Goals
New Players: This section describes an advanced form of play that opens the door to infinite possibilities but it is NOT something you need to know to participate in an event. When you have played a couple of times and feel that you know how the basic rhythms of the game works come back here to see if these rules are something you are interested in trying out. Unless of course you are a "show me everything!" kind of player in which case, by all means read on!
The Gateway Chronicles setting is fluid. It is a world in motion, shaped through the actions of dozens of players creating an emerging narrative.
During each session, you can become involved in plots and subplots, many of which will have consequences that affect the world in some way.
Your character can also proactively affect specific change more directly by establishing a Goal, working towards it and convincing others to do likewise.
Goal Setting
To begin - when you are setting up for a session, let the staff know what your character is trying to do. Define it as concisely as you can. Make a simple statement of how your character is trying to change the game world.
The following are all acceptable Goals:
Make the streets of Morden safer.
Found a new order of Knights dedicated to hunting demons.
Establish a new harvest holiday for Uruks.
Explore the small island discovered during my last Expedition.
Every character can have a Primary and Secondary Goal (or none at all). The only difference is the priority the staff will give them.
Progress will often be made in the time between sessions, but these Goals will be fuel for the plots and subplots that are played out during play. They can even inspire Expeditions accessed through special Plot Arcanum cards.
Getting Things Done
Because it is impossible to have an all knowing, all seeing Game Master presiding over our play when there are so many of us participating at the same the staff has to be able to moderate on a delay.
For example: in a traditional tabletop role-playing game, if your character learns that an ally is about to marry someone they know to be evil, you can simply say “I travel to the Keep where they live and take them out of it”. In a Gateway game, you have to tell the staff that trying to talk your ally out of the marriage is one of your goals.
The staff can then address that intention in a variety of ways.
They could simply say that you have accomplished your goal. You might be told be email before your next event, or by a note you will receive during check in.
The staff may have some questions for you about your approach that will help them determine the results of your efforts. They could also request that you do a brief roleplaying interaction over a phone or video call.
If they decide to provide a means for you to have more direct engagement with your goal, they can set up story and interactions with other characters during the session.
Some Goals will result in Expeditions being created to help resolve them accessed through special Story Arcanum cards. Depending on what the card is and where it came from, your character may either start the session with it or it will have to be obtained during play. In our example, a tracker Plot Character may be given the card and you would be given the opportunity to hire them to get you to the Keep before the wedding. If you do, the player portraying the tracker may be the person who designed the Expedition, in which case they will run it whenever you are ready.
In short - if you want to interact reactively to the main plot lines of the day’s events just come to a session and play off of whatever threads you can find but if you want to pursue story elements of your own - setting Goals is the way to do it.
Setting Expectations
The Staff will be facilitating the main plots an subplots of each chapter as well as everyone’s Goals. Every effort will be made to communicate at least some small progress toward your character’s Primary Goal, with more significant advance every couple of sessions. How long it will take to resolve a Goal depends on how impactful the effects are, how well you do in any related challenges and if you have the help of other player characters.
In short, a simple, personal Goal may only take a session or two to resolve but Goals that would result in sweeping changes that could effect large groups will take considerably more effort and resources. Be prepared to fight for changes that really matter.
