You are in Switzerland in the early 1500s.

Ulrich Zwingli, pastor and theologian, has just denounced music in the church.

Zwingli’s Followers are tearing down church organs.

You have heard Zwingli’s Followers are planning to destroy your church’s organ.

You love your church’s organ.

You will defend the organ with everything you’ve got.

The organ will stay.

 THE ORGAN STAYS
Written by Samantha Leigh

What is this?
The Organ Stays is a rules-light TTRPG about defending your church’s organ from Zwingli’s Followers.
Gameplay is divided into 3 movements: Set the Scene, Plan and Prepare, and Defend the Organ.
The game ends when either Zwingli’s Followers destroy the organ, or the players successfully defend the organ.

Inspirations include the Home Alone movie franchise and silly micro-RPGs such as Lasers & Feelings by John Harper.
The dice-rolling mechanics take inspiration from Apocalypse World.

What is needed to play?

Minimum of 3 players. One player will lead the game as the Game Master (GM)
Two six-sided dice (2d6) per player
Something to write on
Approximately 3-6 hours

This game is about: This game is NOT about:

Creativity Religion*
Fun with friends Historical accuracy*
Being silly and slightly sacrilegious *Unless you want to explore these topics

It is important to discuss the group’s comfort level with different topics before playing. Some useful RPG consent
tools include Lines and Veils (developed by Ron Edwards) and the X-Card (developed by John Stavropoulos).

While this game traditionally takes place in a Catholic church in Switzerland in the early 1500s, you can adapt it
however you wish. Perhaps it actually takes place in the Roman Forum in 500 B.C. Perhaps Zwingli’s Followers are
replaced by robot droids from the future. There is only one rule that must be followed:
THERE IS ALWAYS AN ORGAN.
 CHARACTER CREATION: ASSIGN YOUR ATTRIBUTES

Characters created by the players are called Keepers. Each Keeper has 3 Attributes:
Insight
Vigor
Finesse

Insight represents communication and knowledge.

Vigor represents strength and combat prowess.
Finesse represents dexterity and stealth.

Each Attribute is assigned a certain number of Attribute Points.

The more Points your Keeper has in an Attribute, the easier your Keeper completes tasks in that Attribute.
EXAMPLE: A Keeper with 3 Vigor Points will be able to throw a punch easier than a Keeper with 1 Vigor Point.

HOW TO ASSIGN ATTRIBUTE POINTS:

The sum of all Attribute Points must equal 2.
No one Attribute can have more than 3 Points.
No one Attribute can have fewer than -3 Points.

EXAMPLES

Keeper A: Keeper B: Keeper C:

Insight = +1 Insight = +2 Insight = +3
Vigor = +1 Vigor = -3 Vigor = 0
Finesse = 0 Finesse = +3 Finesse = -1
 CHARACTER CREATION: CHOOSE YOUR ROLE

Each role has a unique skill.

Multiple players can choose the same role.

THE ROLES

Organist Bach Up – Play the organ to boost the morale of your allies. All allies within earshot take +1 to
their next roll. You must be at the organ to use this skill.

Priest Divine Guidance – Call upon your god for guidance. The GM gives you advice from your god.
Roll 1d6 to determine how helpful the advice is.
o 1-2 = The advice is cryptic at best
o 3-4 = The advice is somewhat helpful
o 5-6 = The advice is very helpful

Lector Hymnal Healing – Sing to one individual to heal them. Roll 1d6. The number on the die is how
much HP they regain.

Parishioner Average Joe – You are unassuming. If you are seen by enemies, they will not consider you a
threat or be alarmed by you until you make a move against them.

Organ Ghost Phantom of the Alter – You can haunt objects around the church and use them to perform
minor actions (for example, shutting a door you have haunted). Roll 1d6 to see how successful
the action is:
o 1-2 = Failure
o 3-4 = Partial success
o 5-6 = Solid success

All Keepers start with 10 Health Points (HP)

Choose a name and pronouns (the Keepers can be any gender, no matter the role).
Develop your Keeper’s personality and backstory.
 HOW TO PLAY

When a Keeper performs an action, the GM decides which Attribute the action falls under.
Convincing a Follower that the church is haunted would likely be Insight.
Shoving one of the pews against the wall would likely be Vigor.
Sneaking up on a Follower by sticking to the shadows would likely be Finesse.

Once the Attribute is determined, the player makes an Attribute Roll.

Attribute Roll = 2d6 + Attribute Points
EXAMPLE: A Keeper tries to throw an oil lamp across the room. The GM decides this requires Vigor.
Vigor Roll = 2d6 + Vigor Points
The player rolls a 3 on the first dice and a 4 on the second. The Keeper has +1 Vigor Points.
Vigor Roll = 3 + 4 + 1 = 8

The GM determines the outcome of the action based on the roll.

6 or lower Failure: The action fails and causes a complication.

EXAMPLE: “You throw the oil lamp too far right, and it shatters as it hits the ground.”

7-9 Partial Success: The action succeeds but causes a complication.

EXAMPLE: “Your friend catches the oil lamp, but some oil drips out and catches a rug on fire.”

10 or higher Full Success: The action succeeds with no complications.

EXAMPLE: “You throw the oil lamp perfectly and your friend catches it across the room.”

However, special rules apply if the player rolls double 1s or double 6s on the dice.

Double 1s Critical Failure: Automatic failure with a MAJOR complication.

EXAMPLE: “You throw the oil lamp too hard and it hits your friend, setting their clothes on fire.”

Double 6s Critical Success: Automatic success with additional benefit.

