LET’S TALK!

STAND-ALONE NPC DIALOGE SYSTEM FOR SOLO ROLEPLAYING

Pan’ya-chan approves!

BY DR. GERALD RAVENPIE

2023
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
GETTING STARTED ........................................... 3 ADVANCED MOODS ........................................... 9
WHEN TO USE ........................................................3 READING THE ROOM.......................................... 9
WHAT YOU NEED .................................................3 ASSIGNING MOODS ............................................. 9
MECHANICAL EFFECTS ...................................10
THE SYSTEM ........................................................ 4
GREETINGS..............................................................4 CHOUCROUTE FUN TAG! - A FULL
TONES & REACTIONS..........................................4 DIALOGUE EXAMPLE ..................................... 13

EXCHANGES ............................................................6 THE STORY SO FAR…........................................13

AFTERMATH ...........................................................6 GREETINGS ...........................................................13

FIRST EXCHANGE...............................................13

OPTIONAL RULES .............................................. 7 SECOND EXCHANGE .........................................14

PERSUADING ..........................................................7 INTERLUDE ..........................................................14

LYING .........................................................................7 THIRD EXCHANGE .............................................14

THREE-SIDED DIALOGUES ...............................7 AFTERMATH ........................................................15

WILDCARD TONE .................................................7

ERR…HMM… TONE ..............................................8

Version 0.03
By Dr. Gerald Ravenpie, 2023
First, the usual comment: do whatever you want with the text in this document, except making money or doing
something illegal or immoral. By the way, that ‘illegal or immoral’ clausula is just a tongue-in-cheek comment (based
on a 90’s Spanish song) that probably has run its course already. So do not take it too seriously!
And second, I want to thank Martin Proctor, whose comments (and encouraging words!) inspired me to update this
document. If you find something new that sounds clever, odds are it comes from those comments! (^ __ ^)
GETTING STARTED
LET’S TALK! is a stand-alone dialogue system for
solo roleplaying, designed to be used with any other WHAT YOU NEED
RPG ruleset. This system is inspired by classic tree-
You need two 10-side dice, but using only one also
dialogues in videogames; to be precise, by those
works: the only time you need to roll two dice is to
videogames where dialogue options are represented
select the column and the row of one certain table, so
by a single word, short phrase, or even an icon.
you can do that step-by-step. Also, you need the tone
Luckily, this won’t be one of those games where the
cards included at the end of this document to build a
writers pus words in the mouth of your character that
Tone Deck at the beginning of each Dialogue. Finally,
you never, ever, would use, or even worse, mislead
you need a way to stablish how your relationship
you…because in this case you are be the one who
with an NPC is. If this concept is treated just
selects and gives a meaning to those words!
narratively in your used RPG, just assign one attitude
level by following the guidelines in that game (or just
WHEN TO USE your gusts if there’re no guidelines). If it’s based on
some game trait, you should choose the attitude the
The Dialogue rules in this add-on are designed to give
better fit the original tag, descriptor, level, or
you inspiration when doing a conversation with an
whatever, from the original system.
NPC. They don’t tell you what they say, but how they
do it as a reaction of whatever you have said to them,
what they think about you, and how they’re feeling at
that time. A BIT OF BACKGROUND
This Dialogue system is a stand-alone version of the
Nevertheless, this rules stop being useful when
one found in the VISORPGZ (available in
they get in the way instead of helping, and those times
https://ucmeumm.blogspot.com/p/visorpg-
you just should ignore them. For example, you don’t
videogame-ish-solo-roleplaying.html) It was an
need stop to roll to stablish the topic of a dialogue or
already quite ‘stand-alone’-ish system to begin with,
the mood of an NPC when you are continuing a
but it still included some mentions to other
previous (and recent) conversation where all those
mechanics that have been omitted here.
aspects were already stablished. Nor you should use
Nevertheless, at the time this version of LET’S TALK!
these rules with every single NPC you meet, if that
hit the press (that’s metaphorical!), it had included
NPC has no relevancy to the plot nor has anything
refinements and additions to its original source.
interesting to say. Going back to the videogame
metaphor, if you meet an NPC whose only line is “I’m If you came from a previous version of this document,
starting to take lessons at piano” (potentially the main changes have been a) an expansion of the
changing to “I’ve progressed a lot at playing the Advanced Moods optional rules, b) a bit more
piano” if you visit the same place later), then the full detailed in the description of the tones and reactions,
Dialogue rules aren’t required. and c) a full-fledged Dialogue example. Also, the
results for the Reaction Roll table have been
Finally, when an NPC is a member of your party, reversed to better make ‘rolling high’ corresponds to
you don’t have to start a Dialogue every time you ‘better results’, and they now use the ‘worded’
want that NPC to say something, nor when you want answers instead that a number you must translate to
to answer a question or petition. One of the funny the former.
parts of having people travelling with you is hearing
their idle chat (with you, or among themselves), even
if there are times they may get up on your nerves! So GETTING SOCIAL!
just keep this Dialogue mechanics for the relevant
moments; also, feel free to use just part of those This Add-on only covers one aspect of social
