itch.io

Thank you!

Your observation is totally legit and fueled some thoughts.

Here’s my solution and this will be implemented soon in section 4.3

4.3.1 Inline Table Definitions

The examples above assume your table lives somewhere else — a rulebook, a supplement, a separate file. You roll, you record the result, and anyone reading your log has to trust you (or own the same book) to verify it.

But what if you made the table yourself? What if you filtered options from a larger set to fit your campaign? What if you’re playing a game where content generation is the game — systems like Bivius Companion, homebrew oracles, or any setup where the possibility space is part of the creative act?

In those cases, embedding the table directly in your log makes it self-contained. Readers see the full option space and the result. No external references, no “see page 47.”

Format:

tbl: TableName (die)
  1: Result one
  2: Result two
  3: Result three
  4: Result four
  5: Result five
  6: Result six

The table name and die type go on the first line. Each entry is indented with its number and result. Then roll against it normally:

tbl: TableName d6=3 -> Result three

Complete example:

tbl: Forest Encounter (d6)
  1-2: Nothing — eerie silence
  3: Animal tracks, fresh
  4: Abandoned campsite
  5: Traveler on the road
  6: Something is following you

? What do I encounter on the forest path?
tbl: Forest Encounter d6=5 -> Traveler on the road
=> A cloaked figure waves me down. [N:Traveler|unknown|friendly?]

When to define inline vs. reference externally:

• Inline — when you created the table, when the table is short (roughly 10 entries or fewer), when shareability matters, or when the table only exists in your head
• External — when you’re rolling on a published table that readers can look up, or when the table is too long to include without cluttering your log

For longer tables, you can define them once at the start of a session or campaign (much like the Resource Status Block pattern), then reference them by name throughout play:

tbl: Forest Encounter d6=5 -> Traveler on the road

If the table was defined earlier in the log, readers can scroll back to find it. If it’s a published table, the name and die type provide enough context to locate the source.

4.3.2 Filtered Option Sets

Some games don’t use numbered tables — they use curated lists you pick or draw from. You might filter a larger set of options down to the ones relevant to your scene, then select randomly or intuitively.

Format:

tbl: TableName [Option A, Option B, Option C, Option D]

Square brackets signal “these are the options in play.” No numbers, no die — just the possibility space.

Rolling against a filtered set:

tbl: Mood [Tense, Melancholic, Hopeful, Uncanny]
tbl: Mood -> Uncanny

tbl: Weather [Clear, Fog, Rain, Storm]
tbl: Weather d4=2 -> Fog
=> A thick fog rolls in from the coast. Visibility drops to nothing.

Building a filtered set from a larger source:

(note: filtering Bivius Companion themes for this arc)
tbl: Theme [Betrayal, Redemption, Sacrifice, Secrets]

tbl: Theme -> Sacrifice
=> The scene will center on what someone is willing to give up.

Dynamic filtering mid-session:

tbl: Available Leads [The dockworker's tip, The torn letter, The locked room]
tbl: Available Leads -> The torn letter
=> I follow up on the letter I found in Session 2.
[Thread:Torn Letter|Open]

The key difference from numbered tables: filtered sets capture what was available, not just what was chosen. This is especially valuable when you’re sharing logs — readers see the roads not taken alongside the one you picked.

4.3.3 Multi-Line Result Blocks

Some generators produce compound results — multiple axes of meaning that together create something greater than any single roll. An NPC might have a role, a personality trait, and a motivation. A location might have a feature, a mood, and a secret. Recording each axis makes the creative logic transparent.

Format:

gen: GeneratorName
  Axis1: roll -> result
  Axis2: roll -> result
  Axis3: roll -> result

Each axis is indented under the generator name. Roll details are optional — include them when transparency matters, skip them when speed matters.

