A Storytelling Game of

Exploration and Adventure

By
Eric J. Boyd
 Table of Contents
This Meeting of the Committee is Called to Order....6
I. The Structure of Play.....................................................8
Setting the Stage.........................................................9
The Expedition’s Tale Begins.....................................9
The Plot Thickens....................................................11
Desires Achieved?.....................................................12
Multiple-Session Expeditions...................................12
The Role of Drinking in the Game...........................13
II. Setting the Stage for Adventure...............................16
Exploration Site and Route Creation...........................17
The Exploration Site.................................................17
The Route.................................................................19
Hazard Creation.............................................................20
Brainstorming...........................................................20
Hazard List................................................................23
Creating the Expedition Log.........................................24
III. The Committee’s Finest...........................................28
Character Creation........................................................29
Desire........................................................................29
Attributes..................................................................30
Descriptors................................................................31
Gear and Associations..............................................32
Finishing Touches.....................................................33
Opposition & Introductions.........................................35
Establishing Your Opposition...................................35
Character Introductions...........................................35
IV. Dangers From All Sides..........................................38
Single Character Hazard Resolution............................39
The Big Picture.........................................................39
Transitional Narration..............................................40
Free Role-Playing......................................................41
Framing the Hazard & Setting the Hazard Roll ......41
Reflective Narration ................................................43
Step-By-Step Hazard Resolution..................................45
Calling Upon Your Desire .......................................45
Choosing an Attribute .............................................46
Rolling the Character’s Dice ...................................46

2
 Narrating the Resolution .........................................47
Gear, Associations & Unattached Descriptors ........48
Earning Acclaim from Resolution ............................50
Increasing Attributes ................................................56
Getting Help .............................................................56
Running Out of Time ...............................................60
Being Stymied ...........................................................61
Group Hazards...............................................................64
Using the Timer .......................................................65
Setting the Scene ....................................................65
Round-Robin Resolution ........................................66
Gaining and Losing Acclaim ...................................67
Closing the Scene ....................................................68
Cliffhangers .............................................................71
V. Drama & Denouement..............................................75
Gambling Acclaim.........................................................76
A Sudden Insight ....................................................76
Changing Tactics ....................................................77
Requesting Aid ........................................................79
Revealing Hitherto Unknown Abilities ..................79
Adding to the Expedition Log.......................................80
Creating Story Elements .........................................80
Reusing Story Elements ...........................................83
Connecting Story Elements ....................................86
Destroying Story Elements ......................................87
Ending the Game............................................................91
VI. Other Ways to Play the Game...............................93
Smash the Evil Mastermind ....................................94
Heightened Competition ........................................96
Planetary Romance .................................................98
Superspies ................................................................98
Tales of the Dungeon of Doom ...............................99
Tall Tales & Munchausen-esque Braggadocio .......99
Retelling Myths .....................................................102
Courting Disaster ..................................................102
Design Notes................................................................103
Rules Summary............................................................105
Summary of Key Phrases.............................................114

3
COVER DESIGN
Paul Bourne

ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
Under License from Otherworld Creations

CHARACTER SHEET AND ADVENTURE WORKSHEET

Fred Hicks

LAYOUT AND DESIGN FEEDBACK

jim pinto

DEVELOPMENTAL ASSISTANCE
Alexander Cherry, Via The Deal by Malcolm Sheppard
(www.mobunited.com)

PLAYTESTERS
Alexander Cherry, Del Benjamin, Mendel
Schmiedekamp, Lia Talmas, Zach Gotsch, Mike Sands,
Bruce Norris, Stefan Tyler, Andrew McLeod, Jason
Pollock, Daniel Steadman, Joshua BishopRoby, Mark
Vallianatos, Judson Lester, Jeff Tidball, jim pinto,
Malcolm Sheppard, Tara Deblois, Kearsley
Schieder-Wethy, Tony Dowler, Phil Larose, Sam
Spritzer, Trey Gorden, Mystery OrcCon 2007 Playtesters

FEEDBACK AND ENCOURAGEMENT

Ian Burton-Oakes, Matt Cowens, James Brown, Graham
Walmsley, Jason Morningstar, Eric Provost, Thor
Hansen, Darcy Burgess, Richard J. Rogers, Mike Turk

THE COMMITTEE FOR THE EXPLORATION OF

MYSTERIES is brought to you by
ERIC J. BOYD DESIGNS

www.ericjboyddesigns.com
ericjboyddesigns@gmail.com
© 2007 Eric J. Boyd
“W e arrived at the foot of the mountains in which the mythical
city of the ape men was rumored to lie. Now in sight of our goal,
we took a moment’s rest. There was myself, Zarbon the Illusionist,

Introduction
magician and escape artist extraordinaire, with not a small amount of
charisma and a sharp eye for detail—you could say I was the de facto
leader of our group; Bric Taylor, former heavyweight champion boxer
who had since traveled the world; Dr. Jane McGrute, a seasoned
archeologist and linguist; and Nahuel Quidel, who purported to be
some sort of shaman who channeled the sprits of the animals and
plants around him. After a long drink from my canteen,
I reconnoitered the trail ahead. Little did I know what challenge
awaited me.”

“Yep, I think it was not long after that, Zarbon, when you found
yourself at a fork in the trail where a weathered obelisk stood.
As you approached, you heard a bestial grunt and the obelisk pitched
forward and came hurtling down the trail toward you!”

“Indeed, Bric, I knew only quick reflexes would save me. I leapt to the
side so that the obelisk would pass me by, but my limp caused me to
stumble. Realizing my dire peril, I rolled into a depression in the trail
so that the obelisk would pass right over me.”

“And so it did. But the obelisk, in coming loose from its moorings, also
caused an avalanche of stones to come rocketing down the slope in a
wide wave of death.”

“I would have met my end if not for the stout, virtually invisible line
that I use in my levitation illusion. With a flick of my wrist, I wrapped
the line in the boughs of a nearby tree, and the spring cleverly hidden
in the lining of my vest released and bore me upward.”

“Even so, the rocks smashed against the tree you escaped to with
terrific force, shaking, cracking, and then snapping the trunk.”

5
“A fall, even a long one such as this, is a simple matter for a trained
escape artist such as myself. I positioned myself on the top side of the
falling tree and braced myself using the line and my walking stick.
Down came the tree with a thunderous crash, much like the applause
to which I am accustomed. As the dust settled and the noise of the
rocks subsided, I stepped forth, dusty and in need of another drink but
none the worse for wear. In the now-silent jungle, I could hear the
sounds of a large animal making its way up the mountain.
Perhaps the ape men were not only real, but they protected their city
to this very day.”

The Committee for the Exploration of Mysteries and the

Enlightenment of Mankind is the foremost institution of learning
and research in the world. Its team of scholars and savants travel
the globe unearthing ancient artifacts and discovering the
remnants of lost civilizations. Along the way, the members of the
Committee encounter all manner of dangers—hazardous
landscapes, hostile natives, vicious rivals, and cunning death
traps—but they always return with tales of daring and the rich
reward of knowledge. You are esteemed members of the
Committee—a daring pilot, a scientific genius, a master spy, or a
savage jungle lord. Your skills and abilities are beyond equal,
your will and persistence in the face of adversity unshakeable.

Yet each of you harbors a secret desire deep in your sturdy

heart—to prove that women are just as capable as men, to sell
your memoirs and embark on a comfortable retirement, or to
secure the esteem of your beloved’s haughty father. Your desire is

6
your driving passion, motivating you to greater deeds just as it
blinds you to possible pitfalls. To achieve your desire, you have
risked your life and reputation by participating in another of the

Introduction
Committee’s expeditions to plumb the secrets nestled in hidden
corners of the globe. Only by gaining acclaim for your
incomparable contributions to the expedition and being
recognized as the first among equals will you have the reputation
and power to grasp your heart’s desire.

Newly returned from your expedition, you sit with all your peers
in the meeting hall of the Committee as they settle down to
listen to your report. Each sips a favorite beverage—tea from a
dainty cup, whiskey straight, or an elixir known only to Amazon
witch doctors. The full assembly awaits as you and your fellow
travelers take your seats. The chronicler looks at you eagerly over
the top of his spectacles, ready to record your every word for
posterity. The crates, still packed with the artifacts that you have
retrieved, await opening and a full telling of your story.
Now is the time to achieve the great acclaim that has always
been your due and prove to the hardened adventurers, geniuses,
and polymaths gathered before you that you are worthy of their
respect and support in your every endeavor. You’ve gone into
danger and survived driven by your desire; now is the time to
bring it to fruition.

7
The Committee for the Exploration of Mysteries is a storytelling
game of pulp exploration in the spirit of the films of a certain
bullwhip-wielding archeologist of the 1930s and the tales of
adventure from the Victorian era. You can choose to set your
expedition during either time period. The game is designed to
allow you to tell tales of exploration and adventure in the spirit
of the pulps—characterized by high action, bigger-than-life
heroes, dastardly villains, exotic locales, and an optimistic
can-do spirit.

The expedition can be played in a single evening of three to six

hours or over multiple sessions, each of which is intended to take
about three hours. You take on the dual roles of playing your own
pulp hero in overcoming challenges and acting as the Opposition
to another player’s character by describing hazards and
complications for them. While the competition for Acclaim and
achievement of your character’s desire should motivate you, the
true goal is to work together to tell an entertaining story of
exotic adventure.

A Note About Terminology

When you see a capitalized term, it refers to a part of the

mechanics of the game. So “acclaim” is the general
attention your character seeks, while “Acclaim” is the
mechanical currency that your character earns by
overcoming hazards—the in-game measure of the
general attention your characters seek.

8
Setting the Stage
Everyone cooperatively creates the exploration site that is the
goal of the expedition and the secret hidden there. Next, decide

The Structure of Play

upon three locations along the route to get there. Each location
is the backdrop for a number of scenes for each player.
Then, create a list of hazards that everyone would like to see
during the adventure. Write all of this brainstorming on the
adventure worksheet for ease of reference during play. Next,
create the expedition log, which the players use to note story
elements that they want to see featured in the tale again. Then,
everyone creates a character who is a member of the
Committee—a pulp hero who will tell tales of their exploits
during the expedition to gain the acclaim and respect among
their formidable peers necessary to achieve their desire.

Everyone plays a series of scenes at each location along the

expedition’s route and at the exploration site itself, with play
proceeding in a round-robin fashion. Decide on a set number of
scenes that each character will get at each location. Depending
upon the number of players and how long you want to play,
choose between one or two scenes per character per route
location. Scenes generally take around 10 minutes each,
depending upon the amount of free role-playing. To ensure that
the exploration site gets the most attention, each character
should receive one additional scene above this chosen number to
chronicle the events there.

The Expedition’s Tale Begins

Once these tasks are completed, assign Opposition to each
character and introduce your characters to the group.
Then, begin your characters’ tales, chronicling the events of the
trip and highlighting your characters’ unique contributions to
earn the acclaim of their fellows. The oldest player should take

9
 What You Need to Play

In order to play the game you will need:

3-6 players
A clear glass of about the same size for each player
Age-appropriate, in-character beverages (beer, wine,
brandy, eggnog, etc. for adults or nonalcoholic
sparkling cider, soda, or punch for teetotalers
or youths)
Reserves of the in-character beverages
Various dice (about a dozen six-sided dice (d6) per
player and a dozen ten-sided dice (d10))
A three-minute hourglass or timer that can measure
three minutes and be easily visible to the whole table
Tokens (poker chips, pennies, glass beads, etc.) to
track the Acclaim of the characters
A character sheet for each player, an adventure
worksheet, scratch paper, and writing implements

the first turn and begin the tale by describing how the expedition
set off from its origin and began its travels.

Begin your character’s scenes by providing transitional narration

that can move the expedition forward in space and time and
establishes where your character is and what they are doing.
Then you may engage in free role-playing with the other players
until you call for your Opposition to step in. Once you do, your
Opposition frames a hazard for your character. This hazard can
come from the hazard list created before play, the story elements
everyone has created during play and placed on the expedition
log, or be created on the spot. The Opposition sets the hazard’s
difficulty and rolls the appropriate number of d10s. Decide what
attribute to use in overcoming the hazard and whether to use the
attribute’s special descriptor and roll that many d6s.

10
Resolution consists of putting forward one die at a time as you
describe how your character acts to overcome the hazard.
After you put forward a die, your Opposition gets to describe a

The Structure of Play

complication that your character must overcome as part of your
next piece of narration. You must put forward dice sufficient to
meet or exceed the hazard’s difficulty to successfully resolve it.
Each hazard must be bested within the three-minute time limit
provided by an hourglass or other timer.

If successful, you gain Acclaim based on the number of d6s used

to overcome the hazard and can provide reflective narration to
close the scene and foreshadow future plot developments.
Then play proceeds to the next player. If you run out of time but
your dice could have met or exceeded the hazard’s difficulty, you
lose some Acclaim and are interrupted by the next player, whose
turn immediately begins. If your dice cannot meet or exceed the
hazard’s difficulty and you run out of time, the whole expedition
is stymied, resulting in a special scene where the expedition must
work around the obstacle the hazard presents. After this scene,
play proceeds as normal.

The Plot Thickens

After each character has had the chosen number of scenes at a
location, the expedition continues onward through the next
player’s transitional narration to the next location. Along the
way, group hazards will arise to challenge the entire expedition
whenever two or more of your group’s beverage glasses are empty.
You can turn some of these group hazards into cliffhangers by
taking a brief break when the explorers reach the cliffhanger
threshold in the resolution.

During play, you can add anything you talk about during one of
your scenes to the expedition log as a story element—a signal
that you want to see it featured in the story again.

11
Once established, other players receive an Acclaim reward for
reusing story elements you created by connecting them to other
story elements, severing existing connections, or using a story
element as the basis of a hazard. In turn, you can receive an
Acclaim reward for reusing their story elements.

Desires Achieved?
After the chosen number of scenes for each character at the
exploration site, a dramatic untimed group hazard resolves the
expedition’s quest. With that, the tale ends and you calculate
your characters’ Acclaim. The character with the most Acclaim
basks in the adoration of their duly impressed peers and has the
means to achieve their desire. The character’s player gets to
narrate an epilogue for the character in whatever way they like.
Players of characters earning less Acclaim each get to narrate an
epilogue in descending order of Acclaim, but each epilogue gets
progressively more constrained by facts imposed by the other
players. Such facts cannot directly thwart a character’s desire,
but they may lead a player to reveal how the character gambled
their reputation in going on the expedition and achieved a mixed
result or lost their desire. Of course, such results can be just as
fun to narrate as a total success. After the epilogues, the game is
complete.

Multiple-Session Expeditions
For a multiple-session expedition, each session focuses on the
events of the expedition at one or two locations along the route,
with a whole session, or at least a large part of one, devoted to
the exploration site. The route to the exploration site has three
to six locations, and each character should receive between two
and four scenes per location. Again, each character should
receive an extra scene at the exploration site. Each session

12
except the last ends with a cliffhanger group hazard that is
resolved at the beginning of the next session.

As you sit down to begin each session, make sure everyone has

The Structure of Play

their clear glasses of in-character beverages in front of them
newly filled, along with their character sheet. Keep the adventure
worksheet and expedition log at the ready. Character descriptors
that can only be used a set number of times per session all reset.
After resolution of the previous session’s cliffhanger, round-robin
play resumes with the player whose turn was noted as being next
before the group hazard arose. Otherwise, play proceeds
as normal.

The Role of Drinking in the Game

During each session, every player should have a clear glass of an
in-character beverage in front of them. Storytelling is thirsty
work, so these beverages are for everyone’s comfort and serve to
evoke the leisure and luxury of the Committee as they lounge in
their meeting hall. In addition, you need a bottle or pitcher of
your beverages to easily refill the glasses.

Each player’s glass should be filled at the beginning of the session,

and refilled at the player’s request between scenes. You can pass
a bottle or other container among the players as play rotates
around the table to track whose turn it is to have a scene
featuring their character, or you can pass the adventure
worksheet around in a similar manner.

Using alcoholic beverages is entirely up to your own judgment.

The game is certainly entertaining without them, but your
improvisation skills may flow more freely with a little lubrication.
Needless to say, drinking to excess is not recommended.

13
These beverages serve as more than just props. The degree to
which you have drained your glass also triggers group hazards—
whenever a player notices more than one empty glass at the end
of a scene a group hazard is played next. The level of beverage in
your glass also determines who sets the scene for a group hazard
and who gets the final word on how the expedition triumphs
after being stymied.

