A

GOOD
DEAth
A SOLO ROLE-PLAYING GAME OF
DEATH, GLORY, & SACRIFICE

REVISED & EXPANDED

 A GOOD DEAth
REVISED & EXPANDED
THE SITUATION IS HOPELESS
You stand against impossible odds, facing a
ruthless enemy. Eventually, you will fall. All you
ask is that you be granted a good death.
A Good Death is a solo role-playing and
journaling game wherein you fight a hope-
less battle to save your people. You must
manage dwindling resources, including the
Strength of your defenses and the Health
of the populace, and balance them against
earning personal Glory that will ensure your
place in history. You may also use Omen to-
kens to see your future and alter your fate.
Each turn, you draw cards from the Fate
Deck and decide whether to Accept the out-
come or Contest your fate to earn Glory.
At the end of each turn, you record your
interpretation of events in your Chronicle.
What tragic or epic events unfolded? What
role did you play? Did fortune shine on you,
or did fate conspire to rob you of glory?
A Good Death is primarily a storytelling
engine. The mechanics are intended to pro-
vide narrative inspiration. You can engage
with the resource management elements as
a game, but if you solely focus on resources
and mechanics, you will undermine the nar-
rative journaling experience. Inhabit your
hero—let their choices, not yours, drive deci-
sion making each round. Make decisions that
lead to compelling story development.
Eventually, either your resources or time will
run out, and you will be forced to make a
final stand against the darkness. There is
no winning. There is no victory. Only certain
death. You only get to choose how you meet
your fate.
Your Chronicle concludes with a record of
your last moments and the historical account
of events. Did you become a legend or were
you forgotten?
Did you die a good death?
REQUIRED TO PLAY
• A standard deck of playing cards with
jokers included.
• One or more six-sided dice (d6)
• Tokens with which to track Glory and
Omens
• A token with which to indicate your
Battle Plan
• A Story Sheet to maintain a record of
events and the outcome of each round
as well as track your resources. A copy
of the sheet can be found at https://
groovydad.itch.io/agooddeath.
SET UP E. What is your obligation?
First Chronicle Entry 1. Fulfill your duty
Answer the questions below to establish your 2. Pay a debt
background and the setting; this comprises 3. Keep a promise
the topic of your first entry in your Chronicle. 4. Redeem yourself
Alternately, you may roll a d6 to generate 5. Uphold your honor
random answers to each question. 6. Repay a kindness

A. Who are you? F. How are you flawed?

1. A knight of uncertain ancestry 1. Arrogance
2. A folk hero with a secret 2. Paranoia
3. A veteran of too many wars 3. Cowardly
4. A disgraced noble 4. Selfish
5. A soldier thrust into command 5. Rage
6. A lowborn serf fighting for family 6. Addiction

B. Where do you make your stand? The Fate Deck

1. The walls of the inner keep
2. The ancient mountain holdfast
3. The dark tunnels under the castle
4. The port and the last few ships
5. A snow-covered high pass
6. Before the great, roiling portal
C. What enemy do you face?
1. The endless orc horde
2. An unstoppable undead army
3. The demons now unleashed
4. The dragon and its devotees
5. Your former allies to the south
6. The vile usurper
Shuffle a deck of playing cards. Cut the deck
in half and shuffle the Ace of Spades and
both Jokers into the bottom half of the deck.
This is the Fate Deck.
Tokens
You begin the game with no Glory tokens.
Place the Glory tokens in a pool.
Next, select a difficulty level and start with
the indicated number of Omen tokens.

D. What are the stakes?

1. The city will fall
2. The people will be slaughtered
3. The world will burn
4. Reality will be shattered
5. The dark one will rise
6. The countryside will be razed
Difficulty Select if… Starting A. Your companion is…
Omen Tokens 1. the greatest archer the world has ever
Easy You want to 5 known
focus on 2. a sword master, unmatched and un-
storytelling broken
Standard You want to 3 3. a rogue whose words are as sharp as
balance story- their blades
telling with the 4. a former flame who drowns their ach-
resource man- ing heart in the blood of their foes
agement aspects 5. the mage, cursed with power, tortured
of the game. by fate
6. your child, grown into adulthood, forg-
Hard You want a 0
ing their own path
challenge man-
aging resources.
B. and…
Brutal You want to test 0 & no Pact
1. has always envied you.
your mettle. action during
2. has a death wish.
Night Phase.
3. seeks to step outside your shadow.
4. is loved by another heroic companion.
The Story Sheet
5. is plagued by a curse.
Print a copy of the Story Sheet. The popu-
6. is in league with the enemy.
lation you protect, including the defending
force, starts with 50 Health. The defenses
start with 50 Strength. These resources are THE TURN
tracked on your Story Sheet. Each turn comprises three phases:

You also start with 1d6 heroic Companions.
Write brief descriptions of your companions
in your Chronicle. Companions have no me-
chanical impact; they serve only to contribute
to the narrative. You can create your own
companions or roll 1d6 twice to generate
companions randomly:
1. Morning Phase, during which you pre-
pare for battle and spend Omen tokens to
see the future.
2. Day Phase, during which you draw and
resolve Fate cards, winning and losing Glory
tokens and other resources.

