System Reference Document and Guidelines for Making Games Guided by

Firelights
v1.5

Guided By Firelights
Welcome to the Firelights Creator Kit. You will find all the information to make your own game
Guided by Firelights.

Firelights is a condensed solo/co-op role-playing game about a guided journey across a plagued
land. It is a game of exploration, discovery, and challenges. Inspired by the Metroidvania video
game genre, players take on the role of a last of its kind lone-protagonist whose role is to guide
back the dead back to the underworld after a corruption took over. Using accessible gaming
material (2 six sided dice, a deck of card, and a notebook), players will tackle challenges, evade
danger, explore and create a map of the land, fight dangerous bosses, search for treasures, and
more.

This Creator Kit is structured into two chapters.

● The System Reference Document (SRD): This chapter includes the actual open licensed
SRD of Firelights which you can directly copy and adapt as you see fit to make your own
 game, as long as you give us attribution for our work. See below for more information
concerning the license and attribution details.
● The Checklist: This chapter covers all the guidelines on how to create your own game
based on the format, setting, and mechanics used in Firelights.

License & Attribution

Firelights is a product of Fari RPGs (https://farirpgs.com/), but the text of Firelights is available for
use under the Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY 4.0 license.

To make your own game Guided by Firelights, simply include the following text in your game:

This work is based on Firelights, product of Fari RPGs (https://farirpgs.com/), developed and
authored by René-Pier Deshaies-Gélinas, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

When making your game, be sure to check out the official Guided by Firelights page which
includes templates, logos, and additional information to get you started.

The SRD
Open Licensed (CC-BY) System Reference Document of Firelights

The Basics
Preparing The Game
To play this game, you will need the following materials:

● A standard deck of cards without any jokers. You will use this as a way to guide the story,
and its challenges. This is your Story Deck. When you use a card, discard it.
● Two six-sided dice. You will use these to perform actions in the narrative, and get answers
about the world. These are your Action Dice.
● A notebook to act as your Journey Book for log entries.
● Index cards or random slips of paper.
 ● A token of some sort (coin, poker chip, etc.).

Starting the Game

To play, make sure you have a couple of hours of spare time ahead of you. Shuffle and place your
Story Deck on a flat surface, and gather your Action Dice.

Creating Your Firelight

Choose your name and preferred pronouns. Your character has three approaches: forceful, patient,
and quick. Assign one to a +2, another with a +1, the third defaults to a 0.

Striving For Your Goal

While the Firelights were gone, gigantic shadowy entities called Curses have started spawning
across the land, corrupting everything they touch, extinguishing the beacons thus preventing the
dead from crossing through the Veil. You are the last of the FIRELIGHTS. You are a very rare kind of
insect, and only you have the ability to re-ignite the six beacons, fight Curses, and guide the
undead back through the other side of the Veil..

Making An Action
Actions guide your journey across this world. Each one is a self-contained system which helps you
resolve the questions you have, or the actions you want to take.

When making an Action, go through the following:

● Draw 2 cards face-up from your Story Deck.

● Roll and sum your two Action Dice.
● Add any modifiers to your roll to get your Score.

Then, interpret the result as follows, then discard the cards.

● If your score is higher than both cards, there’s Light.

● If your score is higher than one card, there’s Shade.
● Otherwise, there’s Darkness.
Aces are worth 1, Jacks are worth 11, Queens are worth 12, and Kings are worth 13. Each Action is
formatted Actions+(Modifier), and tells you what happens when there’s Light, Shade or Darkness.

The Game
Exploring The World
When you start the game, draw a card from the Story Deck, and place it face up in front of you.
This is where you are right now. As you discover the land, you will add more cards to your World
Map. Each card being a new region.

When you add a new region card, the corner of your card needs to connect with another region’s
corner. To know whether the region you are adding is located below, beside or above your current
location, compare the numbers of both cards, and interpret the result.

● If the number on the new card is higher than the one on your current location, place the
card above.
● If the number on the new card is lower than the one on your current location, place the
card below.
● Otherwise, place the card beside your current location.

Use rolling tables for inspiration, place slips of paper on top of the cards to note down details
about the region.

