Deliria
Encyclopedia
Deliria: Faerie Tales for a New Millennium is an "interactive urban fantasy setting" created by Phil Brucato
. The title refers to an altered state of awareness in which several levels of reality can be perceived at once, to both good and ill effect.
The core concept behind Deliria is one of "ordinary people in an extraordinary world." Inspired by classical fairy tales and urban fantasy
, the setting presents a multicultural world in which magic is always present but often invisible. To "twilight people" who encounter the magical realm, the world becomes a frightening yet wonderful place. Meanwhile, the immortal faeries, or aelderfolk, regard mortal humanity with a mixture of awe and terror. The accelerating pace of human imagination reverberates through both worlds, bringing changes that many aelders fear. Within the tensions of this setting, ordinary people become heroes - or villains - in their own new fairy tales.
Inspired by authors like Charles de Lint
, Erik Davis
and Francesca Lia Block
, films like Edward ScissorHands
and Practical Magic
, world music
and ethereal wave
music, and TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Deliria's setting emphasizes "normal people" over superheroes. As a role-playing game
, it features a flexible rules system, collaborative storytelling
, and a character-crafting process based on telling stories about the character. Deliria has also been noted for its vivid digital art
, evocative short stories, and emphasis of "courage rather than carnage."
es in the classical sense. Characters are not elite fighters or wizards, super-soldiers or super-criminals. Normal people, who live through an (perhaps even the) adventure of their lives, are the heroes in a Deliria Campaign
. "Courage rather than carnage" means that the possibilities of the characters should only limited by their players' imagination, not by stats
like hitpoints or class levels.
and the guide's
behalf.
The core of the system is summed up as: Challenge, Prowess, Chance, Result. To resolve a Challenge, the player checks her character's Prowess. If necessary, she takes a Chance that may add to or subtract from that Prowess. Success or failure is the Result, which is then described in "story elements" - that is, narrative rather than mathematical terms.
Chances are resolved through two ten-sided dice, a deck of cards, or a computer program (sold with the main rule book).
.
This level is proposed for Computer-assisted or Live action role-playing game
s.
This level is proposed for pen and paper
or Live action role-playing game
s.
This level is proposed for only for pen and paper games.
Phil Brucato
"Satyr" Phil Brucato is an American writer and game designer. He is best known for his work with White Wolf, Inc., including role-playing games such as Mage: The Ascension, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and Mage: The Sorcerer's Crusade...
. The title refers to an altered state of awareness in which several levels of reality can be perceived at once, to both good and ill effect.
The core concept behind Deliria is one of "ordinary people in an extraordinary world." Inspired by classical fairy tales and urban fantasy
Urban fantasy
Urban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements. However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or futuristic periods...
, the setting presents a multicultural world in which magic is always present but often invisible. To "twilight people" who encounter the magical realm, the world becomes a frightening yet wonderful place. Meanwhile, the immortal faeries, or aelderfolk, regard mortal humanity with a mixture of awe and terror. The accelerating pace of human imagination reverberates through both worlds, bringing changes that many aelders fear. Within the tensions of this setting, ordinary people become heroes - or villains - in their own new fairy tales.
Inspired by authors like Charles de Lint
Charles de Lint
Charles de Lint is a Canadian fantasy author and folk musician. He is also the chief book critic for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction....
, Erik Davis
Erik Davis
Erik Davis is a North American writer, social historian, cultural critic and lecturer.He is noted for his study of the history of technology and society and his essays about the fate of the individual in the dawning posthuman era...
and Francesca Lia Block
Francesca Lia Block
Francesca Lia Block is the author of adult and young adult fiction, short stories, screenplays and poetry, most famously the Weetzie Bat series. Block wrote her first book, Weetzie Bat, while a student at UC Berkeley; it was published in 1989 by Harper Collins. She is known for her use of imagery,...
, films like Edward ScissorHands
Edward Scissorhands
Edward Scissorhands is a 1990 romantic fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. The film shows the story of an artificial man named Edward, an unfinished creation, who has scissors for hands. Edward is taken in by a suburban family and falls in love with their teenage daughter...
and Practical Magic
Practical Magic
Practical Magic is a 1998 American fantasy film directed by Griffin Dunne and starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witches who carry on a family legacy of witchcraft and tragedy. The film is based on a book of the same name by Alice Hoffman...
, world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
and ethereal wave
Ethereal Wave
Ethereal Wave, also called ethereal darkwave in Europe and ethereal goth or simply ethereal in the US, is a term that describes a subgenre of Dark Wave music...
music, and TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Deliria's setting emphasizes "normal people" over superheroes. As a role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, it features a flexible rules system, collaborative storytelling
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
, and a character-crafting process based on telling stories about the character. Deliria has also been noted for its vivid digital art
Digital art
Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process...
, evocative short stories, and emphasis of "courage rather than carnage."
Non-Hero Characters
The player characters are not meant to be heroHero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
es in the classical sense. Characters are not elite fighters or wizards, super-soldiers or super-criminals. Normal people, who live through an (perhaps even the) adventure of their lives, are the heroes in a Deliria Campaign
Campaign (role-playing games)
In role-playing games, a campaign is a continuing storyline or set of adventures, typically involving the same characters. The purpose of the continuing storyline is to introduce a further aspect into the game: that of development, improvement, and growth of the characters. In a campaign, a...
. "Courage rather than carnage" means that the possibilities of the characters should only limited by their players' imagination, not by stats
Statistic (role-playing games)
A statistic in role-playing games is a piece of data which represents a particular aspect of a fictional character. That piece of data is usually a integer or, in some cases, a set of dice....
like hitpoints or class levels.
Scalable Rule-System
Deliria's game system is designed to be used at three levels of complexity, depending on the wishes of the group. "Flexible" rather than "crunchy," it's versatile enough to support almost any form of roleplaying, given the powers of imagination and creativity on the player'sPlayer (game)
A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
and the guide's
Gamemaster
A gamemaster is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for questions regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer game...
behalf.
The core of the system is summed up as: Challenge, Prowess, Chance, Result. To resolve a Challenge, the player checks her character's Prowess. If necessary, she takes a Chance that may add to or subtract from that Prowess. Success or failure is the Result, which is then described in "story elements" - that is, narrative rather than mathematical terms.
Chances are resolved through two ten-sided dice, a deck of cards, or a computer program (sold with the main rule book).
Narrative Rules
The very simple rules that encourages narrative solutions of contests and reduces random challenges to a minimum. Characters are described through abstract key traits as well as narrative elements. This level of complexity reflects a Storytelling approachStorytelling game
A storytelling game is a game where two or more persons collaborate on telling a spontaneous story. Usually, each player takes care of one or more characters in the developing story...
.
This level is proposed for Computer-assisted or Live action role-playing game
Live action role-playing game
A live action role-playing game is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by the real world, while interacting with each other in character. The outcome of player actions may...
s.
Simple Rules
Slightly more detailed rules feature an in-between solution. This option uses contest solutions through dice rolling or card drawing only when it's important and, if necessary, also modifiers and counterdraws.This level is proposed for pen and paper
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
or Live action role-playing game
Live action role-playing game
A live action role-playing game is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by the real world, while interacting with each other in character. The outcome of player actions may...
s.
Advanced Rules
Every significant action is resolved through a random challenge and many rules (and optional rules) can be used to handle special situations.This level is proposed for only for pen and paper games.