Narrator's Tools
You may have noticed that the rules for Derbalan Shuffle are pretty slim. We only put the essentials in so that if you ever need to look up the rules or setting quickly, you can do so and get back to the game. The rules are simple tools so you can do almost anything you want without getting into more detail than anyone cares about.
You may want some more utility than what we've included, and you'll find what you're looking for below. Here are some tips and tricks to make the rules work for you.
Changing up Battles
Fights in Derbalan are quick and brutal. We've noticed that in most RPG's, things start to drag after 3 rounds. In Derbalan Shuffle, we streamlined the system so that it runs efficiently. Your fights should be over in 2-5 rounds, and hopefully they should still be enjoyable even if you do pass the 3 round fun period.
However, there's a consequence to all of that. Players can be wiped out after a good four or five hits, less if they weren't at full strength going into the fight. Most monsters, even bosses, can be taken out in a couple weaker hits or one solid attack. Yes, this allows for the players to quickly defeat, and still get smacked around by, twice their number in monsters without three hours of slogging through repetitive tactics. But it also means that no single monster can hold up any significant challenge. That is, if you go by the traditional method of drawing out a bunch of monsters and having them attack en masse. There are, however, other options.
Players gain layers of protection to allow them to shrug off attacks. But bosses can have protection too. You can also put counters on enemies to represent multiples of the same card.
The battlefield is, by default, a chaotic place where you're never sure where everyone is and keeping an organized formation against disorganized enemies is basically impossible without playing a special card or using a skill. But you can set up some special situations if you want. Maybe the boss is hanging out behind a wall of grunts. Players must defeat the grunts before having a chance to attack the boss, and any attack aimed at the boss before that is taken by a grunt bodyguard instead.
Maybe the enemy have dug in, fortified their position, set up barricades, or used some sort of magical effect that the players have to get past before they can attack. This could be using awareness to see through illusions, feats of strength to break down barricades, or something else as befits your imagination.
Also, you can say that reinforcements are arriving, and add a new monster to the fight every turn. Or maybe heat from nearby pools of lava is smacking all the players once per turn until they manage to escape from the fight (lava in the world of Derbalan is weird in that it is not just hot if you touch it but it also radiates dangerous heat, unlike lava in most fantasy settings). Or maybe the necromancy of the graveyard reanimated defeated enemies three turns after they are killed.
How To Use Loot Cards
Loot cards are obviously good for finding loot from monsters, but they can be used for a few other things.
What wares does a shopkeeper have for sale? Flip over some loot cards and let players barter the loot they have for the loot they want. What can the players forage off the land? Look through the deck for cards that might be gathered in the wild, like herbs or food. A player who uses an item crafting skill may look at a certain number of loot cards from the deck, depending on how well she succeeded, and pick one of them. She must then explain how the crafting skill she used allowed her to create that item. If successful, she gets to keep it. Otherwise, she has to put it back.
Creating NPC's
So, eventually your players will attempt to pick a fight with something that doesn't correspond to any monster card. Or maybe you want to throw something at your players that isn't in the monster card deck. How do you do that? There are several ways. We'll give you our recommended method.
First, take out an index card, and label it with the monster's name. Doodle a picture on it if you're good with art. If you're not, it'll still be entertaining so do it anyway. List its number, face, and ace abilities. Give it a rating of grunt, warrior, or boss. And list the number of smacks it can take if different than would normally be expected. List any special abilities or considerations, such as that it regenerates 1 smack every turn or that it is invulnerable to normal attacks or it fear the scent of cheese. You needn't bother with flavor text; just give a description of what you want the players to know when you reveal the monster.
If you're pressed for time, we recommend the following default pattern:
N: Smack the target once.
F: Smack the target twice.
A: Smack the target three times.
This is a bit overpowered compared to the typical monster, but it's easy to remember.
You can also deal yourself a few cards from player class decks and play them as NPC's.
You may want some more utility than what we've included, and you'll find what you're looking for below. Here are some tips and tricks to make the rules work for you.
Changing up Battles
Fights in Derbalan are quick and brutal. We've noticed that in most RPG's, things start to drag after 3 rounds. In Derbalan Shuffle, we streamlined the system so that it runs efficiently. Your fights should be over in 2-5 rounds, and hopefully they should still be enjoyable even if you do pass the 3 round fun period.
However, there's a consequence to all of that. Players can be wiped out after a good four or five hits, less if they weren't at full strength going into the fight. Most monsters, even bosses, can be taken out in a couple weaker hits or one solid attack. Yes, this allows for the players to quickly defeat, and still get smacked around by, twice their number in monsters without three hours of slogging through repetitive tactics. But it also means that no single monster can hold up any significant challenge. That is, if you go by the traditional method of drawing out a bunch of monsters and having them attack en masse. There are, however, other options.
Players gain layers of protection to allow them to shrug off attacks. But bosses can have protection too. You can also put counters on enemies to represent multiples of the same card.
The battlefield is, by default, a chaotic place where you're never sure where everyone is and keeping an organized formation against disorganized enemies is basically impossible without playing a special card or using a skill. But you can set up some special situations if you want. Maybe the boss is hanging out behind a wall of grunts. Players must defeat the grunts before having a chance to attack the boss, and any attack aimed at the boss before that is taken by a grunt bodyguard instead.
Maybe the enemy have dug in, fortified their position, set up barricades, or used some sort of magical effect that the players have to get past before they can attack. This could be using awareness to see through illusions, feats of strength to break down barricades, or something else as befits your imagination.
Also, you can say that reinforcements are arriving, and add a new monster to the fight every turn. Or maybe heat from nearby pools of lava is smacking all the players once per turn until they manage to escape from the fight (lava in the world of Derbalan is weird in that it is not just hot if you touch it but it also radiates dangerous heat, unlike lava in most fantasy settings). Or maybe the necromancy of the graveyard reanimated defeated enemies three turns after they are killed.
How To Use Loot Cards
Loot cards are obviously good for finding loot from monsters, but they can be used for a few other things.
What wares does a shopkeeper have for sale? Flip over some loot cards and let players barter the loot they have for the loot they want. What can the players forage off the land? Look through the deck for cards that might be gathered in the wild, like herbs or food. A player who uses an item crafting skill may look at a certain number of loot cards from the deck, depending on how well she succeeded, and pick one of them. She must then explain how the crafting skill she used allowed her to create that item. If successful, she gets to keep it. Otherwise, she has to put it back.
Creating NPC's
So, eventually your players will attempt to pick a fight with something that doesn't correspond to any monster card. Or maybe you want to throw something at your players that isn't in the monster card deck. How do you do that? There are several ways. We'll give you our recommended method.
First, take out an index card, and label it with the monster's name. Doodle a picture on it if you're good with art. If you're not, it'll still be entertaining so do it anyway. List its number, face, and ace abilities. Give it a rating of grunt, warrior, or boss. And list the number of smacks it can take if different than would normally be expected. List any special abilities or considerations, such as that it regenerates 1 smack every turn or that it is invulnerable to normal attacks or it fear the scent of cheese. You needn't bother with flavor text; just give a description of what you want the players to know when you reveal the monster.
If you're pressed for time, we recommend the following default pattern:
N: Smack the target once.
F: Smack the target twice.
A: Smack the target three times.
This is a bit overpowered compared to the typical monster, but it's easy to remember.
You can also deal yourself a few cards from player class decks and play them as NPC's.
