Thirty-six word tribe

This RPG is somehow a rehash of Stones, a d4-based RPG set in the prehistoric ages.

But I thought that was an interesting exercise to squeeze the same concept into a 36-word RPG. At the same time, the 36-word RPG Jam reminded me of the constraint in the 1990's "OG" ; where the player only had a handful of words available, among a defined list of 18 items.

I've always found this limit a bit too hard, so I've decided to make a different rule for this. First of all, there are more words. Then, I didn't pick them. The tribe members will chose them together (see below). And finally, all tribe members will know these words. In a way, the words are defining the tribe, because it's what they shared language ; they're are their commons.

What's this game about?

You'll play cave men and women, struggling to survive. You'll have to find a shelter, forage water and food. You'll have to craft tools. You'll have to make fire. Fight for your lives. You may die, you may fall in love. You could also take time to enjoy your family. Play with your kids in the river. Tell stories and legends, by the fireside.

The words

As a group, decide how you'll pick the 36 words that will be your full vocabulary for the rest of the game. Will you pick one each? Will you vote for each suggestion? Will you all make list and see which one is the best one?

Or you may eventually make a short list of a dozen, and add words as you play.

It's up to your group, see which method is the funniest and suits you.

Anyway, when you're "in-game", your character can only communicate with the other characters (including the NPCs). But when you describe your actions to the Tribe Master, use your preferred language.

Tone

As its ancestor "Og", this game is designed to be tongue-in-cheek and lightweight. Before the game, have a conversation: do you want to include dinosaurs in your settings? Or sorcery? Or both? Can your characters make fire? Do you live in warm times or during the Ice Ages?

Please make sure that everybody at the table is okay with the themes and tones you'll bring during the game. Times can be hard for prehistoric characters, and premature (violent?) death is common.

Adventures

In ancient times, any task can be seen as an adventure. Finding a shelter (are there beasts in it?), capture your dinner (big claws danger danger!), travel through the land to find a new home. Or maybe your tribe is at war for some resources. Maybe you'll trade your tools for food. Maybe you'll be sent by the shaman away to find a rare plant in the mountain ; this plant being the only cure against the disease that has hit your tribe.

Or your quest may be to "capture" or "trade" a new word with a neighbouring tribe.

Options

Players may also play cave children. As a ruling, I'd say that they don't have starting skills. If at some point these children accomplish some significant quest, they may become adult, and acquire a skill, accordingly.

Colophon

Illustration: "The boys family sitting around their fire with the baby and parents." Irma Deremeaux, in "The cave boy of the age of stone", by Margaret A. McIntyre. Found via Wikimedia