mechanics here and there as an inspiration source relationships (or ‘the social pillar’, as cool kids call it
(e.g., using it as a substitute for the classical ‘reaction nowadays), namely ‘talking with people’. Now, you
roll’ if the system you’re using lacks one). may be interested in other aspects, as making friends
(or losing them!), romancing, dealing with Factions,
etc. Well, good news, there’s another stand-alone
add-on which does just that, KEEPING CONTACT!,
which even includes a compatibility patch to use it
along LET’S TALK! You can find it in this page, close
to the one you may have found this Add-on:
https://ucmeumm.blogspot.com/2022/12/keeping-
contact-standalone-social.html
THE SYSTEM
To summarize this system in a nutshell, a Dialogue restricted area isn’t looking for some idle-chat), you
with an NPC has the following stages: don’t need to make that roll: reserve it for those times
you have nothing in mind yet.
• Greetings. Where the initial attitude of the NPC
(both regarding you and their general mood) and
the reasons behind that Dialogue are stablished. MOOD
Regardless of who is approaching who, you use
• Exchanges. Where you resolve the talky part, by the Mood Roll Table to know the initial Mood of that
selecting specific Tones and getting Reactions NPC: roll 1d10 to select the row and another one for
based on those tones, how friendly the NPC is to the column. This affects how that NPC greets you, but
begin with, and a bit of randomness. also serves as a guide for how the rest of the dialogue
• Aftermath. Where you decide if the Dialogue has would go. Also, this result can give you some clues
some effect in your relationship with that NPC, if about the nature of those news, reminders, petitions,
things got so ugly that you now must fight, and demands or opportunities they bring with them.
any other further consequence. In case of strangers, you can use the result to
summarize their full personalities, instead of just how
GREETINGS they’re feeling at that moment. As an alternative, if
you already know the personality of an NPC, you may
NPCs are polite enough to greet you, even if that just randomly select how is that NPC feeling at that
politeness may take the form of just a ‘Hey, listen!’, specific moment based on this. E.g., if you know that
‘You, N’wah!’ or ‘Grah, interloper!’. You should do the one NPC is a bit coward but also quite arrogant, you
same when you’re the one who starts a Dialogue, so could randomly select which of these two aspects
its first step is this Greetings part where you dominates at any given time (for example selecting
establish a) what’s the NPC initial Attitude, b) the between the Arrogant and Scared moods).
dialogue’s Topic, and c) the NPC’s Mood. The starting
ones, at least, as they could change before the end. Note that the columns in this table are notably
biased, being the leftmost the most negative in
nature, and the rightmost the most positive. You may
ATTITUDE
consider this to select the column instead of rolling it,
Even before it begins, a Dialogue looks quite if you expect that the mood of a specific NPC should
different if the NPC you’re talking to already has a tend towards the positive/negative/neutral side.
metaphorical (or literal!) knife-between-teeth when
seeing you, or if that NPC is your BFF. Thus, before
anything else, you must stablish the Attitude of that
NPC from one of the following: Very unfriendly,
BEYOND THE BASICS
Unfriendly, Neutral, Friendly, Very Friendly. You can The guidelines about moods in this section are at
use your previous story with that NPC if you’ve their most basic level, being 100% based on narrative
already met, or just use the most fitting for the effects. A further section in this document expands
current situation in the case of a complete stranger. these rules, including specific mechanical effects for
each mood and discussing ways to assign them.
Note that the Attitude ‘I hate, despise or fear you so
much that I don’t want to talk to you, ever’ may also be
on the table…but, in this case, you can’t expect a
proper Dialogue with that NPC: they will probably
TONES & REACTIONS
attack you, insult you, blatantly ignore you, or flee There are eleven common tones plus two optional
before you can even say, ‘Hi!’. ones, each one (with one exception) with a card
associated to it. In this section, you can find the
meaning of each tone…but, as it will be seen, there’s
TOPIC plenty of room for interpretation in most cases.
Once it’s been stablished that the NPC at least
wants to talk with you, the question is…about what? The first nine tones are the default ones you
If you are the one approaching the NPC, you just always include in the Tone Deck. Note that there’s no
decide the Topic, even if it’s something as simple as ‘neutral’ tone among them: each time you must select
just wanting to say ‘Hi!’. On the other hand, if the NPC a tone should symbolize a potential turning point in
is approaching you for a little talk, make a d10 roll to the Dialogue, where each option would have
decide why, checking the result in the Topic Roll consequences. Thus, any filler & padding lines of text
Table. Remember that if the circumstances already would be inserted between these relevant moments,
point in one direction (e.g., a guard that finds you in a for as long as you desire.
 Aggressive. You speak in a demanding or The following two tones have special rules
threatening way, or in a violent way if you regarding their availability. You only include them in
really dislike the NPC. There’s not much room the Tone Deck if the NPC you are talking to pass their
for compromise here: this is the worst tone you could respective requisites, and if you want to include them
you use with anyone! to begin with. Each of these tones, regardless the
reaction, can’t be used again with the same NPC for a
Charming. You try to look cool or talk about time, so you wouldn’t include that specific card in the
something you find cool. Or maybe you try to Tone Deck again for that NPC until then.
flatter the NPC. This tone can’t be used with
someone you don’t get along at all (i.e., someone with Flirting. You show attraction to the NPC or
a Very unfriendly Attitude). try to attract them. Mostly for amusement,
rather than with serious intentions...but who
Friendly. You talk about something knows? You can only include this tone in the deck
