Mana Project Studio and Fumble GDR

proudly present Not the End

The content of this manual is released under Creative Commons

BY-NC-SA 3.0. Please share it with everyone who will play it with you
and let us know what you think!

Download game materials and character sheets at:

bit.ly/NTEResources

The Not the End team

Idea and Art Direction: Claudio Pustorino

Game Design: Claudio Pustorino, Fabio Airoldi, Claudio Serena

Illustrations: Pietro Bastas

Layout: Claudio Pustorino

Editing: Claudio Serena

Editorial direction: Michele Paroli

Artistic supervision: Mirko Failoni

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 6
Welcome to Not the End 8
What is an RPG? 9
The pillars of Not the End 9
The game’s setting 16
The game system 17
Game symbols 17
Glossary 18
Facing a test 20
THE HEROES OF NOT THE END 22
Creating a hero 26
Describe your hero in one sentence 28
List their distinctive traits 29
List the resources at their disposal 40
Hero creation alternatives 42
The hero learns a lesson 44
The hero has suffered misfortunes 44
The hero has more than eight traits 44
The hero has less than eight traits 45
The hero is marked by a scar 45
PL AYING THE HERO 46
Facing tests 50
What is a test? 52
The difficulty and danger of tests 53
Describing the goal 54
Filling the bag 55
Deciding how many to draw 56
Deciding whether to take a risk 57
Using successes 58
Using complications 59
Tokens, lessons and scars 61
Other types of test 62
Group tests 63
Helping or hindering 63
Conflicting goals and competitions 64
Conflicts between heroes 64
Danger in tests with multiple heroes 65
Inner conflicts 65
Leaving the scene 66
When to leave the scene 67
How to leave the scene 67
How to return to the scene 68
EVOLVING THE HERO 70
How to evolve heroes 74
Declaring a crucial test 76
Facing a crucial test 77
Evolving the hero after a test 78
Acquiring a new trait 79
Changing a trait 79
Letting the hero be scarred 80
Learning a lesson 82
Development alternatives 102
Crucial group tests 104
Surprising experiences 104
Evolving at the end of the session 104
Flashbacks 105
Losing someone important 105
FACING THE END 106
This is not the end 110
What is the hero’s end? 112
When to embrace the end 112
How to embrace the end 112
The end in conflicts between heroes 115
NARRATING STORIES 116
The narrator 120
A few storytelling tricks 122
Tests and outcomes 124
Deciding difficulty and danger 126
Narrating complications 128
Narrating misfortunes 129
Creating challenges 130
Describing a challenge 132
Advanced challenges 138
Pacing the sessions 140
Giving space to important moments 142
Giving depth to goals 143
Taking turns 145
SETTINGS 147
Creating settings 150
Describe the setting in one sentence 152
Focus on the necessary details 154
Create examples of traits 157
Create examples of resources 158
Create examples of names 158
Create examples of challenges 159
Create examples of heroes 159
Always be ready to improvise 159
Die Koeniger Akademie 160
Every mythology is unique 162
A menacing empire 163
The heroes guide the story 163
Suggested traits, resources and names 164
Bullies and dictators 166
Explore mythologies 170
Sinkapore 174
A stratified society 176
The evolution of technology 177
The supremacy of corporations 177
Suggested traits, resources and names 178
Not only heroes 184
Beyond human? 184
Knights of the Round 188
Mecha and magic 190
Important places 192
Secondary characters 193
Suggested traits, resources and names 194
The threat comes from within 196
Imagining challenges 196
Pilots and heroes 200
Red Creek 204
Controversial topics 206
Suggested traits, resources and names 208
Alone on the frontier 210
Reasons to stay and enemies to face 214
The Round Table 218
Ancient fantasy 220
Sorcerers, dragons, knights and swords 221
Suggested traits, resources and names 222
Monsters and armies 224
Of knights, weapons and honors 228
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 232
Our heartfelt thanks! 234
Backers of Not the End 236
GAME MATERIALS 240
INTRODUCTION
WELCOME TO NOT THE END
Not the End is a role-playing game that tells the adventures of heroes who are willing
to risk everything for what they consider important, using an original game system called
HexSys. In this game a hero is anyone who can learn from their mistakes.

Every hero in this game is defined as much by their successes as by their failures and each
experience, however traumatic, makes them stronger and more multifaceted than before. In
Not the End every hero is described by keywords placed in a hexagon hive, each of which
represents one of their distinctive traits. The proximity of the hexagons within the hive
creates relationships and bonds that make each hero totally unique. HexSys does not
use dice to resolve conflicts and dangerous situations, but different-colored tokens
that represent successes and complications.

Every test that you face will produce results that add
something to the story and to the game world, making
the outcome of each test unique and different from
the previous one. Be prepared to take risks, triumph,
fail and get back on your feet. This is not the end!
WHAT IS AN RPG?
In a role-playing game, players take
on the role of the characters in a story,
interpreting their motives and deciding their actions. If you have
never role-played before, don’t worry: while it may seem difficult, as
soon as you sit down at the table you will find that it comes as naturally
as telling a story around a campfire. The playgroup will include a player
with a special role, responsible for describing the world around the heroes,
playing all the secondary characters and helping the game unfold. From
now on we will call this player the narrator.
The game consists of a conversation between the narrator and the
players. The narrator describes the scene, the players respond
by describing their heroes’ actions, the situation evolves and the
cycle restarts. Sometimes the game will insert a random element
to make the story a little unpredictable. The purpose of a role-
playing game is to have fun while experiencing an adventure together:
remember to allow everyone at the table to take part and contribute
to the story in their own way, without any pressure.

THE PILL ARS OF NOT THE END

Not the End tells intense stories that leave an indelible mark on the
heroes who experience them. When you play, always bear in mind
the three pillars that support the game’s narrative:

• Take risks for what you consider important

• Let the story change your hero
• Live every end like a new beginning

The following pages provide an in-depth look at each of the three pillars
and a reference to the relevant game rules.

Introduction 9
10 Introduction
 TAKE RISKS FOR WHAT YOU
CONSIDER IMPORTANT
Not the End puts the player in a position in which
they are encouraged to expose their hero to risky
and problematic situations, without feeling punished for it.
The complications experienced by the hero are part of the game
experience and should be seen as an opportunity to explore
their personality, motives and values.

Read how to face tests on page 50

and find out how to take risks on page 57.

Introduction 11
 LET THE STORY
CHANGE YOUR HERO
The heroes of Not the End evolve when they experience
the consequences of their actions. The player will be able to decide
what tests are crucial for their hero’s development, but they must do
so before knowing the outcome. This way every hero in Not the End
will evolve based on the significant experiences that they go through
during the story.

Consult the Evolving the hero chapter on page 70 to find out more.

12 Introduction
Introduction 13
14 Introduction
 LIVE EVERY END LIKE
A NEW BEGINNING
Every hero in Not the End, over the course of the story,
has to face the end. Sometimes it is their end and sometimes it is the
end of something important to them, such as a journey, friendship, oath
or old grudge. Not the End sheds light on these motives, allowing the
player to evolve their hero in a unique way.

Consult the section on scars on page 80

and find out how to face the end on page 107.

Introduction 15

“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...”,
“Among the dusty streets of Redwater Creek,
in pioneer-era America” or “In a space colony
surrounded by the eternal ice of Ganymede,
on 15 December 2047” are all good examples of
where and when.
16 Introduction
THE GAME’S SET TING
Not the End stories can be set anywhere: in distant realms home to dragons
and powerful sorcerers, in futuristic dystopias ruled by merciless AI robots, in
the dark and infinite depths of space, in the real world or in any other context
that you are familiar with or can imagine.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE SETTING
Playing Not the End means first of all choosing a where and a when, namely a
place and time in which the story is set.
To begin with, there is no need to go into too much detail; you only need the
bare minimum to create a common ground that stimulates your imagination.
This is a choice that the whole playgroup should make together. Although
the choice of setting can be delegated to the narrator, it is much more fun
to experience a story set in a context that all the players know, love or wish
to experience and explore.
To start off you only need a single sentence, but feel free to add a few details
if you consider them necessary or valuable.
Once you have chosen a where and a when, creating heroes will naturally lead
you to weave them into the game: this will generate narrative hooks necessary for
players to have heroes that are fully integrated into the story from the outset.
As with choosing the setting, creating heroes together is more effective and
fun. It will allow you to agree on their relationships and will give the narrator
useful ideas for beginning the story.
The chapter dedicated to settings offers insights into how you can create
contexts in which to set your stories with as little effort as possible and provides
five examples that you can refer to or use for your game.
THE GAME SYSTEM
Not the End uses HexSys, an original game system that uses different-colored
tokens, which are inserted and drawn blindly from a bag to resolve important
situations during the story.

WHAT YOU NEED TO PL AY

The following are required to play:

• Around twenty different-colored tokens such as checkers pieces, poker Visit the Fumble GDR website to download the
chips or Go stones. Ensure the tokens you choose cannot be distinguished game materials, including the hero sheet and
by touch lesson cards, or to purchase customized Not
• An opaque bag used for inserting and drawing tokens that is large enough the End bags and tokens.
to fit your hand in
• A hero sheet for each player
• A few erasers and pencils

GAME SYMBOLS
The different-colored tokens used in Not the End represent successes and When you have chosen your different-colored
complications. From this point on tokens representing a success will be tokens, decide together with the other players
denoted by the Z symbol and those representing a complication will be denoted which symbolize successes and which denote
by the b symbol. Tokens drawn or chosen at random will be denoted by the a complications.
symbol. Use the tokens every time your hero faces a test. You may find some
solid-color areas of text, so remember that the negative tokens are always solid
dots (b or b ) and the positive tokens are always empty dots (Z or Z ).

Introduction 17

You can use anything as a provided they are
objects that you can put in the bag and that
they come in two different colors, but cannot
be distinguished by touch.
A case, a bowl or simply the center of the table.
Hacker, Samurai, Sleuth, Dragon, Shrewd,
Powerful, Daring, Paranoid, Swindler.
Fortune favors the bold, Honor is sacrifice,
Blood calls to blood, I know my destiny.
Alone in the world, Disillusioned, Antihero,
Laboratory experiment, Orphan, Death drive.
18 Introduction
GLOSSARY
Tokens: Tokens in two different colors that cannot be distinguished by touch,
necessary for facing tests. In the manual they are denoted by the a symbol
Bag: An opaque container in which you place and draw the a required to face
a test
Reserve: A place or container that can be easily accessed by all players from
which they draw and discard the a
ROLES AT THE GAME TABLE
Player: Someone in the group who plays a hero
Narrator: The member of the group who plays the secondary characters,
describes the challenges, and recounts the complications that happen during
the story
STORY CHARACTERS
Hero: One of the protagonists of the story
Secondary character: A character in the story who is not one of the heroes
ANATOMY OF THE HERO
Trait: A keyword or short sentence describing an important aspect of the hero.
Every trait is inscribed in a hexagon on the hero sheet
Lesson: Something that the hero has learned through experience, which allows
them to use successes and complications in a unique way
Scar: A keyword or short sentence describing a trauma that has left a mark on
the hero. Every scar is inscribed in a hexagon on the hero sheet
TESTS

Test: The act of drawing some a from a bag to learn the outcome of an action Convince a stranger to help you, take out a
that is relevant to the story and could result in complications patrol guard.
Difficulty: A number between 1 and 6 that indicates the likelihood of the
test creating complications
Danger: A number between 1 and 4 that indicates the likelihood of the hero
leaving the scene
Drawing: The action of blindly drawing from 1 to 4 a from the bag
Success: Something positive that happens following a test, which corresponds
to the Z that the player has drawn from the bag.
Complication: Something negative that happens following a test, which
corresponds to the b that the player has drawn from the bag.
Taking a risk: The decision to put the hero in danger in order to draw other a

GAME MOMENTS

Story: An entire narrative arc involving a theme or goal Overthrow a regime, recover an artefact.
Session: When you are playing with your friends, you play a session
Scene: A segment of the story in which a single moment of play is completed A confrontation, a journey, an investigation.
Leaving the scene: A circumstance that prevents the hero from acting in
a scene
Turn: When the situation becomes critical, actions are taken in turns. A turn
is over when all the players have acted

CHALLENGES AND GOALS

A skilled swordsman, a dangerous canyon.
Challenge: An entity or place that the heroes have to contend with Win a sword duel, break through a firewall,
Goal: A result that the heroes wish to achieve, connected to a challenge, a sneak unseen into a building.
scene or a game situation
Depth: The number of successes necessary to achieve a goal

Introduction 19
 FACING A TEST
A test is a turning point in the story in which the player puts their hero at risk in order to achieve a result. Each test
is an opportunity to explore the hero’s motives and to give the narrator ideas to make the story more engaging. You
have to face a test when the outcome of the action is uncertain and complications could arise.
This overview will help you understand the information contained later in the manual. The Playing the hero chapter
provides a detailed description of how to face tests and the Narrating stories chapter will help you understand how
to use them to create interesting complications.

DESCRIBE YOUR ACTION FILL THE BAG

Give a concise description of thehero’s intention. It
is always good practice to state the hero’s purpose,
but there are no strict formulas that you are obliged to
follow. Feel free to describe your action in the way that
comes naturally to you. What you describe determines
the difficulty of the test and the traits you can put
in play.
Add 1 Z to the bag for each of your hero’s traits that
you want to put in play in the test you are facing. It is
up to you to decide which traits to put in play.
Then add a number of b to the bag that corresponds to
the difficulty of the test announced by the narrator.

Roberto plays Lothar, a bounty hunter. Lothar is
crouching in the bushes near a bandits’ camp. Roberto
declares that he wants to shoot an arrow at the guard
on patrol to silently kill him and approach the edge of
the camp undetected.
The traits that help Lothar are Bounty Hunter,
Silent, Assassinate and Infiltrate. The narrator
states that the difficulty of the test is normal.
Roberto adds 4 Z and 3 b to the bag.

20 Introduction
 DRAW
Draw from 1 to 4 a from the bag. The more a you
decide to draw, the greater the risks and chances of
success. Every Z drawn represents a success, while
every b corresponds to a complication. Opposite-
colored a never cancel each other out, but, once
drawn, all contribute to the outcome of the test.
Roberto decides to draw 3 a in total and takes out 2 Z
and 1 b. This means that Lothar has had two successes,
but that his action has caused a complication.
DESCRIBE THE RESULTS
Spend the Z you have drawn to describe the positive
outcomes of the test and spend the b you have drawn
to ask the narrator to invent complications that make
the scene more engaging or create misfortunes for
the hero.
The first Z drawn guarantees Lothar’s success in
the test. Roberto spends the second Z to improve
the outcome of the test and spends the b by asking
the narrator to subject Lothar to a misfortune.
Lothar’s arrow pierces the throat of the guard, who
falls soundlessly to the ground in an area barely visible
from the camp. But his bowstring breaks: Lothar finds
himself Unarmed.
Introduction 21
THE HEROES OF
NOT THE END
IN THIS CHAPTER

CREATING A HERO 26

DESCRIBE YOUR HERO IN ONE SENTENCE 28

LIST THEIR DISTINCTIVE TR AITS 29

LIST THE RESOURCES AT THEIR DISPOSAL 40

HERO CREATION ALTERNATIVES 42

THE HERO LE ARNS A LESSON 44

THE HERO HAS SUFFERED MISFORTUNES 44

THE HERO HAS MORE THAN EIGHT TR AITS 44

THE HERO HAS LESS THAN EIGHT TR AITS 45

THE HERO IS MARKED BY A SCAR 45

 CREATING A HERO
It just takes a little imagination and a few minutes
to create a hero in Not the End. All you need is a
basic idea that you can build on by following some brief
guided steps.

If possible, create your hero together with the

other players and the narrator: the end result
will be significantly better.

The following pages offer a detailed description

of all the necessary steps to create your hero, as
well as explanations and practical examples that
will help you along the way.
 STEPS TO CREATE A HERO

1. DESCRIBE YOUR HERO IN ONE SENTENCE

This sentence will serve as a starting point for evolving the hero and providing further
details at later stages

2. LIST THEIR DISTINCTIVE TRAITS

Traits are keywords that describe them and are placed in a hexagon hive. Place 1 trait in
the center that defines their archetype, surrounded by 3 traits that define their qualities
and 4 traits in the outer part that describe their abilities

3. LIST THE RESOURCES IN THEIR POSSESSION

The term resource is used to refer to anything that may be useful for the hero (equipment,
contacts). Write down from 3 to 5 resources

4. CHOOSE THEIR NAME

Name your hero and you have completed the creation process!

WHERE CAN I FIND THE HERO SHEET?

You can download the sheet and all game handouts at bit.ly/NTEResources

Heroes 27

A masked vigilante who wants to bring justice
back to their neighborhood, a court reporter
with a penchant for mystery or a freed slave
who has seen hell are all good examples.
You could be an animal that has become
sentient due to a spell, a symbiont that controls
someone’s actions, a wandering spirit, a cyborg
or anything you can imagine.
28 Heroes
DESCRIBE YOUR HERO IN ONE SENTENCE
The player identifies the essence of the hero and concisely describes them
in one or a maximum of two sentences.
This outline will serve as your guideline for subsequent questions. You do not
need anything specific, just something that will allow you to roughly find your
place within the game scenario. If you wish, start thinking about your hero’s
psychology and motives. Why is your hero the way you imagine them to be?
What are they willing to take risks for? You do not have to decide now, but
starting to think about it will help you create a multi-faceted character.
ARE THERE ANY CONSTRAINTS I HAVE TO RESPECT?
In Not the End there is no constraint on the type of hero you can play. The
important thing is that the hero you choose to play is appropriate to the context
of the game you have chosen for your adventure and can harmoniously fit into
the group.
WHERE SHOULD I WRITE THIS DESCRIPTION?
There is no need to write what you have decided on the hero sheet; this initial
idea will help you answer subsequent questions.
If you would like to write down what your hero is willing to take risks for,
we have allocated a space on the sheet where you can add this information.
Remember that this concept can freely change over time.
During the story, your hero will learn what they consider truly important
and you may be surprised to discover how different it is from what you had
first expected.
LIST THEIR DISTINCTIVE TRAITS
The player describes the hero by writing an archetype, 3 qualities and 4
abilities in the corresponding hexagons on the sheet.
Not the End allows you to freely define keywords representing how you view
your hero. These keywords are called traits and should be placed in a hexagon
hive located in the center of the hero sheet. Some examples are given in the
following pages.
WHAT ARE TRAITS FOR?
When you face a test, every trait that you put in play allows you to add 1 Z
to the bag. The more traits you put in play in a test, the greater the chances
of success. There are no negative traits in an absolute sense and under no
circumstances will a trait force you to add 1 b to the bag.
HOW SHOULD I DEFINE MY HERO’S TRAITS?
To define their traits, answer the following three questions in order:
WHAT IS MY HERO’S ARCHETYPE?
The player writes a trait that identifies their hero’s archetype in the
hexagon at the center of the hive.
You can choose the name of a profession, race, species or a mixture of any
of them. Or you can choose an established word within the framework of
the setting. It is important that what you write in the central hexagon is the
concept that your hero identifies with and that this concept is clear to you and
the rest of the group.
Being Beautiful is no better than being Horrific:
the first trait could be used to seduce someone
and the second to intimidate them. Traits that
are not compatible with the tests you face do
not make the situation worse, but simply do not
give you any advantage.
Hacker, Samurai, Swindler, Merchant, Elf,
Pilot and Occultist are all excellent examples.
You can be more specific, for example by
writing Dwarf Warrior instead of Warrior.
This archetype will not come into play if you are
trying to use a bow, but it will help you during a
drinking contest or while exploring a mine.
Iconic words such as Chosen One, Vampire,
Werewolf or Jedi Knight are good examples
of archetypes since the setting to which they
refer clearly defines them.
Heroes 29

Qualities are normally described with
adjectives: Intelligent, Powerful, Agile,
Inquisitive, Cunning, Warlike, Terrifying,
Intrepid, Icy, Attractive, Cultured, Friendly.
You can write Artificial Intelligence as an
archetype and Sentimental as a quality or
juxtapose the Sentimental and Logical qualities.
Abilities are defined with verbs such as Hide,
Hack, Interrogate, Meditate and Haggle or
areas of expertise such as Light weapons, Dirty
fighting and Folklore.
A Doctor who is Intelligent and Precise
could have abilities such as Surgery, while an
Intelligent and Precise Artilleryman could have
Ballistics among their abilities.
30 Heroes
WHAT ARE MY HERO’S QUALITIES?
Write 3 traits that describe your hero’s characteristic qualities in 3
hexagons of your choice from the 6 surrounding the archetype.
When you answer this question, consider which of your hero’s characteristics
are most significant. While the archetype defines who your hero is, the qualities
describe how your hero is. Even if the qualities are adjacent to the archetype,
the terms do not have to be related to each other. Similarly, qualities adjacent
to each other do not have to be related unless you wish them to be.
WHAT HAS MY HERO LEARNED?
Write 4 traits that describe what your hero has learned or trained
themselves to do in 4 hexagons in the outer crown of the hive.
Your abilities describe areas of specialization in which your hero is well-trained.
Each hero has a maximum of 12 abilities. Unlike other traits, abilities must
correlate with their adjacent qualities. This will be easy to do because the
archetype and qualities will help you envision abilities in line with who you are
in the game. The following pages provide examples that enable you to quickly
understand how the correlation between hexagons can help your decision.
WHO DECIDES WHAT TRAITS ARE ALLOWED
DURING HERO CREATION?
The player, in collaboration with the rest of the playgroup. The most important
thing when choosing a trait is that it is relevant to the game setting and has
a clear meaning to everyone at the table.
Any room for interpretation will be further clarified during the sessions. It
is not the narrator’s task to moderate players’ choices: everyone at the table
is responsible for making the game enjoyable.
WHAT TRAITS SHOULD IDEALLY BE AVOIDED?

Avoid choosing traits that are too generic. Wording keywords in a way that allows
them to always be put in play may seem convenient, but it ends up making the
game less fun. Rather than adding a trait with a vague meaning, discuss with
your fellow players how you can clarify the meaning that you give to the term
and how it contributes to the characterization of the hero. This will allow you
all to know the situations in which this trait can be put in play.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I AM UNDECIDED ABOUT
THE TRAITS?
Ask yourself how you would like to see your hero act in the scene. What are the
most typical things that they would do? When do they feel in their element? You
can get help from other players and the narrator with suggestions or consult
lists of example traits in the Settings chapter.
In any case, if at this stage you cannot think of all the traits or you are
undecided, move on: you can gradually complete them as you continue to create
the hero or even during the first game session.
Traits such as Infallible, Reduce margin of
error, Perfect, Always ready and Succeed
should be avoided.
If a trait such as Ever-ready very aptly
describes the hero, you need only consider how
to make it more specific.
Is the hero Meticulous and do they like to
prepare for every eventuality? Do they have
a good Instinct for ambushes? Are they
Courageous and do they never back down?
All these are possible interpretations of Ever-
ready. Once the meaning has been clearly
established at the table, the wording can be
made more specific or kept exactly the same
provided the table agrees on what it means.

WHO DECIDES WHAT TRAITS CAN BE PUT IN PL AY

DURING A TEST?

It is always up to the player to decide which traits to put in play during a

test. Other players and the narrator are free to make suggestions or ask for
clarifications to enrich the game narrative, however the final choice always lies
with the player facing the test. They are responsible for consistently putting
traits in play and, if necessary, helping other players and the narrator to
understand how to interpret the words describing the hero.

Heroes 31

They act before thinking, They can’t say no,
They have a smile for everyone, They’re a
nervous wreck, They’re a flirt.
My trusty whip, Excalibur, My father’s broken
horn, The dragon’s heart that beats in my
chest, The ring that I guard.
The warriors of my tribe, The streets of Red
Creek, My wise mentor, The spirit of my
ancestor, The bastards who killed my husband,
The neighborhood I want to protect.
Son of the flame, Half-blood, Elf of Mirkwood,
Cherokee, Foundling, Untouchable.
Laboratory experiment, I saw my daughter
die, Disfigured face, Returned from the
underworld.
32 Heroes
CAN I USE ALTERNATIVE TRAITS?
With approval from the rest of the group, you can add other types of traits to
the hive that better describe your hero. Here are some ideas
WHAT ARE THEIR QUIRKS?
Choose a quirk if your hero has a very distinctive attitude or way of behaving
and reacting to certain situations. If you mark a quirk as a trait, remember to
play your hero accordingly.
WHAT OBJECTS ARE PART OF THEM?
Although the hero sheet includes a space for resources in their possession,
sometimes certain objects define a hero’s identity to such a degree that they
merit a place in the hive.
TO WHO OR WHAT ARE THEY BOUND?
Sometimes people or places are so important to your hero that they form part
of their identity. You can describe links with other heroes or with secondary
characters, whether they are allies or antagonists, or places to which the hero
is connected. Remember that a link does not necessarily have to be positive;
the important thing is that it is significant for the hero.
WHAT ARE THEIR ORIGINS?
You could define your hero’s origin as a place of origin, a social class or something
deeper that defines not only their roots, but also something that is a deep part
of them.
WHAT TRAUMAS HAVE SCARRED THEM?
Your hero’s past may have been scarred by traumatic experiences, which have
left a mark on them. Sometimes it is precisely these experiences that make a
hero interesting.
EX AMPLES OF HOW TO DEFINE TRAITS
Together with the narrator, Roberto and his playgroup have decided
that their adventure will be set in a dark alternative medieval period.
The few supernatural elements will be the stuff of legend and the
adventure will center around a war between Baronies, complete
with curses and folklore creatures.
In this example, we will look at how Roberto, Alice and Fabio choose
their heroes’ traits and how they put them in play when they face
tests.

• Roberto plays Lothar, a bounty hunter with a deep sense of

justice and a heart hardened by many battles
• Alice plays Lilian, a gentle priestess driven by a desire to appeal
to people’s better nature
• Fabio plays Etienne, a revenant who has returned from the
dead to avenge his wife’s brutal murder

The Settings chapter lists other examples of more unusual heroes

than those in the following pages. You can refer to those examples
if you need to.

Heroes 33
 LOTHAR: EX AMPLE OF TRAITS
Roberto wants to play Lothar, a bounty hunter with a deep sense of justice. Roberto
imagines Lothar as a man hardened by many battles and ruthless towards criminals
and anyone who flouts the law. He would like to play a character who is unsettling at
times, but has a strict moral code from which he never deviates. When creating Lothar,
he writes down his archetype, 3 qualities and 4 abilities. He chooses Bounty Hunter as
an archetype and Veteran, Cunning and Frightening as qualities. He connects Veteran
to Archery and Cunning to Investigate. He also decides that since Lothar is a Veteran
and Cunning, he definitely knows how to Pass unnoticed, and since he is Cunning and
Frightening, he can Interrogate very effectively.

LOTHAR: GAME EX AMPLE

Lothar has infiltrated the Baron’s prisons to find Geralt, a commoner imprisoned by
corrupt guards. Roberto declares that Lothar wants to sneak up on a guard on patrol to
get him to talk by holding a dagger to his throat. The narrator decides that this test is
normal difficulty and Roberto adds 3 b to the bag. Pass Unnoticed, Interrogate and
Frightening are certainly traits related to the test. After a brief discussion the group
decides that Cunning and Bounty hunter also apply. The other traits are not relevant to
the test so Roberto adds 5 Z to the bag.

34 Heroes
 LOTHAR’S TRAITS

ABILITY

INVESTIGATE
ABILITY ABILITY

PASS
INTERROGATE
UNNOTICED
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

ARCHERY CUNNING
QUALITY QUALITY

VETERAN FRIGHTENING
ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

BOUNTY
QUALITY
HUNTER QUALITY

ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

ABILITY

Heroes 35
 LILIAN: EX AMPLE OF TRAITS
Alice wants to play the role of Lilian, a priestess of the Church of Saint Galen with a
deeply peaceful spirit. She imagines her as a gentle and kind woman who always manages
to bring out the best in the people she interacts with. During a discussion at the table, it
emerges that Saint Galen is a local saint who is well liked by the common people and that
his priests are skilled healers and surgeons. As an archetype she chooses Priestess, and
as qualities she writes down Kind, Respectable and Educated, but decides to position
Educated away from the other two. She does so because, as she explains, Kind and
Respectable are traits that Lilian has always possessed while Educated came later, when
she decided to devote herself to the priesthood. Alice considers this arrangement more
appropriate to how she sees her hero.
Alice connects Kind with the trait Turn the other cheek, a dictum that Lilian has
followed from a young age. She positions Diplomacy between Kind and Respectable.
Then, aware that a great part of Lilian’s life has been devoted to the study and practice
of Saint Galen’s teachings, Alice links Educated with the abilities Heal and Local history.

LILIAN: GAME EX AMPLE

Lilian stands on the gallows facing an executioner. She wants to save a young woman
falsely accused of witchcraft. Alice could push the executioner away from the lever or
fight him, but she knows that this approach would fail. Alice has not described Lilian as
a woman of action and a combat test against the executioner would automatically fail
since she does not have any supporting traits. Alice decides to make the executioner
desist by urging the crowd to plead for mercy, adding 4 Z to her bag for Priestess,
Respectable, Kind and Diplomacy, and 5 b for the very difficult test.

36 Heroes
 LILIAN’S TRAITS

ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

QUIRK QUALITY ABILITY

TURN THE OTHER

CHEEK
QUALITY QUALITY

KIND
ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

DIPLOMACY PRIESTESS HEAL

QUALITY QUALITY

RESPECTABLE EDUCATED
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

LOCAL
HISTORY
ABILITY ABILITY

ABILITY

Heroes 37
 ETIENNE: EX AMPLE OF TRAITS
Fabio has a stranger idea in mind and after a brief discussion with the playgroup everyone
agrees to let him use it. Fabio has just seen “The Crow” and would like to play someone
who has risen from the dead to get even with their killers. He decides to play Etienne, a
woodsman murdered in the forest by corrupt guards.
Fabio, with the narrator’s agreement, decides that Etienne can remember the faces
of those who killed him and knows that he saw something he should not have seen,
but has no memory of what it is. Fabio is undecided whether his hero is motivated by
a desire for revenge or by a wish to discover the truth about his murder. After a brief
discussion he decides that he would prefer a vengeful character.
Fabio puts Revenant as an archetype and chooses Powerful, Relentless and Disturbing
as qualities. His woodsman’s build is accompanied by remarkable stamina and a feeling
of unease that is impossible to ignore. Fabio decides to connect Powerful to the ability
Axe and Relentless to the trait Those murderous bastards. He positions Intimidate
between Powerful and Disturbing and Brute stregth between Powerful and Relentless

ETIENNE: GAME EX AMPLE

Etienne has caught up with the prey he has been pursuing for days: Garion, one of his
murderers. Garion has barricaded himself in a stable, but Fabio will not let a few planks
of wood stop him. He describes how Etienne tries to break down the door by charging at
it with his shoulder. Etienne has an axe so he could eventually break through the door’s
wooden planks without facing a test, but Fabio wants to resolve the situation quickly
to prevent Garion from preparing defenses. The narrator says that breaking down the
door is a difficult test, so Fabio adds 4 b to the bag and 4 Z for Brute strength, Powerful,
Relentless and Those murderous bastards.

