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a role-playing game
by Clément Domergue
 Wanna play
right now?
a role-playing game
by Clément Domergue
https://domergue.itch.io/
@dodomergue

V 1.2

Credits:
Design, text, layout by Clément Domergue.
The core concept is inspired by a conversation
between Deborah Ann Woll and Jon Bernthal
that was talked about by Ryan Imel.
It uses Mindstorm’s Nested Monster Hit Dice.
Rockpaper was proposed by Chaosmeister.
The divider is modified from a Freepik image.
Illustrations from Nicolas Delaunay, Gustave
Doré, Johann Heinrich Füssli, Charles Jacque, J. E.
Ridinger, Eduard Steinle and A.P. van de Venne.

This book is human made. No AI or

Machine Generated works or texts are
included. Blood and sweat all the way.
Support your fellow human beings
who have dreams, passions, & bills.

CC0 1.0, this book is public domain. Feel free to

steal, modify, copy, add to, sell, distribute, etc.

Spread it around!
Just don’t be a dick and a bigot.
 What is this game?

“
O
You wanna play D&D?? Like, literally right
now? So, you have a bow strapped to your
back, a sword and a dagger at your hilt.
You're walking through the woods, it's dark, it's at
night, almost no moonlight is coming through. You
hear a crack off in the distance. Something large
stepped on a branch.

What would you do?

- Deborah Ann Woll
”
This chat sparked my imagination. Such a great
idea! Why bother explaining rules, creating
characters, scheduling a session, when you
could just play right now?
This is what this game does. The rules are
straightforward and organic, no need to explain
anything. Grab a random adventure page and
read it aloud. Here you go, you are already
playing.
Use it to introduce role-playing to non-players
or have fun with your group.

“ Why explain the game when you

can just show it to somebody? ”
- Ryan Imel
 Rules
Choose an adventure.
Narrator reads the intro aloud.
Narrator’s tools are listed
underneath the divider.
In case of conflict
or daring action:
Rock-Paper-Scissors, best of one.
Win: win.
Tie: win with
consequences.
Loss: loss.
If skilled, try again.
Keep the best result.
Players: 10HP to divide
Three skills each
Attack = 1 damage
Monsters are weird and unique,
think about how you should fight
each one to hope to defeat them.
 Skills
W
hen facing an uncertain outcome, play
Rock-Paper-Scissors. Best of one. If
skilled at their current action, the
player has a second try if needed, keeping the
best result. When there is a tie, the player
succeeds but with a negative consequence.

If something seems impossible, it is. If it seems

easy, it is. You only rockpaper when it could go
either way. Even during a fight, like if they
have a dagger at the throat of someone,
slashing it wouldn’t need to be rockpapered. It
is an easy task.
How do we know if they are skilled at a thing
without preparation or a character sheet? Well,
every time they fail a rockpaper, ask them “Are
you skilled at that?” If they answer yes, they can
try again and all following tries with this
attribute will be made with skill.
A player only has three skills. They are free to
decide what those three are whenever it’s
convenient, but once chosen, they cannot be
changed. Inform them of this when they choose
their first skill.

Health
P
layers have 10 Hit Points (HP) to divide
among themselves as they see fit. Inform
them of this when they first inquire about
their remaining health. Zero HP means being
incapacitated, captured, or dead. They can
rockpaper to heal a bit if they know how to.

