SINGLE

UNIQUE POWER An RPG by

Tyler Crumrine
SINGLE UNIQUE POWER
an RPG by Tyler Crumrine ∙ illustrated by Eric Lide

© 2021 Possible Worlds Games

In Single Unique Power, roll dice and pull words from
a pot to create an exciting world and its superpowered
inhabitants!

Single Unique Power is a cast-building, setting-creation

game inspired by the “one person, one power” trope
popular in superhero media, manga, and anime.
Examples include mutations in X-Men, quirks in My
Hero Academia, devil fruit powers in One Piece, and nen
abilities in Hunter × Hunter. In each of these examples,
select characters all have unique, personalized powers.

At the end of this game, you’ll have a colorful cast

of characters as well as bits and pieces of their
backstories. These characters can be enjoyed on their
own as you collectively imagine their lives and powers,
or you can carry them into future RPGs and stories.

To play Single Unique Power, you’ll need:

• Two or more players
• Three six-sided dice
• Writing utensils
• A stack of notecards (3” x 5” recommended)
• A pot for collecting and mixing cards,
such as a hat or a bowl

Modifications for online play can be found on page 22.

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Single Unique Power is powered by “Sparks.”

A Spark is a one-word prompt used to inspire

creativity. Sparks can be nouns, verbs, adjectives, or
any other kind of word. You can bring them into a
game preplanned, come up with them on the spot,
pull words I Spy-style from your surroundings, or
randomly select words by flipping through a nearby
book. Sparks always need to be real words, regardless
of their meaning or language. If another player asks
you to define a Spark, you should be able to do so.

Sparks determine the kinds of superpowers

that exist in your world.

In the first round of play,

Sparks are randomly selected to
inspire where powers come from
in your setting.

In the second round

of play, Sparks are
used to determine
unique powers
and characters to
populate your setting
with.

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Sparks are drawn randomly, but every Spark
will be used.

So, if you want fire powers in your setting, make sure

you contribute the word “Fire” as a Spark. Conversely,
if spiders gross you out, don’t contribute the word
“Spider” as a Spark—it will come up.

As with any improvisation game, unexpected

content may come up as part of freewheeling
creativity. A pre-game conversation about how silly
or how serious you’d like your worldbuilding to be will
help everyone get on the same page. Similarly, if a
piece of content bothers you, always feel empowered
to pause the game and ask to pivot to something else.

Single Unique Power is a game about creative

interpretation.

Players will give each other a variety of key words

from which to spin characters. Each player has the
creative freedom to interpret these prompts however
they like, provided that characters fit within a larger,
collaboratively-made setting. Some of these prompts
will be easier to interpret than others, and that’s
intended! Asking fellow players for help is always
encouraged.

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POWER SOURCES
To start a game of Single Unique Power, each player
writes down four one-word Sparks.

Simple words are often the easiest Sparks to play

with, but your Spark can be whatever you like. Try
not to agonize over them. Trust that players will work
together to interpret Sparks in interesting ways.

Give everyone some time to come up with

their Sparks, assisting each other if needed.

Write each Spark on its own notecard, fold the cards to

conceal the Spark words, and mix them all into the pot.

In a sample four-player game, each player writes

down four Sparks for a total of 16. The Sparks
contributed are:

• Blessing • Glass • Sadness

• Coal • Garden • Silence
• Coin • Hat • Silk
• Desert • Keyboard • Tooth
• Diamond • Lunar
• Extract • Mouth

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After Sparks have
been collected, each
player draws one
and opens it.

These Sparks
determine
the source of
superpowers in
your world.

Review drawn
Sparks and
brainstorm ways
these words could
be connected to
superpowers. Some
brainstorming
approaches
include:

• Does Spark-related exposure lead to powers?

• Does a Spark-related event lead to powers?
• Does a Spark-related item grant powers?
• Does a Spark-related birth lead to powers?
• Does a Spark-related childhood lead to powers?
• Does Spark-related training lead to powers?

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Once the group feels they’ve adequately discussed
Sparks, select one to be your game’s Power Source.
The Spark selected for your Power Source should be
placed somewhere all players can see. It will serve as a
creative touchstone for the rest of the game.

Four players draw the Sparks “Silk,” “Coal,”

“Silence,” and “Blessing.” The group decides
“Coal” is the most interesting to them and starts
there. Taj suggests superpowers could somehow
be derived from magical coal. Erin adds that coal
makes her think of caves—what if the magical
coal was connected to cave monsters in some
way? Max mixes the two ideas—what if monsters
lived inside power-users' stomachs, and feeding
them coal granted superpowers? Arlo really likes
this idea, but wants to make sure the monster
relationship is consensual. They propose contracts
need to be signed with monsters to acquire powers
from them, and everyone agrees. After discussing
possibilities for “Silk,” “Silence,” and “Blessing,”
the coal idea is still the group’s favorite. They lock
“Coal” in as the Power Source for their setting.

