Firelights SRD

In here you will find all the information to help you make your own game based “ Guided by Firelights ”.

Written by René-Pier Deshaies-Gélinas
Illustrations by Galen Pejeau

License

Firelights is a product of Fari RPGs (https://farirpgs.com/), but the text of Firelights is available for use under the Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY 4.0 license.

To make your own game Guided by Firelights , simply include the following text in your game:

This work is based on Firelights, product of Fari RPGs (https://farirpgs.com/), developed and authored by René-Pier Deshaies-Gélinas, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Logo and Assets

If you want, you may use the following image to identify your game as a “Guided by Firelights”.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GDV5pPaWQHOS9sZTw2q2r0WR0wlChNQS

System Reference Document and Guidelines

Guided By Firelights

Welcome to the Firelights Creator Kit. You will find all the information to make your own game Guided by Firelights.

Firelights is a condensed solo/co-op role-playing game about a guided journey across a plagued land. It is a game of exploration, discovery, and challenges. Inspired by the Metroidvania video game genre, players take on the role of a last of its kind lone-protagonist whose role is to guide back the dead back to the underworld after a corruption took over. Using accessible gaming material (2 six sided dice, a deck of card, and a notebook), players will tackle challenges, evade danger, explore and create a map of the land, fight dangerous bosses, search for treasures, and more.

This Creator Kit is structured into two chapters.

The System Reference Document (SRD): This chapter includes the actual open licensed SRD of Firelights which you can directly copy and adapt as you see fit to make your own game, as long as you give us attribution for our work. See below for more information concerning the license and attribution details.
The Design Points : This chapter covers all the guidelines on how to create your own game based on the format, setting, and mechanics used in Firelights.

The SRD

The Basics

Preparing The Game

To play this game, you will need the following materials:

A standard deck of cards without any jokers. You will use this as a way to guide the story, and its challenges. This is your Story Deck. When you use a card, discard it.
Two six-sided dice. You will use these to perform actions in the narrative, and get answers about the world. These are your Action Dice.
A notebook to act as your Journey Book for log entries.
Index cards or random slips of paper.
A token of some sort (coin, poker chip, etc.).

Starting the Game

To play, make sure you have a couple of hours of spare time ahead of you. Shuffle and place your Story Deck on a flat surface, and gather your Action Dice.

Creating Your Firelight

Choose your name and preferred pronouns. Your character has three approaches: forceful, patient, and quick. Assign one to a +2, another with a +1, the third defaults to a 0.

Striving For Your Goal

While the Firelights were gone, gigantic shadowy entities called Curses have started spawning across the land, corrupting everything they touch, extinguishing the beacons thus preventing the dead from crossing through the Veil. You are the last of the FIRELIGHTS. You are a very rare kind of insect, and only you have the ability to re-ignite the six beacons, fight Curses, and guide the undead back through the other side of the Veil.

Making An Action

Actions guide your journey across this world. Each one is a self-contained system which helps you resolve the questions you have, or the actions you want to take.

When making an Action , go through the following:

Draw 2 cards face-up from your Story Deck.
Roll and sum your two Action Dice.
Add any modifiers to your roll to get your Score.

Interpret the result as follows, then discard the cards.

If your score is higher than both cards, there’s Light.
If your score is higher than one card, there’s Shade.
Otherwise, there’s Darkness.

Aces are worth 1, Jacks are worth 11, Queens are worth 12, and Kings are worth 13. Each Action is formatted Actions+(Modifier), and tells you what happens when there’s Light , Shade or Darkness.

The Game

Exploring The World

When you start the game, draw a card from the Story Deck , and place it face up in front of you. This is where you are right now. As you discover the land, you will add more cards to your World Map. Each card being a new region.

When you add a new region card, the corner of your card needs to connect with another region’s corner. To know whether the region you are adding is located below, beside or above your current location, compare the numbers of both cards, and interpret the result.

If the number on the new card is higher than the one on your current location, place the card above.
If the number on the new card is lower than the one on your current location, place the card below.
Otherwise, place the card beside your current location.

Use rolling tables for inspiration, place slips of paper on top of the cards to note down details about the region.

Igniting The Six Beacons

The six beacons of Penumbra served as a guide for the dead to navigate through the Veil. Even to this day, they continue to emit a subtle mystical smoke. To find beacons, DISCOVER A REGION. If the card you add to the map is a face card (jack, queen, king) that region includes a beacon.

Resting and Fatigue

You may have to mark Fatigue as a result to an action. When your fatigue is full or your Story Deck empty, you have to rest or flee to live another day, or risk extinguishing your light. When you rest, fill an entry in your Journey Book, shuffle the cards you discarded when making Actions in your journey, and clear your Fatigue.

Fighting Curses

If you encounter a Curse, you may confront them. Build a stack of cards as described in the FIGHT A CURSE action. When the number of cards of the stack matches the Curse’s Strength , they fade away and perish. If you flee from a Curse, their stack persists until you encounter them again.

