a system for carousing

In dungeon fantasy as in life, carousing converts money and indiscretion into experience(s). If you decide to go out for a night on the town and say "yes" to whatever happens, this system is for you. You'll want a Tarot deck and groups of PCs with more money than sense.

idk who made this but it seems apposite

Fun Threshold

Each character has a FUN THRESHOLD. By default, a PC's fun threshold is 10; minors and scolds start at 6; rakes and rapscallions start at 12. Fun Threshold can go up from Partying Too Hard (see below) or go down whenever you take on a serious vow or responsibility. Additionally, you have an additional point of Fun Threshold for each other PC partying with you.

Each context has also has a FUN THRESHOLD, starting at 5 and going up for each digit of people (10 → 100 → 1,000 → ...) present in the settlement, +1 if it is a holiday, +1 if the community as a whole has another reason to celebrate, +1 if it has a reputation for iniquity. (A group of adventurers around a campfire is a settlement, albeit a small one; if so, some creativity in results may be required.)

Rounds of Play

Shuffle the tarot deck and begin with the player of the most rakish PC. That player can boast about some new achievement a comrade has had since their last common carousing; if so, increase the Fun Threshold of the context by one. They then can declare either:

  1. that they've had enough and are done for the night (they are Out), or,
  2. that they're enthusiastic about going along with whatever opportunity for fun unfolds next, and ask the GM to deal a card into the Fun Pile

If the total value of cards exceeds the Fun Threshold of the context, party's over. If not, and the total value of cards exceeds the Fun Threshold of anyone who's still In, they are now Out from having Partied Too Hard, and their personal Fun Threshold increases by one. 

(Minor Arcana have either the obvious value or, if they're a face card, 10. Major Arcana have a value equal to their number.)

If no one else is In, the party's over. If not, go clockwise to the next character that's In.

Don't interpret anything until the next step.

Interpretation

In the morning, characters piece together what happened the previous night. Each card represents something that happened or someone they met, if they were In at the time. Although the GM is the ultimate arbiter of what the cards represent, she should listen to player's speculations first.

If a card brought someone to within two paces of their Fun Threshold (in either direction), they get a boon from it, based upon the suit of the Minor Arcana previous to it:

  • Cups represents a new ally
  • Pentacles represents a new item they have acquired
  • Swords represents some intervention you have made in the community that at least some people will admire you for
  • Wands represents a new skill they have learned (about as good as someone with a hobby)

(If no previous Minor Arcana was played, wing it. The bigger the total value, the better the boon. If you ended on exactly your fun threshhold, treat all of the cards this way.)

If a card brought them above their Fun Threshhold, causing them to Party Too Hard, 

  • Cups represents someone to whom they have new obligations
  • Pentacles represents a monetary debt it will be difficult to pay off
  • Swords represents someone whose enemy they have made
  • Wands represents some way they have publicly embarrassed themselves

(If no previous Minor Arcana was played, wing it. The bigger the total value, the worse the problem.)

Attestation

Yup, it's Mosaic Strict!

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