heartwarming, offer your help to the NPC, when talking with an NPC with an Attitude
etc. When talking to someone you don’t get ‘Unfriendly’ or better.
along too much, it can represent an olive branch.
Romantic: You try to have a special moment
When talking with someone you don’t get along at all,
with your partner; the details are left to
this’s not even possible: that olive branch should be
yourself. You can only include this tone in the
based in actions instead of words, or, at least, be
deck when you’re talking with an NPC you have a
preceded by them (i.e., you must do something to
romance, something that should have been
make that Attitude at least ‘Unfriendly’).
established during the game or being a part of the
characters background.
Humorous. You talk about something funny,
tell a joke, or use a light tone. This tone
assumes you try to laugh with someone, not
Finally, the next two tones are only used with
at someone; if you get along with the NPC, on the
some of the options described in the following
other hand, it can include also friendly (and, usually,
sections. Note that the first one doesn’t have an
mutual) jeers.
associated card, because that’s the point of that tone.
Questioning. You talk about something you
Err…humm. You found yourself with
find strange or curious about, ask for
nothing to say, because you can’t use any of
information or an opinion, or express doubts
the three tone cards you draw. Expect
about a topic.
looking a bit silly for a moment.
Rude: You talk about something unpleasant,
Wildcard. This tone is equivalent to another
in a sarcastic or dismissive tone, etc. Unlike
one. This will make that tone more likely to
with the Aggressive tone, this rudeness
appear during the Dialogue and may even
doesn’t need to be pointed to THE NPC, especially in
force you to use it in certain circumstances.
the case of a friend: you can use it to express anger
about something in a not-so-subtle way. An equally
Regarding the NPCs, there are sixteen possible
rude answer by the NPC, thus, could be interpreted as
different reactions, being as versatile as tones, and
agreeing with you in some cases; it still counts as an
which also depend on the context: a good friend may
unpleasant exchange…unless you both really needed
react to a joke with a loud laugh, while an enemy may
to vent for a while!
just limit to an ‘okay, that was funny’ comment.
Sad. You talk about something sad, or
Disagreement. The NPC objects your words
express condolences to the NPC. It can also
or actions, but not vehemently. Depending
express melancholy, regret, etc.
on the NPC Attitude and Mood, this can take
the form of a blunt ‘no’, sarcasm / irony, or a polite
Surprised. You talk about something you
“let’s agree to disagree”.
find surprising, baffling, strange, etc. You can
also use this tone when you want to mystify
Flirting. The NPC is receptive, and flirts with
the NPC…or when you have been quite mystified
you in turn! Once again, nothing serious…or
yourself.
is it?
Worried: You talk about something that
Furious: The NPC is really pissed off. The
worries or even scare you. You can also use
Dialogue immediately ends…badly. This is
this tone to express concerns about the NPC
situation, or to give a warning.
the worst possible outcome, so don’t expect anything
good coming from it. EXCHANGES
Dialogues are solved by doing three Exchanges, tops.
Happy. The NPC likes a lot what you are That should be enough to carry our any dialogue, as
saying, sharing their good feelings. each one goes beyond a simple ‘A says, B says’: it can
be (and usually is) a longer ‘A says, B says, A says, B
Helpful. The NPC offers (or accepts) to help says…’, until you decide to jump to the next exchange.
you, by answering your questions, giving But don’t cheat: the full exchange must reflect the
advice, soothing your worries, etc. tone you selected and the reaction you got, so don’t
change its nature out of nowhere!
Hostile: The NPC is now angry. Best case, the
A) First Exchange. Once the greeting part is finished,
NPC is angry to the same thing that angered
draw three tone cards from the Tone Deck, and select
you the first time. But chances are, the NPC is
one of them, which will represent your tone in this
angry with you, even if still willing to talk.
exchange. Once your tone is set, and to know the
nature of the NPC’s answer, you make a 1d10 roll and
Malevolent. The NPC feels pleased… at your
check the result in the Reaction Roll Table. Based on
expense; expect plenty of schadenfreude,
the result and the Attitude of the NPC, the Reaction
with the schaden pointing in your direction!
will be positive, somewhat positive, somewhat
negative, or negative. The NPC Reaction Table tells
Neutral: The NPC feels unimpressed,
what specific Reaction corresponds to your used
indifferent, too baffled to give a proper
tone, in the same order as mentioned: the positive
answer, or tries to temporize. It can also be a
Reaction being the first shown one, the somewhat
mixed-bag, alternating between different two
positive the second, and so on. Beware than there are
different reactions and balancing each other.
some incompatible tone & Attitude combinations, so
if you draw the corresponding tone card, that
Questioning. The NPC wants to know more
dialogue option won’t be available (i.e., in a
about what you’re saying, feel curious, have videogame, it would be ‘greyed out’) and you’ll have
some doubts that wants to clear up, etc. to choose between the other two cards (or the only
one, in the most extreme case).
Reject. Uh, uh…wrong moment or, in some
cases, wrong person. The NPC isn’t receptive B) Second Exchange. If you want to keep talking, you
to your flirting or romantic words. repeat the previous step by drawing three new tone
cards from your already reduced Tone Deck. Except if
Romantic: Your partner is also looking for a the NPC was Furious, because in that case the
special moment. Again, the details are left to dialogue is over…and maybe fists start talking.
yourself. C) Third Exchange. You want more? Okay, no
problem, draw another three tone cards from your
Rude: The NPC doesn’t give a damn about now nearly exhausted Tone Deck, and repeat the
what you’re saying, don’t like it, or (best process. But try to tie everything up because this’s the
case) shares your anger when your rudeness last exchange!
was pointing out elsewhere.