In addition, players can raise their glasses in appreciation of

entertaining narration by another player. Whenever one or more
players does so, the narrator receives an additional point of
Acclaim for their character. While this may help another
character in the quest for recognition and acclaim, to deny the
virtue of another’s tale due to envy is ungentlemanly and not to
be indulged by the Committee members. Finally, the beginning
and end of the expedition are marked by a hearty toast,
“A toast! To learning, travel, and adventure!”

For circumstances where in-character beverages are not easily

transported or unavailable, another option is to fill the clear
glasses with nuts, pretzels, candy, or other finger foods.
This allows you to use the fullness of the glasses in the same
manner as beverages without the fuss.

14
 Summary of the
Structure of Play

The Structure of Play

Decide on a game set in the 1930s or the Victorian era
Decide on one or two scenes per character
per location
Create the exploration site and its secret
Decide on three route locations
Brainstorm a list of potential hazards
Create the expedition log
Create your characters
Assign Opposition
Introduce your characters and toast
Begin play, with each character receiving the
decided number of scenes per location
Have group hazards whenever you notice more than
one glass is empty
Get one extra scene per character at the
exploration site
End tale with an untimed group hazard and toast
Narrate character epilogues in order from most to
least Acclaim
For multiple-session expeditions
o Decide on three to six route locations
o Each session tells the tale of one or two
locations or the exploration site
o Each character receives two to four scenes per
location, plus one extra at the exploration site
o Each session except the last ends in a group
hazard cliffhanger that is resolved at the
beginning of the next session
o After resolving the cliffhanger, resume play
with next player who would have gone if not for
group hazard

15
16
 Exploration Site & Route
Begin by collaboratively creating the thrilling locations that will
be the focus of this particular expedition. Once you know where
the expedition is going and some of the likely hazards, you can
create characters who are the most suited Committee members
to take part in the expedition.

Use the adventure worksheet provided in this book and online

and have one player take notes on your brainstorming as you go.
Once an item is decided, write it into the blanks provided and
you’ll have all the ideas that you discussed to riff on. Then you
can pass the adventure worksheet among yourselves during play
to serve as inspiration for the storytelling.

Begin by discussing the type of adventure you want to recount,

noting any particular themes or elements you want to feature
prominently. Choose whether to set the game during the 1930s
or the Victorian era, as this will influence the state of the world
beyond the Committee’s halls. Of course, this is a pulp-inspired
game, so there will always be action and harrowing dangers,
but what kind of backdrop do you prefer? What flavors of danger
do you want to feature prominently—sorcery, dangerous terrain
or weather, weird science, etc.? With the answers to these
questions in mind it will be easier to create the expedition’s
exploration site and the route to get there.

The Exploration Site

Begin with brainstorming the nature of the exploration site and
the secret located there. The exploration site should be bursting
with potential for adventure and provide opportunities for each

17
of the characters to shine. Take some time to discuss various
ideas and decide upon a location that excites everyone. As you
go, write the key aspects of the site on the adventure worksheet.

Some questions to inspire your discussion include:

What is it—a lost temple, an abandoned mine, a hidden

fountain, or a deserted city?
What secrets does it hide—a priceless tome, a fortune in
gold, or the secret of eternal youth?
How did it get there—hidden by the Knights Templar,
lost during a volcanic eruption, or built by an insane
god-king?
Where is it—a steaming jungle, nestled in mountain
peaks, or under the ocean?
What other aspects of the exploration site come to
mind?

Answer these questions and follow the inspiration they create,

and you quickly will have an exciting location and a secret that is
hidden there.

Example: Jerry, Ed, Ashley, and Doug have sat down to play the
game. The group brainstorms what kind of adventure they want to
play and what kind of exploration site will fit the bill. After weighing
several options, the group agrees they want jungles and action with a
hint of the mystical. Jerry also wants some savagery to contrast with
the cultured Committee. They decide upon a mythical city of ape men,
hidden deep in the jungles of Africa, that is rumored to shelter a single
piece of fruit from the Tree of Life, still unspoiled after all these
millennia.

18
The Route
With your chosen exploration site in mind, move on to
brainstorming the route to get there. The Committee can be

Exploration Site & Route

based anywhere you choose, but its headquarters is likely in a
large city (e.g., New York City, London, Paris, Hong Kong).
So traveling to the area where the exploration site lies can be just
as exciting as the destination.

Again, take some time to brainstorm various ideas and write

them down on the adventure worksheet. Some questions to
inspire discussion include:

What is the shortest route between the Committee’s

headquarters and the exploration site?
What geographical features fall along this route?
What cities and countries fall along this route?
What modes of transportation are best suited to
traveling through these areas?
What kinds of things would you expect to see while
traveling in this manner?
What other elements do you want to see included in the
expedition’s journey?

You need not know now where along the route everything will
occur during the expedition, but if you want to see certain
elements appear during play, be sure to note them. By the end of
the brainstorming, decide upon three locations on the route,
as well as some elements that you wish to see appear at some
point in your travels. A location can be specific, like a single city,
or defined more broadly, like traveling by caravan through a
desert. If you are playing a multiple-session expedition, you can
use three to six route locations to take a longer journey to the
exploration site.

19
Example: The group decides that the Committee is based in London,
so they need to get from there to the jungles of Africa where the
mythical jungle city of the ape men lies. After considering the territory
between the start and end points and brainstorming various ways of
making the journey and dividing up the trip, the group divides it into
three parts. The first leg of the journey will be by steamship to Cairo.
Once in Egypt, the expedition will secure a ship to take them down the
Nile and deeper into Africa. Along they way, there will be villages full
of dark rumor and dire omens before the group must travel overland
into the mountainous jungle in search of the lost city. Also, everyone is
interested in having a waterfall and caves in the story.

Once you have decided on the exploration site and the route,
it is time to flesh out the expedition with hazards. Hazards are
obstacles of varying difficulty that will beset the characters
throughout the expedition. They can be people, animals, natural
obstacles, mystical curses, or cunning death traps—anything that
would cause the soundtrack of an adventure film to quicken in
anticipation of bold action by the characters.

Brainstorming
The Committee’s pre-expedition research takes the form of the
players brainstorming elements they would like to see appear as
hazards during play. You should consider elements that could
appear along the route to the exploration site as well as at the site
itself. These elements serve as the raw materials for the hazards
that the expedition encounters. Take your time with this
discussion—hazards are the spice of the game and you’ll have

20
more fun overcoming interesting challenges. Steal liberally from
books, comics, movies, television shows, and anywhere else that
you’ve found great action scenes. Use your knowledge of history,

Hazard Creation
religion, culture, and any other applicable field to inform the
discussion and serve as inspiration for potential hazards.
While brainstorming, pay attention to the types of hazards that
excite your fellow players so you can provide entertaining
challenges while acting as their Opposition. Write down all the
potential hazards on the adventure worksheet so that it can
remind everyone of these ideas and inspire them during play.

First, identify candidates for recurring hazards to serve as dogged

foes or to highlight the exploration site and its secrets (e.g., Nazis
seeking the same goal, the natural dangers of climbing a peak like
Mt. Everest, devolved ape men still protecting their city).
Recurring hazards create common threads running through the
tale and bring it unity and organization. Brainstorm as many
potential recurring hazards as you like so you have options and
can see which ones inspire reuse in actual play. If you choose, you

21
may brainstorm a singular villain to serve as a nemesis for the
expedition. Alternatively, you can brainstorm general recurring
foes and let an individual nemesis, if any, develop during play.

If you choose to use a nemesis, consider who this person

(or thing) is—a vicious Nazi SS officer, a crazed cult leader, a
rival archeologist without scruples, or a savage yeti that dogs the
expedition’s every step. Consider the questions:

What does the nemesis want, and how does this goal
bring them into conflict with your characters?
How does the nemesis handle conflicts—directly
engaging foes in vicious combat, attacking only from
ambush or with nasty tricks, or always staying back and
letting minions execute their brilliant plans?
What resources does the nemesis have at their
disposal—a battalion of Nazi troops, advanced gadgets
and weapons, or creatures of the outer dark ready to
do his bidding?
What relationships does the nemesis have to other key
characters—a love interest who could be turned by the
heroes, a lieutenant who wants to usurp their master,
or an unwilling accomplice who could be freed from
their bondage?
What else makes the nemesis a worthy foe for the
adventurers of the Committee?

Take notes on the adventure worksheet during the discussion

since the nemesis will be appearing often during the game and
each player will have the opportunity to use the nemesis at
varying points. If you choose to use a nemesis, consider using the
optional rules for Infamy points featured in the section
“Other Ways to Play the Game,” page 93.

22
Next, consider the exploration site and brainstorm possible
hazards that could appear there. Discuss the questions:

What hazards are inherent to the location?

Hazard Creation
What special hazards does the history of the site present?
Are there special defenses or guardians at the site?
What hazards do the secrets located at the site present?
What large-scale hazards could appear to challenge the
whole group?

After discussing the exploration site, discuss the route you have
decided upon and brainstorm the hazards that could arise during
each part. Consider the questions:

What colorful facts do you know about the history and

culture of these areas?
How have you seen these areas portrayed in books,
movies, etc.?
What hazards does the mode of travel or
location present?
What outside forces could appear to complicate things?
Could fellow travelers or those providing passage or
guidance cause problems?

Hazard List
Once the brainstorming reaches a natural stopping point,
that portion of the adventure worksheet should have a master list
of the possible hazards you discussed. The hazards should
encompass a lot of possibilities, and they are meant to serve as a
kick-start to everyone’s imagination and prevent you from being
at a loss for hazards throughout the game. The list is a helpful
guide, but not meant to serve as a limiting factor on the
development of the expedition’s tale. As the game progresses,

23
your Opposition will create new hazards to challenge your
character that link to earlier story elements and your character’s
desire in ways that no one could have anticipated. So don’t worry
if play develops in a way that does not use all of the possible
hazards on this list.

After you fill out the adventure worksheet, set up the expedition
log—the visual representation of the story that will develop
during play. The expedition log serves as a map for the story
being told by the characters; it is a work in progress that charts
the various story elements that the players create and the
connections that the players create among them. A story element
is any important aspect of a scene: adversaries, allies, special
objects, locations, key ideas, etc., that you want to see used again.
A story element is represented on the expedition log by a word or
phrase surrounded by a circle or oval. To create a story element,
you must introduce it in a scene and then note the story element
on the expedition log after the scene is over.

In most scenes you will use at least one story element, and many
will feature several. When you create a new story element, add it
to the expedition log, and when you establish a connection
between elements, draw a line between them. Over time,
the expedition log becomes a web of story elements and
connections that shows how the game has developed and
suggests directions where the next scene could go. Further
information on the use and maintenance of the expedition log is
discussed in the section “Adding to the Expedition Log,” page 80.

24
The expedition log ties the story of the Committee’s expedition
together. The Opposition earns Acclaim by framing hazards that
reuse another player’s previously created story elements,

Expedition Log Creation

and players earn Acclaim for reusing another player’s story
elements during reflective narration at the end of a scene. The
intent is to craft a story that fits together as an organic whole,
with recurring adversaries and allies, mysterious objects whose
uses are later explained, and mysteries that are eventually solved.

The expedition log begins simply. For a single-session expedition,

the locations along the route are written on one sheet of paper
divided into three bounded areas, one for each location.
These locations are not story elements themselves, but are a way
to track the progress of the journey and provide a backdrop
where story elements can be introduced. Each of these bounded
areas constitutes its own story segment. Make a separate page for
the exploration site as described below for multiple-
session expeditions.

Overland Into Jungle

Cruise Up Nile

Steamship to Cairo

25
For a multiple-session expedition, take several pieces of scratch
paper, one for each location along the expedition’s route and the
exploration site itself. On each piece, draw a rectangle in the
center of the page and write a brief description of a stop along
the route or the exploration site within the rectangle. Each page
is its own story segment.

For the page with the exploration site, slightly above or below
this rectangle, draw a circle and write within it the secret that
resides at the exploration site. Draw a line connecting the circle
and rectangle, showing the connection that exists between
them—the fact that the secret is located at the exploration site.

City of the Ape Men

Fruit from the Tree

of Life

26
Example: The group is ready to create the expedition log. Doug takes
out two pieces of scratch paper and makes one page of the expedition
log for the locations along the route and another for the exploration

Expedition Log Creation

site. The route is composed of three story segments: “Steamship to
Cairo,” “Cruise Up Nile,” and “Overland Into Jungle.” Together with
the “City of the Ape Men” on its separate sheet, the expedition log
contains four story segments.

With these pages finished, the expedition log is set up and ready
to be added to during play.

27
28
 Character Creation
Having set the stage for your expedition’s adventure, we now
move to the mechanics of play. Let’s begin with one of the key
events of the first session—creating your characters. Huzzah!

Before doing anything with the mechanical aspects of your

character, envision him or her in your mind’s eye. What do you
see—a reckless archeologist, a dashing playboy, a big game
hunter? Go around and have each player briefly describe their
character concept to the group. Try to make each character
unique—the Committee’s experience shows that a wide variety
of skills and abilities produces the most successful expeditions.
If someone is at a loss for a suitable concept, feel free to offer
suggestions. You can use the character sheet provided in this
book and online to write down all the important aspects of
your character.

Desire
Once you have your concept, consider what motivates your
character to risk their life and established reputation by going on
another dangerous expedition to achieve further acclaim.
Why does your character need more acclaim? Once they have it,
what will they do with it? In sum, what is your character’s desire?

Your character’s desire should be a single sentence that describes

a goal or passion that publicity and acclaim will allow the
character to achieve. It can involve specific supporting characters
like relatives, lovers, or rivals, or it can be more general. What it
cannot be is boring or easily achieved; otherwise why would your
dynamic hero be gambling everything to see it made real?

29
A desire usually will not be something directly related to the
expedition, but its influence affects how your character responds
to the expedition’s challenges. Typically, a desire is a personal
goal or passion to be achieved upon returning home. Once
decided, write down your character’s desire.

The other players should know your character’s desire, but it is

considered a secret from the other characters and Committee
members. During play you can call upon your character’s desire
at the beginning of hazard resolution by narrating an aside that
describes how the desire made the hazard especially challenging
or motivated your character to face the hazard with extra vigor.

Example: Jerry, Ed, Ashley, and Doug have finished setting the stage
for their expedition and now move on to character creation. For their
character concepts, Jerry decides to create a skeptical stage magician.
Ed wants to play a tough-as-nails former boxer, Ashley wants to
create a bookish archeologist, and Doug decides on a tribal shaman.

Jerry decides that his stage magician’s desire is to use fame and
publicity from the expedition to carry on his crusade to debunk
spiritualism. So hazards that involve the apparent(?) supernatural will
tie into this desire.

Ed, on the other hand, decides that his former boxer wants to prove to
his girlfriend’s well-heeled family that he is worthy of marrying her
despite his working class background. Social hazards, particularly
those involving class differences or hazards that question the
character’s self-worth, would tie into this desire nicely.

Attributes
Once you have your character’s concept and desire, you can use
the mechanics to fill in the picture. Each character has four
primary attributes:

30
 Daring – physical dynamism and power, as well as
coordination and speed
Genius – not only mastery of science or occult lore,

Character Creation
but the ability to build gadgets and solve conundrums
Instinct – attunement with yourself and the world
around you, encompassing observation, survival skills,
and savagely acting on your fight-or-flight impulse
Charisma – personal magnetism and your ability to
befriend and manipulate others

Divide 11 six-sided dice (d6) among the four attributes of your

character. This is the number of dice you will roll when your
character tries to overcome a hazard using a particular attribute.
Each attribute must be at least 1d6, and one attribute must
be the highest.

Descriptors
In addition to a number of dice, each attribute also receives a
descriptor, a word or short phrase that describes your character’s
particular manifestation of or specialty under that attribute.
In choosing descriptors, keep your character concept in mind
and have each descriptor, even those for lower attributes, help
create a unified vision of your character’s abilities. Examples of
descriptors include “Two-Fisted” or “Crack Shot” for Daring,
“Wizard” or “Botany” for Genius, “Jungle Lord” or “Tracker” for
Instinct, and “Gambler” or “Seductress” for Charisma.
Descriptors for low attributes can even be detrimental, helping
your character overcome hazards despite themselves (e.g., a
Genius descriptor of “Ditzy” or an Instinct descriptor of
“Oblivious to Danger”).

If your descriptor applies to a given hazard, you may choose to

roll an extra d6 for use in overcoming it. This extra descriptor die
is not included in figuring the number of dice you used to

31
overcome the hazard, which determines the amount of Acclaim
you receive for doing so. However, you can only use a descriptor
a number of times per session equal to the number of dice in the
attribute the descriptor is tied to.

