Zurvan’s Showcase

Transform TTRPG performances into spectacular shows, where audience mood, and changing fame, create escalating stakes.

This mini-game transforms bardic and other character performances into dramatic three-act narratives, when audience mood, and growing or receding fame, create escalating stakes.

In this design I’ve defaulted to a D20 system to show how difficulty classes (DCs) and modifiers might work, but it could be adapted to any system. It’s yet to be play tested, so I’m especially happy to receive any feedback on balance and mathematical progression. More on areas to be tested at the end of this post.

If you’re interested in the development process, you can read more about how I designed the Zurvan’s Showstoppers mini-game here [coming soon].

If anyone has tackled similar show/performance mechanics, I’d love to hear about other approaches .

The basic loop

Calculate Audience Mood >

Adjust Mood for PC Fame Level >

Succeed/Fail In-Act and Act-Climax Performance Checks >

Calculate Final Audience Mood >

Once Final Audience mood has been calculated we can move onto rewards:

5. Calculate Reward based on mood >

6. Adjust Fame if scored good mood >

Mood

You can’t get far in a performance without keeping an eye on audience mood. There are many things that might affect it, including different venues, locations, and sociopolitical situations.

For the sake of example, let’s suggest that these 3 performance locations start with a default mood based on the average mood of the audience:

• A small village that hasn’t seen performers in many months or years, might start engaged or enthusiastic.

• An audience in a large town might see a lot of performers, so what’s one more? They may start in an indifferent mood.

• An audience in a large city, with lots of regular performances available daily, might start in a sceptical or disinterested mood.

This same starting mood can be scaled to establishment or locale. For instance:

• A dive bar’s audience might be hostile by default - you wondered why there was a metal cage around the stage.

• A street busker’s passing audience may be disinterested as they bustle past on personal and business errands.

• A festival’s audience might be sceptical as you’re not something they’ve seen before.

• A tavern’s audience might be indifferent to the background music while they drink and carouse.

• An inn’s audience might be engaged as they rest and recuperate.

• A theatre’s audience might be enthusiastic having heard good things about your performance.

• An opera house’s audience might be captivated having heard you received the patronage of the Grand Duke himself.

Note: I could imagine adventures based around improving the mood of a location to boost the potential for lucrative shows and opportunities for fame.

Note: Fame could potentially also be impacted by other activities the performers undertake, such as clearing out a nearby dungeon or bandit camp.

Fame

Fame influences an audience’s expectations and impacts starting mood.

Each level of fame represents a progression: an unknown person might discover a hidden talent. If they develop and showcase that talent publicly, they could become a celebrity or a star. Over time, if their impact is profound and lasting, they might achieve the status of a legend.

• If you’re unknown, no one has heard of you.

• If you are talented, you’re known locally.

• If you’re a celebrity, you’re known regionally.

• If you’re a star, everyone in your country or nation has heard of you.

• If you’re a legend, everyone in the world has heard of you.

The game loop

1. Determine audience mood:

   1. By settlement type, or

   2. By establishment type, or

   3. Roll a D8

2. Positively adjust the audience mood by 1 level per PC fame bonus

   1. or party average if a troupe of performers.

   2. or simply add the fame bonus if rolling the dice.

