DREAM OF A WAKING MAN
Gladiatorial Life (and Death) with the Second Guess System
by Jason Kenney/Serial Prizes
The Prompts
It’s hard to see civilized Rome from the floor of the arena. Through the sweat and 1. Your opponent is highly skilled and a favorite
dust and blood and roar of the crowd, the roar of your blood pulsing through your of the emperor. You do not expect to win the
veins, the roar of a shout that makes your throat raw. fight and hope to survive. What goes through
your mind as you prepare for and fight
Civilized. through this match? -2 Glory
Freedom is a tease, a taunt, only a few more fights away, just a few more wins, just a 2. You manage to defeat your first opponent
with ease, but your next opponent is a fierce
couple more, and yet, weeks later, months later, you still fight. You, the supposed
animal. What kind of animal is it and how do
barbarian of a people conquered by civilized Rome. you plan to defeat it? +1 Glory
You fight because it is all you can do, that and hope and hope is a well quickly running 3. You are chosen to fight a ferocious lion in the
dry. Colosseum. Describe your thoughts and
emotions as you prepare for the fight.
How To Play 4. You win a hard-fought battle against a skilled
gladiator. How does this victory impact your
Dream of a Waking Man is a solo role-playing game built on the Second Guess outlook on your chances of earning your
System. To play you will need something to record journal entries such as paper and freedom?
pen as well as a d20 and a d6. 5. You suffer a devastating injury during a fight.
How does this impact your physical and
At the start of each turn, you roll the d20 and consult the chart to determine what mental state? -1 Glory
event or reflection your character undergoes. 6. Your opponent is a skilled fighter who has
defeated many gladiators before you. How do
When you roll any prompt more than once, reread your previous entries and reveal
you study their fighting style and find
something new that you had not considered or noticed before. Next, remove 1 from weaknesses to exploit? +1 Glory
your Hope tracker. Then roll a d6. If you roll at or below your current Hope, you 7. You are assigned to fight in the opening
move on to the next day, hoping it’s the one that earns your freedom. If you roll match of the day. How do you use this
above, you’ve given up, this is your life and will be your death. You start at 6 Hope. opportunity to gain an advantage over your
opponents?
Some prompts will add or subtract to your Glory track. If you reach 6 Glory, the
8. Your opponent is a skilled archer who attacks
crowd’s roars overwhelm even the Emperor, and you are granted your freedom. You from a distance. How do you close the gap
start at 0 Glory. and engage them in close combat?
9. You witness a fellow gladiator being executed
The Premise for disobeying orders. How does this impact
your perception of the stakes of your fights? -
You are a gladiator in ancient Rome. You fight for the pleasure of the people of Rome
1 Glory
and the Emperor. It is not to the death, no, that would be wasteful. But it is to defeat
10. You defeat your opponent with ease,
which you will taste time and time again before finally winning over the crowd and impressing the crowd and gaining their favor.
winning your freedom. So fight. Fight until you are free. How do you use this newfound popularity to
your advantage? +1 Glory
Second Guess System by William Lentz is licensed under CC BY 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
11. You are forced to fight your best friend in the
arena. How do you handle the emotional
turmoil and come out on top?
12. You are given a rare opportunity to train with
a renowned gladiator. How do you make the
most of this experience?
13. You are gravely injured during a fight and
must fight through the pain to stay alive. How
do you summon the strength to keep going
and what risks do you take? -1 Glory
14. Your opponent is much bigger and stronger
than you, but you manage to outmaneuver
them and win the fight. How did you do it? +1
Glory
15. You are forced to fight blindfolded. How do
you adapt to this challenge and what risks do
you take?
16. You are tasked with training a new gladiator.
How do you impart your skills and knowledge
to them?
17. Your opponent cheats during a fight, but the
judges do not notice. What do you do and
how does this affect your chances of winning
your freedom? -1 Glory
18. You suffer a significant injury during a fight,
but you must continue to fight in the next
round. How do you overcome the pain and
fear to emerge victorious? +1 Glory
19. Your opponent is a fast and agile fighter who
keeps dodging your attacks. How do you
adjust your strategy to catch them off guard?
20. You are given a rare opportunity to win your
freedom by fighting in front of the emperor
himself. How do you impress the emperor and
what risks do you take to secure your victory?
+2 Glory