Example: Everyone continues to create their characters. Jerry

allocates his 11d6 among the four attributes of his skeptical stage
magician as follows: Daring 2d6, Genius 2d6, Instinct 3d6,
and Charisma 4d6. He chooses the following descriptors: Daring –
Sleight of Hand, Genius – Stage Magic, Instinct – Skeptical Eye,
and Charisma – Stage Presence.

Ed does the same for his former boxer, giving him: Daring 5d6,
Genius1d6, Instinct 3d6, and Charisma 2d6. He chooses the
descriptors: Daring – Two-Fisted, Genius – Devout Catholic,
Instinct – Streetwise, and Charisma – Intimidation.

Gear and Associations

Each character also has Gear and Associations. Gear represents
the equipment a character has brought along on the expedition.
Associations are twofold. First, they can represent direct aid from
a wide network of allies and acquaintances in the current
moment or in the past via a flashback. Second, they can
represent past teachers or mentors that give indirect aid by
having imparted special knowledge or skills useful in current
circumstances. Narrating the use of Gear and Associations during
resolution of a hazard allows you to roll extra dice for use in
overcoming it.

Gear and Associations each get a descriptor just like attributes.

Examples include “Chrome-Plated Pistols” or “Jet Pack” for Gear,
and “Rival Archeologists” or “Jungle Princess” for Associations.
Each descriptor can be used to gain an additional die a number of
times per session equal to the number of dice in Gear or

32
Associations, respectively. Your character’s highest attribute
determines his or her level of Gear and Associations, as detailed
in the table below.

Character Creation
Highest
Gear Associations
Attribute

Daring 2d6 2d6

Genius 3d6 1d6

Instinct 2d6 2d6

Charisma 1d6 3d6

Finishing Touches
Finally, each character begins with three Acclaim, denoting their
status as well-known members of the Committee. During
character introductions and during play, your character will
receive unattached descriptors—special traits that grant you a
descriptor die but are not attached to an attribute or your Gear or
Associations. Unattached descriptors can each be used once per
session. For now, though, leave that area of your character
sheet blank.

With these mechanical aspects complete, give your character a

name and a brief background, if you have not already done so.
When play begins, the players will go around and introduce the
characters to the group.

33
Example: Jerry and Ed are finishing their characters. Since Jerry’s
stage magician has Charisma as his highest attribute, he will have
Gear 1d6 and Associations 3d6. Jerry chooses the descriptors Gear –
Magic Props and Associations – Adoring Fans. He notes the
character has three Acclaim, taking three tokens to represent it, and
gives him the name Zarbon the Illusionist.

Ed’s former boxer has Daring as his highest attribute, so he will have
Gear 2d6 and Associations 2d6. Ed chooses the descriptors Gear –
Rosary Beads and Associations – Former Trainers. He decides on the
name Bric Taylor and gives him three Acclaim by taking three tokens.
The characters are now ready to be introduced to the group when
play begins.

Summary of Character Creation

Think of a character concept and discuss your

character concepts with the group
Choose your character’s desire
Divide 11d6 among the four attributes of Daring,
Genius, Instinct, and Charisma, with at least 1d6 in
each and one attribute higher than all the others
Assign a descriptor to each attribute (can be used a
number of times per session equal to number of dice
in attribute)
Determine Gear and Associations rating based on
the character’s highest attribute
Assign a descriptor to Gear and Associations
Each character starts with three Acclaim
Round out the character with a name and
brief background

34
 Opposition/Introductions
Establishing Your Opposition
Once your characters are created, determine who will serve as
the Opposition for each. You can do this randomly by shuffling
the character sheets and dealing them out, making sure no one
gets their own (and returning them once their Opposition is
determined), or you can simply have the player to your right
serve as your Opposition.

You serve as a character’s Opposition for the entire expedition,

or for a single session in a multiple-session expedition. At the
beginning of each session in a multiple-session expedition, the job
of Opposition for your character shifts to the person sitting to the
right of your previous Opposition (skipping yourself, of course).

Character Introductions
Next, it is time to introduce your characters and begin play.
The introductions start with the oldest player and continue
clockwise around the table from there. To begin the
introduction, utter the phrase, “And so, on the appointed day,
I, [Character’s name], arrived in the halls of the Committee.”
Then, describe your character to the group in the most glowing
terms possible. Highlight your character’s most prominent
attribute, the skills they have mastered (in the form of your
chosen descriptors), and provide a bit of your character’s
background. Be sure to mention your character’s secret desire so
that your Opposition can frame scenes that tie into it.
Remember, although the other players know your character’s

35
secret desire, the other characters do not unless they discover it
during play.

After this introduction, each player in the role of their character,

beginning with the one to your left, uses the key phrase, “And of
course all the Committee knows…” to state something your
character is well-known for within the Committee. This need not
be entirely positive and can be humorous, but it cannot be
scandalous or completely inappropriate to the tone of your game.
If any other player finds your choice inappropriate, they must use
the phrase, “I daresay not!” If one of the other players agrees that
your statement is inappropriate, they may say, “I concur.” Once
both phrases are uttered, your statement is vetoed, and you must
make another statement until there is no veto.

These extra contributions give each character vibrancy and life,

and they serve as additional unattached descriptors, each of
which you can use in a piece of narration once each session to
gain an additional die that does not count for purposes of earning
Acclaim. In a game with many players, if someone cannot think
of an interesting contribution, it is acceptable to pass. Try to
ensure, however, that each character gets the same number of
unattached descriptors.

Write down your character’s unattached descriptors in the space

provided on your character sheet, and keep these traits in mind
when narrating scenes later in the game.

Example: The time has come for introductions. Jerry is the oldest
player and begins: “And so, on the appointed day, I, Zarbon the
Illusionist, arrived in the halls of the Committee. Lean, dark, and well-
appointed with a black suit, walking stick, and half-cape of scarlet
velvet, I am a master stage magician known for my strong stage
presence and sparkling personality. My hands are quick and deft, and
my eyes are always observant, seeking out charlatans and deceptive

36
mummery. Having studied under magicians throughout Europe and
the most famous escape artists of the day, I have toured the world
performing acts of wonder and illusion using my clever props.

Opposition/Introductions
My adoring fans are legion in the European upper and mercantile
classes. But it is the work of the Committee to which I now devote the
bulk of my acumen. I harbor the desire to overthrow spiritualism and
superstition among the English aristocracy and hope the acclaim of the
expedition will allow me to do just that.”

The other players each contribute something Zarbon is well known for
in the Committee: “And of course all the Committee knows Zarbon is
esteemed for his skill at bridge and darts in the Committee lounge,
though some have whispered that he cheats at the former”; “And of
course all the Committee knows of Zarbon’s waxed moustache and
impeccable hygiene”; and (following up on the walking stick) “An
illusionist he may be, but of course all the Committee knows Zarbon’s
limp, received while exploring an ancient temple in India, is all too
real.”

After all of the introductions, raise your glasses and give a hearty
toast, “A toast! To learning, travel, and adventure!”

37
38
The stalwart Committee members have returned from their trek
into the unknown. They stand ready to tell tales of the dangers
that challenged them both as individuals and as a group—deadly

Character Hazards
hazards that tested mind and body and brought their desires to
the fore.

Your character’s scenes will show how they bravely overcame

harrowing hazards using the skills and abilities that separate them
from normal folk. Hazards for your character will be framed by
another player known as your Opposition. To overcome a hazard,
your character must use their attributes, Gear, and Associations
to master the challenge presented. This means using the result of
one or more d6s to match or exceed the total roll of the d10s
allocated by the Opposition to represent the difficulty of that
hazard, using a new piece of narration for each die you put
forward. But overcoming a hazard is more than just matching
dice. Each hazard must be bested within the three-minute time
limit provided by the hourglass or other timer. Narrating for
multiple dice and dealing with all the complications provided by
the Opposition take time. And time is precious in the fast-paced
pulps; a tale that takes too long will lose the interest of the
Committee members who are listening and earn little Acclaim or
even cause your character embarrassment.

The Big Picture

A scene generally involves a player whose character will be in the
spotlight and the Opposition who will set up the hazard and
present complications for the character to overcome. Since the
character is retelling the tale of how the hazard was overcome,

39
the player’s narration should be in the first person and the past
tense at all times except during any free role-playing.
The Opposition should narrate the hazard while maintaining the
role of their character, and since this hazard has already
occurred, the narration should be in the past tense but can be in
the second or third person.

“Narration” here does not mean something technical; it just

means telling what happens next in the story of the expedition
from the perspective of your character. At certain points in a
scene, the rules will dictate the general content of your narration,
but you generally have the freedom to describe events in any way
you like. This is a storytelling game where the goal is to produce
an entertaining tale of action and adventure, so pull out all the
stops and feel free to ham it up.

A scene progresses through several phases: transitional narration;

free role-play; framing the hazard; establishing the hazard roll;
hazard resolution; and reflective narration if the hazard is
successfully overcome. Let’s look at the general framework first.

Transitional Narration
At the beginning of your scene, narrate a transition between the
previous scene and your own. You can use this narration to move
the expedition along its route or within the exploration site,
but such movement should be gradual to allow a sense of the
time taken in each stage of the journey and to permit multiple
hazards to arise at each location. You also can describe actions
your character has been taking that do not need to be spotlighted
as part of overcoming a hazard, such as research, trailblazing,
or simply the colorful details of travel. Make sure to include
where your character is and what they are currently doing. A
clever player will use this bit of transitional narration to influence
the sort of hazard they will face.

40
Free Role-Playing
Once you have provided your transitional narration, you have
the option of engaging in free role-playing with the other players

Character Hazards
in the location you’ve established. This is a flashback scene to the
events of the expedition and the interactions between the
characters. It is an opportunity for in-character repartee,
establishing and elaborating upon the relationships between the
expedition members, and simply portraying your character
outside the context of a hazard. Since this is not part of your
narration, you do not need to use the past tense. Your
Opposition plays the roles of any other people besides the
characters appearing in the scene during free role-playing.

Whenever you are ready to move on to your character’s hazard,

whether immediately after your transitional narration or after the
free role-playing comes to a natural stopping point, utter the
phrase, “Little did I know what challenge awaited me.”
This statement prompts your Opposition to step in and present
your hazard.

Framing the Hazard & Setting the Hazard Roll

After you call for your hazard, the Opposition for your character
will frame the hazard they have chosen. Framing is simply telling
everyone the details of the hazard—what is happening and what
adverse element is involved. As the Opposition, you can choose a
hazard from the hazard list, since everyone agreed they are
interested in seeing these things in the game, or use a hazard of
your own creation. You always are free to choose whatever
hazard is most interesting to you so long as it seems appropriate
given the story so far and the transitional narration the other
player just provided. As play progresses and more story elements
are added to the expedition log, you are encouraged to create
hazards that use the story elements.

41
If you’re stuck in coming up with a hazard, you can ask the other
players for suggestions. As Opposition you have limited control
over the character in framing the hazard, but should not do
anything to make the character look less than the awesome
personage they are. For example, you can have the character
inadvertently set off a trap, but you should not describe foolish
actions that did so.

Once the Opposition frames the hazard, the Opposition reveals

the number of d10s they have assigned to the hazard.
The Opposition can assign single-character hazards a difficulty of
1d10, 2d10, 3d10, 4d10, 5d10, or 6d10 depending upon the story
segment in which everyone is currently playing. The details of the
narration framing the hazard can reflect the assigned difficulty,
or the Opposition can use over-the-top or subdued descriptions
completely unrelated to the assigned difficulty.

At the beginning of the expedition, your Opposition can assign a

difficulty of 1d10, 2d10, or 3d10 to any individual hazard
confronting your character. These less difficult hazards allow
players to get accustomed to the game’s narration mechanics,
and they allow the tension and danger of the expedition to build
slowly. After the first story segment is complete, your Opposition
can assign difficulties of 2d10, 3d10, 4d10, 5d10, or 6d10 to your
hazards at any additional locations along the route to the
exploration site. Finally, at the exploration site itself, your
Opposition can assign difficulties of 3d10, 4d10, 5d10, or 6d10 to
your hazards as the tension and danger rise to their highest levels.

When your Opposition uses a difficulty level for one of your

character’s hazards, note it on your character sheet.
Your Opposition cannot use that difficulty level again until all of
the others able to be used in that story segment have been used.
Once you have had a hazard with each of the available difficulty

42
levels, your Opposition is free to begin using any of them again
subject to the same constraints. For example, after your
Opposition assigns your first hazard a 2d10 difficulty, no other

Character Hazards
hazard for your character can have a 2d10 difficulty until hazards
with all the other difficulties available in the current story
segment have been assigned for your character. Track the use of
the different difficulty levels only for a single session; reset them
as you determine the Opposition of each character for any
additional sessions.

Once your Opposition has assigned a difficulty to the hazard,

they roll the d10s and add the results to establish the hazard
roll—the number that your character must match or exceed to
successfully overcome the hazard. Use the mechanics described
below in “Step-by-Step Hazard Resolution” to resolve the hazard.

Reflective Narration
If you overcome the hazard successfully, you end your scene with
narration in which you reflect on the hazard, tie up loose ends,
and add hints of foreboding or foreshadowing. You also can use
this reflective narration to create or reuse story elements, tying
them together in new ways. However, you are not permitted to
move the expedition further along its route. If you received aid
from another character, you still get to provide reflective
narration per normal.

Example: Jerry, playing Zarbon the Illusionist, provides transitional

narration to start his scene: “We had left London by steamship bound
for Cairo, buoyed by both our natural optimism and the thrill of travel.
Of course, several days aboard ship left me restless, so I used some of
my simpler illusions to win the affections of the other first-class
travelers.” After this transitional narration, the players engage in some
free role-playing, portraying their characters bantering aboard ship and
starting to establish the dynamics between them. Eventually, Jerry

43
brings the role-playing to a close by using the phrase “Little did I know
what challenge awaited me” to call for his hazard.

Ed is the Opposition for Zarbon the Illusionist, so he chooses a hazard

that is appropriate at this stage of the story. He frames the hazard in
the role of his character Bric Taylor: “As I remember it, you were
lounging on the main deck before dinner with some of those swanky
new friends of yours when your sharp eyes noticed one of the ship’s
stewards bumping into a passenger and picking his pocket. Of course,
the sap was totally oblivious as the steward headed for a door leading
below decks—what a scoundrel!” Ed chooses to assign a difficulty of
1d10 to this hazard, since this is the first story segment, and Jerry
notes this on his character’s sheet.

After the hazard is successfully resolved and Zarbon has caught the
thief, Jerry provides some reflective narration to close out the scene:
“The pickpocket well in hand, I summoned the ship’s chief of security
while I looked inside the wallet that was stolen. I was surprised to see
identification papers that my trained eye detected to be forged. I peered
around quickly, but the victim of the theft had disappeared.” At this
point, it is the next player’s turn.

Timed Narration?

Timed narration can take some getting used to, but it

keeps the pace of the tale brisk and adds tension to the
act of narration that mirrors the danger faced by the
characters. If you like, you can use the timer but not
enforce its time limit for the first set of scenes to allow
everyone to get comfortable with the flow of narration.
After that, keep in mind that you’re telling a story, not
role-playing out an interaction. The Opposition should
avoid verbatim responses and provide concise summaries
of how events proceeded. Leave the oratory and fancy
description to the player in the spotlight.

44
 Hazard Resolution
Calling Upon Your Desire
Once your Opposition has rolled the d10s and set the hazard roll,
choose whether to call upon your character’s desire in this scene.
Because your character is so strongly motivated to make their
desire a reality, it can motivate them to greater heights or
distract them, making the hazard even more difficult.

To call upon your character’s desire, narrate an aside describing

how the hazard relates to the desire and affects your character for
good or ill. When calling upon your character’s desire to aid
them in overcoming a hazard, your aside must describe how their
desire hardened their resolve in the face of the hazard or
otherwise made the hazard less difficult. Then take the d10
rolled by your Opposition with the highest result and reroll it,
using the new result in determining the hazard roll. Check the
“Aid” box on your character sheet next to your character’s desire
to indicate you have used it.

Once you have used your character’s desire to aid them,

you cannot do so again until you have called upon their desire to
make things more difficult. To do so, narrate an aside describing
how thoughts of the desire distracted or flustered your character,
or how acting in conformance with this desire otherwise made
the hazard more difficult. Then take the d10 rolled by your
Opposition with the lowest result and reroll it, using the new
result in determining the hazard roll. Erase the checkmark in the
“Aid” box; you now regain the option of calling upon your
character’s desire in a beneficial manner in future scenes.

45
Choosing an Attribute
Next, choose one attribute (Daring, Genius, Instinct,
or Charisma) that best fits the method your character will use to
overcome the hazard. Briefly narrate your choice of attribute,
describing how it is suited to overcoming the hazard. Play is
flexible with respect to which attribute can be used, but if any
other player finds your choice inappropriate, they must use the
phrase, “I daresay not!” If one of the other players agrees that the
attribute is inappropriate, they may say, “I concur.” Once both
phrases are uttered, the use of that attribute is vetoed, and you
must choose another attribute to use until there is no veto.