3. Night Phase, during which your recoup

resources and record the day’s events in your
Chronicle.
MORNING PHASE
At the start of each Morning Phase, pro-
ceed through the following steps.
1. Make an entry in your Chronicle. What
does the morning bring? Describe the
day—the weather, the disposition of your
forces as well as the enemy’s. What are
you feeling and thinking as the new day
dawns? What conversations do you have
with your companions and your troops?
What do you hope for? What do you
fear?
2. Visit the Seer. You may spend up to three
Omen tokens to look into the future. For
each Omen token you spend, draw two
cards off the top of the Fate Deck. You
may look at these cards, then shuffle
them, and return them face down to the
top of the deck.
3. Devise a Battle Plan. Decide how to com-
mit your forces. You may place your Bat-
tle Plan token on the Story Sheet in one
of the three spaces marked Battle Plan.
Otherwise, leave the token on the Re-
serves spot. Each space features a card
suit that denotes where the enemy could
attack, as indicated by the suit of the next
Fate card. A match increases the odds
of getting a success by rolling an extra
d6 on a Contest during the Day Phase. A
mismatch (except for the Reserve) results
in losing 5 points of both Health and
Strength.
DAY PHASE
At the start of the Day Phase, draw a Fate
card and refer to FATE DECK (below) to see
what occurs. Then, decide how you will re-
spond:
• You can Accept your fate, which loses
Glory but mitigates damage to Health
and Strength.
• You can Contest fate to earn Glory
but risk causing greater damage to
Health and Strength.
Note that some cards have to be Accepted
and resolved. If so, these do not automatical-
ly cost Glory or generate Omens. See FATE
DECK for more details.
Accept
Accept the consequences of the Fate card to
lose Health AND Strength equal to the card’s
value divided in half and rounded up. In ad-
dition, you lose 1 Glory token for failing to
give your all to protect your people. Howev-
er, you gain 1 Omen token.
If you do not have any Glory, then you can-
not Accept a Fate card.
Contest
Fight your fate. Roll a six-sided die (1d6)
plus an additional d6 for each Omen token
you spend. You may spend as many Omen
tokens as you have available. Roll an extra
d6 if the suit of the Fate card matches that
of the spot to which you committed your forc-
es as indicated by your Battle Plan token.
Each result of 6 on a single die or doubles
counts as 1 success; any other result is a fail-
ure.
• If you rolled no successes, suffer the
fate on the card, losing both Health
and Strength equal to the value of the
Fate card.
 • If you rolled 1 success, lose combined
Health and Strength equal to the
value of the Fate card (i.e., you may
distribute the cost of the card across
Health and Strength as you wish).
Gain 1 Glory.
• If you rolled 2 or more success, you
lose neither Health nor Strength. Gain
2 Glory.
NIGHT PHASE
During the Night Phase, you assess your loses,
rally and recover, and make entries in your
Chronicle detailing the day’s events.
Butcher’s Bill
Assess the state of your forces and defens-
es. Deduct 5 Health and 5 Strength if your
Battle Plan token was placed on a space that
did not match the suit of the Fate card that
was drawn; then, return the Battle Token to
the Reserves space.
If Health is 0, then your forces have been
defeated and the game is over; proceed to
THE FALL. If Strength is 0, then the defenses
have failed; proceed to THE FALL.
Recover
Choose one of the following actions:
• Rally to recoup 1d6 Health for every
Omen spent.
• Repair to recoup 1d6 Strength for
every Omen spent.
• Make a Pact to gain 1 Omen.
• Take time to Inspire your forces and
gain 1 Glory.
• Call for Aid by spending 1 Glory to
recoup 10 Health and 10 Strength.
If you are playing the Hard or Bru-
tal mode, then this action can only be
used once per game.
Chronicle
Record what happened during the day in
your Chronicle. What tragic or epic events
unfolded? What role did you play? Did for-
tune shine on you, or did fate conspire to rob
you of glory?
Be sure to note any defenses destroyed,
forces lost, battles won, crushing defeats, and
heroic sacrifices. Recount the butcher’s bill—
what did that look like in narrative terms?
Don’t forget to describe what happened
during the night phase as well.
THE FALL
Continue to play turns until one of the follow-
ing occurs:
• The defenses collapse when Strength
drops to 0 or less
• The people are defeated when Health
drops to 0 or less
• You draw one of the Jokers. In that
case, your people have managed to
escape from the enemy.
• You draw the Ace of Spades. In that
case, play THE FINAL STAND scenario
before resolving THE FALL.
Any of these events triggers THE FALL where
you and those you defend meet your fate.
How do you die? Imagine your last moments.
Roll a d6 if you would like a prompt.
 1. Overwhelmed by a sea of enemies Glory
2. Felled by the enemy’s champion 8+ Glory. You died an epic hero. They will
3. Buried under a hail of arrows sing songs of your deeds until the stars burn
4. Bathed in unnatural flames out.
5. Your soul utterly consumed
6. Your mind hopelessly shattered 5-7 Glory. You died as a notable figure in
