Introduction

Donnie: How can you do that?

Frank: I can do anything I want. And so can you.

-Donnie Darko

Audience

The universe is like a vast, frozen lake upon whose surface the daily endeavors and discoveries of mankind play out, never noticing the thinness of the ice on which we tread. Every now and then, however, someone plunges through into the shocking cold of discovery and a world beyond their previously limited imagination. Many do not survive this first plunge and are consumed by the frigid darkness. Others live and thrive in this new environment, transformed by their knowledge and compelled to pry deeper into the lightless abyss of reality in search of the ultimate truth.

Mythos is a game of normal people cast by chance or destiny out of the circle of firelight that comprises all that humanity knows and can do. In the darkness beyond awaits madness, isolation, pain, and fear. But like Pandora's box, one other thing can be found in the void...hope. The deepest darkness of reality and the human heart holds that essential wonder, that vital and shining hope that allows mere humans to become masters of a planet, to reshape their world with casual impunity.

What will you do, when you find yourself alone and outnumbered in the wilderness of the unknown? Will you run screaming back to the fire, never again to feel safe in your bed now that you know the true scope of the world in which you live? Or will set out with others like yourself into the cold and the emptiness, to bring back for yourself and others that primal mystery which alone makes life worth living. The mystery of discovery.

Mythos is intended for an audience that is appreciative of weird and speculative fiction, that possesses a desire to come together as a group and tell a story.

Style

Mythos is a game which intends to tell the story of normal people in circumstances beyond their understanding, the choices they make there, and what they find there. As such, it does not try to present anything resembling a coherent setting, or fixed world. That is for you, the players, to determine for yourself through the play of the game. We cannot tell you what the world is, or what it means to you. Find out for yourself. We call this the Weird Tale. Characters are a bit better than normal people at dealing with the nastiness life throws at them. They'll need it...

Of course, playing ordinary humans in a game like this may not appeal to everyone. If you fancy yourself more in the mood for the kind of unintentional humor, cheap effects, and a cast of characters that everyone knows is going to be hamburger by the end of the night, take a look at B-Movie Style, in the Fragments of Madness section later on.

And then again, ordinary folks and walking bags of blood may not suit your group's taste either. In that case, some full on Pulp Adventure may be in order. Again, consult the Fragments of Madness if you want to take on the roles of action heroes well-equipped to blast the oozing ichor out of the invading forces of chaos and terror.

However you want to play, just be sure that everyone can get on the same page, and remember that there is no such thing as “playing the game wrong.”

Materials

All you will need to play Mythos is a standard deck of cards or two, with jokers, enough pencils or pens for everyone, printouts of the character sheets you find near the end of this document, and if you want to get real fancy, about four copies of each of the Style Sheets you can find back there for the Style your group has chosen. Of course, blank sheets of paper work just as well.