As you use an attribute to try to overcome a hazard, note this on

your character sheet. You cannot freely choose that attribute to
resolve a hazard again until you have used each of your
character’s other attributes to resolve a hazard. If you choose to
use an attribute an additional time before each other attribute
has had its due, then you must spend one point of Acclaim for
this privilege. There is no limit to the number of times you can
spend Acclaim in this manner.

Changing tactics to shift to another attribute (described in the

section “Gambling Acclaim,” page 76) means you are considered
to have used the attribute you changed to, not the one you began
with, in overcoming the hazard.

Rolling the Character’s Dice

Once you choose an attribute, roll the appropriate number of
d6s. If your character’s descriptor is applicable, you can choose to
get one extra d6 for this roll that does not count as part of the
number of dice used for receiving Acclaim (make sure this die is
a different color). Remember that this 1d6 bonus for an
applicable descriptor can only be used a number of times per

46
session equal to the rating of the attribute to which it apples.
Each use should be marked down on your character sheet.
As you roll the dice, the Opposition turns over the hourglass,

Hazard Resolution
giving you three minutes to narrate the resolution of the hazard.

Narrating the Resolution

Use your narration to describe how your character stylishly
overcomes danger that would cause ordinary men to quake with
fear. Since your character is retelling the tale of how they
overcame the hazard, your narration should always be in the first
person and the past tense. Narrating involves a repeating cycle
that begins with you providing a piece of narration and putting
forward one die in the effort to match or exceed the hazard roll.
Each piece of narration should move the character closer toward
resolving the hazard.

If you have one or more descriptor dice, you may put forward one
of these dice per piece of narration along with your other die,
effectively putting two dice forward for the single piece of
narration instead of one.

After completing each piece of narration and putting forward

your die, if you have not yet met or exceeded the hazard roll,
then your Opposition gets to narrate a complication that occurs.
Complications can do different things: introduce a new element
that adds to the danger; take the existing elements in an
unexpected direction; or ratchet up the tension by edging events
closer toward potential disaster. As Opposition, keep
complications brief to maintain the focus on the character—no
more than two short sentences.

Complications keep things exciting and provide a challenge in

coming up with that next piece of narration. However, a
complication cannot negate previous narration of a character’s

47
actions or control a character’s actions, especially if it would
make them look less than the capable hero they are. Think of
complications as “yes, and” or “yes, but” responses to a player’s
pieces of narration.

If your Opposition is hesitating in providing a complication,

after a decorous interval (around 5-10 seconds) one of the other
players should use the phrase, “So what transpired next?” If your
Opposition still cannot find inspiration for an appropriate
complication after several seconds, then another player should
use the phrase, “Tell us [Name of Your Character]” to signal that
the complication is being skipped and you may put your next die
forward and continue your narration. If you are playing with
three players, then you may utter the phrase, “I’ll tell you”
instead of “Tell us [Name of Your Character].”

After hearing the complication (or skipping it if necessary),

you must respond with narration describing how your character
overcame any complication while moving toward defeating the
hazard and put forward your next die. Narration should always
reflect the attribute being used to overcome the hazard;
inappropriate narration can be vetoed by any of the other players
using the “I daresay not!” and “I concur” phrases. Once the total
of the d6s you have put forward matches or exceeds the hazard
roll (i.e., the total of the d10s rolled for that hazard), and you
have narrated a response to any complications your Opposition
presented, you can narrate how your character takes the final
step toward resolving the hazard, preferably in grand fashion.

Gear, Associations & Unattached Descriptors

As part of narrating, you can weave in the use of Gear,
Associations, or an unattached descriptor. If you do so, you can
immediately roll those dice and have them available for
overcoming the hazard. If the descriptor of Gear or Associations

48
is applicable and you narrate its use, then you may choose to roll
an extra 1d6 as well, subject to the same limitations as attribute
descriptors. Make sure that any descriptor die is a different color

Hazard Resolution
from your attribute and Gear and Associations dice.

You can use your character’s Gear, Associations, and multiple

unattached descriptors during a hazard, but a single piece of
narration can only introduce one thing. To introduce another,
you must wait until your next piece of narration (i.e., after the
Opposition has presented a complication).

Of course, the attribute that your character is using may limit the
use of Gear and Associations. For example, a character using
Charisma to bluff a Nazi guard cannot narrate using a bullwhip to
do so simply to get Gear dice. But they could narrate offering the
guard a nip of bourbon to soften his resolve. If more than one of
the other players objects to the appropriateness of using Gear,
Associations, or an unattached descriptor using the “I daresay
not!” and “I concur” phrases, then it is vetoed. You can roll your
Gear and Associations dice only once each per hazard, even if
your narration involves multiple items or allies.

Why Veto?

In a game where narration is largely freeform, there is a

tendency for some players to run wild or neglect the
rules that dictate the content of some of their
description. Vetoes permit the other players to rein in
these tendencies by group consensus when inappropriate
narration (as the group defines it) occurs. Some groups
will veto more than others, and some may not need to
veto at all. Either is perfectly fine. The veto rules are
there to allow you to set the standard for your game
based on your group’s preferences.

49
Earning Acclaim from Resolution
Even more than overcoming the hazard itself, a simple task for
the mighty men and women of the Committee, each character
wants to earn the Acclaim of their fellows and the adoration of
the public once the report of the expedition reaches the press.
After all, it is Acclaim that allows a character to achieve their
desire. You earn Acclaim in two main ways: by successfully
overcoming hazards, and by reusing story elements on the
expedition log, discussed in the section “Adding to the
Expedition Log,” page 80.

Easy victories do not gain much Acclaim; rather, it is a story of

high drama and tension that earns the respect of the Committee
members. On the other hand, struggling too much against a
hazard causes your peers to lose respect for your feats of daring
since they know they would have handled it much more
proficiently. So the amount of Acclaim gained depends upon the
number of dice used to match or exceed the hazard roll:

Number of Dice Number of Acclaim

Used Received
1 0
2 1
3 2
4 1
5 0
6+ -1

50
Remember that dice from descriptors do not count toward the
number of dice used. Any loss of Acclaim can never reduce a
character’s Acclaim below zero at any time.

Hazard Resolution
In addition to these amounts, if a player, including the
Opposition, provides narration during hazard resolution or any
other part of a scene that causes laughter, audible admiration, or
one or more of the other players to raise their glasses in
appreciation, then that player’s character immediately receives
one Acclaim. You should raise your glass not only when someone
narrates an awesome action sequence or humorous situation,
but also when their narration introduces a fiendish twist to the
story, advances the story in a way you find cool and clever, ties
up a loose end, or solves a key mystery or other longstanding
issue. Use your judgment but be generous—freely rewarding
narration you like will encourage more of the same and prompt
others to reward your narration, as well.

Example: As the expedition continued, Ed’s former boxer,

Bric Taylor, was trapped below decks on a Nile riverboat with three
Nazi agents. Ashley is Bric’s Opposition and describes the scene while
staying in character as Dr. Jane McGrute: “As I recall, Bric was
sleeping below decks while we sipped sweetened Turkish coffee above.
He awoke to see three men rifling through the expedition’s luggage.
Each was carrying a holstered pistol, and they whispered to each other
in German.” Ashley chooses to assign a 3d10 difficulty to this hazard
and rolls the dice, getting a 5, 3, and 8 for a hazard roll of 16.

Ed narrates that he wants to overcome this challenge using Bric’s

Daring attribute of 5d6 and use its descriptor of Two-Fisted for an
additional die: “I knew immediately that these Nazi stormtroopers
wouldn’t give in to anything less than a thrashing, and maybe not even
then. But with my inborn daring and two solid fists I was ready to

51
take them on.” No one objects to this, so Ed rolls 6d6 while Ashley
turns over the hourglass.

Ed’s roll yields 6, 4, 4, 3, 2, and 1 for his descriptor die. He narrates:

“I rolled from my bunk into a crouch and slipped my brass knuckles
out of my coat pocket and onto my right fist, my good hand from back
in the day. Then I began to sneak up behind the nearest Kraut.”
Because Ed narrated in Bric’s Gear in an appropriate fashion, he rolls
an additional 2d6, getting a 6 and a 2. As he narrates, he pushes one
of the 6s and his descriptor die of 1 forward.

Ashley gets to narrate a complication: “Bric was right behind the

nearest German when one of the others snapped his head around and
saw Bric. He drew his pistol and called out, ‘Sehen Sie zu!’”

Ed has to narrate around this complication and move the hazard

toward resolution: “I ducked low behind the nearest Kraut and
slammed my right fist into his lower back. He howled and tried to run,
but I threw my left arm around his neck and used his body as a shield.
Two shots rang out, deafening in the confined quarters. One whizzed
above us and the other hit poor Fritz in the head, sending a splatter of
gore over my shoulder. As his body spasmed in death, I lifted him by
the groin and shoulder and bodily tossed him at the third Kraut,
sending him sprawling beneath the body.” Ed puts forward his second
6. Jerry and Doug both raise their glasses in admiration of the great
action narrative, so Ed will receive one extra Acclaim for Bric.

Ed’s now at a total of 13. Ashley gets to narrate a new complication:

“The remaining German grimaced at your handiwork, pointing his
gun at you shakily as he reached behind his back and brought out a
potato masher grenade. ‘We both die now,’ he said in
accented English.”

Ed narrates: “I charged forward and bum-rushed the last Kraut,

coming in low and bringing my right fist up under his chin.” Ed puts

52
forward his 4 to exceed the hazard roll of 16, so he can narrate how
the hazard is resolved: “His teeth slammed together with a crack and
both gun and grenade fell from his hands onto the floor. I frantically

Hazard Resolution
disentangled myself from his unconscious body, and leapt after the
grenade, pulling open a porthole and heaving the grenade into the
water. The grenade exploded with a splash, sending a geyser of water
onto the top deck and drenching the tea party.” The hazard is
overcome with a little time in the hourglass to spare.

Because he used three dice to overcome the hazard (the

descriptor die of 1 does not count), Ed earns two Acclaim for
Bric, plus one extra Acclaim for the great narration. Now he can
provide reflective narration and end the scene.

53
 Summary of Single Character
Hazard Resolution

Transitional narration—can move expedition along route or

within exploration site and says where your character is and
what they are doing
Free Role-playing—opportunity to have the characters
interact outside the context of a hazard; you may end it at
any point by using the phrase: “Little did I know what
challenge awaited me”
Opposition frames hazard in role of their character and
assigns difficulty from those available for current story
segment (no repeating difficulty levels until all others
available in that story segment have been used on your
character)

Other Locations The Exploration

1st Story Segment
on the Route Site

2d10, 3d10, 3d10, 4d10, 5d10,

1d10, 2d10, 3d10
4d10, 5d10, 6d10 6d10

Opposition rolls the d10s, establishing the hazard roll you

must match or exceed
Choose whether to call upon your character’s desire by
narrating an aside to:
o Aid in overcoming the hazard (reroll the hazard’s
highest d10)
o Make the hazard more difficult (reroll the hazard’s
lowest d10)
o You cannot get aid again until you made things
more difficult

54
Narrate briefly to choose an attribute to use to overcome
hazard—roll its dice plus 1d6 if using an applicable
descriptor (can only be used a number of times per session

Hazard Resolution
equal to attribute’s dice)
Opposition turns over the hourglass as you roll the dice
Narrate the actions your character took to overcome the
hazard and put forward one of your dice in a
repeating cycle
o After the first die, so long as hazard roll has not
been matched or exceeded, the Opposition gets to
narrate a complication before you narrate and put
forward your next die
o You can put forward one descriptor die per piece
of narration
You may narrate in the use of Gear, Associations, or an
unattached descriptor at any point
o Immediately roll those dice plus 1d6 for the Gear
or Associations descriptor if applicable and you
narrate it in
o Can roll dice for Gear, Associations, and multiple
unattached descriptors once each during a hazard,
but not as part of the same piece of narration
If you succeed in matching or exceeding the hazard roll,
narrate how your character finally overcame the hazard
before time runs out
If you successfully overcame the hazard in time, you
provide reflective narration that ties things up and
foreshadows future developments but may not move
the expedition
If you successfully overcame the hazard, you receive
Acclaim based on the number of dice used in overcoming
the hazard (not counting descriptor dice)

55
Increasing Attributes
If you use five or more dice to successfully resolve a hazard before
time runs out (descriptor dice do not count), then you may
increase any one of your character’s attributes by one die. This
does not need to be the attribute you were using to overcome the
hazard. You must use your reflective narration to describe how
this particular hazard was a challenge that your character will
remember always and how it has honed their abilities to an even
finer edge. Raising an attribute also increases the number of times
that its descriptor can be used in each session beginning
immediately. If you have lost Gear or Associations dice due to
being stymied, then you may choose to regain one lost die in lieu
of increasing an attribute by narrating how your character fixes
equipment, finds more supplies, or is otherwise refreshed.

Example: After narrowly succeeding in overcoming a hazard with 6

dice, Ed decides that the harrowing encounter with Nile crocodiles has
increased Bric’s Instinct from 3d6 to 4d6. He includes in his reflective
narration: “Although I’ve always known my way around fighting with
other blokes, I gotta admit that fighting those crocs brought out
something primal in me. Coming so close to a savage death made me
more of a savage myself.”

Getting Help
Sometimes even the bravest and most capable pulp hero needs a
bit of help. If it becomes apparent to you that you cannot meet or
exceed the hazard roll with the dice you have and you do not
wish to gamble Acclaim to gain more dice, then you may ask the
other members of the expedition for aid. You can do this at any
point during the hazard’s resolution, either after you have put
forward one or more dice to meet the hazard roll or immediately
after seeing the result of your initial roll. The hourglass continues
to flow at all times during this process.

56
To ask for help, spend one Acclaim and use the phrase,
“Finding myself in dire need, I turned to my companions for aid.”
Starting from your left, each other player in turn except for your

Increasing Attributes
Opposition has the option of agreeing to aid you. Only the first
player to accept this responsibility can do so, and all the players
may decide to withhold their aid. Once a player refuses to aid
you, they may not change their mind when the others refuse.
If all of the other players refuse to aid you, then continue your
scene as best you can with your remaining dice until time expires.

The player to offer aid rolls the dice for one of their character’s
attributes after providing narration supporting the choice,
subject to veto by the other players as for any other choice of
attributes. If a descriptor applies, they can roll the additional 1d6.

With these dice rolled, the player providing aid takes over the
narration and puts their dice forward one at a time to meet or
exceed the hazard roll, just as in normal resolution. If you have
already put forward one or more dice, the new dice are added to
their total. That player narrates how their character aided your
character in overcoming the obstacle. Your Opposition adds
complications as normal. If the hazard is successfully overcome
before time runs out, the character that aided you and your
character both gain the appropriate Acclaim for the hazard’s
resolution based on all the dice used to overcome it. Of course,
this means that a character can lose Acclaim for aiding another,
but helping others should be its own reward.

If you ask for aid, you still get to provide reflective narration for a
successful resolution. In addition, you can raise an attribute of
your character if five or more dice were used to successfully
resolve the hazard, while the helping character may not.
After the hazard is resolved, play resumes with the player
to your left.

57
Example: As the expedition wound its way down the Nile, Bric found
himself at a ceremonial dinner held by a local chieftain. Ashley frames
a hazard: “The feast was proceeding smoothly until Bric’s ruggedly
handsome frame caught the attention of one of the chieftain’s
daughters, the lovely Jamilah, and she began making eyes at him across
the table.” Ashley allocates 2d10 to the hazard’s difficulty and rolls
two 9s—an 18 hazard roll!

Ed looks over Bric’s character sheet and sighs. He has already used
Daring and Instinct to resolve earlier hazards, and Charisma is the
attribute that makes the best sense. Ed narrates, “It wasn’t my strong
suit, but I knew I’d have to use my charm and subtlety to let the girl
down easy without her father and the other tribesmen noticing.”
His Charisma descriptor, “Intimidation,” doesn’t apply, so he rolls only
2d6, getting a 3 and a 4. Ashley turns over the hourglass.

Ed narrates: “I tried to secretly nod in the girl’s direction and then shot
a glance toward her father, making it clear what a dangerous game she
was playing.” Ed puts forward his 4.

Ashley narrates a complication: “Jamilah pouted and drew her veil

over mouth and nose, but then Bric felt her bare foot under the table
sliding up his leg.”

Ed realizes he’s in a world of hurt, so he immediately spends one

Acclaim and asks for help: “Finding myself in dire need, I turned to
my companions for aid.”

