Dreampunk

Xavid
Dreampunk, by Xavid
Design and Development Contributions
Sarah Grace Tuttle

Artists
Sarah Morrison, Santiago Alzate, Jhenne Tyler, Kindred Styles, Chad
Wyrwicz, Obaseun “godofiron” Ogunkeye, September-XYZX, steff bradley,
Idefix, Nathaniel Santore, Camille “Karma” O’Leary, Finn J. Carey, Natalie
Olivari

Playtesters
Thomas Mack, Andrew Clough, Edwin Karat, Sarah Grace Tuttle, Susanna
Pretzer, Barbara Fleming, James Pretzer, Esteban Colon, Cory Bonifay and
the Louisiana Zoueurs, Zoe Bloom, Neal Tanner

Other Feedback and Proofing

Juniper Roan, Susanna Pretzer, Paul Baranay

Text Copyright ©2021 Xavid Pretzer. Illustrations copyright the original

artists. All Rights Reserved.
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-7373609-0-2
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-7373609-1-9
Titles in Macondo by John Vargas Beltrán. Text in Alegreya by Huerta
Tipográfica. URLs in Fira Mono by Carrois Apostrophe.
First Edition
http://dreampunk.xavid.us/
Contents
What is Dreampunk?....................5 Playbooks...............................35
Tabletopping............................6 The Haunted........................36
Players....................................6 The Searcher........................37
Cards......................................6 The Idealist..........................38
Safety, Meta, and Player Conflicts..7 The Dissembler....................39
Gameplay Agenda.....................8 The Burdened......................40
Media Touchstones....................9 The Overlooked.....................41
The Flow of Play.......................10 The Bound...........................42
Moves....................................12 The Prism............................43
Dreamer Moves..........................13 The Theorist.........................44
Lucid Moves............................14 The Hunter..........................45
Interpretation of Cards..........15 The Guardian.......................46
Counterproduction...............16 The Firebrand.......................47
Joint Moves..........................16 The Lightseeker....................48
Duration.............................17 Deeper Playbooks....................49
Defense..............................17 The Twitch..........................50
Standard Lucid Moves...............18 The Surety...........................52
Manifest.............................18 The Rabble-Rouser................54
Invert.................................19 The Beholden.......................56
Exaggerate..........................19 The Guide..................................59
Link..................................20 Principles..............................60
Realize................................21 Guide Moves...........................63
Twist Moves............................22 Reveal................................63
Narrative Moves......................23 Resolve Doubt......................64
Explore...............................23 Wield.................................64
Find Respite........................23 Resist.................................65
Cut....................................24 Shared Moves..........................66
Awaken..............................25 Portraying the World................66
Recenter.............................26 Coordinating the Group............67
Unleash..............................26 Starting the Game....................68
Spark.................................26 Planning.............................68
Acting Without Moves...............27 Skeleton Seeds.....................69
Dreamer Characters....................29 Denizens of the Dream.............70
The Character Creation Process...30 Denizen Types.........................71
Your Waking World...............31 Distributing the Guide.................79
Tethers..................................32 Signposts...............................80
Entanglement......................33 Design Notes.............................83
Needs....................................34
Graces................................35 Acknowledgments......................89
Character Revisions..................35 Art Credits................................90
 5

What is Dreampunk?
At night, you sleep. And when you sleep, you dream. But these dreams are not idle
imaginings, without consequence. No, through some curse or blessing, your
dreams tap into something greater. What this means for you, what you will do to
escape or to harness this, is for you to decide and discover.
When you sleep, without fail, you find yourself in the Dream, a persistent
world where you meet others like yourself and many more entirely unlike yourself.
It is a world of wonders and dangers, both personal and alien. Each night, it is
your refuge and your prison. And each night, you fear you might not wake up
again.
The Dream is not like the waking world. It is not solid and Euclidean. It resists
attempts to scientifically determine its basic physics. It runs more on ideas and
motivations than mass and energy. Nevertheless, it has cause and effect and
consequence, though they can be twisted things.
For while you Dreamers have powers in the dream, abilities beyond what you
may know in the waking world, that does not mean that the Dream is safe for you.
For not all that enter the Dream manage to escape it. And those that do are always
changed.
6 What is Dreampunk?

Tabletopping
Dreampunk is a tabletop roleplaying game, a game played by a small group,
perhaps 2–6 people, who get together to collaboratively tell a certain kind of story.
By default, I assume that this game will be played by friends and/or family sitting
around a table together. During game, you’ll all describe what characters do, what
happens as a result, and play off each others’ contributions.

Players
Most players will play a Dreamer, someone who visits the same uncanny world
(the Dream) whenever they sleep. Something subtle ties the various Dreamers
together: they’ll end up meeting again night after night.
By default, one among you plays the Guide, tasked with representing the
environment of the Dream and playing the non-Dreamer characters, the denizens
of the Dream, also known as support characters.
The same player doesn’t have to play the Guide every time; if you rotate who’s
playing the Guide, everyone creates a Dreamer character and the character for the
player who’s currently Guide happens to not show up in the Dream while they have
the Guide role.
It’s also possible to have everyone play a Dreamer and divide the Guide’s role
among the group. This possibility is discussed in “Distributing the Guide” on
pg. 79.

Cards
Dreampunk is played with a deck of cards, but not a deck of ordinary playing cards.
The cards should be surreal, artistic, and laden with metaphor. These can be the
Dreampunk deck of cards, but other cards such as Dixit or Mysterium cards or
perhaps tarot or oracle decks can also work well. Each Dreamer starts each session
of play with a hand of 5 cards which will be used as a resource. Dreamers will
refresh their hands back up to 5 cards when they wake from the Dream or find
respite (see pg. 23).
Dreamers don’t keep the same specific cards between sessions of play. Each
player should return their cards to the deck when they finish playing for the day.
The Guide has moves that play the top card of the deck, but does not have a
hand of cards of their own.
 What is Dreampunk? 7

Safety, Meta, and Player Conflicts

The world of Dreampunk can get dark and intense. When it moves into nightmare
territory, it can sometimes get into areas that may be difficult or unsafe for some
players. Or there may just be directions or topics that feel unfun or unpleasant.
Remember that players are more important than the game, and that everyone’s
safety and fun is more important than fictional concerns or strict adherence to
the rules. Your characters may disagree or dislike each other, but players should
practice kindness and work together to tell a story that’s fun and safe for everyone.
The door is always open: it’s okay for anyone to take a break from the game or
stop playing at any time.
During play, anyone can say “Pause” at any time to freeze play, and that player
can express what they need. This can be a practical matter like needing to use the
bathroom or deal with dinner, or for safety reasons to state their boundaries or
needs. If something that happened in game makes you unhappy or causes you
difficulties, you can ask to change it, and you don’t need to explain why. Alternately,
sometimes discussing an issue without changing anything or expressing concerns
about directions play might go in the future is what you want. Everyone at the
table should work together to figure out something that works for everyone.
You can also use the Cut or Awaken moves (see pg. 24) as an “escape valve” to
end a difficult scene or one that for whatever reason you don’t want to continue.
The important thing is to prioritize players, establish the expectation that it’s
okay for people to ask for what they need, and live up to that expectation. Different
approaches work well for different groups, so do what works for your table.1
Before playing, go around the table and discuss people’s expectations: what
they’re looking for in the game and any topics or elements they particularly want
to explore or avoid. Also be sure to check in with each other during play as well.
The default assumption in this game is that play is mostly cooperative, with
Dreamers working together rather than fighting each other. Discuss with your
table how hard and fast this should be. Both Dreamer-versus-Dreamer fights being
entirely forbidden and them being allowed when appropriate can work well, but
if different players have different expectations this can lead to unfun outcomes.
Overall, regardless of what you choose, it’s everyone’s responsibility to try to
make the game fun for everyone at the table. If someone’s not having fun, that’s
an indication that you should pause the action and figure out if there’s something
you should change so the game works better for everybody.

1
Some groups may find they prefer other safety tools; you may want to look at the X-Card by John
Stavropoulos (http://tinyurl.com/x-card-rpg) or the TTRPG Safety Toolkit curated by Kienna Shaw
and Lauren Bryant-Monk (http://bit.ly/ttrpgsafetytoolkit).
8 What is Dreampunk?

Gameplay Agenda
This is a game of shared narrative, and it works best when everyone is working
together to build the story. Everyone at the table should keep these goals in mind
as they play to help the game work well.
Embrace dream logic. The Dream isn’t a real place, with regular geometry and
consistency. That’s something to embrace. Don’t restrict yourself to the logic
of the waking world and ordinary ways of approaching problems. Don’t try to
understand the Dream in terms of civilizations, histories, and rules that you
can pin down precisely. Instead, accept that themes, mood, and symbolism
will drive what you experience.
Engage with the Dream. If events in the Dream just feel arbitrary, it’s easy to feel
like choices don’t matter and no one can have a meaningful effect on anything.
Therefore, engage with support characters and their conflicts and interactions
to keep things meaningful even as the physical environment around you
remains in flux.
Make everyone’s contributions matter. Play off elements introduced by other
players, including the Guide, and treat them as significant. If someone treats
a decision as a big deal, support that in your play by making it feel
consequential. If someone is interested in a particular element, consider
playing with or against that element. Give everyone a chance to shine and be
the focus at the table. Staying together as a group most of the time can help
ensure everyone gets a chance to be involved in what’s happening.
Play to find out what happens. Neither the Guide nor Dreamer players should
come to game with a specific plan in mind for a plot. The Guide player does not
need to prepare an extensive scenario; at most, they should bring ideas they
have for characters they might introduce or things that might happen and be
willing to discard these ideas based on the flow of the game. Dreamer players
may have ideas on how their character progression might go, but should be
flexible and willing to evolve in unexpected ways. Each player has the power to
do the unexpected, to take the game in unanticipated directions. The Dreamers
have as much ability to decide where the story goes as the Guide, and that is
to be celebrated. In all cases, the cards may prompt new and different ideas;
take advantage of this.
 What is Dreampunk? 9

Media Touchstones
The Dream isn’t a predefined place detailed in this book; it’s a world the group as
a whole will explore and define during play, with inspiration from the cards and
each other. Nevertheless, here are some movies and books that inspired
Dreampunk and can help you get into the mindset of the Dream.

Movies
• Ink (Jamin Winans)
• Paprika (Satoshi Kon)
• MirrorMask (Dave McKean, Neil Gaiman)
• Labyrinth (Jim Henson)

Books and Stories

• Every Heart a Doorway, by Seanan McGuire
• “Red Dirt Witch”, by N. K. Jemisin
• The Dreaming Place, The Onion Girl, and The Blue Girl, among others, by Charles
de Lint
• Un Lun Dun, by China Miéville
10 What is Dreampunk?

The Flow of Play

Dreampunk can be structured in two ways. In a one-shot, a group gets together
once to play and the game is over when they finish that day. In a “campaign”, the
same group gets together periodically in multiple sessions, for a series of
adventures linked into an overaching storyline and allowing for more character
growth.

Getting Started
Someone who’s read this book and is comfortable with the rules should explain
the premise of the game, go over basic concepts, and answer questions.
Discuss who, if anyone, will play the Guide. Each non-Guide player should
pick a playbook and start filling it out to create a character (see pg. 30).
While thinking about characters, also give everyone a chance to talk about
what they’re looking for in the game and anything they want to avoid.

Beginning Play
Before beginning play for the first time, it can be helpful to go around the circle
and introduce your characters, what they look like, what sorts of possessions they
might have, and perhaps something about their motivations or situation. This
also helps establish characters as distinct from players, set expectations, and
perhaps prompt ideas for interactions and character relationships.
Having each Dreamer player write their character’s name on a folded index
card can be a helpful indicator to help remember who everyone is.
Once everyone’s situated, start play with a new chapter.

Chapters
A chapter is a series of scenes focused around a shared situation, problem, or goal.
Perhaps an antagonist appears and the group figures out how to deal with them,
or perhaps you’re exploring a particular area or pursuing a particular objective.
The chapter lasts until the focus is resolved or decisively abandoned; it could
conclude within a single session of play or extend across several.
Chapters often start with with the Dreamers having just fallen asleep and
there being a gap of time or context from whatever may have happened to them
previously. Alternately, a chapter may follow directly from a previous chapter,
when the resolution of one focus leads naturally to something to follow up on.
Before a chapter, discuss as a table what sort of focus you want to have. Think
about any Needs you want to engage with, and what sort of focus might give you
opportunities to do so. Chapters can have well-defined focuses, or they can be
pretty much take-it-as-it-comes, but taking a moment to touch base can help
come up with a theme that everyone’s interested in.
 What is Dreampunk? 11
After you’ve established the chapter focus, when you’re ready to begin play,
have each player, starting with the Guide, play the top card of the deck and
interpret it to establish something about the starting scene. (This is functionally
an Explore move; see pg. 23.) Once everyone has contributed, the first scene begins
and anyone can begin roleplaying and taking actions.
There generally aren’t formal “turns”. Dreamers can act in whatever order
makes sense narratively. Everyone should work to make sure that all players get
their turn in the spotlight and no one gets left out. If things get too hectic during
a conflict or other exciting situation, it can be helpful to take turns around the
table to make sure everyone has a chance to act and that each move can be resolved
before another player makes a move. Alternately, multiple Dreamers may work
together with a Joint Move (see pg. 16).

Scene Breaks
A chapter in Dreampunk consists of a series of scenes, similar to scenes in a book,
play, or TV show. During a scene, Dreamer players describe what they do, the
Guide responds on behalf of the world and support characters to describe what
happens as a result, and both will make Moves, working together to establish the
story of Dreampunk.
A scene ends and a new scene begins when the time or location of the action
changes. When a scene ends, discard the cards that have been played; the table is
now clear for something new.
While scenes can take place directly one after another, there are often gaps of
time or space between them. This allows the story to focus on interesting or
meaningful events and skip past things that happened but aren’t necessary to play
out “on-screen”.2
Scene transitions can be triggered whenever it makes sense, often using the
Cut move (see pg. 24). For example, if your character suggests going somewhere,
an immediate transition to the scene when you arrive can work well.
Waking up from the Dream often serves as a type of hard scene transition
that can happen after a scene that resolves an ongoing effort, one of overwhelming
intensity, or when it otherwise feels appropriate. This can be proposed by the
Guide or a Dreamer player. This triggers the Awaken move (see pg. 25) and then
leads into a scene that may feel completely disconnected from the previous scene,
sometimes serving as the start of a new Chapter. This does not mean that the
events of the previous scene become irrelevant, but the disconnect might mean
their relevance is not immediately visible.
In general, scenes aren’t some strong and rigid structure; they’re mainly noted
to keep the table from getting too cluttered with cards and to avoid getting bogged
down in uninteresting minutiae. Use them flexibly as fits your table.
2
Whether the characters actually perceived these events or whether the flow of the Dream just
assumes they happened can be ambiguous.
12 What is Dreampunk?

