a 3 on Impact and a 2 on Opportunity.
I have a capacity of 2, plus my Will -
thats 3 sentences.

Despite my excitement, I slow down and move

forward cautiously. The people are strange - soft, not
like me and my sisters. I creep closer, listening to them
talking and laughing, making food that smells
strange and spicy.

I reset to 2, use my 2
opportunity adjustments to move
to 4, and clear my Will.

Jo, time for a passive performance

using Persistence.

I roll a 4, plus a capacity of 3, giving me a 7.

The zephyr whispers, Princessa! We must leave! I

know these people - they will try to strike at us if
they see us! His voice is quaking with fear.

Take my third sentence to reply if you like.

I gesture to the zephyr to be quiet and say, No -

just a little bit longer, Ive never seen people like
this before
Excellent. Tick 2.

54
 Ready! Im going to use... Charm, I guess.
Impacting multiple characters, exerting 3 Will to
guarantee it. And I roll 2 Impact, 6 Opportunity.

I walk away from my people, staring up at the sunset and

whistling softly. Bella Terra - awed by my soft beauty - creeps around
the rock, coming closer. I stop and sit on a small rock facing the sunset,
the wind lightly playing through my hair, and sigh contently.

I reset to 3 and use my opportunity

adjustments to move myself and Jo up to 5. Oh,
and I clear my Will.

Let me get a passive performance check I roll a 2 and my design is

from you both for Design. 1, so I only have a 3.

I roll a 3 and my Design is 2, so 5. Oh great, so both of us miss

something important!

The wind kicks up and Bella Terra

notices too late that the zephyr has
gone, muttering angrily under his breath
as he stormed off.

55
 Shall we share the Performance?

Ready!
Yes please! Im using Charm again (for luck),
multiple characters, 3 Will.

Im using Mastery, multiple characters, 3 Will.

Either of you guaranteeing it? Nope!

Yes.
Prince Agapito is so rapt by the sunset Oops. I rolled a 1 Outcome, 2
and lost in his thoughts, that he fails to notice Impact and 1 Opportunity.
the sudden drop in temperature and the wind
gusting at his back. Suddenly a violent wind storm - I rolled 5 Impact, 2 Opportunity. Travis, shall
strong enough to lift rocks from their resting we just share our 6 sentences? I can start, then you
...and Tick 2!
spots - is upon them . pick it up and manage the unfavorable outcomes, and Ill
use the remainder of the performance to mitigate
the damage as best I can!
Perfect.

I run over to this soft beautiful man and say,

Please, you must hurry - the storm is almost here! Im so startled by this that I fall off my rock, but
quickly leap up, thank her, and run for my camp. The storm
arrives in force before I make it ten paces and a rock, torn
from the ground by an enormous gust of wind, hits me,
knocking me flat on my back.
I spill 2 Ego, reset to 3, pushing
myself back to 2.

Seeing him lay there, Bella Terra fears that he will die
unless he gets to shelter. Not knowing what else to do, I pick
him up and start running as fast as I can away from the storm. I
find a spring, fed with water from deep within the earth,
remove his shirt and tend to his wounds.
I restore Traviss 2 Ego, reset my pawn to
3, pushing myself up to 4. Nicely done!

56
 The Sign of the Pasta
Inspired by a submission from Max Battcher

Will R. Protag abide by His Righteous Laws

of Consumerism or succomb to the
worldview of the Mysterious Capn Skeptic
and his science-minded crew?

Starring Jo as R. Protag,
Hapless Corporate Victim

and Travis as Capn Skeptic,

Cunning Pirate (CC).

Note: This storyplay sample shows how Bhaloidam can be used for improvisational
storyworld-building. The Skein is considering every performance to be guaranteed,
and dont roll any dice as they arent resolving any outcomes. In other words,
theyre simply using the Influences to guide the tone of their Performance and the
movement of will tokens and opportunity pawns as a structure to decide how much
they can say and when they can say it.

57
Im closest to the Perform icon, so Tick
2. Im ready and Ill exert 3 Will in
Persistence.

I leave His Preferred Market and wander

past His Fabulous Furniture Emporium next door,
noticing a sign offering nearly unprecedented
savings! Just like last week. Just like every
week...

I reset to 3 and clear my Will.

Tick 3 and Im ready. Ill exert 4

Will in Poise.

I meekly cough to get your attention and

say, Excuse me, good sir? Do you have a few
cents for a war veteran? As you turn and let your
eyes adjust to the surprisingly dark corner that
shelters me, you see a well-worn man in dark
clothes, pirate hat upon his head, eyepatch
covering one eye, and a peg leg.