Sad. The NPC feels sad (or disappointed) for AFTERMATH

your words or behavior, express
Once the Dialogue ends, you should ask yourself if
condolences, etc.
something has been said (or done) that could change
the nature of the relation with the NPC. But
Satisfaction: The NPC likes what you are remember that poor chosen words (or well chosen,
saying or doing or, at least, politely agrees when that’s their goal) can quickly sour a
with you. relationship…while a few pretty words, even if
welcomed, rarely are enough to improve it.
Surprised: The NPC feels surprised by your
words or shares your surprise. Also, if the Dialogue ends because the NPC gets
Furious, maybe it’s time to put the Dialogue rules
Worried. The NPC feels perturbed, worried, aside and dust off the combat rules from the system
scared, or uneasy by your words or the way you’re using. Or the chasing ones, if you just have
you’re acting during the Dialogue. pissed off a very dangerous NPC. Just saying.
OPTIONAL RULES
you’ll have to cram every line on dialogue in them as
PERSUADING best as you can.

If you want to persuade an NPC, ask for something, etc., The combination of this optional rule with others
you can use one of the following options: more complex ones, as the Advanced Moods (specially
these ones, in fact), are left as an exercise to the
• Make the Exchange to represent the petition, and reader. Ahem.
then use the ‘persuasion’ system of the game you’re
playing, giving it a bonus or a penalty depending on
how well (or bad) the exchange went. WILDCARD TONE
• Once the Dialogue has finished, make a final check By default, LET’S TALK! gives equal odds to all tones
in the Reaction Roll Table, modifying the initial being drawn from the deck, regardless the PC
Attitude of the NPC for worse or better depending personality, social skills or how good (or bad) has been
on how the dialogue went. Just interpret a positive their day. Cue the Wildcard tone optional rule, which
result as a “Yes”, a somewhat positive as a “Yes, gives more weight to one specific tone and has some
but”, a somewhat negative as a “No, but”, and additional nifty effects. To be precise, ‘Wildcard’ is NOT
negative as a “No”. a new tone by itself, but a new card that you include in
the Tone Deck as usual and represents a second instance
of another Tone card. Except the Err...hmm… one, if
LYING you’re also using that soon to be described optional rule:
If you want to lie during a Dialogue, play your tone card that would be silly.
and then use one of the following options:
WILDCARD SELECTION
• Use any action resolution system based on the game There’re three ways to select which existing tone is
you’re playing (as your classical skill roll) to check linked to the Wildcard one:
if the NPC believes you or not.
How you are. With this option, you select your
• Base it just on the result in the Reaction Roll, so Wildcard tone during the creation of the PC, based on
you’re fully believed if the reaction is positive, their background, personality, etc. Note that the same
you’re barely believed if it’s somewhat positive, and ‘specialty tone’ can mean different things for different
you’re caught lying if it’s somewhat negative or characters, and not always for good: if you select ‘Sad’
negative. as your Wildcard, this may mean that you’re a bit of a
In any case, if you’re caught lying, the NPC reaction crybaby…or a very empathic person; ‘Rude’ can mean
will be Rude instead of the default one for the tone you that you’re quite grumpy, or a total jerk, etc. As a
used, or Hostile/Furious if it was already one of those. narrative tool, you can decide changing your Wildcard
Tone during the game if the events during it point to a
dramatic change of heart, in any direction. You can even
THREE-SIDED DIALOGUES spend some time without a Wildcard Tone just to reflect
Now that you know how to talk to one NPC, let’s see those changes taking time to settle. In fact, you could
what happens when you’re talking to more than one! assign the Err…hmm.. tone to the Wildcard until then,
Or, to be precise, to two NPCs: in theory, you could because in this case it wouldn’t be silly at all, but
dramatic: it would represent your inner emotional
have a dialogue with even more characters, but if this
conflict and stuff.
were a Visual Novel the screen would be too cluttered
…so let’s play along with the metaphor and avoid How you feel. Who said that a PC couldn’t feel as
doing it. moody as NPC? With this option, before starting the
Dialogue, you select the nature of the Wildcard tone
Three-sided conversations work like a normal
based on how you should feel at that moment, but before
dialogue, with just some little differences: each NPC
you roll the Mood of the NPC.
may have different Attitudes, Topics and Moods and
will make a different Reaction Roll to check their Both. You can combine both options by selecting two
specific reaction. Also, if their Attitudes are different, or three tones as your usual ones. Then, you randomly
they may have a different reaction even when they (or wittingly) choose one of them as your Wildcard tone
got the same result in the roll. for each specific Dialogue, based on the current situation.
Again, you must do it before rolling the Mood of the
As expected, things could get a little NPC.
convoluted…but the good news is that the dialogue is
still limited to three exchanges; the bad news is that
 THE WILDCARD IN ACTION god or really bad the first time, there is no room for a
You treat the Wildcard tone as a duplicate of another second one!
tone card, which may allow you using the same tone
twice in the same dialogue if you draw it in different
exchanges (more on this in a moment). On the other
ERR…HMM… TONE
hand, if you’re lucky (?) and draw both the Wildcard This rule is an escape clause (or, to use programming
Tone and the copied tone in the same Exchange, you lingo, an exception handler!) for those situations where
must use that tone and skip the part where you make a you find yourself with three tone cards in your hand
Reaction Roll: just apply the Reaction you want among during an Exchange and you can’t use any of them. That
the four available! So yes, that means that maybe you as shouldn’t happen with the RAW system, as the worst-
a player weren’t too eager of using that tone…but you as case scenario (i.e., talking with a Very Unfriendly NPC
the PC don’t have any other option. Fair warning: if this and getting both the Charming and Friendly tones in the
means that you’re forced to use a tone, but you can´t use same exchange) still leaves you with one usable tone. But
because it’s not available for that NPC…well, time to once optional rules start piling-up, as hinted just above,
apply that funny Err…hmm... Tone optional rule. you may find out in one of those awkward situations. So,
when this happens, just use the Err…hmm… tone as a
Note that you can select the Flirting or Romantic default which, as expected, will make you look a bit silly.
tones as your Wildcard, but you still apply both their
requisites and limitations. Thus, if you can’t include the If you’re using the Advanced Moods rules, there’s
original tone in the Tone Deck for whichever reason (the another situation you would apply this rule: you use the
NPC doesn’t pass the requisites, you’ve already used that Err…hmm... tone if you try to play a tone card that ends
tone with that NPC recently, etc.), you can’t neither up being unusable once the NPC Mood is revealed
include the Wildcard one. Also, you can try being (because it’s a restricted tone for that Mood, or because
romantic or flirt twice in the same Dialogue if you deal it’s restricted by the modified level of the NPC Attitude).
the corresponding cards in different Exchanges, but only And, once again, you look a bit silly.
if the first time you use it gives you a somewhat positive
or somewhat negative Reaction: if things worked really
ADVANCED MOODS
This section offers a series of additional optional rules case, you may still roll for a random Mood, but with
regarding one specific topic: NPC Moods and their the clausula ‘it can’t be better / worse that X’ added to
effect. it. Or you may select the two or three more likely
Moods and chose one of them at random.
READING THE ROOM Example I: if you meet a security guard who’s a
total stranger to you, and they have caught you
By default, you assign a Mood to an NPC during the
red-handed in a restricted place, the best-case
Greetings phase of the Dialogue, but you can use this
scenario is that guard being Suspicious (hey,
little change instead: before assigning it, make an
maybe there’s some reason for you being there,