Calamity (5 Strength): Spider spun from mist who spews toxic fumes. Red cards ♦♥ count as two stack cards.
Screecher (8 Strength): Being of flame and shadow which shrieks destruction, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake. Black cards ♠ ♣ count as two stack cards.
Hollow (8 Strength): Worm with eyes that gleam like rubies. Attacks from below and consume all in its grasp. Spades ♠ count as two stack cards.
Talon (13 Strength): Bird of bones. Quick to strike, and extremely deadly. Hearts ♥ count as two stack cards.

The Actions

Confront Risk

When you act in the face of adversity, Action+Approach.

Upon Light , it’s a full success.
Upon Shade , it’s a partial success.
Upon Darkness , it’s a setback , mark 1 Fatigue.

Search For Treasures

When you search for something lost, Action+Approach to see how many Treasures you find.

Upon Light , you find 2 treasures.
Upon Shade , you find 1 treasure.
Upon Darkness , a Curse is onto you, mark 1 Fatigue.

Buy Information

When you trade treasures for knowledge, decide on a number of Treasures to expend, and Action+Treasures.

Upon Light , you get precise information.
Upon Shade , you get partial information.
Upon Darkness , you get ambiguous information.

Discover a Region

When you look for a new path, Action+Approach.

Upon Light , add the two cards to your map.
Upon Shade , add either one of the cards to your map.
Upon Darkness , the path is hidden. Add either one of the cards to your map, face down, and mark 1 Fatigue. To reveal a hidden path, you may BUY INFORMATION or CONFRONT RISK.

Fight A Curse

When you confront a Curse, Action+Approach. Repeat until you’ve stacked enough cards to match its Strength.

Upon Light , stack the two cards on the curse.
Upon Shade , stack either one of the cards on the curse.
Upon Darkness , EVADE DANGER.

Evade Danger

When you avoid an impending threat, Action+Approach.

Upon Light , you avoid the danger.
Upon Shade , mark 1 Fatigue.
Upon Darkness , mark 2 Fatigue.

Get an Answer From The Oracle

When you want answers to a yes/no question, Action+2 if likely. Action+0 if unlikely. Action+1 otherwise.

Upon Light , the answer is “ yes, and… ”.
Upon Shade , the answer is “ yes, but… ”.
Upon Darkness , the answer is “ no, and… ”.

The Design Points

When making your game, you will be considering numerous things all at once in the hope of forming a cohesive whole. To make your life easier, we’ve created those design points. In this chapter, you will see all the things you need to think about when making your game. Simply go through each section, and by the end of this chapter you will have a pretty good idea of what your game will look like.

A Format

The first thing you need to think about when creating a game of any sort is the format you want to use. If your document is a trifold pamphlet like Firelights, a 20-page zine, or a full-fledged book, the way you write your text, lore, and mechanics will differ greatly.

In formats like bifold or trifold games, every single word has to be useful. Every single sentence, condensed. Because of the space limitation, you might have to rephrase things often to make them fit on the page. Using a small format also means you won’t be able to add as many things as you might have liked. Details like world lore, a bestiary or NPC backgrounds can take up a lot of space. Space is a luxury you often can’t afford in small formats., It requires significant effort to make condensed games, but it can be a rewarding challenge…

If you decide to go with a larger format like a zine or a book, then you will need to ask yourself the question “how much is too much information?” Guided by Firelights games revolve around a solo protagonist who explores and discovers a world. If you add too many details around the world, what is left to be explored? Try to strike the right balance between things that are necessary to understand what the world is about, and what is superfluous to actually enjoy being a part of it.

A World

Firelight was created in the hope of mechanically emulating the Metroidvania video game genre. As for its world, the game is heavily inspired by Ori and the Blind Forest, Hollow Knight, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The world of Firelights is grim, dark, but still hopeful. The dead can’t find the way through the Veil, and only Firelights can reignite the Beacons which lead their way. But, Curses are all around, and plague the land. The game starts with the protagonist emerging from a cocoon. They know nothing of the world at this point. They start with only a basic understanding of what they need to do, and are guided by their goal to explore and reignite the 6 beacons of Penumbra.

When creating your world, think about what it looks like, what kind of creatures live in it, and what are its impending or current issues. Is the world broken, or is there something that is looking to cause it harm? Think about the latest events in the story, and describe them in the game to give a sense of history and context.

A Goal

In Firelights, the protagonist of the story has one clear goal: explore a world that is entirely new to them, and re ignite the 6 beacons of the land. Only they have the power to do this and guide the dead back through the Veil. This goal that drives the player through the story. Without this, the player won’t have any interest in actually exploring the land, and expanding the map.

When creating your story, think about the goal the main character of the story has. Is the protagonist just a lone explorer, or are they a part of the solution to resolve the problems of the world? Are they looking for something, or are they fleeing someone? Think about the different factions in your world, and how they relate with the protagonist to define how everything is linked together.

