How it Starts & Ends!

WHAT IS HOW IT STARTS & ENDS? An ultra-lightweight, narrative system with an integrated adventure in just 48 words ( 48-word rpg jam ) . It was designed for quick, solo play: a quiet moment of imagining... AVAILABLE ADVENTURES: -1- King's Messenger (January 2026) -2- Purple Curse (January 2026) -3- The Last Year (January 2026) -4- Last Race (April 2026) THE SYSTEM You play the 10 SCENES , in any order you prefer. The interpretation is free, based on the system's roll. Imagine what you want to do or how you want to develop the scene; the word, along with the theme and the mission, provides context. THE ROLL 2D6 You roll a first d6 (how the scene starts) and a second d6 (how it develops and ends) . The second die determines how the scene is resolved (1 Bad, 2-3 Poor, 4-5 Good, 6 Great) . After the roll, interpret how the scene unfolds, taking into account the dice results. EXAMPLE. I choose to play the “Foraging” scene in King’s Messenger. I understand that I’ve gone almost two days with barely any food. I look for something to eat. First d6 (6) = Great , second d6 (1) = Bad . I fail the second d6. I roll for the cost (6) = Health . I interpret this as spotting a wild boar that hasn’t noticed my presence. I shoot with my bow but miss and draw its attention… it ends up charging at me and injuring me. FAILED SCENE If you roll a 3 or less on the second die, you fail the scene . Then, roll a d6 and add one point to the corresponding cost. There are 3 costs (1-2..., 3-4... and 5-6...). The names of the costs depend on the adventure. FAILURE WITH 3 COST POINTS If you accumulate 3 points in any of the costs, you fail the mission. EXAMPLE . If you accumulate 3 points in health cost, you die. If you accumulate 3 points in time cost, you arrive too late... ENDING Once you have played all 10 scenes and haven't accumulated 3 points in any of the costs, narrate the ending, drawing inspiration from the ending line, the plays, and (if you want) the costs incurred.