Things You’ll Need

To play Paths to Eternity, you will need the following; pencils or pens, paper, character sheets, a copy of these rules, a set of polyhedral dice for each participant and at least two people. Much of the above can also be interchanged with equivalent digital tools. Of the participants, one among them must assume the role of Game Master (GM), while the others get to assume the role of Players.

- A set of polyhedral dice.

The Role of Players

Paths to Eternity is, at its core, a mix between a collaborative story told by its participants and a tactical wargame, played with dice and guided by a ruleset. Players each take the role of a protagonist in the collaborative tale (a Player Character), and get to decide what words their characters say and what actions their characters take. Like in real life, many events which can occur during the game are beyond a character’s (and their player’s) ability to control — such as getting injured — but outside of such events, the player has ultimate control of what their character feels, thinks and attempts to accomplish. All events and states of the world outside of what players can control, however, are in the purview of the Game Master.

What players can do:

• Create and embody their character, determining what they look like, what their capabilities are and how they develop.
• Declare what their characters intent is at any given moment, and what actions they wish to take (e.g. “I walk to the door and check if it’s open”).

What players cannot do:

• Declare events or actions which are outside of their character’s control (e.g. “The shop owner hears me outside and comes out to talk to us.”)

Players also have the following responsibilities:

• Create a character that is invested in the outcome of the collaborative story — or at least in achieving their own goals.
• Be interested in the game, collaborating with other players and the GM. This includes being willing to pursue a working understanding of the game’s rules.
• Over time, players should also become well-versed in the general workings of their character and their character’s abilities.

The Role of Game Master

Unlike players, the game master has the role of describing (and to a large degree controlling) the entire narrative world that the players experience and interact with. This includes describing the places they may go, the people they may meet and also ‘playing the role’ of any non-player characters and antagonists in the collaborative story. As part of this role, Game Masters are required to act as the impartial arbiter of what occurs in the game, guided by the game’s rules. They might also prepare the adventure and scenarios that provide the basis of the game, though there are many tools — including prewritten adventures — that can assist in this process.

What game masters can do:

• Create the world of the adventure, including its creatures, places, and non-player characters, determining what they look like, how they act and their motivations.
• Prepare scenarios or events for the upcoming narrative (usually in order to be ready in case players start heading towards certain situations).