Jerry decides that he will have Zarbon provide some aid to Bric, using
his 4d6 Charisma and his “Stage Presence” descriptor. Jerry narrates:
“I saw the pained look on Bric’s face and realized what was afoot;
a distraction would be key to extricating ourselves from this sticky
situation.” Jerry rolls his dice, getting a 6, 5, 3, 1, and a 4 on his

58
descriptor die. He slides forward his 6 and 4 descriptor die, narrating:
“I leapt to my feet and with a flourish of my cape called out,
‘Oh chieftain, I would entertain this esteemed gathering with some of

Getting Help
my illusions. May I ask that your lovely daughter Jamilah assist me?’”

In short order, Zarbon has exceeded the hazard roll of 18 by using his
5 and resolved the hazard by entertaining the feasters and keeping
Jamilah away from Bric at the same time. Ed adds some reflective
narration remarking how he’d always had bad timing with young
women, and it wasn’t the last time such a situation would put the
whole expedition in peril.

The dice used to overcome the hazard were Bric’s 4, Zarbon’s 6 and 5,
and Zarbon’s 4 descriptor die (which does not count for earning
Acclaim). By using three dice, both Bric and Zarbon gain two
Acclaim. Play now proceeds to the player to Ed’s left.

Summary of Getting Help

At any time during hazard resolution, spend one

Acclaim and use the key phrase, “Finding myself in
dire need, I turned to my companions for aid”
Starting with the player to your left, each (except
your Opposition) has the option to offer aid; if all
refuse, then continue your scene as best you can
Only one character can aid you; that player may roll
the dice from an attribute of their choice and take
over narration of the scene, adding their dice to
those you put forward (if any)
If successful in resolving the hazard, both characters
receive Acclaim based on all the dice used by
both players
If successful, the original player may provide
reflective narration and raise an attribute of their
character if five or more dice were used

59
Running Out of Time
If the hourglass runs out before you can complete your narration,
but the hazard roll can be matched or exceeded by adding the
dice you have remaining to those you put forward, then the other
Committee members have grown impatient with your lengthy
tale. The player to your left immediately interrupts your narration
and utters the phrase, “But, of course, in the end it was of no
consequence.” You do not get to say anything further. Play moves
forward to the player to your left and your character loses one
Acclaim. Again, note that a character’s Acclaim cannot be
reduced below zero.

If time runs out and you cannot match or exceed the hazard roll
with all your dice, then the expedition is stymied. Even the
stoutest heart sometimes faces failure, and an honest account of
such results in neither gain nor loss of Acclaim. Briefly narrate
how the hazard bested you or sidetracked the expedition, and
then utter the phrase, “I'm embarrassed to say that for a time we
were uncertain how to proceed.” The player who originally faced
the hazard, not any aiding player, makes this narration. After this
phrase is uttered, every player must put down their glasses.

If another player decided to aid you and the hourglass runs out
before the narration is complete, the same rules apply except that
only the dice they have put forward thus far, not all the dice they
have rolled, are added to all of your dice to see if you can match
or exceed the hazard roll. If you can, both of your characters lose
one Acclaim.

60
 Summary of Running Out of Time

If the total of all the dice you rolled is greater than

the hazard roll, then you lose one Acclaim and the

Running Out of Time

player to your left says, “But, of course, in the end it
was of no consequence,” immediately ending your
turn
If the total of all the dice you rolled is less than the
hazard roll, the expedition is stymied
o Narrate how the hazard bested you and
sidetracked the expedition
o End your narration with the phrase,
“I'm embarrassed to say that for a time we
were uncertain how to proceed”
If you received aid from another player, the dice they
have put forward during narration are added to all of
your dice for making this determination

Being Stymied
When a character cannot match or exceed the hazard roll and no
other character has aided them or they, too, fail, then the entire
expedition is stymied. No one gains or loses Acclaim from the
hazard, but the expedition has run into a serious problem
everyone must work around, expending valuable resources
in the process.

The player who caused the stymie to occur rolls 1d6 to determine
who narrates last after all the other players have done some brief
narration for their character. If the die result is 1 or 2, the player
whose glass is most full narrates last; if the result is 3 or 4,
the player whose glass is closest to half-full (all people of action
are optimists) narrates last; and if the result of the die roll is 5 or
6, then the player whose glass is least-full narrates last. If more
than one player appears to have glasses in an identical state, then

61
they may choose among themselves which player will narrate last
by rolling a die. After this scene is complete, it is a good time to
offer to refill the players’ glasses.

Beginning with the player to the left of the one who will narrate
last and going clockwise around the table, every player must
reduce their character’s Gear or Associations by one die.
While doing so, they narrate something their character did in
response to the stymieing event and the form the lost die takes
for that character. The response can be taking action to help the
expedition past the stymie or anything else the player decides.
These bits of narration should tie together, so leave room for the
next player to pick up what you have introduced and take it in
their own direction.

Players can explain the lost die as losing or using up valuable

equipment, increasing isolation weakening social networks or
causing the character to panic and forget valuable insights, or
anything else of a player’s invention. These lost dice cannot be
regained for the rest of the expedition except through
“Increasing Attributes” as discussed above, page 56.

If all of a character’s Gear and Associations dice are lost due to

being stymied, then that player must cross off an unused
unattached descriptor. Use of that descriptor is lost for the rest
of the expedition. If a character has lost all Gear and
Associations dice and all unattached descriptors, that character
is already in a sorry state and suffers no further from
being stymied.

The player to narrate last gets to follow the lead of the players’
prior narration and conclude the tale of how the expedition gets
back on track, in addition to describing the form of their own
lost die. After this narration, play resumes with the player to the
left of the one who last had a scene.

62
Example: As the expedition hunkers down for the night in the jungle,
Doug’s tribal shaman, Nahuel Quidel, was unable to use the
Dreamtime to locate the approaching Nazi patrol and the expedition is

Being Stymied
stymied. He narrates: “The warp and woof of the Dreamtime were
frayed by the evil emanations of the place, so that I could not see what
came hither. We were unsure whether the Nazis would come upon us
in the night, or whether we had time to set a trap for them.
I'm embarrassed to say that for a time we were uncertain how
to proceed.”

Doug rolls 1d6 and gets a 1. Jerry, whose glass currently is closest to
full, will narrate last. Every player reduces his or her character’s Gear
or Associations by one.

Doug chooses to reduce Nahuel’s Associations by 1d6 and begins the

narration: “The shadows hung heavy over us, and I felt myself cut off
from my spirit guides, the wisdom of the spheres hidden from me.
I noted a spring that erupted from a nearby cliff and performed
ablutions, hoping to cleanse my body and spirit.”

Ed continues the narration, choosing to reduce Bric’s Associations by

1d6: “The jungle at night is nothing like the city. The heat was still
unbearable and seeing our shaman so shaken gave me the willies, too.
As I knelt by him to take a drink, though, I noticed that a primitive
stairway of sorts was carved into the rock, leading to the top
of the cliff.”

Ashley goes next, choosing to reduce Jane’s Gear by 1d6: “Seeing the
value of an elevated vantage point, Zarbon and I climbed up the stairs
and were able to look out across the jungle valley. I pulled out my
binoculars and in the middle distance, I could see campfires and tents.
In my enthusiasm to share my discovery with Zarbon, however,
the binoculars slipped from my grasp and were lost in the darkness.”

63
Jerry gets to wrap things up, choosing to reduce Zarbon’s Associations
by 1d6: “Even without the binoculars I could see faint lights in the
distance whose portent was clear: The Nazis had decided to stop and
make camp rather than pursue us in the dark. Perhaps we could take
them unawares and rout them while they slept. The very thought of a
surprise attack filled me vigor and blinded me to the wise advice of my
mentor Blaine Hastings—never try to accomplish by brute force what
you can achieve by misdirection.” Play now proceeds to the
next player.

Summary of Being Stymied

Roll 1d6 to determine which player narrates final

resolution of the stymie—the one with the fullest,
closest to half-full, or the emptiest glass
Beginning to the left of the chosen player, each
character loses 1d6 from Gear or Associations and
gets to narrate a response to the stymie and the form
their die loss takes
The chosen player ties up the resolution of the
stymie and gets the expedition back on track with
their narration

Group hazards use a variation of the standard resolution system.

They occur at various times throughout the expedition and
involve all the characters. Any time a player notices that more
than one beverage glass is empty at the end of a scene, it is time
for a group hazard to occur next.

64
In addition, the expedition’s tale ends with a group hazard that
ties up loose ends and lets the players determine the ultimate
nature of the characters’ discoveries at the exploration site.

Group Hazards
Narration of this final group hazard is not timed like other
group hazards.

In a multiple-session expedition, each session ends with a

cliffhanger group hazard that is not resolved until the next
session. Note which player’s turn would normally be next and
write this down so that player can get the first turn next session.
After ending a session with a cliffhanger, remember to write
down the current Acclaim of each character.

If the group somehow gets separated at the time for a group

hazard, then some bizarre twist occurs to bring them all back
together (floor collapses to reunite them, other group captured
too, etc.) and should be included as part of the narration framing
the group hazard.

Using the Timer

You use the hourglass differently in group hazard resolution
depending upon how many characters are involved in the group
hazard: You turn it over three times for three or four characters
(allowing nine minutes for resolution) and four times for more
than four characters (allowing twelve minutes for resolution).
However, narration of the final group hazard that ends the report
of the expedition is not timed.

Setting the Scene

To determine who sets the scene for a group hazard, the player
whose character last had an individual scene rolls 1d6. If the
result is 1 or 2, the player whose glass is most full narrates; if the
result is 3 or 4, the player whose glass is closest to half-full

65
narrates; and if the result of the die roll is 5 or 6, then the player
whose glass is least-full narrates. If more than one player appears
to have glasses in an identical state, then they may set the scene
together. After the group hazard is resolved, offer to refill the
players’ glasses.

Once the designated player has framed the scene for the group
hazard, they roll the appropriate number of d10s to set the hazard
roll. The hazard roll is 10 times the number of players plus 2d10
times the number of the story segment you’re currently playing
in. So in a standard expedition with three players, group hazards
in the first story segment have a difficulty of 30 plus 2d10, while
the group hazard ending the game (in the fourth story segment)
has a difficulty of 30 plus 8d10.

Any player may choose to call upon their character’s desire to

reroll one of these d10s. Each player involved in the group hazard
then chooses one attribute their character will use in overcoming
the hazard, as well as any descriptors, subject to veto by the other
players, and then rolls that number of d6s. Once everyone has
rolled their dice, the hourglass is turned over.

Round-Robin Resolution
From there, the player to the left of the one who framed the
scene (or who spoke last for those that cooperated to frame it)
puts forward a die and narrates how their character moved
toward resolving the hazard.

After this first die is put forward, each player in turn, including
the one that originally framed the scene, has the chance to put
forward one of their own dice. But before they do, the player to
their left gets to narrate a complication that must be overcome in
the narration, just as in normal hazards. The cycle repeats and

66
new dice and narration continue until the hazard roll is met or
until time runs out.

A player can choose to pass and not put forward a die, but this

Group Hazards
prevents them from later adding any more dice; they have
effectively dropped out of the group hazard, losing one Acclaim
as a result. The player to add the final die that meets or exceeds
the hazard roll gets to narrate how the hazard is resolved through
the collective efforts of the expedition’s members and provide
reflective narration to close the scene.

Gaining and Losing Acclaim

If time runs out and the sum of all the players’ dice (both those
put forward and those remaining) meets or exceeds the hazard
roll, then their fellow Committee members have grown bored and
called for a break in the expedition’s report. All players still
participating in the hazard must stop talking and each of their
characters loses one Acclaim. Play then proceeds to the player
whose turn would have been next if not for the group hazard.
That player should briefly narrate how the group moved beyond
the group hazard as part of their transitional narration.

If time runs out and the sum of all the dice does not exceed the
hazard roll, the expedition is stymied. The player who framed the
scene utters the phrase, “I'm embarrassed to say that for a time
we were uncertain how to proceed” and rolls the die to determine
the final narrator in the stymie scene.

The final group hazard of the expedition is not timed. As a result,

the expedition cannot lose the interest of its audience or be
stymied. Generally, the players will have sufficient dice to narrate
a resolution to the expedition as they see fit. If, however, all the
characters run out of dice and drop out of the hazard, the last

67
remaining player narrates how the expedition ultimately was
forced to abandon its quest.

If the characters successfully overcome the group hazard,

each character that did not drop out of the group hazard receives
Acclaim based on the number of dice they contributed in
overcoming the hazard, using the same table as for single
character hazard resolution. In addition, the characters that put
forward the last die and whose contributed dice have the highest
total each receive an additional Acclaim (two extra Acclaim if
the same character). If there is a tie for the highest total,
then both characters receive an extra Acclaim.

Closing the Scene

If you resolve a group hazard successfully, the player who
contributed the final die gets to provide some reflective narration
and broader interpretation of the events of the expedition up to
that point. In the case of the group hazard at the end of the
expedition, this player has the chance to tie up some loose ends
and comment on the expedition as a whole.

After resolution of the group hazard (and any possible stymie),

round-robin play continues as normal, starting with the player
whose turn would have been next if not for the group hazard.

Example: After resolving being stymied and noting it is time for a

group hazard, the players decide the expedition ambushed the Nazi
camp that night. The players are sitting around the table in the
following clockwise order: Doug, Ed, Ashley, and Jerry. Doug rolls
1d6 to see who will set the scene for the group hazard and rolls a 3,
so the player whose glass is closest to half-full frames the group hazard.
It just so happens that is Doug.

68
So Doug sets the scene. He begins: “After Zarbon and Jane returned
from the lookout point, they told the rest of the expedition of the Nazi
camp. All agreed that taking them unawares from the darkness offered

Group Hazards
the best chance to overcome their superior numbers. And the key
would be crippling their vehicles, preventing them from making easy
overland travel and bringing their heavy weapons to bear. So we
gathered our weapons and headed in the direction of the camp.
We had snuck in pretty close to the edge of the Nazi camp, when we
saw a brief flash of flame, two sentries lighting cigarettes.”
Doug gathers up 6d10 (since this is the third story segment) and rolls
them, getting a total hazard roll of 40 plus 33—or 73.

Ed states that Bric will use his 5d6 Daring and Two-Fisted descriptor,
rolling 6d6 and getting a 6, 5, 2, 2, 1, and 6 on his descriptor die.
Ashley will have Dr. Jane McGrute use her Genius, rolling 4d6 and
getting 6, 6, 3, and 2. Jerry will use Zarbon’s Instinct and his Skeptical
Eye descriptor, rolling 4d6 and getting 6, 6, 2, and a 4 on his
descriptor die. Finally, Doug states that Nahuel will use his Instinct
and his Channel Jaguar Spirit descriptor, rolling 5d6 and getting 5, 4,
4, 3, and a 5 on his descriptor die. Doug turns over the hourglass,
which can be done three times total since four characters are in
the group hazard.

Doug framed the scene, so Ed’s character Bric gets to begin.

Ed narrates: “I froze and cradled my sap in my left hand, watching for
the direction the sentries were facing.” Ed stops to roll his Gear dice of
2d6, getting 6 and 4. He continues: “Then I silently circled around
some thick trees and leapt forward, swinging my sap to the left and
right once, then twice, smacking both sentries in the base of the skull.
Both Ratzis were down for the count without making a peep.” Ed puts
forward a 6 and his 6 descriptor die, so the characters now have 12
toward the 73 hazard roll.

69
Now it is Jane’s turn, but Jerry gets to narrate a complication for
Ashley first: “Bric had efficiently dealt with the outermost sentries on
that side of the camp, but beyond their bodies was a maze of
impromptu booby traps designed to keep intruders out of the camp.”

Ashley narrates: “Familiar with German entrenching techniques from

my time as a prisoner during The Great War, I knew the Nazis
thought only of ground control and would never think to put any traps
in the trees themselves.” Ashley rolls Jane’s Associations of 1d6,
getting a 5. She continues: “I motioned for the others to begin climbing
the trees and using the branches to move into the camp.” Ashley puts
forward a 6, so the characters now have 18 toward the 73 hazard roll.

Before Jerry can continue, Doug narrates the next complication:

“As we moved among the trees, Zarbon’s acute vision led him to
realize that the expedition were not the only living beings using the
branches to enter the Nazi camp—a trio of dark, hairy bodies
occupied the higher branches and began to howl as they hurtled
down toward us.”