Moves
When playing your character, you’ll want to do things. Sometimes it’s something
you can pretty clearly do. Then you just say what you’re doing, and it happens.
Sometimes, however, what you want to do is something hard or impactful or
floundering or weird. Moves establish things you can definitely do, what that
entails and costs, and perhaps something of what that means.
(If someone disagrees about what you can do, work as a table to propose
tweaks or compromises to find something that works for everyone. Consider “yes,
and” or “yes, but” improvisational responses to add wrinkles without rejecting
what someone wants to do. The Guide also has a move, Resolve Doubt, for handling
situations where a Dreamer can do something but the outcome is unclear.)
Every Dreamer has a base set of moves and a few unique moves based on their
archetype concept, or “playbook”. The main types of moves are Lucid Moves, which
let a Dreamer play a card to reshape the Dream based on some element of the card
played, and Twist Moves, which cause the Dreamer to falter or fail but let them
draw a card in exchange. See the next chapter for more on Dreamer moves.
The Guide has moves, too. (See
pg. 63.) The Guide tends to take moves
reactively, responding to actions of the
Dreamers or perhaps to their failure
to take action.
In the next chapter, we’ll discuss
the moves all Dreamers share.
 13

Dreamer Moves
Each player except the Guide plays a Dreamer. A Dreamer is someone from the
waking world, which may (or may not) look a lot like our world, who has somehow
gotten tied to the Dream. Perhaps it was a strong unfillable desire. Perhaps it was
an inescapable pain. Perhaps it’s the workings of those beneath the surface of
shadows. Regardless, each night, when they dream, they come here.
And here, they find they have powers, uncanny and strange and fundamental.
These are not abilities they have in the waking world, but something specific to
the nature of the Dream, or perhaps due to their situation as foreign to the dream.
It is up to you, the player, how much your Dreamer is aware of the Dream.
Some may find it fun to take a consistent analytical perspective, while others may
prefer to have their Dreamer get caught up in events at times and forget that they
are not awake. While Dreamers always have access to their powers, it’s valid to
have your character sometimes forget about them or activate them subconsciously.
But nevertheless, their powers always lurk.
14 Dreamer Moves

Lucid Moves
Dreamers have a fundamental power here, in the Dream. Dreamers are from
outside this world, and that lets them take the glimmers of the Dream and reshape
them like clay. This is represented with Lucid Moves.
Every Dreamer has access to the same set of Lucid Moves, plus one special
playbook-specific Lucid Move. The standard Lucid Moves are:
Manifest: Summon or create something or someone.
Invert: Turn something or someone into what it is not.
Exaggerate: Elevate a trait or quality to extremes.
Link: Make an opening in your environment into a gateway to somewhere else.
Realize: Break expectations or evoke a new perspective.
You can make a Lucid Move in two different ways. The most common way of
making a Lucid Move is playing a card from your hand. This card stays in play
until the end of the scene. Your description of your move must reflect some
element of the card you played. This can be literal or metaphorical, but you as a
player must believe your element is there. Creative and symbolic interpretations
are highly encouraged.
Another way to make a Lucid Move is “chaining” off a card in play that was
played by someone else. You must use an element of the card in play that has not
been used this scene or interpret an already-used element of the card in play in a
different way. In order to chain, you must discard any card from your hand.
Narin and Elif have been tossed off of an
impossibly high cloud and are falling
towards a field of lava. Narin’s player plays
a card showing a bird on an electrical pole
to use Manifest and create a large eagle
that they can land on.
Elif is happy to no longer be falling
perilously, but wants to find some way to
get back at the duke who ordered them
thrown off. They decide that talking to
locals is a good next step. Seeing the
electric pole on Narin’s card, they
discard another card to chain off it
and use Link to cause a gap in the
smoke ahead to lead to a city bright
with electric lights. Elif hopes that
someone there will be sympathetic
and give them useful advice or
support.
 Dreamer Moves 15
Lucid Moves can affect people, places, things, the environment, and ideas. You
can target anything you are currently aware of or connected to, including your
overall environment or abstract concepts in the vicinity. However, moves that try
to affect remote things outside your current awareness or that leave your
circumstances underspecified can have surprising results, which the Guide may
clarify with a Reveal or Resolve Doubt move (see pg. 63). Lucid moves don’t have
to be based on things it seems like your character could do and can just, e.g., create
things out of nowhere, but having a move that connects to your environment or
circumstances in a clever or fitting way can lend extra oomph.
Lucid moves may use card elements and your environment literally, but they
can also play with figurative meanings. They can function as tricks of symbol/
referent confusion, treating something as what it symbolizes or letting a label
override the properties of what it’s applied to. Lucid Moves that affect or use things
in an symbolic or conceptual manner can be quite powerful and dramatic.
Meghan and Elif are lost in a three-dimensional labyrinth. Elif uses
Realize and plays a card showing a map kiosk to turn the territory around
them into a small parchment map. Now they are both no longer trapped in
the labyrinth and have a map if they somehow get back there later. Of
course, where they are now is under-specified; the Guide turns up the top
card of the deck as a Reveal move, and play continues.

Interpretation of Cards
The semantics of a Lucid Move in relation to a card may be at times ambiguous.
Is it really Invert to turn a dragon into a fox? Is a stone statue on a card sufficient
justification for Manifesting a stone staircase? If someone questions the validity
of an interpretation, the table may discuss it, but the Dreamer making the move
has final say, and it’s best not to get too bogged down in the technicalities.
(Remember, it’s important for everyone to have time in the spotlight and to
work to make sure everyone’s having fun. If interpretation issues are coming up
repeatedly or causing unhappiness at the table, that might be a sign to pause play
and discuss expectations at the player level to figure out how to make sure the
game’s working for everyone.)
Elif is tired of running all over the place, so their player plays a card
showing a wind-swept cloud to Exaggerate their jacket into a pair of
wings. Meghan’s player is a bit skeptical that this makes much sense, but
Elif’s player explains how when they were younger they’d run fast down a
steep hill against the wind so that their jacket would catch the air and it’d
feel like they were about to take off, so in the context of the wind their jacket
is a symbol for wings. Meghan’s player nods; even though it still seems
strange to her, she respects their interpretation.
16 Dreamer Moves

Counterproduction
Sometimes a Dreamer player may want to have something go wrong with their
move to create a better story or add a fun complication, even though this may be
counter to what their character wants. When you use a Lucid Move in a way that
backfires, makes things more difficult for the Dreamers, or adds an obstacle or
complication, draw a card. This is called Counterproduction. The card drawn
effectively replaces the card you played or discarded to make the Lucid Move. This
avoids the feel of wasting resources on something unhelpful.
A key element of this is that a Dreamer player controls the interpretation of
their Lucid Move and decides whether or not it results in Counterproduction.
It can also count as Counterproduction when a Lucid Move works as the
Dreamer intended but still causes problems due to interactions with the
environment or reactions from support characters.
Narin’s player plays a card showing a pirate and a treasure chest to
Manifest enough money for Narin to buy a Flask of Mirth at the Shadow’s
Market. Elif’s player, however, thinks that things have been going too
smoothly. They discard a card to chain, and Manifest as well, saying that a
pirate jumps from a tree and tries to steal the Flask as soon as they’re away
from the crowd. Because this created an antagonist and made things more
difficult, Elif’s player draws a card.
If instead Elif had created a helpful and jolly rogue, then that would not
have been Counterproduction.

Joint Moves
Sometimes, multiple Dreamers may want to work together to deal with an
intimidating threat or dangerous situation with a combined Joint Move. To do so,
they each play a card or chain to make a Lucid Move, then work collaboratively to
describe a powerful effect for their mutual effort.
An attack by the Erosive Tiger is causing the Palace of Marzipan to start to
collapse into the sea. Elif, Narin, and Meghan each have an idea of how to
address this. Rather than take turns and go in some sequence, they decide
to work together to save the palace with a Joint Move.
Elif plays a card with a turtle to Manifest a large turtle, Meghan plays a
card showing a giant to Exaggerate the turtle’s strength and size, and
Narin plays a card with a jar of honey to Invert the palace’s foundation
and turn it from crumbling and falling apart to sticking together. They
describe how this lets the palace stick to the back of the giant turtle and
start to slowly swim away from the tiger.
 Dreamer Moves 17

Duration
Lucid effects are generally temporary, though their exact duration is determined
by the story rather than a clock. By default, the effects of Lucid Moves last at least
until the end of the scene. They can last longer if narratively appropriate. The
length of long-term Lucid effects on a Dreamer are largely up to that Dreamer’s
player, though they seldom persist past the end of a Chapter or after time awake.

Defense
Sometimes, you don’t want someone else to Invert you into a frog.3 When you,
something you hold or protect, or your immediate environment is targeted by a
Lucid Move or a power of a denizen, you may immediately respond with a Lucid
Move of your own that counteracts the first in some way.
You may alternately choose to defend yourself with a Tether, which generally
requires the Unleash move (see pg. 26).
Even if you do fall victim to a Lucid effect or a denizen’s power, while you
remain a Dreamer you have a certain level of protected agency:
• Twist Moves (see pg. 22) are always possible.
• Nothing except running out of cards can prevent you from making Lucid Moves.
• You also maintain the ability to communicate no matter what. If something in
the Dream removes your normal means of communication, you can establish
a new means of communication without needing to make a move. Dreamers
are encouraged to be creative in how they do so.
(Remember that even when characters are working at cross-purposes or attacking
each other, players should still be working together to tell a story that works for
everyone. Safety tools, as discussed on pg. 7, can be helpful to avoid a character
conflict causing problems on the player level.)
Shae decides that Elif has been annoying enough, and uses
Invert and a card showing a marble bust to turn Elif into a
statue. Elif turns to stone. Elif may be immobile for now,
but their player decides the statue is complete with a little
plaque that they can use to communicate.
After a while, being stuck in place gets old, so Elif’s
player uses Invert and a card showing dancing
children to restore their ability to move. They could
have entirely reversed the turn-to-stone effect, but
they feel that being a mobile statue seems more
interesting, so they keep their stone skin for now.

3
This is considered rude in many societies.
18 Dreamer Moves

Standard Lucid Moves

Manifest
Manifest makes something appear. Manifest can produce things, people/creatures,
and locations. In addition to physical creations, it can also generate more nebulous
objects like weather or abstract concepts.
If you Manifest a support character, the Guide still controls and roleplays as
that character. The Guide should try to avoid subverting your main intent, but a
Manifested character may not act exactly as you expect.
One way to engage Counterproduction when Manifesting is to have it result
in something that reflects what your character wants on the surface, but is actually
twisted or false in some way.
Manifest can look like creating something, noticing something that seems to
have been there all along, or summoning someone from elsewhere. Does it really
make something out of nothing? This can be a bit ambiguous: Manifested entities
often seem to have their own memories and history, even if it seems improbable.
Other denizens may remember past interactions with a Manifested person, or
they may have an established reputation. You can also summon an existing
character that you know of or have met.
Narin and his sibling Shae are surrounded by the
Wolves of False Hollows. Fearing their teeth, he
decides to Manifest a weapon to defend himself
with, playing a card showing a fencer to pull a
longsword out of his pocket.
Shae, for their part, isn’t keen on directly
tangling with the Wolves, so decides to Manifest
an ally. They play a card showing a hydra and
describe how a three-headed monster that’s
sworn to protect travelers runs in from down
the trail. The Guide then plays the monster as a
support character. Between Narin’s sword and
the monster, the Wolves are chased off for now.
The Guide then has the monster ask Narin
and Shae for help with a problem
of its own…
 Dreamer Moves 19

Invert
Invert is a type of transformation that affects something or someone already in
the scene. It turns something into something it is not, framed in terms of
contrasts. This can be quite broad. The transformed form should feel like the
opposite of the original along some axis, whether that’s turning a dangerous
manticore into a harmless snail or turning a tall tower into a wide bridge.
Invert can be used for more emotional or abstract transformations in addition
to physical transformations, given a card with appropriate symbolism. You can
turn someone from peaceful to angry or from clumsy to competent.
When transforming another Dreamer, be mindful of their fun as well. (Of
course, a transformed Dreamer can generally transform themself right back!)
Shae and Narin are on the run from the Wolves of False Hollows when
they come to the bottom of a sheer cliff. Shae’s player uses Invert and plays
a card showing a chaotic array of staircases. Shae’s player describes the
cliff reshaping itself, turning from an impassable cliff to a convenient
ladder. Shae and Narin climb as fast as they can, hoping their human
forms will give them an advantage over the Wolves.

Exaggerate
Exaggerate is the partner to Invert, elevating a trait
someone or something present in the scene already has
to high, potentially absurd levels. This can be construed
in a variety of ways, abstract or literal. You can make a
knife impossibly sharp or a prince dazzlingly
beautiful. It can also be used on more abstract
targets: Exaggerate an argument to strengthen its
rhetorical effectiveness or Exaggerate the
likelihood of a possibility to make it almost
guaranteed.
Elif is trying to convince a baker to reveal a
friend’s hiding place, but the baker has
promised not to tell anyone. Despite Elif’s
passionate plea that they just want to help
the friend stay safe, the baker still refuses
to tell, but Elif can see him becoming less
certain. Elif plays a card showing a
precarious tightrope to Exaggerate the
unsteadiness of the baker’s
conviction. The baker finally gives in
and agrees to reveal the truth.
20 Dreamer Moves

Link
Link is a move for portal creation, opening a gateway to somewhere else. This can
be used to escape danger, to get something you need, to return to some place
you’ve been before, or even just to explore somewhere new.
Link gives you control of your destination, but not necessarily complete
control over what you find there. The Guide may establish who’s present or other
conditions at your destination, possibly with a Reveal move. You can also engage
Counterproduction to specify something perilous or unfortunate on the other
side of the gateway.
Elif uses Link in an attempt to make a door lead back to a friendly tavern
the Dreamers had previously found refuge in, playing a card showing an
eating establishment. However, Elif’s player feels like it’d be a better story
for safety to be elusive and declares Counterproduction. They say that the
Dreamers find the tavern crawling with strange creatures who seem
hostile to the fleshy intruders, and draw a card from Counterproduction.
 Dreamer Moves 21

Realize
Realize is a move for changing what is true in the Dream by breaking assumptions.
The most straightforward way to use Realize is to play with appearance vs
reality: have something that seemed real turn out to be a fake, or take something
that seemed fake and make it real. Maybe the dragon attacking you is actually a
bunch of kids in a costume. Maybe your reflection is actually an independent
character that just looks similar. Maybe that wasn’t you that just got crushed by a
falling tree, but actually a clever double you set up in advance.
Realize can be used with more abstract assumptions as well. Hearing the
ocean in a seashell held to your ear, use Realize and turn around to see the ocean
is now actually just behind you. In a scene you seem not to be in, use Realize and
a character that seemed to be someone else turns out to be you in disguise. Break
the assumption of the distinctness of individuals and merge with a statue of a
manticore.
Finally, Realize can be used to blur the boundaries between fiction and reality.
Borrow a spear from a character in a story you’re being told. Step into a painting
as if it were an open window. Hide stolen merchandise in a flashback to what you
were doing yesterday.
Like with all Lucid Moves, these effects are temporary and may wear off later.
It’s also possible, through Counterproduction or a later revelation, for it to turn
out that there’s another layer of trickery, and the true state of things confounds
even your revised assumptions.
Shae has been captured and is brought before an imposing figure
introduced as the Duke of Tears, who begins haranguing and threatening
Shae. Shae, however, plays a card showing a figure with a prominent
mustache and uses Realize to declare that this isn’t actually the Duke, but
an impostor, and in fact his fake mustache is slipping! The guards are
shocked by this revelation, and Shae manages to escape in the confusion.
Shae reaches the shoreline below the Duke’s tower, but their friends’
ship is still far away, and the guards seem to still be running after them.
Shae, however, pocketed a telescope earlier in the adventure. They look
through the telescope and then use Realize with a card showing a sequence
of closely-following ants. Shae’s player says that this brings the ship closer
so they can get to it before the guards arrive.
Elif’s player is confused and asks how this works. Shae’s player
explains that looking through the telescope makes the ship look closer, but
the expectation is that it’s just a magnified image. Thus, they used Realize
to subvert this expectation and apply the closeness of the ants to the ship.
Shae’s player nods, and play continues.
22 Dreamer Moves

Twist Moves
The Dream is not a friendly place. It wants you to put yourself in harm’s way.
Accepting the context of the Dream, giving it what it wants, tends to just make
things worse. However, no one has the energy to fight the fabric of the Dream
constantly, and a temporary yielding may give you the basis for a decisive action
later.
Making a Twist Move represents some sort of concession or surrender to the
Dream around you, or perhaps forgetting that you are a Dreamer or your powers
momentarily. Twist Moves generally put you in a worse position, or at least a more
complicated one. In exchange, however, making a Twist Move allows you to draw
a card, giving you more resources for future action. They also make for good story.
Twist Moves often represent things outside your Dreamer’s control.
Nevertheless, you as a player are in control of when they’re used, giving you agency
over when your character’s shortcomings get in their way and when they don’t.
Use them narratively to add drama to the story or to give another Dreamer a
chance to shine, while giving yourself resources to use later. Dreamer players are
expected to use Twist Moves regularly as part of the ebb and flow of play. Players
should not interpret this as sabotaging the group’s efforts: it’s just part of telling
an interesting story.
Every Dreamer shares one Twist Move: “Freeze and fail to act when action
is needed.” Using this Twist Move, you, as a player, may choose to have your
Dreamer hesitate at a crucial moment and, say, let an opponent escape or miss
an opportunity for a crucial shot. It’s not that your character wanted to freeze up.
It’s not that your character couldn’t have succeeded. It’s that you as a player think
this lapse would be good for the story, or you want to draw a card to use later, or
both.
Shae’s been hiding behind a pile of firewood to eavesdrop on the Thorny
Advocate. Now the Advocate’s approaching and seems certain to spot them.
Shae could easily escape into the shadows before the Advocate gets too
close. However, Shae’s player wants some excitement, so they decide to use
the shared Twist Move, freezing and failing to act instead. Shae hesitates,
caught between possible escape routes, and when the Advocate walks past
she suddenly turns her head to look Shae right in the eyes. Shae’s player
draws a card.
If Shae’s player had instead thought it’d be more fun or a better story to
learn more about the Advocate without being noticed, they would’ve chosen
not to use the Twist Move.
Each Dreamer playbook gets two special Twist Moves in addition.
 Dreamer Moves 23

Narrative Moves
The remaining Dreamer moves deal less with your character’s direct struggle with
the Dream and more with the story itself.

Explore
When your character acts to seek out something unknown, play the top card of
the deck and use one or more elements from the card as the basis for what you
find or encounter. This can be literally finding something pictured on the card or
more loosely using the card as inspiration.
The Dreamer who explored takes lead on the interpretation. (They can ask the
table for suggestions.) The Guide will often elaborate on the situation afterwards.
The Explore move is commonly used when you go to a new place or search an
area. It can also be used for research, given an opportunity (such as access to an
archive), or trying to remember something useful when that seems plausible.
Elif leads the way into the dark woods in pursuit of the fabled Fountain of
Use. They turn over the top card of the deck and reveal a dinosaur crossing
a street surrounded by buildings. They consider saying that they find a
road that leads towards the fountain, but decide it would be more
interesting to encounter a giant lizard. The card remains in play, and any
unused elements may later be used to chain.
The Guide has a similar move, Reveal, that they can use when the Dreamers
encounter something new. Actively using Explore, however, gives the Dreamer
more control over what they find.
At the start of a Chapter, everyone at the table takes a turn using Explore to
set the initial situation.