I reset to 4 and clear my Will.

Tick 1. I get back a Will token and Ill

hold, moving my pawn back to 6. And again, Tick
1. I get another Will token and Im ready. Ill
exert 2 Will in Charm.

I gaze at him curiously, taking in his weathered

appearance and sensing that hes something more
than a simple beggar. I reach into my pocket
for some change.

I reset to 2 and clear my Will.

Tick 3. I reclaim a Will. Im ready. so I

reclaim another. I exert 6 Will in Poise.

Overexerting by 2? Wow.

Yeah, I know how I want this to go and

itll take a few sentences.
I reset to 4, clear 4 will and
I smoothly turn the transfer of coins into a firm handshake, the spill 2.
change clattering loudly to the cement. "Ah, I see that you are a true Hm. How would you feel
gentleman and scholar in this dark age." I smile broadly and doff my hat, revealing about taking a timeout to
my Flying Spaghetti Monster (CC) tattoo. I replace my hat and turn you around with a reclaim that spilt Will?
brisk - but gentle - shove saying, "May His Noodly Appendage guide you through
another successful work week. I've heard that the sailing weather will
Sure! So I reset to timeout and reclaim
be wonderful this weekend."
2 spilt will. Thats a great idea, thanks.

58
 I tick 5, reclaim a will and hold.
Reset to 6. And tick 1.
I find myself dwelling on this interaction all week
and the local His Helpful Supervisor nearly trots me out
in front of a tribunal of HR officers on charges of dereliction
I get to tick now too! of duty. I find myself feeling a sense of renewal and rebellion
and thinking, I'm not just some Resource to be managed
and placed on display just like any other of His
Fabulous Products.
Right you are. I tick 1, reclaim another
will and Im ready. I exert 2 Will in I reset to 2 and clear 2 will. Im still
Mastery. ahead of you, so tick 5!

I like how you used Mastery to barely hold

it together there. Just because everything is
guaranteed, doesn't mean we have to be awesome
at everything all the time.

Thanks!

59
 I reclaim 1 Will and Im ready. I exert 3
Will in Persistence.

Saturday morning finds me waiting in the cold rain for

some sign of this mysterious man. Finally, a ship arrives bearing
on its standard the same symbol as the mysterious mans tattoo.
I try to board but am rebuffed by a gruff crewmember, so I
return to my bench and wait.

I reset to 3 and clear my Will.

Tick 1. I reclaim 1 will and Im

ready. I exert 5 Will in Design.

Overexerting again now that we have a

rule for reclaiming spilt will, eh?

You bet!

I arrive, a whirlwind of activity and

bluster, and before you know it Im escorting
you onto the ship and into my cabin. Once were safely
out of view of prying eyes I turn to face you, smile
widely and say, "Welcome to the Enlightened Eleanor
one of only a few remaining boats sailing under that
shining visage of the Smiling Spaghetti, the one
true Flying Spaghetti Monster!"

I remove my eye patch, revealing a

perfectly healthy eye, and tap a hidden
button on my peg leg, which shimmers with a
rainbow light and disappears to reveal a
matching boot. The FSM and pirate theatrics are a
misdirection, our true aim is to return scientific
reason to a world imprisoned by corporate faith
and consumerist superstition. And you, my dear
boy, are our new cabin boy, so prepare
yourself for the adventure of a
lifetime!

60
AGILITY Character attribute defined by the potency
DESIGN Influence defined by the potency of Water
of AIR.
and Energy. Described as the Lore of your Craft, or
the Craft of your Lore.
AIR Element that defines the character attribute of
AGILITY. Serves as Body's Will.
DOMAIN BODY, MIND, and SPIRIT. Used for Embellished
Performances.
ATTRIBUTE CONTROL, CRAFT, STRENGTH, AGILITY, WIT, and
LORE. Defined by the 6 Elements.
DOMAIN-BASED PERFORMANCE Performance based
on one of the three Domains, allowing for
BODY Domain defined by the potency of Earth and Air.
Embellishments.
Used to embellish performances with physical impact.

EARTH Element that defines the character attribute of

CAPACITY The number of Will tokens that an
STRENGTH. Serves as Body's Ego.
Influence or Domain can safely hold. Defined by the
Potency Tokens on adjacent or corresponding
EGO Source energy that represents a Spinners
Elements.
investment in her storyworld outcomes.

CHARM Influence defined by the potency of Fire and

ELEMENT LIFE, EARTH, WATER, ENERGY, AIR, and FIRE.
Life. Described as the Wit of your Control, or the
These define the six primary character attributes.
Control of your Wit.