NPC generator example:

gen: NPC (custom)
  Role: d6=3 -> Merchant
  Trait: d6=5 -> Secretive
  Want: d6=1 -> Escape
=> [N:Unnamed Merchant|secretive|wants to flee town]

Location generator example:

gen: Ruin (custom d6 tables)
  Feature: d6=4 -> Collapsed tower
  Mood: d6=2 -> Oppressive silence
  Secret: d6=6 -> Hidden passage beneath the rubble
=> [L:Old Watchtower|collapsed|eerie|hidden passage]

With inline table definitions — you can combine these features. Define the axes, then roll:

tbl: NPC Role (d6) [Guard, Merchant, Scholar, Beggar, Noble, Priest]
tbl: NPC Trait (d6) [Nervous, Secretive, Boisterous, Cold, Kind, Obsessive]
tbl: NPC Want (d6) [Escape, Revenge, Wealth, Knowledge, Power, Peace]

gen: NPC
  Role: d6=2 -> Merchant
  Trait: d6=6 -> Obsessive
  Want: d6=4 -> Knowledge
=> [N:The Collector|merchant|obsessive|seeks forbidden texts]

Minimal format — when you just need the output:

gen: NPC -> Merchant / Secretive / Escape
=> [N:Unnamed Merchant|secretive|wants to flee]

Use the expanded multi-line format when you want to show your work — especially useful in shared logs, for generators you created yourself, or when you want to trace how the fiction emerged from the mechanics. Use the minimal single-line format when speed matters more than process.

I don’t play Ironsworn, but I’d totally use the gen: tag for that

It applies to the document itself and to any derivatives (aka “forks” in IT jargon), not if you’re using the actual notation

I update the front matter each session

effects are tags, events or clocks

a Combat Module with additional and optional notation is in the works though

Ciao! Mi piace molto la customizzazione che hai fatto di Cairn per questo gioco e sarebbe davvero utile avere una versione markdown solo testo da poter leggere fuori dall’app!

I am sincerely flattered! I used it for a couple of games, a pseudo-historical fantasy and a mech setting. Works like a charm. Also it’s interesting that it can be used as a “zoom in” plugin to play out battles in 24XX RPG sessions.

feel free to host it anywhere you like!

Of course you can! And GPL is just fine, since compatible with the CC BY-SA license.

I myself I developed a Obsdian Plugin (it’s currently waiting for approval).

Drop a link when done, I’ll add it to the description.

That’s where the CC license comes to help. Anyone can definitely compile their “build” of this

I strongly disagree with this. This is a living document and system. Versioning is part of the deal

That’s depending on the render engine I choose (Quarto/Typst) that not permit this degree of control on page breaks

Just to notify you that I’ve implemented your suggestion for tag changes in the latest version

I implemented a solution to this in Lonelog, now text blocks are embedded between \--- and ---/

Thank you! I’ve included your suggestion in the new version and gave credit to you

I am not familiar to those games

Yes, definitely will. But experience tells me to wait the possible errata from the readers first

It’s simply an example of cost, in this case when you cast a spell you are losing a memory. Not original neither… I took it from the Neverending Story as you might have guessed

This game is an outstanding instance of Breathless. If you need to feel the danger and continuous tension and adrenaline of a dungeon crawl, this is definitely the game to look for!

I’d use notes right after the ? line and before the answer I can’t recommend anything more specific, I don’t have access to that specific oracle

I usually embed the notation in a code block to prevent this!

You got it totally right!

As for the expansion… I actually drafted a “Beyond the Void” expansion with many rules like “passengers transport”, “market competition” and “fleet management”

Since my schedule is very packed I don’t plan to release it till next year, but I loaded the text in a shared gdocs, you can find it here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1giKYO-ZWM6zGUfm0g5zpt4Ire0XfkGwk7UyBsaenl2I/edit?usp=sharing

any feedback is very welcomed!

Thank you!

Thank you! That’s what I was aiming for!

Thanks for the feedback! The Oracle actually comes from the Breathless SRD, so I didn’t write that part myself, but I also find it quite useful. I’d be happy to clarify how it works for you if you’d like.