EXAMPLE: “After your friend catches the oil lamp, you look further into the cupboard and find
an extra bottle of oil.”
 1ST MOVEMENT: SET THE SCENE

Discuss the following as a group:

1. What does the church look like? Draw a map of the church together.
Is it a modest one-room building, or a sprawling cathedral?
What is the name of the church?
What is one feature unique to your church?

2. What are the surroundings like?

Is the church in the middle of a busy city, or on the side of a country road?
Which is the time of year? Are you surrounded by a blanket of snow, or scorched by the summer
heat?
What is the community like?

3. What are your Keepers’ relationships like with the church and each other?
How long has your Keeper been going to the church?
Does your Keeper know any of the other Keepers? How do they feel about them?
Why does your Keeper want to protect the organ?

When the players have finished setting the scene, continue to the next movement.
 2ND MOVEMENT: PLAN AND PREPARE

Someone warned the Keepers that Zwingli’s Followers will attempt to destroy the church’s beloved organ tonight. The
Keepers gather in the church to ready their defenses.

REMEMBER: The organ should be protected at all costs

During this time, Keepers should:

Gather materials
Set traps
Strategize

Most actions require an Attribute Roll.

Keepers can help each other.

When a player wants help on an Attribute Roll, a different player can choose to help them.
Before helping, the player must describe how their Keeper helps. If the GM approves of this description, the player
rolls 1d6.
The player who makes the Attribute Roll can choose whether to replace one of their two dice with the dice rolled by
the helper.
EXAMPLE
Player A needs to make a Insight Roll. Player B decides to help.
Player A rolls 2d6. The dice are a 1 and a 5.
Player B rolls 1d6. They roll a 6.
Player A decides to replace their 1 with Player B’s 6.

When a trap is set, mark its location on the church map. This will help the players and GM keep track of the traps and
strategize around them.

When the players have finished planning and preparing, continue to the final movement.
 3RD MOVEMENT: DEFEND THE ORGAN

The Followers arrive.

Combat
Fighting with a Follower typically requires an Attribute Roll. Complications often involve the Keeper taking damage
and losing some HP.
For example, a Keeper attempts to hit a Follower over the head with a chalice:

6 or lower Failure: The action fails and causes a complication.

EXAMPLE: “You swing the chalice, but the Follower side-steps and elbows you in the gut for
2 HP.”

7-9 Partial Success: The action succeeds but causes a complication.

EXAMPLE: “You manage to hit a glancing blow, but you lose your grip and the chalice
clatters to the floor 5 feet away.”

10 or higher Full Success: The action succeeds with no complications.

EXAMPLE: “You land a solid hit with the chalice. The Follower is still standing, but one more
good hit should knock them out.”

When a Keeper’s HP reaches zero or lower, the Keeper becomes a spirit.

Spirits can observe the scene and attempt to pass messages to other Keepers from beyond the grave. They cannot
interact with Followers.

The organ has 15 HP

THE GAME ENDS WHEN the organ is destroyed OR all Followers are incapacitated or have run away.

DESCRIBE THE AFTERMATH. What happens to the Keepers?

 GM TIPS AND TOOLS

Tips
 Let the players run wild with their ideas. If they do not know where to start, offer up a question, such as, “Is
there anything in this room that you think could be useful?”
 The GM has options for how many Followers there are and how the Followers arrive. Maybe they all clump
at one entrance, or maybe they spread out along the outside of the church.
 Encourage your players to make and execute plans together rather than each setting traps by themselves.
 There is no specific “turn order”. Do what feels natural. If one player has not made a roll for a while, shift
the spotlight to them and ask what their Keeper is doing.

Alternate Rules
 Someone in town overheard how many Followers will attack the organ. Tell the players how many Followers
their Keepers are expecting.
ALTERNATE: Tell the players the number of followers, then roll 1d6. Let the players know that if the
result is a 5 or 6, the Keepers were told the wrong number of Followers. Do not tell the players the
result of the roll. On a 5 or 6, secretly choose a different number of Followers.
 The GM sets a timer for the 2nd movement. When the timer rings, the Followers arrive. Shorter times are
recommended for groups who want a greater challenge while strategizing. Longer times are recommended
for groups who enjoy roleplaying.
ALTERNATE: With the approval of the players, the GM sets the timer for a secret amount of time.

Common features of churches

Altar Communion railing Confessional Font

Lectern Pews Pulpit Stained glass windows

Objects you might find in a church

Aspergillum Bells Bibles Bread

Candles Chalice Cloths Cushions
Holy water Hymn books Incense Matches
Oil lamps Oils Paintings Pitchers
Plates Rosaries Snuffer Statues
Tabernacle Thurible Vestments Wine
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Huge thank you to my friends who playtested this silly game with me:
Emily Alexander Parishioner, Constanze Bach. Ancestor of JS Bach and petty rival of Maria Barbara Mozart.
Jackie Ferro Parishioner, Joe. Crushed on the organist, whose organ music made him believe in God.
Bethany A. Gruskin Organist, Helsby Woogle McDougal Woo. Stole organ pieces to build an organ from scratch.
Audrey Springer Parishioner, Dave Pfluger. Just thought this was a finance meeting.
Victor D. Winter Organ ghost, Unnamed raccoon. Died falling from the rafters behind the organ.

Double thank you to Bethany A. Gruskin who edited this before publishing.

Extra-special thank you to Audrey Springer, who told me about Zwingli’s Followers and inspired this idea.

Cover image of organ retrieved from Library of Congress website:

Andrews, A. Organ Fantasia. Gordon & Son, S. T., New York, monographic, 1874. Notated Music. Retrieved from the
Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/sm1874.11610/>.

Finally, thank YOU for playing this game!

Hacks are welcomed and encouraged. If you make a hack, I’d love to hear about it.
Email: samantha.leigh14@gmail.com
Twitter: @GoblinMixtape