A one-shot TTRPG about powerful people in a bad situation.
In twisting dungeon passages beneath the earth, the adventurers watch one another warily. Each has their own reason for seeking the lost treasure, and the bonds between them are weak. In the darkness all around, monsters close in...
In a sprawling manor in upstate New York, the scions of a great family gather to hear the reading of their father's will. There should be wealth enough for all... but is there? And what will they do about their father's killer, stalking the shadows?
On the frontier of known space, sentient spacecraft watch over the colonies for the good of humanity -- not that any two of them agree on what that is. But there are more things out there in the dark than even a shipmind can imagine, and many are unfriendly.
Gravity is a storytelling game about a group of people, each with their own agenda and methods, facing down a singular Threat. The Threat compels action and limits possibility; characters will bounce off each other with increasing frequency and force as they are drawn inexorably towards the climax, where they will need to put aside their differences in order to defeat the Threat once and for all. Or not. They could fail, or seize a personal victory at the cost of everyone else, or change sides, or meet any number of other ends.
That's what we're here to find out.
Gravity is designed for one-shot, GM-less play. Every player creates a character using one of the ten playbooks, chooses a goal, then deploys their character's moves to shape the story and advance themselves towards their dreams. Each scene one player plays the Threat, starting from nothing and building a collaborative idea of what it actually is until the climax arrives and the Threat is revealed in all its glory.
The trick that sets it apart from other move-using games, is that characters can only use each of their moves once. Time passes, the threat intensifies, and options slowly vanish. Can the characters use their limited tools to attain victory?
Playbooks
- The Caregiver is powerful in their own right, but most of their power is tied up with their responsibility to someone or something else. Will they abandon their ward in order to unlock the power they need?
- The Dutiful has sworn an oath that they struggle to uphold. Can they stay upright and true, or will they fall short of their promises?
- The Fading is on the way out, one way or another. They've got power, but they have to split it between facing the Threat and keeping themselves going.
- The Faithful has their faith as a guiding star, but is it guiding them in the right direction?
- The Golden is rich, popular, and successful, and none of that helps them with the gnawing void at the heart of their identity. Can they drag themselves away from their own inadequacies long enough to deal with the big picture?
- The Mighty is the unparalleled champion of physical action. But sometimes, all the strength in the world won't solve your problems.
- The Prodigy is the supernatural equivalent of the Mighty, gifted with powers in excess of anyone else -- but this time they're not going to be able to save the day, no matter how much they think they can.
- The Scholar knows more than anyone else, but often studies and thinks when they should be acting. Will they rise to the occasion?
- The Servant has less power and less authority than any of the others, but they know where all the secrets are hidden and all the bodies are buried. Will that be enough?
- The Youth has boundless drive, little restraint, and no direction. Their potential is among the greatest of all the characters. Will they use it wisely?