38 Heroes
 ETIENNE’S TRAITS

ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

QUALITY QUALITY

ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

REVENANT
QUALITY QUALITY

DISTURBING RELENTLESS
ABILITY QUALITY LINK

THOSE MURDEROUS
POWERFUL
ABILITY ABILITY
BASTARDS

INTIMIDATE BRUTE STRENGTH

ABILITY

AXE

Heroes 39

A magic wand is a special resource at King
Arthur’s court, but a common one if you are
playing magic students at Hogwarts school.
For a soldier, hitting a target at 200 yards is
a test with normal difficulty using a sniper
rifle, but is almost impossible with a bow. It
simply cannot be achieved by throwing a stone.
A rifle is a rare resource in the real world, but it
could be considered a legendary item in a post-
apocalyptic setting.
For Indiana Jones My trusty whip could
be considered a trait, as could Keeper of
Excalibur for King Arthur. Ring Bearer could
be the archetype for Frodo.
40 Heroes
LIST THE RESOURCES AT THEIR DISPOSAL
The term resources broadly refers to anything useful that your hero has at their
disposal: equipment, contacts, money, documents. Depending on the settings,
resources could include familiars, robotic assistants, artificial intelligence,
trained animals and so on.
HOW SHOULD I USE THE RESOURCES IN PL AY?
Possessing a resource could influence the difficulty or feasibility of the tests.
Resources never influence the number of Z added to the bag.
HOW DO I DECIDE WHAT RESOURCES I POSSESS?
The player writes down a maximum of 5 resources on the hero sheet,
one of which can be rare for the context in which the story takes place.
The situation in which the heroes start certainly affects their available resources,
so discuss this with the playgroup. Remember to only write down resources that
are relevant to your hero and distinguish them. The fact that you own everyday
items is something that can be improvised; only write down resources that are
important for you or the development of the story.
ALTERNATIVE: RESOURCES AS TRAITS
Sometimes certain resources are so iconic for the hero that they are inextricably
linked to their identity. In this case, by mutual agreement with the narrator,
we recommend writing the object as one of the hero’s traits.

Lothar is an experienced bounty hunter who is
somewhat renowned in his field. After a brief
discussion with the game table, Roberto writes
down the following in his list of resources:
• Metal handcuffs
• Bow and arrows
• Sturdy clothes
• Bounty hunter license
• 50 coins
Lothar wants to prove that he has executed a
criminal for just cause to some guards who are
threatening him with pikes.
Lothar asks the guards if he can take something
out of his pocket and slowly shows them his
bounty hunter’s license.
Now that the guards have seen his authorization,
convincing them will be an easy rather than
difficult test.
EX AMPLES OF RESOURCES
Lilian is a member of the clergy and, although
long estranged from the court, has noble
ancestry. For Alice, it is important to note that
she is an experienced healer:
• Cassock
• Silver symbol of Saint Galen
• Healer’s bag
• Medicinal herbs
• Fine paper and ink
Lilian is trying to heal Lothar from a nasty
injury that he has sustained during a conflict
with criminals.
He has a deep cut and the blade seems to have
scraped the bone. Lilian fears the blade was
poisoned because Lothar is beginning to show
strange symptoms.
Lilian uses her medicinal herbs to create an
ointment that she applies to the wound and the
tools in her healer’s bag to suture it. The test
has a normal difficulty. It would have been
impossible to treat Lothar without equipment.
Etienne is an undead who has dragged himself
out of the grave. The objects to which he is most
attached are those that he is wearing, probably
placed on his body by his wife’s parents:
• Lumberjack hatchet
• Worn clothes
• Letter from Igritte
• Bloodstained handkerchief
• Wedding ring
Etienne enters a village to get information
about his wife’s killers. The locals do not
trust outsiders and his threadbare clothes and
unsettling appearance do not help matters. The
test to convince someone to share information
with him would be difficult. Etienne does not
want to threaten the villagers and persuades
them to talk by showing his wedding ring and
bloodstained handkerchief. Now his appearance
is less threatening: a person who has lost
everything does not care about appearance. The
difficulty of the test drops from difficult to
normal.
Heroes 41
 HERO CREATION
ALTERNATIVES
Once you are familiar with how to create heroes,
it may be necessary to include certain creation
variants. This section contains a number
of variants that can help you adapt the
creation process to your needs.

To fully understand these variants, you

must be familiar with the game. Here
is a preview of certain concepts that are
further explored in the Playing the hero and
Evolving the hero chapters.
WHAT TO DO TO USE CREATION ALTERNATIVES

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE TABLE’S APPROVAL

Ask the other players and the narrator if they agree before using alternative creation
methods.

ALLOW THE WHOLE TABLE TO HAVE THE SAME OPTIONS

If it is possible for one player to create a hero in a certain way, it should also be possible
for the rest of the group.

CONSIDER THE TONE AND DURATION OF THE STORY

Having heroes defined by multiple traits or already marked by misfortunes could
benefit short stories. Long stories, by contrast, are better with heroes with plenty of
room for growth.

DON’T BE GREEDY
Playing a hero with a more complete hive does not mean having a stronger hero. Evolving
the hero is an integral part of the fun so be sure not to miss out on it.

Heroes 43
 A hero who has spent their whole life surviving
as a street urchin may have learnt the lesson
Opportunity makes the thief, while a character
seeking revenge for a wrong they have suffered
may want to acquire the lesson Blood calls to
blood or No one can flee forever.
In a post-apocalyptic universe in which
water is scarce, starting all the heroes with
the misfortune Thirsty is a much stronger
message than describing the scarcity of water.
Similarly, starting a story in which the heroes
wake up Manhandled and Chained in a cell
immediately gives an idea of the tone of the
narrative.
Claudio and his friends are converting
characters that they have played for several
sessions in another game. They know the
heroes very well and consider them too broad
to be described by 8 traits so decide to start
with 12.
44 Heroes
THE HERO LEARNS A LESSON
Certain heroes’ past is marked by events that define their psychology and
beliefs. If you are already familiar with the contents of the Evolving the hero
chapter, the choice of traits or conversation at the table might have provided
an idea for the perfect lesson for the hero. In agreement with the rest of the
group, you can dispense with a trait and have a lesson in its place.
THE HERO HAS SUFFERED MISFORTUNES
When creating the heroes you may have agreed that the story will begin in a
particularly difficult situation. The narrator might have the idea of starting
the story in medias res.
If you are already familiar with the contents of the Playing the hero chapter,
inflicting one or two misfortunes on the heroes is a great way to create a feeling
of urgency and tension that will help fuel the game’s narrative from the outset.
THE HERO HAS MORE THAN EIGHT TRAITS
If you want to play heroes that you have played before or that you are converting
from other game systems, you can increase the number of traits used to
describe them.
Having all players start with the same number of traits is good practice,
but it is not mandatory if you want to make other arrangements. The number of
traits that describe the hero does not equate to their level of power and there
is no reason why you cannot have a group of heroes who have been marked by
a different number of experiences.
THE HERO HAS LESS THAN EIGHT TRAITS
If you want to speed up the process of creating heroes and explore their identity
in the game, you can agree to start with fewer traits than normal and complete
them during the first game session.
Write your archetype and 4 traits of your choice including both qualities and
abilities so that you can have a basic foundation for the hero that you intend
to play. As the game situations gradually give you ideas for which traits are
suitable to describe your hero, mark them on the card until you have reached
the limit of 3 qualities and 4 abilities.
Then continue playing and evolve the hero with the methods described in
the Evolving the hero chapter.
THE HERO IS MARKED BY A SCAR
When a hero faces the end of something important to them, the player can
decide whether to mark them with a scar. Consult the Evolving the hero
chapter to find out more.
Your hero’s past may have been marked by dark and traumatic experiences
that have deeply scarred them. If this is the case, you may decide to mark your
hero with a scar from the beginning of the story. This option is especially
recommended for short campaigns.
Roberto is deciding what traits to give Lothar.
He knows that he is a Cunning Bounty hunter,
and he has chosen Investigate and Archery as
traits for him, but he is otherwise undecided
and asks the playgroup to complete the traits
during the session. The story starts at the
edge of a battlefield. It occurs to Roberto
that Lothar may have the qualities Veteran
and Frightening. During the session Lothar
witnesses an interrogation and Roberto realizes
that, given his past, Lothar should know how to
Interrogate a prisoner.
Fabio feels that the murder of Etienne’s wife
does not yet have the pathos it deserves. So
he decides, first by proposing it to the table, to
dispense of a trait and mark Etienne with the
scar I saw my wife die.
Heroes 45
PL AYING
THE HERO
The first step when playing Not the End is creating the Hero
that you will play during the Story. To make things easier you
will be guided through a series of five questions; each answer
will serve to characterize and define your Hero.
Each question explores the game rules required to play
your Hero. So during the creation process you will learn some
rules needed to play the game. Write your answers on the
Hero Sheet.
Go through the steps of creating your Hero with the other
players and the Narrator: the result will be significantly better
both for the balance of the game and for resulting narrative
hooks.
1. WHO IS MY HERO?
Identify a Hero concept and give a brief description. This will
serve as a starting point for developing the Hero and providing
further details.
2. WHAT ARE THEIR DISTINCTIVE TRAITS?
The Hero’s Traits are keywords that describe them. You will
write them in a hexagon hive and they will help you in the Tests
you face. During the creation process you choose 8 traits that
describe your Hero.
IN THIS CHAPTER

FACING TESTS 50

WHAT IS A TEST? 52

THE DIFFICULT Y AND DANGER OF TESTS 53

DESCRIBING THE GOAL 54

FILLING THE BAG 55

DECIDING HOW MANY TO DR AW 56

DECIDING WHETHER TO TAKE A RISK 57

USING SUCCESSES 58

USING COMPLICATIONS 59

TOKENS, LESSONS AND SCARS 61

OTHER T YPES OF TEST 62

GROUP TESTS 63

HELPING OR HINDERING 63

CONFLICTING GOAL S AND COMPETITIONS 64

DANGER IN TESTS WITH MULTIPLE HEROES 65

INNER CONFLICTS 65

LEAVING THE SCENE 66

WHEN TO LE AVE THE SCENE 67

HOW TO LE AVE THE SCENE 67

HOW TO RETURN TO THE SCENE 68

 FACING

TESTS
To play Not the End you have to understand
the spirit with which tests should be faced. Every
test is an opportunity to explore your hero’s
motives, to recount their exploits and to give the
narrator ideas to liven up the story.

The following pages provide an in-depth look at all

the necessary steps to face the tests and how to
use them as key moments to enrich the narrative.
 STEPS TO FACE A TEST

1. DESCRIBE THE GOAL

Describe the hero’s goal and the actions by which they are seeking to achieve it, clarifying
which traits you will put in play

2. FILL THE BAG

You must insert as many Z as the traits that the hero puts in play and as many b as the
difficulty specified by the narrator

3. DRAW FROM 1 TO 4 a AS YOU WISH

The a must be drawn blind and all at once. The more a you draw, the more likely it is
you obtain successes and complications

4.
DECIDE WHETHER TO TAKE A RISK
If you are not satisfied with the a you have drawn, you can take a risk and draw others
from the bag. When you take a risk you must always reach a total of 5 a drawn

5.
SPEND THE a DRAWN AND RECOUNT THE OUTCOME
Spend Z to pass the test or to improve the traits and b to subject the hero to adrenaline
or confusion, or to ask the narrator to create misfortunes for the hero or to complicate
the scene. If you have decided to take a risk, the narrator spends the b on your behalf

How to play 51

Sneaking undetected past palace guards,
hacking a security system, convincing a stranger
to help you, dueling with an adversary and
defusing a bomb are all situations that require
a test.
Taking an unattended object or learning about
a place’s customs or traditions are not, barring
some rare exceptions, situations that require a
test.
For example, Lilian will not need to face tests
to diagnose a disease, since she is Educated and
can benefit from the Heal ability. The narrator,
after checking her traits, will recount what
Lilian knows about the sickness afflicting her
patient.
52 How to play
WHAT IS A TEST?
When the player has a goal whose outcome is uncertain or important for
the story, the narrator asks them to face a test. When they request a
test, the narrator tells the player how difficult and dangerous it is.
WHEN A TEST IS NECESSARY
Every test is a turning point in the story that could result in successes and
complications. Each test is an opportunity to explore the heroes’ motives, to
recount their exploits and to give the narrator ideas to make the story more
engaging. A test is normally faced when:
• It is uncertain whether the hero will succeed in what they are attempting
to do
• There is a real possibility of resulting complications that are interesting
or significant for the development of the story
• There is something at stake, or a physical or social conflict is taking place
It is better to avoid facing a test if:
• The action is so obvious that it has no chance of failure or so unfeasible
that it has no chance of success
• There is no possibility of resulting complications that are interesting for
the development of the story
• The player wants to check if their hero knows someone or something or
has noticed something. In this case it is best that the narrator replies to
the player by referring to the hero’s traits.
THE DIFFICULT Y AND DANGER OF TESTS
Every test has a difficulty level. Some tests also have a danger level. If
you are the narrator, consult the Narrating stories chapter for a detailed
explanation of how to manage these two numbers.
Difficulty and danger are distinct values.
Decoding an encrypted message is difficult but
not at all dangerous, while defusing a simple
explosive is easy, but extremely dangerous.

DIFFICULTY Lothar tries to convince some guards to give

The difficulty is a number that describes how likely it is that the test will result him information. The narrator considers the
in complications. When the player faces a test, they must insert a number of test difficult and states that the difficulty of
b that corresponds to the difficulty stated by the narrator: the test is 4. Lothar adds 4 b to the bag.

• Very easy: 1 b
• Easy: 2 b
• Normal: 3 b
• Difficult: 4 b
• Very difficult: 5 b
• Almost impossible: 6 b

DANGER Lothar wishes to defuse a pressure trap that

The danger is a number that describes the likelihood of the hero leaving the he has just accidentally placed a foot on. The
scene when facing a test. The hero leaves the scene if the player draws narrator communicates that the test is
a number of b equal to or greater than the danger of the test stated by the difficult (4 b) and very dangerous (2 b). Lothar
narrator: adds 3 b to the bag and knows that if he draws
2 or more b he will leave the scene.
• Not at all dangerous: It is not possible to leave the scene
• Slightly dangerous: You leave the scene by drawing 4 b
• Fairly dangerous: You leave the scene by drawing 3 b
• Very dangerous: You leave the scene by drawing 2 b
• Extremely dangerous: You leave the scene by drawing 1 b

You will find all the details on leaving the scene later in the chapter, but for
now you only need to know that leaving the scene means that you can no
longer act in it.

How to play 53

“I want to secretly sneak into the castle. I slip past
the enemy ranks, looking around to keep an eye on
the position of the guards on patrol and jumping
from rooftop to rooftop when it is not possible for
me to safely pass through the alleyways” is a great
description for putting traits such as Furtive,
Wary, Agile and Infiltrator in play.
A less flowing, but equally functional way to
play is to simply say “I get past the guards”. The
narrator will ask you how you do this and
you will then explain how you are putting your
traits in play.
54 How to play
1 2 3 4 5
DESCRIBING THE GOAL
When the player faces a test, they describe the hero’s goal and the actions
by which they are seeking to achieve it, clarifying which traits they will
put in play.
Although it is best to describe the action from the outset in a way that involves
the traits that you wish to use, subsequently justifying the use of a trait is
still allowed.
Trying to put as many traits as possible in play is a permitted and fun
exercise, but it is best to avoid far-fetched descriptions just to have an extra Z
in the bag. It is much better to imagine what your hero is doing and to describe
it so that the traits put in play naturally fit into the narrative.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I AM STRUGGLING
TO DESCRIBE THE TEST?
Although listing the traits that you use during the test without a description
is less engaging, there is no point in laboring to come up with lofty descriptions
or adjusting to the narrative style of the more verbose players.
Forget any performance anxiety and narrate in the way that comes most
naturally to you; there is no need to feel bound to a specific format or a particular
style.
If necessary, use your hero’s traits as inspiration to describe what you are
doing. Remember not to force other players to adapt to your style.
Be supportive of other players by asking questions and showing interest in
what they are recounting. You do not have to be professional storytellers to
have fun together; the important thing is to respect and listen to each other.
1 2 3 4 5

FILLING THE BAG

The player inserts 1 Z in the bag for every trait that they put in play and
a number of b equal to the difficulty decided by the narrator.

Take as many b from the reserve as the narrator tells you and put them in
the bag.
Next, list the traits that you are putting in play and for each of them add
1 Z to the bag so that the game group knows which ones they are and you can
check you have not forgotten any.
Remember to remove any a left over from previous tests from the bag
before filling it again.

CAN I FACE A TEST WITHOUT REL ATED TRAITS?

If you face a test and you do not have any traits to put in play, you cannot
succeed. The traits describe not only who your hero is, but also how they
usually act.
If you realize that your hero lacks traits that you think they should have,
you can try to develop them in that direction. The Evolving the hero chapter
shows you how to do this.
Noticing a shortcoming in your hero is a good prompt to ask yourself whether
the hero wishes to become something different from what they are at the moment
or prefers to remain how they are, focusing on their strengths.
Obviously this reasoning applies to actual tests, which have a difficulty
and are therefore actions that are not accessible to everyone. The lack of a trait
in the hive does not mean that you are completely incapable of facing even the
simplest tasks in that area.
It is difficult for a Priest who is Charitable, Kind
and Pacifist to find themself in a position of
wanting to hurt someone. Should this happen,
they would not know how to act. It will be up
to them to consider their inability and decide
whether or not to learn how to fight.
Not having Athletic among your traits does
not mean that you cannot run 500 feet. Only
complex tests or those in which you are truly
risking something will be impossible.

How to play 55

Let’s take the most extreme case in which you
have 1 Z and 3 b in the bag. Drawing 4 a will
make it certain that you succeed in the test, at
the cost of facing many complications. If the
test you are facing is very important to you,
you may be willing to pay this price to succeed.
Sustaining a wound that will leave a scar in
order to destroy an evil artifact will make your
hero’s endeavor more interesting and will give
you roleplaying ideas as you watch them evolve
and change over time.
In a duel to the death, with a bag consisting of
3 Z and 3 b, drawing 4 a means looking for
trouble so you will be certain to strike your
opponent. You could even have reasons to want
your hero to be scarred. Let’s consider a case in
which a hero is trying to defuse a bomb and the
bag contains 2 Z and 2 b. Drawing 1 a could
result in a success or complicate the scene,
but will not cause excessive damage.
56 How to play
1 2 3 4 5
DECIDING HOW MANY TO DRAW
The player decides how many a to draw, between 1 and 4. The more a
they draw the more things will happen. Whether they are positive or
negative depends on the a that make up the bag.
Most of the bags will have a good balance of Z and b. Often the desire to
succeed will lead you to decide to endure complications to ensure that you
succeed in the test you are facing.
It is not easy to have successes without complications, but you will also
find you are often in a position where you can draw enough to ensure you have
at least 1 Z in your hand.
You will find that you have a high level of control when it comes to handling
complications, to the extent that using the b that you draw will be as much
fun as spending the Z.
In Not the End your chances of success are inextricably linked to how
much you are willing to risk to get what you want.
HOW DO I DECIDE THE NUMBER OF a TO DRAW?
You should draw many a if you think that your hero is willing to deal with
numerous complications to achieve the success they desire, or if you want to
make lots of things happen that liven up the scene.
Conversely, you should draw just a few a when your hero is prepared to
fail to avoid excessive risk for themself or the scene. The less a you draw, the
less positive and negative consequences there will be for the scene.
Drawing just 1 a means that the test will either turn out entirely well or
entirely badly, without multiple opportunities or complications. Ultimately, in
a minority of cases, drawing 1 a is a way of saying “Do or die”, and now and
then that is exactly the right choice.
 1 2 3 4 5
DECIDING WHETHER TO TAKE A RISK
The player can take a risk in order to draw other a in addition
to those that they have already drawn during a test.
WHEN CAN I TAKE A RISK?
The player can decide whether to take a risk during any test
immediately after drawing and before spending the a to describe
the outcome of a test.
WHAT PRICE DO YOU PAY FOR TAKING A RISK?
When the player takes a risk they must respect these two constraints:
• When they draw for the second time they must always reach a
total of 5 a drawn.
• All the b drawn must be handed to the narrator, who will
spend them on behalf of the player as they wish.
On the one hand taking a risk gives you a chance to reverse the
fortunes of a test that has not gone your way, while on the other hand
you will have to put everything at stake and pay the price of not being
able to control the resulting negative outcomes. Only take a risk for
what your hero considers truly important!
Lothar wants to capture a criminal who might testify
against the Baron’s son. The fugitive tries to escape by
running wildly through a crowd. Lothar’s bag contains
4 Z and 4 b.
Roberto decides to draw 3 a and discovers to his
disappointment that he has drawn 3 b.
Lothar cannot accept that the fugitive has got away
and therefore decides to take a risk. Roberto draws
another 2 a, which is exactly what he needs to reach a
total of 5 a drawn.
Roberto draws 1 Z and 1 b so he holds a total of 1
Z and 4 b. With the Z he is guaranteed success in
the test, but the narrator now has 4 b to spend as
they wish and decides to do so by subjecting Lothar
to 1 misfortune, confusion and adrenaline, as well
as complicating the scene. The narrator recounts
how Lothar, in order to catch the fugitive, knocks
over a passer-by who turns out to be the leader of the
guards. Lothar suffers the misfortune Hated by the
authorities and now the guards get involved. Lothar’s
heart is racing and getting out of this situation will not
be easy.
How to play 57

Roberto wants to shoot an arrow through the
rope tied around the neck of a poor man about
to be hanged. He draws 3 Z. He spends the first,
which guarantees him success. Here are some
examples of how you might decide to spend the
other 2 Z.
• The executioner lets out a cry and one of the
guards’ horses rears up
• A dropped torch starts a fire
• The poor man takes advantage of the
situation and removes the noose from the
neck of a second condemned man
Lothar places 1 Z on Archery, a trait that he
has put in play to face the test, happy that he
has not lost his excellent aim.
58 How to play
1 2 3 4 5
USING SUCCESSES
The player must use all the Z that they draw. They can spend them to
succeed in a test or to strengthen a trait. Each Z can be spent separately.
SUCCEEDING IN A TEST
You must spend the first Z to succeed in a test. You can further improve the
result you have obtained by spending other Z in addition to the first.
The way in which the effect of a test is improved is up to the player, although
the other players and the narrator can contribute by suggesting ideas or asking
questions. Here is a list of positive effects that could happen for every Z spent
in addition to the first:
• The action has an unexpected positive consequence (this benefit must be
secondary to the effect of the action)
• The obtained result will last longer
• The obtained result affects more than one subject
This list is merely indicative; use your imagination and keep the narration
coherent. The player is responsible for ensuring that the narration is plausible
and in line with what is happening in the scene.
STRENGTHENING A TRAIT
Place 1 Z on one of the traits that you have put in play during the test. The
next time you put it in play, you will add this Z in addition to the first. Every
trait can hold a maximum of 1 Z at a time.
1 2 3 4 5

USING COMPLICATIONS
The player must use all the b that they draw. They can spend them to
complicate the scene, endure a misfortune or accumulate adrenaline
or confusion. Each b can be spent separately.
Roberto wants to shoot an arrow through the
rope tied around the neck of a poor man about
to be hanged. He draws 3 b. He must decide
how to spend them.

COMPLICATING THE SCENE

Hand over 1 or more b and ask the narrator to complicate the scene. Spending
b in this way avoids direct consequences for your hero, but complicates things for
everyone. For every b spent in this way, the scene will become more dangerous
or the tests within it will become more difficult. It is up to the narrator to
decide how to complicate the scene, but you and the other players can suggest
any good ideas that come to mind.
He hands 1 b to the narrator, asking them to
complicate the scene. The crowd shrieks as
the arrow lands in the deck of the gallows, but
the executioner and guards seem more alert
than astonished. Everyone understands what is
going on: an ambush!

ENDURING A MISFORTUNE

Place 1 or more b on the hero sheet, in the misfortunes section, and ask
the narrator to subject you to a misfortune for every b spent in this way.
Misfortunes are negative conditions that afflict the hero. They can include
physical, psychological and emotional factors of any kind and are always
temporary. The narrator will tell you what is happening to your hero and
will describe the misfortune, which you must write in one of the designated
hexagons. If you spend more than 1 b to inflict misfortunes on your hero,
the narrator decides how to allocate them to a number of misfortunes of
their choosing. They may inflict just one misfortune with which multiple b
are associated, rather than inflicting multiple separate misfortunes on you.
Moreover, if the hero is marked by misfortunes that they have previously
suffered, the narrator may decide to exacerbate them by adding additional b
rather than inflicting new misfortunes. The severity of a misfortune in narrative
terms must be aligned with the number of b associated with it.
Next place 1 b on a misfortune. A farmer in the
crowd points at Lothar and says “Hey, isn’t that
the bounty hunter?”. The guards turn towards
him. Lothar is Hunted.
In his attempt to escape, Lothar fights two
guards. He faces a test in which he kills them
and in which he spends 2 b on misfortunes.
The narrator describes how Lothar is
wounded during the fight and inflicts the
1-b Dislocated shoulder misfortune on
him. Additionally, the murder of the guards
exacerbates Hunted, turning it into the 2-b
Public enemy misfortune.

How to play 59

Being Hunted will add 1 b to Lothar’s bag when
he faces tests such as hiding, evading guards
and convincing someone to divert his pursuers.
Fleeing the town and lying low for a few days
would be a sufficient condition to remove the
Hunted misfortune.
Roberto places 1 b on the adrenaline hexagon
and describes how Lothar’s heart is racing. He
only has a few seconds to salvage the situation.
In the next test that he faces he will be obliged
to draw 4 a.
Roberto places 1 b on the confusion hexagon.
Lothar will not be able to control himself
during the next test. If he puts 4 traits in play,
rather than adding 4 Z to the bag he will add 4
a, which will be randomly inserted, for example
with eyes closed.
60 How to play
EFFECT OF MISFORTUNES
Every time a misfortune is put in play in a test, add the b associated with it
to your bag. Once the test has been taken, if the misfortune is still present,
place the b near it again. Every misfortune should affect the narrative and
how you play the hero.
DURATION OF MISFORTUNES
A misfortune afflicts the hero until it is remedied or its consequences wear
off. Something must happen during the story that warrants the removal of
the misfortune.
ACCUMUL ATING ADRENALINE OR CONFUSION
Adrenaline and confusion are conditions that influence your hero’s self-
control in the next test they face. You can impose them if you do not want to
hand the b to the narrator.
HOW DOES ADRENALINE WORK?
Place 1 b on the adrenaline hexagon if you think that the outcome of the test
that you have just faced may have excited the hero. In the next test you will be
obliged to draw 4 a. After drawing them, remove the b placed on adrenaline
from the sheet.
HOW DOES CONFUSION WORK?
Place 1 b on the confusion hexagon if you think that the outcome of the test
has dazed the hero. In the next test the traits that you put in play will not
make you add Z to the bag, but rather a drawn blind from the reserve. Add the
same number of a as the traits that you are putting in play, then remove the
b placed on confusion. If another hero helps you during a test, it is up to you
to decide whether or not the Z that you receive are influenced by confusion.
WHEN IS IT APPROPRIATE TO ALLOW THE NARRATOR
TO CREATE COMPLICATIONS AND MISFORTUNES?

Whenever it is fun to do so. In Not the End the narrator uses the b to
respond to the players’ actions. This means that the b are a tool that ensures
that scenes remain interesting and that the story continues to progress in the
direction desired by the players.
The more players face tests, the more successes and complications they
generate. It is complications that liven up the story, allowing it to develop in
unexpected directions.
A completely harmonious situation can be quickly resolved, while a complicated
one is interesting to experience and explore. Enduring misfortunes and
complications is not a punishment, but a way of having memorable adventures.
In Not the End it is the players who ask the narrator to create
complications and their job is to ensure that these requests are always met
in an original and unexpected way. Through this game economy you will often
and willingly find yourself more involved and entertained by tests that have
gone very wrong than tests that have gone perfectly.

Lothar knows the lesson There’s a rebel lying

TOKENS, LESSONS AND SCARS
The Evolving the hero chapter explains how your hero can learn lessons
in the course of the story or be marked by scars.
Lessons allow the player to use Z or b in a unique way, while scars are
traumatic experiences that make the hero tougher when it comes to tolerating
the b they draw.
Lessons and scars are optional forms of character development that you
can decide to use as you see fit to give your hero greater depth and structure.
deep in every soul and can place 1 Z on the card
that describes the lesson. Later he can spend
it in order to recount how the news of the
liberation of a poor soul will motivate a person
or a small group not to bow their heads, but to
rebel against injustice.
Etienne is marked by the scar I watched my
wife die. When he decides to put it in play he
will add 1 b to the bag, but he can ignore one of
the b that he draws during the test.

How to play 61
 OTHER T YPES OF TESTS
In the course of the story, the heroes may act as a group, rush to
each other’s aid, compete, fight or try to thwart each other. The tests
in which the heroes interact with each other must be approached in
a different way to normal tests.

