Just wrapped up session 1 of my time travel game I’m currently calling Time Lapse.
Had 3 players, all brand new to tabletop RPGs, and it was a lot of fun. They picked up on the ICRPG mechanics quickly, and I’m so thankful for a system that’s easy to explain and run and doesn’t get bogged down by a bunch of edge cases and minutiae.
I added a custom “paradox die” to the mix to spice up the storytelling. Players roll it whenever they roll a d20. After watching Hank’s video on narrative dice, it gave me some ideas that eventually became this:
3 sides are blank. 1 side gives a benefit. 1 side gives a detriment. 1 side adds a paradox token. (The icons are inspired by T.I.M.E. Stories.)
It was a lot of fun coming up with “and also” moments when the benefits/detriments were rolled. The wolf bites your leg and also pulls you off your horse. You hit the outlaw and also the bullet goes through and hits the guy behind him.
For the paradoxes, when 13 paradox tokens have been triggered, a rift opens up, and something weird happens. Sometimes I go off the cuff, and sometimes I roll on a paradox table. It’s how a velociraptor shows up in the wild west or a '57 Cadillac rolls up in samurai Japan. It can lead to some fun moments and interesting choices for the players as they now have a new thing to use or interact with (or run from, haha).
We’ll hopefully be able to play weekly, and I’m excited to jump to various time periods as the story unfolds.