When they choose violence, their attack does 1

damage. Punch or gun, 1 damage. Unless it
seems fun to add some bonus damage.
Rules
 Monsters
S
ome foes must be dealt with in a specific
manner. You cannot hammer everything
the same way and expect it to work. What
if they have a shell, or are made of glue?
Using Mindstorm’s Nested Monster Hit Dice
system, players must understand what kind of
challenge they are facing and deal with it in a
way that makes sense.
Players can hit any part of the enemy. But some
parts are protected by others, which must first
be specifically torn down before getting access
to the weak points.
Some parts of the enemy are in plain sight,
detailed to the players. Others are hidden, and
must be asked about before being answered. A
few are secrets, found by figuring them out or
rockpapering the answer.
Go around the table for each player to act, then
it’s the enemies turn. Repeat.
«They keep dodging! I need to poke their
eyes out before shooting arrows at them. »
First defense 2HP
Vitals They must destroy this with
two hits (2HP here) before
Melee getting to the other parts.
attack
Ranged An attack!
attack (Defending nothing)
Special
ability Another defense 1HP
Hidden Vitals 1HP
Once they’ve
Secret destroyed all the
vital parts, they win.
Rules
 Adventures
1. Moonless Woods

2. Goblin Tunnels

3. Hell of a Party

4. Too many Crooks

5. Golden Oldie

6. Paramour

7. The Little King

8. The Witch

9. Catfish

10. Snake King Dungeon

Story Seeds NPCs

Incipits to further Personalities
the adventure to pick from.
 Moonless Woods
Y
ou have a bow strapped to your back, a
sword and a dagger at your hilt. You're
walking through the woods, it's dark, it's
at night, almost no moonlight is coming
through.You hear a crack off in the distance.
Something large stepped on a branch.
What would you do?

Those woods Farsighted eyes 2HP

belong to a giant Harder for them to focus
owlbear. A up close, but you cannot
feathered beast touch them or escape while
with the head of they see you from afar.
an owl.
You wouldn't Silver claws 1HP
know it, but 1 damage and restrain.
they've laid silver Silver beak 1HP
eggs in a nearby 1 damage.
cave.
Thick skin 2HP
Owlbear One tough cookie.
Desire: bring
large prey back. Silver heart 1HP
The very core of their
Fear: strong light being. Their head
and fire. and limbs can regrow
with time, but not
Rage: injured their heart.
owlets.
1
 Goblin Tunnels
T
wo young siblings have vanished from
the village. As their elder and ranger,
you follow their footsteps deep into
the mountains. You straddle rivers, scare off
coyotes with your bow, and find multiple
footsteps leading to a cavern. Eerie laughter
and disputes come from its depths. Goblins.
How do you go about it?

Each number corresponds to a room:

1. A goblin fishing, minding his own business.
2. Two goblins betting on fish and gold at dice.
3. A well garnished pantry of stolen goods.
4. Your young brother, surrounded by a circle
of salt. An angry goblin swirling around him.
5. A goblin sleeping in a heavy treasure chest.
6. Three goblins chanting around another
goblin, on an altar, dressed as your sister.
What does your ranger feel about this?

4 1
5 2
6 3 Hive mind 10HP
As long as there are at least
two of them in the room,
they move weirdly. Roving
Goblin as one, stronger together.
Desire: eating fish No hive mind when alone.
and turning kids to
goblins. Rusty dagger 1HP
1 damage.
Fear: salt.
Rage: always Fragile fellow 1HP
pretty pissed. Poor little critter.
2
 Hell of a Party
Y
ou’re a wizard. Not a great one, just a
young apprentice working late to learn
an invocation and failing. Disappointed,
you pack your books and get on with it. There’s
a party tonight in the university dormitory! But
what you don’t see is that a demon was actually
summoned and is now silently stalking you…
What do you bring to the party?

Hellhounds are Hellgate circle 2HP

born of shadows; 2 damage per turn spent
they cannot hanging above the fiery pit.
survive in total Send another hellhound.
darkness only in
the stretched Shadowy body 2HP
dark shadows of Immune to physical and
fire and light. light damage. Cannot exist
Their job is to in darkness or far from hell.
drag people to the
gate of hell and Shadow walk
throw them Fall inside a shadow
inside. and come out of another.
Fire sized
Hellhound The closer to light, the
bigger the hound.
Desire: bring
people to hell. Ensnare
Fear: pure Trap a prey in its jaws.
darkness.
Mauling
Rage: selflessness. 1 damage, 2 if big.
3
 Too Many Crooks
A
s a seasoned burglar, you've heard about
a manor whose vault is overflowing with
riches. You wait for nightfall and break
into the mansion through the chimney. But on
your way down, you bump into someone.
Another thief with the same idea…
What to do?