3. Calculate the ACT1 Climax DC (e.g., DC15 +/- ACT Climax mood modifier).

4. ACT 1 Performance begins

   1. Inciting incident (standard performance check DC 10)

      1. Success/Failure = +/- 1 to Climax Performance Roll

   2. Refusal of the call (standard performance check DC 10)

      1. Success/Failure = +/- 1 to Climax Performance Roll

   3. Meeting the mentor (standard performance check DC10)

      1. Success/Failure = +/- 1 to Climax Performance Roll

5. ACT 1 Climax Performance check (DC15 +/- ACT Climax mood modifier)

   1. A success raises the mood by 1 level

   2. A failure drops the mood by 1 level

6. Calculate the ACT2 Climax DC (e.g., DC15 +/- the adjusted ACT Climax mood modifier)

7. Act 2 Performance begins

   1. Test, Allies, Enemies (standard performance check DC 10)

      1. Success/Failure = +/- 1 to Climax Performance Roll

   2. Approach to the innermost cave (standard performance check DC 10)

      1. Success/Failure = +/- 1 to Climax Performance Roll

8. Midpoint/Big Twist (standard performance check DC 10)

   1. Success/Failure = +/- 2 to Climax Performance Roll

   2. Reflection and reward (standard performance check DC10)

      1. Success/Failure = +/- 1 to Climax Performance Roll

9. ACT 2 Climax Performance Check (DC15 +/- adjusted ACT Climax mood modifier)

   1. A success raises the mood by 1 level

   2. A failure drops the mood by 1 level

10. Calculate the ACT3 Finale DC (e.g., DC15 +/- the adjusted ACT Climax mood modifier)

11. ACT 3 Performance begins

    1. Resurrection (standard performance check DC 10)

       1. Success/Failure = +/- 1 to Finale Performance Roll

    2. Return with the Elixir (standard performance check DC 10)

       1. Success/Failure = +/- 1 to Finale Performance Roll

12. ACT 3 Finale Performance Check (DC15 +/- adjusted ACT Climax mood modifier)

    1. A success raises the mood by 1 level

    2. A failure drops the mood by 1 level

13. Calculate the audience's final mood and compare this to the following tables to determine Remuneration (tables 3.0 and 3.1 ) and Fame growth (table 3.1).

Example: Jlerpy’s Jesters, known throughout the kingdom as a masterful theatre troupe and stars of the boards (National Stars: Fame +3), are set to perform on stage at a festival in the City of Redditon. The local lord is dealing with civil unrest and is staging the festival in an attempt to distract the populace.

The crowd is hostile (ACT Climax mood modifier +3) as there has been a great deal of turmoil in the region. But the troupe’s fame alone is enough to calm the crowd, bringing the gathered audience up to an indifferent mood level (ACT Climax mood modifier +0). Can their performance engage, enthuse, or captivate the crowd?

They begin their performance with a narrative flow that hints at an unrealised potential and the chance to fulfil it. They succeed their performance check (DC10), gaining a future +1 bonus to the ACT1 Climax performance check (DC15 +0).

Next, they reach inside the audience's hearts revealing to all that it is hard to step up and take the first steps on a journey beyond everything they’ve ever known. They succeed their performance check (DC10, gaining an additional +1 bonus to the ACT1 Climax performance check (DC15+0).

Next they regale the audience with the tale of how the hero of our song met a wizened old man who pointed them towards an inn on the far borders of their homeland. This time they fail their roll gaining a negative -1 bonus to the ACT 1 Climax performance check (DC15+0).

At this stage, they have gained a +2, and a -1 bonus to their ACT1 Climax check, for a total of +1. They roll their check DC15, and roll a 15 (+1 and any other system-specific bonuses) for a total score of 16+, which is enough to pass. The crowd’s mood improves by 1 level, from indifferent to engaged. This makes the ACT2 Check DC now DC15-1 or DC14.

At the end of ACT2, they have gained +3 and -2 bonuses respectively, which when totalled with their bonuses from ACT1, leaves them with a total ACT2 Climax check bonus of +2. They roll a 17, for 19 total, and smash their performance, gaining another level of mood improvement, taking the crowd from engaged to enthusiastic. This drops the ACT3 Finale DC to 13.

At the end of ACT3, despite the bonuses they gained, they fail their Finale check, dropping the final audience mood from enthusiastic back down to engaged.

Remuneration (getting paid)

How Remuneration by Fame works: Your initial fame (pre-performance) determines the baseline share of the ticket sales you take home (see Table 3.0).

The more famous you are, the larger crowd you can draw, and the greater net profit from the venue. There are additional modifiers available based on final audience mood (see Table 3.1)

How Mood Bonus to Remuneration works: If at the end of your performance the final audience mood is engaged, enthusiastic, or captivated, you gain the relevant modifier to your baseline % of ticket sales. This represents walk-ins or a cut of the bar take, as business surges due to excited and thirsty patrons.

If your performance ends with a final audience mood of sceptical, disinterested, or hostile, you deduct the relevant bonus to your baseline % ticket sales. This represents the disappointed, walkouts, and refund demands.

