Of Artifact and Fiction • 2016 rpg

Of Artifact and Fiction
by Duncan Gibbs

An RPG for one.
To be played when remembered.

The world was once exactly as it is today. Manifestations of the past litter the tortured landscape: relics entombed in the ash and dirt; ruins buried, uncovered, and buried again. Memories of The World That Once Was wane and then wither. Despite their unrecognized loss, the inhabitants of the new world must make a living. You make yours by selling those forgotten fragments of the bygone world. At one point, each object was a clue to the broken history of this world. Their absurdity only served to highlight the sum of lost knowledge. It quickly became overwhelming. All you can do now is ensure the past survives in the hands of a suitable sucker.

The game is simple.

Choose any relic of The World That Once Was. It's name and function were lost long ago. Give it a new name and a new purpose.
Choose a customer. Potentially unaware of the game or of the history in your hands, you must convince them to take this artifact.
You win if your customer accepts the antique, believes in your fiction, or laughs during your persuasion.