In every room you Black outfit 1HP

enter, you’ll find a Hard to hit the mark.
new goddamned
thief. Even if you Innards 1HP
retrace your steps. Pretty much every
wound is deadly if
You're all deep enough.
professionals.
You're here to get Each thief has one weapon:
the best deal
possible without Unarmed fists 1HP
waking anyone 1 damage.
up. But... Grappling hook 1HP
the fewer you are, 1 damage.
the bigger the cut.
Thug scarf 2HP
1 damage. One free
Thief shot if they are trusted.
Desire: gold.
Enchanted knife 2HP
Fear: noise. 1 damage. Silent like
the night you never hear
Rage: rob them. it coming. Wins to ties.
4
T
winkle, twinkle, little knight,
Every bard needs one to write!
Chasing dragons and glory,
Just found one, but it's angry
Twinkle, twinkle, little knight,
Never seen you shine so bright!
When the blazing light is gone,
When you're nothing but iron,
Time for me to fly in fright...

Left: Harsh and

mean, low self-
esteem.
Desire: gold
Fear: height
Rage: off-key
Middle: Dignified
and haughty. Very
articulate.
Desire: music
Fear: filth
Rage: off-key
Right: Honest,
curious, naive and
a little bit silly.
Desire: friends
Fear: rainbows
Rage: off-key
 Paramour
A
ccomplished warrior, you’ve just freed
the fair Princess Ramona from an enemy
stronghold. You now have to escort her
back to her father’s castle. But on the way
there, a young pretender bars your route.
Madly in love, he wants the princess to himself.
What do you do about it?

Ward off the five

pretenders wanting Armor 2HP / Ego 2HP
to marry Ramona Destroy either to really
against her will. get to them.
The twist being the
last one is her father. Castle steel 1HP
/ 1 damage.
1. Young knight Heart/Innards 1HP
with a spear. Consumed by love,
2. Twin foreign waiting to be broken.
princes with bows.
3. Girl friend with Each pretender ability:
a war-hammer. Horse rider 1HP
4. King father in 1
Wins at ties.
the throne room. Snow job poetry
2 Ramona is drawn to the
Pretender one farthest from you.
Desire: marrying Friendship 2HP
the princess. 3 Ramona steps in so
Fear: rejection. you don't hurt her.
Rage: injured King’s guards 5HP
4
princess. Grants one extra attack.
6
 The Little King
A
dventuring apprentice wizard, you are
exploring the tomb of an ancient magical
emperor. Rows and rows of stone soldiers
are giving you the creeps. When you turn to
your master, you see he has turned to stone and
that a big crowned snake is fading in the dark.
A Basilisk. What can you do?

Basilisks are giant Stone crown 4HP

venomous snake- Activate one statue
monsters with a as an action.
deadly glare. You Give life to a stone
are aware of it. Do statue when worn by one.
not cross their eyes.
Fire breath
1 fire damage.
Statue Death glare 2HP
Stone core 1HP 5 damage on sight.

Weapon 1HP Stony scales 3HP

1 damage.
Poison gland 1HP
Allow use of poison.
Basilisk
Poison bite
Desire: more Turn to stone
statues. what’s bitten.
Fear: deadly Sluggish trail
reflections. Flammable
Rage: blindness. poison trail.
7
 The Witch
Y
oung cleric, you have been tasked against
your will to watch over the dead body of
an old witch. Legends require that her
body be locked away for three nights to really
be sure of her death. The tower has been sealed
and covered in cryptic chalk markings.
How do you prepare for the night?