The following pages contain everything you need to know to face

and describe them.
GROUP TESTS
A group test is when more than one hero takes part in a test, influencing
its outcome and chances of success while exposing themselves to possible
complications.
When facing a group test, choose a hero who will lead the action: they fill
their bag as normal and then each hero taking part in the action describes how
they act and states what trait they are putting in play to contribute. Every hero
who has at least one supporting trait guarantees a maximum of 1 Z for the
bag, even if they have more than one trait to put in play. If a hero is obliged
to take part in a test but does not have any trait to put in play, their presence
is a hindrance and they add 1 b to the bag.
After the hero who is leading the action has spent all the drawn a, if during
a test at least 1 b has been drawn, every other hero involved in the test must
immediately spend 1 additional b. At the same time, if the hero who is acting as
leader draws at least 1 Z, the group test succeeds for all the heroes involved.
HELPING OR HINDERING
If one player helps another, they provide the player who is acting with 1 Z to
add to their bag. The player who helps must explain how they do so and have
at least one trait to put in play. If the hero receives any help while they are
confused, it is up to their player to decide whether or not the Z is affected by
the confusion afflicting the hero.
If a player wants to thwart one of their companion’s tests, the procedure
is the same, except that this time 1 b must be added to the bag. Thwarting a
test does not prevent another hero from facing it.
If during the test at least 1 b is drawn, the player who helped also receives
1 b and must spend it immediately. Conversely, a player who has thwarted
another player’s test receives 1 b if at least 1 Z is drawn.
Roberto and his group want to sneak into the
enemy camp unseen. The group decides to let
Lothar act, since he is the most experienced in
this type of situation. Lothar adds 4 Z to the bag
for his traits and 3 b for the difficulty. Lilian
does not have appropriate traits, but Etienne
puts the Relentless trait in play, describing
how he clears the way for his allies through a
thick tangle of brambles. Roberto therefore
adds 1 Z and 1 b to the bag. Roberto draws 1
b and 1 Z. The test concludes successfully,
but after Roberto has spent the b, the players
representing Lilian and Etienne also have to
spend 1 b as though they had drawn it.
Lothar is interrogating a bandit. Etienne stands
beside him and smiles sardonically, putting the
Intimidate trait in play. Lothar adds 1 Z to the
bag.
Roberto draws 1 Z and 2 b. The bandit talks,
but Lothar will have to decide how to spend 2
b and Etienne must choose how to spend 1 b.
Helping Lothar has led Etienne to share the risk
associated with the test.
How to play 63

Lothar and Etienne want to find out which of
them is the best archer. They both face a test
with a difficulty of 3 to hit a target. Lothar
draws 3 Z and spends 2 on the outcome, while
Etienne draws 2 Z and spends them all on the
outcome. The players representing Lothar
and Etienne, after making their decision,
simultaneously show the Z that they have
decided to spend on the outcome of the test,
which results in a draw. If Lothar was trying to
disarm Etienne before he had a chance to attack
someone, the steps would be the same.
Lothar wants to attack Etienne. Roberto
declares that Lothar is coming at him armed
with sword and dagger. Fabio states that
Etienne is defending himself by trying to deflect
his attacks using his axe and by pushing him
back.
Lothar adds 2 Z for Bounty hunter and Veteran,
while Etienne adds 2 b for his traits: Powerful
and Axe. Roberto draws 2 a and obtains 1 Z
and 1 b. Both Etienne and Lothar suffer a
misfortune.
64 How to play
CONFLICTING GOALS AND COMPETITIONS
Heroes compete when they are trying to outdo each other in the same test. In
this case, both players face the same test and the player who spends more Z
on the result wins the contest. The players face the test at the same time and
hide the a that they have drawn. They then simultaneously reveal how many
Z they have decided to spend on the outcome of the test. The player who has
spent the most Z on the outcome of the test has prevailed. The remaining a
are spent as normal by both players.
If a hero’s intention is to obtain a result before another hero in order to
thwart their action, the same mechanism can be used and the player who spends
more Z on the outcome of the test obtains the result before the other player.
Resolving conflicting goals in this way avoids players having to face each other
in tests in which this is not strictly necessary.
CONFLICTS BETWEEN HEROES
Performing tests with the intention of harming other heroes is particularly
destructive. The acting hero states what they are doing and adds the number
of Z to their bag that corresponds to the number of traits that they can put in
play, while the targeted hero states how they are defending themself and adds
to the attacker’s test bag the number of b that corresponds to the number of
traits that they are putting in play to defend themself.
All the Z drawn count as misfortunes that afflict the targeted hero, while all
the b drawn count as misfortunes that afflict the hero taking the action. When
players act against each other there is no need for the narrator to intervene
by describing the misfortunes. The narration is up to the players, who can
independently narrate the misfortunes. In the event of conflicts, the b cannot
be spent to create complications except in borderline cases in which the whole
game table agrees. In this case they are chosen and recounted by the narrator.
DANGER IN TESTS WITH MULTIPLE HEROES
There are so many nuances to situations that can be created in tests in which
multiple heroes are taking part, helping or hindering each other, that the fairest
thing to do to decide who is involved in the danger of a test is to discuss it on
each occasion, asking whether or not the way in which every hero is contributing
to the test exposes them to danger.
INNER CONFLICTS
There are borderline cases in which the player is so undecided about the hero’s
motives that they want to let chance determine which of the hero’s many facets
will prevail and guide their actions. The hero’s traits often describe their deep
nature, which can help to resolve the inner conflict by drawing. Associate
a set of traits with a of one color and another set of traits with a of the
opposite color. Draw just 1 a and check what color it is, then have your hero
act accordingly. This does not count as an actual test, but it allows you to let
chance determine a decision in a way that is consistent with the hero’s nature.
After many adventures, Etienne is confronted
with his wife’s murderer. He would like to
brutally murder him, but in the course of his
adventures he has also developed a sensitive
and gentle side, helped by Lilian and a little girl
he has taken a liking to.
He has only one chance to kill the murderer, but
he is confronted by the girl, who knows him to
be a good and sensitive person.
Fabio does not know what Etienne might
choose. He puts the number of Z in the bag that
corresponds to the number of traits associated
with Lilian, the little girl and Etienne’s better
nature, while also adding the number of b that
corresponds to the traits linked to the death of
his wife, his vendetta and his brutal nature. He
then draws 1 a, which proves to be 1 Z.
Etienne, with tears streaming down his face,
drops his axe on the ground and walks away.

AUTHOR’S NOTE Claudio plays Kathog, a good-hearted fighter

The player is free to leave other moments of the hero‘s life to chance, for example if with a simple soul. Kathog is dealing with a
the hero remembers something or the way in which they interpret a situation they are nobleman who is trying to make him look like
experiencing. In such a case you can simply draw 1 a randomly and act accordingly. an idiot in front of the whole court.
I am including this note because I have a tendency to resolve my characters’ inner Kathog is not stupid, but neither is he
conflicts in this way even when I am not playing Not the End. The mythology accustomed to this environment and Claudio is
around these impulses has developed to such an extent that some have coined the undecided whether or not he is aware of what is
term Pustorinata (“Pustorino-style”), a play on my surname, to describe them. The going on. Claudio closes his eyes and draws one
playtester community has insisted that it be included in the manual. Without them, a from the reserve, which turns out to be a b.
Not the End would not be the game it is today, so I felt it necessary to satisfy their Claudio recounts how Kathog smiles blissfully,
demand despite my fear of being considered a megalomaniac. completely unaware of what is taking place
and continues to be insulted by the nobleman
without batting an eyelid.

How to play 65
 LEAVING THE SCENE
When the hero faces tests that have a danger value, they
run the risk of leaving the scene. Leaving and returning
to the scene are moments of play enhanced by special rules
that highlight their narrative opportunities.

This section contains useful insights into how to play and

describe these moments.
WHEN TO LEAVE THE SCENE
The hero leaves the scene if the player draws a number of b equal to
or greater than the danger of the test. If a test has a danger value, the
narrator must explicitly state this before the player draws.
Normally leaving the scene implies that something bad has happened to your
hero, but what actually happened depends on the game situation, the elements
involved and what they were trying to achieve.
HOW TO LEAVE THE SCENE
When the hero leaves the scene, the player must discard a number of
b equal to the danger of the test. The narrator will use all of them to
inflict a single misfortune, never more severe than 1 b, on the hero, who
describes how they have left the scene.
After discarding the b that will make them leave the scene, the player spends
all the remaining a as they wish to describe the outcome of the test. The
player and narrator will often find themselves working together to describe
how things turned out.
IF I LEAVE THE SCENE HAVE I FAILED THE TEST?
Not necessarily. Like every other test, its outcome depends on the a you have
drawn. If you have drawn at least 1 Z it means that the hero has succeeded, but
at the same time something has happened that has made them leave the scene.
After countless adventures, Etienne has found
his wife’s murderer. Facing his enemy is fairly
dangerous, which means that Etienne must
leave the scene if he draws 3 or more b.
Etienne, mad with rage, attacks him head-on,
risking everything and drawing 5 a. The result
of the test is 1 Z and 4 b.
He immediately discards 3 b and spends the
Z to succeed in the test and the remaining b
to complicate the scene. Etienne strikes the
assassin, but is knocked to the ground by a
counterblow that subjects him to the 1-b Head
injury misfortune.
Additionally, the narrator spends the b that
he has been handed and recounts how Etienne,
half-conscious, senses that the killer appears to
be faintly moving. He seems not to be dead yet.
How to play 67

Etienne is confusedly aware that his wife’s murderer is
creeping away from him. The bastard is still alive and
Etienne is not willing to let him escape. Etienne summons
up all his remaining energy and tries to return to the
scene. Etienne is practically unconscious and will have
to use his willpower to return to consciousness. The test
is very difficult (5 b) and Etienne can put Revenant,
Relentless and Those murderous bastards (3 Z) in play.
Fabio recounts how his wife’s Wedding ring sparkles in
his peripheral vision. The narrator appreciates this and
decides to lower the difficulty of the test to 4 b. Fabio
adds 3 Z and 4 b to the bag and decides to draw 4 a.
Unfortunately he draws 4 b, so Etienne cannot return
to the scene and must spend the drawn b complicating
the scene or being subjected to misfortunes, adrenaline
or confusion.
If Etienne had left the scene because he had been
kicked out of a bookstore after snooping around in a
forbidden area, waiting for the scene to end would have
been enough in order to return to the scene without the
need to face tests.
68 How to play
HOW TO RETURN TO THE SCENE
A player whose hero has left the scene has two options: to
skip their turn and wait for the situation to improve or to try to
return to the scene, which may require them to face a test.
HOW SHOULD I FACE A TEST TO RETURN TO
THE SCENE?
When you attempt to return to the scene by facing a test, you can
put the traits in play that you consider most appropriate, describing
how this is not the end for the hero.
The test takes place normally, but its purpose is always to return
to the game and every test to return to the scene never involves
danger. As with every other test, drawing 1 Z is enough to succeed
and not drawing any is tantamount to remaining out of the scene.
IS IT ALWAYS NECESSARY TO FACE A TEST IN
ORDER TO RETURN TO THE SCENE?
As with every other test, if there is no difficulty involved in
returning to the scene or no possibility of the situation getting
worse in any way, facing a test is completely unnecessary and risks
creating situations in which the player and narrator find it difficult
to spend the drawn a. You have to face a test in cases in which the
hero has a real possibility of not being able to return to the scene
or when facing the test could worsen the hero’s condition or the
situation of those around them.
WHEN IS IT DIFFICULT TO RETURN TO THE
SCENE?
The difficulty of the test to return to the scene depends on the
situation that you find yourself in and what you are trying to do.
Remember to consider the misfortunes afflicting the hero when
you face a test to return to the scene.
CAN I HELP A HERO RETURN TO THE SCENE?
If you use your turn to help an ally who has left the scene to return,
you can face a group test alongside them. The choice of which hero
leads the test depends on what is described in the game; it could be
the hero who has left the scene who faces the test assisted by you,
or it could be the other way around.
CAN I RETURN TO THE SCENE AGAINST MY
WILL?
Yes, a successful test by another player could bring your hero back
to the scene even without your cooperation. However, no one can
force you to keep your hero in the story if you no longer intend to
play them.
A hero’s ultimate destiny should lie in their hands and it is up
to the other players to respect their wishes. The end of a hero is
a delicate moment in the game and should be treated in a way that
respects the harmony of the table.
In the next turn, Lilian rushes to Etienne’s aid. Lilian
uses her Healer’s bag and puts the Medicinal herbs under
Etienne’s nose to restore him to consciousness with
their smell. The narrator states that the test, given the
resources put in play, is normal (3 b).
The group decides that Lilian should face the test and
Etienne should support her. Lilian puts Educated, Heal
and Kind in play and Etienne helps her with Relentless.
The bag contains 4 Z and 3 b. Lilian draws 4 a, that turn
out to be 2 Z and 2 b. With Lilian’s help, Etienne returns
to the scene and Lilian spends the second Z declaring
that with the right tools she will be able to treat Etienne’s
Bleeding misfortune.
Lilian hands 1 b to the narrator and puts the other on
adrenaline. Since he has helped Lilian, Etienne must
immediately spend 1 b and he asks the narrator to
subject him to a misfortune.
The narrator recounts that the murderer has disappeared
without a trace, letting the group know that finding
him will be very difficult and he inflicts the Furious
misfortune on Etienne.
How to play 69
EVOLVING
THE HERO
IN THIS CHAPTER

HOW TO EVOLVE HEROES 74

DECL ARING A CRUCIAL TEST 76

FACING A CRUCIAL TEST 77

E VOLVING THE HERO AF TER A TEST 78

ACQUIRING A NEW TR AIT 79

CHANGING A TR AIT 79

LET TING THE HERO BE SCARRED 80

LE ARNING A LESSON 82
DEVELOPMENT ALTERNATIVES 102

CRUCIAL GROUP TESTS 104

SURPRISING EXPERIENCES 104

E VOLVING AT THE END OF THE SESSION 104

FL ASHBACKS 105

LOSING SOMEONE IMPORTANT 105

 HOW TO EVOLVE HEROES
In Not the End the hero changes when they have experiences
that are so significant that they mark them in some way. These
moments are referred to as crucial tests.

It is the players who decide which tests are crucial for their
heroes and recount how facing these tests changes the heroes.

The player can state that any test that they are facing is
crucial for the development of their hero, but must do
so before knowing what its outcome will be.

Only after facing it, based on how things have turned out,
the player will decide how the test changes the hero by
choosing between three development methods, which are
summarized on the next page.
 TO EVOLVE THE HERO

1. STATE THAT THE TEST IS CRUCIAL FOR THE HERO

You may do so at any time you wish and whenever you see fit, provided it is before you
have drawn the a

2. FACE THE TEST

Face the test like all the others by following the rules of the Facing tests chapter.

3. DESCRIBE HOW THE OUTCOME CHANGES THE HERO

After facing a crucial test, you can evolve the hero in one of the following ways:

• Add a trait
• Switch an already existing trait with another
• Mark them with a scar
• Make them learn a lesson

Evolving 75

For Neo in The Matrix, the moment he decides
to face Agent Smith instead of fleeing is a
turning point, a crucial test.
Similarly, Batman’s choice to save Harvey Dent
instead of Rachel is what turns Harvey into
Two-Face.
Fabio already knows that the moment in which
Etienne confronts his wife’s murderers will be a
crucial test for him. However, Fabio might be
astonished to realize that, for Etienne, helping
a child to find their way home means so much
that it is as much of a crucial test as facing
his enemies.
76 Evolving
1 2 3
DECL ARING A CRUCIAL TEST
The player can state that any test is crucial for the development of their
hero, but only before drawing. The player can declare both their own
tests and those of other players to be crucial.
In other words, you can freely decide when your hero will change, but you
must do so before you know the outcome of a test and therefore how your
hero will be affected.
HOW TO IDENTIF Y A CRUCIAL TEST
In every story the heroes are faced with moments that mean a lot to them and
in which the stakes are very high. Crucial tests are so important that they not
only affect the course of the story, but also the hero’s development.
When you are holding your breath waiting to find out what is going to happen
and you wonder how it could mark your hero, then you know you are facing a
crucial test. If you do not feel sufficiently invested in the test that is about
to be faced, it is clearly not a crucial test.
HOW OFTEN CAN I DECL ARE CRUCIAL TESTS?
There are no rules regarding the frequency of crucial tests, although it is best
to declare a maximum of one crucial test per session to ensure the hero’s
balanced development.
Crucial tests depend on how the story unfolds and on the hero’s
experiences along the way. Do not exploit crucial tests to speed up the hero’s
growth. In Not the End growing is neither a goal, nor a reward, but a way of
fully experiencing the story.
1 2 3

FACING A CRUCIAL TEST

A crucial test should be approached just like any other test. To face a
crucial test, follow the instructions in the Facing tests section.
If you declared another hero’s test to be crucial, let the other player face
it, and then you can decide and recount how the outcome of the test changes
your hero after this outcome has been narrated.
Lilian witnesses Etienne’s attempt to kill one of
his wife’s murderers. Alice states that Etienne’s
test is crucial for Lilian because Lilian’s ideals
clash with the hatred she feels for Etienne’s
wife’s killers. Alice waits until Etienne has faced
the test to explain how its outcome will change
Lilian.

IF YOU FACE THE TEST A S NORM AL, WH AT IS

DIFFERENT FROM USUAL?

The attitude with which you approach it and your anxiety about the outcome.
Facing a test in the knowledge that it will change your hero adds personal
involvement to the importance of the action. The rules used to face the test
include everything required to allow the right level of involvement. Knowing
that the test will affect the hero’s development will make all the difference.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I FAIL OR LE AVE THE SCENE

DURING A CRUCIAL TEST?

In terms of rules, nothing different from what would happen if you had succeeded.
Since traits can be put in play even when they are words with a negative meaning,
whatever way your hero evolves will still bring benefits. What will change is
the way you play them and your idea of them. The mechanics supporting the
way you play them will remain the same.
Facing a crucial test in which you try to
convince a crowd to rise up against tyranny
could make you an Idealist or Disillusioned
depending on its outcome, but either trait
could be put in play during the tests that you
will face later in the story.

Evolving 77

William Wallace would have preferred not to
witness his wife’s summary execution, but
unfortunately it happened and changed him
for good, marking the start of a journey strewn
with tests and decisive moments that turned
him into a revolutionary icon.
78 Evolving
1 2 3
EVOLVING THE HERO AFTER A TEST
Based on the outcome of the crucial test, the player can evolve the hero
in one of the following ways:
• Adding a trait
• Switching an already existing trait with another
• Marking them with a scar
• Making them learn a lesson
HOW TO DECIDE HOW THE CRUCIAL TEST CHANGES
THE HERO
There are no rules or constraints on which option to choose. The following
pages will provide you with case-by-case suggestions and guidelines to help
you choose an option based on the outcome of the test.
When deciding the impact of the outcome of a crucial test on thehero,
bear in mind the context in which it took place, how your hero approached it,
what elements were at stake and obviously how many Z and b were drawn.
WHEN IT IS RIGHT TO EVOLVE THE HERO
The heroes of Not the End do not evolve based on how convenient it is to
evolve their character, but based on experiences that they undergo which lead
them to change.
When you are evolving the hero, immerse yourself in their psychology, ask
yourself how the experience that they have gone through has affected them,
consult the sheet, and focus on the key aspects affected by the situation. Then
give a vivid description of the outcome of the crucial test.
ACQUIRING A NEW TRAIT
To acquire a new trait, the player writes a trait of their choice in one of
the free hexagons in the hive, following the rules in the Creating a hero
chapter.

The hero may have acquired a trait if, after facing a crucial test:
• They have learned to do something new
• They have learned something about themself or the setting
• They have expanded their horizons or developed new beliefs
• They have made an important connection with someone or something
• They have shed light on a side of their character that had been hidden up
to that point
Etienne has accompanied the young boy safely
home. All he could think about for weeks
was revenge, killing and destruction. The
unconditional trust of someone who asked him
to protect him awakened something of who he
was before the tragedy. Etienne adds the Kind
trait.

CHANGING A TRAIT
To change a trait, erase the content of one of the hexagons already in use Lilian witnesses a test in which Etienne
and switch it with the trait that is more appropriate for the hero. recounts his wife’s murder in order to gain an
authorization to legally hunt down her killers.
The hero may have changed one of their traits, whether it is an archetype, Understanding that Etienne wants to exact his
quality, ability or alternative trait, if after facing a crucial test: revenge without shedding unnecessary blood is
crucial for Lilian, who after the test switches
• They have changed their opinion about themself or an element of the story her Turn the other cheek trait with the Help
• They have seen something that they believed in refuted the victims, fight the tormentors trait.
• They have witnessed a change in an important connection with someone
or something
• They have experienced the natural end of a relationship, an oath or
something important
• A condition that made a trait suitable for describing them has radically
changed

Evolving 79
 Lothar is on the trail of a criminal known for
his savagery. His investigation leads him to a
particularly bloody crime scene whose victim
Lothar knew well.
Roberto states that the test in which Lothar
investigates the crime scene is crucial since he
is not prepared to let a single detail escape him.
Roberto draws 4 Z, an extraordinary success,
but decides that the success itself has deeply
shaken Lothar.
Where does this intuition come from? When
did he learn to think like a criminal?
Roberto writes down the I am becoming like
them scar.
Some time later, Lothar is confronted by the
criminal he was looking for, who is threatening
to slit a hostage’s throat. Lothar tries to
convince him to relent and let the hostage go.
Roberto decides to put Lothar’s scar in play
and adds 1 b to the bag in addition to the
basic difficulty. Lothar draws 1 Z and 1 b.
The hostage is released without consequences
because Roberto places the b on his scar.
The criminal has seen a light in Lothar’s eyes
similar to his own, and Lothar, in those eyes,
has recognized himself.
80 Evolving
LETTING THE HERO BE SCARRED
To mark the hero with a scar, the player chooses a free hexagon, writes
a key word inside it and then underlines it to visually distinguish it from
the traits.
WHAT ARE SCARS?
Scars are experiences that have left a mark on the hero, exposing their fragility on
the one hand and making them more resilient and able to tolerate complications
on the other.
Just like a trait, a scar is a key word that you place on one of the free
hexagons in the hive, but unlike a trait it is highlighted or underlined so that
it can be immediately identified.
WHAT ARE SCARS FOR?
When you put a scar in play, you add a b to the bag, but you can ignore a b that
you draw by placing it on the scar, where it will remain until it is appropriate for
the narration. Until the scar is occupied by a b it cannot be put in play again.
WHEN A SCAR IS PREFERABLE TO A TRAIT
Mark your hero with a scar when they face the end of something important
to them in a traumatic manner. The life of a friend or foe, an oath, an ideal, a
long journey or the idea they have of something.
WHEN TO REMOVE A TOKEN FROM A SCAR
When your hero can take the time to remedy the burden connected to their
scar, you can remove the b placed on it and prepare to put it back in play.
SO SCARS ARE NEGATIVE AND TRAITS ARE POSITIVE?
Not at all. Thinking that traits, which add Z to the bag, must be positive, while
scars, which add b to the bag, must be negative, is a fairly common mistake.
Some heroes experience aspects of their life as scars that others might view as
great fortunes, while many heroes capitalize on traumatic and negative aspects
of their lives, turning them into their greatest strengths.
The difference between a trait and a scar does not depend on how it is
worded, but on how the hero experiences it. A trait is a characteristic that you
put in play to your advantage, while a scar is a fragility that makes you more
resistant to complications.
HOW MANY SCARS CAN A HERO HAVE?
There is no limit to the number of scars that you can be marked with, however
you should keep in mind that scars are indelible traumas etched into your
hero’s psychology.
A hero marked by more than 2 scars should be played as someone who has
been shaped by very strong experiences and feels weighed down by them. In
the chapter on facing the hero’s end, you will learn that the number of scars
is one of the most important guidelines to consider when choosing whether or
not to put an end to the hero’s story.
Lothar, some time later, confesses to Etienne
that he has a heavy heart from seeing himself
mirrored in a criminal’s gaze. Etienne replies
that he also sometimes feels like a monster and
invites Lothar to drink with him. At the end
of the scene, Fabio removes the b from I am
becoming like them.
For William Wallace being a Hero of the people
might be more of a scar than a trait. Something
he has become in spite of himself that makes
him live isolated from everything and everyone,
alone for his entire life.
He also acquired this status as a result of a
traumatic event: his wife’s death.
Conversely, for Zatōichi being Blind is an
advantage that enables him to focus on his
senses and swordsmanship. Zatōichi could
probably put his blindness in play more as a
trait than a scar.
Evolving 81

Lilian has set out in pursuit of one of Etienne’s
wife’s killers, which has made a great impression
on him since it shows how much she cares
about him. Lilian has been unsuccessful and has
been left scarred. Etienne promises Lilian that
he will make the fugitive pay and Fabio decides
that Etienne learns the No one can run forever
lesson.
82 Evolving
LEARNING A LESSON
To learn a lesson, the player chooses a lesson card and adds it to the
hero sheet.
WHAT ARE LESSONS?
Lessons are skills that allow you to use the a that you draw in a unique way.
Every lesson is described in a card that you can put next to the sheet during
the sessions or write on the second page of the hero sheet. You can learn a
lesson after a crucial test whose outcome makes it appropriate, within the
context of the narrative, to teach it to you.
HOW DO I CHOOSE A LESSON?
Every lesson you learn should be connected to the crucial test that you
have faced. You are not obliged to choose one specific lesson over another,
but remember that the way in which the hero evolves should be inextricably
linked to their experiences.
HOW SHOULD I APPROACH THE VARIOUS LESSONS?
Lessons are divided into subject areas, with three lessons in each area. When
you think you want to learn a lesson, quickly scroll through the titles of each
area to find the lessons that are best suited to your hero and the experiences
they have gone through.
HOW MANY LESSONS CAN I LEARN?

There is no limit to the number of lessons you can learn, but you should
consider that lessons add complexity to your hero, making it more difficult
to remember what they can do in the game and increasing the number of rules
you need to know to play.
If you love structuring your hero beyond the basic rules, then you should
explore their potential through lessons, but if you prefer simple and immediate
characters, you should avoid lessons and focus on traits.
Normally a hero with a balanced degree of complexity does not know more
than 2 or 3 lessons; learning more is allowed, but not advisable. The more rules
associated with the hero, the more attention you will have to pay to remembering
them during the sessions.

WHEN IS A LESSON PREFERABLE TO A TRAIT?

If you think that the experience that your hero has just gone through has taught
them something new rather than changing who they are or how they perceive
themself, learning a lesson might be preferable to acquiring a new trait.

Etienne has found the fugitive and is ready to

CAN LESSONS BE FORGOTTEN?
Just like a trait can change into another, similarly a lesson may be forgotten
in favor of another. If as a result of a crucial test your hero questions the
content of a lesson they know, you may decide to change it to another or even
discard it without learning a new one.
Just as with traits and scars, lessons must describe your hero’s psychology
and identity.
kill him, but Lilian demands to question him to
understand his motives. For Etienne, Lilian’s
test is crucial. Her interrogation reveals that
the killer is a victim of circumstance and that
he was forced to do what he did with threats.
Etienne spares his life and Fabio discards the
No one can run forever lesson, learning the
There is light in the darkness lesson.

Evolving 83
 LESSONS FOR PEACE, FORGIVENESS
HELP YOUR NEIGHBOR
When you help an ally in a test you
can add 1 Z to their bag for every trait
that you put in play. For every trait
with which you help them in addition
to the first place 1 b on this lesson.
If your ally draws at least 1 b while
they are facing the test, take all the b
that you have placed on this card and
immediately spend them as though
you had drawn them during a test.
If your ally does not draw any b,
immediately discard them all.
If the test in which you are helping has a
danger, whether or not it applies to your
hero depends on your judgment and how
you relate the help that you give when you
use this lesson.
84 Evolving
HOPE IS NEEDED UNCONDITIONAL TRUST
IN DARK TIMES
When facing a test you can add 1 Z
When facing a test you can place a to the bag if you are willing to ask
newly drawn Z here (maximum 1). another player to draw for you.
Spend it at any time by adding it to the Obviously they will choose how many
bag of another player facing a test. a to draw. You cannot make any
suggestions.
The Z added to the bag in this way
does not count as help, so it is never Once they have drawn, resolve the
RASHNESS
affected by confusion and does not rest of the test as normal. It is up
In the next test
expose you to any risk. to you to decide how to spend the
involving risk,
drawn a.
increase it by at
least 1 then discard
the b placed here.
Spending the Z placed on this lesson does You can use this lesson at any time you see
not take up your turn and you can do so at fit.
any time.
 LESSONS FOR REBELLION, FREEDOM
NO REBEL STANDS ALONE
When facing a test you can place a
newly drawn Z here (maximum 1).
Spend it at any time to obtain one of
these effects:
• Someone reveals useful
information against power
• A disturbance occurs that diverts
attention from you or an ally
• A symbol of power is destroyed
or vandalized
Spending the Z placed on this lesson does
not take up your turn and you can do so
at any time. Work with the narrator to
describe what is happening.
IDEAS HAVE NO MASTERS
When facing a test you can place a
newly drawn Z here (maximum 1).
Spend it at any time to recount how
your message, travelling by word of
mouth, has convinced someone else
who you specify.
A person who is firmly opposed to your
ideals may not be fully persuaded, but
you will have shaken their convictions.
Spending the Z placed on this lesson does
not take up your turn and you can do so
at any time. Work with the narrator to
describe what is happening.
LIVING LEGEND
Choose one of the scars that marks
you. It will become a symbol for
others, fueling rumors about you.
When you interact with characters
you know, even through hearsay, you
can put the story of that scar in play
as you wish as a scar or as a trait.
You can decide for every test whether to
use the scar as a scar or as a trait, but you
cannot have both the effects at the same
time.
Evolving 85
 LESSONS FOR OPPORTUNISM, CUNNING
IF YOU CAN’T CONVINCE
THEM, CONFUSE THEM
When facing a test you can place a
newly drawn Z here (maximum 1).
Spend it at any time to remove or
permanently lower by 1 a misfortune
that you have suffered, without
something happening in the story
to justify the reason.
If they ask you for an explanation,
make up a reason. And yes, you can
be damn cheeky.
Spending the Z placed on this lesson does
not take up your turn and you can do so at
any time.
86 Evolving
OPPORTUNITY MAKES
THE MAN A THIEF
When facing a test you can place a
newly drawn Z here (maximum 1).
Spend it at any time to describe
an object that you took away from
someone you met earlier when you
approached them.
Your story must sound plausible in
view of the narrative context in which
the story is set.
Spending the Z placed on this lesson does
not take up your turn and you can do so at
any time.
SPECIALIZATION
IS FOR INSECTS
When the session starts, write down
a temporary ability of your choice on
this lesson.
You can put it in play as one of your
traits, but you will have to change it
at the start of each session.
Change the ability on this lesson at the
start of each session; you will not be able
to do so during the game just before a test
that you are about to face.
 LESSONS FOR REASON, KNOWLEDGE
THE DEVIL IS IN THE
DETAILS
When facing a test you can place a
newly drawn Z here (maximum 1).
Spend it at any time to draw 1 a from
the bag of an ally facing a test, look
at it and decide whether to put it back
in the bag or discard it.
In any case, you may not show the a
to anyone until the test is complete.
Spending the Z placed on this lesson does
not take up your turn and you can do so at
any time.
EVERY FAILED EXPERIMENT MIND OVER MATTER
IS A SUCCESS
When you are confused, after blindly
When you draw at least 1 b you can putting the a in the bag you can look
place 1 b here and put all the a back inside to check what it contains before
in the bag, except the one that you deciding how many to draw.
have placed on this lesson, and draw
a second time. If you wish, you can
draw a different number of a.
After drawing, add the b that you
have placed here to your hand, spend
the a and describe the outcome of the
action as normal.
The effects of the danger apply after using You can use this lesson whenever you are
this lesson. confused.
Evolving 87
 LESSONS FOR REVENGE, REDEMPTION

BLOOD CALLS TO BLOOD NO ONE CAN RUN FOREVER YOU WILL SUFFER MY
WRATH

When you draw 1 b, place it here and
write a misfortune.
MISFORTUNE
You can exacerbate this misfortune
at any time by 1 b to ignore the danger
of a test performed against those who
have inflicted the misfortune on you.
When facing a test you can place a
newly drawn Z here (maximum 1).
Spend it at any time to:
• Stop someone you can see from
escaping
• Move towards someone you can
see and reach them. Anyone
who stands in the way has to
decide whether to step aside or
be knocked to the ground, and
fragile obstacles are destroyed
You can place 1 b here that you have
just drawn and endure this condition:
RAGE
In the next test you
must use all the Z you
draw on the outcome
of the test, then
discard the b placed
here.
Additionally
When you are in a rage add 1 Z to
the bag in the tests in which you
surrender to anger.

