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Deck of Adventures Core Mechanics

What is Deck of Adventures?

Deck of Adventures is a Tabletop Roleplaying Game (TTRPG) where friends tell a collaborative narrative story together. This guide is enough to get started, but we recommended you read the Full Players Guide to learn all of the rules, mechanics, and story-telling devices.

Quick-Start Guide

Your Game Master (GM) is about to play narrator to a story in which you will take part. The GM will be there to help you through the process, but the more you pick up, the more time the GM can spend crafting an amazing story with you as participant.

The Deck

Grab a deck of playing cards, reserving the Jokers, and shuffle well. Cards will be drawn from this deck and make their way to a Discard Pile.

Checks

If your character attempts an action with an unknown outcome, you'll be asked to make a Check, which involves drawing one more cards from your deck, and comparing the outcome via...

  • A Target Card (TC) that is drawn and shown on the table, which you hope to Draw a value close to in order to succeed on your Check. Think of it as the bullseye of the target you are aiming for.

  • Difficulty Range (DR) that defines how far away from the TC you can be and still succeed. Think of it as the closest rings surrounding the bullseye. A DR 'above' a King is an Ace, then 2, and so on. A DR 'below' 2 is an Ace, then King, etc.

  • A Modifier (Mod) provided by your character sheet, that allows you to add that number to the DR, making it easier for you to succeed. This helps you aim your Check closer to the bullseye.

  • Under some circumstances, you'll be asked to draw with the Upper Hand or the Lower Hand.

    • With the Upper Hand, you can draw an additional card(s) and use the more favorable value to increase your odds.
    • With the Lower Hand, you must draw an additional card(s) and use the less favorable value, decreasing your odds.
    • A single instance of Upper Hand or Lower Hand requires you to draw just 1 additional card. However, these effects can compound, requiring you to draw 2 or more cards for the applicable check. Upper and Lower Hand can also cancel each other out.

  • For example, on a TC of 4, with a DR 1, you would need either a 3, 4, or 5 to succeed on a Check. If you have a +1 Mod, the DR is 2 and you can draw a 2 or 6 and still report a successful 3 or 5 draw.

There are two special kinds of Checks:

  • A Contested Check is triggered by two characters using skills for opposing goals. The initiator sets the TC (their own card) and the DR (3 - Mod/2). The character responding makes a simple check against this TC/DR.

  • A Save is a Check with an Attribute (see below) with a preset DR that a character makes against their own TC.

Fate Cards

You start with 2 Jokers in your hand as Fate Cards. Any Aces drawn during play are also reserved as Fate Cards. At any time, you can discard a Fate Card to ...

  1. redraw and take the new value.
  2. regenerate one Power Point per card discarded
  3. nullify one damage.

Characters

You will have a Character Sheet with all the information about your character. This includes Attributes (general skills, like Agility and Intelligence), and specific Skills under each attribute (e.g., Finesse under Agility). Each Attribute and Skill has a Modifier that you add when performing a Check related to that Attribute or Skill, signified by a number like +1.

Also on your character sheet are Powers. This is anything your character can do that might not be accessible to others. Some Powers, labeled Minor and Major, take 1 or 2 Power Points respectively to activate. Your character sheet shows your starting number of Power Points as your maximum. You'll need to keep track of how many Power Points you have left as you use Powers.

Gameplay

Throughout a session, your GM will describe scenes and may provide visual cues or props. It's up to you to ask follow-up questions and figure out what your character would do. Creativity and thinking outside the box (i.e., exact rules) is encouraged.

The GM might announce an Epic Event, a series of trials in a tense scenario.

  • The GM will reveal a TC and DR. One or more players can volunteer and decide which skill they want to use for the relevant check.

  • Each player and the GM will take turns drawing on the TC to get a success with a matching suit.

  • Each TC is a collective success or failure.

Resting

Your character may need to rest to recharge Power Points or heal Health Points.

  • On a Quick Rest (30 minutes), each player can draw a number of Rest Cards.

    • Each Rest Card is used in a check to regain 1 or 2 Health or Power Points.
    • At the end of the rest, shuffle 10 plus twice Vitality modifier cards back into your deck.

  • On a Full Rest you replenish all expended Health, Fate, and Armor.

    • If you run out of cards before you can successfully take a Rest, you may shuffle, but must always draw with Lower Hand (1+) until your next Rest. This signifies your character running out of Stamina during a long day.
    • Return all Aces to the deck, and Jokers to your hand and shuffle. Some GMs may also ask for shuffling on Quick Rests.

If you run out of cards in your deck before you are able to take a rest, you'll become Fatigued, which will make it more difficult to succeed going forward.

Combat

If your group turns to violence to solve issues, the DM will announce the beginning of Combat, where each involved character will draw a Target Card to determine turn order.

  • On your turn, you can move and take up to 1 Major and 1 Minor Action, in any order. Minor actions include object interactions and some Skill Checks.
  • Your movement is limited by the Speed value on your character sheet, showing the maximum number of spaces you can move. The average speed is 6.
  • Your character sheet will give you optional actions that you can take listed under Powers, but you can always try something new. Ask your GM if your idea is possible under circumstances.
  • Unless otherwise stated, Powers have a range of 6 and do 1 damage.
  • If you get hit, you can expend a Fate Card to nullify 1 point of damage.
  • Depending on the type of attack or amount of damage, you may get Stunned, Knocked Out, Blinded/Deafened or Entangled, and need to undo this effect. For a full list of effects and their rules, consult the Full Players Guide.

Have Fun!

You're now ready to play your first game of Deck of Adventures! Remember: having fun comes first.