Jerry narrates: “I realized that the apes would ruin any chance we had
for stealth, but they also provided an excellent distraction. As one
neared me, I bared my teeth and howled a challenge right back at it.
As its muscular arms extended toward me, I chopped loose a vine
tangled in the tree’s trunk and swung down on top of the Nazi
armored troop carrier. The ape pursued and I heard German curses as
I rolled underneath the vehicle and out of sight.” Jerry puts forward a
6 and his 4 descriptor die, bringing the characters to a total of 28.

Play then continues to Doug, with Ed narrating a complication,

and so on.

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Cliffhangers
In a multiple-session expedition, the group hazards at the end of
each session except the last are special—they are cliffhangers.

Cliffhangers
After a player puts forward a die that brings the players’ total to
approximately half of the hazard roll, the next player narrates a
new dramatic complication that changes the nature of the hazard
and massively increases the tension. For example, if the group
hazard involved the characters fighting a group of Nazi soldiers
on the back of a flatbed truck, the truck could speed over a
bridge that begins to collapse beneath it, or a Nazi fighter plane
appears and dives toward the conflict. After introducing this new
complication, play ends for that session with the player uttering
the phrase, “Harrowing indeed, but that is a tale for another
day.” Each character who has not dropped out of the group
hazard gets one Acclaim for their valor thus far.

At the beginning of the next session, the d10s allocated to the

cliffhanger group hazard are rerolled to set a new hazard roll to
reflect the changed circumstances. The characters must begin to
confront this hazard in its new form all over again, starting with
the player who narrated the cliffhanger. Of course, they are able
to roll their attribute dice and any descriptors again as well,
giving them fresh dice so they are ready. Any players that
dropped out of the group hazard last session can rejoin.
The player that narrated the cliffhanger resumes play at the
beginning of the next session by narrating the current state of the
cliffhanger in which the characters find themselves. Resolution of
the group hazard then continues as usual.

To get the feel of cliffhangers in a single-session expedition,

narrate a dramatic complication at half of the hazard roll as
described above, and then take a brief break from play.

71
When you resume, reroll the hazard’s difficulty dice and the dice
of your characters, and then resolve the changed hazard.

Example: Continuing the example above as though it were the end of

a session, Ed narrates a complication for Doug’s character Nahuel:
“The apes were soon tearing apart the outer sections of the Nazis’
armored troop carrier, but a rumbling noise from further inside the
camp announced that the Nazis had started up the engine of their tank
and were coming toward us.”

Doug narrates: “I knew the Iron Beast that Spits Death could be the
end of us, so I reached out to the Jaguar Spirit with my mind. I felt
every hair stand on end and a pulse of primal power flow through me
and into my staff. I leapt from the trees and ran into the Nazi camp,
streaking by confused soldiers until I closed on the Iron Beast. I opened
my mouth and the Jaguar Spirit roared through me as I swung the end
of my staff against the Iron Beast’s treads. They exploded into pieces as
my shamanic energy coursed through the machine of death.”
Doug pushes forward his 5 and descriptor die of 5, bringing the
characters’ total to 38.

38 is more than half of the 73 hazard roll, so Ed gets to narrate the

cliffhanger ending to the session: “The tank was in flames and the
armored troop carrier torn asunder by the mighty apes, when a
howling chill wind blew through the Nazi camp, extinguishing the
flames and sending the apes fleeing into the trees. The stench of rotting
meat pervaded the air as the dead Nazi soldiers stirred with new life
and rose to take up their weapons again with unseeing eyes. From the
darkness stepped a gaunt old man surrounded by SS officers and the
remaining living soldiers. He called out, ‘You will not defeat us with
the magicks of life and growing things, shaman. I bring to bear the
powers of the underworld, of the gnawing things in the dark that
hunger for your souls. We come for the fruit from the Tree of Life,

72
and will not be denied.’ With that, the dead men shuffled forward and
the living opened fire. Harrowing indeed, but that is a tale for another
day.” Each character receives one Acclaim for their participation thus

Cliffhangers
far, and everyone leaves for the evening looking forward to resuming
where they left off.

Summary of Group Hazards

Turn over the hourglass three times if three or four

characters are in the scene (9 minutes) and four
times for five or more (12 minutes)
The final group hazard of the expedition is not timed
Roll 1d6 to determine which player frames the group
hazard—the one with the fullest, closest to half-full,
or the emptiest glass
Hazard difficulty is 10 times the number of players
plus 2d10 times the number of the story segment you
are currently playing in
After the group hazard is framed, each player
chooses an attribute for their character to use,
whether to use a descriptor, and rolls the appropriate
number of d6s
Turn over the hourglass for the first time
Beginning with the player to the left of the one that
framed the group hazard, use the same narration
procedures as single character resolution, except:
o Putting dice forward proceeds to the left in a
round-robin fashion
o After the first player puts forward a die, the
player to your left gets to narrate a
complication for you that must be overcome
in your narration
You can pass and drop out of group hazard, losing
one Acclaim
The player putting forward the last die narrates
resolution of the hazard and can provide
reflective narration

73
 Summary of Group Hazards, Con.

Acclaim is received based on the number of dice you

use, using the table for single character hazard
resolution
The characters who put forward the last die and
whose put forward dice have the highest total each
receive one additional Acclaim
After resolution, play returns to character whose
turn would have been next if not for the
group hazard
Cliffhangers stop when half the hazard roll is
reached—the next player narrates a dramatic shift
in the hazard and then play stops for that session
with the phrase, “Harrowing indeed, but that is a
tale for another day.”

74
75
Acclaim determines the order epilogues are narrated in at the
end of the game, so having too little could cost your character
their desire. But Acclaim has other uses throughout the game
that can enhance your character’s abilities and allow them to
overcome great odds, earning more Acclaim in the process.
How far are you willing to gamble the Acclaim you’ve earned to
pursue even more?

A Sudden Insight
You may spend one Acclaim at any time during hazard resolution
to have a sudden insight into the situation based on your
character’s past adventures. To gamble your Acclaim in this way,
narrate a flashback of a prior adventure your character had with
the Committee in which they discovered a technique, fact, item,
etc. that aids them in overcoming this current hazard. Then
reroll any two of your d6s that you have not yet put forward in
your narration. You can spend Acclaim in this manner multiple
times during a hazard’s resolution if you choose.

Example: Ashley’s character, Dr. Jane McGrute, is faced with a

vicious man-eating ape—a 2d10 hazard. After Doug describes the ape
in vivid detail, he rolls the 2d10, revealing a 6 and 4 for a total hazard
roll of 10. Ashley narrates that Jane’s quick wits will allow her to
overcome this hazard with her Genius. None of the players objects to
this. So she rolls 4d6 for her Genius, getting 5, 2, 1, and 1—a
disastrous roll!

Ashley begins by narrating how Jane hunched low in imitation of the

ape and grunted aggressively. She also narrates in a use of her

76
Associations: “Of course, I studied for two years with
Dr. McCandless in Borneo, where I worked with the orangutan. I was
certain that apes of this variety would respond similarly.” She rolls an

Gambling Acclaim
additional 1d6 for her Associations, getting yet another 1.

Then Ashley spends a point of Acclaim to reroll two 1s. She narrates:
“I discovered the orangutan pacification techniques worked with
African apes as well when I was confronted by an enormous
silverback that served as bodyguard to Thukem Rec, the mad genius
who took up residence in the ruins of Xanadu where we had hoped to
find the fabled elixir of bliss.” The required narration complete,
she rerolls the two dice and gets a 4 and 3. She puts forward her 5 and
awaits a complication from her Opposition. Hopefully, she can narrate
her way to two Acclaim by using two more of her dice.

Changing Tactics
A second way to improve your chances in overcoming a hazard is
to change your tactics and use a different attribute than the one
you started with. Spend one Acclaim after the Opposition has
narrated a complication and before you put forward your next die
to change your tactics. State which attribute you want to switch
to, and roll additional d6s to bring your total number of attribute
dice up to the new attribute’s level (if any), plus one additional
d6 for the surprise change in approach. You can switch to any
attribute, whether you have already used it in other hazards or
not, without paying any additional Acclaim penalty.

If the new attribute’s descriptor is applicable to the hazard, then

you may choose to roll 1d6 for it as well, marking off the usage
like you would any other. Your next narration must include a
description of how the hazard forced a change in your tactics
(e.g., by injuring your character in some way, proving impervious
to a use of the prior attribute, reversing gains from using the
prior attribute, etc.).

77
Your Opposition is free to push you toward changing tactics by
presenting complications that make it difficult for you to
continue to use your chosen attribute. However, so long as you
can come up with entertaining narration to use the same
attribute and the other players do not veto it, you need not
change tactics. If a veto does occur, you may change tactics
immediately and put forward a different die if you choose.
You can spend Acclaim in this manner multiple times during a
hazard’s resolution, but you cannot spend Acclaim to switch back
to an attribute you have already used during that hazard.

Changing tactics also means that you have used the attribute
that you ultimately switch to, not the one you began with,
in overcoming the hazard. So changing tactics does not allow you
to avoid using weaker attributes in overcoming the hazards
your character faces.

Example: Using the example above, instead of choosing to use Jane’s

Genius in overcoming the hazard of the man-eating ape, Ashley opts to
use her Instinct of 2d6, rolling a 4 and a 2. The hazard roll is 10.

Ashley begins by narrating how Jane grunted aggressively and hurled

stones at the ape, hoping to intimidate it. She also narrates in a use of
her Associations: “In my travels I had met many big game hunters in
the jungles of Africa and South America, and all told me that the
baser instincts of even the largest animals made them fear man.”
She rolls an additional 1d6 for her Associations, getting a 1. She puts
forward her 4, realizing that she doesn’t have sufficient dice to
overcome the hazard roll of 10.

Rather than asking for aid, Ashley decides Jane will spend one
Acclaim to change her tactics. After her Opposition narrates that the
ape’s fear caused it to charge her, she decides that Jane will switch to
using her 3d6 Daring and her descriptor “Lucky Break.” She rolls 1d6

78
to bring her attribute dice up to 3, an additional 1d6 for surprise,
plus a 1d6 descriptor die, getting a 3, 1, and 4 descriptor die.

She narrates: “The ape’s charge brought my heart to my throat and I

Gambling Acclaim
turned to run for higher ground. The ape covered the ground between
us quickly and leapt—to flee or attack I wasn’t sure. As it did so I
tripped over the roots of a nearby tree and fell hard, twisting my ankle
but allowing the ape to pass right over me with its unchecked
momentum.” Ashley puts forward a 1 and the 4 descriptor die.
Now at 9, she can easily earn two Acclaim by using one of her
remaining dice to match or exceed the 10 hazard roll.

Requesting Aid
A player also can spend one Acclaim to ask for aid from the
other characters (see the section “Getting Help,” page 56).

Revealing Hitherto Unknown Abilities

Finally, if you successfully overcome a hazard, you may spend one
Acclaim to add an additional unattached descriptor to your
character. This unattached descriptor can be a direct result of the
events of the hazard, or training, an ability, or equipment that the
character is treated as having had all along. You can use each of
these unattached descriptors once each game session to roll an
additional die that does not count for purposes of earning
Acclaim, just like other descriptor dice.

The player narrates what the new descriptor is and how success
at this particular hazard prompted the revelation or creation of it.

Example: Ashley narrated Jane falling and twisting an ankle as part

of changing tactics in an earlier example. After successfully
overcoming the hazard, Ashley could choose to spend one Acclaim to
create the unattached descriptor “Sprained Ankle.” Then in a later

79
scene where the ankle injury could have an impact, Ashley could call
upon the descriptor for an additional descriptor die.

Summary of Gambling Acclaim

A Sudden Insight – Spend one Acclaim to reroll
two unused dice (narrate a flashback)
Changing Tactics – Spend one Acclaim after
hearing a complication to roll additional d6s to bring
up to new attribute’s dice (if any), plus 1d6 for
surprise (narrate how hazard forced you to change
tactics)
Requesting Aid – Spend one Acclaim to ask other
players for aid
Revealing Hitherto Unknown Abilities – Spend
one Acclaim to gain a new unattached descriptor
(narrate about ability)

As the game progresses, the players create story elements and

interweave them into a cohesive and thrilling pulp tale.
Players can tie hints and foreshadowing from early hazards into
future hazards to enrich the continuity of the story and reveal
the answers to the expedition’s mysteries. Doing all these things
earns you additional Acclaim, since a better and more coherent
tale earns more esteem from your fellow Committee members.

Creating Story Elements

Story elements are the important aspects of the tales told by the
characters: the adversaries and allies, special objects and
locations, ideas or mysteries that are hinted at, etc. Anything you

80
want to see appear in the story again later can be a story element.
Creating story elements and recording them on the expedition
log is your way to influence the future development of the

Creating Story Elements

expedition’s tale by pointing to something you want the other
players to use again. It also affects the kind of hazards you will
face in future scenes, since your Opposition has incentives to
reuse your story elements.

When acting as the Opposition or playing your character in a

scene (including when your character is aiding another),
after you narrate something you particularly like you can catch
the eye of the other players and tap the expedition log.
Then when the scene is over, before the next player begins their
turn, write down the name of your new story element in the
proper story segment based on the scene’s location—a part of the
route or at the exploration site itself—and surround it with a
circle or oval. Write your initials in or near the new story element
to show that you created it.

If you or your Opposition narrate something and do not choose

to make it into a story element at the end of the scene, then the
other can choose to do so if they narrated events involving the
same thing and want to see it reappear. Similarly, if a scene
features something that neither player made into a story element,
another player can later narrate events regarding the same thing
and turn it into a story element themselves.

You and your Opposition can both create new story elements
during your turn. Story elements are most likely to be introduced
during the framing of a hazard or during reflective narration,
but any time is fine. A scene can add multiple new story elements
or none at all. Most scenes will probably add one to three new
story elements early in the expedition, with fewer new elements
being added as play continues.

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Example: Think back to the hazard involving Zarbon and the
pickpocket discussed above in the “Single Character Hazard
Resolution” section, page 43. Ed, as the Opposition, introduced the
pickpocket and could choose to add him to the expedition log as a new
story element in the story segment “Steamship to Cairo.” But Ed
doesn’t see the pickpocket as anything more than a faceless thief, a
one-time hazard, so he does not. If Jerry felt more strongly about the
pickpocket, then he could choose to add him as a story element, but
Jerry, too, is uninterested in seeing the miscreant return.

But Jerry does want to solve the mystery of the forged identification
papers that he narrated in his reflective narration. So he taps the
expedition log as he narrates, and when the scene is over he writes
“Forged ID Papers” on the expedition log in the “Steamship to Cairo”
story segment, surrounds it with an oval, and writes his initials nearby.
Now the new story element is primed to be reused in a later scene and
tied to other story elements.

Pulp-Inspired Plots

The Committee for the Exploration of Mysteries is designed

to allow you to tell thrilling tales of adventure inspired
by the pulps, and understanding how pulp plots come
together can help you do this. This progression is only a
suggestion, and each game should be allowed to develop
organically. Nevertheless, keeping some of these stages
in mind may make for more satisfying stories.
The opening scenes of a story can be used to establish
each of the characters and show what they do best. From
there, ratchet up the tension and put the characters in
some real danger to get their blood pumping. Next, a
nemesis or other adversary should begin making
appearances and show what is at stake if the characters

82
 fail in the expedition (although they most likely won’t).
This is also the time to establish the mysteries and
problems that will reappear throughout play. With the

Reusing Story Elements

main sources of mystery and adversity making
appearances, it helps to shake things up occasionally and
have unrelated complications also beset the expedition.
Local color should feature prominently at the different
locations to add the exotic to each story segment.
Group hazards can be used to present the expedition as a
whole with certain doom (e.g., a death trap, avalanche,
etc.) or vicious twists that challenge the characters and
demand their cooperation.
As the expedition reaches its goal, new twists should tie
in the exploration site’s secret, putting success in
jeopardy. The mysteries and adversary should come to a
head and be decisively dealt with for good or ill.
The secret of the site should be gained or lost, as the
players find appropriate. Throughout play, characters
can encounter hazards that tie into their desires and
cause them to question their resolve in achieving them.
As final Acclaim tallies become apparent, scenes can
foreshadow the likely result of a character’s quest for
their desire. After the final group hazard, the epilogues
should describe how the expedition affected the
characters’ lives and show how their desires were
won or lost.

Reusing Story Elements

Anton Chekhov said that if a gun is present in the first act,
it must go off in the third act. Story elements are the same way:
No matter how interesting they are when first introduced, it is
their reuse and connections to other story elements that drive
the story forward. Once you create a story element and write it
on the expedition log, it is primed to reappear, taking play from a
series of unrelated hazards to a web of continuing plot threads.