Igniting The Six Beacons

The six beacons of Penumbra served as a guide for the dead to navigate through the Veil. Even to
this day, they continue to emit a subtle mystical smoke. To find beacons, DISCOVER A REGION. If
the card you add to the map is a face card (jack, queen, king) that region includes a beacon.

Resting and Fatigue

You may have to mark Fatigue as a result to an action. When your fatigue is full or your Story Deck
empty, you have to rest or flee to live another day, or risk extinguishing your light. When you rest,
fill an entry in your Journey Book, shuffle the cards you discarded when making Actions in your
journey, and clear your Fatigue.
Fighting Curses
If you encounter a Curse, you may confront them. Build a stack of cards as described in the FIGHT
A CURSE action. When the number of cards of the stack matches the Curse’s Strength, they fade
away and perish. If you flee from a Curse, their stack persists until you encounter them again.

● Calamity (5 Strength): Spider spun from mist who spews toxic fumes. Red cards ♦♥ count
as two stack cards.
● Screecher (8 Strength): Being of flame and shadow which shrieks destruction, leaving
nothing but ashes in its wake. Black cards ♠ ♣ count as two stack cards.
● Hollow (8 Strength): Worm with eyes that gleam like rubies. Attacks from below and
consume all in its grasp. Spades ♠ count as two stack cards.
● Talon (13 Strength): Bird of bones. Quick to strike, and extremely deadly. Hearts ♥ count
as two stack cards.

The Actions
Confront Risk
When you act in the face of adversity, Action+Approach.

● Upon Light, it’s a full success.

● Upon Shade, it’s a partial success.
● Upon Darkness, it’s a setback, mark 1 Fatigue.

Search For Treasures

When you search for something lost, Action+Approach to see how many Treasures you find.

● Upon Light, you find 2 treasures.

● Upon Shade, you find 1 treasure.
● Upon Darkness, a Curse is onto you, mark 1 Fatigue.
Buy Information
When you trade treasures for knowledge, decide on a number of Treasures to expend, and
Action+Treasures.

● Upon Light, you get precise information.

● Upon Shade, you get partial information.
● Upon Darkness, you get ambiguous information.

Discover a Region
When you look for a new path, Action+Approach.

● Upon Light, add the two cards to your map.

● Upon Shade, add either one of the cards to your map.
● Upon Darkness, the path is hidden. Add either one of the cards to your map, face down,
and mark 1 Fatigue. To reveal a hidden path, you may BUY INFORMATION or CONFRONT
RISK.

Fight A Curse
When you confront a Curse, Action+Approach. Repeat until you’ve stacked enough cards to match
its Strength.

● Upon Light, stack the two cards on the curse.

● Upon Shade, stack either one of the cards on the curse.
● Upon Darkness, EVADE DANGER.

Evade Danger
When you avoid an impending threat, Action+Approach.

● Upon Light, you avoid the danger.

● Upon Shade, mark 1 Fatigue.
● Upon Darkness, mark 2 Fatigue.
 Get an Answer From The Oracle
When you want answers to a yes/no question, Action+2 if likely. Action+0 if unlikely. Action+1
otherwise.

● Upon Light, the answer is “yes, and...”.

● Upon Shade, the answer is “yes, but...”.
● Upon Darkness, the answer is “no, and...”.

