How to Play
༄ 𐤊𐤟𐤁𐤋 𐤟 𐤔𐤕𐤅 𐤟 𐤔𐤌𐤌 𐤟 𐤅𐤉𐤌 𐤟 𐤔𐤌𐤕 ༄
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Chom the Champion, Matreyis the Mastermind, and Wandu the Wanderer embark on adventure.
Illustration by Sansiia
When Sky & Sea Were Not Named is a game of shared imagination. The Guide describes a scene or situation and presents points of interest that the other players’ heroes would notice:
Guide: After weeks of lost wanderings in your hot-air balloon, your supplies and fuel have dwindled. But at long last, you see it—a small island, floating low, its tapering forested cliffs half-submerged in the cloudtops. A single hill crowns the island, overlooking a crude skyharbor—a small pond, really, around which clusters a village of a dozen wooden buildings. But even from a distance, you see the village is in ruins.
These points of interest function as choices. Which area on this mysterious island—the cliffs, the hill, or the pond—might the heroes choose to disembark and explore first? Inevitably, the players’ choices will lead them into risky situations. At that point, players take actions and roll dice to see what happens. But before any dice are rolled, the game takes the form of a conversation. The Guide can’t possibly describe every single thing the heroes would see or hear. The other players should ask questions about their situation, with these principles in mind:
Ask questions.
Keep it moving.
Keep it real.
Ask Questions Like a Hero
Ask Questions Like a Hero
When you ask the Guide questions, name one or more aspects of your hero that would help them discern an answer. Asking questions this way helps the Guide frame their answers, come up with evocative descriptions, and connect the world with your hero.
Guide: What questions do you have, heroes?
Chom: There has been battle here. As a Champion, who do I think prevailed?
Guide: If the locals succeeded in driving off whoever attacked the island, you'd expect to see them out and about, cleaning up. You don't.
Wandu: I'm a Zordin. Does this look like it could be the work of my people?
Guide:That fits the rumors you've heard, specifically about a tribe of dragon-riding raiders who sew masks into their faces. But you don't see any dragons, at least not from above.
Of course, the Guide doesn’t have to answer everything directly—the Skysea is full of mysteries, after all.
Matreyis: I’m a Mastermind and I know the Ballooning lore. Does it look safe to land our balloon in the skyharbor?
Guide: The harbor looks empty. There’s plenty of space to land. From the air, you can’t see anyone waiting in ambush. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe, though . . . you’ll need to get closer to investigate.
Naming your aspects yields information limited to your background knowledge and immediate perception. But you can also name your hero’s abilities to help you glean details beyond those limits. You'll know something is an ability when you see a ✪star next to its name.
Matreyis: Get closer, you say … well, I have ✪Farsight. Can I see any suspicious details around the skyharbor?
Guide: Ah, yes. With a closer—farther—look, you do notice that the water in the skyharbor looks odd . . . like something is moving under its surface.
Wandu: So probably let’s not land in the skyharbor, right?
Some abilities, like ✪Farsight, are passive traits. Many other abilities cost something to use or activate, such as one of your four attributes—a bit of your awareness, spirit, strength, or grace.But you don’t need to roll dice to get information. Ask questions, name your aspects and abilities, and the Guide will answer!
Keep It Moving
Keep It Moving
Time is precious—both in the Skysea, where floating islands sink into chaos and death, and in real life, where scheduling games with friends is a constant battle.
Chom: As a Champion, what is the most advantageous place for battle?
Wandu: I know the Cloak lore … where’s the best place to hide?
Matreyis: As a Mastermind, I’d like to compile a detailed list of the advantages and disadvantages for landing on each area of this island . . . can I get my scrolls out from my pack? And what do I roll to do this?
Guide: Friends, I must remind you that we have a need for speed! Let me summarize. It’s trivially easy to land in the skyharbor, but who knows what lurks in the water. It’s not too hard to land on the hill, but you might take some bumps, and you’ll be in full sight of the village. Landing on the island’s forestcliff is most likely to damage you and the balloon, but you’ll be totally out of view from the village on top. Where will you go?
The Guide has particular leeway to push heroes to make decisions—for example, by “zooming out” and making their options explicit—but it’s up to all players to keep up a brisk pace. The unpredictable and perilous Skysea also provides a natural time pressure—a stray windcurrent or bit of turbulence is always available for the Guide to push indecisive heroes along!
Keep it together is a corollary to the "Keep it moving" principle. Assume that heroes share information unless otherwise stated by a player. Avoid splitting up the party unless absolutely necessary. And remember, you’re heroes—so no backstabbin’!