A cleric can divinely Chalk bounds

heal, repair objects, No witch nor ghoul can go
repel the undead, etc. through chalk lines. Viy can.
Things like that. Head & hands 1HP each
Cut all three to rid the girl
Night 1: Witch wakes of the curse. Rats, worms
up, fair and young. and vermin flow from the
Tries to talk her way wounds. Then, she lives. Free.
out, seductively.
Witchy body
Night 2: Witch Can repair severed bodyparts.
summons 1 more
ghoul per turn. Wooden flight
Levitate wooden object on
contact. Can fly with them.
Night 3: Witch
summons 2 more Spell-casting
ghouls per turn and, 1 magic damage.
as a last resort, Viy.
Ghoul
Each day, the cleric Evil form 1HP
can prepare, talk to 1 damage
the people outside,etc.
Viy, king of the gnomes
Unimaginable shape
Witch 1 fear damage per turn. Its
Desire: get out. mere presence gives shivers.
Fear: sunlight. Creepy embrace
Rage: scriptures. 1 damage.
8
 Catfish
A
nointed knight of great renown, carrying
a sword you believe to be holy, you are
the shit. All this greatness comes with a
drive, being chivalric, good, just, etc. but also
using your great holy sword to rid the land of
dragons! One of those goddamned changelings
has been spotted in the region recently.
How do you go about it?

Dragons are Pagan aura 4HP / Holy water

shapeshifters and King among the fey, they
come in all forms. once were a river god.
One resides around Can walk on water, breathe
the South River. A under, turn it red and other
weird cat with slick small water-related miracles.
skin before changing Drowns you with waves,
to a huge feline-like 1 damage per turn you spend
beast. People have waist deep in water.
started randomly
killing otters and Shapeshifter 1HP
lynxes, trying to get When small, gets big.
to them. When big, can react to a
tie, gets small and dodge.
Cath Palug Bewitching chat
Desire: chatting up Ask you questions, each
and messing with answer brings you closer
people. and deeper into the waters.
Fear: holy water. Mauling
Rage: mockery. 1 damage, 2 if big.
9
Snake King Dungeon
T
he long abandoned stronghold is overrun
by pirates, goblins and monsters. Still,
there is great riches to get out of it if you
are brave enough. Looking for treasures, you
enter the hall. There is a closed door to your
left, a broken wall leading to a garden to your
right, and in front of you, between giant snake
sculptures, a large door that has been sealed by
brick and mortar.
Which way do you go?

1. When you come back here, heavy with riches,

five rival dungeon-crawling thieves try to rob you.
2. A big owlbear is sleeping in a garden.
3. The owlbear’s nest, full of silver eggs.
4. In a dining room, a singing goblin sets up a
table for a large number of people.

7 13 11

10

12
5 4 9 8

6 1 2 3

10
5. A kitchen full of goblins, the south wall
crumbling and covered with cryptic chalk
inscriptions. The four goblins are preparing a
delicious meal, while banging their utensils
rhythmically and singing. If you return this
way later, they'll be at #4.
6. The wall sealed a witch (night 2)! She offers
to help you defeat the Hydra in room #13 if
you free her from the chalk markings.
7. The bridge was fragile but held. You arrive
in a pitch black dark room. Three young
children are bound and gagged in a corner.
8. A luxurious bedroom flooded, now in ruins.
Two goblins sleep peacefully, cradled by the
floating bed.
9. A flooded music room, full of shabby
instruments. Cath Palug steps mischievously
across the piano keys.
10. A ship with four thieving pirates on board.
The dungeon is their secret hideout.
11. An armory with a few treasure chests. The
pirate captain paints, humming a song. On his
canvas: a sleeping golden hydra.
12. In the dark throne room, the sound of
metal chains clanking and clashing against
rock fills the air. Statues of ancient kings
adorn the wall leading to the throne. They all
bear golden weapons and symbols of power.
Behind the throne is a gigantic basilisk statue
with a stone crown floating above its head,
attached by metal chains. If the kings' golden
treasures are stolen, the chains will fall off and
the stone crown will awaken the giant basilisk.
13. The room is golden. The walls are of gold,
the floor is of gold, the piles are of gold, and
the hydra is of gold too. A gigantic Golden
Hydra guarding the golden treasure of the late
Snake King.
11
 Story Seeds
M
ission accomplished, sure, but they
want to keep adventuring. What could
happen to them? Here is a list of little
seeds of scenes to keep the journey going.