the annals of your people.
THE FINAL STAND
If you survived to the draw of the Ace of 0-4 Glory. You will be forgotten, your name
Spaces, then you earn the right to face the lost to the passage of history and the fading
leader of the enemy forces in single combat. of memory.
This is an opportunity to carve your name in
the annals of history. Health
0-10 Health. No survivors. Your people were
Resolve The Final Stand as a normal Contest; wiped out.
however, you may wager as much Glory as
you have available. If you win the Contest 11-15 Health. A few survivors exist as a
(i.e., you roll one or more successes) then you diaspora within another culture. They are
win Glory equal to your wager. If you do not broken but unbowed.
roll any success, then you lose the glory that
you wagered. 16+ Health. Your people lived on. They have
rebuilt their society in another land. They
Write an entry in your Chronicle describing owe their survival to your heroic sacrifice.
this final battle. Then proceed to THE FALL.
Strength
0-10 Strength. Not a stone is left standing.
THE RECORD OF YEARS Not even the earth remembers you.
You are gone, but what stories live on after
you? Make a final Chronicle entry based on
11-15 Strength. Some scattered ruins remain
an eye-witness account of your last moments.
that reveal clues as to what once stood here.
What happened when the final fortifications
fell? As doom and death rushed to embrace
16+ Strength. Proud ruins stand as a mon-
your fleeing people? Be sure to describe the
ument to what happened here—a lasting
author of this final account.
testament to the bravery of you and your
people that inspires all who visit.
RESOLUTION
At the end of the game, note the number of
Glory, Health, and Strength that are remain-
ing. These values determine your level of
fame, what happened to your people, and
what happened to the location you defend-
ed during your final days.
THE HISTORIANS’ ACCOUNT If you Accept this card, you lose 2 Glory
Academics have unearthed your journal. instead of 1 in addition to losing Strength
Write an introduction to the Chronicle from and Health as normal; you cannot Accept this
the perspective of future scholars. Place your card if you do not have 2 Glory available.
tale in its proper historical context. Take into
consideration your final Glory, Health, and If you Contest this card, you will lose twice
Strength. How will history judge your final the card’s value in Strength and Health
days? should you fail the Contest. If you win the
Contest, you resolve the effects as normal.
Did you die a good death?
Face Cards (Any Suit)
Face cards must be Accepted but do not cost
THE FATE DECK
Glory.
Each Fate card triggers effects based on
both suit and value. Face cards and aces
Jacks. One of your heroic companions falls
have special effects.
into darkness. Chose to lose 1 Glory token or
5 Health.
Cards 2-10
Clubs & Hearts. The enemy launches an
Queens. While falling back, you fail to cov-
assault against your defenses. Lose both
er the retreat. Chose to lose 1 Glory token
Strength AND Health based on the card’s
or 5 Strength.
value and whether you Accept or Contest this
card.
Kings. An enemy champion challenges you
to single combat. Wager 1-3 Glory on a
Diamonds. You gain a brief moment of
Contest. If you win the Contest, then you gain
respite. This card must be Accepted but does
Glory equal to your wager. If you lose the
not cost Glory. You may choose one of the
Contest, then you lose all of the Glory that
following:
you wagered.
1. Rebuild your defenses; add the card’s
You cannot Contest this card if you have
value to Strength.
no Glory to wager as the enemy champion
2. Heal your people; add the card’s val-
deems you unworthy. Instead, lose 5 Strength
ue to Health.
and 5 Health, then immediately draw a new
3. Make a sacrifice to the Gods; -5
Fate card.
Health but gain 1 Omen token.
4. Use scorched earth tactics; -5 Strength
Aces
but gain 1 Omen token.
Aces must be Accepted but do not cost Glo-
ry.
Spades. You face a challenge that is com-
plicated by your obligation or your flaw;
Clubs. Treachery! You are betrayed from
you can select which or you can roll 1d6 to
within. Lose half of your remaining Strength
determine randomly (1-3= obligation; 4-6=
or 10 Strength, whichever is less.
flaw).
Diamonds. The weave of fate is laid bare.
Look at the next four Fate cards. Place two
cards at the top and two cards at the bottom
of the Fate deck in any order.

Hearts. A sickness spreads among the popu-

lace like wildfire. Lose half of your remaining
Health or 10 Health, whichever is less.

Spades. This is the end. The defenses have

fallen. The enemy is inside. Make a FINAL
STAND.

Jokers
Jokers must be Accepted but do not cost
Glory.

You and your surviving companions sacrifice

yourselves to help the people escape their
doom. You manage to hold on long enough
for the population to be evacuated. Proceed
to THE FALL.

CREDITS
Designed, Written, & Illustrated By
Trent Seltzer
Title Font
Metal Lord by Larabie Fonts
A Good Death: First Edition
© 2021 by Trent Seltzer
A Good Death: Revised & Expanded
© 2022 by Trent Seltzer

Visit https://groovydad.itch.io
for more games