The effects of the danger apply before you Spending the Z placed on this lesson does The effects of the danger apply before you
can use this lesson. In any case, if you wish not take up your turn and you can do so at can use this lesson.
you can write the misfortune that makes any time.
you leave the scene on this lesson.

88 Evolving
 LESSONS FOR GRIT, COURAGE

NOTHING VENTURED, YOU HAVE TO BE DARING LAST RESOURCE

NOTHING GAINED

When facing a test you can draw up When you have no trait to put in play
You can place 1 b here that you have to 5 a. in a test you can add 1 Z to the bag,
just drawn and endure this condition: drawing on your ability to adapt.
Moreover, when you take a risk you
must draw a total of 6 a. This lesson does not apply when you
RASHNESS
are putting at least 1 trait in play.
In the next test you
must take a risk, then
discard the b that you
have placed here.

Additionally
When you are affected by rashness
add 1 Z to the bag immediately after
you have finished the first draw.

The effects of the danger apply before you You can use this lesson whenever you face You can also use this lesson when you
can use this lesson. a test. help someone, but you must be able to
convincingly describe how you do so.

Evolving 89
 LESSONS FOR JUSTICE, DISCIPLINE
HONOR IS SACRIFICE
When an ally draws 1 or more b you
can ask them to place one here.
Describe how you rush to their aid and
assume the burden of a misfortune to
protect them from adversity.
Your ally does not have to give you the b.
You can use this lesson before the effects of
the danger come into play. You can decide
whether to exacerbate this misfortune by
taking on other b if the situation calls for
it.
90 Evolving
GUILT IS A SHADOW THAT IRON DISCIPLINE
CLOUDS YOUR VISION
When you draw 1 b you can place it
When facing a test you can place a on this lesson (maximum 1).
newly drawn Z here (maximum 1).
You can discard it if you only draw Z
Spend it at any time to reveal if during a test, spending 1 Z of those
someone is guilty of a crime. Discard that you have just drawn.
the Z from the lesson, name the
individual and describe the offense
that you are accusing them of. The
narrator will reveal to you whether
they are guilty or innocent. You will
not receive proofs of their guilt, but
you will learn the truth.
Spending the Z placed on this lesson does The effects of the danger apply before you
not take up your turn and you can do so at can use this lesson.
any time.
 LESSONS FOR TENACIT Y, DETERMINATION
UNTIL THE LAST BREATH
When during a test you draw a
sufficient number of b to leave the
scene
You can spend 1 Z in addition to
those that you have already drawn
to recount a result that you obtain
before leaving the scene.
You cannot use the additional Z to
immediately return to the scene.
Immediately describe how the additional Z
improves the result of the test. You have to
spend it before leaving the scene.
DANGER IS MY MIDDLE
NAME
When you face a test with a danger
You can dispense of 1 Z that you
would normally put in the bag to lower
the danger by 1 or you can add 1 Z
to the bag and raise the danger by 1.
When you use this lesson, you can
dispense of a maximum of 1 Z to
influence the danger.
You can use this lesson when you want,
but only before inserting all a in the bag.
YOU WON’T GET RID
OF ME SO EASILY
When you try to return to the
scene, add one Z to the result of the
draw, however you must hand all the
b to the narrator.
If during the test you choose to take a
risk in order to return to the scene,
add 1 b to the result of the draw.
You can choose whether to use this lesson
even after drawing, but before taking a
risk.
Evolving 91
 LESSONS FOR FRATERNIT Y, GOOD EX AMPLE
WE ARE STRONGER
TOGETHER
When one or more heroes help you
in a test
You can spend Z that you have drawn
to strengthen the traits that they
have brought into play to help you,
in addition to those that you have
personally brought into play to face
the test.
This lesson is always active and you can
only strengthen traits that have already
been brought into play to help you.
92 Evolving
SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE
When you leave the scene you can
use this lesson.
Every hero present in the scene who
has witnessed what happened can
position one Z on one of their traits.
You decide whether to activate the
effects of this lesson, but the choice
of whether or not to position the Z is
up to the other players.
You can only use this lesson in the turn in
which you leave the scene and you cannot
use it in subsequent turns.
SOMETIMES
A MEMORY IS ENOUGH
When you are not in the scene
You can help other heroes, explaining
how their memory of you supports
them in what they are doing.
The hero can decide whether or
not to accept your help. If they
RASHNESS
accept it and draw at least 1 b, you
In the next test
must immediately spend 1 b as a
involving risk,
misfortune or a complication.
increase it by at
least 1 then discard
the b placed here.
This lesson allows you to help while
you are out of the scene. Unlike in
normal situations, you cannot experience
adrenaline or confusion.
 LESSONS FOR INDEPENDENCE, AUTONOMY
ALWAYS HAVE AN ACE
UP YOUR SLEEVE
When facing a test you can place a
newly drawn Z here (maximum 1).
Spend it at any time to state that you
have brought a common resource
with you that you previously obtained.
No one at the table can stop you from
recounting something original or over
the top, but avoid exaggerating too
much and consider the context of the
story that you are experiencing.
Spending the Z placed on this lesson does
not take up your turn and you can do so at
any time.
I AM A NATURAL TALENT
Choose one of your traits.
You can place up to 2 Z on this trait.
If you put it in play during a test, you
must add them all to the bag.
This lesson is always active and you can
use it at any time.
I WORK ALONE
You can place 1 b here that you have
just drawn and endure this condition:
MISANTHROPY
If you have 1 b placed
here you cannot help
and in the next test
you cannot be helped
Additionally
When you are subject to misanthropy,
the danger of the tests that you are
facing alone drops by 1.
An extremely dangerous test becomes
very dangerous, a very dangerous test
becomes fairly dangerous and so on.
Evolving 93
 LESSONS FOR STOICISM, IMPERTURBABILIT Y

IT DOESN’T HURT, PAIN MAKES ME EVERY DEFEAT

IT DOESN’T HURT IMPERTURBABLE MAKES ME STRONGER

As long as you have a misfortune of As long as you have a misfortune of When leaving the scene, you can
3 b or higher, you are immune to the 3 b or higher, you are immune to the place a Z that you have just drawn
effects of the confusion. effects of the adrenaline. here (maximum 3).

If you have 1 b placed on confusion, If you have 1 b placed on adrenaline, You can add them to the bag for any
leave it where it is and fill the bag as leave it where it is and fill the bag as crucial test you face.
normal. normal.

If you do not have 1 b placed on If you do not have any b placed on

confusion, you can decide to place adrenaline, you can decide to place
one after drawing. one after drawing.

If this lesson is active, you cannot decide If this lesson is active, you cannot decide Spending the tokens placed on this lesson
to apply the effects of the confusion, even to apply the effects of the adrenaline, even does not take up your turn; you can do so
if you wish to. if you wish to. during any crucial test before drawing.

94 Evolving
 LESSONS FOR EFFICIENCY, PRECISION
REDUCING THE MARGIN
OF ERROR
When facing a test you can place a
newly drawn Z here (maximum 2).
You can add the tokens present on
this lesson to the bag for a test that
you are facing while you are confused.
You have to add these Z before
drawing and while you do so you must
not look at the content of the bag.
Spending the tokens placed on this lesson
does not take up your turn and you can do
so at any time.
RIDING THE WAVE CONSERVING ENERGY
OF SUCCESS
When you put a trait in play on which
When facing a test you can place a you have placed 1 Z
newly drawn Z here (maximum 1).
You can choose whether to add it to
Spend it when another hero draws the bag or leave it where it is.
at least 1 Z during a test and describe
how you ride their success.
You get another result by taking
advantage of what they just did.
Spending the tokens placed on this lesson This lesson is always active and you can
does not take up your turn and you can do use it at any time.
so at any time.
Evolving 95
 LESSONS FOR CERTAINT Y, TRUST

I KNOW MY DESTINY A BODY BLEEDS, THE FUTURE IS IN MY

AN IDEA IS IMMORTAL HANDS

You can place 1 b here that you have

just drawn and endure this condition:
FATALISM
In the next test you
must draw just 1 a
and then discard the b
that you placed here.
When facing a test you can place a
newly drawn Z here (maximum 1).
You can discard it to ignore a
misfortune that afflicts you for the
duration of a turn.
When you face a crucial test and
take a risk, you are not obliged to
hand the b that you have just drawn
to the narrator.

Additionally
When you are subject to fatalism and
you draw 1 Z, consider it as though
you had drawn 2 Z.

The effects of the danger apply before you Spending the Z placed on this lesson does You can use this lesson every time you face
can use this lesson. If you wish, you can not take up your turn and you can do so at a crucial test.
take a risk after drawing. any time.

96 Evolving
 LESSON FOR ART, SELF-EXPRESSION
NO ONE IS INDIFFERENT
TO BEAUTY
When facing a test you can place a
newly drawn Z here (maximum 1).
You can later discard it and indicate
an individual of your choice: they
know your art and, whether or not
they want to admit it, sincerely admire
your work.
Leave it up to the narrator to freely
play the subject as they see fit: they
may know something that you don’t.
Spending the Z placed on this lesson does
not take up your turn and you can do so at
any time.
HARMONY
Choose two adjacent traits that are
verbally correlated and join them with
a pencil mark. From this point on they
are in harmony.
When you put them both in play in a
test you can add 3 Z rather than 2 Z.
When you put just one of the two in
play add 1 a rather than 1 Z .
This lesson is always active; you cannot
decide not to use it. When you evolve a
hero, you can change a trait in harmony,
but do not remove it.
DISSONANCE
Choose two adjacent traits that
are not verbally correlated and join
them with a pencil mark. From this
point on you have harmonized their
dissonance.
When you put both of them in play
in a test, ignore the first b you draw.
When you put just one of the two in
play add 1 a rather than 1 Z .
This lesson takes effect before the effects
of the danger come into play. This lesson
is always active; you cannot decide not to
use it. When you evolve a hero, you can
change a trait in dissonance, but do not
remove it.
Evolving 97
 LESSONS FOR COMMON SENSE, RATIONALIT Y

MORS TUA VITA MEA THERE IS ALWAYS WELL BEGUN IS HALF DONE
A WEAK POINT

When you draw a b you can place it When you face a goal with depth,
on this lesson and ignore its effect When facing a test you can place a if you are the first to face a test to
(maximum 1). newly drawn Z here (maximum 1). resolve it add 2 Z to the bag.

To use this lesson again, you must add Spend it at any time to reduce the
the b placed here to another hero’s difficulty of a test by 1.
draw, describing how you create a
difficulty for them.

Spending the b placed on this lesson does Spending the Z placed on this lesson does This lesson is always active and you can
not take up your turn and you can do so at not take up your turn and you can do so at use it at any time.
any time. any time.

98 Evolving
 LESSONS FOR SUFFERING, DRAMA
TORMENT IS
A TRAVEL COMPANION
Write down a temporary scar of your
choice on this lesson.
You can put it in play during the
tests, but you have to change it every
time you remove the b placed on it.
As with any other scar, the effects of the
danger apply before you can use this
lesson.
I AM DEEPLY SCARRED
Choose a scar that marks you.
You can accumulate up to 2 b on it,
but when you put it in play you have
to add 2 b to the bag.
This lesson is always active and you can
use it at any time.
ADRENALINE SICK
You can accumulate up to 2 b on
adrenaline.
When you face a test and you have
2 b on adrenaline, discard one and
add the other to the bag.
This lesson is always active and you can
use it at any time.
Evolving 99

THE GREATER THE
CHALLENGE, THE MORE
FUN YOU’LL HAVE
When facing a test you can place a
newly drawn Z here (maximum 1).
Spend it at any time to reduce the
depth of a goal by 1.
This lesson influences the depth of
the goals, rather than the successes
of the tests. You still have to face a
test to achieve your goal.
Spending the Z placed on this lesson does
not take up your turn and you can do so at
any time.
100 Evolving
LESSONS FOR OPTIMISM, TRUST
BETTER UP AND IN
TROUBLE THAN SAFELY
IN THE GROUND
When facing a test you can place a
newly drawn Z here (maximum 1).
Spend it at any time to avoid leaving
the scene after drawing. If you do,
you must hand all the b that you have
drawn to the narrator, as though you
had taken a risk.
Spending the Z placed on this lesson does
not take up your turn and you can do so at
any time.
THERE IS LIGHT
IN THE DARKNESS
When you learn this lesson, choose
a scar that marks you.
You can decide whether to put it in
play as a scar or a trait when facing
a test.
If you have a b placed on the scar
that you have chosen and you put it
in play as a trait, you must add it to
the bag in addition to the Z.
If you are confused, add the b and
1 a.
This lesson is always active and you can
use it at any time.
 LESSONS FOR FATE, DESTINY

THERE IS ORDER IN CHAOS EMBRACE YOUR FATE THIS IS NOT THE END

You can place 1 b here that you have When facing a test you can ignore 1 When you declare the end of your
just drawn and endure this condition: b drawn if you are willing to ask the hero, resolve it in the normal way.
narrator to draw in your place. Then add 2 b and 1 Z to the bag.
ANARCHY
In the next test,
They will choose how many a to draw. If you draw b, your hero meets their
replace all the Z and You cannot make any suggestions. end, while if you draw Z, somehow
the b that you would your hero returns to the scene.
normally add to the
bag with some a Describe how and permanently
discard this lesson. You can only take
this lesson once.
Additionally
When you are subject to anarchy, you
can look into the bag after drawing
and before taking a risk.

The effects of the danger apply before you This lesson is always active and you can You cannot use this lesson during a
can use this lesson. use it at any time. crucial test that marks the end of your
hero.

Evolving 101
 OTHER WAYS TO EVOLVE
The development methods in Not the End are designed
to create a direct link between the experiences that the hero
undergoes and the way in which they evolve. Crucial tests are
the best way to evolve your hero but, as a player, you must
always have the tools to evolve the hero at the right time.

Below you will find alternative ways to evolve your hero,

which expand the development options available to you
so that you can take advantage of every opportunity you
find while experiencing the story.
WHEN YOU USE ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT METHODS

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE TABLE’S APPROVAL

Ask the other players and the narrator if they agree before using alternative development
methods

GIVE THE WHOLE TABLE THE SAME OPTIONS

If it is possible for one player to evolve a hero in a certain way, it should also be possible
for the rest of the group

LET THE STORY CHANGE YOUR HERO

Every player knows when it is the right time for the hero to evolve. In most cases the
basic rules of hero development will be sufficient, however there will be times during the
story when it would feel weird to continue without allowing your hero to evolve. Any of
those moments might be suitable for using one of these exceptions

DO NOT ABUSE THESE ALTERNATIVES

It is not advisable for your hero to evolve too fast unless you are playing a very short story.
Give the changes experienced by the hero time to settle and enjoy the way in which they
influence your way of playing

Evolving 103

Most heroic tales involving a group end with a
collective effort to defeat the antagonist. These
tests often leave a mark on the protagonists of
the story.
Suppose that during the session the narrator
recounts how the sworn enemy of one of the
heroes turns out to be an ally, who played the
role of a villain in order to remain incognito
and help the group from behind the scenes. The
hero may be so affected that they change one of
their traits or add a new one.
104 Evolving
CRUCIAL GROUP TESTS
Sometimes the hero’s motives are so closely aligned that a group test is
crucial. If two or more heroes want to support each other to succeed in a
test and are willing to share its complications, it is fair that they can declare
together that it is a crucial test for all of them.
After the crucial test, every player whose hero has taken part in it is free
to independently describe how the hero changes.
SURPRISING EXPERIENCES
Sometimes things happen during a session that are not closely related to the
tests, or your hero witnesses unexpected outcomes of their tests or those of
other heroes, which no one at the table could have predicted.
If you realize that what has happened has left a deep mark on your hero and
you are certain that it would be wrong to ignore the event, feel free to update
the sheet, declaring that you are doing so to the rest of the group.
EVOLVING AT THE END OF THE SESSION
Sometimes you get so caught up in the game that you forget to declare that the
test that you faced was supposed to be crucial for the development of your
hero, and then regret not having done so.
In consultation with the game table, you can agree to check at the end of the
session whether the heroes have had experiences that amount to a crucial
test and then evolve them accordingly.
FL ASHBACKS
A hero’s past is marked by important events, which are sometimes not known V is an interesting, but very eccentric and
at the start of the story, not even to the players themselves. Many stories mysterious character until his past is revealed.
contain time jumps that explore the origins and past of one or several heroes. From that point on, V acquires an entirely
At the end of this type of session, a player may want to add a trait, a lesson different depth and many of his distinctive
or a scar that symbolizes how this dive into the past has shed light on a side of traits emerge, creating an overview of the
their hero that had been hidden until that moment. character that was previously absent.
This alternative growth method makes it possible to give the heroes greater
personal depth in a way that would otherwise be impossible. During a flashback
you can use a shortened version of the hero sheet or improvise a hive of traits
for the occasion.

LOSING SOMEONE IMPORTANT

If two heroes share a very strong bond, the death of one could signify an
important moment of growth for the other.
If the hero has lost a companion, they may be left marked by a scar, add
one of their traits to the hive or inherit one of their lessons to symbolize
what remains of them.
This alternative growth method can also apply to the death of secondary
characters who are important for the hero, regardless of whether they were
allies or antagonists.

Evolving 105
FACING
THE END
IN THIS CHAPTER

THIS IS NOT THE END 110

WHAT IS THE HERO’S END? 112

WHEN TO EMBR ACE THE END 112

HOW TO EMBR ACE THE END 112

SPENDING TOKENS IN THE FINAL TEST 114

THE END IN THE CONFLICTS BET WEEN HEROES 103

 THIS IS NOT THE END
Even in Not the End, sooner or later the hero must
face their end. This may involve a voluntary sacrifice
or a moment in the story in which it is clear that
the hero’s return to the scene would be so
implausible that it would detract from the
narrative.

These moments are particularly important in Not

the End, to the extent that they merit a dedicated
resolution method that makes the end of every hero
significant for the story. In Not the End, the hero’s
end marks the start of something important, a change
that will have an impact on the story. Closing the hero’s
narrative arc does not simply mean seeing them leave
the story, but, on the contrary, fixing their presence
indelibly within it by creating a major change that
will be remembered forever.
 WHEN YOU FACE THE HERO’S END

1. DESCRIBE THE HERO’S END

Describe how the hero embraces their end and fill the bag, while putting any of their
traits and scars in play. Add any b to the bag indicated by the narrator and empty the
entire bag

2.
SPEND ALL THE a THAT YOU HAVE PUT IN THE BAG
When you embrace the hero’s end you have greater narrative authority than usual and
you can spend all the a in the bag as though you had drawn them and recount how the
hero’s end influences the story, heroes and secondary characters. If you wish, you
can get the rest of the table to help you

If you want, you can decide not to immediately use all the a, but to spend them later
to influence the story. There obviously has to be a narrative justification, whether it
is something that your hero did previously or how other characters’ memory of them
affects the situation

Facing the end 111


• An astronaut is hurled into the sidereal
void without an exosuit.
• A Ronin stripped of his sword and honor
ends up knocked down in a fight.
• Etienne has exacted revenge on his wife’s
killers and wishes to rest.
Fabio may embrace Etienne’s end during the
decisive fight against his wife’s killers, in which
case the narrator will ask him to face a test.
Should Etienne instead have to embrace the
end after killing them, bidding farewell to the
group forever, it will not be necessary to face
a test.
112 Facing the end
WHAT IS THE HERO’S END?
A hero’s end is the moment in which they leave the story for good. It may
be their death, a long journey with no return, their surrender, or any other
circumstance that ends their narrative arc and contribution to the story.
WHEN TO EMBRACE THE END
It is always the player who chooses when their hero has fulfilled their
role within the story and should embrace their end.
There are cases in which it is fair to ask yourself whether to put an end to the
hero’s narrative arc:
• The hero has left the scene and there are no conditions under which
they can return given that the test that they would have to face would
be impossible to pass
• The hero is marked by three of more scars and is obliged to go through
another traumatic experience, perhaps leaving the scene under very
bad circumstances
• The hero has closed the cycle of their personal goals and no longer has
any reason to remain part of the story
HOW TO EMBRACE THE END
The player announces that their hero is facing the end and describes what
they want to obtain before definitively leaving the story. If they consider
it appropriate, the narrator asks the player to face a test.
It is the player who decides whether to embrace the end, while circumstances
in which they face a test depend on what is happening in the game.
HOW TO RECOUNT THE END
The player whose hero embraces the end fills a bag, while putting any
of their traits and scars in play. If the hero is facing a test, as usual the
narrator declares a difficulty level that adds some b to the bag.
FILLING THE BAG WHEN ABOUT TO FACE A TEST
If a test is about to be faced, the basic rules for filling the bag should be followed.
In this special case, if you wish, take a few more liberties and involve traits
linked to the meaning that the hero is giving to the test.
In tests in which you embrace the end, the danger is irrelevant, since the
hero will definitively leave the story, so do not consider it in the dynamics of
the narration.
FILLING THE BAG WHEN NOT ABOUT TO FACE A TEST
The player will fill a bag with their traits even if the narrator has not asked
them to face a test. This is the end of their hero and they can put all the traits
and scars in play that they consider necessary to leave an indelible mark on
the story. Based on the situation, misfortunes could apply, which will add b
to the bag.
The player need only focus on the closure of the hero’s narrative arc,
exploring their feelings, intentions and memories. This will allow them to fill
the bag with some of the hero’s traits and weave a significant end.
Etienne is confronting his wife’s killers. He is
tired, exhausted and determined to get it over
with. Fabio decides that this is the moment to
narrate Etienne’s end.
Fabio describes Etienne hurling himself
furiously at his opponents, making no attempt
to defend himself and determined not to let
anyone escape. The narrator informs him that
facing the murderers is very difficult. Fabio adds
5 b and 7 Z to the bag for the traits Revenant,
Disturbing, Powerful, Relentless, Brute strength,
Axe and Those murderous bastards.
Suppose instead that Etienne has avenged
his wife and all her murderers have been
eliminated or brought to justice. Fabio decides
that Etienne is now at peace and recounts how
he thanks his companions and turns away from
them, heading in the direction of the cemetery
containing the grave from which he emerged to
avenge his wife. No test is necessary, but Fabio
still adds 2 Z to the bag for the traits Revenant
and Those murderous bastards and 1 b for the
misfortune Exhausted that afflicts him.
Facing the end 113

Of all the film references, the end of V for
Vendetta best exemplifies the spirit of the
hero’s end.
With his sacrifice, V ends his journey and
his pain, dealing a last blow to the regime,
completing his revenge and leaving an indelible
mark on people’s hearts.
Evey Hammond and Eric Finch, the film’s other
two heroes, are permanently scarred by the
loss of V, who remains in their hearts and minds
for the rest of their lives.
V’s end is the beginning of something important,
which is destined to outlive him for a long time.
114 Facing the end
SPENDING TOKENS AND DESCRIBING THE END
The player empties the entire bag and spends all the a, just as though they
had drawn them, to describe how the hero’s end influences the story.
When the player embraces the hero’s end, they gain greater narrative authority
than usual. At their discretion, the player may request help from the narrator
and other players for suggestions or for a shared narration. In addition to
normal uses of Z and b, the player can:
• Spend 1 Z to recount a positive event that happens in the story as a result
of the hero’s end or spend 1 b to recount a negative event
• Spend 1 Z to allow another hero to gain or change a trait , or spend 1 b to
allow another hero to gain a scar or a lesson to symbolize how the hero’s
end marks those who knew them and had a bond with them
SAVING TOKENS AND SPENDING THEM L ATER
The player can save some of the a drawn and spend them later during
the story. When they do so, they follow the rules listed in this section,
recounting how the memory of the hero influences the story.
It is not necessary to immediately spend all the drawn a; the player can decide
whether to save a few of them and spend them later, in keeping with the memory
that the hero has left behind them or what they accomplished earlier in the story.
We recommend saving a maximum of 2 a and not waiting too long to spend
them. Waiting multiple sessions could have negative consequences on the
narrative, diluting the pathos of the hero’s end in a way that is excessive and
tiresome for the story.
THE END IN CONFLICTS BETWEEN HEROES
In the event of a disagreement over the hero’s end, the player who roleplays
them always has the last word. They are responsible for making an informed
choice that respects the game experience.
There are cases in which conflicting heroes may want to eliminate each other. In
these cases it is absolutely fundamental that the experienced conflict remains a
narrative cue to investigate the hero’s motives and does not involve the players.
If a player finds themselves arguing that a certain situation should mark
the end of someone else’s hero, it is time to take a deep breath, stop the game
for a few moments and calmly address the topic.
The responsibility and power to put an end to a hero is always and only up
to their player; if they do not feel ousted and they can manage it themself, it
will be much easier for them to determine whether embracing the end is an
appropriate step for the smooth development of the story.
You are not playing to win, but to tell a story worth experiencing and listening
to. Moreover, in Not the End, exposing your hero to the end will allow you to
have a big impact on the story, making it meaningful and impactful. Here are
some questions that may help you think through the reasons for the conflict
and its opportunities:
• Why do you wish that this were not the end for your hero?
• What value could the hero remaining add to the story?
• What value could the hero embracing the end add to the story?
• Can the situation be resolved by the hero temporarily leaving the scene?
Do not be afraid to stop the game and ask yourselves these questions together;
sometimes our involvement in what is happening at the table can pull us in
directions that we do not like and a calm, open dialogue is the best way to
resolve a disagreement.
Etienne is confronted by Lilian, who wants to
stop him at all costs from setting fire to a house
where his wife’s murderers are hiding.
Lilian thinks there may be people in that house
and is not willing to risk their lives, but Etienne
is mad with rage.
The confrontation escalates: Etienne grabs his
axe and Lilian defends herself as best she can.
Fabio recounts how Etienne attacks to kill,
draws 4 Z and spends them all to inflict serious
wounds on Lilian. Alice believes that Lilian can
endure more and, rather than making her leave
the scene, she describes how Lilian fights back.
Fabio and Alice’s initially well-meaning
intentions become aggressive and their tempers
flare. The wounds that Lilian suffers after two
more turns would suggest her end, and Fabio
demands that Alice accept and narrate it.
Roberto intervenes and suggests that the game
be stopped and discussed calmly. After some
discussion, Fabio agrees that it is ultimately up
to Alice to decide Lilian’s fate and takes a step
back. The group agrees that it might be enough
for Lilian to leave the scene, but instead Alice
chooses to embrace Lilian’s end and with one
of the positives that she spends during her final
test, she proposes that Fabio give Etienne the
trait Kind which was one of Lilian’s distinct
characteristics, as a scar.
Fabio thinks that this is a great idea and
describes how Etienne’s anger fades and is
replaced by remorse.
Facing the end 115
NARR ATING
STORIES
IN THIS CHAPTER

THE NARR ATOR 120

A FEW STORY TELLING TRICKS 122

TESTS AND OUTCOMES 124

DECIDING DIFFICULT Y AND DANGER 126

NARR ATING COMPLICATIONS 128

NARR ATING MISFORTUNES 129

CREATING CHALLENGES 130

DESCRIBING A CHALLENGE 132

PACING THE SESSIONS 140

GIVING SPACE TO IMPORTANT MOMENTS 142

GIVING DEPTH TO GOAL S 143

TAKING TURNS 145

 THE NARR ATOR
Unlike other games, Not the End does not
burden the narrator with the responsibility
of refereeing the game or deciding what is
right and wrong. Free from any refereeing
responsibilities, the narrator can actively listen
to the players’ input and effectively use it.

Once you have laid out the initial premise of the

story, you are free to listen to your players’
input and to play non-player characters
just like a player.
AS A NARRATOR, FOCUS ON THESE ASPECTS

KICK OFF THE STORY

By starting the story in a rapidly evolving situation, you create favorable conditions for
the heroes to make a difference with their actions

PL AY CHARACTERS AND DESCRIBE CHALLENGES

Rather than focusing on the heroes’ motives, concentrate on the desires and aspirations
of the secondary characters that the heroes meet during the story. The players’ tests
will create complications that naturally lead the story to revolve around the heroes.
You must focus on providing an interesting, compelling context to which they can relate

DECIDE THE DIFFICULT Y AND DANGER OF TESTS

Knowing how to choose when to ask for a test is one of the skills of a good narrator. This
chapter provides you with the necessary tools to determine the difficulty and danger
of the tests on the spot

RESPOND TO OTHER PL AYERS’ INPUT

Telling a story in Not the End means above all letting the heroes’ actions influence the
game context through the successes and complications that they generate. Responding
to other players’ input is more important than imposing a direction on the story

Narrator 121
 A FEW STORY TELLING TRICKS
This section contains some valuable tips for making the most of the tools that
the game provides you with and, at the same time, respecting the narrative style
of Not the End. In any case, aside from the advice offered in these pages, it
is fair to say that the ideal way to narrate is the one you are most comfortable
with. Every narrator has a different approach; creating engaging stories also
means respecting their own style of play.

CREATE A DELICATE AND FRAGILE BAL ANCE

A winged being is said to have torn apart scouts Starting the story in a rapidly evolving situation creates favorable conditions
on the surface of Ganymede. Paranoia creeps for the heroes’ actions to make a difference. The more authentic the context
through the ranks of the infantrymen, but the in which the heroes find themselves, the more the players will naturally find
officers think of a ruse to abandon the mission. their place within the story and decide to act.