Example: A legendary musician who has captivated his audience will gain 90% of ticket sales.

An unknown performer who leaves the crowd disinterested will walk away with nothing. Worse, if an unknown performer leaves a crowd hostile, he may end up owing the venue owner money (-10%) for repairs or lost takings - due to a hostile, angry, and potentially violent crowd.

How Fame Growth works: If at the end of your performance the final audience mood is enthusiastic or captivated, you gain +1 level of fame in that location (village, town, city) as you become the literal talk of the town. If however, your performance ends with a disinterested or hostile audience, you lose one level of fame, as word of mouth discourages audience attendance and the crowd loses interest in your entertainment ability.

Example: An unknown performer delivers a stunning performance, leaving their audience captivated and begging for more. Word of mouth quickly spreads and their fame in the village, city, or town grows as they become known as a local talent on the rise.A legendary performer delivers a poorly rehearsed and ill-conceived performance, hoping to rest on his laurels. While he draws a large crowd, he leaves the audience disinterested and bored. Perhaps the legend is no more, as he becomes a star on the wane.

Growing fame across regions

To grow from unknown, to talented represents a fame growth that is localised. So how does one go about becoming a regional celebrity, a national star, or even an international legend?

Start by creating a regional hierarchy, in this example we’ll go with a classic feudal world.

• World

• Kingdom

• Duchy/County

• City/Town/Village

Define a capital for each kingdom, and a regional capital for duchy/county.

• To go from unknown to a local talent, you need to achieve a final audience mood (FAM) of enthusiastic or captivated in one city, town, or village in a region.

• To become a regional celebrity, you need to achieve a FAM of enthusiastic or captivated in 5 regional locations (cities, towns, villages) one of which should be the regional capital.

• To become a national star, you need to achieve a FAM of enthusiastic or captivated in each regional capital - including the kingdom capital.

To become an international legend, you need to achieve a FAM of captivated in each kingdom’s capital.

Example: Jlerpy’s Jesters, already stars, want to become legends. They have been touring for years and have one capital city left to conquer. They know that to become legends they need to give a truly captivating performance, one for the ages. Finishing their performance with the audience spellbound, they ascend to the status of legends, as every merchant and princeling attending, carries the tale of their performance far and wide, opening the door of every wealthy patron in the land.

Transferring fame across regions

When entering a new region or kingdom, your fame level defaults back to unknown. You can carry over some of your fame by taking part in inter-regional or international festivals, allowing you to share your fame with mixed audiences that include current and potentially future fans.

These festivals will often take place during seasonal festivities, such as spring, midsummer, harvest, and midwinter, see table 4.1:.

Additionally, there may also be events sponsored by rich patrons that can increase your reach with new audiences and transfer your fame. The level of fame transferred would correlate to the regional level of your patron: e.g., Bailiff (Village), Mayor (town), Sheriff (City), Count (Regional capital), King (kingdom), see also table 4.1:

Additional options for improved gameplay

System specific mechanics such as spells, costumes, or other items might grant additional bonuses to performance checks at the GM’s discretion.

• Time spent in regular rehearsal, could give bonuses to performance rolls.

• Could be potential for a “fame maintenance” mechanic

• Venue specific modifiers (good/bad acoustics, good/bad stage quality, etc.).

• Competition mechanics for festivals

• Consequences for repeated poor performances in the same location (run out of town?)

Thoughts on areas for play-testing

• Modifier Accumulation Balance

  • Do Act-Climax performance bonus stack correctly or do the over/under accumulate.

• Difficulty Scaling vs. PC progression

  • Is DC15 too high for low level characters?

  • Does DC need to be defined or can it be handwaved by GMs?

• Mood Swing Volatility

  • Can failures cause a death spiral?

  • Does the +3/-3 mood modifier range create too much variance?

  • Are stars and legends too insulated from failure?

• Economic Balance

  • Can performers make meaningful money?

  • Do legendary performers break the economy?

  • How do negative percentages feel in play?

If you’ve made it this far, I hope you’ve enjoyed this first draft of the Showcase mini-game. For more stuff like this subscribe to my blog.

If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to comment below, or join the original discussion on Reddit, here.