Nice!

It’s coming in the next weeks/months. Draft is complete, but my typesetting queue is quite packed

Thank you!

Thanks for the detailed feedback! Really appreciate you taking the time to read through it carefully.

1. Links in the doc - I’m not quite sure I understand what you mean here. Could you clarify what kind of links you’re looking for and where? The doc is meant to be standalone and system-agnostic, so I want to make sure I understand the suggestion before considering it.

2. +/- notation for tag changes - I like that! Using [N:Jonah|+captured] or [N:Jonah|-wounded] is definitely clearer than just [N:Jonah|captured] when you want to show incremental changes. That’s a nice extension of the notation—feel free to use it! As with everything in the system, if it makes your logs clearer, adopt it. The notation is flexible, so anyone can adapt it as they see fit.

3. Mythic GME random events (doubles below Chaos Factor) - Are you asking how to record the random event when it triggers, or how to track whether it’s likely to trigger? Just want to make sure I understand before I give you a good answer!

If you mean recording the event itself, I’d use:

? Is the merchant trustworthy?
d: Fate chart d100=33 (Chaos 5) => Yes
(note: rolled doubles below CF - random event!)
gen: Mythic Event d100=45,78 => NPC Action / Betray
=> The merchant nods yes, but I notice him signal to someone in the back.
[N:Merchant|duplicitous]

4. PC stats tracking - In my logs, I only track variable stats in tags (HP, ammo, status conditions). Static stuff like your Strength score or skill bonuses I keep in a separate character sheet.

That said, you can absolutely track everything if you want! Some people do [PC:Alex|STR 16|DEX 14|HP 20|Gear:Sword,Shield] on first mention. It’s really about what serves your play—the notation is flexible and anyone can adapt it as they see fit to match their specific needs.

Let me know if I can clarify anything else!

Great question! Prompt-based journaling games like Wretched & Alone and Carta work a bit differently, but the notation adapts well. I see two main approaches:

Option 1: Using the mechanics symbol d: to note the prompt draw

This treats the prompt as a mechanical element that triggers the journaling:

S1 *Day 3, supplies running low*

d: Draw card: 7♠ - "A sound in the distance"
=> I hear scraping metal beyond the walls. 
My hands shake as I write this.
The sound is getting closer.

d: Tower token check => FAIL (6 tokens placed)
[Tower:Stability 6/10]

Option 2: Using a custom symbol like gen: or tab:

For systems where the prompt IS the core mechanic:

S1 *Day 3, supplies running low*

tab: 7♠ - "A sound in the distance"
=> I hear scraping metal beyond the walls.
My hands shake as I write this.
The sound is getting closer.

d: Tower check => FAIL (6 tokens placed)
[Tower:Stability 6/10]

For Carta-style games (map exploration):

S1 *Entering the ruins*

tab: 3♦ - Forest tile - "Ancient stones"
[L:Stone Circle|mysterious|overgrown]
=> I discover a clearing with weathered standing stones.
Moss covers strange symbols I cannot read.

? Are there signs of recent visitors?
-> Yes, but... (low roll)
=> Fresh flowers at the base, but whoever left them is long gone.
[Thread:Mysterious Visitor|Open]

Both approaches work! The first keeps everything within the existing notation, the second makes prompt draws visually distinct if your game is heavily prompt-driven.

The key is: use what serves your play. If you develop a format that works well for you, I’d love to see it. Prompt-based games are definitely an area where the community could help expand the examples!

I’m flattered to be compared to such big names, so thanks!

Thank you!

Thank you! I’ll inspect the issue asap

I also have difficulty with complex wargames, which is why I’ve been playing around with this ultra-minimal skirmish. Keep me posted!

here is the web version:

https://roamersofthedream.zotiquestgames.com/

Thank you!

Thank you!

It’s an excellent implementantion of the fantasy game!

Wow, that’s excellent! May I link this in the game page?