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When acting as the Opposition or during reflective narration
while playing your character, you gain one Acclaim at the end of
a scene for reusing one or more story elements that you did not
create. To be rewarded for a reuse it has to be meaningful—
creating a connection between the story element and another
story element, disconnecting two story elements, or having the
story element serve as the basis of a hazard. You cannot simply
mention in passing that a character is in the background and
move on. Gratuitous reuse of a story element can be vetoed using
the “I daresay not!” and “I concur” phrases at the end of the
scene when the player reaches for their reward.

Again, you cannot gain Acclaim for reusing story elements that
you created, although you can gain Acclaim for connecting a
story element to another story element that you created or for
severing such a connection. Players playing their characters only
gain Acclaim for reusing a story element during reflective
narration. Feel free to reuse them at other points in a scene,
but you gain no reward for doing so.

To receive any Acclaim reward for reusing story elements,

you have to have already created as many story elements yourself
as the number of the story segment you are currently playing in.
For example, if your expedition route has three locations plus the
exploration site, you must have created at least four story
elements throughout the game to receive Acclaim rewards for
reuse while playing at the exploration site. Of course, usually you
will create many more story elements than this minimum to
shape the story in ways you like, but having a minimum prevents
a player from receiving awards without contributing story
elements that can produce rewards for the other players.

When you reuse a story element in a new story segment, draw a

new circle in the current story segment and connect the new

84
circle to the original story element with an arrow. If playing a
multiple-session expedition, make sure you have the other pages
of the expedition log handy to remind you what connections

Reusing Story Elements

already exist for that story element, and note the story element’s
name again on the new page where it is reused.

During a group hazard, although no one is acting as the

Opposition, everyone has the opportunity to earn Acclaim for
reuse of story elements when they narrate complications for the
player to their right. In addition, the character that provides
reflective narration at the end of the successful resolution of a
group hazard can reuse story elements and receive Acclaim.
No more than one Acclaim can be received for reusing story
elements in a scene, however, even if you do so in both capacities
during a group hazard.

The secret of the exploration site is a special story element that is

already present when the game begins. No individual player is
considered to have created the secret story element. If you
choose to use a singular nemesis that you brainstormed before
play began, then it, too, serves as a special story element that no
one is considered to have created.

Example: The characters have now reached Cairo, entering a new

story segment. Ed decides to reuse the “Forged ID Papers” story
element. On Jerry’s turn, Ed frames a hazard for Zarbon the Illusionist
as the characters disembark from the steamship: “I remember what
happened next quite well. We were coming down the ship’s ramp and
saw a well-dressed man with a German accent arguing with customs
officials regarding his lost identification papers. Zarbon examined the
forged papers he had retained from the pickpocket and saw that the
picture matched this man.” For reusing the “Forged ID Papers”
story element, Ed’s character will receive one Acclaim at the end
of the scene.

85
At the end of the scene, Zarbon has apprehended the suspicious
German. He ends his reflective narration: “Of course, I didn’t realize
it then but this was but the first of the Nazi spies we would encounter
during the expedition.” Jerry decides to create a new story element—
“Nazi Spies.” Technically, Jerry could create a connection between
“Forged ID Papers” and “Nazi Spies,” but since he created both story
elements he would receive no reward for doing so.

Connecting Story Elements

Once a story element has been created, you can tie it to other
story elements either when playing your character or acting as
the Opposition. Creating such a connection is one way to ensure
the reuse of a story element is meaningful and eligible for an
Acclaim reward. Narrate how the story elements are connected
as part of a scene and then draw a line between them.

From that point on, the connection between the story elements
should be acknowledged in any narration unless another player
decides to use their narration to negate the connection. To do so,
describe how the supposed connection actually was discovered to
be false. Put an “X” through the connecting line between the
story elements to show the connection has been negated. Once a
connection has been negated it cannot be recreated.

If another player objects to your creation or negation of a

connection, they may put forward one or more of their Acclaim
as a bribe to convince you not to create the connection or to
allow the connection to remain. If you accept, then you receive
their offered Acclaim. Multiple players may try to bribe you in
this way if they choose.

Example: While in Cairo, the characters meet Lillian De Vane,

a beautiful Egyptologist that Doug created as a story element.
Everyone seems to like this supporting character.

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In Jerry’s next scene, Zarbon the Illusionist finds himself in an opium
den searching for an ancient map. After Ed has framed a hazard
involving difficulties with the den’s inhabitants, Zarbon manages to

Connecting Elements
make it into the back room where his contact awaits. In his reflective
narration, Jerry states: “As I pulled back the ochre velvet curtain,
my first sight was Abdul Rahman al-Basri’s wizened form sprawled
dead on the carpeted floor, his blood pooling around him. A figure was
hastily exiting through a back window, holding the stone tablet that
held the map. The figure turned as I gasped, and I was shocked to see
it was none other than Lillian De Vane. She smirked evilly and
mocked me with a gesture of ‘Heil Hitler’ before disappearing into the
back alleys. I should have suspected that damn woman was a
Nazi spy!”

Jerry draws a line between the story elements of “Lillian De Vane”

and “Nazi Spies,” creating a connection between the two and earning
one Acclaim. Lillian is established as a Nazi spy. However, a player
could later narrate that it was all a case of mistaken identity or that
Lillian was under duress to negate the connection. If no one
successfully bribes the player to allow the connection to remain,
then Lillian is indeed not a Nazi spy and cannot be reconnected to that
story element again.

Destroying Story Elements

In the pulps, danger and mystery run high, and seldom is
someone or something decisively killed or destroyed for good,
although they are often dealt with for the immediate present.
Narration can always suggest the destruction of a story element,
but usually should allow the possibility that the improbable has
occurred and the story element has somehow survived intact
(just how is determined by the next player that decides
to reuse it).

87
If you truly desire permanent destruction, then a story element
may be killed, lost, abandoned, proven false, or otherwise
destroyed in narration only if you can convince its creator to
allow it. You may put forward one or more of your Acclaim as a
bribe to the story element’s creator to convince them to allow the
destruction. Any other player that wishes to offer a bribe of their
own in support of your effort may do so, as well. If the story
element’s creator accepts the bribe, then you may narrate the
permanent destruction of the story element as you see fit.

The special story elements of a nemesis and the exploration site’s

secret—which are not considered to have been created by
anyone—cannot be destroyed unless you are at the exploration
site, preferably during the final group hazard there.

Example: Lillian De Vane, the beautiful Egyptologist and Nazi spy,

has been dogging the expedition’s steps as they arrive at the City of the
Ape Men. During a group hazard as Nazis attack the expedition,
Ashley decides she wants Jane to take care of Lillian permanently and
is willing to spend her Acclaim to do it. She narrates: “As the fight
continued around me, I saw Lillian De Vane skirting the battle and
heading toward the central temple. I wasn’t about to let her get to the
fruit from the Tree of Life before we could, so I moved to cut off her
path. We found ourselves face-to-face at the edge of the temple
complex, overlooking a precipice at whose bottom only raging rapids
could be seen.”

Ashley has reused the “Lillian De Vane” story element, but she is not
acting as Opposition or providing reflective narration, and she has not
connected or disconnected the story element from anything.
As a result, she does not qualify to receive any Acclaim for this reuse
at the end of the scene.

Ashley cannot simply narrate Lillian’s death. Instead, she must bribe
Doug to permit his story element’s destruction. Ashley puts forward

88
two of her Acclaim and motions to Doug, saying (out of character)
“Jane would love to put this vamp out of the picture permanently.”
Doug declines her bribe, so Ashley must content herself with narrating,

Destroying Elements
“We struggled at the cliff’s edge, Lillian clawing at my eyes and trying
to maneuver me toward the abyss. But I shifted my weight at just the
right moment and threw her off balance and over the side. With the
fight blazing around me, I couldn’t spare a moment to watch her body
hit the rocks below.”

If Doug had accepted the bribe, he would have received Ashley’s two
Acclaim. Then Ashley could have narrated: “We struggled at the
cliff’s edge, Lillian clawing at my eyes and trying to maneuver me
toward the abyss. But I shifted my weight at just the right moment and
threw her off balance and over the side, her arms flailing in empty
space. I watched as her body hit the rocks below with a satisfying
thunk and turned back to rejoin the battle.” Now the “Lillian De
Vane” story element is destroyed and can no longer be reused by
anyone.

89
 Summary of Using the Expedition Log

You can create a story element when playing your

character or as Opposition—simply write it down on
the log at the end of the scene, circle it, and put
your initials by it
If you meaningfully reuse one or more story elements
that you did not create while acting as Opposition or
during your reflective narration, you receive one
Acclaim at the end of the scene
o “Meaningfully” means creating a connection
between story elements, severing a
connection, or using the story element as
the basis of a hazard
o In order to receive this Acclaim reward, you
must have already created a number of your
own story elements equal to the number of
the story segment you’re playing in
When you reuse a story element, draw a new circle
for it if the current segment does not have one
During a group hazard, a player can earn this reward
when they narrate complications and for reflective
narration, but no more than one Acclaim total
The exploration site’s secret and any nemesis are
story elements no one player created
Indicate connections with a line between story
elements and a severed connection with an “X”
through the line
o Other players may use points of their
Acclaim to bribe you not to make a
connection or sever one
You may only destroy a story element by successfully
bribing its creator with points of your Acclaim; the
expedition’s secret and any nemesis cannot be
destroyed unless at the expedition site

90
 Ending the Game
After the final untimed group hazard at the end of the
expedition, the players give a final toast to end the report of the
expedition: “A toast! To learning, travel, and adventure!”
Then total up the Acclaim of each character. Every player must
narrate an epilogue for their character in descending order of
Acclaim. An epilogue should show how the expedition affected
your character and the achievement of their desire. Is the boost
to your character’s reputation enough to secure their desire,
or does it slip through their fingers? What else happens to your
character in the wake of the expedition?

The player with the highest Acclaim narrates the epilogue for
their character in whatever way they choose. As each additional
epilogue is narrated, the player is constrained in their narration
by facts imposed by the preceding players. At the beginning of
each epilogue after the first, each player who has already
narrated an epilogue may state one fact regarding your character
that must be included in your epilogue. This fact cannot directly
thwart your character’s desire, but can reflect other long-lasting
effects of the expedition or anything else of the player’s
invention. Reincorporating a story element one last time is a
great use of such a fact. If a player does not have a fact in mind,
they may pass.

Choosing whether your character achieves their desire is initially

your own decision, considered in light of the progression of the
tale and the ways you called upon the desire throughout play.
Perhaps the expedition has shed new light on the character’s
motivations, reinforcing them or even prompting a rejection of
the desire in favor of something else. However, once a player

91
narrates an epilogue describing their character failing to achieve
their desire, all subsequent epilogues must also describe thwarted
desires. Of course, such results can be just as fun to narrate as a
total success. After the epilogues, the game is complete.

92
93
The Committee for the Exploration of Mysteries is designed to
capture the freewheeling action and adventurous spirit of the
pulps by allowing the players to tell a yarn of harrowing
exploration. But the rules and general model of play can easily be
adapted to other genres and types of stories. A few of these
additional options are discussed below, though undoubtedly
clever players will come up with many more.

If playing in a different genre, it may be appropriate to modify the

game’s key phrases to suit the tone of the tale being told.
For example, it is unlikely that a dwarven warrior would remark,
“I daresay not!” and substituting, “No, by the gods!” feels more
appropriate.

Smash the Evil Mastermind

Many pulp stories involve a group of stalwart heroes foiling the
scheme of an evil mastermind. Making good use of a nemesis
created at the beginning of the game allows you to play out such
tales. Consider using these additional rules to put the focus on
the nemesis instead of exploration and to make the nemesis a
particularly deadly foe.

In addition to serving as a special story element that any player

can be rewarded for reusing, the power of the nemesis is captured
in a budget of Infamy points that each player receives at the
beginning of the game. They can spend these points when
playing the nemesis while acting as the Opposition. Each player
should receive three Infamy points, or seven Infamy points per
player for a multiple-session expedition.

Every time a player spends an Infamy point, they receive a point

of Acclaim for their character. Infamy points do not refresh
between sessions; only by stymieing the heroes can a player
receive another Infamy point for later use. If you stymie the

94
expedition after spending an Infamy point, your character does
not lose a die of Gear or Associations from the stymie.

In any hazard in which the nemesis, their minions, or a key part

Other Ways to Play

of their master plan appears, the Opposition can spend one or
more of these Infamy points for the following effects:

After desires are called upon, reroll up to two of the d10s

allocated to a hazard
Add 1d10 to a hazard’s difficulty
Cancel a character’s use of a descriptor in that scene (do
not mark the cancelled use on the character’s sheet)
After narrating a complication, remove one die from
among those a player has not yet put forward
Reduce the attribute a character used to oppose the
nemesis by 1d6 if the character was stymied by the
nemesis (an attribute cannot be reduced below 1d6)

Each use of an Infamy point should be accompanied by colorful

narration describing the actions of the nemesis that cause the
effect—anticipating the hero’s abilities and taking measures to
defeat them, injuring the hero, etc.

In a nemesis-centered game, each character’s desire should

involve achieving something that cannot be done until the
nemesis is brought to justice. Examples include making peace
with the death of my father, discovering my true lineage, or
settling down into a quiet retirement. Use the various locales
where the nemesis will strike and be pursued by the heroes as the
locations along the route and the fiend’s lair as the exploration
site, with their maniacal plan serving as the site’s secret. Hazards
like the mastermind’s minions, booby traps, clues left behind at
crime scenes, etc. can all serve to make the game one of pursuing
the villain and trying to stop their plan rather than finding a lost

95
city. Of course, the nemesis cannot be truly defeated until the
final group hazard of the game, and even then they might not be
definitively vanquished depending on your telling of the tale.

Heightened Competition
Another option is to shift the game from telling the tale of a
cooperative expedition to that of a competitive contest,
where only the winner achieves the goal. Maybe the characters
are competing archeologists all seeking to find lost treasure, or
each is racing to reach an agreed-upon destination (e.g., the
South Pole, the peak of Mt. Everest, etc.) as part of a
gentleman’s wager or for the pride of their nations. Now they
have completed the contest and are recounting its details.

To play such a game, set up the route and exploration site as per
normal, although you may choose to place less emphasis on the
exploration site if it is simply the peak of a mountain or
something similar. Character desires are all the same—to be the
one who reaches the site, gets the treasure, etc., although their
reasons for wanting to do so will vary and form the basis of their
motivation and distraction when calling upon their desire in play.
The character with the most Acclaim is the winner of the game,
and the epilogues of the other characters must describe the effect
on their lives of falling short.

Character creation is the same, except you give your character

one to four unattached descriptors to represent their team
members, porters, and equipment stores in lieu of the usual
unattached descriptors gained during the introductions.
Rewards for narration are likely to be rare since giving other
players Acclaim is against your best interest, and asking for aid
may fall on deaf ears.

96
In a competitive game, being stymied only affects the individual
character, not everyone. So only the stymied character loses
Gear or Associations, but the other players still get to narrate

Other Ways to Play

pieces of how the condition was resolved and are free to have
their characters serve as rescuers or cast the affected character in
a less than positive light.

Group hazards should be less frequent, occurring only when all

glasses are empty or full at the end of a scene, or when the
progression of the story is such that the characters have grouped
together. A final group hazard that involves the final push by all
the characters to achieve the goal ends the tale. Before this
hazard begins, tally the Acclaim of all the characters.
The character with the highest Acclaim at the end of the final
group hazard gets to provide reflective narration in which they
describe how they achieved the goal.

In addition to the methods of gambling Acclaim generally used,

you may choose to use this optional rule to allow the players to
cause difficulties for one another.

A Lack of Ability

Any other player except your Opposition can

spend one Acclaim to remove one die from
among those you have not yet put forward,
preventing you from using it and making it
harder for you to overcome a hazard and gain
Acclaim. To do this, the other player interrupts
your narration by grabbing the hourglass and
turning it on its side, stopping the flow. Then
they describe a technique, item, fact, etc. that
your character does not have or know that
would have made the hazard less daunting.

97
 Once you have put forward dice sufficient to
meet your hazard roll, another player may not
spend Acclaim in this manner.

After finishing their interruption, the other

player rights the hourglass and your scene
continues. You then finish your narration, but
your narration must reflect the added difficulty
that the hazard suddenly presents. Then the
Opposition continues as normal, although
perhaps inspired by the interruption in narrating
your character’s next complication. This use of
Acclaim only can be made by each player
once per hazard.

Planetary Romance
Many of the pulps featured science fiction themes, and there is
no reason to exclude such things from your play. In fact, an early
playtest of the game involved a quest to journey to Mars using
hidden gates on Earth. The expedition route involved going to
the jungles of India and under the Indian Ocean to find a gate to
take the heroes to the surface of the Moon before allowing them
to arrive at Mars itself. You could just as easily create an
expedition route allowing your heroes to explore the solar system
by rocket, or use a nemesis and the suggestions for smashing the
evil mastermind, above, to play a game in the spirit of Flash
Gordon.