Find Respite
You draw cards to fill your hand up to 5 cards if your characters find a sanctuary
or an opportunity to recover during a chapter. You can declare this whenever it
seems appropriate, whether it’s sharing a cup of tea or finding a friendly fortress.
However, you can only take this move as a group, when everyone’s together.
Shae and Meghan have been trying desperately to hide from Prowling
Eyes when they find a cave. Though cold and inhospitable, it feels safe to
them. However, they can’t take Find Respite because Elif is still in town,
having been negotiating with the guards there. Shae’s player, after
checking in with Elif’s player, decides to bring the group together. Shae
plays a card with a figure that resembles Elif and uses Manifest to
summon them. Now that the whole group is assembled, they can take Find
Respite and refill their hands before deciding what to do next.
24 Dreamer Moves

Cut
At any time, when you invoke Cut, the scene ends and a new scene begins.
Perhaps you all half-awoke. Perhaps the Dream just shifted. Perhaps there are
deeper forces at work. Regardless, the curtain is drawn over what was happening,
and you proceed, a bit disoriented.
This is less jarring to the Dreamers than it might seem. The Dream does not
always flow from cause to effect in a logical progression of events. Sometimes, you
just find yourself somewhere else, in a different situation, without knowing how
you got there.
The Cut Move is open to any player, including the Guide. It’s not a character
ability, but a player one. If a scene stalls, or becomes difficult to engage with, or
otherwise seems suboptimal, call Cut.
Choose if you want to set the scene by playing and interpreting the top card
of the deck (as with an Explore move) or if you prefer the Guide to do so.
This does not necessarily get the characters out of trouble, but it may get them
into different trouble, and that can make all the difference.
The Cut move gives players a lot of narrative control over scene transitions
and framing. This is intentional, both as a safety mechanism and to empower all
players to steer the game towards the fun. In some cases however, when different
players have different ideas on what’s worth focusing on or in which direction the
story should go, this can cause friction. In such cases, players should talk this over
out-of-character to figure out something that works for everyone.
Shae steps through a rotten board in an old house and falls into a
basement swarming with bats. Normally, Shae’s player would be fine with
that, but today for some reason that’s just feeling unpleasant to them.
Shae’s player invokes Cut and asks the Guide to set the new scene. The
Guide does so, and play continues.
In another session, Meghan finds
herself getting bored talking to a series of
unhelpful bureaucrats trying to gain an
audience with the Queen of Sandfall.
She invokes Cut and turns over the top
card of the deck. Depending on the card
she gets, it may not let her get an
audience, but it’ll at least move the
story on to something new.
 Dreamer Moves 25

Awaken
When you wake from the Dream, you discard your hand and refill it to 5 cards.
From the point of view of your Dreamer character, this may often be easier said
than done: the Dream can worm its way into you, entangle you, surround you. But
as a player, you may Awaken whenever you deem it appropriate. Sometimes sitting
bolt upright in bed can dramatically highlight a nightmarish encounter and draw
the curtain right before it gets to be too much. Or sometimes after a completed
adventure, it just feels natural to fade out to wakefulness.
We won’t see what happens while you’re awake directly. Your next scene will
take place when you next sleep and return to the Dream, whether that’s later that
same night or after much waking time has passed. Either way, you won’t reappear
in the Dream until at earliest the next scene. If you wake up while other Dreamers
do not, you will rejoin them after the next scene transition or when a suitable
opportunity arises. Otherwise, it may not initially be clear whether much time
has passed from the perspective of the denizens of the Dream.
Awaken can be a useful option in situations where you as a player don’t want
to continue playing a scene, but are fine with others continuing it, or when you
need to step away from the game briefly for whatever reason. Play can continue,
and you can naturally rejoin at a later point.
Narin has been being chased by the Exceeding Beast
and is out of cards. He gets backed into a dead-end
alley, and the Beast lunges to strike. Narin’s
player describes how, just as the Beast’s teeth
touch Narin’s skin, he sits bolt upright in bed.
When the other Dreamers get there, there’s
no sign of Narin. But in the next scene, he
shows up out of nowhere from behind a
tree, shaken but with a new hand of
cards.
Later, after winning the stolen
treasure back from the Dragon of
Sunlight and returning it to the
forest-dwellers, the Dreamers feel
like this adventure has
concluded. They all Awaken,
and will re-enter the Dream
together in a new situation
with new cards.
26 Dreamer Moves

Recenter
Recenter is a move based on your Tethers (see pg. 32). Once per chapter per Tether,
you can draw a card by bringing the Tether into play. Your Tethers anchor you to
who you are, and thus help to give you firmer footing in the Dream.
Using Recenter can represent a physical action with a Tether or invoking or
remembering a Tether in some way. Either way, your Tether reminds you of who
you are and what you are capable of.
One of Shae’s Tethers is their gardening trowel. When the Dreamers are
moving through a forest, they use Recenter and explain how despite the
ominous woods they see flowers in the underbrush, and this reminds them
that good may be hidden among darkness. This ties to their memories of
gardening with their trowel, and they draw a card for Recentering.
In a later chapter, they invoke the same Tether when they use the trowel
to transplant a plant spirit who was trapped in a tiny flowerpot. They
again draw a card for Recentering.

Unleash
The Unleash move is based on using your Tether as a last-ditch defense. Tethers
connect you to who you are, and this anchoring effect is what maintains your
connection to the waking world. In a desparate situation, you may use a tether to
parry an attack or shield yourself from a danger beyond its ordinary capabilities.
By channeling the anchoring potental of your Tether into one mighty impact, you
can block or save yourself from anything the Dream can throw at you. There is a
cost, however: the Tether becomes corrupted by the Dream, and is one step closer
to being an Entanglement (see pg. 33).

Spark
When someone does something
particularly cool, creative, or
unexpected, any player can use the
Spark move to reward them by letting
them draw a card.
This is not at any cost to the player
granting the reward, but each
Dreamer can only draw a card this way
once per scene.
 Dreamer Moves 27

Acting Without Moves

Your character may make reasonable actions without making a Move, though the
effect may not be as flashy or powerful as when using a Lucid Move.
What “reasonable” means varies depending on what’s established about your
character in the situation. A plucky preteen girl will be justified in different actions
than an enthusiastic squirrel. In general, you have authority over what makes
sense for your Dreamer’s concept.
There’s also a basic assumption that things your Dreamer would expect to
“always” have on hand in their waking life will often be available in the dream, in
addition to their Tethers and Entanglements (see pg. 32). Your character is
probably wearing shoes and may be wearing glasses. If you’re a modern human,
you probably have a cell phone and keys. If you’re from a fantasy setting, you might
have a dagger and a pouch of coins.
Use the “shoes and glasses” rule to make the story more interesting, not to
short-circuit the story. The Dream is real, and your stuff is not. These mundane
things can solve problems when used creatively, but don’t have the same level of
inherent truth or strength as Lucid Moves, your Tethers, or the special powers of
Denizens of the Dream. Nothing guarantees the applicability of these
incidentals, either. Manifesting money with a Lucid Move probably means
that it will be treated as such by the locals, but money you pull out of your
pocket might be treated as worthless green paper. Denizens that have an
Integrity score can generally brush off attacks not backed up with
Lucid Moves (see pg.  65). Nevertheless, your miscellaneous
possessions can turn out to be just what you need in a crucial
moment.
Meghan has managed to capture a Refractive Jay but
needs to take it to town to present to the tribunal, and
she’s worried it’ll manage to escape during the
long climb back. She’s running low on cards, so
rather than transform it with an Invert or
Realize move, she decides to unlace her
shoes and use the shoelaces to tie it
up. This won’t keep it from using
its special power of color-
devouring, but will at least
keep it from flying off the
moment her grip loosens.
28
 29

Dreamer Characters
The Dream is multifaceted, and no less so are the Dreamers who are drawn there.
A Dreamer character is based on a playbook that represents their character
archetype, what their character may be in search of, and how their character may
grow.
Something about what matters to you in the waking world, what problems
you face, what life has done to you is reflected in your playbook. It is the
foundation of the path you will walk in the Dream, the story you wish to tell.
Playbooks are not tightly constrained in terms of abilities or possible concepts.
The same playbook can produce a huge variety of characters. In essence, a playbook
is a set of questions you’re being asked about your character, not answers you are
being given.
It is the choices you make that will wrest definition from the amorphous space
of possibility.
30 Dreamer Characters

The Character Creation Process

1. Choose a Playbook
To create a Dreamer, first pick a playbook. Each playbook represents a character
archetype. Think about the type of story you want to tell to help guide your choice.
It’s recommended you use a formatted playbook to organize your character.
These are available at http://dreampunk.xavid.us/playbooks for your use.
Dreamer players may choose from the following playbooks, which are
described fully later in this chapter:
The Haunted: Your fears have followed you into the Dream.
The Searcher: You’re searching for important things stolen by the Dream.
The Idealist: You’re tied to what you wish for but can’t attain.
The Dissembler: Your lies have trapped you in chains of your own making.
The Burdened: You’ve been forced into a role that you can’t fit.
The Overlooked: Your needs in the waking world can only be met in the Dream.
The Bound: You follow unyielding rules that limit your growth.
The Prism: You’re made up of multiple distinct facets you normally can’t express.
The Theorist: You will use tests and observation to uncover the truth.
The Hunter: You seek to confront a target that preceded you into the Dream.
The Guardian: You defend the Dream against those that threaten it.
The Firebrand: You will save the waking world from the corruption of the Dream.
The Lightseeker: You seek an impossible treasure at the heart of the Dream.

2. Explore Your Character

Draw one or more cards to inspire your character. Use as much or as little of the
card as you want. This is intended as a creativity prompt, not a restriction.

3. Fill Out Your Playbook

Give your character one to three Needs as specified by the playbook (see pg. 34).
Give them three Tethers (see pg. 32). For both Needs and Tethers, think about how
your character fits into their waking world.
Flesh out your character. Give them a name, a description of who they are
awake, and a description of who they are in the dream.
Each playbook has some additional questions: a detail about your character’s
past or personality and a denizen of the Dream that’s connected to them.
Your playbook also prompts you to define connections to other Dreamers. To
fill these out, start by going around the table and having each Dreamer player
introduce their character. Then, go around again, asking who might be a good fit
for your connection questions or proposing who you think would work well. (You
don’t have to fill in all of them if they don’t all inspire you.) These pre-existing bits
of history can help prompt interesting interactions.
 Dreamer Characters 31

Your Waking World

There is more to a Dreamer than the powers they have, the actions they can take.
They have a complex life in a world of solidity and stability, a waking world that
may or may not look much like our own. And that has an indelible impact, gives
them connections and drives.
We won’t see the waking world except by implication. We won’t play scenes
there. It’s not expected that the various Dreamers know each other there or that
they necessarily come from the same world. No one, not even the Guide, is in a
position to contradict anything a Dreamer says about their experiences in the
waking world.4 The waking world does not have to be a realistic modern setting
for all (or any) Dreamers. But the waking world cannot solve Dream problems.
Nevertheless, you’re the same person asleep or
awake, and who you are in the waking world has a big
impact on who you are in the Dream: what needs tie
you to the Dream, what bonds keep you from being
swept away by it. It is your experiences in the waking
world, more than anything else, that make one
Dreamer different from another. And more than
anything else, it’s what you’re missing in the waking
world that defines you in the Dream.
Thinking about what your character’s life in the
waking world is like, in addition to your drawn
card(s) and your playbook, can be a strong source
of character inspiration.

4
If any of this leads to seemingly blatant contradictions, I encourage you to construe this as an
interesting development rather than a problem.
32 Dreamer Characters

Tethers
Each Dreamer starts with three things that are personally meaningful to them
and tie them to who they are in the waking world, keep them themselves against
all the twists and pressures of the Dream. These are called Tethers, and can be
anything with emotional weight: a lucky charm, a stuffed animal, a friend or
family member, your favorite subject at school, something you’re particularly good
at in your waking life, a memory, a promise…
A Tether is something you can always justify bringing into play. If it’s a
physical item, then you always have it at hand, however improbable that may seem.
If it’s a person, you can remember them to inspire or guide you or see aspects of
them in people you meet. Or perhaps a Dream version of them shows up when
you need them. If it’s a talent, you can take advantage of it to solve a problem.
The first time you bring a Tether into play during a chapter, you draw a card
from the Recenter move (see pg. 26).
Shae has three Tethers: a trusty pocket knife, their clever grandmother, and
their gardening trowel. When the group finds a manticore tangled in a net,
Shae uses their pocket knife to cut the manticore free. This both solves a
problem and gets them a card from Recentering. Later that chapter, they
use the pocket knife to help start a fire. Since it’s the same chapter, they
don’t get a second card.
Later, Shae declares that a farmer reminds them of their grandmother
and isn’t as oblivious as she pretends to be. In addition to the Recenter card,
this invocation leads the Guide to run with this concept and have the
initially-unhelpful farmer provide a useful clue.
Tethers have a stronger truth behind them than other
miscellaneous items you may have, and can prove
quite effective. Use them in creative ways that add
to the story.
Tethers also serve a greater role. Without
Tethers, you would not be able to find your way
back to the waking world. You would be stuck in
the Dream, forever.
You can focus this anchoring effect as a
last-ditch form of protection, more
fundamental even than Lucid Moves, with
the Unleash move (see pg. 26). Used this
way, one of your Tethers can shield you
from even the worst horrors of the Dream.
But this comes at a cost: exposing your
Tether to corruption and Entanglement.
 Dreamer Characters 33

Entanglement
Your Tethers are key to who you are, which can provide strength but also
vulnerability. Entanglement is the result of when you fail to defend against
something that would corrupt one of your Tethers or poison your connection to
a Tether. The more you use your Tethers, the more attention you draw to them,
and the more likely the Dream is to attack them. When you use the Unleash move
(pg. 26) to protect yourself, this always exposes your Tether to corruption.
The first time the Dream corrupts a given Tether, you mark the Tether, but it
remains intact as it is.
The second time the Dream corrupts it, your Tether becomes forever changed
by this corruption. It is no longer a Tether, but an Entanglement, something that
ties you enduringly to the Dream. Cross out the Tether and rewrite it to the right
as an Entanglement.
Elif has their faithful teddy bear as a Tether. They gave it to a scared child
for comfort while they took up a sword to fight off creeping slithers.
Meanwhile they’ve been ignoring the Countess of Severing, and she sneaks
up with a large pair of scissors and attacks the bear. The Dreamer players
could try to defend it, but Elif’s player feels like it makes more sense for the
slithers to distract them until it’s too late. The scissors land, and Elif marks
the teddy bear. It’s okay for now (after a few stitches), but if something
similar happens again, it will become an Entanglement.
Once per scene per Entanglement, anyone, including the Guide, yourself, or
another Dreamer, may invoke one of your Entanglements to subvert or undermine
a Lucid move you make. When anyone does this to you, you can chain without
discarding a card once later this session.
Later on, Elif’s teddy bear has become an Entanglement called the Bear of
Complacency. Shae’s been captured by a dragon. Elif wants to go help, and
plays a card showing an armored knight to Manifest a warrior to attack
the dragon. But Meghan’s player wants more drama and subverts the
move, suggesting that the warrior turns out to actually be an armored bear
who, instead of going to fight, tells Elif that they should stay here, away
from the dragon, where it’s safe. Elif didn’t get what they wanted, but they
do get a free chain later on.
If all your Tethers become Entanglements, you are so enmeshed in the Dream that
you are no longer a Dreamer. Perhaps you lose the ability to wake up or Find
Respite. Perhaps you switch to another playbook, for example becoming a Twitch
(pg. 50) or Beholden (pg. 56). Perhaps you dissolve into the fabric of the Dream,
or something stranger happens. Regardless, you are no longer what you were.
You may continue to play your corrupted character. Alternately, you may opt
to retire your character and create a new Dreamer.
34 Dreamer Characters

Needs
Each Dreamer playbook has a certain type of Need or driving force that shapes its
stories. Perhaps it is these things that Dreamers lack, these absences, that draw
them from their everyday worlds and pull them into the Dream.
Each Need has two circles and a star, tracking progress towards resolving that
Need.
When you overcome an obstacle connected to a Need, mark this by filling in
one of that Need’s circles.
After both circles for a Need are filled, it becomes possible to later resolve that
Need by doing something specified in your playbook. If you do so, fill the star for
the Need and realize a Grace.
Resolving a Need should ideally feel like a meaningful arc as you travel through
the Dream. Needs must be met by engaging with the world of the Dream to
overcome multiple obstacles over time. You cannot just bypass this progression
and jump to the end of a Need’s arc with a Lucid Move (though Lucid Moves may
be quite helpful for overcoming individual obstacles).
Your three Needs can be three independent goals or problems, or they can be
three stages in a narrative progression. In either case, you can define all three of
them when you create your character or leave one or two initially undefined to
determine during play.
Elif is a Bound, constrained by Laws. Their player decides to specify all
three of these Needs at character creation: always tell the truth, always put
others before yourself, and never admit to weakness. They may end up
wrestling with these Needs in any order.
Narin is a Haunted, who needs to face Fears. Initially, his player
specifies just one Need: his Fear of spiders. When Narin successfully
defeats this Fear, his player decides than his next Fear is the Unknown, a
broader and more fundamental expression of what scared him about
spiders in the first place. He has some ideas about a third Fear, but decides
to leave that unspecified for now.
 Dreamer Characters 35

Graces
Resolving a Need makes a Dreamer stronger by allowing them to establish a new
truth about themself, a truth that becomes rock-solid. This is a Grace, and
whenever you invoke a Grace you will find that it holds, no matter how unlikely it
may seem and in spite of any indications to the contrary.
Whenever you invoke a Grace, draw a card.
When you have three Graces, you may find a way to escape the Dream for good,
or you may realize you have other Needs remaining and switch to another
playbook.
In particular, you may find, once you’ve realized three Graces, that you
transcend from being a Dreamer into something more, someone who rises above
the constraints of the Dream. Those who have done so can be called Sureties (see
pg. 52), and they are rare beyond all belief.
You may continue to play your character with or without a new playbook.
Alternately, if you prefer, you may retire your character and create a new Dreamer.
When Narin overcomes his fear of spiders, he realizes a Truth about
himself: that he will never give up when his friends are in danger. Later,
when he’s trying to find a legal precedent to acquit Elif, the Bureaucrat of
Inertia tries to convince him that it’s futile and he should give up. Narin
invokes his Grace, effortlessly deflecting the Bureaucrat’s attempts and
drawing a card.