appropriate skill roll, test, or whatever would fit the game
after all!). So you may roll for a Mood, but if you
system you’re playing:
get anything that sounds better than Suspicious
• If you success: You assign the Mood of the NPC you would default to that.
before the Dialogue starts.
Example II: if you have recently betrayed
• If you barely success: Make a Mood Roll,
someone, best case would be that person being
selecting two different Moods from the same
Skeptical. Worst case scenario…well, you could
column. You won’t know which one is the right
probably imagine that! So, for that NPC, you
one until you have played your first tone card.
would roll for a Mood, and if it sounds better
• If you fail: You just get a general idea of how good than Skeptical you would default to that one
or crappy is the NPC Mood: make a Mood Roll, but instead.
just to check the column. Don’t roll for the row
until you have played you first tone card. Example III: if you have recently saved the life of
someone, that person should feel at the very
• If you fail by a high margin, fumble, etc.: Nope, least Pleased with you. That is, if that NPC isn’t
you read nothing. Don’t make the Mood Roll until an ungrateful curmudgeon…but, even in that
you have played your first tone card. case, it may be just a case of ‘I’m thankful to you
but I don’t want to make it too evident’. So, you
ASSIGNING MOODS may roll for a Mood, and if you get anything that
sounds worse than Pleased, you should default
In this section, you’ll find different ways to assign a to that.
Mood to an NPC that make the whole process a bit less
random…or even quite predictable, in some cases! As Example IV: you pay a visit to a scholar friend
each method has its own merits, you can apply them in a because you need help translating a mysterious
case-by-case bases, instead of limiting yourself to just
clay scripture. Something that sounds like
one.
‘Choucroute Fun Tag’, but you may be reading it
wrong. Problem is, it’s 2:00 AM, so you wake up
PERSONALITY MOODS your friend. You can expect them to feel
A Mood can be interpreted as a default state: how Inquisitive (as in, interested in the topic), Sleepy,
an NPC feels and acts when there’s no circumstance or Grumpy. Giving a 1/3 chance to each of those
modifying it. In case of an NPC you have just met and Moods seems a fair option, then.
who’s a stranger, you should assign it at random and
let it be. Just note it down, nevertheless, in case you Reading the room: If you’re using this option to
meet the same NPC latter: that would be a good time assign a Mood you should apply a binary version of
to decide if that original Mood was just a temporal the ‘reading the room’ optional rule. I.e., any success
thing, or if it was a case of the NPC showing their true lets you assign the mood before the Dialogue starts,
colors from the very beginning. and any failure only lets you assign it once you have
selected your first tone.
Reading the room: If you’re using this option to
assign a Mood, you can apply the ‘reading the room’ ATTITUDE MOODS
optional rule as written.
When an NPC already knows you, they may put
aside their problems for a moment when seeing a
CIRCUMSTANTIAL MOODS friendly face (hey, maybe that’s just what the NPC
An NPC who is being affected by some needed at that moment if they were feeling blue!) or
circumstances, especially if you were involved in put on guard as soon as seeing you walk through the
them, may have a mood be based on them. In this door. Thus, your mutual relationship can be used as a
guideline to decide the mood of that NPC during the would be treated as Very friendly, a Neutral NPC who
Dialogue. Just use on the Mood Roll (Attitude) gets a -1 would be treated as Unfriendly etc.
version of the table, checking the more fitting column
If you get a +1 when the Attitude is already Very
and rolling only for the row. The repertoire of
friendly, then you can ignore the Reaction Roll: just
potential moods, in this case, is somewhat limited: as
select what’s the reaction of the NPC among the four
mentioned, it’s assumed that minor matters would be
possible outcomes. Conversely, if you get a -1 when
put aside.
the Attitude is already Very unfriendly, then you
Reading the room: If you’re using this option to automatically get the Negative reaction (i.e., the
assign a Mood, you already know what column you’re fourth and worst of all!).
rolling in. So, apply the ‘reading the room’ rules as
Note that these bonus or penalties only apply in
written, but any failure leaves you with no further
the Exchange they’re activated, but they don’t carry
information.
out to the next one. E.g., if you use a Sad tone with an
Empathic NPC, you treat their Attitude as one step
MECHANICAL EFFECTS better for that Exchange, but this doesn’t apply to
further ones.
By default, an NPC Mood is a narrative tag that helps
you when you want to roleplay that NPC during a Example: back to the Charming Mood, if you try
Dialogue. This optional rule, on the other hand, gives to flirt with a Neutral NPC, you’ll roll and check
a mechanical effect to every possible Mood. All 50 of columns as if that NPC was Friendly. If the NPC
them; it may sound a bit overkill but remember that Reject your flirting, on the other hand, you lose
you’ll only have to apply one Mood each time, and that bonus for the rest of the Dialogue.
their effects follow a similar formatting…so it should
Example: the Stubborn Mood reads as “-1 to all
not be too overwhelming. Nevertheless, don’t forget
tones until the end of the Dialogue after getting
the roleplaying aspect: these mechanical effects are
a Disagreement, Furious, Hostile, or Rude
meant to add to it, not just replace it!
reaction”. This means you initially don’t apply
Below, you’ll find the description of the different any penalty because of this mood…but if you get
mechanical effects of each Mood. As you would see, one of those listed reactions, you’ll suffer that -1
some effects are applied for the full Dialogue, while penalty for the rest of Exchanges. I.e., once the
others have a limited duration; regardless the case, all NPC enters a negative state of mind, it’s hard to
the mentioned durations apply to all the included overcome it!
effects in that Mood.
Example: the Charming Mood reads as “+1 RESHUFFLE
Charming & +1 Flirting & +1 Romantic until When a Mood tells you to reshuffle a tone, you
getting a Furious, Hostile, Reject, or Rude include it again in the Tone Deck after you draw it
reaction’. This means that the three mentioned during a Dialogue once you resolve the Exchange
tones get that bonus until you get any one the (regardless of if you used that card or not), but only
four mentioned Reactions. the first time this happens. This also applies to the
Wildcard tone if it’s imitating the mentioned tone! On
Also, for those cases where the effects applies the other hand, if you just draw both the Wildcard and
until getting (or after getting) some specific reaction its linked tone card in one go, you just reshuffle the
from that NPC, note that a) those reactions can come later but not the former.
from any tone, and not just those affected by that
specific Mood, and b) any change will be applied in Example: NPCs who feel Jokey are in the proper
the next Exchange, and not the current one. mood for funny comments. Thus, the first time
you use draw the Humorous card in an Exchange,
Example: if you get a Satisfaction reaction from you put it back in the Tone Deck. And if
an Angry NPC, that NPC wouldn’t be Angry any Humorous is your Wildcard Tone…well, with a
more…but this only takes effect in the following bit of luck you may end up playing that tone a
Exchange, not in the one you got this. whooping three times!
Finally, don’t expect too much balance in these
effects: there’re some Moods that could be seen as RESTRICT
‘better’ than others…as it should be! A Mood may lock a tone, making it unavailable
during that Dialogue. You still include its card in the
+1/-1 MODIFIER Tone Deck, if it’s one of the nine ‘always present’
This effects improve or worsen in one step, tones. Also, as mentioned, if you must use that tone
respectively, the NPC Attitude for specific tones, for because you get both its card and the Wildcard linked
all of them, etc. Thus, a Friendly NPC who gets a +1 to it in the same exchange, you just use the Err…hmm
tone instead.
 Example: when NPCs feel Sleepy, they’re not negative Reaction instead. Also, note that this
predisposed to shocking revelations, so you effect has no duration set, so it applies to all the
can’t use the Surprise Tone with them. Dialogue. Pesky nitpickers…