Keep It Real
Keep It Real
That is to say, treat this imaginary world as if it were real. Assume the laws of physics and chemistry work more or less like observed reality. Yes, there is wonder and magic. Spells can twist or break the laws of physics and chemistry. But those laws still provide a baseline for answers to the question of “what could happen?” For example, “Can a strong hero kick down a wooden door?” The answer is yes. “Can they kick down a stone wall?” The answer is no—unless, perhaps, the hero is a giant golem. And even then, you don’t need to roll dice; the Guide can just decide.Likewise, realism extends to questions of applied expertise:
Matreyis: We don’t need to roll anything to land in the skyharbor?
Guide: That’s right. Balloons are designed to land in water. And with your knowledge of Ballooning, you’ve probably done this plenty of times, so there’s no real risk of crashing.
Wandu: But we might get eaten by whatever’s beneath the water . . .
Matreyis: Right. I think we should try landing in the forestcliffs. Even with the risk of crashing. I know how to ✪Pilot this thing, after all.
Chom & Wandu: Aye! To the forestcliff!
Realism can lead to quick answers, but it’s also a constraint. The hot-air balloons of the Skysea are buoyed by magical green flames, but they still obey the laws of motion. If you can’t describe what a course of action physically looks like at a basic level, the Guide may ask you to try another tack (keeping in mind the need to keep it moving, of course.)Guide: As I said, a forestcliff landing is a risky proposition, even with your expertise. Matreyis, I assume you’ll be busy tending the brazier flame, pulling the lanyards, managing the vents—piloting stuff. Chom and Wandu, what are you doing?
Chom: Perhaps I could use my great strength to . . . heave the balloon in the right direction!
Guide: I’m sorry . . . how are you heaving the balloon if you’re riding on it?
Chom: Hmm. It is difficult to visualize, admittedly. Perhaps it is more about shifting my great bulk around in the gondola . . .
Wandu: What if I take some rope, jump from the hot-air balloon onto that treetop, and tie it onto a branch to tether it? And Chom could hold me up by another rope?
Chom: Aha, yes, I’ll use my great strength to heave Wandu!
The Call to Action
The Call to Action
A simple conversation can get heroes from place to place. It might even take up the majority of a session if everyone is having fun. But when heroes take risks and confront danger, the Guide calls them to action. When your hero takes an action, you roll a die. The Guide determines when you need to take action, and they use the result of your die roll to answer the question of “what happens.” Actions are the core of the gameplay in When Sky & Sea Were Not Named, and they interact with many other rules and concepts. The next page shows an example of heroes combining their individual actions toward a single group effort.
Guide: Your course is set, heroes. Landing on the forestcliff is a group effort, and it’s tricky—you’ll need to beat a threshold of 15 altogether to avoid taking damage. The island’s windward cliffside looms ahead, its vertical face covered in trees, vines, and foliage. Matreyis, Maneuver yourself to pilot the balloon toward a safe-looking patch of canopy.
Matreyis: (rolls a d8) That’s a 4. No wait, that becomes a 9 because my ✪Pilot ability gives me a +5 bonus.
Guide: You’ve picked a fine trajectory. Now comes the challenge of tethering your balloon. Wandu, you’re leaping off the gondola with a rope in hand, seeking a sturdy branch for tethering—Maneuver yourself too!
Wandu: (rolls a d10) Oof. I only got a 2.
Guide: Not good . . . Chom, Brace yourself to heave Wandu!
Chom: (rolls a d10) Heave, ho . . . d’oh! A meager 1.
Guide: Nine plus two plus one—not good enough, heroes . . .
Chom: Wait! I’d like to invoke my ideals. In the name of Fellowship, I cannot fail my comrades. My Honor depends on protecting my friends. I push myself to pull harder!
Guide: Alright, take -1 spirit and I’ll give you a d10 as advantage.
Chom: (rolls a d10) Aha! That’s better—an 8.
Matreyis: Woohoo! 9 + 2 + 8 = 19.
Guide: It’s a close call, but as Wandu clambers onto the treetops and ties the tether, Matreyis guides the balloon to alight in the canopy, nestled safely among the leafy branches.
A group effort is a collective action. The heroes roll action dice and add up their results. The Guide determines 15—5 per hero—is the challenge threshold to beat.
Heroes Maneuver themselves when they perform acts of agility and quick thinking—like piloting a balloon or jumping onto a forest canopy.
Bonuses are rare in this game. In this case, the ✪Pilot ability yields a bonus equal to Matreyis’ core Awareness attribute (5) when she’s controlling a balloon.
Heroes Brace themselves when they perform acts of might and determination—like hoisting an ally dangling from a rope.
Invoking ideals lets you “push yourself” when your action result isn’t to your liking. It costs -1 spirit but yields an advantage die, which you roll and use its result instead, if it’s higher. The Guide determines the size of the advantage die.
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