LISTEN TO THE PL AYERS’ INPUT AND

DO NOT IMPOSE A DIRECTION ON THE STORY

Every time you consider what interesting event could happen in the story you
are substituting the players. More than just a series of interesting scenes, the
story is the sum of the consequences of the players’ actions.
The game system is designed so the heroes’ actions generate unexpected
outcomes and complications. Every time a player hands you a b to impose a
misfortune or complicate the scene, they are giving you an opportunity to make
the story more interesting. Listen to what is happening and try to facilitate the
flow of the events rather than guiding the story according to a pre-determined
script. The lifeblood of the stories in Not the End are the complications
generated by the tests that the heroes decide to face.

122 Narrator
PREPARE AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE

Study the tools discussed in this chapter: they will allow you to describe on the
spot the challenges that the heroes are faced with, whether they be people,
environments, objects, situations or anything else. Getting used to handling
any kind of scene without the need to prepare in advance will allow you to
really follow the flow of the story, without forcing it in a particular direction
just because it was the one you had prepared for.

CONSIDER THE MOTIVES OF SECONDARY CHARACTERS

The motives of the characters with which the heroes interact are very important.
Not the End asks the narrator to leave it up to players to interweave heroes’
motives within the story. Since the players’ actions will create complications
related to the tests that they are facing, it will not be necessary to weave their
goals into the story; their own actions will tie them into the narrative. Dealing
with secondary characters driven by a motive will help players to question
who their heroes are and what they really believe in.
BE HEAV Y-HANDED WITH MISFORTUNES
AND COMPLICATIONS
Fabien, the village innkeeper, wants his children
to survive the famine that has hit the village at
all costs. This is why he serves meager meals at
the inn, pretending to have run out of supplies.
A few villagers, driven by hunger, want to sneak
into the inn at night after closing time. They
will find food or get Fabien to talk, even if they
have to use force. If the heroes were to find out
about the situation, what would be the right
thing to do? Who is wrong and who is right in
such a situation?

The heroes of Not the End are tough, very tough indeed. Moreover, as a
narrator, only impose misfortunes and complications when a player asks you
to do so. Do not be afraid to be too severe: consider what negative consequence
is the most suitable and stimulating to constitute an interesting challenge and
allow the player to feel the weight of their choices. The game will not suffer, but,
on the contrary, will become more fun for everyone. Experiencing misfortunes
and complications is an essential part of the fun.

Narrator 123
 TESTS AND OUTCOMES
In Not the End tests are designed to unleash the
narrator’s energy and focus it on the story. It is up
to the players to decide how to face the tests and how
to spend the a that they draw, while the narrator
is responsible for recounting any misfortunes
and complications.

Whenever a test generates complications, you

can move the story in the direction you consider
most appropriate. The next pages explain how you
can quickly create any kind of test, understand when
it is right to request them and describe misfortunes and
complications that are always interesting and original.
 WHEN YOU ASK TO FACE A TEST

1. MAKE SURE THAT THE TEST IS NECESSARY

In a situation completely devoid of any negative consequences it is useless to request a
test and it risks surprising the game table if the player draws some b. In such cases it
is best to check which traits the hero has at their disposal to resolve the situation and
narrate accordingly

2. COMMUNICATE DIFFICULT Y AND DANGER

When you ask to face a test, be sure to clarify the difficulty and possible danger as follows:
The difficulty of this test is (1 - 6) b; you leave the scene if you draw (1 - 4) b

3.
IMPOSE ANY MISFORTUNES AND COMPLICATIONS
If the player decides to spend the b that they have drawn on misfortunes or complications,
it will be up to you to decide what goes wrong. Remember that the player is responsible
for recounting successes, not you. Obviously you, along with the rest of the game table,
can work with the player to describe the outcome of the scene or provide additional
information when necessary

Narrator 125

Striking a person who is walking in a square
150 feet away is an easy test (2 b) with a good
sniper rifle, difficult (4 b) with a pistol and
almost impossible (6 b) with a slingshot.
If the square is crowded and you want to
avoid hitting anyone who is not the target,
the difficulty may increase by 1. If the target
is stationary and the hero is in a favorable
position, it may decrease by 1, and so on.
For a Surrounded character it could be almost
impossible to signal to their companion without
being seen. The b that would normally be added
to the bag may not be sufficient to represent the
difficulty of their condition.
126 Narrator
DECIDING DIFFICULT Y AND DANGER
When the narrator asks a player to face a test, after describing the
situation as they please, they list the difficulty and possible danger of
the test using the following formula: the difficulty of this test is (from
1 to 6) b, you leave the scene if you draw (from 1 to 4) b
DETERMINING THE DIFFICULT Y OF THE TEST
The question to answer in order to determine the difficulty of a test
is as follows: How difficult is it to face this test with the resources
available to the hero?
• Elementary: Automatic success, a test is not necessary
• Very easy: 1 b
• Easy: 2 b
• Normal: 3 b
• Difficult: 4 b
• Very difficult: 5 b
• Almost impossible: 6 b
• Impossible: Automatic failure, a test is not necessary
When you ask yourself this question, you should exclude the hero’s abilities
from the equation. The extent to which the hero is skilled or capable will
determine which and how many traits they put in play, so their skills should
not be considered when determining difficulty.
Misfortunes, which subject the hero to the addition of 1 b to their bag, should
be ignored along with traits. In principle, you should exclude misfortunes when
calculating difficulty unless the condition that they contribute to illustrating
dictates otherwise.
DETERMINING THE DANGER OF A TEST

The question that must be answered to determine the danger of a test
is: how dangerous is the test for the hero’s safety?
• Not at all: It is not possible to leave the scene
• Slightly: You leave the scene by drawing 4 b
• Fairly: You leave the scene by drawing 3 b
• Very: You leave the scene by drawing 2 b
• Extremely: You leave the scene by drawing 1 b
Assuming you are playing in a realistic context:
doing heraldry research on ancient texts
in a dusty library is a test that is not at all
dangerous, jumping off a 20 feet-high cliff in
an attempt to grab a rope is a very dangerous
test and defusing an explosive is an extremely
dangerous test.

NARRATING DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS

To make the narration even more immersive, recount and describe elements
that help the player to imagine the situation’s degree of difficulty and place
the hero in danger.
After doing so, be sure to explicitly state the level of difficulty and danger.
If there is no danger, remember to specify this.

TO WHAT EXTENT IS IT APPROPRIATE TO PUT HEROES

IN DIFFICULT Y AND DANGER?

Do not be afraid to make heroes face dangerous situations. The rules are
structured to make leaving the scene an interesting event that provides the
players with many opportunities.
Be realistic in how you use difficulty and danger and do not try to be too
lenient towards the players. Not the End allows the story to proceed in a
non-punitive way, while giving the narrator the freedom to heighten the tension.

Narrator 127

The narrator acts in response to the players’
actions. Complicating the scene allows you to
let your opponents take the initiative and liven
up the situation.
• A secret weapon, an important adversary
• A secret ability, a hidden talent
• Reinforcements, an old enemy
• A bomb, an alarm, an ultimatum
• Poisonous gas, a sandstorm
• The ceiling collapses, a door shuts
• Someone to defend, a betrayal
• A snag, a favor called in
• A revealed secret, an exposed weakness
• An ally is kidnapped
A hero has taken out a bad guy and during the
test the player has drawn 1 b and spends it
as a complication. The narrator wanted to
include a criminal gang in the story and uses
the complication as an excuse to do so: there
is a tattoo on the thug’s neck that is well known
to the heroes, revealing that it is one of Caio’s
men, perhaps recently arrived in the town.
128 Narrator
NARRATING COMPLICATIONS
Every time that a player hands them some b, the narrator describes a
complication to the scene or story.
COMPLICATION SUGGESTIONS
Every time a player asks you to complicate a scene, they are giving you a great
gift. First consider what elements you already have and then ask yourself what
you could add. Here are some examples:
• An adversary has an ace up their sleeve
• Someone or something is more dangerous than expected
• A new threat arrives on the scene
• A countdown is triggered
• The context is, or will be, more hostile than expected
• The heroes are divided
• An unexpected variable is put in play
• Something else requires the heroes’ attention
• The enemy discovers something
• Bad news arrives
Complications do not have to affect one hero in particular. The effects
must embrace the whole scene or story and make it more interesting and
exciting for everyone. When you consider it necessary, raise the danger of the
tests faced in the scene to give the players a sense of the significance of what
has just happened.
Another way to use complications is to insert elements of the story that
were not known to the players until that moment, but which as the narrator
you knew would appear sooner or later as an integral part of the plot.
NARRATING MISFORTUNES
Every time a player places the b on a misfortune space, the narrator
recounts something bad that happens to the hero.
Misfortunes are a tool to make players reflect about their hero’s situation. A
misfortune is not a punishment, but the element that creates a link between
the potential success of a test and the consequence that the hero suffers.
SUGGESTIONS FOR MISFORTUNES
Striking a swordsman without him having a
chance to react will engage the players less than
striking a swordsman who during the scene has
Wounded, Humiliated and Disarmed them.
Similarly, being Shocked by a newly discovered
piece of information will give the player a clear
perception of how important this information
is for their hero.

Feel free to experiment and imagine not only what could happen to the hero in
relation to the test that they have faced, but also what could happen to them given
the context and situation in which they find themself. Here are some examples:

• Limits the hero’s ability to act • Broken arm, blurred vision

• Affects the hero’s emotional sphere • Despondent, embarrassed, angry
• Affects the hero’s social sphere • Spurned, outcast, humiliated
• Affects the hero’s self-perception • Sense of guilt, crisis of faith
• Affects the hero’s physical condition • Frozen, hungry, sleep-deprived
• Limits the time available to the hero • Clock is ticking, compromised, hunted
• Limits the resources available to the hero • Unarmed, robbed, unkempt
• Puts a constraint on the hero • Blackmailed, cursed, poisoned
• Insinuates a doubt in the hero’s mind • Paranoid, suspicious, edgy

Remember that misfortunes must always be temporary effects. Their severity In a science fiction context a Broken arm is a
depends on the setting in which the story is taking place. The presence of magic misfortune that can be easily remedied, while
and the level of technology heavily influence what is possible or impossible. in the Late Middle Ages it is something much
Misfortunes should correspond to the tone of the setting. more serious.

Narrator 129
CREATING CHALLENGES
During the course of the story, the narrator may decide to provide further
details about objects or situations with which the heroes have to deal in order
to give them depth and make them more interesting.

People, places, objects or entire situations are all considered challenges when
heroes have to perform tests involving them. Not the End uses natural and
universal language to describe every type of challenge.
 WHEN YOU CREATE A CHALLENGE

1. BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE CHALLENGE

Give it a name and write a short introductory text describing what it is and what its main
features are.

2. INDICATE THE DEGREE OF DANGER AND DIFFICULT Y

Give a difficulty and danger grade to the challenge using this formula:
Facing this challenge is difficult (1 - 6) b, you leave the scene if you draw (1 - 4) b

3. LIST THE EXCEPTIONS TO THE PREVIOUS POINT

List the difficulty and danger of tests that are the main exceptions to the previous
point, based on the unique characteristics of the challenge.

4. LIST COMMON MISFORTUNES AND COMPLICATIONS

Make a short list of the most likely or plausible misfortunes and complications that
could emerge when facing the challenge.

5. EXPLORE IT AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE

Choose which of the follow-up questions on the next page are most appropriate to provide
details about the challenge and write down your answers.

Narrator 131

Melchor is a combat android. His muscles
glisten under his subdermal armor and a single-
edged katana gleams in his hand.
Facing Melchor is difficult (4 b) and very
dangerous (you leave the scene if you draw
2 b).
Melchor is impossible to bribe, but persuading
him using logic is easy (2 b) and not at all
dangerous.
Melchor is lethal in close combat and can also
control buildings’ safety and critical support
systems (doors and ventilation).
Melchor’s consciousness consists of the
digitalized memories of the father of Markus
Finnigan, the engineer responsible for the
project that created him.
Melchor’s prime directive is to protect
Cronotech’s mainframe, but awakening
Markus’s father’s memories could activate his
latent consciousness.
High voltages slow Melchor down, overloading
his systems, but also making him mad with rage.
132 Narrator
DESCRIBING A CHALLENGE
The narrator answers a list of questions, further elaborating at will on the
information they deem appropriate to effectively describe the challenge.
1. What is their name? Who or what are they? What do they look like?
These questions are used to create a concise description of the challenge.
2. In general, how difficult and dangerous are they to deal with?
Attribute a difficulty and a general danger to the challenge, which can
be applied to most tests
3. What are the main exceptions to the previous question?
List the main tests that characterize the strengths and weaknesses of
the challenge
4. What misfortunes and complications is the challenge most likely
to cause?
Briefly list the main misfortunes and complications related to the
challenge so that you can quickly access them as a reference during the
narration
5. Choose from these follow-up questions:
What are their secrets?
What are their weaknesses?
What is their raison d’être?
Who knows everything about them?
Where are they found?
How do they act?
What are their origins?
What moments have defined what they are?
What do they hold dear?
Who would do anything for their sake / for their ruin?
HOW MUCH IS RIGHT TO DETAILS CHALLENGES

Provide details of challenges to the extent that you and the other players
consider them interesting or important for the story. You can also offer only
partial details of the challenges, answering just some questions and not
answering the following ones. The questions are listed in order of importance,
so if you only want to answer some of them, then you should choose the first ones.
Claudio has decided to give a single description
of the Baron’s guards, but one of them becomes
relevant to the story during the narration and
Claudio decides to elaborate further with a
special description of this guard.

WHAT T YPE OF CHALLENGES CAN I DESCRIBE?

You can describe any kind of challenge! Supporting questions are formulated
in such a way as to serve as a prompt for any kind of subject, whether it be an
individual, a group, a place, a situation, a faction or an object.
HOW DO I USE THE DESCRIPTION OF THE CHALLENGE?
In terms of gameplay, there is no difference
between describing a swordsman, dungeon or
military vehicle. You can use the same creation
rules to describe any subject that the players
interact with.

Make sure that what you write when providing details of a challenge acts as a
support without overly constraining you. The general idea that you have of the
challenge is what matters most because it gives you an instinctive idea of how
to improvise the difficulty and danger of any test concerning the challenge.
All subsequent questions are prompts, but should never hold back the
narrative. The tests, like the resulting misfortunes and complications, depend
as much on the challenge as on the context in which they take place and on
the scene.

HOW DO I DETERMINE DIFFICULT Y AND DANGER?

Consider the narrative context in which the challenge is taking place. The A pack of wolves is a tough challenge for
same subject could vary in difficulty and danger in different narrative strands. peasants in the late Middle Ages, while it is
When you provide details of a challenge, always consider the type of story merely a nuisance for the demigods of ancient
that you are telling. Greece.

Narrator 133
 EX AMPLES OF CHALLENGES
The next pages contain several examples of challenges. Specifically,
a person, a place, and an object. The chapter on example settings
contains many examples that you can explore.

Every challenge is detailed by:

• A short general description

• The difficulty and danger of tests
• Suggestions for misfortunes
• Suggestions for complications
• More information

You can use this structure to concisely present the answers to the 5
questions used to describe the challenges.

134 Narrator
BARON CORNELIUS
Baron Cornelius is a man in his 50s. He has piercing eyes and a stern face that only
softens when he indulges in drinking. He clearly has a military background.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Facing him is difficult (4 b) and fairly dangerous (you leave the scene by drawing
3 b)
• Facing him in a duel is very difficult (5 b) and very dangerous (you leave the
scene by drawing 2 b)
• The Baron has a quick temper and it is very easy (1 b) to enrage him

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Disarmed, or any kind of physical Wound if faced in combat
• Condemned or Wanted, if you force him to assert his authority
• Disliked at court, if you take him head-on in social situations

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• Men-at-arms arrive to provide backup
• The Baron joins the Falcon Guard, where he is infamous for his deadliness
• The Baron will take his anger out on ordinary people or someone defenseless
• The heroes make enemies at court

MORE INFORMATION
Baron Cornelius despises the sensitive nature of his son, to whom he directs the anger
he feels at the loss of his wife, who died giving birth to him. He earned his noble title by
fighting in the field. He wants glory for the Cornelius family. He wants another son, but
fears the prospect of falling in love again. He likes to give banquets where he tends to
drink too much, reminisce about anecdotes from his past and speak out of turn. His son
is terrified of him, but would do anything for his approval.

Narrator 135
 THE MA ZE OF ICY TORMENT
A labyrinth of stone, ice and rusty metal where no sunlight ever enters. The Maze
is a set of sprawling cells and tunnels that serve as a prison colony on the surface
of Ganymede.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Facing tests in the Maze is difficult (4 b) and very dangerous (you leave the
scene by drawing 2 b)
• It is impossible to intimidate the Maze’s cyberguards
• The cell locks are old and worn by the cold so forcing them open is easy (2 b) and
not at all dangerous
• Finding the exit to the Maze is almost impossible (6 b)

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Disoriented
• Frostbite
• Hunted

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• An alarm is triggered
• The heroes are discovered by two cyberguards
• A safety barrier is suddenly triggered and separates the group
• The heroes discover that they have enemies among the inmates of the Maze

MORE INFORMATION
Originally, the Maze was an ice mining and refining colony. The facility was later taken
over by SecurCorp, which developed it as a detention center. Far from the gaze of the
central planets, the policies of the Maze have become increasingly ruthless. Karl Hansen
was the chief engineer of the Maze’s original designs.

136 Narrator
THE RING OF SAMARK AND
A simple silver band with a strange alphabet engraved inside. Every time you wear
the ring, you feel strange sensations: goose bumps, whispers and a strange desire
not to stop wearing it.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Tests involving the ring are normal (3 b) and slightly dangerous (you leave the
scene if you draw 4 b)
• Deciphering the inscriptions inside the ring is very difficult (5 b)
• Saying the formula once the inscriptions are deciphered is very easy (1 b) and
extremely dangerous (you leave the scene if you draw 1 b)

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Addicted to the ring
• Subjugated by the souls of the ring

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• Someone looking for the ring is on the heroes’ trail and is willing to do anything
to get it back
• One of the ring spirits breaks free and starts to torment the group
• The information to decipher the inscriptions is kept in enemy territory

MORE INFORMATION
The Ring of Samarkand is a legendary object, the work of a magician who sacrificed many
lives to imbue it with power. The souls of the sacrificed victims now dwell in the ring
and will seek the company of the wearer. As soon as the magic words inside the ring are
uttered, the souls will try to subjugate the wearer, but if they fail to do so, they will be
forced to serve the wearer by protecting them from mental attacks and all forms of magic.

Narrator 137

Etienne has been pursuing his wife’s murderer
for months, crossing his path several times, but
every time the killer has managed to escape.
Lothar has heard rumors of Kathrax, a sorcerer
from the northern lands who can apparently
shape flames with his willpower.
When a hero is helped while fighting Kathrax’s
flames, if the hero draws more than 1 b, the
heroes who helped them receive 2 b rather
than 1 b.
138 Narrator
ADVANCED CHALLENGES
Sometimes challenges are too important or special to tackle only using
misfortunes and complications, so you may want to add special rules to
make it clear to the players how important they are.
In this case you can think of one or two particular ways in which the players
can or should spend b.
WHEN TO USE AN ADVANCED CHALLENGE
The nemesis of one of the heroes, a well-developed secondary character
encountered multiple times or a legendary adversary are all challenges that
could become advanced challenges.
A guideline for deciding whether a challenge may be advanced is to consider:
what aspect of this challenge could be particularly difficult to overcome and
what particular conditions will trigger unexpected consequences?
Don’t try to force it when you ask yourself this question; if the answer is not
clear to you, it could simply mean that no matter how difficult or dangerous
the situation, misfortunes and complications are more than enough to move
the story forward.
HOW SHOULD YOU STRIKE THE RIGHT BAL ANCE FOR
AN ADVANCED CHALLENGE?
The variations that you apply to the rules should be in line with the lessons
that the heroes can learn: spending the drawn b in one way or drawing a in
a different way, without denying the player the freedom to spend the Z and
without requiring more than one Z to succeed in an action. These are exceptions
and you should therefore only use them when they make a difference: abusing
them will slow down the game and make challenges much less interesting
for the players.
BARON CORNELIUS
When the Baron is in the Falcon Guard, a hero must exactly draw a number of a equal to
the number of heroes in the scene, including the hero themself. If there are more heroes
than there are a in the bag, the hero must draw the maximum number of available a. A
hero can take a risk after drawing if enough a remain.

THE MA ZE OF ICY TORMENT

When the narrator receives a b for a complication from a hero, they can activate
the prisoners’ remote control system by activating their suppression chip. Until it is
disactivated, the heroes in the Maze must choose one of their traits: they will not be
able to use it due to the chip’s interference with their memories.

THE RING OF SAMARK AND

When a hero addicted to the ring draws at least 3 b, the hero eliminates the Addicted
to the ring misfortune and marks it as a temporary scar, which remains until someone
else wears the Ring. Losing the Ring is not enough to remove the scar; the Ring must be
worn by someone else.

Narrator 139
PACING THE SESSIONS
A good pace during the sessions helps to keep the group highly focused and allows
time to be devoted to the really significant moments of the story.

As a narrator, you can use goals and depth: two tools that allow you to manage
timing during sessions.

Using them allows you to choose which game situations are quickly resolved
and which are explored in greater depth, without the need to prepare anything
in advance.
 TO GIVE THE SESSION THE RIGHT PACE

1. ASK YOURSELF WHICH MOMENTS DESERVE ATTENTION

Remember to give due consideration to challenges and scenes that you consider important,
without overlooking moments in which the players show genuine enjoyment

2. STATE A GOAL AND GIVE IT A DEPTH

If you want to further explore a moment in the game, agree a goal with the players and
state its depth. The depth of a goal equates to the number of successes needed to reach it

3. KEEP TRACK OF SUCCESSES

Every time a player achieves a success related to the goal, mark it as a result. Once the
players have achieved enough successes, the players have reached the goal

Narrator 141

The final fight between a hero and their sworn
enemy could last much longer than a montage
in which the hero forces their way through the
enemy ranks, mowing down dozens of soldiers
who are nothing more than extras.
During the story a deadly duel could last a
few seconds, while a journey from one city to
another might take several weeks. Yet both
scenes could take up the same amount of time
at the game table.
A journey to a faraway region could be a minor
transitional phase, but it could also be full of
dangers and significant events. Depending on
how much importance you want to give to the
scene, the heroes have to obtain a different
number of significant successes to achieve
their goal.
142 Narrator
GIVING SPACE TO IMPORTANT MOMENTS
Just like a film, every session consists of a series of scenes in which the heroes
attempt to pursue one or more goals. Each scene can obviously include a
different number of characters or places that the heroes must deal with and
can last for a varying length of time. A scene’s duration does not depend on
the number of elements included in it, but on the importance that it has in the
story and on how entertaining and interesting it is. Consider how important
each scene is and allocate them the right space in the story. There is no point in
forcing players to devote hours of time to trivial goals, only to hastily conclude
crucial or particularly interesting moments of the game. To manage the length of
the session, you have the goals at your disposal, namely achievements that are
important for the story, to which you can attribute varying degrees of depth.
WHAT IS A GOAL AND WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE?
When the narrator decides to create space for a particular moment in
the game, they declare a goal to the players. A goal is a target that the
heroes have to work towards. A goal may relate to a scene, a challenge
or more generally a game situation.
A player may declare an intention that you consider a goal or you can
define a goal yourself in order to place the right emphasis on the situation that
the heroes are experiencing. The goals should not be understood as vague or
long-term intentions, but should always be related to the moments of play that
the heroes experience during the session.
You can assign a depth to each goal, which will determine the number of
successes that the heroes must achieve to reach it. The greater the depth of
a goal, the greater the number of tests required to reach it and the more time
you dedicate to it during the session.
GIVING DEPTH TO GOALS
When the narrator describes a goal, they decide and state the depth to
the players. The greater the depth of a goal, the greater the number of
successes needed to reach it.
To choose the depth of a goal, base it on the game context and on the space
that you want to devote to the goal during the session
• Low depth: from 1 to 3 successes, the goal will be reached in 1 - 3 tests
• Medium depth: from 4 to 6 successes, the goal will be reached in 3 - 6 tests
• High depth: from 7 to 10 successes, the goal will be reached in 6 - 9 tests
ALTERNATIVE FOR DETERMINING DEPTH
If you prefer not to purely rely on your sensitivity to determine the depth of a
goal, you can check for certain indicators that could influence it.
• Hostile environment: +1 success
• Unexpected situation: +1 success
• Important challenge in a scene: +1 or +2 successes
• High stakes for the story: +1 or +2 successes
• High stakes for the heroes: +1 or +2 successes
Use these values in place of (and not in addition to) the depth indicators
presented earlier, unless you want a goal to take a very long time to resolve.
As a general rule, a goal should never have a depth greater than 10 unless you
are a large group whose heroes are all involved in a single goal.
The heroes have decided to wade through some
dangerous swamps that will lead them closer to
the Baron’s prisons unseen. During the journey
they are surrounded by a group of ex-convicts
who intend to rob them.
The narrator wants to ensure that the scene
with the ex-convicts does not take up too much
time and decides on a goal with a low depth (2
successes).
If the ambush in the swamps has been calculated
using this alternative method, given the hostile
environment and unexpected situation, the
narrator marks 2 successes as the depth of
the goal.
Significant successes for reaching this goal
could include:
• Climbing a tree and gaining an
advantageous position with the bow
• Injuring, killing, or terrorizing the bandits
• Making a deal with the ex-convicts in
order to be guided to the prisons
Narrator 143

When the heroes achieve 4 successes relevant
to the goal, the narrator will recount how the
bandits disperse, are defeated or help the group.
If the group later attempts to break into the
prisons, successes to count could include
locating a disused entrance, bribing guards or
sneaking behind them undetected.
Deciphering an ancient manuscript is a test for
which successes should not be counted, while
tipping off the guards and convincing them to
double their shifts could subtract successes
from the count.
144 Narrator
DECL ARING THE DEPTH
The narrator must always explicitly state the depth of a goal. This will
give players the necessary tools to recount the outcome of their tests in
a way that is consistent with the pace of the narrative.
There are borderline cases in which you can choose to declare that a goal has
a depth, without explicitly stating the value of the successes that must be
achieved to complete it.
KEEPING TRACK OF RESULTS
When you state a goal, write down the number of successes necessary to achieve
it and every time the players achieve a success that you consider relevant write
it in your notes. When the number of successes achieved is equal to those
requested, describe how the heroes achieve the goal.
DECIDING WHICH SUCCESSES CONTRIBUTE
TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE GOAL
It will normally be simple to decide which successes are significant in order to
achieve the goal. Any test that brings the heroes closer to the result should
be considered related to the goal.
Successes that should not be marked are those that have no relationship,
direct or indirect, to achieving the goal that the heroes are pursuing at that
time. In a minority of cases you may find that the successes achieved by a
player must be subtracted from those counted to achieve the goal. Only do
so in cases in which the player’s actions are explicitly designed to prevent the
goal from being achieved.
TAKING TURNS
The narrator instructs the players to take turns whenever they want to
make sure that everyone has space to interpret their hero’s actions and
reverts to following the natural course of the game when this is no longer
necessary.
If several players want to act at the same time, the order in which things are
happening is unclear, or you are playing a fast-moving situation, it is probably
sensible to take turns. Use turns to give equal space to all the players when
required by the story.
Lilian, Lothar and Etienne are in an inn where
a brawl has broken out. Lilian wants to calm
the crowd, Etienne wants to take advantage of
the chaos to sneak behind the bar, and Lothar
wants to understand what is going on to punish
the culprits.
The narrator asks the players to take turns,
asking them to decide who starts.

DETERMINING THE ORDER OF ACTION

When taking turns it is the players who choose the order in which they act. Each player will face a test and wait until all
Every time all the players have acted a new turn starts and the players can the other players have acted before facing
decide on a new order in which to act. another one.

NARRATING MOMENTS IN WHICH

YOU ARE TAKING TURNS

When you manage situations that require taking turns, use the b that are
handed to you to assign complications and misfortunes that keep the situation
moving and expose the players to the difficulties and dangers of the scene.
Bear in mind the challenges involved in the scene and use the narrative
hooks that you have available to create unexpected consequences. Do not be
afraid to be strict or heavy-handed; the greater the obstacles, the more fun it
will be. You will normally act in response to other players’ draws, but feel free
to describe unexpected developments, especially if the players ignore elements
in the scene for a long time.

Narrator 145
SET TINGS
IN THIS CHAPTER

CREATING SET TINGS 150

DESCRIBE THE SET TING IN ONE SENTENCE 152

FOCUS ON THE NECESSARY DETAIL S 154

CRE ATE EX AMPLES OF TR AITS 157

CRE ATE EX AMPLES OF RESOURCES 158

CRE ATE EX AMPLES OF NAMES 158

CRE ATE EX AMPLES OF CHALLENGES 159

CRE ATE EX AMPLES OF HEROES 159

ALWAYS BE RE ADY TO IMPROVISE 159

FIVE EX AMPLES OF SET TINGS 160

DIE KOENIGER AK ADEMIE 160

SINK APORE 174

KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND 188

RED CREEK 204

THE ROUND TABLE 218

 CREATING SETTINGS
Every story needs asetting: a world in which
the heroes can roam and interact. The nature,
scale and level of detail of a setting depend on
many aspects and can greatly vary.

In some cases the setting will be an idea exclusively

devised by the narrator, who wants to give players
a story full of surprises and an unknown world to
explore.

At other times it will be a collaborative effort in

which the whole playgroup will contribute to
listing the characteristics, enriching the setting
with details, places, organizations and problems
to tackle.