Character Revisions
The choices you make for your character, the things you write in your playbook,
aren’t carved in stone. They represent conceptions about who you are, but such
conceptions often prove false. Sometimes the character that emerges through play
doesn’t match the idea you had ahead of time.
If you think making alternate choices for your character would be more fun
or more interesting, feel free to edit things between sessions. There’s no cost or
penalty for doing so. For example, if you picked a Tether that isn’t coming up much,
you might want to rewrite it into something more exciting. Discuss such changes
with the Guide and other players to keep everyone on the same page.

Playbooks
The remainder of this chapter describes the various Dreamer playbooks. For play,
it is recommended to use the fillable playbooks which are available to download
at http://dreampunk.xavid.us/playbooks for your use.
36 Dreamer Characters

The Haunted
If only sleep were a refuge, an escape from the worries of the day. But it's not. The things you
fear follow you here. They become more powerful, taking on their own forms. They aren't
nightmares. Because you can't escape them by waking up.

Needs: Fears
You have three Fears: things that terrify you in waking life that you so far have
been unable to face, but will learn to face over the course of game.
When you overcome an obstacle related to a Fear, mark a circle for it. When
you have both circles filled and then face and defeat a Fear, mark the star and
realize a Grace.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• something that protects you
• something from the past you've held onto
• a place you retreat to
• someone who's braver than you are
• a saying meant to be reassuring
• a gift from a ghost

Special Lucid Move: Elude

Name a danger other than a Fear. Fashion something that lets you avoid it or
escape its notice.

Special Twist Moves

• Something you're afraid of happens.
• Flee a situation, leaving someone else in danger.

Questions
• How have you surprised yourself since entering the Dream?
• What do you know about the Nightmare Envoy who follows you? The Nightmare
Envoy could be an antagonist who represents something you fear, a
representative arguing for the positive side of something disquieting, or an
opportunist who sees value or power in your troubles.

Connections
• Who was doing something unsettling when you first encountered them?
• Who comforted you when you really needed it?
• Who seems like they could face anything?
 Dreamer Characters 37

The Searcher
You're here in pursuit of that which was stolen away. It may be foolish to think that you can
return to the waking world what the Dream has taken. But nevertheless, you must try.

Needs: Charges
You have three Charges: things or people you feel responsible for that have, in
some way or other, been lost to the Dream.
When you overcome an obstacle pursuing a Charge, mark a circle for it. When
you have both circles filled and then recover a Charge, mark the star and realize a
Grace.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• a secret you've kept
• a place you once found treasures
• someone you made a promise to
• a surprisingly-useful book
• a token of someone you've lost
• a feather from a rare bird

Special Lucid Move: Compass

Name something you're seeking other than a Charge. Discover something that
points you in the right direction or gets you closer.

Special Twist Moves

• Unexpectedly misplace something that you need.
• Get separated from your friends.

Questions
• How were your Charges stolen away?
• What do you know of the Uncanny Thief who stole from you? The Uncanny Thief
could be a suave and cryptic unknown, a former friend or confidant, or an
incongruous yet manipulative figure. They may have stolen one or all of your
Charges, or they may be keeping the secrets of a more subtle culprit.

Connections
• Who reminds you of someone you've lost?
• Who seems recklessly irresponsible?
• Who do you trust to guide you in the right direction?
38 Dreamer Characters

The Idealist
You are beset by a desperate longing. You yearn for something pure, something golden. Some
perfection you know is out there. Something you can't have. Not in the world of day, at least.
But perhaps here, in the Dream, anything is possible.

Needs: Desires
You have three Desires: powerful longings you're pursuing as driving goals. Things
that are difficult or impossible in the waking world, but that you have a possibility
to attain here in the dream.
When you overcome an obstacle pursuing a Desire, mark a circle for it. When
you have both circles filled and then attain a Desire, mark the star and realize a
Grace.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• a tool relating to a passion
• a lucky charm you believe in
• a pet who adores you
• a place that inspires daydreams
• a fanciful poem
• a piece of an artifact

Special Lucid Move: Heartsense

Choose a denizen present. Declare something that they want, other than one of
your Desires.

Special Twist Moves

• Stubbornly insist on doing what you want despite the consequences.
• Misunderstand what someone wants to unfortunate result.

Questions
• What makes things feel impossible in the waking world?
• What do you know of the False Savior who promises to aid you? The False Savior
likely claims to be able to get you what you want, but is either manipulating you
with false hope or overestimating their own abilities.

Connections
• Who hides a hopeful heart?
• Who seems like they could help you attain a Desire?
• Who has an unrealistic opinion of you?
 Dreamer Characters 39

The Dissembler
The truth is harsh. It's jagged and dangerous. So you construct your world of comforting lies.
Build your life around them. No one will ever know. It'll never come crashing down. And it
definitely won't affect your sleep.

Needs: Lies
You have three Lies: things you've built your life around, things about the world
or about yourself you insist are true even though in your heart you know they're
false. You will eventually end up rejecting them over the course of character
development.
When you overcome an obstacle related to a Lie, mark a circle for it. When you
have both circles filled and then reject a Lie, mark the star and realize a Grace.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• pretentious credentials
• an ostentatious vehicle
• someone who's benefited from your lies
• a home you've abandoned
• a trick weapon or tool
• a shimmering mask

Special Lucid Move: Convince

Specify a target. Reveal evidence or assurance that supports a falsehood you've
told them, other than one of your three Lies.

Special Twist Moves

• Have a lie you've told get you into trouble.
• Have something you're counting on turn out to be false.

Questions
• What are you afraid you'll lose by admitting the truth?
• What do you know of the Ceaseless Investigator who's suspicious of you? The
Ceaseless Investigator may represent someone you hide from while awake,
reflect a truth you shy away from, or just be broadly distrustful of Dreamers.

Connections
• Who do you suspect is hiding something important?
• Who seems to trust you too easily?
• Who do you wish you could confess something to?
40 Dreamer Characters

The Burdened
People think highly of you. They see you as someone capable, someone extraordinary, someone
they can depend on. But that's not you. They see someone they want you to be, force you into
their mold. And it's not a mold you can fit. And it's breaking you.

Needs: Responsibilities
You have three Responsibilities: requirements of a role pushed upon you that are
unsustainable or unhealthy. You will reject or adapt them over the course of game.
When you overcome an obstacle related to a Responsibility, mark a circle for
it. When you have both circles filled and then reject or adapt a Responsibility, mark
the star and realize a Grace.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• a packed bag or knapsack
• a schedule or logbook
• someone who depends on you
• a sanctuary where you escape expectations
• an unusual assistant
• a cord woven with promises

Special Lucid Move: Assume

Accept a task unrelated to your Responsibilities. Give yourself characteristics that
make you well-suited to that task.

Special Twist Moves

• Let someone down who had expectations of you.
• Fail at something you're supposed to be good at.

Questions
• Why haven't you been able to get help with your burdens?
• What's known of the Ensnaring Rose who offers a life free of care? The
Ensnaring Rose is someone who feels comfortable and safe, but with a sinister
undertone; they may be manipulating you with easy answers or may represent
a life you wish you had.

Connections
• Who seems to understand well the nature of responsibility?
• Who helped you out when you weren't up to a task?
• Who reminds you of someone who counts on you in the waking world?
 Dreamer Characters 41

The Overlooked
Life isn't fair. Some people are born with a silver spoon. You don't know how you're going to
make it through the week. There are things you need, things others take for granted that you
don't have. At least here, maybe you can escape that.

Needs: Lacks
You have three Lacks: things you need to live a safe and comfortable life but lack
stable access to outside the Dream. You will find ways to fill them in the Dream.
When you overcome an obstacle related to a Lack, mark a circle for it. When
you have both circles filled and then satisfy a Lack, mark the star and realize a
Grace.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• something broken or worn
• something you've fought to keep
• someone who has even less
• a makeshift shelter
• a password for an underground gathering
• a seed or coin a rat brought you

Special Lucid Move: Do Without

Name something you need other than a Lack. Modify yourself or your belongings
to let you make do without it.

Special Twist Moves

• Be unable to find something that should be available.
• Find an antagonist to unexpectedly have something they need.

Questions
• What joyful bounty have you found in the dream?
• What's known of your Benefactor whose gifts have subtle catches? Your
Benefactor may be earnest but misguided or may have a deeper agenda; they
seem to have an unending supply of useful or necessary things. The source of
their gifts is unclear, and the gifts don't end up working as you expect.

Connections
• Who seems to take for granted something of great worth?
• Who seems reluctant to share what they have?
• Who seems like they understand hardship?
42 Dreamer Characters

The Bound
The world's a scary place. If you do or say the wrong thing, it could be catastrophic. Luckily,
you know the rules to follow. If you follow them, everything will be okay. There's nothing to
worry about. Just follow the rules.

Needs: Laws
You have three Laws: rules you constructed out of necessity or that were instilled
in you by others that limit your ability to grow. You will rewrite or move past them
over the course of game.
When you overcome an obstacle wrestling with a Law, mark a circle for it.
When you have both circles filled and then rewrite or move past a Law, mark the
star and realize a Grace.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• something you feel anxious without
• someone you idolize
• a scar from a past failing
• a place of authority
• a rhyme or song to remember something
• a chain forged of an impossible substance

Special Lucid Move: Legalism

Choose a denizen present. Declare a rule that they follow.

Special Twist Moves

• Declare a helpful or practical action unacceptable for a principled reason.
• Misunderstand local norms to unfortunate effect.

Questions
• What disaster do you fear when your Laws are broken?
• What do you know of the Contrarian who pronounces odd rules? The
Contrarian is in some way like you, but follows or espouses a code that is
incompatible with your own. They may encourage you to question your
restrictions, or they may follow their own rules to the point of self-destruction.

Connections
• Who seems to follow a strict personal code?
• Who strikes you as chaotic and unpredictable?
• Whom did you promise something that's outside your comfort zone?
 Dreamer Characters 43

The Prism
Normality's a lie, but it's a powerful one. You need to fit in, to be productive, to seem together
in order to survive. But that's all a facade. Your self is made up of multiple parts, and you
need to express them all to be whole. But it's not safe to reveal your facets in waking life.
Maybe doing so in the Dream will be enough.

Needs: Facets
You have three Facets: distinct identities or parts of your personality you have to
repress to be accepted or safe. You will learn to safely express them in the Dream.
When you overcome an obstacle impeding a Facet, mark a circle for it. When
you have both circles filled and then fully express a Facet, mark the star and realize
a Grace.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• something multicolored
• something from an obscure interest
• someone you can be yourself around
• a place that brought you clarity
• a collection of names or symbols
• a lens that lets you see hidden truths

Special Lucid Move: Rotate Perspective

Choose a denizen present. Bring out an unexpected side of their personality that
helps you.

Special Twist Moves

• Have internal conflict cause you to fall apart.
• Reveal a sinister side to something that seemed safe or helpful.

Questions
• What alien aspect of the Dream do you embrace or find comforting?
• What's known of the Dark Image that mirrors what you reject of yourself? Your
Dark Image may seem like a part of yourself that you've cast off, or may be a
counterpart or rival that brings parts of yourself you dislike to the fore.

Connections
• Who feels like a kindred spirit to one of your facets?
• Who do you see a hidden heart in at odds with their surface appearance?
• Who seems to understand well your complexities?
44 Dreamer Characters

The Theorist
You don't have all the answers. All models are wrong. Certainly your analysis failed to
anticipate the Dream. But you will not despair. You have your eyes, your determination. You
will test and observe. And, even here, you will draw ever-closer to the truth.

Needs: Conceptions
You have three Conceptions: ideas you have about how the world works that are
incomplete or mistaken. You will test and revise them as you play into better
reflections of truth.
When you overcome an obstacle while testing a Conception, mark a circle for
it. When you have both circles filled and then revise a Conception, mark the star
and realize a Grace.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• a recording device
• a tool for measuring or computing
• someone whose work inspires you
• somewhere you found answers
• a secret that others dismissed
• a crystal or mechanical heart

Special Lucid Move: Insight

Name something you're uncertain about, other than a Conception. Reveal or
uncover something that provides evidence illuminating a path forward.

Special Twist Moves

• Misinterpret key evidence or information.
• Take a foolish or dangerous risk in pursuit of answers.

Questions
• What have you done in the Dream that had a shocking result?
• What do you know of the Vexing Prophet who foresees ill for you? The Vexing
Prophet is an ominous figure who claims to see to hidden truths; they are not
your enemy per se, but see flaws in your ideas and foolishness in your plans.

Connections
• Who have you helped uncover a truth?
• Who repeatedly defies your expectations?
• Who is frustratingly prone to argue or disagree with you?
 Dreamer Characters 45

The Hunter
You are not here at random, and you are not here alone. There is someone else who preceded
you. You have clues pointing in their direction. And the clock is ticking. You need to find your
quarry soon, before things get worse. If you don't, the Dream will be the least of your troubles.

Needs: Leads
You have three Leads: clues or traces that will help you find or oppose your quarry.
When you overcome an obstacle following a Lead, mark a circle for it. When
you have both circles filled and then make a crucial discovery to resolve a Lead,
mark the star and realize a Grace.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• a favorite puzzle or toy
• something that helps you spot things
• a pet with a useful ability
• a familiar hunting ground
• an item precious to your Quarry
• an uncanny means of communication

Special Lucid Move: Deduction

Choose a seemingly-innocuous detail not directly connected to a Lead. Reveal a
hidden significance it indicates.

Special Twist Moves

• Fall prey to an unexpected trap or preparation laid by your Quarry.
• Have problems in your waking world disrupt what you're trying to do.
(Remember that you're the authority on what might be happening in your
waking world.)

Questions
• What makes you uniquely suited to follow traces through the Dream?
• What do you know of your Elusive Quarry, always one step ahead? Your Elusive
Quarry resists ordinary means of tracking and is a threat to something
important to you in your waking life.

Connections
• Who has skills that could help in the hunt?
• Who has an incongruous belonging that hints at a dangerous secret?
• Who impressed you by noticing something you did not?
46 Dreamer Characters

The Guardian
Some Dreamers come here clueless, at the mercy of the chaotic forces around them. Not you.
You know the Dream, how it works. You know that there are others who seek to use the
Dream, or to end it. It needs someone to protect it. Someone like you.

Needs: Threats
You are concerned about three Threats: things that are a danger to the Dream as
a whole, whether they are denizens, invaders from outside, or something else.
When you overcome an obstacle pursuing a Threat, mark a circle for it. When
you have both circles filled and then defeat a Threat, mark the star and realize a
Grace.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• an unexpected or makeshift weapon
• a passion or hobby you keep secret
• a scientist or scholar devoted to their work
• your dream journal
• an unusual yet comfortable bed
• a device tied into the Dream

Special Lucid Move: Understanding

Choose a danger other than a Threat. Reveal a secret of the Dream that gives you
the upper hand against it.

Special Twist Moves

• Refuse to take action due to possible consequences for the Dream.
• Find that damage to the Dream has made something you counted on unreliable.

Questions
• By what authority do you defend the Dream?
• What do you know of the Aloof Meddler who knows too much? The Aloof
Meddler could be your superior in an organization, someone you suspect has
connection to your Threats but have nothing solid on, or a claimed ally whose
advice gets you into trouble.

Connections
• Who seems a worthy ally in defense of the Dream?
• Who seems infected or corrupted, or to be at risk for becoming so?
• Who might be being manipulated by powerful hidden forces?
 Dreamer Characters 47

The Firebrand
Some see the Dream as natural, an inevitable outgrowth of humanity's collective unconscious.
You, however, know better. The Dream corrodes the minds of its victims, and the problem is
growing worse. You must sever its tendrils and free humanity from its touch, before it grows
powerful enough that even waking will be no escape.

Needs: Corruptors
You are concerned about three Corruptors: denizens of the Dream working to
extend the Dream's reach into your waking world.
When you overcome an obstacle tied to a Corruptor, mark a circle for it. When
you have both circles filled and then decisively defeat a Corruptor, mark the star
and realize a Grace.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• an emergency survival necessity
• someone you'd do anything to protect
• a place you received training
• makeshift protective headgear
• a scar or wound caused by the Dream
• a pure ever-burning flame

Special Lucid Move: Purify

Choose something present other than a Corruptor. Free it from the influence of
a denizen of the Dream.