Superspies
Capturing the feel of high-action espionage is easy using the basic
mechanics of the game. The characters are various superspies
being debriefed after their latest mission. Their desires are tied to

98
a particular mastermind or to the obsessions and personal
demons that keep them in the great game. The expedition route
consists of the various exotic locales that the spies visit,

Other Ways to Play

the exploration site is the mastermind’s lair, and the secret is the
mastermind’s fiendish plot that the spies must foil.

Again, the optional rules for smashing the evil mastermind can
be used to enhance such tales. To put more focus on the gadgets
and unsteady alliances of the superspy genre, allow the players to
spend one Acclaim at the end of any scene to change their
character’s current Gear or Associations descriptor and reset the
number of times it has been used to zero.

Tales of the Dungeon of Doom

The general structure of the game serves just as well to allow a
band of sturdy adventurers to tell tales of their latest dungeon
crawl over drinks at the nearest tavern. Does the dwarven
warrior gain the Acclaim necessary to remove the dishonor from
his clan’s name? Does the priestess of Isis succeed in making new
converts with her tales of divine intervention saving the heroes?
Let’s play and see.

As mentioned for superspies, allow the players to spend one

Acclaim at the end of any scene to change their character’s
current Gear descriptor and reset the number of times it has been
used to zero to mirror the item-based nature of a certain other
game. This lets the characters continue to use a wide array of
special magical weapons and devices throughout the game.

Tall Tales & Munchausen-esque Braggadocio

What if Paul Bunyan, Casey Jones, and Pecos Bill all sat around
the campfire and told a rapt audience how they turned the tide
of a Comanche attack and were able to get supplies to railroad

99
workers stranded in a sudden July blizzard, making frequent
references to their past adventures and exploits throughout the
land? You’d have a damn fine tale of over-the-top adventure,
that’s what!

Similarly, you can play in the vein of the tales of Baron

Munchausen, with a group of European petty nobles describing
their outrageous adventures to gain the favor of their betters.

In both cases, the tone for such a game should be relaxed and
rollicking, with little attention paid to the boundaries of reality
and good sense. Character desires can point to serious issues of
the time or be ridiculous. Discard the expedition site, its secret,
and the route in favor of a grandiose final goal and the locations
visited to achieve it. For example, the tale could focus on the
building of the transcontinental railroad and feature the
locations of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Nevada desert,
the Nebraska prairie, the Great Salt Lake, and Promontory Point,
Utah. By the end of the game, the railroad will be complete and
the characters will have faced all manner of entertaining hazards.

Narration in these type of games can border on the absurd, and

the players can embrace their characters as larger-than-life
heroes or as unreliable narrators prone to wild exaggeration,
whichever they choose. Using the following optional rule can add
some much-needed restraint or take things to a whole other level
of ridiculousness.

A Polite Correction

Any other player except your Opposition can

spend one Acclaim to interrupt your narration
and interject that you are remembering the
event incorrectly or that what you narrate is
impossible due to some other well-known fact.

100
Then, they can offer a corrective complication
that you must now overcome. To do this,
the other player interrupts your narration by

Other Ways to Play

grabbing the hourglass and turning it on its side,
stopping the flow. Then they state how you are
misremembering or challenge your veracity and
offer their “helpful” clarification. This player
can choose any single die you have already put
forward and have you reroll it, leaving you with
the new result being applied toward the
hazard roll.

After finishing this interruption, the other player

rights the hourglass and your scene continues,
and your narration must address this new
clarification before continuing as normal.
You can acknowledge your mistake, huffily
defend your prior statement despite the
challenge, explain what you really meant,
or anything else you devise. Then the cycle of
narration and complication continues as normal.

If the new result allows you to immediately

match or exceed the hazard roll, then narrate to
address the clarification and describe how your
character resolved the entire hazard. Each player
other than your Opposition can spend Acclaim
in this manner once per hazard. Once you have
put forward dice sufficient to meet your hazard
roll, another player may not spend Acclaim in
this manner.

101
Retelling Myths
Finally, by using all third-person references in your narration,
you can take on the role of bards or poets recounting mythical
tales of famous heroes or gods to spread their influence and gain
favor for your storytelling. Your character is simply the hero or
god whose story you are telling as part of the larger tale. Since
these are old tales, you can be much freer in discussing the
characters’ desires and how they affected the adventure, and you
can use the final epilogues to describe how the characters lived
out the rest of their lives and met their eventual ends. For
example, you could play a game in the spirit of the Iliad, with
each of you taking on the role of epic poet for your own hero
during some large quest.

Courting Disaster
Usually a player narrates an aside describing how their
character's desire made a hazard more difficult in order to regain
the ability to use that desire to aid the character. This means that
under the standard rules, if you have not yet used your
character's desire to aid them, there is no reason to have it
hinder them.

Players may choose to use the optional rule that a player can
narrate an aside describing how their character's desire hinders
them in order to immediately gain one Acclaim or regain the
ability to use that desire in aiding their character. In either case,
take the d10 rolled by your Opposition with the lowest result and
reroll it, using the new result in determining the hazard roll.

This optional rule makes the use of desires less binary and
provides some incentive for players to take risks with less difficult
hazards. Of course, it also makes desires assume a more negative
or perhaps comedic role in the tale. This can be perfectly in

102
character for some of the headstrong members of the Committee
who hold to their self-interest above common sense when on
expedition.

Design Notes
I’ve always wanted to play a game that captures the fast pace and
edge-of-your-seat thrills of Raiders of the Lost Ark. I also wanted a
game where your characters cannot whiff due to the dice,
but they still face complications to truly test their abilities.
I never found this game, so I decided to write it myself.

This game was originally an entry in the 2006 Game Chef

competition. Thanks to Andy Kitowski for running the
competition and to each of the other participants and the judges
for making the process such an enjoyable one.

The mechanics for this game are inspired by Vincent Baker’s

Dogs in the Vineyard, Ben Lehman’s Polaris, Jared A. Sorensen’s
octaNe, James Wallis’ The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron
Munchausen, Jason Morningstar’s The Shab-al-Hiri Roach,
Tony Lower-Basch’s Capes, Matt Wilson’s Primetime Adventures,
and Joshua BishopRoby’s Full Light, Full Steam, as well as every
other indie game I’ve read and played. Definitely check out
these games.

A special thanks to my Game Chef reviewers Ian Burton-Oakes,

Mike Sands, Matt Cowens, Judson Lester, and James Brown—
I truly appreciate your constructive criticism and enthusiasm for
the initial version of the game. I’m also immensely grateful to
Joshua BishopRoby and Graham Walmsley for providing great
feedback and ideas even though they weren’t assigned to review

103
my game. Without the support of these fine folks, this game
never would have been developed further.

My sincerest thanks to my playtesters, both local and across the

globe, and to the many people who offered me support and
feedback along the way. Without your time and generous help,
I never would have completed the game.

Thanks to Ron Edwards and the community at The Forge

(www.indie-rpgs.com) for providing feedback and support as I
posted about the game’s development. If you’ve played my game,
please post a report of your expedition in The Forge’s Actual Play
forum or at Story Games (www.story-games.com/forums/); I’d
like to hear about your experience and answer any questions you
have.

Finally, a huge thanks to my wife for invaluable copy editing and

support all along the way. I really cannot write this good.

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Summary of the Structure of Play
Decide on a game set in the 1930s or the Victorian era
Decide on one or two scenes per character
per location
Create the exploration site and its secret
Decide on three route locations
Brainstorm a list of potential hazards
Create the expedition log
Create your characters
Assign Opposition
Introduce your characters and toast
Begin play, with each character receiving the
decided number of scenes per location
Have group hazards whenever you notice more than
one glass is empty
Get one extra scene per character at the
exploration site
End tale with an untimed group hazard and toast
Narrate character epilogues in order from most to
least Acclaim
For multiple-session expeditions
o Decide on three to six route locations
o Each session tells the tale of one or two
locations or the exploration site
o Each character receives two to four scenes per
location, plus one extra at the exploration site
o Each session except the last ends in a group
hazard cliffhanger that is resolved at the
beginning of the next session
o After resolving the cliffhanger, resume play
with next player who would have gone if not for
group hazard

105
Summary of Character Creation
Think of a character concept and discuss your
character concepts with the group
Choose your character’s desire
Divide 11d6 among the four attributes of Daring,
Genius, Instinct, and Charisma, with at least 1d6 in
each and one attribute higher than all the others
Assign a descriptor to each attribute (can be used a
number of times per session equal to number of dice
in attribute)
Determine Gear and Associations rating based on
the character’s highest attribute
Assign a descriptor to Gear and Associations
Each character starts with three Acclaim
Round out the character with a name and
brief background

Summary of Single Character Hazard Resolution

Transitional narration—can move expedition along
route or within exploration site and says where your
character is and what they are doing
Free Role-playing—opportunity to have the
characters interact outside the context of a hazard;
you may end it at any point by using the phrase:
“Little did I know what challenge awaited me”
Opposition frames hazard in role of their character
and assigns difficulty from those available for current
story segment (no repeating difficulty levels until all
others available in that story segment have been
used on your character)

Other Locations The Exploration

1st Story Segment
on the Route Site

2d10, 3d10, 3d10, 4d10, 5d10,

1d10, 2d10, 3d10
4d10, 5d10, 6d10 6d10

106
Opposition rolls the d10s, establishing the hazard roll
you must match or exceed
Choose whether to call upon your character’s desire
by narrating an aside to:
o Aid in overcoming the hazard (reroll the
hazard’s highest d10)
o Make the hazard more difficult (reroll the
hazard’s lowest d10)
o You cannot get aid again until you made
things more difficult
Narrate briefly to choose an attribute to use to
overcome hazard—roll its dice plus 1d6 if using an
applicable descriptor (can only be used a number of
times per session equal to attribute’s dice)
Opposition turns over the hourglass as you roll
the dice
Narrate the actions your character took to overcome
the hazard and put forward one of your dice in a
repeating cycle
o After the first die, so long as hazard roll has
not been matched or exceeded, the
Opposition gets to narrate a complication
before you narrate and put forward your
next die
o You can put forward one descriptor die per
piece of narration
You may narrate in the use of Gear, Associations, or
an unattached descriptor at any point
o Immediately roll those dice plus 1d6 for the
Gear or Associations descriptor if applicable
and you narrate it in
o Can roll dice for Gear, Associations, and
multiple unattached descriptors once each
during a hazard, but not as part of the same
piece of narration
If you succeed in matching or exceeding the hazard
roll, narrate how your character finally overcame the
hazard before time runs out

107
 If you successfully overcame the hazard in time, you
provide reflective narration that ties things up and
foreshadows future developments but may not move
the expedition
If you successfully overcame the hazard, you receive
Acclaim based on the number of dice used in
overcoming the hazard (not counting
descriptor dice)

Summary of Getting Help

At any time during hazard resolution, spend one
Acclaim and use the key phrase, “Finding myself in
dire need, I turned to my companions for aid”
Starting with the player to your left, each (except
your Opposition) has the option to offer aid; if all
refuse, then continue your scene as best you can
Only one character can aid you; that player may roll
the dice from an attribute of their choice and take
over narration of the scene, adding their dice to
those you put forward (if any)
If successful in resolving the hazard, both characters
receive Acclaim based on all the dice used by
both players
If successful, the original player may provide
reflective narration and raise an attribute of their
character if five or more dice were used

Summary of Running Out of Time

If the total of all the dice you rolled is greater than
the hazard roll, then you lose one Acclaim and the
player to your left says, “But, of course, in the end it
was of no consequence,” immediately ending your
turn

108
 If the total of all the dice you rolled is less than the
hazard roll, the expedition is stymied
o Narrate how the hazard bested you and
sidetracked the expedition
o End your narration with the phrase, “I'm
embarrassed to say that for a time we were
uncertain how to proceed”
If you received aid from another player, the dice they
have put forward during narration are added to all of
your dice for making this determination

Summary of Being Stymied

Roll 1d6 to determine which player narrates final
resolution of the stymie—the one with the fullest,
closest to half-full, or the emptiest glass
Beginning to the left of the chosen player, each
character loses 1d6 from Gear or Associations and
gets to narrate a response to the stymie and the form
their die loss takes
The chosen player ties up the resolution of the
stymie and gets the expedition back on track with
their narration

Summary of Group Hazards

Turn over the hourglass three times if three or four
characters are in the scene (9 minutes) and four
times for five or more (12 minutes)
The final group hazard of the expedition is not
timed
Roll 1d6 to determine which player frames the group
hazard—the one with the fullest, closest to half-full,
or the emptiest glass
Hazard difficulty is 10 times the number of players
plus 2d10 times the number of the story segment you
are currently playing in

109
After the group hazard is framed, each player
chooses an attribute for their character to use,
whether to use a descriptor, and rolls the appropriate
number of d6s
Turn over the hourglass for the first time
Beginning with the player to the left of the one that
framed the group hazard, use the same narration
procedures as single character resolution, except:
o Putting dice forward proceeds to the left in a
round-robin fashion
o After the first player puts forward a die, the
player to your left gets to narrate a
complication for you that must be overcome
in your narration
You can pass and drop out of group hazard, losing
one Acclaim
The player putting forward the last die narrates
resolution of the hazard and can provide
reflective narration
Acclaim is received based on the number of dice you
use, using the table for single character hazard
resolution
The characters who put forward the last die and
whose put forward dice have the highest total each
receive one additional Acclaim
After resolution, play returns to character whose
turn would have been next if not for the
group hazard
Cliffhangers stop when half the hazard roll is
reached—the next player narrates a dramatic shift in
the hazard and then play stops for that session with
the phrase, “Harrowing indeed, but that is a tale for
another day.”

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Summary of Gambling Acclaim
A Sudden Insight – Spend one Acclaim to reroll
two unused dice (narrate a flashback)
Changing Tactics – Spend one Acclaim after
hearing a complication to roll additional d6s to bring
up to new attribute’s dice (if any), plus 1d6 for
surprise (narrate how hazard forced you to change
tactics)
Requesting Aid – Spend one Acclaim to ask other
players for aid
Revealing Hitherto Unknown Abilities – Spend
one Acclaim to gain a new unattached descriptor
(narrate about ability)

Summary of Using the Expedition Log

You can create a story element when playing your
character or as Opposition—simply write it down on
the log at the end of the scene, circle it, and put
your initials by it
If you meaningfully reuse one or more story
elements that you did not create while acting as
Opposition or during your reflective narration, you
receive one Acclaim at the end of the scene
o “Meaningfully” means creating a
connection between story elements,
severing a connection, or using the story
element as the basis of a hazard
o In order to receive this Acclaim reward, you
must have already created a number of your
own story elements equal to the number of
the story segment you’re playing in
When you reuse a story element, draw a new circle
for it if the current segment does not have one
During a group hazard, a player can earn this reward
when they narrate complications and for reflective
narration, but no more than one Acclaim total

111
The exploration site’s secret and any nemesis are
story elements no one player created
Indicate connections with a line between story
elements and a severed connection with an “X”
through the line
o Other players may use points of their
Acclaim to bribe you not to make a
connection or sever one
You may only destroy a story element by successfully
bribing its creator with points of your Acclaim; the
expedition’s secret and any nemesis cannot be
destroyed unless at the expedition site

112
113
“And so, on the appointed day, I, [Character’s
name] arrived in the halls of the Committee.”
— During character introductions

“And of course all the Committee knows…”

— To add unattached descriptors to the characters
during introductions

“A toast! To learning, travel, and adventure!”

— To begin and end the tale of the expedition

“Little did I know what challenge awaited me.”

— To end free role-playing and call for your hazard

“I daresay not!” followed by “I concur.”

— Said by two different players to veto an unattached
descriptor during introductions, a choice of attribute,
use of Gear or Associations, piece of narration, or
gaining Acclaim for reuse of a story element

“So what transpired next?” followed by “Tell us

[Name of Character]” or “I’ll tell you.”
— Said by two different players if your Opposition is
hesitating in narrating a complication

“Finding myself in dire need, I turned to my

companions for aid.”
— To call for help from the other players when you
cannot meet or exceed the hazard roll

114
“But, of course, in the end it was of no
consequence.”
— Said by the next player if you run out of time
overcoming a hazard, but can match or exceed the
hazard roll

“I'm embarrassed to say that for a time we were

uncertain how to proceed.”
— If unable to match or exceed the hazard roll, and
being stymied

“Harrowing indeed, but that is a tale for another

day.”
— Cliffhanger ending of sessions

115
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