Create your Gods - each choose:
1-2 purviews: war, wisdom, spring, law, etc. One god takes “Trickster”.
2-3 attributes: qualities, items, servants.
1-2 weaknesses: naive, proud, greedy, etc.
Create your World:
Your purviews, combined, are the natural order - what is important and just. Together, describe your world.
Trickster, describe 2-3 outsiders: monsters, mysteries, perils.
Gods, embody your purviews, attributes and weaknesses. Be awesome, awful, fallible and straightforward.
Trickster, make mischief. Help them, but have a good laugh on the way. Look for comedy and paradox.
Everyone, be nice.
Play:
Trickster, describe a normal day, then:
Approach 1-2 gods (other players: make cameo appearances, take up other characters);
Tell them how something is amiss. You can:
Steal an attribute;
Upset the natural order;
Involve outsiders;
Target weaknesses;
Together, go out to put things right:
Trickster also introduces mischief, obstacles and opportunities.
Anyone may ask: "Trickster, is it your fault? Do we know that?"
Gods always succeed when within their purview AND with an attribute. Exceptions: against a weakness, gods need another’s help to succeed; when violating the natural order gods can succeed, but with consequences.
Gods cannot die;
Solve the problem, return home. Describe scars, embarrassments, grudges, and lessons learned.
Inspired by a talk by Neil Gaiman, and his recent volume Norse Mythology.