Special Twist Moves

• Inadvertently hurt or abandon an ally in your single-minded pursuit of a goal.
• Find evidence that something innocuous is part of a Corruptor's plot.

Questions
• How did you first learn of the threat posed by the Dream?
• What do you know of the Keen Interloper who dogs your steps? The Keen
Interloper claims to be no friend of the Corruptors, but knows much about
them. They aren't from your world, but are quite interested in it and your efforts.

Connections
• Who reminds you why you must fight the Dream?
• Whose comfort with the Dream makes you uneasy?
• Who seems a worthwhile ally in your fight?
48 Dreamer Characters

The Lightseeker
There's something at the core of the Dream. Something stolen, or not yet born. An impossible
pearl hidden deep within the sludge and darkness. You've seen glimpses of it, hints. You know
it exists. And if you claim it? You could change everything.

Needs: Sages
You need the aid of three Sages: denizens of the Dream who know secrets that
lead to the truth or treasure you seek.
When you overcome an obstacle seeking or proving your worth to a Sage, mark
a circle for them. When you have both circles filled and then obtain what you need
from a Sage, mark the star and realize a Grace.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• an elaborate map
• a memory that drives you
• someone you seek to emulate
• a place steeped in loss
• a scrap of tangible evidence
• a piece of ancient regalia

Special Lucid Move: Contrivance

Choose a denizen present other than a Sage. Establish something they know that
can aid you.

Special Twist Moves

• Find that information you were given proves to be false.
• Trigger a trap when you thought you were safe.

Questions
• Why are you so sure you need this treasure or truth?
• What's known of the Fallen Monarch who covets the treasure you seek? The
Fallen Monarch may be racing you to your goal, or may be someone you can
work together with, but either way your motivations are fundamentally in
conflict.

Connections
• Who has seen a glimpse or hint of what you seek?
• Who do you feel understands your drive?
• Whose expertise feels threatening?
 Dreamer Characters 49

Deeper Playbooks
In addition to the standard Dreamer playbooks, there are four additional
playbooks that change up the assumptions of the game a bit.
These playbooks are by default intended as options for continuing your
character’s journey after they’ve completed their initial story progression,
presenting possible paths away from their initial Dreamer playbook. There are
obvious mechanical circumstances where this could make sense (losing all your
Tethers to Entanglement, or resolving all your Needs), but you shouldn’t feel
restricted to those moments. If the table agrees it makes sense, you can switch
playbooks at other times, for example after making an irrevocable choice or
dramatic sacrifice.
When taking a new playbook, you generally carry over as much as makes sense
from your previous playbook; for example, normally you’ll keep the same Tethers
and Entanglements you had rather than coming up with new ones.
All that said, these playbooks don’t have to be sequels. If the table’s on board
with it, you can start a character with one of these playbooks. Just be mindful that
they have limitations and journeys that are quite a bit different from the default
Dreampunk experience.
The structure of these playbooks are a bit different from the standard
playbooks. Each still has Needs, but these Needs are not based on something from
the waking world, and you receive something else rather than Graces for resolving
those needs. Each playbook has additional special rules as well.
When creating a character for a deeper playbook,
the focus is less on who they are or were in the waking
world. For these characters, what’s important is who
they were and how they interacted with the Dream
before they made the irrevocable choice or change, and
in contrast who they are now.
The four deeper playbooks are:
The Twitch: You have fallen to Entanglement and
become a corrupted creature of the Dream.
The Surety: You truly know yourself, and this allows
you to rise above the Dream and stand
unwavering against its treachery.
The Rabble-Rouser: You have formed real bonds
with denizens you have met in the Dream,
and now work with them to correct injustice.
The Beholden: Out of ambition or necessity, you
have sold a part of yourself to a powerful
denizen and are now bound to them with
chains of loyalty.
50 Dreamer Characters

The Twitch
The Dream is a place of endless struggle, where you are constantly under attack. Some
manage to fend it off, at least for a time. Most fall into its clutches, sooner or later. And you?
You are one of these, fallen to the corruption of the Dream. You can never wake up. Never
return to your waking world. And now, your only solace is to spread this corruption to others.

Needs: Targets
You have your sights set on three Targets: Dreamers, possibly support characters,
who you seek to draw into Entanglement to build your own power.
When you overcome an obstacle tempting or corrupting a Target, mark a circle
for them. When you have both circles filled and then absorb the power of
corrupting a Target's Tether into an Entanglement, mark the star and note their
Entanglements as Victim Entanglements.

Possible Entanglement Ideas

Your Entanglements once anchored you, but now bind you to the Dream. Perhaps
consider…
• something disconcertingly bright and garish
• something broken beyond repair
• someone you'll never see again
• a place where you failed at a crucial moment
• a thorn coated in distilled nightmares
• your heart's fragments forged as a weapon

Special Lucid Move: Impose Harmony

Choose something foreign or out of place. Force them to take on an aspect of the
local environment or realm.

Special Twist Moves

• Find your Entanglements or your fallen nature ill-suited to your circumstances.
• Betray someone who trusts you for selfish reasons.

Questions
• What do you miss most of the waking world?
• What do you recall of the Remnant, your last link to your former life? The
Remnant may be a Dreamer you once traveled with, someone else from the
same waking world as you, or a denizen who reminds you of your former self
or someone you once knew.
 Dreamer Characters 51
Connections
• Who do you feel a keen temptation to entangle?
• Who insists on believing that redemption is still possible for you?
• Who views you with great distrust or antagonism?

Rules for the Twitch

A Dreamer who falls to Entanglement becomes trapped in the Dream. They are
no longer what they were, but a strange and corrupted denizen called a Twitch.
Since the expectation is that the other protagonists are Dreamers, this
positions you, as a Twitch, in an inherently threatening way. You may be struggling
against the darkness, fighting to help the Dreamers avoid your fate despite your
hungers. Or you may be serving in a more antagonistic role, with deceit and
betrayal waiting in the wings. In this latter case, make sure that everyone’s on
board with that direction. This sort of character conflict can lead to great drama,
but it’s a bit different than the normal collaborative feel of Dreampunk. Remember
that even if your characters come into conflict you’re all working to have fun as
players, and make sure everyone’s on the same page about their expectations.
If you play the Twitch, you are not a Dreamer: you may not Awaken and have
no Tethers, only Entanglements. Otherwise, you still function as a Dreamer in
terms of the game rules.
You can still make Lucid Moves; however, you must incorporate some element
of one of your Entanglements or Victim Entanglements into each Lucid Move.
Anyone can still invoke one of your Entanglements (once per scene per
Entanglement) to subvert or undermine a Lucid move you make, but it can’t be
the Entanglement you incorporated into the move they are subverting. (When this
happens, you can chain a Lucid move for free later this session, as usual.)
The limitations of your fallen nature are up to you and may vary from Twitch
to Twitch; this may just refer to the basic inability to leave the Dream and the
limitations on your Lucid Moves, or you may have additional limitations based on
having become inhuman or based in your Entanglements.
You can expand your options for using Lucid moves and grow your power by
corrupting other Dreamers (who can be protagonist characters or support
characters). To do so, you must build up to it via overcoming obstacles tempting
or corrupting your Target or their Tethers in some way. Then, you must specifically
corrupt one of their Tethers into an Entanglement; when you do, you absorb the
Dream power thus created and gain access to their Entanglements as well.
If you absorb power from corrupting all three Targets, discuss with the table
what this means for your character and if it might make sense to switch playbooks
as a result. This probably isn’t a good outcome, but it’s likely a good story.
Alternately, you may remain as a Twitch and accrue additional Targets.
There may be other ways to stop being a Twitch, but if so, they likely require
assistance from other protagonist characters and their Graces.
52 Dreamer Characters

The Surety
Once you were a Dreamer, barely able to hold your own against the currents of the Dream.
But it was more than just a meaningless struggle. Striving against it, you learned to
understand yourself. To understand the Dream, rise above it. From your elevated point, you
can see its problems in a new way. They're not inevitable. They're flaws. And they can be fixed.

Needs: Projects
You have three Projects: large-scale changes you seek to impose on the Dream.
When you overcome an obstacle advancing a Project, mark a circle for it. When
you have both circles filled and then complete a Project to permanently change
the Dream, mark the star and establish a Pillar.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• a sheaf of plans or blueprints
• something that mends or fastens
• someone who opened your eyes
• a place where you won a great victory
• a cloak woven from something intangible
• a perfect, unbreakable spiderweb

Special Lucid Move: Mold the Dream

Extract or manipulate an abstract quality according to your idiom.

Special Twist Moves

• Find an unexpected negative consequence to your meddling.
• Over-fixate on someone's flaws, overlooking useful or helpful qualities.

Questions
• What idiom do you use to shape the Dream?
• What made you decide to pass up your chance to escape the Dream?
• What do you know of the Resistant Foe that sees your plans as a threat? Your
Resistant Foe is likely a powerful denizen who benefits from the status quo, but
could also be someone with a competing vision for the Dream's potential.

Connections
• Who sees the merit of your endeavors to reshape the Dream?
• Who do you fear is too comfortable with the Dream as it is?
• Who has failed to adequately master their emotions?
 Dreamer Characters 53
Rules for the Surety
A Dreamer that attains self-understanding can reach a sort of transcendence that
allows them to rise above the Dream. This most commonly happens when a
Dreamer resolves all of their Needs.
As a Surety, you are largely still a Dreamer, but have a heightened
independence that derives from your Graces and your self-confidence. Like any
Dreamer, your Tethers are at risk of Entanglement. You already have three Graces,
and like normal when you invoke a Grace, you draw a card.
Your Tethers are more self-referential than for other Dreamers; they may
connect you to the waking world, but they can also be built on your mastery and
deep understanding of your own identity.
Your Mold the Dream special Lucid Move has greater persistence than
ordinary Lucid Moves. Each Surety has a personal idiom, a way they modify the
Dream, for example breaking things into puzzle pieces or sculpting auras with a
chisel. This idiom often derives from your Graces and colors how you mold the
dream. Whatever your idiom, it’s generally a flexible and powerful option.
You have three Projects, which are advanced like any Need; however, the effects
of completing a project are beyond the personal, and the obstacles you must
overcome in pursuit of a Project are correspondingly larger and more involved.
Denizens of the Dream can sense their potential impact, and you likely face active
opposition.
When you complete a Project, you
establish a Pillar, a permanent new truth
about the Dream or a portion of it that
applies to everyone. Whenever anyone
makes use of a Pillar, they may draw a
card (or, for a denizen, gain an Integrity
card). In effect, Pillars are Graces that
extend beyond yourself and become
established fundamentally in the
Dream.
When you have remade the
Dream to your liking, what then?
Perhaps this is a task that will never
be complete, and you will keep
adding new Projects. Or perhaps you
will find a new form, a new purpose,
afterwards, taking up a new
playbook. For one such as you, the
possibilities are endless.
54 Dreamer Characters

The Rabble-Rouser
The Dream's denizens are not like the people you know awake. They have strange wants,
strange ways of living. But some things are universal. The powerful exploit the lowly, until
the lowly band together to fight back. And you know whose side you're on. You're in this fight,
not as a savior or benefactor, but as a comrade. And if the masses stand together? Then
everything can change.

Needs: Allies
You know three Allies: denizens who rebel against the Dream's structures.
When you overcome an obstacle assisting an Ally, mark a circle for them.
When you have both circles filled and then work with an Ally to achieve their
objective, mark the star and establish a Princple for their group.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• an identifying pin or scarf
• a song that brings you hope
• someone who taught you an crucial lesson
• a place where you saw a great injustice
• a bottomless first aid kit
• a bell that drowns out lies

Special Lucid Move: Mutual Aid

Choose an Ally. In a situation not directly related to their goals, have them help
you or apply something of them to your situation.

Special Twist Moves

• Get separated from your friends and find yourself overwhelmed.
• Have a heated disagreement with a companion, undermining your efforts.

Questions
• What do you know of solidarity from your waking life?
• What do you know of the Pleasant Tempter that offers simple solutions? The
Pleasant Tempter seems sympathetic but pushes for less-disruptive ideas.
Whether or not they intend to, they undermine your plans.

Connections
• Who do you trust to stand by your side no matter what?
• Who seems cynical about how things are likely to turn out?
• Who seems not to understand your struggle?
 Dreamer Characters 55
Rules for the Rabble-Rouser
The Rabble-Rouser works together with denizens of the Dream. By default, you
are still a Dreamer, with Tethers at risk of Entanglement.
If you have Graces from a prior playbook, keep them and draw a card when
you invoke them. If you came via another deeper playbook that provides other
special qualities, you may keep these qualities if it makes sense in the story.
The obstacles you face working with your Allies are likely larger than with
ordinary Needs, and you will probably face more active opposition in pursuit of
their objectives from those in the Dream who benefit from the status quo.
Once you do resolve your Need by attaining this major objective, you will
establish a Principle for the relevant group. When you or anyone in the group
invokes a Principle, they may draw a card (or, for a denizen, gain an Integrity card).
A Principle is a unifying truth about the group that gives it strength, in effect
acting as a Grace that applies to the entire group and everyone in it.
If you achieve success with all three of your Allies, then you likely have turned
society in the Dream on its head. Will find new allies pushing for further change?
Or will you undergo one more metamorphosis, take up another playbook? Or is
it upon you to finally leave the Dream behind, and apply what you have learned to
those struggling in the waking world? The choice is up to you.
56 Dreamer Characters

The Beholden
The Dream holds myriad opportunities, but nothing comes without a cost. You have sold
something of yourself to a denizen of the Dream. Was it for power? Was it to save yourself
when nothing else would? Or were you searching for a real connection? Regardless, you serve
another, now. And this service will prove riddled with thorns.

Needs: Tasks
You have three Tasks: fraught missions placed upon you by your liege.
When you overcome an obstacle pursuing a Task, mark a circle for it. When
you have both circles filled and then complete a Task, mark the star and receive a
Boon.

Possible Tether Ideas

Your Tethers can be anything that anchors you. Perhaps consider…
• something representing victory or rank
• something you stole
• someone who owes you
• a place that makes you feel small
• an elixir that gives a surge of glory
• a battered shield of gems and darkness

Special Lucid Move: Borrowed Might

Choose something not under the protection of your liege. Lash out at it with power
given to you by your liege.

Special Twist Moves

• Have your obligations keep you from addressing your own needs.
• Intentionally or not, go against your liege's wishes, and face the consequences.

Questions
• Who is your liege?
• What do you know of the Bright Thorn who opposes your liege? The Bright
Thorn may be a rival on an equal footing to your liege, an underdog rebel, or a
professed ally working their own scheme. They may view you as a threat, or may
seek to offer you another path.

Connections
• Who has been hurt by your liege in the past?
• Who reminds you of what you used to care about?
• Who did you leave behind when you made your bargain?
 Dreamer Characters 57
Rules for the Beholden
The Beholden is a Dreamer who has given their loyalty to a powerful denizen in
exchange for something they need.
You’re still a Dreamer, albeit a compromised one. You still have Tethers at risk
of Entanglement; however, any Entanglements you have are now called Chains
and bind you to your liege rather than the Dream as a whole. Any player can still
use your Chains to subvert your Lucid Moves, but your liege knows when a Chain
is invoked and this may bring them into the scene in some way.
If you have Graces from a prior playbook, keep them and draw a card when
you invoke them. You can also keep other special qualities from a prior deeper
playbook if it makes sense in the story.
Your Tasks function like any Need; however, instead of a Grace, they give you
a Boon from your liege. You may find when using such boons that your liege learns
or takes something, exerting their influence over you in some small way. They’re
still extremely useful, but depending on them makes it even harder to separate
yourself from your liege.
If you attain three Boons, you have won great honor from your liege, perhaps
a title or other privledges. And perhaps you continue in their service as they
entrust you with ever-greather and ever-more-fraught tasks.
At what point is the cost too high to bear? Can the Beholden ever free
themselves from their liege? Not alone, that’s for sure. But with assistance from
other Dreamers and their Graces? A great many things are possible.
58
 59

The Guide
The Guide plays the environment, describing the places the Dreamers explore.
They also act as the denizens of the Dream the Dreamers meet, introducing and
playing them as “support characters”. Their role is facilitate an interesting story
that everyone creates together.
The Guide does not “play god”. They may run the game, but they don’t have
sole control over what happens. Every player shares narrative control over the
game. Nevertheless, when the story gets stuck, the Guide can help get it moving
in an interesting direction.
The Guide is not an adversary. The Guide, like the other players, is here to have
fun and tell a good story. A good story in Dreampunk requires obstacles,
challenges, and opponents. But it is not the Guide’s job to make the Dreamers fail
or make their goals impossible. They just work with the other players to make their
choices and pursuits interesting and meaningful.
For what is there for us to do, but to create meaning out of chaos?
60 The Guide

Principles
The Guide shapes the feel and progression of the game by describing the
environment and the actions of denizens. Guiding a collaborative Dreampunk
story effectively takes some care. These principles suggest ways for the Guide to
give the Dream form and facilitate a strong and multifaceted game.