SHIFT OTHERS
Improve or worsen in one step one of the four There’re Moods with effects that doesn’t fit the
possible reactions, as in from Positive to Somewhat already described ones. With a bit of luck, they’ll be
positive, or Negative to Somewhat negative. If you self-explanatory enough.
could select the reaction because you played both a
Example: A Tired NPC isn’t for a long talk, so the
tone and its linked Wildcard, first select the reaction
Dialogue will have, at most, two Exchanges. Of
and then shift it.
course, you should consider this when playing
Example: Nitpicking NPCs tend to look for any those Exchanges, making them also brief.
minor fault in your words and magnify them.
Thus, any time you roll a somewhat negative
Reaction for them, the result it’s treated as a

MOODS EFFECTS
Angry. -1 to every tone until getting a Flirting, Dreamy. +1 Friendly & +1 Charming until
Happy, Helpful, Romantic, or Satisfaction getting a Furious, Hostile, Reject, Rude, Sad, or
reaction. Worried reaction.
Arrogant. -1 Rude & Restrict Charming until Dubitative. -1 Charming & +1 Questioning for all
getting a Flirting, Happy, Helpful, Romantic, or the Dialogue.
Satisfaction reaction.
Egotist. -1 Worried & Restrict Sad for all the
Bold. -1 Aggressive & -1 Rude for all the Dialogue.
Dialogue.
Empathic. +1 Sad & +1 Worried for all the
Bored. -1 Charming & Restrict Surprised until Dialogue.
getting a Flirting, Romantic or Surprised
Envious. -1 Friendly & Restrict Charming for all
reaction.
the Dialogue.
Caring. +1 Sad & +1 Worried until getting a
Excited. Shift all Somewhat positive reactions to
Furious, Hostile, or Rude reaction.
Positive, and all Somewhat negative reactions to
Charming. +1 Charming & +1 Flirting & +1 Negative for all the Dialogue.
Romantic until getting a Furious, Hostile, Reject,
Fair. This mood doesn’t give any effects. It’s fair!
or Rude reaction.
Fastidious. -1 Sad & -1 Worried until getting a
Chatty. +1 Questioning & +1 Surprised for all the
Sad or Worried reaction.
Dialogue.
Gossipy. +1 Questioning & Reshuffle
Clueless. +1 Worried & Restrict Questioning for
Questioning for all the Dialogue.
all the Dialogue.
Grumpy. -1 to all tones until getting a Flirting,
Defiant. -1 Rude & Restrict Friendly for all the
Happy, Helpful, Romantic, or Satisfaction
Dialogue.
reaction.
Diplomatic. Shift all Somewhat negative
Happy. +1 to all tones until getting a Furious,
reactions to Somewhat positive until getting a
Hostile, Reject, Rude, Sad, or Worried reaction.
Furious, Hostile, or Rude reaction.
Harsh. -1 to all tones for the rest of the Dialogue Proud. -1 to every tone for the rest of the
after getting a Disagreement, Furious, Hostile, Dialogue after getting a Disagreement, Furious,
Reject, or Rude reaction. Hostile, Reject, or Rude reaction.
Helpful. +1 Sad & +1 Worried until getting a Sad. +1 Sad & Restrict Humorous until getting a
Furious, Hostile, or Rude reaction. Flirting, Happy, Romantic, or Satisfaction
reaction.
Humble. +1 to all tones in the first exchange of
the dialogue. Sarcastic. -1 for all tones until getting a Flirting,
Happy, Helpful, Romantic, or Satisfaction
Impatient. -1 to all tones in the second and third
reaction.
Exchange.
Scared. +1 Worried & Reshuffle Worried for all
Inquisitive. +1 Questioning for all the Dialogue.
the Dialogue.
Ironic: -1 for all tones until getting a Furious,
Self-absorbed. -1 Sad & Restrict Worried until
Hostile, or Rude reaction.
getting a Sad, Surprised, or Worried reaction.
Jokey. +1 Humorous & Reshuffle Humorous for
Skeptical. -1 to all tones in the first exchange of
all the Dialogue.
the dialogue.
Negotiator. For all the Dialogue, -1 to every tone
Sleepy. -1 Questioning & Restrict Surprised for
in the next Exchange after getting a Negative
all the Dialogue.
reaction & +1 to every tone in the next Exchange
after getting a Positive reaction. Somber. +1 Worried & Restrict Humorous for all
the Dialogue.
Nitpicking. Shift all Somewhat positive reactions
in the Dialogue to Somewhat negative. Startled. +1 Surprised for all the Dialogue &
Reshuffle Surprised.
Overwhelmed. +1 Rude & +1 Aggressive for all
the Dialogue. Strict. Shift all Somewhat negative reactions to
Negative for all the Dialogue.
Pacific. +1 Rude & restrict Aggressive for all the
Dialogue. Stubborn. -1 to all tones until the end of the
Dialogue after getting a Disagreement, Furious,
Patient. Shift all Negative reactions to Somewhat
Hostile, or Rude reaction.
negative for all the Dialogue.
Suspicious. In the first exchange of the Dialogue,
Placative. +1 Aggressive & +1 Rude until getting
shift a Somewhat positive reaction to Somewhat
a Furious, Hostile, or Rude reaction.
negative, and a Positive reaction to Somewhat
Pleased. +1 to all tones until getting a positive.
Disagreement, Furious, Hostile, Reject, Rude,
Sympathetic. +1 Friendly & Reshuffle Friendly
Sad, or Worried reaction.
until getting a Furious, Hostile, or Rude reaction.
Pragmatic. Shift the first Positive reaction
Tired. Automatically ends the Dialogue after the
during the dialogue to Somewhat positive, and
second Exchange.
the first Negative reaction to Somewhat negative.
CHOUCROUTE FUN TAG! - A FULL DIALOGUE EXAMPLE
For this final section, one of the previous mini- Lara, wisely, tries to read the room before saying
examples has been retaken and turned it into a full- anything: she successfully makes a Perception skill
fledged example. There’s no prize for guessing which roll on the original system, so she will know that
one because (well, duh!) that title above already Mood from the very beginning.
spoiled the answer!
After rolling 1d3 (details are left as an exercise for
This example includes some optional rules: the reader), the result is that Longdam is feeling
namely, the Wildcard Tone and the Advanced Moods. Sleepy. All of this means that Lara must apply a -1 to
It also includes some discussion about the the relationship level when she uses the Questioning
interpretation of the results, and how to take tone (Longdam is no mood for debating now…which
advantage of them to introduce plot elements, aren’t good news, being this the goal of Lara, and
background, story hooks, etc. But you can take this looking at her Wildcard Tone!), and she can’t use the
last part with a grain of salt: it’s a personal Surprised tone (Longdam is too sleepy to feel
interpretation, after all! surprised by anything).
From a narrative perspective, nevertheless, Longdam
THE STORY SO FAR… should be roleplayed as a friendly scholarly dude who’s
feeling sleepy at that moment, and that should be
This Dialogue is played in the context of a solo- considered when interpreting (and writing down) his
roleplaying session with a light-tone (even tongue-in- reactions.
cheek, at times), and a modern-day, pulp-adventure
setting. There is no need to specify what RPG is being <KNOCK KNOCK>
used: let’s just say it’s one of those roll-under %
Longdam: What…what’s happening?!? Has the Pope been
systems, with some leeway in the form of some rule- murdered? Again? Who has been this…? Oh. It’s you. I
of-cool/lucky-points to avoid the protagonist from should have imagined that…
dying an ignoble death or going nuts too early. Lara: Hi, Norbert! Don’t worry, the Pope is fine. As far as I
This way, our daring archeologist and protagonist know, I mean! I came to ask you about something else, but
Lara W. Thurston has found a clay tablet with a it’s also interesting! (^ ▽ ^)
mysterious inscription among the belongings of his Longdam: So interesting that it couldn’t wait until, you
recently deceased old uncle. She needs help to know, tomorrow in the morning? Well, today in the
translate it, so she knocks the door of her friend morning, at this point? (￢ ￢)
Norbert Longdam at 2:00 AM. Not the best hour for Lara: Hmm…yes. Or so I hope! (^ ▽
^ )

