Yarn Cards Original
Posted on Thursday, November 20th, 2014 at 14:43
Yarn Cards
Normally the types of Events that can be played are governed by the Act or Scene that the event occurs during. Additionally the card’s suits govern the type of Event. It should be noted that the some Events draw multiple cards. Solos can play cards from their hand to fill in the blanks.
Solos can play Wyrd Tarot cards as Yarn cards on themselves or others, for no additional costs (although note that it does burn through the cards faster using them in this way, as you have to start from the completely random event table).
For Referees wanting to run an open world/sandbox game style you can give each NPC in a town an event each day and see what kind of plot the players turn that into. It can make for a fun session without having to prepare a whole plot demon.
Suits
- Hearts ♥ Love, Relationships, Affections, Family, Sympathy, Peace.
- Clubs ♣ Power, Fame, Politics, Ability, Money.
- Diamonds ♦ Travel, Money, Business, Contracts, Deals, Voyages.
- Spades ♠ Misfortune, Suffering, Loss, Mourning, Treachery, Betrayal, War, Lawsuit.
So if your Referee is running a deeply involved political game, and you want to throw in a few spanners as a Solo you probably want some Clubs or Spades in your hand before you start.
Completely Random Event Table
| Card Face Value | Event | Examples |
| Ace | Beginning | See table |
| 2 | Unbalanced | See table |
| 3 | Gain | See table |
| 4 | Stability | A rest, a vacation, a break, a pause, some peace |
| 5 | Uncertainty | see table |
| 6 | Gain | see table |
| 7 | Loss | see table |
| 8 | Balance Achieved | Both sides of conflict are balanced |
| 9 | Revelation | See table |
| 10 | Completion | See table |
| Jack | Ordeal / Motion | See table |
| Queen | Ordeal / Obstacle / Someone Important | See table or create an Important character |
| King | Fight / Someone Dominant | See table or Create a Dominant character/embodiment |
Frame Dæmon Scenes
Pick 1 per character from…
- Beginnings
- Gains
- Losses
- Ordeal (Motion / Obstacle / Fight)
- Revelation
Loom: Warp Dæmon Scene
Each time pick one of…
- Uncertainty
- Unbalanced
- Ordeal (Test/Motion/Obstacle/Fight)
- Loss
Loom: Weft Dæmon Scene
Each time pick one of…
- Uncertainty
- Gain
- Revelation
- Balanced
- Rest
Zenith Dæmon Scene
Pick one of Final…
- Ordeal
- Revelation
- Battle
Plus both
- a Completion
- a Gain
Beginnings
Beginnings are such delicate times, whether you are about to embark upon a new sub-plot, Start a new job, Meet someone new, Discover a new fact or build a new place, you must tread so carefully. Beginnings are usually Frame Act events, but not every Story has a Beginning, some just leap in.
| Card Value | Result |
| Ace | Starting a new job, task or labour |
| 2 | Meeting a new character |
| 3 | Learning/Discovering a new Fact |
| 4 | Seeing/Building/Learning of a new place |
| 5 | Encountering a new enemy |
| 6 | Meeting a new potential friend |
| 7 | Create/ Buy/ Find /Hear of a new Descendant |
| 8 | Hear of/ make / enforce a new deal |
| 9 | Prepare to meet a new threat |
| 10 | Ask or answer a new question |
| J | Learn a new trick / Proficiency / Skill / Descendant (a Gain) |
| Q | Prepare for / Hear of / Embark upon a new Quest |
| K | A new employer, master or ruler |
Unbalanced
One side of the Conflict is obviously ahead at this point. Exactly how far ahead is down to the cards.