Facilitating Gameplay
Give meaningful choices. Make sure that choices have impact, that they matter.
Ideally, there aren’t clear-cut right answers, and multiple options merit serious
consideration.
Say “yes, and…”, not “no”. Dreampunk is a collaborative game about powerful
characters, and nothing wrecks that more than shutting someone down when
they do something cool. Lucid Moves are broad, powerful abilities, and clever
and creative ideas not using moves should be encouraged too. Don’t block
‘unbalanced’ moves or ideas that disrupt your plans. Instead, add complications
to let players succeed without completely avoiding challenge or interaction. If
something a Dreamer tries won’t work, reveal an alternate path or give some
consequence that keeps the story moving forward.
Challenge but don’t thwart. Don’t make it too easy to solve problems in the Dream;
it’s more satisfying to build up to a resolution rather than to short-circuit it.
But don’t make solving problems feel impossible, either. Individual Lucid
Moves can address an immediate challenge but may result in unforeseen
consequences and complications. Regardless, engaging with the Dream should
prove fruitful or fail in a way that provides a new opportunity; you don’t want
to frustrate players or make their attempts feel worthless.
Hold your prep loosely. Many Guides come to a session with structure, plot
elements, or characters they plan to feature. This helps make improv easier.
But don’t commit yourself to these preconceived ideas. Be willing to abandon
your plans if Dreamers do something unexpected that disrupts them or if they
focus in a different direction. Nothing not yet encountered is fixed, and even
things already established can quickly change in the Dream.
Ask provocative questions. The Dream reflects the Dreamers, and one great way
to make things relevant is to ask the Dreamer players leading questions that
connect something in the scene to their character. This is particularly useful
when you come to a new place or meet a new denizen. Possibilities include:
• Who does this person remind you of?
• What about this place reminds you of somewhere else?
• What do you expect is about to happen?
• What makes you nervous here?
• What do you hope to find here?
 The Guide 61

Worldbuilding
Build on the Dreamers’ focus, Needs, and Tethers. If the Dreamers are focused
on something, let that grow into something interesting that moves the story
forward or serves as a twist in the story. Follow their leads. Needs and Tethers
are clear indications of what the Dreamers are interested in, and bringing
them into play directly or indirectly drives character progression. Have the
Dream try to corrupt Tethers that come up notably or frequently in play. (See
“Entanglement” on pg. 33.)
Make every situation precarious. There is no status quo: there’s always something
poised to happen if the Dreamers don’t act. Factions are always in conflict.
Things are always growing or crumbling or falling apart. There’s always a side
to choose, or implications for not choosing a side. There’s always phenomena
that will have consequences, if perhaps mysterious ones, if ignored.
Reality exists only by implication. The other players are the authority on what’s
going on in the waking world for their characters; you have no need to ever
disagree with them or establish something they do not. The other players’
characters may allude to their waking life or even theorize that their dream
experiences relate to waking life in some way, but you have no part of that.
Never set scenes in the waking world, and as Guide avoid asserting about
what’s going on there. Different Dreamers may come from different waking
worlds. Denizens likely range from completely ignorant of the waking world
to wildly misinformed.
The world defies expectation. No location in the Dream is straightforward. A place
might be a mishmash of two different locations, a familiar location with a
sinister twist, a nonsensical hodge-podge, or any other arrangement, bounded
only by imagination. Make the Dream your own!
All spaces are liminal. No location in the Dream is isolated; everywhere is a
passage between at least two other locations. A character can hide or obstruct
these connections but can’t sever them completely. How well-connected or
isolated a place is depends largely on the focus of the denizen who created or
rules it.
Embrace inconsistency, but not to tear down. The Dream feels no need to follow
a consistent “genre” and will commonly juxtapose discordant elements or
elements that don’t “make sense” together. Theme and mood drive the Dream,
and much of what you establish can remain unexplained or only explained in
an evocative way that rejects precise logic. Dreamlike shifts of context, location,
scale, or mood are common. But these are tools to help tell the story of your
group of Dreamers. Don’t use these to plant “gotchas” or violate expectations
in an unfun way. If active opposition is using inconsistency against the
Dreamers, it should be clear that this is active manipulation and that the
Dreamers may be able to use Lucid Moves to fight back.
62 The Guide

Character Interactions
Portray the Dreamers as alien. Dreamers stand out. They’re not denizens of the
dream, they don’t look the same or act the same. They don’t know the normal
customs. Not everyone necessarily recognizes Dreamers or even knows that
Dreamers exist. But no one thinks the Dreamers are an ordinary inkling or
figment. They’ve got this aura of lucidity that makes them stand out, perhaps
on a subconscious level for some denizens and more visibly for others. They
should make denizens react: perhaps the denizens become afraid, or
beseeching, or manipulative, or combative. Denizens shouldn’t act like
Dreamers are ordinary (unless they have a good reason).
Denizens want something from Dreamers. The Dreamers present an opportunity.
They have power, the ability to solve all sorts of problems. Denizens are not, on
the whole, enlightened and content: they will have some problem, big or small,
they want help with, or some scheme the Dreamers could enable. A denizen
interacting with the Dreamers will likely have some angle for how their
presence could prove a benefit.
Denizens grow from the table. Dreamers’ Needs and Tethers are good sources for
denizen ideas. Also, be willing to modify your ideas for denizens based on what
engages with the story at the table. Playing off the focus or the contributions
of Dreamer players may require changing the form or the motivations of
planned denizens. The unexpected is part of the fun!
Denizens reveal layers over time. Recurring denizens may show unexpected
complexities. Their past actions may get recontextualized by later
developments. Keep in mind that facades may be false, and don’t be afraid to
have denizens reveal ulterior motives even if you hadn’t come up with such a
motive in a previous appearance.
Denizens are hierarchical. Every location and
context has denizens with more power and
denizens with less. Power structures are
central to the lives of denizens, and provide
opportunities to highlight the tensions of
their lives. But one who seemed to be at the
top of the heap may turn out to be subject
to a less-visible overlord of their own.
Showing the cruelty of those in power, the
precariousness of those without, or the
impact of struggles to change the
balance of power can help engage
Dreamers in broader conflicts.
 The Guide 63

Guide Moves
The Guide has moves too. This gives you, as the Guide, specific actions you can
take to drive the story forward.
Unlike the Dreamers, the Guide doesn’t have a hand of cards. Instead, most
Guide moves involve playing the top card of the deck and interpreting it. Embrace
the twists and randomness of this as part of the nature of the Dream. Remember
you can interpret cards in any way, literal or metaphorical, and use any element
of the card you wish, down to details of shape or color.
Because you’re not playing out of your hand, you have no hard limit on how
many moves you can make. However, while there aren’t formal turns, you shouldn’t
be making multiple moves in a row. Give Dreamers the chance to react to your
moves. Make your own moves in response to something they do or when the game
conversation hits a lull. For the most part, the role of the Guide is to provide
consequences for the players’ actions and to keep the story moving when players
look to you for what happens next. After you make a move, ask the Dreamers
“What do you do?”

Reveal
Play the top card of the deck to establish setting or provide a surreal revelation
about the environment and/or a denizen.
This is similar to the Dreamers’ Explore move, but can be used when the
Dreamers aren’t actively exploring or when players look to you for exposition.
Meghan is running away from the Razorweasels in a blind panic. She’s
not paying attention to where she’s going, so she doesn’t get to use the
Explore move. Since the Guide doesn’t have anything established or
planned for her to encounter, they use Reveal and turn over a card. Seeing a
card with a dock jutting out over water, they describe Meghan coming to a
harbor where the sea is lemonade. Meghan’d better come up with
something quick, because she’s running out of land to run on!
Another time, the group is in a town and Narin has just tried to offer a
townsperson a sack of jeweled ants to hide the group in their barn. The
Guide uses Reveal to help inspire the denizen’s personality and
circumstances. Seeing a gambling raccoon, they decide that this denizen
will gladly take risks for money. (Whether they’re trustworthy after being
paid, however, is another matter.)
64 The Guide

Resolve Doubt
When a Dreamer attempts something and it’s unclear if they’ll achieve their goal,
play the top card of the deck and interpret it as the outcome.
You don’t need to use Resolve Doubt whenever someone tries something
clever; sometimes it’s better to just let something work if it makes sense in the
fiction or would be fun. But, if you really don’t know what would happen or want
to lean into the zaniness of the Dream, Resolve Doubt is a strong option.
Shae has climbed up a tree while angry townsfolk search for them. Shae
decides to take off one of their shoes and throw it down the hill in the hopes
that the noise will draw the townsfolk’s attention long enough for them to
get away.
The Guide has mixed feelings; it could work, but having it work without
complication doesn’t seem all that interesting. So they use Resolve Doubt
and turn over the top card of the deck, revealing a card with a burning oil
barrel. They interpret this to mean that the ploy works, except that one of
the townsfolk’s torches catches the underbrush as they run towards the
sound, complicating Shae’s escape.

Wield
When a denizen proactively invokes their special power in a dramatic moment,
play the top card of the deck. Use an element of the card to inspire the result. (See
below for more on denizens.)
For most denizens of the Dream, magic comes naturally, so ordinary uses of
their special abilities won’t need a move. However, if they use their abilities against
a Dreamer or in a plot-significant way, Wield can be a good way to highlight that
usage and to color the effect in a surreal way.
The Dreamers have journeyed long to confront the Witch of Shattering,
with the power to break anything in her realm. However, they’re in her
palace now, and she’s not going to go down easily. The Guide judges this a
good moment for her to take the initiative, and turns over the top card of
the deck for Wield. This reveals a card with colorful balloons. The Guide
describes how the Witch contemptuously waves her scepter, and the stones
beneath the Dreamers’ feet pop like cheap balloons. Unless the Dreamers
come up with a response, they’ll fall directly into her dungeon.
 The Guide 65

Resist
Denizens of import have an Integrity score, often 1 to 3. When such a denizen
enters a conflict, put that many cards from the top of the deck in a face-down row
(without looking at them). These are the denizen’s “Integrity cards”.
When a Dreamer makes a Lucid Move to attack, incapacitate, or otherwise
impair a denizen, you may use the Resist move: play one of their Integrity cards
to defend against it. Use some element of the card as the defense. This generally
does not negate a Dreamer’s move entirely, but allows the denizen to modify or
limit the move to allow them to remain effective or even twist it to turn what was
intended as an attack to the denizen’s advantage.
Being able to see how a denizen is being worn down helps players understand
the parameters of the conflict and steer their roleplay accordingly.
Meghan is staring down the Knight of Despair. Not fancying a physical
fight with the spikily-armored knight, Meghan uses Invert to turn them
into a snail, intending to make them small and harmless. This starts a
conflict; the Knight of Despair has Integrity 2, so the Guide gives them two
integrity cards. The Guide plays one of the knight’s integrity cards to
Resist. The card shows an intimidating minotaur. Rather than turning
into a tiny snail, the Knight reshapes into a giant metal horned toad that
fills the passageway. The Knight, however, has only one integrity card left,
bringing them closer to defeat.
If Dreamers make a Joint Move (see pg. 16), you may end up making a single Resist
move, but to do so requires you to play 1 Integrity card per Lucid Move made. (Draw
inspiration from one or more of the cards.)
If a Dreamer does something that exploits a denizen’s weakness or is
particularly clever or fitting, you have the option to decline to use Resist on their
behalf. Used sparingly, this can create strong story moments.
Note that when a denizen runs out of Integrity cards, they’re not necessarily
permanently gone. They become unable to oppose Lucid Moves for now, and are
defeated for the current scene. They may vanish, fall apart, or make a dramatic
exit. But denizens may have the ontological inertia to recover when lucid effects
wear off or to return later even if seemingly destroyed. Permanently defeating a
powerful denizen is a matter what works for the story and the pacing of your
game. This may look like getting a denizen to change their perspective over a series
of encounters, going on a quest to discover their weakness, or learning about their
history to uncover their true motivations. Having recurring antagonists can be
helpful in creating a compelling story, especially for longer Dreampunk
campaigns.
If you plan to have a defeated denizen recur in the future, foreshadowing this
at the point of defeat can be good to set expectations appropriately.
66 The Guide

Shared Moves
The Guide shares a couple moves with the Dreamers as well:
Cut: Play the top card of the deck and jump to a new scene or location. You can
use this to avoid content that’s not working for you or to keep the story moving
by skipping past less-interesting logistics.
Spark: Reward cool or unexpected play by letting a Dreamer draw the top card of
the deck. (A Dreamer can only draw a card this way once per scene.)

Portraying the World

The Dream is a strange place: surreal happenings and minor and everyday uses
of a denizen’s magical powers don’t necessarily need a formal move. Taking a photo
with a cell phone might be a natural activity for a Dreamer; for a particular
denizen, making a sandwich out of thin air or twisting a tree into a spiral might
be just as natural. When a denizen’s power targets a Dreamer, when it’s important
to the plot, or when the inspiration of a card would be helpful, use the Wield move
and play the top card of the deck. But you won’t use Wield every time a denizen
does something magical. Similarly, sometimes you’ll just describe the world
around the Dreamers based on your image of it, and sometimes you’ll use a Reveal
move for inspiration. In essence, use your card moves when they’re helpful to you
in playing the world, and don’t feel obligated to use them when they feel
unnecessary.
Remember when playing the world that, while the characters and
circumstances you describe may oppose the Dreamers and often try to hurt,
entangle, or thwart them, you as the Guide are not competing with them or trying
to “beat” them. Everyone in Dreampunk is collaborating to tell a good story, and
while challenge and failure can be important parts of the story, ideally all the
players, even those whose characters experienced misfortune during play, are
happy with the flow and drama of the game.
While Dreamer players have the authority to describe their moves, they may
look to you for guidance on the impact of a move they make, or there may be
situations in which multiple Dreamers make contradictory moves. You can serve
in a facilitating role to help resolve these situations without play getting bogged
down. In situations where the correct resolution is unclear to you or it seems like
no answer will make everyone completely happy, handing decision-making over
to a card with the Resolve Doubt move can be a strong option.
Dreamer players may also look to you for what happens next when there’s a
lull in play or when none of them have a clear idea for the next scene. Look to your
Principles and Moves to determine what happens next. If additional guidance
would be useful, the Signposts in the next chapter can provide additional direction
for the Guide.
 The Guide 67

Coordinating the Group

Sometimes in exciting situations all the Dreamers will try to do things at once. If
many Dreamers are trying to make moves on the same target at once, you have
two options. You can treat this as a Joint Move (see pg. 16) and interpret multiple
cards together as one very powerful action. In this case, ask the players if they
want to participate in the Joint Move or if they want to take back their card.
Alternately, you can suggest some ordering and apply the Dreamers’ moves one
at a time. In this case, a Dreamer’s move is not final until it’s applied, and they can
change their mind and withdraw their card based on the results of previously-
applied moves.
Sometimes Dreamers may have very different ideas for where a scene should
go: they each have different Needs they are trying to address, or one person wants
to help a denizen the other mistrusts. Roleplaying some level of disagreement in-
character can be fun, but if it starts feeling too much like a tug-of-war it can be
helpful to pause play and talk about the narrative direction as players. Coming to
consensus as players is ideal, and proposing some compromise (e.g., we’ll pursue
one Dreamer’s Need in this scene but have a later scene focused on the other
Dreamer’s Need) can be helpful in achieving this.
68 The Guide

Starting the Game

The Guide generally facilitates the game as a whole and helps the other players
through the process of character creation.
Print out the playbooks and play reference sheets, which are available online
at http://dreampunk.xavid.us/playbooks for your use, or have paper for character
sheets. Make sure that you have pencils and Dreampunk cards.
Explain the basics of the game to the other players, if necessary. This is also a
good opportunity to set expectations about the setting and the generally
cooperative nature of the game. Help the other players choose a playbook and
assist them as they create Dreamer characters, filling in Needs, Tethers, and other
character details.
When everyone has their character ready, go around and have each player
introduce their Dreamer. Once this is done, encourage players to discuss what
they’re interested in, both for the first Chapter and more broadly. Ask what they’re
excited about exploring, what their character might be looking for, what sorts of
conflicts might be fun to get involved with, what genres or types of stories appeal.
Use this to guide play long-term and to decide the focus of the first Chapter.
Then, begin the first Chapter as described on pg. 10.

Planning
Dreampunk limits the Guide’s ability to make a detailed plan in advance: the
Dreamers can make drastic changes to their environments and defeat obstacles
in surprising ways, and your card moves themselves are quite random, so
improvisation is central to playing as the Guide. That said, having some structure
in mind to guide your description and steer play can be helpful, both to make
improvisation less overwhelming and to help the chaotic nature of play
nevertheless result in some level of satisfying story. In essence, this structure can
serve as the Guide’s plot arc, as a complement to the personal arcs each Dreamer
has with their Needs and/or Tethers.
Keep in mind to treat your planned structure as a skeleton and avoid fleshing
out too many details. Developing things in play using your card moves, reactions
to the Dreamers’ focus, and improvisation can really help to play up the surreal
and unpredictable nature of the Dream.
For a game played as a series of sessions, the first session may be largely taken
up with Dreamer creation. Play during this first session can be mostly introducing
the Dreamers and the mechanics, and perhaps introducing denizen characters.
In general, however, you shouldn’t have a long-term structure planned at this
point. Instead, after this first session use the characters, their Needs and Tethers,
and their playbook questions as inspiration for an outline for future events. Hold
to your prep loosely, and don’t be afraid to abandon or change things later
depending on the Dreamers’ focus and choices.
 The Guide 69
Sometimes, you may be facilitating a “one-shot” game, where the entire game
starts and finishes on one day. This can be challenging because the Guide has no
time to plan after character creation. In this case, it can be useful to sketch out in
advance a basic idea of what situations the Dreamers might encounter, and then
adapt it based on the created characters. In doing so, think about options for a
dramatic problem you can establish early on and give the Dreamers opportunities
to make incremental progress towards understanding or addressing, to increase
your ability to steer towards a satisfying resolution in the available time. Have at
least three or so denizens in mind for the Dreamers to encounter, and think about
relationships between them. Don’t worry overmuch about character development
in a one-shot: while opportunities to engage with Needs and Tethers are still
valuable, a one-shot will probably not be able to fully resolve Needs or entangle
Tethers, and focusing on a denizen-centered plot arc rather than the Dreamers’
personal difficulties is entirely appropriate.