1. On the way back, you are ambushed by a

handful of weird little goblins.
2. A minstrel was watching and wants to learn
more about the adventure. Secretly, she is
planning to get rid of you and claim the
success for herself.
3. A troll is guarding a bridge and asks for help
to find the missing living bricks that keep
fleeing and messing up the structure.
4. You stumble upon the evil queen’s caravan
under attack by bandits. Who do you help?
5. All the defeated foes rise again, corpses
animated by a necromancer that was hidden.
6. You bump into a witch on the way out and
she curses you. You relive your adventure as
one of the foes you just faced.
7. A group of six dwarfs (bandits) asks for help
to free one of them out of prison.
8. An eager young warrior defies you out of
nowhere (literally falling down from a tree).
Win and you get yourself a fervent follower.
9. A summoning circle is still active with a
demon inside. All the cultists are dead due
to the ritual but the demon still needs to
fulfill someone’s desire to return to its realm.
10. A small dragon asks you to help them fake
their threat. Nobody is afraid of them but they
need to frighten the locals to keep existing.
Story seeds
 NPCs
I
f you need some flavor for an encounter but
don’t want to entirely make someone up
from scratch, here are a bunch of strong
personalities to rely on.

• Calm and They are always feeding

composed some critters or birds.
• Animal A misanthrope, reluctant
lover to talk, they are only here
• Slow talker because of their job.

Used to work for the • Talkative

opposing side. They are and anxious
new to their occupation • Clumsy
but eager to be great at it • Use jargon,
(secretly a fan of a player). but wrongly

• Impatient Always training, and

• Curious always in a new field. They
to a fault have a surface knowledge
• No moral of almost everything, but
compass nothing really useful.

Very confident, except • Proud

when it has to do with one • Ferocious,
of the players, whom they aggressive
have a crush on. It makes • Booming
them awkward and cute. voice

NPCs
• Popular Misplaced hate for the
• Complains players (sure, they have
all the time wronged them in some
• Speaks way). Nice to their friends,
quietly very petty otherwise.

Insufferable know-it-all. • Stunningly

(Also, lies and makes it up beautiful
when they don’t know). • Smart and
Plays devil’s advocate for bookish
the love of the game. • Stutter

• Nudist Regular folk, but dream

• Coward of going on an adventure.
• Very chill Looking fondly at an exotic
• Daydreamer postcard (actually way too
• Slow talker cowardly to leave).

Always happily talking • Gullible

about some obvious scam • Stubborn
they fell for. Very quick- with a
tempered and incapable of short fuse
changing their mind. • Fast talker

• Pessimistic A new parent and totally

• Anxious exhausted. Also, the
• Randomly embodiment of stress and
use their anxiety, flirting with
baby voice outright paranoia.

Do not understand irony, • Earnest

at all. They never make • Brave.
any jokes. Fully honest, Chivalrous,
but they falsely believe even
they are psychic. • Very loud

NPCs
« Why explain the game when you
can just show it to somebody? »

Rules
Choose an adventure.
Narrator reads the intro aloud.
Narrator’s tools are listed
underneath the divider.
In case of conflict
or daring action:
Rock-Paper-Scissors, best of one.
Win: win.
Tie: win with
consequences.
Loss: loss.
If skilled, try again.
Keep the best result.
Players: 10HP to divide
Three skills each
Attack = 1 damage
Monsters are weird and unique,
think about how you should fight
each one to hope to defeat them.