The Tables

d66 Region Theme Event Story

11 Grove Beauty Lead Soldier

12 Burrow Loyalty Redeem Farmer

13 Glade Money Infiltrate Thief

14 Woods Life Study Knight

15 Tree Death Pursue Noble

16 Ruins War Focus Seller

21 Hills Peace Plan Sailor

22 Tunnels Family Serve Peasant

23 Swamp Power Create Spy

24 Mountains Friends Escape Artisan

25 River Change Parley Pirate

26 Lake Tradition Secure Bandit

31 Ocean Survival Sneak Monk

32 Island Freedom Search Healer

33 Plains Time Sabotage Guard

34 Glacier Corruption Adapt Nomad

35 Pond Hope Inspire Hunter

36 Desert Love Betray Leader

41 Tundra Revenge Deceive Raider

42 Caves Identity Hide Outcast

43 Fields Redemption Retrieve Miner

44 Nest Justice Exploit Worker

45 Wasteland Honor Attack Bard

46 Cliffs Forgiveness Observe Weird

51 Gardens Ambition Sacrifice Warrior

52 Jungle Faith Survive Sage

53 Prairie Greed Follow Bounty

54 Reef Equality Persuade Creature

55 Hive Deception Explore Beggar

56 Canyon Legacy Execute Tailor

61 Catacombs Trust Avenge Mage

62 Volcanic Sacrifice Help Urchin

63 Wetlands Solitude Forgive Engineer

64 Tomb Resilience Destroy Herbalist

65 Estuary Betrayal Protect Brewer

66 Hollow Fame Learn Tracker

 The Checklist
Guidelines for Designing Your Own Game Guided by Firelights

When making your game, you will be considering numerous things all at once in the hope of
forming a cohesive whole. To make your life easier, we’ve created this Checklist. In this chapter, you
will see all the things you need to think about when making your game. Simply go through each
section, and by the end of this chapter you will have a pretty good idea of what your game will
look like.

A Format
The first thing you need to think about when creating a game of any sort is the format you want to
use. If your document is a trifold pamphlet like Firelights, a 20-page zine, or a full-fledged book, the
way you write your text, lore, and mechanics will differ greatly.

In formats like bifold or trifold games, every single word has to be useful. Every single sentence,
condensed. Because of the space limitation, you might have to rephrase things often to make them
fit on the page. Using a small format also means you won’t be able to add as many things as you
might have liked. Details like world lore, a bestiary or NPC backgrounds can take up a lot of space.
Space is a luxury you often can’t afford in small formats., It requires significant effort to make
condensed games, but it can be a rewarding challenge..

If you decide to go with a larger format like a zine or a book, then you will need to ask yourself the
question “how much is too much information?” Guided by Firelights games revolve around a solo
protagonist who explores and discovers a world. If you add too many details around the world,
what is left to be explored? Try to strike the right balance between things that are necessary to
understand what the world is about, and what is superfluous to actually enjoy being a part of it.

A World
Firelight was created in the hope of mechanically emulating the Metroidvania video game genre.
As for its world, the game is heavily inspired by Ori and the Blind Forest, Hollow Knight, and The
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The world of Firelights is grim, dark, but still hopeful. The dead
can’t find the way through the Veil, and only Firelights can reignite the Beacons which lead their
way. But, Curses are all around, and plague the land. The game starts with the protagonist emerging
from a cocoon. They know nothing of the world at this point. They start with only a basic
understanding of what they need to do, and are guided by their goal to explore and reignite the 6
beacons of Penumbra.

When creating your world, think about what it looks like, what kind of creatures live in it, and what
are its impending or current issues. Is the world broken, or is there something that is looking to
cause it harm? Think about the latest events in the story, and describe them in the game to give a
sense of history and context.

A Goal
In Firelights, the protagonist of the story has one clear goal: explore a world that is entirely new to
them, and re ignite the 6 beacons of the land. Only they have the power to do this and guide the
dead back through the Veil. This goal that drives the player through the story. Without this, the
player won’t have any interest in actually exploring the land, and expanding the map.

When creating your story, think about the goal the main character of the story has. Is the
protagonist just a lone explorer, or are they a part of the solution to resolve the problems of the
world? Are they looking for something, or are they fleeing someone? Think about the different
factions in your world, and how they relate with the protagonist to define how everything is linked
together.

An Antagonist
In Firelights, the main antagonists of the story are the undead and the Curses. The undead are the
creatures that plague the land, as there are no more beacons to guide their way through the Veil.
The Curses are the shadowy entities who’ve extinguished the beacons, and corrupt the land of
Penumbra. While the undead exist for narrative purposes only, Curses are an important part of the
system. Curses are the bosses of the game. They are scary, dangerous, and are hunting for the
protagonist. In Ori and the Will of the Wisps, those are your Howl, Mora, and Shriek. Some actions
results hint at their presence, while others put the player in direct conflict with them. To fight a
curse, the player needs to perform an action, and stack a certain number of cards to match the
Curse’s strength. Some Curses are vulnerable to certain types of actions, and this is reflected by
card suite vulnerabilities inscribed on each Curse’s definition. E.g. “♠ cards count as two cards”
When designing your world, think about the different kind of enemies, creatures, opponents, or
adversaries the protagonist may face in their journey. Define what triggers them showing up, may it
be caused by an Action’s result or not. Then, think of how a character fights them (e.g. with an
action), and what makes them unique (e.g. vulnerabilities)

A Protagonist
Games that are Guided by Firelights usually focus on developing the story of a lone protagonist,
which the player of the game embodies throughout the story. That protagonist is determined to
accomplish their goal, explore the world, and interact with the fiction using a list of Actions and a
set of Approaches. Consequences are paced using a Fatigue track, and Treasures can be gained
and spent to do numerous things in the fiction.