an erudite exchange, but whatever.

It’s assumed that Lara has a Friendly relationship
with Longdam and that her Wildcard Tone is
FIRST EXCHANGE
Questioning, representing her curious and inquisitive Lara shuffles the nine basic tone cards plus the
nature. The same nature that moves her to knock Wildcard Tone one. She could include the Flirting
someone’s door at 2:00 AM to ask some erudite tone in the deck, but it doesn’t seem to be a good time
questions! for it. Also, Lara suspects she will end up playing
second fiddle in all the story if she flirts with
Oh, and by the way: this example is going to be Longdam: for such a nerdy guy, he always manages to
written assuming that Lara is both the player and the meet a ‘girl of the week’ each time he gets involved in
character of the game. She seems to be trying one of a big adventure!
those ‘role-play yourself’ thingies…
Lara draws three cards and gets the following
tones: Wildcard, Aggressive and Surprised. She can’t
GREETINGS play the third one. And sure as heck she doesn’t want
There is no need to roll for a topic because Lara is the to play the second! Only option left is, thus, the
one approaching Longdam, so that topic is already Wildcard…which in her case means using the
known: Lara wants to talk about that inscription. Questioning tone. Of course, this means she gets a
Now, with respect to Longdam’s Mood, it’ll be based penalty, but it’s still a lesser evil.
on the current context: friendly or not, being woken After rolling a d10 in the Reaction Roll, Lara gets
up at 2:00 AM isn’t a pleasant experience! So it’s a 4. She must check the ‘Neutral’ column instead of
assumed he can react by being Inquisitive, Sleepy or the ‘Friendly’ one because of that pesky -1
Grumpy, with same odds for each option. penalty…which, in this case, doesn’t matter too much
as both have the same results: a ‘somewhat negative’
Reaction. And for a Neutral NPC (in this case, there is of passive-aggressiveness at the end, but who could
a difference compared to a Friendly one) and a blame him?
Questioning tone, the Reaction Table gives a
Also, all that stuff about ‘a time in Cambodia’,
‘Neutral’ result. Longdam isn’t going to vehemently
‘being framed’, etc., could be a reference to something
react in any direction, then; nevertheless, note that it
that happened during a previous session, or just
still has been a poor result.
something made up on the spot. The latter, in turn,
could be just some ‘noodle incident’ no one wants to
Lara: I have found this clay tablet as part of my old uncle talk again. But if this adventure takes Lara to
most recent research. The one he was doing just before he Southeast Asia, this comment in pass could be used
died, I mean. But I can’t make head or tails of this text, and to…hmm…ensue some hilarity.
I think it could be important...
Longdam: [YAWN] Hmm, how strange. It seems a mix of
several pictograms from different sources. But it looks like INTERLUDE
an attempt at a phonetical transcription. Until this point, the Dialogue hasn’t gone too well for
Lara: That’s what I thought, too! But, as far as I can get, this Lara. As she’s talking with a friend (even if a sleepy
would sound something like…CHOUCROUTE FUN TAG… one!), it’s not a disaster because there’s been no
Longdam: That’s a...uh…quite liberal interpretation of the adversarial reaction from Longdam…but no
symbols, I would dare to say... ( . . )