Alternatively the setting could be an existing narrative

universe adapted to the needs of the players. This chapter
contains useful tips for laying the foundations of a
setting and five example settings.
 WHEN YOU CREATE THE SETTING

1. DESCRIBE THE SET TING IN ONE SENTENCE

Describe the main features of the setting in one sentence – it will serve as a reference
during the following steps

2. FOCUS ON THE NECESSARY DETAILS

Identify the details that you want to explore and focus on them. Take into account not
only the setting, but also the use you intend to make of it. The duration of the story, the
frequency of the sessions, the cohesion of the playgroup, the desire and time that you are
willing and able to dedicate to detailed work

3. CREATE SOME EX AMPLES

If you want to make the setting accessible to other people, create sample lists of traits,
resources and names, which can be a useful reference for those who use it. Do not attempt
to cover all the possibilities offered by the setting; concentrate on its core elements

4. CREATE SOME CHALLENGES AND SOME ICONIC HEROES

Heroes and challenges are two sides of the same coin. Creating a few examples of them
will make the setting more clearly defined in your mind and more accessible for anyone
who wants to use it. Use the process of designing heroes and challenges as a pretext to
familiarize yourself with the aspects of the setting that are most in tune with the story

Settings 151

A small town in Texas during the American
Civil War.
A flying, time-travelling city teeming with
adventurers.
The inside of a comatose person’s mind,
where everything is possible and dreams and
nightmares are reality.
Film noir, Italy during World War II, vampires
versus werewolves, Star Wars, post-apocalyptic
world, waning gods living in the real world.
152 Settings
1 2 3 4
DESCRIBE THE SETTING IN ONE SENTENCE
At this stage, try to focus on the elements needed to describe the setting in
just a few words. Establish some fundamentals, such as a main theme, a when
or a where.
Whether you are creating the setting on your own or with the rest of the
game table, at this stage your goal is to obtain a bird’s eye view that informs the
players about the world from which their heroes come and the type of stories
that they will experience.
In the next stages you can take inspiration from the key elements that you
have identified, expanding and enriching them with details.
DECIDE ON THE GENERAL IDEA OF THE SETTING
Sometimes, in order to choose a setting, the best thing is to start with what you
know, what you are curious about or what you are passionate about. A famous
fictional universe, a fiction genre, a theme to explore, a place or a historical
period in the real world or an alternative version of it. Identify an idea to inspire
you and help you to define the setting’s underlying themes.
Ask yourself questions that stimulate your imagination and help you to
choose which direction to take. Start with the simplest questions; at this stage
no question is too trivial:
• What kind of story do you want to tell?
• With which fictional genre is the setting associated?
• In what world or narrative universe is the story set?
• What are the fundamental elements in the setting?
• What elements are out of place or would you exclude from the setting?
• What fictional work can provide good ideas for defining the setting?
• Which historical period can provide good ideas to define the setting?
• What examples would you give to someone to whom you want to briefly
explain it?
CHOOSE A ‘WHERE’

Once you have described the setting in one sentence, narrow it down and In a small, cold outpost on the borders of the
choose a place where the story takes place. No matter how vast the setting, empire, in the maze of dungeons within the
the story needs a context in which to begin. Vigil Fortress, in a small forge planet on the
outer edge, a room from which the heroes
• Where does the story begin? cannot leave.
• What is the scale of the setting? What distances will the heroes cover?
• What are the most important places, power centers and organizations?
• What are the key geographical and geopolitical characteristics?

CHOOSE A ‘WHEN’

Whether it is a historical period, a precise moment in the calendar of the fictional
universe or a vague and abstract concept, time influences the way we see and
experience the setting.
• In which era or historical period is the story set?
• What skills and what level of progress are commonplace in the setting?
• Does the story begin at a time close to important historical events? Which
ones?
• Does the setting feature anachronistic elements? What are they like?
Just before the fall of the Berlin Wall, in the
legendary 1980s, in a distant and undefined
post-atomic future, just after the discovery
of electricity, at the end of an alternative
World War II from which Germany emerged
victorious, the night before the invasion of the
armies of the Dark Elves.

ADD A PERSONAL TOUCH

If you have taken inspiration from an existing setting or from the real world
you may decide to change a few details and make it more personal. Ask yourself
what could be different and if there are elements that you would like to change,
add or delete. A single unexpected element could radically change the feel or
focus of a setting.

Settings 153

Emanuele and his group want to play in the
Star Wars universe. Since they have limited
time available and cannot always all attend the
sessions, the group decides to play a series of
short interlinked adventures in which different
groups of heroes belonging to the Rebel
Alliance travel from planet to planet fighting
the emissaries of the Empire and their local
organizations.
The oppressive presence of the Empire must
be felt, so the story is set between Episode V
and Episode VI, when the Empire is on the rise
and the protagonists of the original trilogy are
recovering from defeat.
154 Settings
1 2 3 4
FOCUS ON THE NECESSARY DETAILS
Each story is different and evolves in its own way, while each playgroup has
different habits and needs. Some stories last a long time, while others are very
short. Some stories take place in precisely defined locations, while others
involve long journeys and many different contexts.
The methods and degree of definition used for the setting should be adapted
to the story. Ask yourself which aspects are worth exploring and which are
better left undefined.
To avoid unnecessary effort, it is best to adopt a practical approach: start
with what you already know and proceed accordingly, only putting energy into
valuable elements.
THE SETTING ALREADY EXISTS
There is nothing wrong with choosing to play in a setting that already exists,
especially if you are very familiar with it. Using well-known settings will
significantly lower the level of preparation required. You can build on ready-
made materials and a shared knowledge base.
If there is a big disparity within the group in terms of experience of the
setting, it is worth sharing materials that allow everyone to start with the
minimum knowledge required to play. There is no need for everyone to know
every detail of the setting by heart; you will gain experience through playing.
If you are using a famous setting, the best thing is to decide together on a
starting point, which allows the players to effectively insert their heroes into
the context and the narrator to effortlessly start the story.
Ask yourself which of the key themes of the setting should be explored and
which should be overlooked. Choose whether you want to be at the center of
the setting or to explore its fringes, leaving it in the background of the story
experienced by the heroes.
CONSIDER THE FREQUENCY OF THE SESSIONS
OR THE DURATION OF THE STORY
If the story that you are about to play has a fixed duration or rhythm it is easy
to get an idea of the number of situations and places that you will be able to
explore and of the maximum level of complexity that you should respect. If you
only have a limited amount of time to devote to the story, avoid evolving the
setting in too much depth and focus on just a few elements, prioritizing the
ones that you are most interested in.
In Not the End the narrator does not have to prepare individual game
situations. If you want to explore certain elements, opt for those that enable
you to fully experience the setting: its culture, customs and most common
names. The narrator will be free to explore the setting as they wish, based
on their preferences and the narrative goals that they want to achieve, while
respecting the table’s collaborative approach.
YOU ARE A FAN OF THE SETTING
Sometimes one person at the table is so passionate about a setting that it
involves the rest of the playgroup. This person is often tasked with narrating
the story. This is a wonderful opportunity to share your passion with others
and the best way to do this is to focus on providing a few elements at a time,
allowing them to be enjoyed one by one.
In such cases it will not take any effort to provide details of the setting and
the narrator will have to curb their creativity to avoid putting too many aspects
in play. It is very easy to overestimate the amount of material needed by players
to enjoy the story and this risks cluttering it with superficial elements.
This is also a perfect opportunity to explore the freedom granted by the game
system. Attempting to prepare a minimal amount and to respond to players’
input is easier in a context that the narrator is very familiar with.
Roberto and his group want to play a single
session in which the heroes try to survive
a threat that is much stronger than they are.
Following a brief discussion, they opt for a
science fiction theme. The setting is nothing
more than the map of a spaceship where the
session will be improvised.
Claudio has always wanted to tell a story set in
Feudal Japan. He is passionate about Japanese
culture: he has seen films, read countless books,
and has been to Japan several times. In the
playgroup, some people are familiar with Japan
and others have played video games set in the
generic Orient.
Claudio decides to screen an Akira Kurosawa
film to clearly show everyone what he has in
mind and then spends a week selecting books
and films as inspiration for setting the story
and helping the players to create heroes.
Settings 155

Gianni and his players want to create a sci-fi
setting infused with a touch of mysticism and
superstition.
The playgroup draws a map comprising five star
systems, each of which features a key element:
• Rea-Ko: the home planet of the Korr, a
warlike species that recently joined the
Galactic Union
• Sigma-13: a forge world that is the origin
of half the Galaxy’s weapons
• The Singularity: a rift that is slowly
engulfing a star system and from which
mysterious signals are emanating
• Taethi-9: A small asteroid that is home
to the Monastery of the Ultimate Faith, a
new cult that is drawing large numbers of
believers
• Huroboros: A huge creature that emerged
from the Singularity, larger than a planet.
It wanders between star systems in a
seemingly harmless way
The Korr annexation is said to be a move by the
Union to assert claims to Sigma-13. The Galaxy
is terrorized by Huroboros and the climate of
religious fervor exacerbates the situation. The
heroes make their living from Union-funded
missions and are on reconnaissance near Rea-
Ko.
156 Settings
YOU ARE CREATING THE SETTING FROM SCRATCH
If you intend to play quickly in a setting created from scratch, be sure to define
the idea behind it as outlined at the beginning of this chapter. If you already have
an idea of how to provide details for the setting, then follow your own method.
The most important thing is that it works for you. If, however, you want to
experiment with a quick way of creating the game world, follow this procedure:
1. Draw a map. It does not matter whether it is a map of a city, region, country,
world or galaxy. The scale of the map depends on the tone of the setting.
It does not have to be beautiful; it just needs to be comprehensible to you,
the person drawing it. A sheet of paper in the middle of the table or a digital
whiteboard will do just fine
2. Populate the map with important places. Create no fewer than three
and no more than ten, using counters or post-it notes
3. Define why the places are important and who inhabits them. Try to
devote the same attention to all the places marked on the map, even if they
have different sizes and scales. It doesn’t matter if an entire solar system is
described in as much detail as a village with just a few inhabitants
4. Evolve a basic network of relationships. Connect the individuals who
inhabit the places you have described. Briefly outline who they are and
how they relate to each other
5. If there are precarious balances at stake, upset them. Create ongoing
conflicts. If there are strong bonds between characters, ask yourself what
might weaken them. Create sources of tension in the setting. Clashes,
dangers or disputed resources
6. Consider where the heroes are and why they are there. Next, take
your time to collate this information, whether it be minutes or a few days
Naturally, you can follow this procedure along with the players, while also
creating the heroes before completing the last point.
1 2 3 4
CREATE EX AMPLES OF TRAITS
When creating a new setting it may be useful to list a few examples of traits.
This is not a necessary step: by following the previous points, you have probably
already given your players enough information to have a sound idea of the
world that will host their heroes.
Depending on their familiarity with the setting’s stereotypes, they may already
have thought about who their hero will be. Moreover, this step is superfluous if
the heroes are created together. If, on the other hand, the heroes are created
individually or if you are designing the setting for use by other playgroups,
you can give them some suggestions.
The list of traits that you draw up will never be exhaustive: some players
will certainly have ideas for traits that you had not thought of. This is a good
thing! Use the list that you have prepared as a guide to advise them on how to
best create a hero who is fully involved in the adventure.
A list of traits helps you to determine what abilities you can expect from
characters. Some traits are universal; others are not. Understanding what
traits are common, rare or non-existent will help you to determine the kind
of adversaries and secondary characters found in the setting.
• What professions and skills are common in the game world?
• What professions and skills are rare enough to be a source of wonder?
• Are there any abilities that have been lost or never developed?
• What are the insurmountable limits of the technology or magic present
in the setting?
• What fantasy elements are so common that they are part of everyday life?
• Are there any fantasy elements that are viewed in a particular way and
subject to laws or restrictions?
• What fictional stereotypes are most in line with the setting?
Gianni and his playgroup are satisfied with the
setting that they have created and decide to
make it available to anyone who wants to play it.
They therefore prepare some example traits,
focusing on the most characteristic ones.
Indeed, in every setting there is someone good
at Convincing, Interrogating or Hiding. By
contrast, Zero-gravity training is not normally
a trait that anyone can select, but it could be
a plausible option in a sci-fi setting or even a
common trait if the story is mostly set in space.
• Examples of archetypes: Prelate of the
Ultimate Faith, Union Politician, Pirate
of the Edge, Conscious fragment of
Huroboros, Korr separatist
• Examples of qualities: Rebel, Politicized,
Militant, Faithful, Impostor, Visionary,
Forged, Synthetic
• Examples of abilities: Pilot, Etiquette,
Smuggling, Mining, Quantum physics,
Zero-gravity combat
• Examples of alternative traits: Touched
by the Singularity, I will defend my planet,
Network ghost, Speciesist
Settings 157

Gianni researches by rereading his favorite
science-fiction novels and refers to a few
television series. He adjusts the focus by asking
himself which situations in the game should be
covered and draws up this list:
• Common resources: planetary transport,
food from hydroponics, credit chip, life-
support med-bot, communicator
• Rare resources: zero-g silencer rifle,
military-grade med-bot, civilian spaceship,
quantum jump fuel cell, Union encryption
codes
• Exceptional resources: Unregistered
stealth warship, fragment of Huroboros,
awakened artificial intelligence, relic from
the Singularity
Gianni draws up a list of the names of the main
species annexed to the Galactic Union and for
each of them he will make a list of around ten
typical names.
He then adds several names of common places
in the system in which the story will start and
around ten corporations and groups.
158 Settings
CREATE EX AMPLES OF RESOURCES
A list of resources will help you in the course of the story to assess how
challenging it is to obtain something and how serious it is to lose it. As for the
traits, this distinction makes it easier to visualize the everyday nature of the
setting and to make it more concrete.
• List common resources: i.e. those that are accessible to more or less
everyone in the setting. They are cheap and can be widely sourced
with minimal effort
• List rare resources: possessing rare resources should not be taken
for granted. Whether a resource of this nature is extremely expensive
or difficult to procure, owning it can be a source of envy or a significant
advantage over those who do not possess it.
• List exceptional resources: the vast majority of the population will
go through their lives without ever even touching a special resource,
let alone owning one. Possessing an exceptional resource can alter
the balance of the story
CREATE EX AMPLES OF NAMES
While they may seem trivial, names greatly contribute to bringing a setting to
life. Names are powerful: they are one of the things that reflect a culture and
the way it perceives things.
A list of names of individuals and places will make it easier for the narrator
to improvise credible situations in line with the tone of the narrative; it will
also help players to immerse themselves in the world that they are exploring.
If the setting includes numerous species, races or cultures and you do not
have time to devote to these lists, focus on names of individuals and places that
the heroes will be most likely to encounter during the first sessions.
1 2 3 4

CREATE EX AMPLES OF CHALLENGES

The bringing challenges to life section in the narrating stories chapter
lists all the information necessary for creating challenges. Use the creation of
challenges as an excuse to read up about the setting and learn something new.
Creating a challenge involves answering a list of questions and it’s precisely
the research needed to provide meaningful answers that represents the real
benefit of this preparation.
Obviously creating examples of challenges is also a useful reference for
anyone who wants to use them during the sessions or take inspiration from
them to create new challenges while maintaining the tone of the setting.
CREATE EX AMPLES OF HEROES
This step is only recommended if you want to make the setting available to
third parties. Don’t invest too much time in creating pre-made heroes: creating
heroes in Not the End is a fast process and part of the fun. Instead, spend time
on offering ideas for creating heroes who fit well into the context of the story.
Gianni wants to create a crew of Korr pirates
as an example challenge. When answering
the questions “What misfortunes and
complications is it mostly like to cause?”,
“What are its weaknesses?” and “How does it
act?”, he realizes that he knows very little about
piracy, boarding or how a crew works and acts.
After some research, at the end of the process,
Gianni feels much better prepared on the
subject and more confident about weaving it
into the story.
In Gianni’s setting, Union pilots and agents are
the obvious choice, but separatists or members
of the Ultimate Faith could also make for great
story elements.

ALWAYS BE READY TO IMPROVISE

When dealing with ready-made material, do not fall into the trap of allowing it
to limit you. Having prepared material is not a valid reason for limiting players
to exclusively acting within its confines.
In Not the End it is simple to improvise a challenge or a test; you just have
to get used to it. All you need is to keep an eye on the difficulty and danger
scales. It will be enough to describe a situation to determine the impact on the
rules. Listen to the players: misfortunes and complications will come naturally
as you become familiar with the setting and immerse yourself in the story.

Settings 159
DIE KOENIGER AK ADEMIE
Daniele’s group loves fantasy, but is fed up with the usual settings: they all want
something stranger than the standard group of warriors, wizards and thieves. The
traditional choice to set fantasy somewhere between the Middle Ages and the
Renaissance is unanimously rejected and the players start to propose different
historical eras to imbue with magic.

They are all fans of the Harry Potter “school of magic” setting and a couple of
players insist on trying to play heroes that are not human, even monstrous
if possible.

While defining the setting, Daniele and his group imagine a second version of
the Reich, the German Empire at the dawn of the First World War, which hunts
down monstrous creatures and snatches children who show witchcraft in their
blood from their families.

These supernatural creatures are taken to a military camp, indoctrinated and

subjected to a harsh regime designed to turn them into weapons for the Second
Reich’s wars of conquest. This project is probably on the orders of an immortal
Otto von Bismarck.

For the conscripts of the Koeniger Kriegsakademie, everyday life is nothing

but brutal training and contempt. It will be up to the heroes to change this
situation! Daniele’s story will be a historical fantasy, set in 1911 in a secret
valley outside Munich.
Settings 161
 EVERY MY THOLOGY IS UNIQUE
Daniele suggests that every hero in this story possesses a unique power and is the last
member of a legendary race or something equally rare. Inspiration may come from different
European and non-European mythologies: the German Empire may have kidnapped a
leprechaun from Ireland during a raid or a spider-spirit descended from Anansi from the
African colonies. Any folklore creatures, such as the Prague golem, Balkan vampires or
werewolves are also welcome.
Emanuele wants to explore another fictional genre: he proposes that alongside magical
beings there could also be creatures from Gothic horror and the pulp science fiction that
inspired literature in the 19th and 20th centuries. He gives the example of Dr Frankenstein’s
monster or the Martians of Barsoom from the John Carter series.
Daniele agrees, but with so much at stake it is important to decide before starting to
play which versions of the myths or tales the players are referring to when defining their
fantasy creature.
Gianni wants to play a ghost. He explains that his hero is an ethereal and intangible
specter that appears as an evanescent reflection of the boy that it was in real life; in terms
of the abilities traditionally associated with ghosts, it is able to manifest the fears of those
who face it. Gianni and Daniele agree that Incorporeality and Manifest fears should be
traits on the hero’s hive.
Unlike other fictional specters, the hero cannot possess other people’s bodies, at least
not for now: Gianni does not rule out adding it as a trait in the future.
Daniele and Gianni also clarify the traditional weaknesses of ghosts: not being able to
interact with solid objects unless they make a great effort and being inextricably linked
to the place or event that killed them.
Gianni will not need to mark anything on the sheet regarding these weaknesses, but
the narrator will definitely use them to determine the difficulties of the tests or as
inspiration for misfortunes and complications.

162 Settings
A MENACING EMPIRE
The setting will be geared around the contrast between European mythologies and
retro-futuristic technology within the German Empire. Serena proposes that the Koeniger
Kriegsakademie should be a building inspired by the spectacular castles of Ludwig II (such
as Neuschwanstein), covered with an electric mesh to imprison the “cadets”, the name used
to identify the beings recruited by the Empire. Zeppelins loaded with bombs occasionally
fly overhead and the towers feature machine gun and mortar stations.
Emanuele suggests that Otto von Bismarck, who has retired to private life and has
been made immortal by a mixture of magic and Frankensteinian technology, should be
the figure behind the Academy who is continuing to scheme for the greater glory of the
Reich. His loyal drill sergeants are equipped with the most nefarious contraptions that
occultists and mad scientists concoct to subjugate and punish rebels. For the cadets, daily
life is nothing but strenuous training, abuse and indoctrination.

THE HEROES GUIDE THE STORY

The story is based on the conventions of Young Adult fiction: Daniele does not prepare
any central theme or any mission outside the oppressive context. It will be the motivations
and decisions of the heroes that drive the story, rather than a goal proposed to them
by a secondary character. Daniele asks if anyone has a good initial idea for a hero,
someone who could lead the cadets’ rebellion. Serena has always wanted to play a dragon
and immediately makes this suggestion. She explains that her hero wishes to escape from
the Academy to free her father, the dragon Belenos, who has been subjugated by the Kaiser
and used as a weapon of mass destruction.
Gianni, on the other hand, says that his ghost will remain stuck in the castle until the
feud with Sergeant Konrad, who ordered the massacre of his family in the Balkans and
is now one of the cadets’ persecutors, is resolved. It will be these personal motivations
that will guide the heroes’ actions, initially in the Academy, then far and wide in the
lands of the Empire.

Settings 163
 SUGGESTED TRAITS
Every archetype is welcome: from complex steampunk robots to monsters
brought home from the Empire’s colonies. Popular tropes from Young Adult
literature could become traits that provide depth when talking about your role in
the Academy.

ARCHET YPES QUALITIES ABILITIES

Dragon Fire in the belly Telepathy

Vampire Psychic Breathe flames
Ghost Initiated into the mysteries Understand the enemy
Brain piloting a steam-powered robot Construct Destroy
Thor’s grandson Enormous Secret languages
Nostradamus’ heir Ethereal Alchemy
Dwarf forger Brilliant Curse
Martian explorer Noble Engrave runes
Golem Undead Spy
Mummified prince Shapeshifter Levitate

ALTERNATIVE TRAITS

Grandfather’s grimoire, The silver crown, The people of Nidavellir, It’s mine by right,
Mad science!, It doesn’t work like that!, Last of my kind

164 Settings
 SUGGESTED RESOURCES
Objects, including magical items, are scattered throughout the Academy. Some
heroes may be dependent on them. Remember that if an object is crucial for your
hero then it should be a trait in their hive.

COMMON RARE EXCEPTIONAL

Food rations Cluster of hand grenades A vial of blood from a Norse god
Beer tankard Lightning in a bottle The philosopher’s stone
Simple alchemical reagent A pure ruby The code for Otto von Bismarck’s study
Cadet uniform Ceremonial armor of the Duke of Swabia A Staaken R.VI bomber
Ammunition for Mauser C96 K09 pass The Academy architect’s brain preserved in
The key to a closet Motorbike spirit
An eternal candle Silver bullets
Diesel jerry can A pinch of fairy dust
A copper ring Pharmacist’s cupboard
Paper, pen and ink Mind-reading spell

T YPICAL NAMES
Helmut Heirsch, Konrad Muller, Fritz Grohl, Lucas Heichmann, Denis Zimmermann,
Johann von Berenberg, Mathilde Ludendorff, Hanna Gossler, Heinz Pernet, Wilhelm,
the Griffon Tower, Herr Graaf’s camp, Marsfelt Camp, the village of Furstburg

Settings 165
 BULLIES AND DICTATORS
The challenges are fueled by the same collection of myths, folklore and fiction that
fuels the creation of heroes. Within the Kriegsakademie there are mainly three types of
challenges: against cadets with different outlooks, against instructors or other members
of the German Empire, and finally against the technomagic that permeates the structure
of the Academy.
The other cadets attempt to survive the situation, sometimes to the detriment of
our heroes. As in any college there will be rivals who want to stand out in front of the
instructors or a spying doppelgänger ready to ruin any escape plans. Instructors, in order
to handle monsters of the most varied species, will also possess something special, such
as a solid foundation in occultism or silver bullets.
The Academy itself is a building capable of containing extremely powerful beings, but
how? Perhaps there is a soul fragment removed from each cadet in Bismarck’s private
study. Perhaps the valley where the building lies is imbued with the power coming from
underground streams of magic. Perhaps each cadet is kept imprisoned with a specific
method. Explore the weaknesses of folklore creatures together to gather inspiration on
the subject.

OUTSIDE THE ACADEMY

Unless you want to end the story with the escape of the group of heroes, the cadets will
sooner or later find themselves having to act outside the Academy, either as special agents
for the German Empire or as fugitives seeking freedom.
Myths are real and the world has developed accordingly: the great colonial empires
have managed to integrate a bit of magic into the industrial revolution. Kaiser Wilhelm
II’s armies already include more powerful adult versions of the cadets, perhaps even their
family members.
The Russian empire, the British empire and the Ottoman empire are also establishing
academies of little monsters prepared to fight on the battlefields. Any state that does not
do so is doomed to be crushed by the Reich.

166 Settings
ARGALVANIC ACCUMUL ATOR
One of the apparatuses that powers the technomagic barrier around the Academy.
A huge brass and steel cabinet engraved with ancient runes, featuring a front panel
covered with branching valves and cables.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Tests involving the accumulator are normal (3 b) and fairly dangerous (you leave
the scene if you draw 3 b)
• Reprogramming it is very difficult (5 b)
• During a storm any test in the vicinity of the accumulator increases the danger by
one level

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Blinded by sparks
• Electrocuted
• Stunned

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• There is a terrified lightning spirit hiding in the heart of the accumulator
• Two engineers arrive for routine maintenance
• A power surge breaks a nearby apparatus
• An incorrect parameter will lead, at the worst possible time, to the blackout of an
area of the Academy

MORE INFORMATION
Accumulators scattered throughout the Academy can provide energy for a wide variety of
purposes. The internal circuits and control systems are complicated, but fragile, and tend
to get overloaded during storms. Causing them to explode under these overload conditions
always results in an additional success (1 Z) that amplifies the effect of the test.

Settings 167
 WOLFGANG, WEREWOLF BULLY
Tall, muscular and fierce-looking, Wolfgang was a promising soldier of the Empire
before he fell under the curse of the full moon. Once transferred to the Academy,
he immediately became one of the instructors’ favorites because of his strength,
discipline and respect for hierarchy. Nothing makes him happier than dominating
newcomers.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Tests against Wolfgang are normal (3 b) and do not involve any danger
• Hiding while he looks for you is very difficult (5 b) due to his predatory senses
• Facing him physically becomes very difficult (5 b) and slightly dangerous (you
leave the scene if you draw 4 b) when he is in wolf form
• Facing him in front of the instructors raises the danger by one level since he will do
anything to make you look bad

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Humiliated in front of fellow cadets
• Beaten up in the courtyard
• Lacerated by a bite
• Intimidated

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• Wolfgang will rat you out to the drill sergeant
• Two of Wolfgang’s minions arrive to support him
• You mistakenly hit an innocent cadet

MORE INFORMATION
Not all Academy conscripts want to rebel. Wolgang embodies the spirit of the corps
and leads a band of fanatical cadets who are eager to work their way up. Fear-related
misfortunes always apply against Wolfgang, even if you are frightened by something else:
he smells fear and pounces on anyone who is nervous.

168 Settings
DRILL SERGEANT EINSMANN
The head of military discipline within the Academy. Characterized by gray eyes
and a lean physique, he keeps order with total insensitivity to suffering. He keeps
technomagic contraptions on his belt that can bring even the most stubborn of
cadets into line.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Tests against Einsmann are difficult (4 b) and slightly dangerous (you leave the
scene if you draw 4 b)
• Making him lose his temper or provoking him is almost impossible (6 b)
• Questioning his authority is very dangerous (you leave the scene if you draw 2
b)

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Detention
• Whipped
• Under strict supervision

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• Einsmann names you at headquarters (for exemplary punishment, for a transfer, to
promote you to an operational role in the army...)
• Einsmann punishes an innocent fellow cadet
• Einsmann entrusts you with an onerous task that will keep you busy

MORE INFORMATION
Eisnmann’s humanity appears to have been surgically removed, and he is one of the
figures who is most loathed by the cadets. He does not use his whip sadistically, but
with cold efficiency. If a hero manages to stir up any emotion in him (whether positive
or negative), something in him breaks, his face becomes a mask of anger and suffering
and he acts unstoppably, driven solely by vengeful madness. All the subsequent tests
against Einsmann become very difficult (5 b) and very dangerous (you leave the scene
if you draw 2 b). A few days after Einsmann has been eliminated in this way, the newly-
promoted Drill Sergeant Zweismann, who seems to have lost all semblance of humanity,
appears at the Academy.

Settings 169
 EXPLORE MY THOLOGIES
Every literary monster and creature is composed of a blend of unique powers, special
weaknesses, and an instinctive, primal drive. From the powers traditionally associated with
a creature like you, choose which ones you really possess and which ones are just legend.
The Empire definitely has a role in mind for someone with superhuman abilities like
those of your hero: maybe it is a role that you could agree to play, or perhaps it goes
against all your beliefs.
Imagine the ways in which the Empire could exploit your hero’s weaknesses to force
them into the Academy and what your hero could do to free themself of the constraints
that have been imposed on them.
Your primal desire, like a vampire’s desire for blood, must be kept at bay. Perhaps your
hero is freeing themself from this instinct or perhaps they are trying to satisfy it in every
way, even in this prison-like situation.
Everyday situations that can occur at any college are tinged with mystery and rebellion.
A visit by senior officers to review the cadets and select those ready to serve in the army
proves to be an excellent opportunity to uncover some of the Reich’s secrets and gain insights
into the outside world. Proving yourself ready and disciplined enough for a field exercise
will create an opportunity for an escape or to eliminate a particularly cruel instructor.
The heroes presented here represent typical cadets at the Kriegsakademie, as well
as being a classic trio of friends from a Young Adult series: an impetuous leader, a more
cerebral companion, and a more sensitive one.

170 Settings
 AXARES

ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

BREATHE
DESTROY
FLAMES
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

WILD FLY
QUALITY QUALITY

FIRE
POWERFUL
IN THE BELLY
ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

KNOW
DRAGON
THE ELEMENTS
QUALITY QUALITY

ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

ABILITY

Settings 171
 GORAN RADOMIR R.I.P.

ABILITY

MANIFEST
ABILITY
FEARS ABILITY

EXPOSE
INCORPOREALITY
FALSEHOODS
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

SILENT
PSYCHIC
MOVEMENTS QUALITY QUALITY

ETHEREAL EMPATHETIC
ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

GHOST
QUALITY QUALITY

ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

ABILITY

172 Settings
 DR. HANS HEISENTHAL

ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

FACE
GROUPS
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

COMPLICATED TRANSPORT
QUALITY QUALITY

ENORMOUS
ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

BRAIN PILOTING A
QUALITY
STEAM-POWERED ROBOT QUALITY

ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

BRILLIANT
ABILITY ABILITY

DEBATE
ABILITY

I DON’T KNOW WHY

BUT IT WORKS!

Settings 173
SINK APORE
Fabio has asked his group what kind of story they want to play and has received
several suggestions with a common thread: “post-apocalyptic”, “cyberpunk” and
“dystopian future”. Fabio decides to set his story in the real world, in a fairly
near future where things have taken a turn for the worse.

Drawing inspiration from a series of illustrations found on the internet, Fabio

decides that the cornerstone of this future will be some sort of catastrophic
event that has accelerated global warming and caused the seas to dramatically
rise. He imagines buildings rising out of the water and the whole group agrees
to limit the adventure to a single, large metropolis. Fabio and his friends choose
one of several coastal cities teeming with technology and skyscrapers.

The choice falls on Singapore, since it is already an extremely cosmopolitan

city-state and is therefore very suited to being a varied, but self-contained
setting, without the need to define how the city interacts with a larger state. Of
the typical dystopian themes, the group chooses to focus on the omnipresence
of the internet and corporations, which have engulfed the duties of the state.