Any unused Sparks should be set aside, but

similarly remain visible. You may end up using
these discarded Sparks later in the game.

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SETTING DETAILS
Now that you have an idea of where superpowers
come from, answer the following “this or that”
questions as a group to help make sure everyone is on
the same page.

Some answers may fall between the two

options presented, and that’s okay.

Take time to adequately discuss options and aim for

group consensus, breaking ties as needed.

1. Are powers in your setting innate or

acquired? Are people born with powers, or
are they brought on by an external force?

2. Are powers in your setting few or many?

Do power-users make up a fraction of the
population, or do most people possess some
kind of superpower?

3. Are power-users in your setting localized

or widespread? Do all power-users come
from the same city, town, country, or other
locale, or can they emerge from anywhere?

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 4. Is the source of powers in your setting
known or unknown? Regardless of player
knowledge, do characters in your setting
know where powers come from, or is the
cause of superpowers still a mystery being
investigated?

5. Is knowledge of power-users in your

setting public or secret? Regardless of player
knowledge, are the general public aware of the
existence of superpowers, or do power-users
keep their abilities secret from the rest of the
population?

6. Are powers in your setting feared or

revered? Whether encountering powers or
possessing them, are powers in your setting
generally perceived as dangerous or as a gift?

If you don’t have an answer for one of the setting

questions, skip it and circle back—answering one
question may unlock something for another.

Similarly, the order in which you answer these

questions may ultimately affect the decisions you
make. If you’d like to randomize question order,
roll a six-sided die to select prompts.

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Our players have established that their powers
are a result of contracts made with monsters, so
powers are acquired by their users. The group
decides these contracts are common in their
setting, so power-users are many. The monsters
themselves can only be found in a specific region,
though, so power-users are localized. The source
of powers is known (monsters) but where the
monsters’ powers come from and the monsters’
motivation are both unknown. Because monster
contracts are a core part of their setting’s society,
knowledge of these superpowers is public.
Because the monsters’ nature and motivations are
a mystery, though, players
decide that powers are
always at least
somewhat
feared.

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REFINE YOUR GENRE
At this point you should have the broad strokes of
your world established. No need to decide every
detail, but everyone should be able to
give the elevator pitch of your setting.

To the best of your

ability, assign a genre
to your setting.
Based on all of your
brainstorming so far,
are you playing in
a fantasy setting, a
modern-day setting,
a futuristic setting,
or something else
entirely?

Since powers in their setting rely on coal, our

group decides it’d make sense for the technology
in their setting to rely heavily on coal as well. Max
proposes steampunk as their genre, but Erin
notes that magic and monsters are hallmarks of
the fantasy genre as well. In the end, the group
decides on “Magical Steampunk” as their genre
to capture both influences on their setting.
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CREATE CHARACTERS
Next, we’ll start creating characters and assigning
them unique powers. Players should gather in a
circle around a surface where they can write and roll
dice. The player who most recently watched or read
something with superpowers in it takes the first turn.
Play continues in clockwise order until the game ends.

On your turn, draw a card from the pot and

read its Spark aloud.

Turn the card over and write Superpower, Undoing,

and Personality (SUP) in a column on the opposite
side, followed by the word
“Once” three times. This
side of the notecard will
serve as your character
sheet.

Superpower:
Undoing:
Personality:
Once:
Once:
Once:

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These aspects will be filled in one at a time as
character cards are passed around the table. The first
line—a character’s Superpower—is always defined
immediately after drawing a notecard.

With your setting in mind, consult the Spark on the

back of the card you drew and come up with a power
related to it. Often, simply combining the Spark word
and the word “power” is a good place to start. Think
out loud as you brainstorm what the power might be,
and invite others to help if needed!

If you’re especially stumped by a Spark, or would

like to swap it for any reason, feel free to exchange it
for a Spark discarded during the Power Source phase.
Do so before defining that Spark’s superpower.

Once a power is decided, write it next to the

Superpower line on the character card.

Arlo draws the Spark “Tooth.” They turn over their

card, write Superpower, Undoing, Personality, and
Once three times, and think about what a tooth
power might be. They decide feeding their coal
monster lets this character eat their way through
things. So, after Superpower on their character
card, they write the word “Burrowing.”

