Playing the Game

CCITI Life is a tabletop role-playing game about life in a near future Earth where humanity has turned to super-technology and virtual reality to survive in a world where the environment is increasingly hostile to biological life. It is played by at least two, but ideally between three and six, players with one person taking on the role of Game Master. The Game Master is responsible for creating and describing the world, breathing life into its environs and inhabitants, and adjudicating any conflicts that arise. The players are responsible for creating and playing the main characters that drive the action and adventure of the stories that are told. Above all, the primary responsibility is to have fun.

The CCITI Life Role-Playing Game (CLRPG) is a diceless game, meaning that instead of using a form of randomization to help resolve action it uses cooperative storytelling. Although the players are free to describe their character's actions as they like within the boundaries of the game, the Game Master is the final authority on how events resolve. This does not mean that there is no system in place for decision making, but that the characters have attributes and descriptive elements which describe their relative strengths and capabilities within the game world, and these are used to help inform the resolution of character's actions.

Telling Stories

Games in CLRPG involve telling stories about the character's lives as they make their way in the world. Life for these people revolves around the delicate balance of surviving in the World and escaping to the CCITI; living amongst a decaying Earth while the masses of humanity cling to the megacities, or freeing all bonds to discover the deeper truths and mysteries of the universe. Their ability to change things directly in the World is limited by the resources they can collect and the people they know, but in the CCITI they can open their minds to limitless possibilities.

This power and freedom does not come without cost though. When the characters make changes in the CCITI, their actions have repercussions in the World that cause damage in their lives. The stronger their bonds to things in the World, the greater their wellspring of power, and the more they tap that wellspring the more powerful they become in the CCITI.

On top of their abilities though, the player's characters also face threats in the World and the CCITI that will threaten their lives and families. Of primary concern to all characters is the CCITI itself, which appears to be sentient and is hunting people who have learned to break its control. The characters must also be wary of actors in the World who might seek to harm them or destroy their property, whether by criminal inspiration or more conspiratorial intents.

Stories emerge from the interaction of the player's characters actions, as protagonists, and the Game Master's characters actions, as antagonists, as the former attempt to survive, grow, and achieve their goals while avoiding certain death or potentially worse at the hands of their hunters.

Taking Actions

When players want to influence the story and the game world it is through the actions of their characters. At a mechanical level the player discusses the action they would like their character to take with the rest of the players and the Game Master. Next the player role-plays the action, interacting with other players and the Game Master as the scene unfolds. When the description or the role-playing dictate that a decision must be made for which the outcome is not clear, the Game Master will narrate the results.

The process of determining outcomes is based on the numerical values of the attributes involved in the action being undertaken. But a simple comparison of numbers is not the final determination of the action. The Game Master will consider the circumstances of the specific situation and scene that is being played out, adding or subtracting value as appropriate. In this manner, the character's actions can be very impactful in tilting the balance in their favor.

It is worth noting that when acting in the CCITI the characters will have access to great powers through their essences. When they return to the World however, they will only have their fetters as descriptions of their existences. Scenes in the World are intentionally meant to be more focused on resolving, creating, and rebuilding fetters. By contrast, a majority of play time will most likely be spent in the CCITI where the focus is on the character's desires and pursuits to explore the depths of their powers and the mysteries of the virtual reality.

Acting in the CCITI

While traveling in the CCITI the player's characters have access to the abilities of their Essences, and the powers of their Daemons. They take action in a similar manner as described above, but can have a much deeper effect on the world as the boundaries of their attributes and powers are broader. The Game Master will help to interpret where those boundaries are, and what is on the other side of them.

One major difference when acting in the CCITI is the use of essence tokens. When making active use of their essences, players must spend one essence token per use. Each essence has different definitions of what their active and passive uses are, but in general when using essences to do something perceptive or receptive it will be a passive use. Active uses are usually associated with uses that have direct impact on the CCITI, or approach things that might be considered "super powers" in the World. Essence tokens are discussed in greater depth in the section below.

All this does not mean that the characters are limited only to the abilities of their essences and daemons when in the CCITI. They are also free to role-play with the people, places, and environments presented by the Game Master. The characters general skill and perceived power will be a reflection of the scores in their attributes, although the transcended have wide variance to hide their true natures. When comparing to non-transcended people in the CCITI, the non-transcended are usually considered to have scores of zero for all their abilities.

Essence Tokens

Essence tokens are used by players to activate their essence based abilities when using them to make changes in the CCITI. At the start of every session, players are given two tokens for each fetter their character has, these tokens are not carried over between sessions. During play, a player may choose to damage one of their fetters for a half refresh of their tokens. For example, Alice's character has four fetters meaning she starts the game with eight essence tokens, during the session Alice decides to damage one of her character's fetter in exchange for four essence tokens.

If, or when, things get extremely dire for a character, they may choose to destroy one of their damaged fetters in exchange for a full token refresh. This is the most drastic action that can be taken with a fetter, removing it from the character sheet altogether. Destroyed fetters can only be replaced by forging a new bond between the character and the World.

Fetters in the World

When role-playing in the World characters are defined by their fetters. Playing in the World is meant to be focused around those fetters and how the characters maintain and repair them. Usually, a character returns to the world to repair their damaged fetters, or in rare cases to build new ones. Characters are less restricted by the numbers and more accountable to their descriptions when acting in the World.

Rebuilding damaged fetters requires that a character spend between twenty-four and thirty-six hours in the World in addition to role-playing a scene where they work to repair the damage. This is not a strict rule, but the Game Master will determine the appropriate time and scenes necessary for a character to be successful.

Replacing destroyed fetters is a much more lengthy process that could see a character spending several days in the World working to build the new relationship. This will also involve role-playing with the Game Master and might even be limited to be between-session play.