Building a Time Travel narrative from Scratch
Often in Chrono-Rogue, The storyteller will find themselves trying to come up with an interesting narrative to engage the players in. There are numerous tools to build a variety of encounters within a timeline. Like many heist based games there is a basic formula to follow. In Chrono-Rogue, there’s just time travel involved.
1. Characters are Hired- Characters are hired by Void Baron to perform X task, or they overhear about an opportunity.
2. Time Travel-They travel to that time period and era.
3. Legwork- They do the ‘Legwork’ required to gather information about the job, requisition gear, set up identities, gather maps, etc. etc.
4. The Job- They do the job, facing any obstacles and complications that might come their way.
5. Get Paid- After the character’s are finished, they get paid for the job.
Let’s Expand-
Characters are Hired- The various Void Barons that are seeking good help present an amazing opportunity for players to engage with the lore of the world, learn about what the variety of factions might be after, and set the tone of the game. The Void Barons have a problem that only these characters can solve. It might be a painting that has a hidden message on it, forcing the players to infiltrate the museum where it is on display. If security looks too tight there, maybe they find out it was in a noble’s house some one hundred years prior, and decide to travel back to that time to steal it when security is a bit lighter. Maybe they learn who wrote the message and want to figure out the meaning behind the message, so the bread crumbs lead them through a narrative of time hopping adventure.
The problem should be a compelling and maybe even have a few threads that hook into the players. A painting of a relative of one of the PCs could be a draw as they wonder why there is a painting of a parent or sibling and what the mystery there could be. The hook here should be compelling, not just for money, but there should be a deeper mystery drawing the players in. Is the void baron connected to one of the PC backstories? Is this Void Baron just a middle person for a greater threat or ally? Make the location of the adventure exciting. Somewhere they would like to actually visit. Finding a painting during the Revolution in France could create some wonderful set pieces. Screaming crowds burning the wealth and decadence of the nobility. Soldiers barely keeping the people at bay behind barricades of shattered coaches and furniture. The drop of the guillotine. What if the players had to save someone who was sentenced for execution? Make sure to continue with personal plot threads that weave into the character’s backstory.
Mix up the plot threads-
The job that the players need to perform can be multi-layered. They might need to perform a multitude of tasks within a timeline for their employer in order to get paid. In this way, they are financially invested in multiple elements of your story. The following images are directly from the Chrono-Rogue Core Rule book and will give you an idea as to how one might put together a mission for the PCs.
Time Travel- Time travel is the potentially pickiest thing that players will have to encounter, but there are again, many tools to deal with potential philosophical problems. The existence of the multiverse means that anytime a character does some shenanigans, it is possible to shift events into a brand new timeline. This is ok. It is possible to run the game with as much temporal philosophy or as little as the players want. Players can totally go into a timeline in history and trash it if they want. They will still be able to leave the timeline and even revisit one of the infinite branches of that same period in history if they wish. Some of these branches will contain the same objectives the players are trying to achieve.
There are tools in place to help them blend in. Most Paradox Suits are designed to be worn under clothing with the exception of the Iron Warrior, which can be used to pretend to be a knight, a shock trooper, a soldier, any of those. Players have Babel Shards- devices that allow them to speak, read, and understand a number of local languages and dialects. They can purchase local currency on the black market, allowing them to purchase holdings within the timeline if they wish. If they do cause massive disruptions, they will accrue Harmonic Resonance, a numerical representation of their disruptions. Time Travel is illegal and there will be bounty hunters tracking them down if this number gets too high. Their ship is also a safe haven when they arrive in a timeline. Capable of shrouding its presence, the Slip-Ship is a home, a means of deployment, and if they really need, something to level the battleground with futuristic ordinance.
Legwork- Legwork is the gathering of information within a time period that will allow the players to locate their objectives and perform their task. It might be seeking out old libraries full of maps. Finding masters of lore to give them specific information. It might be seducing soldiers at the local tavern. Legwork can be performed in a multitude of ways and should tie into the narrative. You can introduce NPCs this way as the PCs encounter the individuals you’ve set before them.
Some PCs can just go around asking people, engaging in social combat to gain favors or utilize lightest touch mechanics to get a quick answer. Some can look at their codex bracer to find out who in the city holds the greatest secrets. Some can interrogate temporal echoes called ‘Undone’ beings who have been unwritten by time. You can guide the PCs through the information they gather to grant them the most fun options on how to get into a location. Encourage them to put their two cents in, so they can feel more collaborative in terms of narrative. In many games, players will do hours of planning and then kick in the front door anyway. With so many options as to how to gather information, giving them secret ways into their target will reward them for their character build choices.
The Job- The job’s execution can be done in a series of phases. How do the characters get into the place they must perform the task? Will they pretend to be doctors checking on a rare disease? Will they disguise themselves as builders working on a part of a house? Will they locate a secret passage or tunnel allowing them access to the cellars or crypts around an old house?
If the job requires theft, make sure that the characters who can circumnavigate traps or security have a chance to shine. If the party chooses the frontal assault approach there are a number of systems in place to build quick combat encounters in the core rules. You’ll be able to quickly stat opponents using the points system and give them some nasty tricks.
If the ‘Job’ is a series of tasks linked together, break them down into manageable chunks for the PCs to tackle.
Get Paid-
The monetary resources are vital to a character’s survival. It helps fuel and upgrade their ship. It assists them in the purchase of upgraded weapons, armor, artifacts, poisons, drugs, elixirs, and modifications for each. As they get more powerful, you can put them on tougher and tougher missions, granting them greater gains. They can also begin interrogating those who hire them, unraveling the greater mysteries behind the jobs they are doing. In this way, you can introduce the various factions at play, granting them more access to lore and to make choices as to how they want to proceed with the narrative.