encouraging ones, either. So, Lara decides she should
Lara: I know! It doesn’t make any sense! What does already check if she gets what she has come for, by
sauerkraut could have to do with all of this? using a Persuasion skill roll in the original rule-
system. For fairness sake, she applies a -15% penalty
SECOND EXCHANGE to that roll because of all bad rolls for Reactions until
now: a penalty that system suggests as ‘relevant but
Lara draw three new tone cards from the (now not overwhelming’, which seems to fit the situation.
smaller) deck. This time, she gets Rude, Questioning
Clare success…but only by a tiny, little bit.
and Charming.
Checking the rules of that RPG, that should be
Once again, Rude is a big no-no. She could use it to interpreted as a ‘success with a cost’ or as a ‘yes,
vent about something she finds annoying or but…’. So she selects the second option: she gets what
infuriating instead of directing that rudeness to her she came for (Longdam’s help), but not exactly the
friend (unlike the Aggressive tone, which always way she likes.
points to the listener), but it doesn’t look like a fitting
time to do that. With respect to Questioning, she could
Longdam: Okay, I admit this looks interesting enough, so
assume that penalty again, but twice in a row seems a
I’m going to give it a try...
bit too much. So she selects Charming to flatter her
friend a bit. What could possibly go wrong? Lara: Excellent! Let’s…!
Longdam: ...in the morning.
The result in the d10 in the Reaction Roll is a 1.
Lara: In the morning?!? But…
Which means that she gets the worst possible
Longdam: No buts! I’ll work on this after I wake up, first
reaction, negative: for the used tone and a Friendly
thing in the morning before going to work. But now, I need
NPC is Neutral, again. So that was what could go to sleep. Because I must go to work.
wrong, then…
Lara: …Okay, that’s fair. More than fair, even. Thank you.

Lara: Nevertheless, you’re one of the best experts in the

field, so you were the first one I think about to help with Note that Lara hasn’t explicitly asked for anything
this! in this little exchange (and Exchange), because the
Longdam: Wait, is this going to be like that time in petition was already made. This way, you can see
Cambodia, then? I would prefer not getting involved in everything that came before during the Dialogue as a
another diplomatic incident… way to decide if that skill roll you already had in mind
Lara: What?!? No, it’s nothing like that! And that wasn’t my would eventually deserve a bonus or a penalty.
fault at all, I was framed!
Longdam: Yes, sorry, I remember now. I shouldn’t have
mentioned it. I blame sleep deprivation.
THIRD EXCHANGE
Time to wrap everything up because Lara hasn’t
finished yet. She draws three cards from the nearly
As can be seen, a Neutral Reaction doesn’t need to exhausted Tone Deck, and get Sad, Worried and
be just a ‘meh, whatever’, even if it could be. In this Friendly. This last one seems fitting enough…but, for
case, it’s been a mix of pointing-finger + sorry-for- fun and giggles, she decides to use the Worried one. In
pointing-fingers, balancing each other. With a pinch a bit sui generis way, as it’ll be seen.
 And at last, Lara is lucky and gets a 9 on the reader, too. Point is, even if all this this sounded a lot
Reaction Roll: a positive Reaction (hey, better late as another petition from Lara, this time she decides to
than never!), which means a Helpful reaction from solve it just by using the rolled reaction. She counted
Longdam! on getting a good result, after two bad Reaction Rolls
in a row; that was gambler’s fallacy working at its
Longdam: So, it’s a deal, we’ll see again in the… best, but who cares? And getting a Helpful reaction
Lara: Wait, are you kicking me out? At this time of night?!? seems auspicious enough, in that sense, so there’s no
need of another Persuasion skill roll and stuff.
Longdam: (O__O)!!!
Lara: I mean…it’s well past 2:00 AM. It’s cold…and I could
run into a robber… (´o ︵ o`) AFTERMATH
[BEAT] Lara doesn’t feel the Dialogue should change the
Longdam: HA HA HA! I pity the fool who would try to rob nature of her relationship with Longdam: it all has
you! Okay, just to save that poor wretch from being been just a friendly exchange between two persons
punched in the face, you can stay at the guest room. But, just who are already friends. So she readies to stay over at
for the record: you know no shame. Also, don’t expect me to Longdam’s place, until they wake up in the morning
prepare the room: I’m going to sleep, for good! to study that clay tablet. Let’s just hope that, during
Lara: Yay! Thank you, Norbert! (^ ^) that night, the house isn’t assaulted by some
▽
members of the Cult of Choucroute...or however you
should pronounce that!
How much of Lara concerns were real and how
much they were a pose is left as an exercise for the
 TOPIC ROLL
1d10 TOPIC
1-2 The NPC just wants to say ‘Hi!’
3-4 The NPC brings some news.
5-6 The NPC wants to remind you something.
7-8 The NPC has a petition or a demand.
9-10 The NPC brings an opportunity.

MOOD ROLL
2D10 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10
1 Angry Bored Chatty Diplomatic Caring
2 Arrogant Dubitative Gossipy Bold Charming
3 Defiant Nitpicking Impatient Clueless Empathic
4 Egotist Overwhelmed Ironic Dreamy Excited
5 Envious Proud Negotiator Fair Happy
6 Fastidious Sarcastic Self-absorbed Humble Helpful
7 Grumpy Scared Sleepy Inquisitive Pacific
8 Harsh Skeptical Somber Jokey Patient
9 Sad Startled Strict Pleased Placative
10 Suspicious Stubborn Tired Pragmatic Sympathetic

REACTION ROLL
1d10 Very unfriendly Unfriendly Neutral Friendly Very friendly
1-2 Negative Negative Negative Negative Negative
3-4 Negative Somewhat negative Somewhat negative Somewhat negative Somewhat negative
5-6 Somewhat negative Somewhat negative Somewhat positive Somewhat positive Somewhat positive
7-8 Somewhat positive Somewhat positive Somewhat positive Somewhat positive Positive
9-10 Positive Positive Positive Positive Positive

MOOD ROLL (ATTITUDE)

1D10 Very unfriendly Unfriendly Neutral Friendly Very friendly
1 Angry Angry Grumpy Nitpicking Self-absorbed
2 Defiant Harsh Suspicious Dubitative Inquisitive
3 Harsh Grumpy Impatient Self-absorbed Pragmatic
4 Arrogant Suspicious Nitpicking Chatty Chatty
5 Grumpy Ironic Self-absorbed Inquisitive Fair
6 Suspicious Skeptical Fair Fair Patient
7 Sarcastic Impatient Negotiator Patient Empathic
8 Skeptical Dubitative Pragmatic Empathic Sympathetic
9 Dubitative Negotiator Diplomatic Sympathetic Helpful
10 Pragmatic Pragmatic Empathic Helpful Caring
 NPC REACTION
Unfriendly Friendly
Very unfriendly
TONE Neutral Very Friendly

-
-

REACTION ORDER: Positive / Somewhat positive/Somewhat negative/Negative