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 Play then moves clockwise to the
next player. Notecards should
remain character-side-up
in front of the player
who most recently
wrote a detail for
that character.

Once a power
is recorded, no
future characters
can have the same
power, even if
their Spark is
similar.

After the “Tooth” Spark is used, Taj draws the

Spark “Mouth.” Another character already has
the power to eat through things, so that’s off the
table. They decide this character’s superpower
is singing so loud it wakes the dead. Taj writes
“Necromancy” after Superpower on their card.

During this initial round, everyone draws their first

card and defines a single character’s superpower until
a full player rotation is completed.

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Once each player has a character in front of them,
we’ll add dice to the game. Dice rolls dictate who fills
in the next line on a character’s card each turn.

The number of dice a player rolls depends on

how many cards they have at the start of a turn.

• If you have 3+ cards, roll 3 dice.

• If you have 2 cards, roll 2 dice.
• If you have 1 card, roll 1 die.
• If you have no cards, don’t roll any dice.

On turns where you don’t roll any dice, wait for a

card to be passed to you and focus on assisting other
players in the meantime! You’ll be writing again soon.

After rolling
the dice, look
at their values
and take one
of four actions
based on the
result.

One action can

be taken per
card, per turn.

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• If you roll a 1, 2, or 3, fill in the next line on one
of your held character cards.

• If you roll a 4, pass one of your cards to the

next player in turn order. Work together to fill
in the next line on the card before play advances.
If it’s your last card and Sparks remain in the
pot, draw a card and determine a new character’s
Superpower before your next turn.

• If you roll a 5, pass one of your cards to the

previous player in turn order. Work together
to fill in the next line on the card before play
advances. If it’s your last card and Sparks remain
in the pot, draw a card and determine a new
character’s Superpower before your next turn.

• If you roll a 6, and only if the first three lines

on one of your character cards are filled,
name that character and remove their card
from rotation by placing it in the center of the
playing field. If it’s your last card and Sparks
remain in the pot, draw a card and determine a
new character’s Superpower before your next turn.
If the first three lines are not yet filled on one of
your cards, treat the roll as a 1, 2, or 3 and fill in the
next line on a held card.

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The second line on a character card—Undoing—
is something that can counter their power,
diminish it, or otherwise render it useless.

Think out loud as you brainstorm what a power’s

Undoing might be, and invite others to help if needed!

Arlo rolls a 1, so they’ll fill the next line on one of

their cards. They still have the “Tooth” character
and decide to fill in their Undoing. They’re having
trouble thinking of what a good counter to that
character’s burrowing power would be, though.
Max suggests there being something the character
can’t digest. Arlo likes this idea, decides gold is
the one thing the character can’t eat under any
circumstance, and writes “Gold” as their Undoing.

The third line on a character card—Personality—

is a character’s general outlook or demeanor.

A character’s Spark, Superpower, and Undoing can

all be used to inspire a Personality. Lean into the
information presented—like a “Glass” Spark leading
to a “Smooth” personality. Or, go against type for
something more unexpected—like someone with
“Sadness” powers having a “Cheery” personality.
Again, think out loud and ask for help if needed!

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 Later in the game, Arlo passes
the character card with
a “Tooth” Spark,
“Burrowing”
Superpower,
and “Gold”
Undoing to Erin,
so the two of
them decide the
Personality of
that character
together. With
“Tooth” being
the initial Spark,
they decide this character is often smiling. They
describe their Personality as “Overly-Positive.”

“Once” lines require you to finish the sentence

with a statement about this character’s past.

These lines can be relationship insights, heroic feats,

or any other sentence starting with the word Once.

If all Once fields are full and you need to “fill in

the next line,” create and fill a new Once line. If a
card reaches 10 Once lines, name the character and
remove it from play immediately after the 10th entry.

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You’ll be writing a lot of Once statements
as cards are passed around the table,
so there’s no pressure to be especially
detailed or clever in your responses.

Often, the most interesting answers will come

as a response to or a heightening of an earlier
sentence. What’s more, vague answers can
sometimes be more fun to imagine context for
than highly specific ones.

Superpower: Burrowing
Undoing: Gold
Personality: Overly-Positive
Once: lived as a noble.
Once: ate through the wall of a bank.
Once: served time in prison.
Once: joined a revolution.
Once: burrowed for 24 hours straight.
Once: swallowed their pride.
Once: had a fiancé.
Once: ate an engagement ring.
Once:

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If you roll a 6, you may be required to remove a
character card from play. Character cards are only
removed from play if their Superpower, Undoing,
and Personality are already filled in. Otherwise, a 6
roll is treated as a 1, 2, or 3.