| Card Value | Result |
| Ace | The Dominant force is already on the verge of victory somehow |
| 2 | The Dominant side of the Conflict is hiding, working in the background |
| 3 | The Dominant side makes a GAIN (draw or play again) |
| 4 | The Depressed side make another LOSS (draw or play again) |
| 5 | The Dominant side create an OBSTACLE (draw or play again) for the depressed side |
| 6 | The Dominant side easily passes an ORDEAL (draw or play again) that the depressed side must also pass. |
| 7 | The Dominant side suffer a minor LOSS (draw or play again) |
| 8 | Both sides of the Conflict make a GAIN (draw or play again) |
| 9 | The Depressed side must face an UNCERTAINTY (draw or play again) |
| 10 | Both sides must suffer a LOSS (not necessarily the same) (draw or play again up to twice) |
| J | The Dominant side gains a REVELATION (draw or play again) |
| Q | The Depressed side face an ORDEAL (draw or play again) |
| K | The Dominant side demands gifts, taxes, tithes or tribute from the other |
Gains
A gain means that the depressed side of a Conflict gets a much needed shot in the arm. This usually means one of the following events occurs to the Player Characters. Gains usually pay out any stored Sway (as they are usually scenes) as Proficiencies, Annexes, Descendants or removing Handicaps.
| Card Value | Result |
| Ace | Unexpected delivery: A package they weren’t expecting. |
| 2 | Secret Meeting: Gain Information or Allies |
| 3 | Training Montage: Gain a Descendant or Proficiency |
| 4 | Mentor: Approached by a mentor to train them |
| 5 | Alliance: Gain man-power or allies |
| 6 | Romance: Gain a love interest |
| 7 | Second Chance: PCs gain a second chance at something they lost earlier |
| 8 | Reward: The PCs are rewarded for a task or earlier action. |
| 9 | Warning: An obvious warning about something or someone |
| 10 | Clue: A bona-fide clue! |
| J | Red Herring: A red herring clue |
| Q | Future revealed: A future event is revealed |
| K | Treasure: Gain a Prop or similar |
Uncertainty
An Uncertainty means that a change that may work the Conflict one way or the other is underway.
| Card | Result |
| A | Turn about: One of the enemy or an Ally changes sides |
| 2 | Mole: One of the enemy or an Ally appears to change sides |
| 3 | Strange Bedfellows: A common enemy unites both sides of the Conflict (subplot?) |
| 4 | Betrayal: The Dominant side is betrayed by a lover, friend or family member |
| 5 | Puzzle: A secret door or locked room mystery that must be solved |
| 6 | Mistaken Identity: One or more PC is mistaken for someone else |
| 7 | Framed: The PCs are framed for a crime |
| 8 | Accident: A car crash or something that has nothing to do with the rest of the plot |
| 9 | Lie revealed: Some piece of information the PCs had is revealed to be a lie. |
| 10 | Dream: A strange dream or nightmare that might be important |
| J | Justice: Balance things off, if they’ve been going well they go wrong. |
| Q | Amnesiac Dissonance: One of the characters’ alternates or past-lives takes over or is revealed. |
| K | Draw another card and apply it the opposite way around (Depressed for Dominant and NPC for PC) |
Loss
The already depressed side of a Conflict suffers still more when a Loss occurs.
| Card | Result |
| A | Kidnapped: A PC or friend / ally is abducted |
| 2 | Dude where’s my memory: PCs suffer amnesia (Temporary Gain Handicap) |
| 3 | Murder: Does this need explaining? |
| 4 | Theft: Something is stolen |
| 5 | Rescuers: Someone requires the PCs save them |
| 6 | Get lost: Someone gets lost |
| 7 | Lose: The PCs or allies will lose a fight or skirmish |
| 8 | Comic Relief: Lose some tension |
| 9 | Loss of Trust: Your allies stop trusting you… Why? |
| 10 | Crisis: A disaster, fire, storm or similar. |
| J | Vengeance: The Badguys target one of the party for revenge |
| Q | Sabotage: The bad guys manage to ruin your plans or equipment. |
| K | Stealing the lime light: Someone starts taking credit for the PCs actions. |
Revelation
Whenever the players find out something about the Plot or the actual Conflict that is driving the plot.