Skeleton Seeds
Almost anything can happen in the Dream, so you may be at a loss for a plot
structure to use when Guiding. Here are some very loose storyline ideas that may
inspire you. The idea is for these to give you some direction while allowing you to
fill in details based on your own ideas, the cards, and the choices the Dreamer
players make.
• A peaceful region is threatened by a new monster or overlord who is disrupting
their way of life.
• Multiple neighboring lands are in conflict, and their respective Gentry seek the
aid of Dreamers to get the upper hand in this conflict.
• Two peoples with extreme and unusual
cultures have come into contact and seem
unable to reach common ground.
• Someone approaches the Dreamers with a
mystery: they’ve been accused of something
and must prove their innocence, or a crime
has happened that they want the
Dreamers to solve.
• An important person or relic is missing,
and the land is doomed unless it is
recovered.
• There’s a strange creature or town that
the Dreamers must follow or explore in
order to understand.
• The land has become unbalanced or
corrupted, and no one knows why.
70 The Guide

Denizens of the Dream

There are many beings native to the Dream that may serve as antagonists, as allies,
or in more nebulous roles. These are not Dreamers: they’re in the Dream all the
time, and they may know nothing of the waking world.
Denizens are not Dreamers and most do not get to make Lucid Moves. They
exist independently of the Dreamers and have have their own goals and activities
that persist whether or not the Dreamers are present. They can interact with the
Dream around them in ways that are natural to them, and in addition each
denizen has some special power.

What makes a denizen?

When making denizens, there are two main things to keep in mind: their power
and their constraints.
Each denizen has an ability we call their “special power”. This may seem like
a magical ability, an unusual talent, or even advanced technology. Regardless, this
power is something useful or necessary for their way of life in the Dream.
Denizens have immense variety in their special powers, bounded only by the alien
logic of the Dream. Thus, their powers often seem strange or nonsensical to
Dreamers. While these powers are broadly a counterpart to the Dreamers’ Lucid
Moves, they are usually much less flexible, restricted to one specific type of effect.
Each denizen is also deeply constrained by the Dream in some way, whether
it’s in terms of location, activity, manner, or another sort of constraint. They may
or may not mind these limitations or even be aware of them, but they are a
significant part of any denizen.
When shaping your denizen, it may be helpful to think about what unusual
things your denizen would need to do to live within the strange constraints of
their situation in the Dream. Conversely, denizens may be oblivious to things
taken for granted in the waking world or the way things work elsewhere in the
Dream; think about what might be beyond their awareness or experience and how
the Dreamers might seem astonishing or unnerving to them.
 The Guide 71

Denizen Types
The Dream holds a huge variety of denizens. Here are some general categories for
denizens you may encounter. This is a descriptive, not prescriptive, taxonomy:
you should feel free to create whatever denizens fit the Dream you are guiding.

Gentry
Gentry are those within the Dream who are closely tied to a particular location or
stronghold. There’s some aspect or property of their realm that’s central to them,
and they generally work to make everything fit that aspect. Their special power is
to, within their realm, reshape the environment and local Figments to their liking.
They are often in conflict with neighbors and are frequently interested in making
deals with Twitches, Dreamers, and others who seem powerful to gain advantage
in these disputes, but also frequently distrust outsiders as possible spies and
saboteurs. They seldom if ever leave their realms.
Gentry can serve as antagonists who object
to the Dreamers’ presence or actions, or as
schemers who try to make deals with
Dreamers or get them involved in their
operations. They often have plans within
plans, and may set things up so that thwarting
their obvious plan is actually exactly what they
need for a second, more subtle plan to
succeed. This can be useful for a chapter that
has a relatively solvable problem but then
ends with a revelation that more was going
on than met the eye, leading to a dramatic
start to the next chapter.

Examples
• Contessa Marelle fills her realm with
flowers and mistrusts anything that’s not
a plant.
• Lord Ned rules by fear and tries to make
his realm as terrifying as possible.
• The Rooxwurm holds dominion over an
abandoned shopping mall and traps
trespassers in derelict elevators.
72 The Guide

Figments
Figments are everyday denizens who sprang up from a particular realm within
the Dream and are deeply tied to it. They largely identify themselves by a particular
occupation or way of life, and have a seemingly minor power that supports their
way of life and helps them overcome some obstacle of the Dream that would
otherwise make that difficult or impossible. They know the ways of the Dream, at
least locally, and how to ride out changes or tribulations. They can become
confused, however, by denizens or problems from elsewhere in the Dream. The
local Gentry wield considerable power over them, frequently in unfair or unjust
ways.
Figments often serve as relatable figures that ask Dreamers for help with their
problems. They can provide useful exposition about their realm and recent
developments therein. Despite their often-mundane appearances, their powers
can be helpful to the Dreamers if used creatively. They can also serve as antagonists
if the Dreamers disrupt their way of life, if their natural role is hostile, or if other
denizens have enlisted them to a cause.

Examples
• Mozelius is a farmer who grows corn and has the ability to create false sunglobes
to allow his crop to survive the vagaries of time and weather in the Dream.
• Ezela is a miller who can grind anything into flour.
• Refractive Jays can interact with color as a physical object, and eat it for
sustenance.
 The Guide 73

Drifters
Drifters are denizens of the Dream born of its abstract potential. They are liminal
and independent creatures, refusing to be bound by others’ concepts of realms
and forms. They tend to keep a low profile and have no fixed abode, traveling from
place to place. They follow some occupation that feels natural and right to them
but, as it takes them from place to place in the Dream, may seem out of place to
those around them. Their special power is related to some unique and special
possession they have, and they may be willing to lend this possession for the right
favor. They also tend to be adaptable and good at problem solving due to their
experience with varied parts of the Dream, and are good at finding gateways and
connections.
Drifters can provide aid or guidance to Dreamers who are lost or looking for
something. They may sometimes decide to accompany Dreamers who are going
the same way or who seem to provide a valuable opportunity. They often prevail
upon Dreamers for favors, which can get Dreamers involved in local issues or
politics. They can serve as antagonists if they mislead Dreamers in their favor
requests or if they try to take something the Dreamers have by force or subterfuge.

Examples
• Yzeri is a tinker who has
tinner’s shears that can cut the
imperfections away from
anything.
• Perona da Camelo can use her
paintbrush to restore vitality
to that which has been
carelessly damaged.
• The shed skin of Tunneling
Snakes can show you
images of places you wish
to be.
74 The Guide

Inklings
Inklings become established by the needs or desires of a specific powerful denizen
and are shaped primarily by a role they are expected to fulfill. In normal
circumstances, they follow the commands of their creator. It is possible, but
difficult, to break an Inkling out of this pattern, often by presenting them with a
better chance to fit their role. An Inkling’s special power relates to their role.
An Inkling often serves as a minor antagonist, representing the will of a
stronger villain. In this role, they foreshadow and provide exposition about their
creator while not serving as a substantial threat. Some Inklings, however, are
powerful enough to serve as notable obstacles on their own. Alternatively, they
can help Dreamers who convince them the Dreamers are serving their creator’s
interests or who find a way to manipulate their adherence to their role.

Examples
• The Burnished Guard grew out of fear of injury and has the power to block
attacks that target another.
• Drizeni Flax was created out of a star-crossed love and can pass through solid
walls to deliver a message.
• Teatime-Glories were born out of a delight in hosting parties and produce
nectar of any flavor desired.

Harbingers
Harbingers are denizens that are entangled with a particular emotion. They travel
from realm to realm in the Dream in order to spread their emotion. They often
seem unaware or uncaring about the consequences this has for the places they
visit, and thus can be viewed as dangerous to Gentry or Figments. Their special
power involves creating or encouraging their emotion or manipulating those who
share their emotion.
Harbingers often serve as antagonists when their powers disrupt either local
denizens’ status quo or the Dreamers’ plans. They feel entitled to spread their
emotion freely and can’t be easily dissuaded once they set on a course of action.
They can often be manipulated by convincing them that doing something different
would better inspire their emotion. They can be powerful allies if the Dreamers’
interests align with their inclinations.

Examples
• Mendos Tlix is always happy and brings gifts to spread joy to others.
• Fenzor plays a song that enrages anyone who hears it.
• When a Noxio Bee stings you, it fills you with the existential ennui of being just
a drone in a large corporation.
 The Guide 75

Wardens
Wardens guard points of connection: gateways, bridges, crossroads, and the like.
They’re also tied to a related conceptual distinction: separating fear from comfort
or thirst from hunger, say. Their special power is based in this distinction.
Wardens are enmeshed in, not just their point of connection, but also the
divide it bridges. In this way, they can use the Resist move to oppose attempts to
cross this divide via other means that bypass the connection they protect.
Wardens often serve as obstacles that need to be bypassed but are seldom
truly malicious. They often serve thematically to reflect conflicts between other
denizens the Dreamers encounter, and frequently help keep realms separate by
blocking the paths between them. They may sometimes be prevailed upon for help
if the actions of other denizens threaten a balance they care about.

Examples
• Tesiae ferries people across a river that separates light and dark, and uses their
dark-wielding pole to drive back the light attempting to seep across.
• Ryzah guards the City of Loveliness and strips beauty away from those she
thinks don’t deserve it.
• The Infin Hydra categorizes people according to their levels of politeness and
assigns them to different labyrinths accordingly.

Glimpses
Glimpses are aware of and keenly interested in Dreamers’ Needs. They usually try
to be helpful, but the hollowness of their understanding means that they often
are in effect cruel or manipulative instead of actually providing assistance. Their
special power generally relates to illusions or facades, allowing them to provide
something that seems like what you seek but is artificial or deceptive.
Glimpses can make complicated antagonists, causing problems while
appearing to mean well. For Dreamers with strong emotions tangled up in their
Needs, Glimpses can be quite hurtful. It can be hard to explain to a Glimpse
successfully why their “aid” is unappreciated, but if you manage to do so
sometimes Glimpses may attempt to make up for their actions in other ways.

Examples
• Berosie bakes pastries in the shape of anything and attempts to pass them off
as what they resemble.
• Verodion can forge weapons that seem suited to any problem; they initially
appear to work in casual tests, but break when they’re most needed.
• Mycantha Gourds turn out to contain valuables instead of seeds, but these
treasures transform into insects in the presence of strife.
76 The Guide

Touchstones
Touchstones have a keen interest in Dreamers. They’re aware that Dreamers can
powerfully reshape and perhaps even create the Dream, but fear that the Dreamers
are not deserving of such power or will use it to destructive ends. They have
preconceptions of criteria that Dreamers should meet to be worthy of
manipulating the Dream, and have a special power that lets them provide some
sort of test to see whether Dreamers meet their criteria.
Touchstones initially serve as antagonists, as they insist on putting Dreamers
to the test and such tests can be quite troublesome or dangerous. Dreamers that
pass their tests often find Touchstones to be valuable allies. However, Touchstones
will attempt to exile Dreamers that fail from the Dream or, given that that’s easier
said than done, simply imprison them or make their time in the Dream miserable.

Examples
• Fluxio Ghent creates moral dilemmas and evaluates how Dreamers respond.
• Raeso the Clown expects Dreamers who visit him to have perfect balance, and
gives them increasingly precarious tasks.
• Lesti the Owl judges how Dreamers interact with seemingly mindless beasts.

Whirls
Whirls more than any other denizen sow chaos and disorder through the Dream.
Each Whirl has a view of the world they apply wherever they go, regardless of
appropriateness. Their special power represents a trick they play or a disruption
they cause. Unique among denizens, when they successfully use their power on a
Dreamer they force that Dreamer to discard their hand and draw that many cards.
In doing this, they embody the Dream’s fundamental rejection of any possibility
of status quo.
Whirls tend to be antagonists, and are often completely uninterested in
attempts to convince them of their negative impacts. By engaging with their
worldview, however, Dreamers can sometimes steer them to cause chaos in a
particular, tactically-helpful, direction.

Examples
• Haceri believes in the inevitable collapse of civilization and causes structures
to crumble to dust.
• Bosil believes that attachment to possessions is poisonous and delights in
stealing things their owners desperately need.
• The Axi Kookaburra believes peril is hilarious and seeks out those in precarious
situations. Its mirth is contagious, forcing hearers to laugh in the face of danger
(which makes it hard to do anything else).
 The Guide 77

Twitches
Twitches are former Dreamers who fell to Entanglement. They have a strong
awareness of the workings of the Dream but are nevertheless fully enmeshed
within it. They are incapable of waking up, and are trapped in the Dream forever.
The Dream sees Twitches as an invading force and works to deny them comfort
or stability in a futile attempt to drive them out. They are exceptionally powerful
within the Dream because they can perform Lucid Moves, but they are limited to
moves that relate to their Entanglements. Twitches are aware of others’ Tethers
and Entanglements and often attempt to entangle Dreamers to create new
Twitches. Twitches that succeed at entangling Dreamers become more powerful
and permanently gain access to their victims’ Entanglements.
Twitches can be powerful antagonists, strongly motivated to pursue and
entangle Dreamers. They often have multi-layered schemes in pursuit of greater
power or other, stranger goals. That said, they’re fundamentally quite similar to
Dreamers, and Dreamers can sometimes connect to them over memories of their
past lives.

Examples
• Lucy Cottage’s love for her toys became
corrupted; now she attacks viciously with
twisted stuffed animals.
• Mark Trivoli is entangled in his failed science
experiments. His Lucid Moves provide means
to recreate these experiments, often with
Dreamers as his subjects.
• Spot Jackerate’s skills for escape became
confining Entanglements. Now he creates
tangled barriers around others, often
asking to accompany travelers he meets
with the intent of leading them into traps.
78 The Guide

Sureties
Sureties are former Dreamers as well. They move through the Dream but are not
entirely subject to it. They seem confident and unwavering, imposing and
unassailable. They often seek to impose some order on the ever-shifting Dream.
A Surety is one possible outcome of satisfying all of a Dreamer’s Needs.
Sureties have special powers that fundamentally manipulate the structure
and mechanics of the Dream in a more persistant way than Lucid Moves. With
time and care, Sureties can dramatically transform the Dream around them in a
way that not even the most powerful denizens can undo.
Sureties might seem to generally be allies, but more often they end up being
at best unwelcoming and at worst actively hostile to Dreamers who interfere with
their plans or habits. Often they have seen other Dreamers fall to being Twitches
or otherwise fail to handle the Dream, and this can make them wary of forming
bonds. It can feel almost impossible to change the mind of a Surety even with
strong arguments, but it is a natural and not supernatural confidence the Sureties
have, and the right circumstances or point of connection can enable a Dreamer
to reach them.

Examples
• Robin McHenry can pierce the very fabric of the
Dream with her needle to create new
connections or sew existing connections
closed.
• Sam Takahata can enclose the phenomena
of a Realm in their bottles and move them
elsewhere within the Dream.
• Polly Redbeak asks denizens provocative
questions and gives those who provide
imaginative answers the opportunity
to change their nature.
 79

Distributing the Guide

Some groups may decide they want to share the role of the Guide and work
together to play the world. The random nature of the cards support this sort of
play by discouraging detailed planning. When distributing the Guide, each player
gets the ability to act as the Guide when appropriate. Each player has a hand of
cards that’s associated with their Dreamer and used for their Dreamer’s moves,
and separately can also act as a Guide and make Guide moves using the top card
of the deck.
In general, to keep things interactive, don’t serve as the Guide to respond to
your own actions. Let one of the other players describe how the Dream and its
denizens respond to things you do.
When playing as the Dream, keep in mind the Guide Principles (see pg. 60)
and the basic conversation flow:
• Dreamers act.
• The Dream responds, with or without a Guide move.
• The player acting as Guide then asks the Dreamers “What do you do?”
80 Distributing the Guide

Signposts
Signposts are Guide subroles that represents particular facets of the Dream. Each
Signpost comes with additional principles that can help focus on that facet. It also
has suggestions for thematically-appropriate things to consider doing when
playing the world.
The four signposts are Mirror, Threat, Power, and Throng.
When playing without a dedicated Guide, each player generally holds one
Signpost at a time, giving them a focus and creativity prompts for playing the
Dream. Players can drop or trade Signposts based on the flow of play.
When the role of the Guide is spread among multiple players, Signposts help
ensure everyone has a distinct role to play. Dedicated Guides should feel free to
use Signposts as inspiration as well if they seem useful.

The Mirror
You represent the Dream as an intimate, personal realm, focused on these specific
Dreamers and their real-world problems. Familiar faces, “coincidental” parallels,
and denizens with uncanny insight into the Dreamers can all contribute to this.