Approaches
The protagonist has three approaches: Forceful, Quick, and Patient. Each approach is linked to a
Modifier which is often used when making Actions in the game. At the start of the game, there is
one approach set at a +2, another at a +1, and the last one is set to a 0.

For your game, think about the different kind and number of possible Approaches you want the
protagonist to take when performing Actions in the world. Define their name, and think of how the
Modifiers for each approach are set at the start of a game, and if there’s a chance to increase them
during gameplay.

The word Approach is important here. Those aren’t skills, they are the ways and methods a
character might use when facing a particular challenge.

Fatigue
The protagonist has a Fatigue track which is made of 5 boxes, which the game uses as a way to
pace the consequences of making actions. When the main character makes an action, and the
result is not favorable, there’s a chance they’ll have to mark a number of Fatigue boxes.

For your game, think of the different way you want to pace out consequences. You may want to
use a single track like in Firelights, or rely on multiple tracks. Think about which Action has an
impact on the tracks, and define what happens when if a track is ever full.
To its core, the Fatigue track is kind of like a health point bar that is used as a way to boost up the
drama of the different actions of the main character.

Treasures
The protagonist also has a Treasures counter. Treasures are gained by the SEARCH FOR
TREASURES action, and are consumed when making the BUY INFORMATION action. This
diversifies the types of things the protagonist can do in the story, but gives them more tools to get
to their goal. Instead of resolving everything with a challenge, this gives them the ability to
approach certain situations with a new angle, thus making the gameplay more varied.

For your game, think about what the protagonist can do and gain throughout their journey, and
how they can expend it to gain other advantages. Always refer to the list of Actions the main
character can take when designing this particular aspect.

Treasures were incorporated in the game to reinforce the exploration phase of the game, and guide
players to look for secrets, like you’d do in Metroidvania style video games.

A Moment of Rest
As the protagonist explores the map of the game, they may be asked by the result of an Action to
mark Fatigue. At some point in the game, they will have to clear the track, or fear having to fall
back and flee for impending danger. Firelights accomplishes this by allowing the character to Rest.
When a character rests, they clear the fatigue track, shuffle the discarded cards they’ve used back
into their Story Deck, and take the time to fill an entry in their Journey Book.

When designing your mechanics, think about what taking a Rest looks like, and the kind of impacts
it as on the different systems and mechanics that your game uses.

This kind of move is classic in games like Ori and the Blind Forest and Hollow Knight. This is when
the character finds a calm place in the world where they can restore their health, save their game,
and take a breather from the constant challenge that is their journey.

An Action List
The core system of Firelights relies on its Actions. These are self-contained systems the player can
quickly parse at a glance when they are looking for something to do. Each action has a trigger (e.g.
“when you do this…”), defines how the action is executed (e.g. “Act + Modifier”), and lists out a
distribution based on whether the result of the action created Light, Shade, or Shadow.

For your game, think about the kind of moves you want the main character to take as they walk the
land, face adversaries and explore the unknown. Every single action should be put in place to
reinforce something important about your game and your themes. In other words, don’t add
generic actions. Instead, try to look for actions that are entirely unique to the Protagonist.

In video game terms, these are the kind of activities the main character can do in the world. Can
they fight? Search? Climb? Evade? Purify? Add one action for each important theme, and make
them worth the player’s time.

The Journey
Now having read creator kit, you should now have a pretty good understanding of the different
parts of games Guided by Firelights, and should be in good hands to get started on your project.

But your journey doesn’t end here. If you need further help designing your game, or want to
bounce ideas with amazing people, be sure to join the Fari Community. You can also ping me on
Twitter at any point for assistance or feedback.

Once you’ve designed your game, you may use the Guided by Firelights logos, which can be found
here.