SOJOURNER

Introduction

Welcome to SOJOURNER.

In this tabletop roleplaying game, you can embark on incredible adventures with your friends, becoming swashbuckling heroes, taming the great unknown, and facing mind-breaking cosmic horrors. The SOJOURNER system features truly tactical combat, long-term strategy, and vast storytelling potential.

This is a Playtest

SOJOURNER is a game system still under development. As such, many game elements may be incomplete, unbalanced, or missing altogether. In addition, the game lacks a default campaign setting at this time.

However, the game is fully playable! Follow the instructions in this section to learn how to get started.

The purpose of a playtest is to provide feedback that will help improve the game and bring it closer to a finished product. If you'd like to provide feedback, please do so in the Elemental Yarn Discord server.

Getting Started

The first and most important step to playing is to find a group of like-minded people. Nothing is less fun than playing a tabletop RPG with a group you don’t get along with, but nothing is more fun and rewarding than finding a group with just the right chemistry. Here are the other steps for getting started:

Learn the Rules

It's not necessary to become a SOJOURNER expert before getting started. However, it's important to understand how dice rolls work and general Gameplay, as well as the basics of Tactical Mode and Downtime Mode. A small amount of reading before the first session goes a long way.

Gather Game Materials

You’ll need a set of polyhedral dice to play. Dice are denoted with a “d” followed by the die’s number of sides. For example, a d8 is a die with eight sides. This game uses d4s, d6s, d8s, d10s, d12s, and d20s, with occasional uses for coins (though you can also use any die for this purpose).

You’ll also need character sheets, either paper or digital, and you’ll need a table to play on. If you’re playing a game with lots of tactical combat, you might make use of a grid or terrain map and miniatures.

It’s also good to keep a rulebook or two handy, though you should try to refrain from checking specific rules during gameplay. For specific abilities and items that aren’t written on your character sheet, you can print and cut out your own cards.

Beyond that, you might wants snacks, tunes, maybe some smoke and mirrors or costumes if you’re feeling really fancy.

Hold a Session Zero Before You Play

Before you start your first official session of gameplay, hold a Session Zero with the GM and players. This is the planning phase and safety meeting for future sessions. Its primary purpose is to manage expectations and ensure that everyone in the group is on the same page.

Communication is key in roleplaying games to begin with, but most importantly during your Session Zero. Do so clearly and honestly. Make it a safe space for anyone to express their thoughts and concerns. If there’s a disagreement, work through it like adults and find the solution that best pleases everyone.

If the best solution is to play a different game, to play with different people, or not to play at all, then that is preferable to playing a bad game or a game you don’t enjoy.

Player Expectations. Decide what kind of story the group will experience. What genres should it evoke? What can the players expect to encounter?

Sensitive Content. What kind of mature or sensitive content are the players and Game Master comfortable with? What topics are “off the table,” and which topics are permissible?

Table Etiquette. What kind of behavior at the table is expected during sessions? What behaviors are frowned upon?

Scheduling. How often will the group meet for game sessions, and how long should the game sessions tend to last? How long will the campaign itself go on for?

Make a Character

Finally, make a character to be your avatar in the game world! Collaborate with the GM and the other players to make a crew that will be able to work together on missions. See the Character page for details.

What Happens Next?

SOJOURNER is a game about skilled and adventurous people embarking on dangerous missions in pursuit of wealth, glory, or the preservation of civilized life.

For this playtest iteration, the game world and its denizens are largely up to the Game Master. You can play in a world you're already familiar with, or come up with a brand new setting.

Don't worry too much about the details of nations and gods and other lore details for now. All you really need to get started with adventuring is a town or city with some nearby geography such as forests, lakes, and mountains, and some threats for the player characters to contend with.

Alternatively, you can use the following adventure example.