Instead, they choose to avoid themes such as “revolt of the machines”: artificial
intelligence will be present, but not so prevalent that it constitutes a faction of
society. The story will therefore be set in the Singapore of 2092, which is slowly
being swallowed up by the rising sea and is characterized by a society obsessed
with technology and consumerism.
Settings 175
 A STRATIFIED SOCIET Y
The group unanimously agrees that the city is the true star of this story. They imagine
that the metropolis’ characteristic skyscrapers have continued to increase in height and
quantity to meet the growing demand for the most precious commodity in the crowded
island state: space.
Eleonora has been to Singapore on business and it seems logical to her that the city’s
burgeoning economy and strong focus on progress have made it increasingly central to
power games, causing its population to explode far beyond comfort levels.
Unfortunately, the anti-flooding measures taken in response to global warming have
failed: now the buildings rise directly from the Java Sea, the foundations and second floors
submerged by polluted water. As you ascend, the floors become increasingly luxurious,
ending with vertical gardens, offices and penthouses gleaming with neon lights.
Alessandro suggests that the skyscrapers could be connected by a suspended train line
and also by a wide variety of structures. He invents the Platinum Bridge designed by Ido
Tekashi and Eleonora adds that in poor neighborhoods there are temporary walkways
held by ropes. Barges and jet skis glide around below, in the maze of brackish waste-filled
canals at the foot of the buildings that Fabio has renamed “the Broth”. This is the realm
of outcasts and criminals, who live day to day knowing that all their possessions could be
submerged during the next monsoon.
To increase the contrast between the levels, Alessandro says that those who can afford
it speed through the air on a hoverbike. Eleonora points out the tropical climate and the
group agrees that being outdoors means being exposed to humid, sticky heat, exacerbated
by the thousands of air conditioners spewing hot air into Singapore’s already sweltering
sky; moreover, between tropical storms, fleets of delivery drones take flight and propel
the local economy.
As the government crumbles like the foundations of the oldest buildings and the world’s
economy slumps in the face of a deranged climate, the people of renamed Sinkapore
persevere in stifling micro-apartments shared with an uncontrollable population of insects,
immersed in a haze of smog and threatened by rising waters.

176 Settings
THE EVOLUTION OF TECHNOLOGY
Although the buildings are collapsing, Fabio insists that the telecom infrastructure should
hold out. Anyone can afford a smart-eye, a small device applied to the temple that allows
you to project the internet directly onto your retina and access the myriad of online
services. Fast delivery of consumer goods is guaranteed and the elite living on the upper
floors advertise their wasteful lifestyles. He also suggests bionic prosthetic implants that
vary in quality and prevalence: from a mechanical limb with limited sensitivity to optical
surgical masterpieces for assisted night vision or extreme focusing abilities.
The group briefly discusses the subject of artificial intelligence. Eventually Fabio decides
that it is still developed and many of the global services are at least partly managed by
sophisticated algorithms, however the dreaded technological singularity, in which the whole
of humanity finds itself unable to understand progress, has been looming threateningly on
the horizon for several years without ever taking place. Some still remain hopeful: surely
machines can’t make the world any worse than humans already have.

THE SUPREMACY OF CORPORATIONS

Everything in Sinkapore is privatized. The players take turns at inventing corporations
and agencies that further evolve this world:

• Dragonfly Express: the leading consumer goods company whose delivery drones
are as ubiquitous in the sky as tropical insects
• K.E.N.G. Korps, Justice Inc., A.P.P.S.: for decades, Singapore has had a tradition
of efficient policing and zero tolerance for even minor crimes. Now private security
companies are leasing buildings and competing to make the most arrests
• The building divers (abbreviated to B-Vers or Beavers): the submerged foundations
constantly need repair: beavers wear cutting-edge techno-suits and dive into the
Broth to make repairs or sabotage buildings for hire. Some receive adaptive surgery
to enable them to stay underwater

Settings 177
 SUGGESTED TRAITS
The most common archetypes are the prevalent professions in a dystopian future,
however more cyberpunk and futuristic concepts are not out of place.

ARCHET YPES QUALITIES ABILITIES

Hacker Intuitive Assemble

Smuggler Geek Diving
Hoverbike pilot Unpredictable Sabotage
Techno-marine Lightning fast Assassinate
Pet android Man of the world Precision weapons
Muay Thai master Detached Convince
Surgeon Rich kid Explosives
Engineer Empathetic Drugs
B-ver Lethal Parkour
Finance shark Bio-engineered Company facilities

ALTERNATIVE TRAITS

Consciousness dissolved in the network, Enhanced syntho-muscles, FocusPlus X5

bioelectronic eyes, Colder than a robot, Better machines than men, Mama Lee’s
customers, The infamous K.E.N.G. Korps, Anarchy!, Inhumane

178 Settings
 SUGGESTED RESOURCES
Certain aspects of technology have greatly evolved and others less so. Prosthetics
and biomechanical modifications can be resources or traits depending on their
importance to you.

COMMON RARE EXCEPTIONAL

Consumer goods delivered by drone Unregistered sniper rifle The “Oblivion” virus that deletes you from the
Second-hand hoverbikes Cutting-edge subdermal surgery internet
Smart-eye Invitations to the best party of the year A nuclear warhead
Synthetic food One kilo of ultra-pure Exta-6 stimulant The heart of an A.I.
Registered guns A spacious apartment The Dragonfly Express’ flight algorithm
A dose of (badly) cut drug HT2 “Firestorm” Teslamborghini The deed to a skyscraper
A molotov Kevlar fiber tuxedo designed by Sabatini
Mechanical limbs Millions of followers
Fake documents Spy drone
Passage on a motor barge Compromising photos of a big shot

T YPICAL NAMES
Tarini Ninjabi, Jackie Zheng, Darren Tehko, Nor Hafiz, Gabriel Quan, Dr. Ming-Jo Zhi,
Kelly Pahat, Dominic Tan Jun, Mei Peterson, Kevin Kapoor, “Strawb3rry”, “Log4n”,
“BrightGuy”

Settings 179
 A HOSTILE CIT Y
Sinkapore is a city without enough goods for everyone; it is a dog-eat-dog world in which
people constantly struggle to stay afloat. Private police are either corrupt or simply
uncompromising; they treat the theft of an apple as seriously as an act of terrorism. They
are equipped with surveillance tools and heavy weapons.
Criminal organizations and ruthless corporations are often indistinguishable from each
other in their methods and goals, from the gangs of the Broth that defend their corner
used for dealing drugs or fencing goods, to the executives who only seek profit and are
prepared to destroy the competition by any means necessary. In business, the end always
justifies the means.
Terrorist organizations plant bombs or sell secrets regardless of the consequences, just
for the sake of disrupting the status quo. The idea of ethical revolution has been completely
lost, giving way to mere rebellion for nothing but the sake of revolt.
Moreover, the city itself is hostile. Tropical weather brings monsoons, winds, and
thunderstorms, causing power outages, making it difficult to get around outdoors, and
destroying property. The rickety architecture continues to grow upward, the only direction
left, but the foundation is rotting and the city increasingly resembles a house of cards on
the verge of collapse.
Large insects thrive in the wet, dirty climate of the slums and the only areas without
them have excessive levels of pollution and toxicity, even for cockroaches. The waters in
which divers are sometimes required to dive for repair or salvage operations have very
high levels of pollution and radioactivity.
In Sinkapore, threats are everywhere, as well as opportunities that this wild and
seemingly unregulated environment holds for its inhabitants.

180 Settings
K.E.N.G. KORPS PATROL
Members of the leading private security force, the Korps are distinguished by their
dark blue riot uniforms and slightly above average training. Armed with batons,
tasers, and firearms, they have unrestricted rights to forcibly arrest or deport
anyone causing disorder in the neighborhood over which they have jurisdiction.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Tests against a standard patrol of four agents are normal (3 b) and slightly
dangerous (you leave the scene if you draw 4 b)
• If the patrol considers you disruptive they will turn on you. Tests become difficult
(4 b) and fairly dangerous (you leave the scene if you draw 3 b)
• Intimidating them is very difficult (5 b) since they calmly retreat if in trouble
• Bribing them is easy (2 b), but they are very demanding

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Bullet in the shoulder
• Blow from a truncheon
• Wanted by the Korps

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• A location associated with the group is placed under surveillance
• An officer demands ever-increasing bribes to turn a blind eye
• The Korps seize weapons, drugs, or other items from you

MORE INFORMATION
For the Korps, it does not matter whether you are a terrorist or a passerby in the wrong
place at the wrong time: if you cause disorder in their neighborhood they will chase you
out with truncheons or worse. They have a database of suspects and access to an extensive
camera network. Starting a feud with the Korps is unwise: for serious cases they deploy
armored vehicles and heavy weapons, which greatly raise the difficulty and danger of
the tests against them.

Settings 181
 THE OLD AIRPORT
Once luxurious and bustling, the airport on the edge of town was abandoned when
its runways were flooded. The top of a giant glass dome, cracked and half-destroyed
by the collapse of the control tower, emerges from the oily waters.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Tests in the old airport are difficult (4 b) and fairly dangerous (you leave the
scene if you draw 3 b)
• Abandoned structures are easy (2 b) to destroy
• Operating a submerged aircraft or machinery is almost impossible (6 b)

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Infected cut
• Lost under the dome
• Dazed by oily fumes

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• A thief in search of working parts chooses to rob you
• The split across the dome gets bigger with a ‘crack!’
• Moray eels have nested around the resource you are looking for

MORE INFORMATION
The stunning glass dome, the indoor garden, the artificial waterfall... all these symbols
of luxury are now part of a nightmarish environment of broken glass, polluted water and
mutated animals. It is nevertheless a great place to steer clear of law enforcement and to
salvage some engine parts.

182 Settings
MS. ZHI’S “JADE” ARCHIVE
This archive contains incriminating evidence on many of the city’s important
figures, gathered in the course of years of investigative journalism. It is protected
by the world’s best firewall and cyber espionage countermeasures. If you try to
steal its secrets, you risk revealing your own.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Tests involving the JADE are very difficult (5 b), but they do not involve danger
• It is impossible to destroy it since it has too many backups around the world
• With the right information on how to get around the firewall the difficulty drops
to normal, (3 b), but Ms. Zhi also plants many trap-clues that make the tests
against the archive fairly dangerous (you leave the scene if you draw 3 b)

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Banned by the system
• Traced
• Compromised systems
• Identity exposed

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• You find out that JADE contains information about your account and you cannot
delete it
• JADE deliberately gives you wrong information
• JADE reports your intrusion to security officers

MORE INFORMATION
Ms. Zhi, a legendary figure somewhere between a hard-hitting journalist and an information
dealer, has spent her entire life acquiring a wealth of secrets and favors. JADE is the name
that the underworld gives both to her database of the city’s sins and to the system that
protects it: a system programmed to attack those who attack it and to steal the secrets of
those who attempt to extract its own secrets.

Settings 183
 NOT ONLY HEROES
In a dystopian setting like Sinkapore it is difficult to really discern who is a hero and
who isn’t. A criminal gang with a few strong moral principles, but otherwise willing to
do any dirty work is a good idea for a group, as is a start-up trying to wade through the
corruption of mega-corporations.
More often than not, private police companies are part of the problem rather than of
the solution. In such an unstable situation with no absolutes it is very easy for the group
not to remain united and for the heroes to start fighting each other because each one
believes in something different.
In this type of setting it is particularly important to decide whether you want to create
a group with a common goal or if, on the contrary, everyone agrees to create heroes
without restrictions and see what direction the story takes.
Heroes getting in each other’s way leads to very destructive situations, but the negative
outcomes in Not the End are just another way to have fun: perhaps it is fitting that
the inhabitants of a dystopian world evolve by being marked by more scars and failures
than usual.

BEYOND HUMAN?
Artificial intelligences are so widespread that they can be potential heroes themselves. To
create an android, or in general an A.I. limited to a single synthetic body, decide whether
it has behavioral blocks due to its programming. Decide whether it is subservient to a
human, perhaps another hero, or whether it is completely free.
You can create heroes that live as digital assistants in another hero’s wrist computer
or as dissolved forms of consciousness in a computer network. In addition to choosing
traits, define the limits of these entities’ freedom and what role they play in society.
A digital intelligence that can inhabit several mechanical bodies should have various
traits connected to this skill. The more advanced the control it has over the bodies, the
more traits the player will want to devote to the actions performed through the machine
that it is inhabiting at that moment.

184 Settings
 CHINGSTAR

ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

EXPLOIT ATTRACT
SOCIAL MEDIA ATTENTION
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

CONVINCING
QUALITY QUALITY

FAMOUS
ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

INFLUENCER ACROBATICS
QUALITY QUALITY

RECKLESS
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

PILOT
ABILITY ABILITY

ABILITY

Settings 185
 DETECTIVE NICKY NAJIB

ABILITY

STRIKE WHERE
IT HURTS
ABILITY ABILITY

FIND MAKE
TRACKS FRIENDS
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

SHARP
QUALITY QUALITY

KEEN
REASSURING
EYE
ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

DRONE-SPY PRIVATE
27-L DETECTIVE
QUALITY QUALITY

ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

ABILITY

186 Settings
 LEE “Y1M1” KORIM

ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

SECURITY
SPY
SYSTEMS
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

PARANOID
QUALITY QUALITY

ALWAYS
CONNECTED
ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

HACKER INTRUSION
QUALITY QUALITY

ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

INTELLIGENT
ABILITY ABILITY

ABILITY

CRYPTOGRAPHY

Settings 187
KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND
Everyone at the table knows that Claudio is a big fan of Japanese anime and
particularly of giant robots. To convince everyone to play something that satisfies
both his own passion for mecha and their desire for a classic fantasy, Claudio
puts Knights of the Round on the table: a setting that revisits the Arthurian
legends with a super-robot twist.

Claudio imagines a distant planet called Brit’an, which, after years of infighting,
is finally united under the leadership of King Pendragon III, who now rules the
entire planet from the Kamel’oth flying base.

The task of defending Brit’an from the attacks of the cruel Mor Dread, illegitimate
son of King Pendragon III, lies with the Knights of the Round: pilots with
mechanical armor that can travel through space, powered by the energy of the
Dragon’s Breath, which Dr. Merlin has managed to harness after years of study
in the Round’s laboratories.

The group has the idea of taking all the characters, places and situations of the
Arthurian cycle of legends and reinterpreting them in some way: the knights of
the Round Table become giant robots, the Grail and Excalibur become techno-
mechanical objects or giant weapons, and magic merges with science.
Settings 189
 MECHA AND MAGIC
The distinctive feature of Knights of the Round is the Knights, powerful weapons that can
save Brit’an or destroy it if guided by men without honor.
Every hero pilots a Knight: unique alchemical robots, equipped with special abilities,
which reflect the inclinations of their pilot thanks to the mystical energy of the Dragon’s
Breath that powers them and that allows pilots to perfectly synch with their Knight, to
the point that they become extensions of each other.
Matteo and Roberto ask Claudio not to explain the source of the so-called Breath in
too much detail so they can discover it during their adventures, but they also decide that,
since they are powered by magic, the Knights could each be linked to a different natural
element that reflects their hero’s character.
Kamel’oth, King Pendragon’s flying base, is also definitely powered by Breath energy
and Matteo thinks it would be interesting if it could only absorb Breath from specific
locations, forcing the flying castle to land from time to time in order to refuel.
Alice adds one last detail: Dr. Merlin, the man who founded the Round and created the
Knights after years of studying the Breath, who is also Brit’an’s greatest expert in mystical
and alchemical studies, has origins shrouded in mystery, and some claim that he himself
is as connected to the Breath as the Knights are.

SCIENCE AND MAGIC

Even without going into detail about the exact nature and origin of Breath, it becomes
clear to everyone that science and magic are two sides of the same coin.
The Round is a scientific laboratory with researchers divided into different departments,
construction and repair hangars for the Knights, but also secret underground levels where
experiments are conducted on the Breath and on the possibility of travelling through
space to Avalon. Here, the group of knights may discover more than they bargained for.

190 Settings
CHIVALRY, MAGIC WEAPONS AND TEAMWORK

Alice decides to create Percy, the pilot of Knight Parzival, who is always willing to look
beyond appearances to find the truth and remains calm in any situation. He is sometimes
insecure, but can easily adapt to any context. To reflect Percy’s affinity with water, Knight
Parzival can change its appearance and has no problem fighting underwater. Its secret
weapon is the Holy Grail cannon.
Matteo prepares the sheet for Lotte, the pilot of Knight Lancer. Unlike Percy, Lotte
sees the world without shades of gray and weighs her every word to assert her point
of view. Lotte is an incorruptible warrior who is as solid and tough as a rock. Similarly,
Knight Lancer is an unbeatable armored machine that can withstand the hardest blows.
The lance it wields is called Infinite Joust.
Finally, Roberto chooses Arthur, pilot of Knight Excali Burn and son of King Pendragon
III. Arthur is the leader of the pilots and leads them into battle with passion and courage,
though he often succumbs to arrogance and anger. His ability to spur his soldiers on to
fight to the bitter end is what enabled King Pendragon III to bring an end to Brit’an’s civil
wars. Knight Excali Burn is a weapon with incredible power that can incinerate entire
armies. It is therefore extremely dangerous if used by a pilot who has strayed from the
path of honor. Excali Burn’s flame sword is called the Burning Cutter.

THREE PILOTS, ONE HEART

Following the finest tradition of ’90s Japanese anime, the heroes are a team made up of
very different members who sometimes compete, but are able to find common ground
when it comes to dealing with a threat. Alice, Matteo and Roberto devise a short code of
chivalry to which the Knight’s pilots adhere:

• Defend those who are unable to defend themselves from abuse

• Be honest with your companions and believe in them
• A pilot is only as strong as their bond with others

Settings 191
 IMPORTANT PL ACES
To better convey the idea of the setting, Claudio comes up with three places that players
might find interesting to visit, or whose name might be on the lips of many of the secondary
characters they encounter.

TINTAGEL
The place where the flying castle of Kamel’oth was built, where the Dragon’s Breath is
particularly concentrated. It is precisely for this reason that Dr. Merlin has made it one
of the main centers for the study of the Breath’s radiation. King Pendragon III jealously
guards this knowledge within the walls of Tintagel Castle, where a special team of Knights
is on hand to fend off any unwanted visitors.

AVALON
Avalon is the closest planet to Brit’an and some claim that the Pendragon bloodline comes
from this planet. Those who have been there describe Avalon as a promised land, rich in
resources, but the Nimue Fog, a nebula that conceals the planet’s true location, makes the
journey between Brit’an and Avalon extremely dangerous even for Knight pilots.

CAM LANN
Mor Dread has made Cam Lann its base, perhaps hoping that superstition will prevent King
Pendragon III and his army from attacking him. Indeed, it is rumored that the Pendragon
bloodline will come to an end at Cam Lann, or so claims the Prophecy of Uther, the first
Pendragon to set foot on Brit’an 300 years ago, who disappeared shortly after carving
these words in the dungeons of Tintagel Castle.

STONE’S EDGE
Stone’s Edge is a place that Dr. Merlin refuses to talk about and every time someone tries
to get him to come clean he finds an excuse for ending the conversation. Stone’s Edge is a
stone circle somehow related to Avalon and the Breath, but its high radiation level makes

192 Settings
it almost impossible to get close enough to explore.

SECONDARY CHARACTERS
In addition to characters who are obviously part of the story, such as King Pendragon III,
Dr. Merlin and Mor Dread, Kamel’oth and Brit’an are full of secondary characters with
whom the heroes can interact. Claudio therefore decides to take some classic characters
from the Arthurian cycle and reinterpret them through the filter of ’90s mecha anime with
its very clear character archetypes.

GUINEVERE
Guinevere is the girl that both Arthur and Lotte are in love with, but she hasn’t chosen
either of them yet and may never choose. A childhood friend of Lotte’s, she followed her
to the Round when she decided to become a Knight pilot and it was there that she met
Arthur, whose courage she admires and whose arrogance she despises.

NIMUE
Nimue is a mysterious figure with androgynous features who seems to have a direct link
with the
Breath and the Knights. She only appears to those who can manipulate the Breath and
claims to be from Avalon.
She definitely knows Dr. Merlin and from some of the conversations that they have both
exchanged, it seems that she was the one who revealed to him how to safely channel the
Breath into a Knight.

AGRA VAIN
Arthur’s twin brother, he constantly competes with him despite being unable to pilot a
Knight. Rumors have it that he is a spy for Mor Dread and is trying to sabotage the Round.

GALLAD
A young orphaned victim of the war that King Pendragon III ended. Like many orphans he
was taken into Kamel’oth, where he earns his keep in exchange for some small jobs around
the castle and where he is training in the hope of one day being able to pilot a Knight.

Settings 193
 SUGGESTED TRAITS
Drawing inspiration from both the Arthurian cycle of tales and from Japanese
mecha anime, Knights of the Round aims to tell the adventures of a group united
by a chivalrous ideal, but within which there are frictions and betrayals that can
be overcome through the heroes’ collaboration, in a setting made up of magic
swords, fairies, magic radiation and modular robots.

ARCHET YPES QUALITIES ABILITIES

Son of the Dragon Honorable Defend the weak

Commander Courageous Pilot
Paladin Elemental magic Find the way
Seeker Resistant Incinerate
Pilot Trustworthy Shapeshifter
Strategist Competitive Support
Scientist Calm Illusions
Sorcerer Armored Spur on
Enchanted being Arrogant Fight to the death
Noble Dark Weigh words

ALTERNATIVE TRAITS

Holy Grail, Infinite Joust, Burning Cutter, Bloodline, Traitor, Dragon’s Breath, Voice-
activated weapons, Let’s Unite!

194 Settings
 SUGGESTED RESOURCES
In a techno-fantasy world anything is just about justifiable, but techno-magical
items will definitely be rarer than the items that we imagine in a typical medieval
world. Remember that if an object is crucial for your hero then it should be a
trait in their hive.

COMMON RARE EXCEPTIONAL

Swords Sensors for the Breath’s radiation Knight

Armors Crystal balls Flying castle
Mounts Magic catalysts Dragon scales
Ropes Communicators Dragon blood
Light crystals Ring with royal seal
Wands Alchemical lances
Repair tools
Healing herbs

T YPICAL NAMES
Anna, Bors, Elaine, Gareth, Hector, Hisolde, Lionel, Morgause
For the Knights: Armorak, Belveder, Burner, Key, Leo the Grand, Tris Tran, Uriel

Settings 195
 THE THREAT COMES FROM WITHIN
In imagining Brit’an, Claudio has envisioned Mor Dread, the illegitimate son of King
Pendragon III who wants to claim the throne of Kamel’oth for himself, jeopardizing the
Brit’annians’ hard-won peace.
In his crazed plans for conquest, he is followed by his three generals: Morrigan, Dr.
Merlin’s pupil, who can manipulate the Breath with her will alone, Calogrenant, pilot of
the Black Knight, a prototype of the Knight stolen with Morrigan’s help, and Vortigern,
a clever strategist who has tried to destroy the Pendragon kingdom on several occasions
in the past.
Human adversaries are joined by the legendary beasts of the Arthurian canon, including
dragons, dryads that can use the Breath to reduce Kamel’oth to ashes, and stone titans
with an uncanny resemblance to the Knights.
Struggles between pupils and masters, between fathers and sons, form the background
to the heroes’ adventures, but they are not the only thing capable of destroying the fragile
truce that binds the peoples of Brit’an together.

IMAGINING CHALLENGES
The heroes of Knights of the Round are not all flawless and fearless paladins, but they are
ready to sacrifice themselves and their own Knights for the sake of Brit’an.
Their vows of chivalry will certainly lead them to confront Mor Dread and his men, but
it might be just as interesting to explore the secrets of the Dragon’s breath, the Pendragon
bloodline and Dr. Merlin!
One important thing to keep in mind in Knights of the Round is that the heroes are not
the Knights themselves, so they will face challenges that cannot be solved from a cockpit.

196 Settings
BL ACK KNIGHT
The Black Knight towers above the other defeated Knights, sword and shield ready
to also strike down Knight Perzival. Calogrenant smiles from the dark Knight’s
cockpit, confident that he has vanquished the Knights of Kamel’oth. Has his
supreme tactical acumen prevailed over the Knights’ courage?

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Facing the Black Knight is very difficult (5 b) and very dangerous (you leave the
scene if you draw 2 b)
• Calogrenant is an excellent fighter even outside of the Black Knight. Facing him is
difficult (4 b) and dangerous (you leave the scene if you draw 3 b)
• Facing him after making him lose his temper or outsmarting him becomes in each
case easy (2 b)

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Unfavorable position
• Malfunctioning Knight
• Sense of inferiority

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• The Black Knight reveals his secret weapon, Dark Grievance. If you are aboard a
Knight or if you use the Breath, it becomes extremely dangerous (you leave the
scene if you draw 1 b)
• A group of soldiers from Mor Dread’s army ready to ambush you!
• Calogrenant calms down: the fight goes back to being difficult (4 b)

MORE INFORMATION
Calogrenant was the first pilot of a Knight. The prototype built for him by Dr. Merlin was
intended to be just one example of how Dragon’s Breath could be used to power Knights.
When the Black Knight was equipped with the Dark Grievance, Calogrenant suggested
that King Pendragon II use it to end the war within just a few hours. A clash ensued
between Calogrenant and King Pendragon II, which ended with the monarch’s death and
Calogrenant’s theft of the still unstable Black Knight.

Settings 197
 BERTIL AK FOREST
Bertilak Forest stretches deep into the Midlands of Brit’an for acres and acres,
unspoiled and frightening. No man dares to approach the forest and not even the
bravest or craziest would consider exploring it without the approval of the druids
who live there and jealously guard their secrets.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Crossing the forest is a normal test in terms of difficulty (3 b) and not at all
dangerous, but doing so after damaging it becomes difficult (4 b) and slightly
dangerous (you leave the scene if you draw 4 b)
• Using the Dragon’s Breath is very easy (1 b), but very dangerous (you leave the
scene if you draw 2 b), because it is found in an almost pure state
• All tests, when performed aboard a Knight, increase the difficulty by 1 b

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Lost
• Infected by spores
• Enemy of the druids

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• The druids launch the Green Knight against you, an arboreal copy of a Knight
animated by the forest itself!
• The fog starts to rise and finding your way around the forest becomes difficult (4 b)

MORE INFORMATION
The druids of Bertilak Forest want to keep intruders away to save the ruins that lie in
the heart of the forest from desecration. What is actually in these ruins is a matter of
conjecture, since no one who has journeyed there has ever returned. Ancient manuscripts
claim that the forest is the lair of the Dragon whose breath is used by sorcerers and Knights.
Dr. Merlin may know what lies at the heart of the forest, as does Morrigan, but both will
guard the secret with their lives.

198 Settings
MORRIGAN
“I’m no longer your student, Merlin, I’m so much more now!”
Morrigan has now transcended her human form and looks more like a Sidhe,
creatures of pure Breath that inhabited Brit’an before the arrival of humans
millennia ago. “I am the Breath now, the Pendragon line will die out here and today
to restore the balance of Brit’an!”

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Using a Knight against Morrigan is very difficult (4 b) and very dangerous (you
leave the scene if you draw 2 b)
• She harbors a particular hatred for the Pendragon family and the tests for all those
related by blood to the royal family increase the difficulty by 1 b

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Hallucinations
• Puppet
• Paralyzed

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• Morrigan makes each one of you relive a moment in which the Pendragon family
failed your expectations in order to weaken your resolve
• Having become pure Breath, Morrigan can no longer be physically hurt
• Morrigan corrupts the Breath that powers your Knights: using a Knight against her
is almost impossible (6 b)

MORE INFORMATION
After being abandoned at the Round by her father, Morrigan studied the Breath under
Dr. Merlin, becoming the most respected Knight scholar in all of Brit’an. Dr. Merlin has
also revealed to her secret knowledge of which even King Pendragon III is unaware, in
the hope of finding an ally in the fight against Mor Dread. She still holds King Pendragon
III responsible for the war that forced her father to abandon her.

Settings 199
 PILOTS AND HEROES
The heroes introduced so far are all Knight pilots, but the beauty of playing a setting
like this with Not the End is that even those who do not use a Knight can take part in
the action as much as the mecha pilots.
Just as in an anime, important characters could be other members of Kamel’oth’s army,
as well as researchers of the Round, druids who can see the value of the Knights of the
Round’s actions, or visitors from Avalon.
If you want to create a new Knight pilot, take a Knight of the Round Table from the
Arthurian cycle: this will be your pilot’s Knight! After identifying the Knight and their
associated element, define the character of your hero to reflect the element: heroes
linked to fire will be passionate and brave, but also stubborn and impetuous, while those
linked to earth will be aloof and tough, those linked to water will be patient and adaptable,
and so on...
If, on the other hand, you want to create a different hero, consider what their role
could be within the Round: a blacksmith who can repair the Knights? A druid who will try
to guide the Knight pilots towards an elusive balance? An expert in the Breath who can
manipulate it with spells and rituals?

200 Settings
 PERCY

ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

ADAPT
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

INSECURE
QUALITY QUALITY

WATER
ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

DEFEND
CHANGEABLE SEEKER
QUALITY QUALITY
THE WEAK

PURE
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

FIND
THE TRUTH
ABILITY ABILITY

ABILITY

Settings 201
 LOTTE

ABILITY

INFINITE
JOUST
ABILITY ABILITY

THERE ARE NO
RESIST DEGREES OF
ABILITY QUALITY TRUTH ABILITY

WEIGH
ROCK
QUALITY QUALITY
EVERY WORD

INCORRUPTIBLE CONFIDENT
ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

RIVAL
QUALITY QUALITY

ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

ABILITY

202 Settings
 ARTHUR

ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

HOT- FIGHT
HEADED TO THE DEATH
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

PARANOID
QUALITY QUALITY

FIRE
ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

INCINERATE LEADER
QUALITY QUALITY

ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

COMMANDER
ABILITY ABILITY

ABILITY

SPUR ON

Settings 203
RED CREEK
Alice proposes Not The End, but as a narrator she has no preference about
which story to play. She therefore asks her players if they have suggestions for
the setting. This is the first Not The End adventure that Alice and her group
have played and they don’t know how many times they will meet in the future.

Alice has not prepared anything and relies on what is decided together during
the playgroup’s first meeting. The players unanimously respond: we want a
western! This clear decision already paints a “where” and a “when”: the western
United States in the late 1800s.

First Alice asks if they would prefer a historical western or one spiced up with
fantasy variations, such as steampunk technology or Native American shamanic
magic. The group briefly discusses and agrees on a historically relevant western
without any supernatural elements.

In keeping with the western tradition, the group decides to focus on a single
county, a vast swath of territory dotted with ranches and boomtowns, but
with just one respectable-sized city. It takes a few days to cross the county on
horseback. If the group manages to meet on a regular basis, there will be time
to expand the boundaries of the setting.