| Card | Result |
| A | Revelation: A hidden fact is revealed |
| 2 | Advantage Revealed: The Depressed side of the Conflict has some advantage… They find out |
| 3 | Weakness Revealed: The Dominant side have a weakness, probably a Handicap that is revealed |
| 4 | Foreshadowing: Meet the Dominant sides embodiments out of context or before they are aware of the Depressed side. |
| 5 | Revelation Mentor: The Mentor reveals the plot |
| 6 | Revelation Informant: An informant reveals the plot |
| 7 | Revelation Villain Monologue: The Villain reveals the plot |
| 8 | Not what it seemed: Something is revealed to be not what we thought |
| 9 | Demonstration of power: The Dominant side beats up the most powerful of the Depressed to demonstrate how bad-ass they are. |
| 10 | Retreat: The Dominant side retreats from the Depressed side for some reason |
| J | Hesitate: The Badguys hesitate, not pressing an advantage but instead trying to parley or truce. |
| Q | Discovery: The PCs make a discovery that reveals the plot. |
| K | Gossip: One or more of the PCs becomes the target of Gossip |
Completion
| Card | Result |
| A | Happy Hollywood… The Dominant side is punished the Depressed rewarded |
| 2 | Villain is defeated (killed) |
| 3 | Villain surrenders |
| 4 | Villain escapes, although that plot may be undone |
| 5 | Heroes Captured |
| 6 | Heroes Escape |
| 7 | The sequel awaits: Lots of unanswered questions |
| 8 | Ordeal / Motion Cliffhanger |
| 9 | Ordeal / Obstacle Cliffhanger |
| 10 | Ordeal / Fight Cliffhanger |
| J | Greater threat: The Zombies are defeated, now here come the Voodoo Lords |
| Q | False Hero: The Depressed side discover that what they did was all according to the Dominant’s plan |
| K | Final Task: Just undo all the damage to the Shire little Hobbits would you… this may be a whole other plot, an extra Act or just an Ordeal Scene |
Ordeals
You can find details on the Ordeals in the Card Ordeals page.
| Suit | Stakes |
| Hearts. ♥ | Low |
| Diamonds. ♦ | Low |
| Clubs. ♣ | Medium |
| Spades. ♠ | High |
| Card | Result |
| A | FIGHT(draw or play again) |
| 2 | OBSTACLE (draw or play again) |
| 3 | MOTION (draw or play again) |
| 4 | TEST a Facet / Annex (dice roll). |
| 5 | MOTION (draw or play again) that changes stake halfway through |
| 6 | OBSTACLE (draw or play again) that changes stake halfway through |
| 7 | FIGHT (draw or play again) that changes stake halfway through |
| 8 | MOTION (draw or play again) and OBSTACLE (draw or play again) |
| 9 | MOTION (draw or play again) and FIGHT (draw or play again) |
| 10 | OBSTACLE (draw or play again) and FIGHT (draw or play again) |
| J | MOTION (draw and play again) that changes stake with FIGHT (draw and play again) |
| Q | MOTION (draw or play again), OBSTACLE (draw or play again) and FIGHT (draw or play again) |
| K | MOTION (draw and play again) that changes stake with OBSTACLE (draw and play again) and again with a FIGHT (draw and play again) |
Motion
Motions are a special class of Ordeal.
| Suit | Motion type | Description |
| Hearts. ♥ | Dash | Players Dash to get somewhere Fast! |
| Diamonds. ♦ | Chase | Players Chase the bad guys. |
| Clubs. ♣ | Pursuit | Badguys chase the Players |
| Spades. ♠ | Race | Players and Badguys race to a goal |
| Card | Type |
| A-5 | Vehicles (motor vehicle or multiple beast pulled) |
| 6-9 | Riding (bike or beast) |
| 10-K. | Foot (no vehicle) |
| Card | Description |
| 3,6&Q | Air: Flying, rooftop running, swinging on vines etc |
| 2,4,8&10 | Earth: Ground running, Street, Road, etc |
| 5,7&J | Water: Mud or water |
| A,9&K | Fire: Dangerous environment, Desert, Minefield, Battlefield. Increase Stake a level |
Obstacles
Obstacles are a special type of event, they come in many types and flavours, and must be overcome with an Ordeal of some sort, and they may injure the Character that they interact with. Obstacles usually have a Descendant that they are associated with which may be built for the Scene (or can just use the Scene’s Dice pool to generate any cards for Ordeal rounds or Wounds from the Obstacle if it can wound).