An Antagonist

In Firelights, the main antagonists of the story are the undead and the Curses. The undead are the creatures that plague the land, as there are no more beacons to guide their way through the Veil. The Curses are the shadowy entities who’ve extinguished the beacons, and corrupt the land of Penumbra. While the undead exist for narrative purposes only, Curses are an important part of the system. Curses are the bosses of the game. They are scary, dangerous, and are hunting for the protagonist. In Ori and the Will of the Wisps, those are your Howl, Mora, and Shriek. Some actions results hint at their presence, while others put the player in direct conflict with them. To fight a curse, the player needs to perform an action, and stack a certain number of cards to match the Curse’s strength. Some Curses are vulnerable to certain types of actions, and this is reflected by card suite vulnerabilities inscribed on each Curse’s definition. E.g. “♠ cards count as two cards”

When designing your world, think about the different kind of enemies, creatures, opponents, or adversaries the protagonist may face in their journey. Define what triggers them showing up, may it be caused by an Action’s result or not. Then, think of how a character fights them (e.g. with an action), and what makes them unique (e.g. vulnerabilities)

A Protagonist

Games that are Guided by Firelights usually focus on developing the story of a lone protagonist, which the player of the game embodies throughout the story. That protagonist is determined to accomplish their goal, explore the world, and interact with the fiction using a list of Actions and a set of Approaches. Consequences are paced using a Fatigue track, and Treasures can be gained and spent to do numerous things in the fiction.

Approaches

The protagonist has three approaches: Forceful, Quick, and Patient. Each approach is linked to a Modifier which is often used when making Actions in the game. At the start of the game, there is one approach set at a +2, another at a +1, and the last one is set to a 0.

For your game, think about the different kind and number of possible Approaches you want the protagonist to take when performing Actions in the world. Define their name, and think of how the Modifiers for each approach are set at the start of a game, and if there’s a chance to increase them during gameplay.

The word Approach is important here. Those aren’t skills, they are the ways and methods a character might use when facing a particular challenge.

Fatigue

The protagonist has a Fatigue track which is made of 5 boxes, which the game uses as a way to pace the consequences of making actions. When the main character makes an action, and the result is not favorable, there’s a chance they’ll have to mark a number of Fatigue boxes.

For your game, think of the different way you want to pace out consequences. You may want to use a single track like in Firelights, or rely on multiple tracks. Think about which Action has an impact on the tracks, and define what happens when if a track is ever full.

To its core, the Fatigue track is kind of like a health point bar that is used as a way to boost up the drama of the different actions of the main character.

Treasures

The protagonist also has a Treasures counter. Treasures are gained by the SEARCH FOR TREASURES action, and are consumed when making the BUY INFORMATION action. This diversifies the types of things the protagonist can do in the story, but gives them more tools to get to their goal. Instead of resolving everything with a challenge, this gives them the ability to approach certain situations with a new angle, thus making the gameplay more varied.

For your game, think about what the protagonist can do and gain throughout their journey, and how they can expend it to gain other advantages. Always refer to the list of Actions the main character can take when designing this particular aspect.

Treasures were incorporated in the game to reinforce the exploration phase of the game, and guide players to look for secrets, like you’d do in Metroidvania style video games.

A Moment of Rest

As the protagonist explores the map of the game, they may be asked by the result of an Action to mark Fatigue. At some point in the game, they will have to clear the track, or fear having to fall back and flee for impending danger. Firelights accomplishes this by allowing the character to Rest. When a character rests, they clear the fatigue track, shuffle the discarded cards they’ve used back into their Story Deck , and take the time to fill an entry in their Journey Book.

When designing your mechanics, think about what taking a Rest looks like, and the kind of impacts it as on the different systems and mechanics that your game uses.

This kind of move is classic in games like Ori and the Blind Forest and Hollow Knight. This is when the character finds a calm place in the world where they can restore their health, save their game, and take a breather from the constant challenge that is their journey.

An Action List

The core system of Firelights relies on its Actions. These are self-contained systems the player can quickly parse at a glance when they are looking for something to do. Each action has a trigger (e.g. “when you do this…”), defines how the action is executed (e.g. “Act + Modifier”), and lists out a distribution based on whether the result of the action created Light, Shade, or Shadow.

For your game, think about the kind of moves you want the main character to take as they walk the land, face adversaries and explore the unknown. Every single action should be put in place to reinforce something important about your game and your themes. In other words, don’t add generic actions. Instead, try to look for actions that are entirely unique to the Protagonist.

In video game terms, these are the kind of activities the main character can do in the world. Can they fight? Search? Climb? Evade? Purify? Add one action for each important theme, and make them worth the player’s time.

The Journey

Now having read creator kit, you should now have a pretty good understanding of the different parts of games Guided by Firelights, and should be in good hands to get started on your project.

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