Fabio suggests that the county should be named “Red Creek” after the river
that runs through it, which is essential for watering livestock. Alessandro adds
that the river originates from high ground where there is a silver mine and that
the main town is called “Silverton” because it develops as a result of the mine.
Settings 205
 CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS
Alice reminds everyone that a Western, like many historical settings, could potentially
touch on unpleasant topics. The group would like to avoid playing during slavery and
together they all choose to set the story well after the Civil War, in 1895; however, they
all agree that expansionism at the expense of the Native Americans could be an intriguing
theme. There are accounts from several professional and emancipated women, such as
Calamity Jane. Therefore, despite the strong sexism that existed at the time, it will still
be entirely possible to play a heroine.

HISTORICAL DETAILS

No one at the table is a real expert, but they all agree that they want to give themselves
a minimum historical grounding in frontier life to better immerse themselves in the
experience. In deciding where to locate Red Creek, the players list a few American states
before settling on Colorado, the most traditional backdrop for a western.
In the meantime, Alice observes that the railroad industry to connect the east and west
coasts was in full swing at that time. She marks it as a possible source of conflict. She
invents the Blackwater Company, which exploits workers in the mines and laying railroads.
Alessandro does a quick search on the internet and discovers that the indigenous people
of Colorado are the Navajo and the Ute. The group suggests to Alice that Blackwater
has driven out the Navajo to exploit the silver mine. Alice looks up some typical Navajo
names and notes them down.
Fabio searches for information on prices and wages at the time: the salary of a cowboy
was $1-2 per day plus room and board, while a sheriff raked in up to $150 per month from
bounties, prisoner transport and fines. A horse could cost from $30 to $250 depending on
its quality, a pistol from $3 to $25, a rifle up to $50 and ammunition about $2 per hundred.
$1 worth of provisions was enough to cook for 6 people and a glass of whiskey at the saloon
cost an average of 20 cents. Gathering this little information only took fifteen minutes

206 Settings
while a few of the other players read the list of lessons or made coffee. They lend some
added substance to the historical setting, making it more clearly defined.

LEAD, DIRT AND SWEAT

Drawing on their knowledge of western movies and tales, the players sketch out a world
of simple people. Personal freedom and the tranquility of one’s small community are
usually more important than large-scale events, such as injustices to indigenous tribes
or news of distant wars.
Those who can afford to maintain values such as justice and honor are fortunate: most
simply aspire to survive and not be taken advantage of by their neighbors. The group takes
turns to come up with place names and their characteristics.
Copper Hill townspeople extend their solidarity to their neighbors, but little further.
Strangers, as well as the people of Silverton, are viewed with suspicion by the small,
territorial community that has learned to defend itself by banding together.
Fabio says that some ranchers in the county, the Howards and the Terrences, are
concerned about the railroad that will cross their land, wreaking havoc among their herds
and facilitating the arrival of bad people. The Kenningtons and Ms. Faraday are more
optimistic, since will be able to transport their cows on wagons rather than embarking
on long, dangerous trips across the lands inhabited by Native Americans.
Simone adds a couple of details: a freak show has arrived in the county and is currently
camped just outside Silverton; the sheriff is suspicious of the entertainers.
Moreover, Black Hoff ’s gang is menacing the stagecoaches from Silverton to Denver
and is apparently planning an attack on the train carrying the miners’ wages, which could
bring some Pinkertons snooping around.
Alice notes down all of these ideas. During the hero creation stage, these and other
ideas will intertwine with the secondary characters until the group shape up a county
that is alive and full of inspiration for stories, with no preparation needed on Alice’s part.

Settings 207
 SUGGESTED TRAITS
The realistic setting offers very clear guidelines for the traits: the genre, as
well as the historical period, are so iconic that they are firmly imprinted on the
players’ minds.

ARCHET YPES QUALITIES ABILITIES

Sheriff Respectable Shoot

Doctor Educated Follow tracks
Hunter War hero The Indian reservations
Navajo scout Navajo blood Calm people down
Preacher Upstanding Pick a fight
Pioneer Convincing The rocky desert
Medicine man Rich Provoke
Widow Devout Explosives
Charlatan Haggler Attract attention
Bandit Quick Ride

ALTERNATIVE TRAITS

A nose for danger, Born on the frontier, The last bullet, My father’s Winchester, My
trusty steed Smokey, The land of my ancestors, Copper Hill Village, Black Hoff’s gang,
Long live the 9th Cavalry Regiment!, I’ll find the mother lode!

208 Settings
 SUGGESTED RESOURCES
When dividing up resources, the brief research work done earlier comes in use:
in a setting that is strongly connected to the few possessions you own, this is not
only part of the rules, but also a distinctive aspect of the setting.

COMMON RARE EXCEPTIONAL

Oil lamp Secret camp in the canyon A Western Union safe

Dried meat Dynamite A recommendation from the Governor
Nag Gatling gun The deed to a mine
Pistol Thoroughbred horse A blood promise from Chief Hok’ee
Lasso Doctor’s bag An armored train
Camp bed Directions to the Daltons’ hideout
Tobacco Gold nugget
Pickaxe Haute couture garment
Canoe Telegraph office
Trained dog Internal combustion engine

T YPICAL NAMES
Jack Barrister, Sam Houston, William Hoss, Miguel Duerte, Jefferson Vance, Roger
Knapp, Billie Watson, Eva Jacobsen, Rebecca Longabaugh, Wilhelmina Baker, Alice
Meade, Tahoma, Hashkeh Naabah, Toh Yah, Haseya, Yanaha

Settings 209
 ALONE ON THE FRONTIER
Although the railways are starting to link the West with the big cities on the east coast,
and the government and the law are playing a more prominent role every day, life on the
frontier is still unforgiving for those unable to fend for themselves.
Most people’s first priority is to secure a piece of land on which they can build a decent
life for themselves and their families. This leads to conflicts with adversaries who are not
necessarily malicious, but simply competing for the same resources.
There are the natives, whose lands have been appropriated and who have witnessed
the government breaking all its promises. They are forced to choose between abandoning
their traditions and being accepted by a society that looks down on them or rebelling
against a superior power. From young hot-headed warriors seeking trophies and glory to
elderly chieftains filled with anger and sadness at the atrocities they have experienced,
the Navajo are a proud and numerous people who cannot be easily subdued. They are
joined by raiders from nearby reservations.
The settlers are hardened by work and a life of hardship: they have conquered a piece
of land, earned a pittance by slaving away and are willing to die to defend their home from
bandits hoping to make a killing and escape to California.
Workers – track-layers or miners – look forward to going to the saloon on Sundays
to forget the sorrows of daily life by drinking cheap whiskey, playing cards, and perhaps
blowing off steam in a fight.
The towns are full of swindlers, troublemakers and crooks, as well as rich people from the
East willing to bribe sheriffs, judges and soldiers. Not all confrontations end in shootings:
people with power can buy the law and make you end your days doing forced labor.
Nature is unforgiving. The rocky desert covers a good part of the land and the few
beaten paths snake through canyons where, if you don’t encounter prowling bandits, you
can still end up falling prey to beasts or killed by an accident along the way. Occasionally
the last flurries of tornadoes originating in the Gulf of Mexico arrive from the east.

210 Settings
DEMAGOGUE PREACHER AND HIS FOLLOWERS
This lanky man wears simple, but clean clothes and has the manicured hands of
someone who does not work in the fields. He speaks so eloquently that the crowd
seems hypnotized and ready to accept his sentences as if they came from the voice
of God.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Facing the preacher and his assembly of believers is difficult (4 b). If the crowd gets
excited the tests become very difficult (5 b) and fairly dangerous (you leave the
scene if you draw 3 b)
• Intimidating him is very difficult (5 b): he knows that the crowd is on his side
• It becomes very easy (1 b) to face the preacher if you isolate him

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Branded as an infidel
• No one wants to deal with you
• Beaten up by the crowd

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• The crowd grows and becomes restless
• Someone takes advantage of the chaos to pickpocket you
• The sheriff asks you to leave unless you want to suffer the consequences

MORE INFORMATION
By manipulating a God-fearing crowd, this preacher raises the people against any target that
suits him: sometimes the Navajo, sometimes a harmless stranger and sometimes a woman
who doesn’t know her place. The crowd is very protective of its leader: any complication
generated by a violent test against the preacher will incite the crowd (see above).

Settings 211
 THE WIDOW’S PASS
This narrow canyon is the only shortcut from Silverton to Copper Hill without
passing through Navajo territory. It is a dry, torrid nightmare carved into the rock,
dotted with animal skulls as a warning of the end that awaits you.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• The tests in the Widow’s pass are easy (2 b) and slightly dangerous (you leave
the scene if you draw 4 b)
• However, it is a great place for ambushes: an ambush set up here makes everything
very difficult (5 b) and very dangerous (you leave the scene if you draw 2 b)

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Poisoned by a rattlesnake
• Disoriented
• Dehydrated

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• A snake spooks the horses
• A rock has collapsed and you have to look for another road
• You find signs of an ambush up ahead

MORE INFORMATION
This narrow passageway is a nightmare for caravanners and settlers alike. Many a convoy
has stood idle an entire day while scouts ensured there were no bandits lurking about.
The hundreds of rock tunnels, cramped spaces, and snakes perhaps make it preferable to
attempt a long crossing into Indian territory.

212 Settings
COMANCHE RAIDERS
The prairie trembles beneath the pounding of hooves and the air is filled with
chilling screams: the Comanche ride bareback towards you and draw their bows,
ready to claim booty, a scalp and a little notoriety.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Facing the Comanche is difficult (4 b) and fairly dangerous (you leave the scene if
you draw 3 b), but if the terrain does not favor their hit-and-run tactics, it becomes
normal (3 b)
• Using diplomacy with them is generally very difficult (5 b) unless you are well-
versed in their traditions and superstitions, in which case it becomes normal (3 b)

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Arrow in the leg
• No ammunition
• I don’t trust Indians!

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• Your horses get spooked and bolt
• It turns out they are just the vanguard of a tribe
• One of them vanishes from your sight. Where is he?

MORE INFORMATION
The Comanche, who are related to the Ute tribes, occasionally venture as far as Red Creek
County. Traditionally hunters, raiders, and warriors, they have been among the most
violently suppressed tribes by the government and hate weakness: when you fail a non-
violent test against them (you do not draw a single Z), add 1 b to those you have drawn.

Settings 213
 REASONS TO STAY AND ENEMIES TO FACE
Few can afford to be heroes in the West. Even among the protagonists of a story, it is
easier to find people united by a common enemy than by ideals. After all, the myth of
the frontier is one of self-sufficiency, making it on your own and prevailing over hostile
nature: it is not exactly an ethos that leads to the creation of paladins who would sacrifice
themselves for others.
Nevertheless, a personal code of honor can go a long way toward making even a selfish
character a potential hero. When you consider your hero, give them a reason to stay
in Red Creek. By its very nature, the frontier is still big: if things get too tough, there is
nothing stopping you from riding further west. Are they attached to the land that their
parents fought to obtain? Do they have ties to any Silverton residents? Are they wanted
elsewhere and have they finally found a corner of the world where they can rest? Give
your hero a reason to fight instead of run.
Similarly, look for a common enemy to team up against. In this case, Blackwater is
gaining power in several areas: first with the railroad, which takes land away from ranches
and indigenous peoples and exploits workers for miserly wages, then with the acquisition
of the old mine, which was once the county’s source of wealth and is now being depleted.
An increasing number of rogue gangs are appearing in cities, intimidating locals who,
according to Blackwater, “complain about inevitable progress”. Thus a Navajo hunter
and a cowboy, who until the day before were fighting over the same acre of land, may
find themselves making a deal when it comes to stopping the railroad that would tear it
from both of them.
A bandit with an outlandish personal code of conduct and a priest may team up against
a corrupt sheriff manipulated by the local official, who is threatening local men of faith
to proselytize for Blackwater.

214 Settings
 MS. OLIVIA PETERSON

ABILITY

PERSEVERE
ABILITY ABILITY

RANCH
LIFE
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

HARD-WORKING
QUALITY QUALITY

ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

WIDOW
QUALITY QUALITY

RESPECTABLE
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

FRIEND TO ALL
ABILITY ABILITY

BE NAVAJO
HEARD TRADITIONS
ABILITY

Settings 215
 TOMMY CALDWELL

ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

FEND
FOR HIMSELF
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

BORN AND RAISED

QUALITY
IN RED CREEK QUALITY

ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

TRAIN
COWBOY
QUALITY QUALITY
ANIMALS

GENUINE
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

IMPETUOUS
ABILITY ABILITY

TACKLE
INJUSTICES
ABILITY

BRAWL

216 Settings
 WILLIAM “SILVERTONGUE” MADDOX

ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

QUALITY QUALITY

ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

GET HELP
SWINDLER FROM SOMEONE
QUALITY QUALITY BIGGER

LIGHT-
CONVINCING
FINGERED
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

QUICK
SMILING
DRAW
ABILITY ABILITY

GAMBLING SEDUCE
ABILITY

Settings 217
THE ROUND TABLE
There is no more classic fantasy in the world than the Arthurian cycle: noble
knights, dragons, magic swords and betrayals for the sake of love. Luca has read
countless books on the story of King Arthur and Excalibur is one of his favorite
films, so he asks the rest of the group to try playing the Knights of the Round Table.

The Arthurian cycle we all know is far-removed from the reality of fifth-century
England and Luca imagines knights in shining full armor, dueling with honor for
their king, blending mysticism and religion to allow sorcerers like Merlin and
Morgana to coexist with the Grail.

The world of Camelot is not realistic and coherent, but poetic and fantastic:
every hero could embody a chivalrous value, be a shape-shifting enchanter or a
descendant of an English king who swore allegiance to Camelot and Arthur, the
last bulwark against the invaders from the continent.

Luca asks his players: “Of Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, Lancelot, Tristan, Mordred...
of all these iconic characters, whose shoes would you like to step into in a story
of broken oaths and fratricidal struggles, of magic and honor?”
Settings 219
 ANCIENT FANTASY
The Arthurian cycle, although one of the most classic fantasies, is a far cry from the stories
that have made the genre famous today.
Camelot’s history as we know it is closer to the work of a bard than a historiographer,
lacking a coherent timeline and full of sometimes contradictory details. However, there
are certain fixed elements, so Luca and the others decide to start from these to build their
characters and define their Camelot.
Gianni chooses to play a young Arthur, who has recently pulled Excalibur from the
stone and is still struggling to understand the advice and teachings of his guardian Merlin.
The son of Uther Pendragon, he has become king of Britain and must now raise his own
army to repel the Saxon invaders and establish the Empire of Britain. He is destined to
be betrayed and then buried in Avalon.
Federica takes the opportunity to play Merlin, Arthur’s sorcerer mentor and advisor.
Merlin has magical powers because he is the son of a demon and a woman, which has
enabled him to commune with the Dragon’s Breath, a force that permeates the entire
world and allows Merlin to subvert the laws of physics. Merlin is connected to Nimue,
the Lady of the Lake, and is a cold, calculating character willing to sacrifice his friends in
order to achieve his own goals.
Marco chooses Lancelot, who was raised by Nimue and is both Arthur’s best friend and
his betrayer. Lancelot is a peerless, brave and cunning knight who made the grave mistake
of falling in love with Guinevere, Arthur’s betrothed. Lancelot has sworn to follow Arthur
to his death, but his love for Guinevere is like a sword of Damocles hanging above his head,
ready to fracture the relationship between the two companions at the slightest misstep.
Arthur and his knights are opposed by Mordred, Arthur’s cousin and legitimate heir to
the throne of Britain, assisted by Morgana, Arthur’s half-sister and Merlin’s pupil. In the
vast world of Arthur’s mythical Britain, dangers always come from those closest to you,
adding a personal dimension to rivalries.

220 Settings
SORCERERS, DR AGONS, KNIGHTS AND MAGIC
SWORDS
Magic is a given in the stories of the Arthurian cycle, just as it is for us to know that the
Earth revolves around the Sun: while some may not believe it, it is a reality that most
people would not dream of questioning. This does not mean that magic is within anyone’s
reach or that it is regarded favorably by everyone: magic is an archaic force with which
only druids and sorcerers dare to meddle in defiance of God’s will. Although none of the
knights dared to attempt to use spells and sorcery, none of them ever objected to Merlin’s
help, let alone refused magical items:

• Arthur carries Excalibur and its scabbard at his side, which protects him from mortal
wounds
• As a gift from Nimue, the Lady of the Lake who raised him, Lancelot received a ring
that can reveal any lie or illusion
• Bedivere wields a spear that can kill dragons
• Perceval sets out in search of the Holy Grail, the cup that has collected the blood of
Christ and can cure any illness

In one way or another, all of the characters find themselves connected to magic: Gianni
marks Excalibur as a trait for Arthur because it is such an iconic object that it represents
Arthur as much as his being a king. In all the tales about Arthur, the British king always
ends up choosing the sword over the scabbard, which ultimately condemns him to death
during his final clash with Mordred. Marco, on the other hand, decides that Lancelot’s
ring is not so important that it constitutes a trait and he therefore marks it among the
resources, but among the traits he nevertheless writes down Son of a fairy to remind
the whole group that he was raised by Nimue.
As Merlin’s archetype, Federica writes down Sorcerer and the quality Dragon’s Breath,
with which she also connects the ability Forbidden knowledge. Federica imagines that this
also includes knowledge of the fairy world and of the ancient creatures that inhabit the
world beyond the veil of illusion: giants, goblins, dragons and animate trees frequently
appear in the tales of the Arthurian cycle and are usually antagonists that the knights must
defeat through their courage or cunning.

Settings 221
 SUGGESTED TRAITS
It is easy to imagine the traits of a character in the Arthurian cycle: simply read
a summary of the legends of the individual knight who you want to play and read
the epithets with which the authors have described the characters: Lancelot will
certainly be a valiant knight who ends up betraying his own sire, Galahad was
referred to as the pure one, Perceval is the Grail seeker and Merlin, naturally, is a
powerful sorcerer.

ARCHET YPES QUALITIES ABILITIES

King of Britain Noble Guide others

Sorcerer Traitor Forbidden knowledge
Knight Pure Deceive
Fairy Courageous Duel
Jester Honorable Keep your word
Seeker Swordsman Find traces
Guardian Strategist Prophesize
Monster hunter Honest Shapeshift
Champion Valiant Resist temptation
Storyteller Loyal Fight

ALTERNATIVE TRAITS

Excalibur, Son of a fairy, Dragon’s Breath, Pendragon, One against a hundred

222 Settings
 SUGGESTED RESOURCES
The fairytale side of the Arthurian cycle makes it difficult to understand what
resources are common in Camelot since the characters are all part of King
Arthur’s court and for them things that in other fantasy contexts would have to
be bought with hundreds of gold coins are taken for granted. Some items with
magical properties might be rare resources and only unique objects such as Grail
or Excalibur should be special resources.

COMMON RARE EXCEPTIONAL

Sword Crystal ball Excalibur

Armor Castle Nimue’s ring
Warhorse Fairy stones Dragon blood
Shield Chessboard Grail
Lance Royal standard Fairy’s lock of hair
Pledge of a lady

T YPICAL NAMES
Arthur, Bedivere, Bors, Hector, Gaheris, Galahad, Gawain, Guinevere, Isolde, Kay,
Lamorak, Lancelot, Merlin, Mordred, Morgana, Pellinore, Perceval, Tristan, Uther,
Igraine

Settings 223
 MONSTERS AND ARMIES
The heroes of the Arthurian cycle rarely stay in Camelot for long: their life is made up
of quests, which lead them to travel throughout Britain hunting monsters or to fight
against invading armies, usually barbarian peoples such as the Saxons and pagans such
as the Romans.
These quests often confront knights with obstacles that can only be overcome with
cunning, courage, and perseverance, and our heroes will also often face complicated
moral choices: should they choose personal gain or the common good, personal pride
or knightly honor?
The cycle is populated with creatures such as the Green Knight, who disrupts the
quiet of Camelot during the Christmas festivities and who seems impossible to defeat,
shape-shifting druids or dragons who want to preserve their secrets, or fairy beings who
demand a personal sacrifice from one or more knights.
The two greatest threats to Britain’s peace are Mordred and Morgana, who harbor such
a deep hatred for Arthur that they are prepared to raze Camelot to the ground, along with
any of the king’s allies, leading an army dressed in black armor and made invincible by
the witch’s spells.
In Camelot, every challenge is a personal affair for someone, just as in the tales of the
Arthurian cycle there is always a knight who finds himself at the center of a conflict that
stems from his past and has been prophesied for his future.

224 Settings
THE GREEN KNIGHT
Which of the knights of Camelot is brave enough to accept my challenge? I am
willing to let one of you strike me to decapitate me, provided I can then do the same
to him. Do you accept my duel or are the Knights of the Round Table nothing but
cowards?

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Accepting and winning the duel with the Green Knight is easy (2 b), but very
dangerous (you leave the scene if you draw 2 b)
• Definitively killing the Green Knight using your own strength is impossible
• Facing the Green Knight in a group is dishonorable and increases the difficulty by
1 b for each person taking part in the fight

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Coward
• Disarmed
• In a tight spot

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• The Green Knight splits in two as a result of a blow and facing him becomes
extremely dangerous (you leave the scene if you draw 1 b)
• The heroes recognize Morgana’s magic imbued in the blade of the Knight’s axe: the
witch is waiting for the right moment to strike Camelot!

MORE INFORMATION
The Green Knight is an immortal creature that dwells in the castle near Green Chapel.
He comes to Camelot asking to challenge the most valiant knight of the Round Table to
a duel. He offers a simple deal: the knight of Camelot can strike the first blow and if the
Green Knight survives he can strike back. Otherwise he will unleash his wrath on Camelot
and the inhabitants of Britain. The Knight is in fact an ally of Morgana and Mordred, sent
to ridicule Arthur and weaken his soldiers’ morale.

Settings 225
 OBERON’S COURT
The fairy king smiles at you knights, pointing to the rich banquet before you.
“Come, my table is open to all, the food is hot and the wine is good!” he exclaims,
but as you look around and watch the diners happily eating, you feel a chill run
down your spine, as if something horrible is about to happen.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Resisting Oberon’s orders after eating or drinking anything from his table is almost
impossible (6 b)
• Perceiving what Oberon’s illusions conceal is very difficult (5 b)
• Wounding Oberon is very easy (1 b) and extremely dangerous (you leave the
scene if you draw 1 b) due to the spells that protect him

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Charmed
• Hallucinations
• Poisoned

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• You are separated by a spell: each of you is alone in one of the rooms in Oberon’s
palace!
• Oberon proposes a deal: he will free all the prisoners of his court if a knight offers
to take an oath and become one of his guards, renouncing Arthur.

MORE INFORMATION
Oberon, the fairy king, is a lascivious creature who is only interested in having fun behind
people’s backs. His court, which appears so comfortable and tempting, is merely yet another
trap into which Oberon takes delight in luring wayfarers, offering them a hot meal and a
bed to sleep in. Unfortunately anyone who takes a seat in the court can never leave and
ends up forgetting what lies beyond it.

226 Settings
MORDRED AND MORGANA
Mordred’s army has now surrounded the whole of Camelot and looking up from
the castle’s highest tower you can see Mordred, in his golden armor, leading his
army on horseback. At his side you can see Morgana, surrounded by the magical
mist of the Dragon’s Breath.

THE DIFFICULTY AND DANGER OF TESTS

• Reaching Mordred while avoiding being overwhelmed by the army is very difficult
(5 b) and fairly dangerous (you leave the scene if you draw 3 b)
• Facing Mordred in a duel is normal (3 b) and very dangerous (you leave the
scene if you draw 2 b)
• Facing Morgana without a sorcerer’s help is difficult (4 b) and very dangerous (you
leave the scene if you draw 2 b)

POSSIBLE MISFORTUNES
• Surrounded
• Wounded
• Burned

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
• Mordred reveals that one of the Knights of the Round Table is a double-crosser
• Morgana creates a wall of fire that prevents you from retreating
• Morgana uses Dragon’s Breath to turn Mordred into a fire-breathing dragon, which
is difficult (4 b) and very dangerous (you leave the scene if you draw 2 b) to face

MORE INFORMATION
Mordred despises Arthur with all his heart and craves revenge on Camelot more than
anything. It is Mordred who convinces Lancelot to seduce Guinevere and then reveal his
betrayal to Arthur. Mordred also convinces Arthur to agree to a truce in order to hunt
down a giant snake that threatens Britain, only to reveal that the snake does not exist
and then immediately attempt to treacherously stab Arthur. Mordred always manages to
escape aided by Morgana, Arthur’s half-sister, who believes that the king is a harbinger
of doom for Britain.

Settings 227
 OF KNIGHTS, WEAPONS AND HONORS
In the Arthurian cycle, with the exception of a few characters, all the protagonists of the
legends are knights. Even those who initially appear to be simple commoners always turn
out to be the secret children of a nobleman, descendants of a fairy or simply brave fighters
whose valor earns them a place at the Round Table.
This does not mean that all the heroes who you play must be valiant warriors devoted
to the code of chivalry: Merlin and Morgana are just two of the sorcerers who enliven the
stories of Camelot. Guinevere, although she never takes up arms, is an extremely important
figure, guiding and supporting the people of Camelot and Arthur himself.
There are also squires, kings of near and faraway lands who find themselves spending
time in Camelot, and creatures torn between two worlds such as Nimue or other inhabitants
of Avalon, Tintagel, and the surrounding woods.
It could also be interesting to explore life in the castle from the perspective of the
characters who are always on the fringes of the knights’ stories: how do the king’s servants
behave when he and his knights are at war? Does Merlin loosen up, abandoning his stiff,
stern manner when the only person in the room is a cobbler? And what secrets do nobles
let slip when they think they are not being heard?
An even more interesting game could be one in which the heroes are those monsters
that the knights have sworn to defeat during their quests: giants, goblins, shape-shifting
dragons and fairies might have every interest in seeing Camelot fall, helping Mordred or
Morgana instead of Arthur.

228 Settings
 ARTHUR

ABILITY

EXCALIBUR
ABILITY ABILITY

MAKE DIFFICULT
ADOPTED
CHOICES
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

PENDRAGON
QUALITY QUALITY

NOBLE
ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

GUIDE KING OF
OTHERS QUALITY
BRITAIN QUALITY

STRATEGIST
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

ABILITY

Settings 229
 MERLIN

ABILITY

ABILITY ABILITY

FORBIDDEN
KNOWLEDGE
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

SUBVERT DEMONIC
NATURE QUALITY
ANCESTRY QUALITY

DRAGON’S
BREATH
ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

SORCERER
QUALITY QUALITY

ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

CALCULATOR
ABILITY ABILITY

ADVISE
ABILITY

DECEIVE

230 Settings
 LANCELOT

ABILITY

DUEL
ABILITY ABILITY

FIGHT
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

SWORDSMAN
QUALITY QUALITY

ABILITY ARCHETYPE ABILITY

CHAMPION
QUALITY QUALITY

SON OF
TRAITOR
A FAIRY
ABILITY QUALITY ABILITY

I DO IT
FOR GUINEVERE
ABILITY ABILITY

PROPHESIZE
ABILITY

Settings 231
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
 OUR HEARTFELT THANKS!
We wrote Not the End in the belief that every story changes you and contributes to
defining who you are. Writing this game has changed us in many ways and taught us so
much. And this wonderful adventure is just beginning. We have not just learned about
game design, gameplay and games, but also important things about the value of people
and how much their support can mean to those driven by passion and an idea. Here are
their names!

THE PROJECT TEAM

• Thanks to Fabio Airoldi for having followed the project from the outset, for having
contributed to preparing the material for the settings chapter and for having
contributed his vision during the game design stage. Thank you above all for being
the person who had the courage to say “It’s a generic system, but it’s not Not the
End” when we finished the first working version of the system.
• Thanks to Pietro Bastas for understanding all the instructions that we gave him and
for transforming them into personal, characterful works that are never dull. His
artistic vision brought what we had in mind to life far beyond mere graphic execution.
• Thanks to Chiara Listo and Giuseppe Vitale, a.k.a. Morgengabe, for immediately
believing in the project and helping us to set it up as well as possible when we decided
to launch on Kickstarter.
• Thanks to Roberto de Luca, both for his powerplayer questions and for many lesson
ideas. His contribution turned them from a superfluous addition that was somewhat
detrimental to player freedom into a true extension of the game system.
• Thanks to Emanuele Segato for the soundtrack to the game’s launch video, composed
during an unusual number of sleepless nights. It is still a delight to listen to!
• Thanks to Alice Luidelli for contributing her years of coloring experience to the
layout choices.

234 Acknowledgements
FUMBLE MEMBERS

Without Fumble and SideQuest, Not the End would never have been what it is today.
We have played it, replayed it, discussed it, and re-discussed it both on the public channel
and in private. So thank you to each and every member of Fumble and SideQuest: Claudio
Serena, Jacopo Colò, Matteo Mantovanelli, Roberto de Luca, Alice Luidelli, Daniele Civelli,
Emanuele Segato, Fabio Airoldi, Gianni Negrini, Simone Bonavita and Simone Bernardi.

OUR COMMUNIT Y AND OUR PL AY TESTERS

We would like to thank the Fumble community, the playtesters who played Not the End
when it was still only a prototype and who offered us their critical insight, as well as all
the people who supported and believed in us.
In particular, we wish to thank everyone who ran campaigns on our Discord server,
who created bots to use tokens during online matches, who raised questions that made
us specifically think about the game’s pillars, and who proofread the manual. So thanks
to Alessandro Mattia Chiappetta, Alessandro Monteverde, Antonio Rossetti, Christian
Peretto, Mauro Ghisoni, Riccardo Giannico and Stefano Caiazza.
Thanks also to all the other playtesters: it was your feedback that put us on the right track
when we were unsure which direction to take. Thanks to the members of Miciosombrero,
though we know they are planning something else.
Please forgive us if we fumbled and forgot to thank you: you are a huge and active
community and it would be impossible to mention all of you!

MEMORIES OF THE PAST

Thanks to the Cungi group, which supported the author in a very special way. We would
like to raise a glass of Acqua di Fonte to Marco Barison, Simone Cortesi, Paolo Fulcini
and Daniele Sarti for playing, years ago, a story that proved to be the seed that spawned
Not the End.

Acknowledgements 235
 GAME MATERIALS
You can download the hero and all the game handouts at:

https://bit.ly/NTEResources

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, © DC Comics and Warner Bros. and its assignees
Harvey Dent created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, © DC Comics and Warner Bros. and its assignees
Indiana Jones created by George Lucas, © LucasFilm and Walt Disney Company and its assignees
Jedi & Star Wars created by George Lucas, © LucasFilm and The Walt Disney Company and its assignees
V for Vendetta created by Alan Moore, © DC Comics and Warner Bros. and its assignees
The Matrix & Neo created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, © Warner Bros. and its assignees
Harry Potter created by J.K. Rowling, © Pottermore ltd. and Warner Bros. and its assignees

241 Acknowledgements Acknowledgements 241