ELEMENTAL POTENCY TOKENS Tokens placed on

CLEAR To move Will tokens from an Influence to
Elements that define the capacity of adjacent
Spent (or Spilt).
Influences and corresponding Domains.

CONTROL Character attribute defined by the potency

EMBELLISHMENT Any outcome that allows for Impact
of LIFE.
beyond ego and opportunity adjustments.

CRAFT Character attribute defined by the potency of

ENERGY Element that defines the character attribute
ENERGY.
of CRAFT. Serves as Spirit's Will.

DECLARE To state which Influence or Domain will

EXERT To move Will tokens from Source to an
guide your performance and whether you wish to
Influence or Domain during your Performance.
Impact multiple characters.
FIRE Element that defines the character attribute of
WIT. Serves as Mind's Will.
GUARANTEED OUTCOMES Performances with higher
Will costs that are guaranteed to have favorable
outcomes.
IMPACT The number of tokens (usually Ego) Spinners
can move while resolving outcomes during a
performance.
INFLUENCE MASTERY, PERSISTENCE, DESIGN, POISE,
SLEIGHT, and CHARM. These guide your performances.
INFLUENCE-BASED PERFORMANCE Performance based
on one of the six Influences, impacting Ego and
Opportunity.
LIFE Element that defines the character attribute of
CONTROL. Serves as Spirit's Ego.
LIFEWHEEL A personal game board that tracks a
Spinners relationship with the storyworld.
LORE Character attribute defined by the potency of
WATER.
MASTERY Influence defined by the potency of Life and
Earth. Described as the Control of your Strength, or
the Strength of your Control.
MIND Domain defined by the potency of Water and
Fire. Used to embellish performances with
intellectual or psychic impact.
OPPORTUNITY The order in which Spinners perform,
guided by the Opportunity Track on the Lifewheel.
OPPORTUNITY TRACK An 8-hex track on the left
border of the Lifewheel. Used to determine when a
Spinner has an opportunity to perform.
OUTCOMES The movement of tokens and pawns on
Lifewheels at the end of a Performance.
OVEREXERT Exerting more Will tokens than the
capacity of an Influence will safely hold.
PASSIVE PERFORMANCE A Performance called by a
Spinner in order to reveal events unknown to the
Skein.
PAWN Used to track a Spinner's position on the
Opportunity Track.
PERFORM To describe the scene, guided by the six
storyplay steps.
PERFORM HEX The topmost hex on the Opportunity
track. Indicates that a Spinner has an opportunity to
perform.
PERFORMANCE The six storyplay steps, RECLAIM,
DECLARE, EXERT, ROLL, PERFORM, CLEAR.
PERSISTENCE Influence defined by the potency of
Earth and Water. Described as the Strength of your
Lore, or the Lore of your Strength.
POISE Influence defined by the potency of Energy
and Air. Described as the Craft of your Agility, or the
Agility of your Craft.
POTENCY The number of tokens on an Element.
RECLAIM To move Will tokens from Spent to Source.
STORYPLAY The act of sharing storytelling with
Bahloidam using the six storyplay steps.
RESOLVING OUTCOMES Interpreting the results of
your Performance by moving tokens and pawns on
STORYWORLD A shared fictional world.
Lifewheels.

STRENGTH Character attribute defined by the potency

ROLL To roll 2 or 3 six-sided dice to guide your
of EARTH.
Performance.

TICK The signal to move your pawn one hex up the

SKEIN A group of Spinners.
Opportunity Track.

SLEIGHT Influence defined by the potency of Air and

TIMEOUT HEX The lowest hex on the Opportunity
Fire. Described as the Agility of your Wit, or the Wit of
track. Delays a spinners progress up the Opportunity
your Agility.
Track.

SOURCE Energy that flows from a Spinner, through

VARIANT A set of rules, or modifications of rules,
her character, into the storyworld, represented by
that build upon the core storyplay of Bhaloidam.
Ego and Will tokens.

WATER Element that defines the character attribute of

SPENT Location on the Lifewheel for Source tokens
LORE. Serves as Mind's Ego.
that have been used during a Performance.

WEAVER A Spinner tasked with creating the storyworld

SPILT Location on the the Lifewheel for Source
and spinning the plot threads.
tokens that have been removed from Source.

WILL Source energy that represents a Spinners ability

SPINNER A storyteller who spins stories with
to exert her Influence upon the storyworld.
Bhaloidam.

WIT Character attribute defined by the potency of

SPIRIT Domain defined by the potency of Life and
FIRE.
Energy. Use to Embellish performances with magic or
social impact.
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