Tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs or just RPGs) are collaborative storytelling games in which a group of players each narrate the actions of a group of characters (called PLAYER CHARACTERs or PCs) who are on an adventure of some kind. One player will usually act as a gamemaster, planning the main plot points of the story and narrating the actions of characters not controlled by the other players (called NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS or NPCs). In the Jackrealms System, the gamemaster also acts and is referred to as the table's DEALER. Adventures in this game focus around the players’ characters (henceforth referred to as a group by “the TEAM”).
Single-Session adventures in this game focus on the players’ characters escaping from the Jackrooms - a liminal space composed of endless hotel hallways, casino floors, art galleries, and other resort spaces. All tourist towns, card shops, and resorts of all levels of luxury connect to the Jackrooms, where the platonic ideals of them are stored until reality needs them. The team became trapped here, either as a group or individually, by being lost in a resort, casino, or other tourist destination for too long and wandering sideways into the space between spaces. Over the course of the session, they will need to investigate their surroundings, evade the unearthly denizens of this place, and overcome the hazards they discover to find their way back to reality.
Multi-Session adventures in this game focus on the players' characters dungeoneering - exploring ancient ruins and sites of power to claim the treasures therein. These chracters have more fantastical abilities and can become even more powerful as they earn experience. The denizens of the dark spaces protect their treasures to the death and have made preparations for interlopers. Each session the team will begin a new delve or dive deeper towards their current quarry.
The Jackrealms System is narrative-forward, as opposed to a tactics-forward game system. This means that rather than measuring distance and limiting the number of actions a character can take at once, a player’s narration of their action and its ultimate goal will determine its complexity and how long at the table it takes to perform. Though miniatures and other props are not necessary to play Jackrealms games, they can help players keep track of a scene and can enhance the dealer’s narration. To use this system, you will need:
- A copy of these rules.
- A standard deck of 52 French-suited playing cards. If jokers are contained in the deck, separate them for use in advanced plays. If not, you may use chips or counters to represent theoretical jokers for these plays.
- Counters or chips to track EFFORT, STAKES, and the session’s STACK. The pile of chips from which the dealer assigns these is called the BANK.
- Paper and pencils for taking notes.
- A copy of the Character PLAYBOOK for each player.