Principles
• Ask provocative questions about what the Dreamers care about, and have the
Dream reflect the answers.
• Notice or ask what Dreamers don’t want to admit, and press on that.
• Make the world reflect the Dreamers’ inner experiences.
• Bring back things from earlier in the Dream that Dreamers connected to.
• Make Dreamers’ Tethers and Needs relevant.

Ideas for playing the world

• Introduce something related to a Tether or Entanglement.
• Have a denizen show knowledge they shouldn’t have about a Dreamer.
• Shape the Dream based on a Dreamer’s weakness.
• Give a Dreamer reason to question their perceptions or beliefs.
 Distributing the Guide 81
The Threat
You represent the world of the Dream as an inescapable place of nightmare that’s
drawing Dreamers in. As the Dreamers delve deeper, you also show the entangling
nature of the Dream, the fear that you might never wake up. Keep Dreamers from
getting too comfortable or feeling too in-control.

Principles
• Ask provocative questions about the dangers of the Dream, and build on the
answers.
• Notice or ask what Dreamers aren’t taking seriously enough, and have that end
up biting them.
• Make the Dream feel inescapable.
• Make the Dreamers’ Tethers frequently at risk of corruption.
• Don’t let Dreamers forget their Entanglements.

Ideas for playing the world

• Reveal that something changed or vanished when no one was watching.
• Offer a false hope.
• Foreshadow a future threat.
• Reveal a hidden danger at a crucial moment.

The Might
You represent the power struggle of the political machinations of the Dream.
Dreamers are a source of power, and ambitious denizens will target them in an
attempt to use this. Dreamers will be forced to take sides to avoid to avoid being
treated as everyone’s enemy. They must exercise care lest they become mere pawns
in the workings of others.

Principles
• Ask provocative questions about large-scale conflicts in the Dream and build
on the answers.
• Have denizens try to lure Dreamers into taking their side.
• Make the Dreamers targets of manipulation.
• Make things the Dreamers don’t want to give up essential to a denizen’s plan.
• Make powerful denizens intimidating and competent.

Ideas for playing the world

• Offer an opportunity with a price.
• Give someone a resource that gives them power over others who need it.
• Have a denizen put a Dreamer in a cruel dilemma as part of a broader scheme.
• Hint at vast and cryptic politics.
82 Distributing the Guide
The Throng
You represent the Dream as a civilization that exists independently of the
Dreamers. The everyday denizens here have their own lives and relationships,
their own reasons for caring about things. Making these independent existences
relevant helps create the feel that the Dream is real and provides interesting
interactions with support characters.

Principles
• Ask provocative questions about relationships between denizens and build on
the answers.
• Notice or ask what Dreamers think of those they encounter, and play on those
preconceptions.
• Give the denizens of the Dream alien motivations.
• Have denizens care deeply about things and take dramatic actions as a result.
• Have denizens demand proof or assurance of things that the Dreamers claim.

Ideas for playing the world

• Have the Dreamers encounter a community event or party with an unexpected
location or theme.
• Surround someone with a crowd.
• Have a denizen’s strong emotion drive them to unexpected action.
• Show the long-term impact of a choice the Dreamers made on the Dream and
its denizens.
 83

Design Notes
A Twisting Path
One might assume, based on Dreampunk’s final form, that it started with Dixit
cards. However, I was actually working on the game for over four years before I
had that idea. (It started life as a Fate hack with normal Fate dice before spending
a while as an Apocalypse World-alike.) Dreampunk never really captured the feel
I was going for until we started using the cards, though. Just goes to show that
you never know where your game design will take you.
While I briefly tried using both cards and dice, I ended up really wanting to
focus on the cards, which were what really felt unique and compelling about
Dreampunk. This caused me to think about things in a bit of a different way than
I’d been used to, gradually getting rid of numerical mechanics and numbers-go-
up advancement entirely to fit this new focus.
Mechanically speaking, the biggest influence on Dreampunk was Dream Askew
and Dream Apart, by Avery Alder and Benjamin Rosenbaum.5 While they’ve now
spawned a great variety of Belonging Outside Belonging/No Dice No Masters
games, I first read Dream Askew before that, and I realized that its focus on player-
level resource management, simple mechanics, and narrative moves worked great
with my new direction for Dreampunk, using cards in the place of Dream Askew’s
token economy.
5
I came up with the name “Dreampunk” before I read them, though, so that bit is a coincidence.
84 Design Notes
While Dreampunk’s Lucid Moves build on Dream Askew’s Strong Moves, and
Twist Moves take the place of Weak Moves, there are a few notable areas where I
broke with the established pattern.
For one, I got rid of Regular Moves, moves that don’t interact with the token
economy, in favor a section explicitly allowing Dreamers to act without moves.
The reason for this was twofold. To start, I’d noticed an issue with some players
where they felt like everything their character did should be a move, and having
many moves that didn’t interact with the cards risked contributing to that feeling.
The second reason was my desire to leave character creation very open and to
support wacky or unexpected character concepts. Leaving things you could do
without interacting with the card economy open and down to fictional positioning
rather than something listed in your playbook seemed to work well for both these
points.
The other notable change is starting everyone with five cards in hand, rather
than zero tokens. This puts much less focus on the Twist Moves, and in fact some
tables may go the whole session without using Twist Moves. But as a practical
matter, having multiple cards to look at when thinking up ideas for Lucid Moves
just plays better. It loses some of the opportunities for vulnerability and the feeling
of constraint that Dream Askew has, but it ended up working better with this card-
focused system.

The Cards
The card art is core to the Dreampunk experience. While you can play it with other
surreal art cards, I had specific goals for the art to support Dreampunk play that
I worked with the artists to achieve.
The core parameters for the card images were to juxtapose multiple
contrasting or incompatible elements in an illogical or strange way. (An element
is anything that you could name or identify to use in a Lucid Move.) Having a
variety of elements per card was important for both replay value, being able to use
the same card in a different way next time you got it, and for flexibility. While
three elements was the minimum, many cards went for a quite high element
density. Beyond that, the strangeness of the cards was trying to help put players
in a Dreampunk mindset, to encourage them to be creative and surreal both in
how they use the cards and more generally, even when not using cards.
Using a variety of artists and seeking out artists from backgrounds different
than mine also helped create dynamic, varied cards, and I’m super happy with
how the Dreampunk deck turned out. Many artists contributed their own ideas,
took my prompts in unexpected directions, and collaborated to flesh out concepts,
so the Dreampunk deck is truly a group creation.
 Design Notes 85

On the Purpose of Rules

Why have rules at all? You can do collaborative storytelling based on Dreampunk-
style cards without formal rules, or with very minimal rules. It works! It’s fun! But
it wasn’t the dynamic I wanted for Dreampunk. There are a few reasons why I
wanted more structure.
I had a particular sort of narrative structure in mind for the Dream and what
fictionalized lucid dreaming might be like, and the Dreampunk rules try to serve
as a foundation to drive that type of story in particular. I wanted the game to be
something more than a series of card-driven random developments.
The playbooks are important, less for their mechanical differentiation, and
more for inspiring distinctive characters that want something from the Dream.
I wanted to give players something to help them come up with characters that
would have goals that could be pursued in the Dream and avoid characters that
seemed too similar or that were just reacting to things without agency. At the
same time, I didn’t want to make many assumptions or establish many details
about the setting, both in terms of what the waking world is like or and in terms
of the Dream. So the playbooks give questions and themes, but they all leave the
details of who you are up to the player.
This gets back to the Dreampunk philosophy on TTRPG rules: that they’re here
to inspire creative play and help you tell a story that you wouldn’t have come up
with on your own, rather than limiting your ideas. The playbooks and their specific
questions and Tether ideas, the cards themselves, the list of Lucid Moves, the
denizen types, and the Signposts are all different ways of providing creativity
prompts of different types at different points.
In terms of individual playbooks, most started out as various characters or
archetypes from fiction and developed from there. A lot of them came from an
idea of a disconnect between circumstances and the way folks should be able to
live, which is a queer theme that seemed notably relevant here. In addition to my
queerness/genderqueerness, my plurality was relevant thematically, most
obviously in the Prism, which is another milestone on my ongoing quest to explore
plural characters in positive ways (though it can, of course, be interpreted less
literally).
Why the particular list of five shared Lucid Moves, given how broad they are
and the freedom Dreamers have in applying them? Dreampunk could play
similarly with a single generic Lucid Move. Having specific moves is useful,
though, to inspire ideas for what players can do, focusing on certain types of
surreal framing that might otherwise be less likely to come up. Having separate
moves also creates some room for playbook-by-playbook variation. The playbook-
specific moves help push different types of Dreamer in different directions and
give stronger guarantees about what a move might accomplish than a shared
move.
86 Design Notes

Agency
There is a broader theme in Dreampunk of player agency. It was a goal from the
beginning to give all players significant agency and avoid the risk of being
constrained to a pre-determined storyline. This creates a more collaborative feel,
which brings out what I enjoy most about tabletop roleplaying games.
Dreampunk follows in the footsteps of games like Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-
Granting Engine by Jenna Moran that prioritize player agency, in part by giving
characters flexible and powerful abilities in-universe. This helps avoid players
getting stuck in a situation that’s not actually being fun. While nothing can replace
discussing goals and feelings at the table on the player level, Dreampunk both
provides in-character and player-level options for shaking things up to support
steering towards fun.
Earlier versions made a Dreamer’s corruption something that inexorably
advanced over time, but for a high-agency game it ended up working better to put
this mainly under the player’s control as well. Some players want to tell a story
about wrestling with corruption and gradually losing touch with their humanity,
but Dreampunk’s not trying to be a horror game. It’s fine for players to not explore
that side of their character if they’d rather not.
Adding to the theme of player agency is the expectation that the Guide won’t
have a clear idea of where the story is going or be the main player driving the plot.
The Guide’s moves being based on random cards and the Dreamer-centric goals
set things up for the Guide to roll with developments during play, and the surreal
structure of the Dream means that plot threads can be picked up and put down
without realism being a limiting factor.
These aspects combine to allow Dreampunk to support play both and without
a Guide. Agency can also help increase safety for participants by supporting a
culture of checking in with each other and giving players permission to steer
toward or away from particular content, whether or not formal safety mechanics
are used. In-character and player-level mechanisms can support each other for
better play experiences.

Visual Justification
The Lucid Moves, and Realize in particular, draw heavily from the movie Paprika.
It’s a very visual movie, using animation elegantly to convey surreal transitions
and transformations in a way that feels like it makes sense to the audience despite
the lack of explanation or justification. While Dreampunk does need to explain
itself a bit more, I think this is related to why the visual cards help makes lucid
effects work better in play: you can point to the card as a justification for what
you’re doing rather than worrying too much about whether it “makes sense”.
 Design Notes 87
In earlier Dreampunk versions where players were coming up with their lucid
effects freely, it was easy for players to feel more pressure to come up with
something “good” or “clever”, which could lead to overthinking that got in the way
of both play and zaniness. The cards help avoid this by giving you something
external to point to to justify whatever wacky idea you came up with.

What Does Waking Up Mean?

One of the things that makes Dreampunk different than many of its inspirations,
and something that may seem strange, is the ease of waking up. Dreampunk
positions the Dream as inescapable in that you’re drawn back every night, but it
doesn’t position you as physically trapped there or unable to wake up.
This is definitely a personal choice, and you should feel free to take a different
approach if you’re inspired to. But there are a few reasons why I went in this
direction.
It ended up working well in a safety mechanics sort of way. We want to be able
to put characters in nightmarish situations, but we also want to be able to cut away
suddenly if a player wants to for whatever reason. Being able to wake up worked
for this. It also provided a way to avoid “creepiness exhaustion”, where an
improvised scene starts off being scary and ominous, but when it goes on too long
it gets repetitive or the players start running low on ideas. Waking up can be a way
to end a nightmare on a high note to maintain its impact.
The waking world also provides players with the freedom to frame their
characters in interesting ways. I didn’t want to assume that different Dreamers
necessarily came from the same waking world, to allow for creative freedom and
avoid needing to spend too much time in character creation talking about it. And
because of this, I wanted to keep the actual play in the Dream, rather than
spending session time on scenes that not everyone could participate in. One
benefit of this is giving players authority over what their waking world is like.
Some playbooks play this up and frame the Dreamer as being on a mission relating
to their waking world. Dreamer players also have authority to establish how what
they’re going through reflects their waking struggles or things that they’re doing
while awake to try to solve what’s going on in the Dream. It necessarily feels a bit
hazy to establish things in the waking world this way, but I ended up liking the
ambiguity of it. You’re never quite sure what the deal is with the waking world or
whether it matters, and that’s fittingly dreamlike. Maybe the waking world is
what’s actually the illusion, and the Dream is all that’s real.
88
 89

Acknowledgments
The seeds of Dreampunk were planted long ago, when René introduced me to
oneiromancy. Special inspirational mention is also due to Michael’s Continuum
hack.
The mechanics of Dreampunk were heavily inspired by Dream Askew and Dream
Apart by Avery Alder and Benjamin Rosenbaum.
Dreampunk also owes inspiration to the cards from the party game Dixit,
published by Libellud.
This game would not have been possible without the support of my Kickstarter
backers, who put their trust in me and were instrumental in making Dreampunk
a reality.
Other tabletop roleplaying games that were notable inspirations for
Dreampunk include:
• Wisher, Theurgist, Fatalist, by Jenna Katerin Moran
• Beyond the Wall, by Elaine “OJ” Wang
• Beyond the Matrix, by Sam Freilich
• Princess World, by Kevin Petker
• Dogs in the Vineyard, by D. Vincent Baker
• Girl Underground, by McManamon and Ross
• Imaginary Cartography, by Émile St. Sécaire
• Costume Fairy Adventures, by David J. Prokopetz
• Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine, by Jenna Katerin Moran
• Glitch: A Story of the Not, by Jenna Katerin Moran
• Wanderhome, by Jay Dragon
• The Story of Us, by Emma Renault
• Don’t Rest Your Head, by Fred Hicks
• Nobilis, by Jenna Katerin Moran
• Apocalypse World, by D. Vincent Baker and Meguey Baker
• Continuum: Roleplaying in the Yet, by Chris Adams, Dave Fooden, and Barbara
Manui
90

Art Credits
Front Cover
Pickled Mermaid, by Jhenne Tyler
Flood, by Kindred Styles
Candle, by Camille “Karma” O’Leary
Watermelon, by Finn J. Carey
Building Head, by Santiago Alzate
Pirate, by Idefix
Dandelions, by Chad Wyrwicz
Watchful, by Nathaniel Santore
Bus Driver, by steff bradley
Entrance, by Sarah Morrison
Ferryperson, by Kindred Styles
Entanglement, by steff bradley
Spotlight, by Sarah Morrison
Floating Home, by Santiago Alzate
Fish, by Idefix
Boiler Room Dance, by Jhenne Tyler
Wolves in Park, by Chad Wyrwicz
Lightning Bird, by Nathaniel Santore
That Night in the City, by Sarah Morrison
Egg Guard, by September-XYZX

Back Cover
Under the Static Sky, by Sarah Morrison
Minotaur, by Chad Wyrwicz
Present Planet, by Jhenne Tyler
 Art Credits 91
Interior Art
Ferryperson, by Kindred Styles, pg. 4
Baseball Detective, by Jhenne Tyler, pg. 4
Under the Static Sky, by Sarah Morrison, pg. 9
Well and Coins, by Jhenne Tyler, pg. 12
Lightning Bird, by Nathaniel Santore, pg. 14
Passage, by Idefix, pg. 17
Hydra’s Labyrinths, by Nathaniel Santore, pg. 18
Steadfast, by Sarah Morrison, pg. 18
Fish, by Idefix, pg. 19
Milkshake, by Sarah Morrison, pg. 20
Building Head, by Santiago Alzate, pg. 24
Old Friends, by Sarah Morrison, pg. 25
Dandelions, by Chad Wyrwicz, pg. 26
Shoe Home, by Santiago Alzate, pg. 27
Present Planet, by Jhenne Tyler, pg. 28
Mirror, by Camille “Karma” O’Leary, pg. 28
Dino Sidewalk, by Santiago Alzate, pg. 31
Vending, by Kindred Styles, pg. 32
Candle, by Camille “Karma” O’Leary, pg. 34
Mad Girl, by Santiago Alzate, pg. 49
Pirate, by Idefix, pg. 53
Animal Crackers, by Camille “Karma” O’Leary, pg. 55
Heads, Flowers, and Boats, by Santiago Alzate, pg. 57
Pineapple Planet, by steff bradley, pg. 58
Minotaur, by Chad Wyrwicz, pg. 58
Pickled Mermaid, by Jhenne Tyler, pg. 62
Floating Home, by Santiago Alzate, pg. 67
That Night in the City, by Sarah Morrison, pg. 69
Entropy, by Sarah Morrison, pg. 71
Vendor, by Kindred Styles, pg. 72
Reef, by Idefix, pg. 73
Autonomy, by Sarah Morrison, pg. 77
Flood, by Kindred Styles, pg. 78
Boiler Room Dance, by Jhenne Tyler, pg. 82
Entanglement, by steff bradley, pg. 88
Watchful, by Nathaniel Santore, pg. 88