| Value | Spades ♠ Trap Result | Clubs ♣ Environment Result |
| A | Spear trap | Chasm |
| 2 | Projectile Trap | Slippery Floor |
| 3 | Poison on the Door Handle | Sticky Floor |
| 4 | Pit Trap | Hot/Cold Area |
| 5 | Poison Gas Trap | Bad air/smell |
| 6 | Blade trap | Rapids |
| 7 | Dead-fall trap (brick on the head trap) | Loose Rocks |
| 8 | Spell trap | Low Visibility |
| 9 | Crushing walls trap | Narrow Ledge |
| 10 | Liquid trap | Tight Squeeze |
| J | Combined Obstacle Trap (draw twice treat one as a spade) | Climb |
| Q | Beast trap | Weather (Chorus) |
| K | Giant rolling ball trap | Natural Disaster (Force of Nature) |
| Value | Diamond ♦ Blockage Result | Hearts ♥ Character Obstacle |
| A | A locked door | Specific Character Handicap (Arachnophobia? Spiders!) |
| 2 | A stuck door | Ethical Dilemma |
| 3 | A secret door | Shopping |
| 4 | A Maze | Nightmare |
| 5 | Barricade | Fake-out: An obvious trap that isn’t live anymore. |
| 6 | Gauntlet | Yuk! Something disgusting like wading through vomit |
| 7 | Guardian Beast | Contest. Eating, drinking, riddle… |
| 8 | Steam Vent | Harmless Prank |
| 9 | Flooded Passage | Pleasure Dome:I would save the pretty ladies if it wasn’t for all the pretty ladies |
| 10 | Dead End | Prove your worth: A test of honour |
| J | A difficult choice: Draw two obstacles for the branches | Lie for all your worth: Pretend to be something you’re not |
| Q | Puzzle Lock | Anima: One of the Characters encounters their inner female side |
| K | Guarded Door | Animus: One of the Characters encounters their inner male side |
Fight
A fight is a special type of Ordeal, where… Well you can probably work this one out. Low stakes fights are Training or sparring sessions, or perhaps debates where there is little chance of anyone being hurt, Medium stakes fights are duels or competitions, few people die but it is possible, High stakes fights are generally to the death.
| Suit | Stakes |
| Hearts ♥ | Low |
| Diamonds ♦ | Medium |
| Clubs ♣ | Medium/High (Refs choice) |
| Spades ♠ | High |
In most genres you should feel free to try and kill at least one member of the party every Story (although your Plot Dæmons will probably want to take them alive in the end [changing that Dead Handicap to a Captured one perhaps], unless they are actually unimportant to the larger Plot [if losing them from the plot wouldn’t alter the amount of Yarn that it would have and they are not pivotal to the Conflict]).
| Value | Result |
| A | Ambushed: Attacked by a weaker / smaller force attacks with a tactical advantage, then flees. |
| 2 | A Fright: A weaker / smaller force (usually Chorus) that attacks and then runs |
| 3 | 3 Way: A three way fight between roughly equal forces |
| 4 | Hold: Hold against an effectively unlimited force of weaker or roughly equivalent opponents for a certain amount of time (then reinforcements arrive or whatever) |
| 5 | Minor Guardian: A bear or werewolf. A combat against a single opponent with abilities comparable to a PC. |
| 6 | Major Guardian: A were-bear, Griffon, wolf pack. Combat against a superior single “Monster” opponent, a group of equivalent, or a large group of weaker opponents |
| 7 | Greater Guardian: A dragon, Sphinx, Demon etc. Combat against a “Monster” opponent equal in power to the whole party or a group each equivalent to the best of the party. |
| 8 | Battle – Gang: Fight a group of ‘Chorus’ Extras or lower power NPCs who outnumber the Players 3-1 or more |
| 9 | Battle – Thugs: A battle against NPCs who equal the PCs in number and power (roughly) |
| 10 | Battle – Henchmen: A battle against NPCs that are at least equivalent to PCs and are greater in numbers |
| J | Knave- Fight against a single NPC (often a Monster) equivalent to at least two PCs. |
| Q | Femme Fatale / Bad Boy: Seductive and dangerous, the Femme Fatale or Bad Boy is at least the equal of the PCs (and often a Monster), but who will avoid direct conflict, singling out targets where possible. |
| K | Knave &… An NPC (often a Monster) equal to at least two PCs accompanied by… (draw or play again) |
Remember that you can use plot demons and Wyrd tarot cards to throw an event in if you need it, Solos and Plot Demons will throw events at the PCs to try and keep things on track (and Solo PCs will throw them at your NPCs all the time too!