If that condition is met, first give the character a

name, then count the number of lines filled in on
their card. Mark both the name and the number of
lines somewhere on the card. Remove the card from
rotation by moving it to the center of the playspace.

Max rolls a 6 while in possession of both the

“Tooth” and “Mouth” characters. Both character
cards have their Superpower, Undoing, and
Personality fields filled in, so Max can choose
which character to name and remove from play.
Max decides to remove the “Tooth” character
from play, capping the number of details that can
be added to that card. They write a name for the
character and note the number of lines filled in—
Jonathan Tusk (11)—at the top of the card and add
it to a stack in the center of the table.

When all Sparks have been drawn and the last

character has been named and removed from
play, proceed to the final phase of the game.

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IGNITE RIVALRIES
Go through your character cards and divide them
into two groups—characters with an odd number of
lines filled in (1, 3, 5, etc.) and characters with an even
number of lines filled in (2, 4, 6, etc.).

These two groups are now opposing factions.

As a group, review which characters wound up in the

odd faction and which are part of the even faction.
Which characters are allied with each other and which
are opposed? What trends
can you identify within
a faction—do they have
similar powers, pasts, or
personalities? What
differences can you
identify between
the factions—are
there discrepancies
in character traits,
faction sizes,
or the total
number of
lines filled?

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Brainstorm these questions as a group, writing
the answers on one last notecard:

• What unifies the odd faction?

• What unifies the even faction?
• Why are these two factions in conflict?
• What are the two factions’ names?

If either faction has zero members at the end of the

game, brainstorm an opposing faction that once
existed but no longer does. What happened to them?

Taj, Erin, Max, and Arlo separate their characters

into two factions. They realize the odd-numbered
cards tend to have more labor-focused powers,
while the even-numbered cards are suited to
espionage. The group decides the odds are miners
and the evens are secret police. The miners are
working to negotiate better contracts with their
coal monsters, but the secret police are working
to undermine them. They name the odds “The
Union” and the evens “The Silk Watch,” harking
back to the “Silk” Spark passed over in round one.

With that, your game is complete! Save your cards

as artifacts of play, use characters or settings in other
stories, or throw them away and start fresh next time!

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ONLINE PLAY
If playing Single Unique Power online, the most
important things you’ll need for the game to function
properly are:

• Randomly generating numbers from 1 to 6

• A shared environment everyone can type in
• A visual representation of player order and
card placement

Some shared online spaces, like a digital whiteboard,

will let you create a text box that can be moved. If
this is the case, type each player’s name in a circular
formation and drag text box “cards” around the
playspace to reflect movement.

If text can’t easily be moved, create a shared document

with player names typed in a line at the top like so:

Player 1 – Player 2 – Player 3

Assign each player name a different font or color and

change their name’s text to reflect it. Just make sure all
fonts and colors used in your document are legible for
all players.

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Have player order move from left to right, treating
“clockwise” as right and “counterclockwise” as left
whenever they appear in the game’s rules.

If Player 1 needs to pass a card to the left, pass it to the

last player in the line. If the last player needs to pass a
card to the right, it should circle back to Player 1.

Whenever you add a new character to your document

or fill in one of their lines, change their “card” to the
color or font of the player who last modified it. That
way, you’ll have a visual representation of who last
modified a card for card-passing purposes.

If you don’t have easy access to a random number

generator, ask someone to roll six-sided dice on their
side of the internet and to deliver the results verbally.

Lastly, have everyone record all four of their Sparks

in windows separate from your game or on real-life
pieces of paper. For Power Source discussion, simply
have everyone offer one of their favorite Sparks. For
character Sparks, players should take turns offering
the next Spark on their list whenever one is needed.
If you’d like Sparks to be truly random, though,
assign both Sparks and players numbers and use dice
or a random number generator to select each.

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Tyler Crumrine is the founder of Possible Worlds
Games and has edited, contributed to, or designed
over 20 RPGs. Single Unique Power is one of six games
included in the Possible Worlds RPG subscription
bundle. Learn more about each of the games at
www.possibleworldsgames.com

Eric Lide is an African American cartoonist from New

Jersey. He has published and serialized the webcomics
Station Square (2009) and Ozzie the Vampire (2013) as
well as a variety of minicomics and zines. Learn more
about his work at ericlide.com.

This game was edited by Will Jobst. Will is an

award-winning tabletop game designer and editor,
with games like This Discord Has Ghosts in It, Black Mass,
Campfire, and TORQ. Will’s games are available at
willjobst.carrd.co and they are very online at
@will_jobst.
possibleworldsgames.com