Introduction
Domains is a tabletop roleplaying game of survival horror. Not
the player's horror but the character's. With this idea in mind
the system is built to give the players the option to explore the
character's fear within the story.
You'll need...
...the following to play a game in the Domains system:
• Two to five players (this is suggested, could be more
or less depending on the preferences) to create the
characters
• One player to be the Overseer
• A prepared Story
• Four ten-sided dice
• A character sheet for every character
• A few blank papers
• Pencils and other writing utils
The Characters
In Domains characters are most likely your run of the mill
people. None of them are heroes. They all have their
weaknesses and strengths, fears and aspirations, even a deep
innermost craving that pushes them into the darkness that
isn't humanity.
Characters are somehow intertwined into the story, some by
their own volition, some by obscure strands of faith that
pushed them into this mess.
No matter how good they are, characters are weaker than the
darkness that engulfs the world.
The Darkness
The Darkness is all that is beyond human comprehension.
Ancient, distant, cold. It's the driving force of the horror in the
story.
The Darkness can manifest in any form. This is to facilitate for
a varied type of horror games. In one game, it could be an alien
entity striving to devour humanity, while in another it could be
humanity itself.
The Story
This is a roleplaying and storytelling game. The whole point is
to tell a story of the characters trying to hold back the horror
and Darkness from overtaking them.
Players have a direct link to the story trough their characters
and actions they preform within it.
EXAMPLE: The group decides to play a gothic horror game in
the far future where characters are agents of the state trying
to keep it from falling apart. They will be dealing with people
and monsters alike. Running away from crazy cults and
recessionist, and their hideous masters. And exploring old
cyclopean techo-ruins of a bygone golden age.
Glossary
Here is a list of terms we'll use trough the document:
Character – The player's character created for the game.
Drama Roll – Whenever dice are needed to be rolled this is
called for. For a drama roll you need four ten-sided dice.
Monster – An NPC that's vastly overpowered compared to the
Characters. It's the ultimate manifestation of the Darkness.
Sometimes the Monsters have a human shape.
NPC – Any character that isn't handled by the Players. The
Overseer acts out and rolls for all NPCs.
Overseer – The Game Master. This is one of the Players that
sets up the story, and adapts the game in such way that it's a
fun experience for everyone.
Player – Every person playing the game. During this
document, the Player references to the person that has a
Character.
Story – The whole game with all sessions that is played with
one cast of characters.
Example of a game
The Overseer prepared a game for his 3 players in which they
are exploring an old castle.
Overseer: You enter the study room. It is a larger room than
the rest in the castle. Old bookcases and a cabinet line the
walls. A single desk with a cluttered workspace sits in the
middle of the room. The warm light of the open fireplace gives
a moody ambient to the room.
Player 1: "So this is where the professor was doing his
research?" I walk around the room and observe the bookcases
if anything catches my fancy.
Overseer: The old books seem to be about the occult,
preternatural, and other esoteric subjects.
Player 1: Yeah that's absolutely nothing interesting to my
character.
Player 2: "Do you guys think this is a good idea?" I look around
the room to check if there could be something weird or off-
putting with that bookcases or cabinet.
Overseer: Ok, do an Awareness Dramatic Roll for that.
Player 2 casts the dice.
Player 2: Hmm, 2 successes and one complication. I'll take one
success.
Overseer: Your character doesn't find anything weird.
Compared to the wine cellar, this room doesn't seem to have
any kind of hidden passages.
Player 3: "Well no, but we still have to find what happened to
him." My character will try to make sense on the professor's
research.
Overseer: Well what Academic knowledge does your
character have?
Player 3: History...
Overseer: You could try, but seeing as most of this is occult
and the like...
Player 3: Yea, I don't want to roll, I'll just look at the papers for
some time. "I don't get anything from this."
After some more time spent in the room, the Overseer decides
to waste 1 Threat to spice things a bit up. And the scene shifts
from exploration to combat.
Overseer: Suddenly the door slams open. Before you stands a
humanoid creature, some two meters tall. Bestial. The smell
of decaying flesh fills your nostrils. All of you take one Light
Mental Damage.
The players cross out a mental health level with a single mark.
Player 1: My character has the Quick Draw trait, as a reaction
to the creature's entrance I take out my revolver.
Player 2: I have the Stealth trait, I try to hide as a reaction.
Overseer: Ok do a Survival Dramatic Roll.
Player 2 casts the dice.
Player 2: Good, one single success and no complications. My
character hides in the cabinet.
Overseer: You can hide there. So the creature only notice the
remaining two. Everyone please roll for Order.
All roll one die and get:
Player 2 – 1
Player 1 – 3
Overseer – 5
Player 3 – 9
Player 3 goes first.
Player 3: Does my character recognize the creature?
Overseer with a smirk: No.
Player 3: Then I take out my crowbar and prepare for what's
to come.
As Player 3 rolled an odd number, the next person is the one
to the right of Player 3, that being the Overseer.
Overseer: The creature furiously moves to attack you.
Overseer does the Dramatic Roll for the creature.
Overseer: I rolled one success, so the creature inflicts just a
Light Physical Damage.
Player 3 marks off one physical health level.
Player 1: So, I'm next. I shoot that creature.
Player 1 does a Survival Dramatic Roll.
Player 1: Three successes and once complication! I'm taking it
as is. I hit the creature, and deal three Serious Physical Damage
and one Light.
Overseer: Ok. But due to the complication the revolver yanks
your wrist too hard, you gain the Pain status.
Player 1 adds the Pain status to his character sheet.
Player 2: Now it's my turn. I remain hidden.
Player 3: So back to me... I'm going to try and hit the creature
with my crowbar.
Player 3 does a Survival Drama Roll.
Player 3: Erm only one complication.
Overseer: Well then, you overextend and fall to the ground
near the creature. And as you fall, the creature retreats out of
the doorway.
The session ends after this horrific encounter. The Overseer
hands out 2 Growth points to everyone and they can petition
for Today I Learned. Only Player 3 decides that he has
something.
Player 3: I want to petition for Awareness: Always keep a
lookout.
Overseer: That's obvious but yeah, you can get a single point
in Awareness for that.