The Story

Welcome to the world of 99 Towers, a place called Tera. While Tera may have many similarities with our own planet, it’s important to note that it’s not an alternate-history version of Earth. Instead, Tera is its own unique world with its own rich history and lore.

An Intentionally Vague Comparison

The game is set in a time period roughly equivalent to the 1870s to 1880s in frontier America. Like in our history, the West was settled by colonists who migrated from Areast, which is Tera’s version of a combined Europe and Africa. Tera is a world that’s smaller and more compact than Earth, with both the West and Areast being much reduced in geography and population. For perspective, the United States had a population of around forty million during a similar time frame, whereas the West has about a tenth of that. Areast is also smaller and more condensed than Europe and Africa combined.

Despite its smaller size and fewer inhabitants, Tera is a diverse world with its own cultures, peoples, and landscapes. Players and Game Masters will find that many aspects of our world can be drawn upon and adapted for Tera, such as physics, math, and the workings of nature. While Tera may differ from our own, it remains a land ripe for exploration, adventure, and discovery.

Areast

Areast is a vast, disparate continent, consisting of over a hundred different countries with various governance forms, including feudalism, monarchies, and republics. It’s separated from the West by the treacherous Great Ocean. As a result, crossing between the two continents is challenging. Most travelers opt to board great sailing or steamships that navigate the tumultuous waters—a journey lasting up to a week and filled with dangers like storms, pirates, and immense leviathans of the deep sea.

While a land of great wealth and prosperity, Areast is riddled with constant warfare, political intrigue, and shifting alliances. Behind the scenes, powerful merchant societies and guilds shape the continent’s fate by manipulating those in power. Many who leave Areast for the West do so to escape the relentless chaos and unrest.

To the east of Areast are the desolate, perilous Plaguelands—a vast wasteland scarred by magical wars. No one dares enter this forsaken land, fearing the spread of disease and death. Rumors hint at remnants of once-great civilizations beyond the Plaguelands, but no communication has emerged from that region, and those few who dared to cross its barriers never returned.

The Western World

In the West, six major city-states, known as the Six, dot the eastern coast. These city-states aren’t united as one nation; each stands independent, with distinct goals, standing armies, political complications, and obligations to the nations of Areast. Although the current peace among the Six is uneasy, formal wars have erupted in the past.

From north to south, the Six are:

• Saint Alexander
• Midgaard
• New Babylon
• York
• Kingston
• Port Trask

Further inland lie the cities and towns of the Midwest, serving as hubs for pioneers, explorers, and traders. Railroads, linking the Six to these Midwestern cities, are commonplace.

The Far West, often termed the “Wild West,” represents the frontier. Railways are a rarity here, though some connect back to the major Midwestern crossroad towns linked to the eastern city-states.

Neither the Midwest nor the Far West consist of states or nations. Each settlement boasts its own government, typically overseen by an elected mayor or town council. Coalitions of towns loosely form provinces, usually named after the oldest or largest settlement. Many towns maintain strong ties to one or more of the Six but prize their independence.

Provincial agreements allow a common set of laws and law enforcement agents (called Marshals), create mutual defense agreements, and offer more leverage when it comes to negotiating with the Six about economic matters.

One crucial note about this game: 99 Towers lacks an equivalent to the Native Americans. This omission is deliberate. I lack the expertise required to craft a just representation or to delve into colonialism and related real-world issues. When explorers arrived in the West, they found it uninhabited.

The Wall

During the initial rapid exploration of the Frontier, people pushed westward, seizing land swiftly. At the edge of explored territory, they encountered an apparently infinite, utterly inexplicable barrier stretching from the impassable northern regions of Tera to the southern desert wastelands. This barrier resembled glass, pulsating with deep black and blue energies. Impervious to damage, it resisted heat, cold, and magic.

This barrier became known as the Wall. Its purpose remained elusive. Nothing could penetrate it, and one couldn’t bypass it by going over or under.

Braving the Far West’s wilds, scientists and scholars studied the Wall. To them, it represented an unparalleled enigma.

The Breach

As time progressed, humanity’s intrigue with the Wall evolved into an obsession. After years of study, a group comprising scholars and powerful mages attempted to breach the Wall. Using ancient magic combined with modern technology, they succeeded.

One day, a research team did manage to breach the Wall. Suddenly, like a light switch being flipped off, the entirety of the wall dissipated, gone in a flash. Only then did people find out the reason the Wall existed in the first place: to separate the “Real” from the Shadow. The research team that breached the wall was annihilated (or so people thought at the time). What they actually suffered was much worse. They were corrupted, turned, infected, or invaded by malignant spirits of death and destruction.

Following this event, reality began warping near the Wall’s former location. Creatures from other dimensions entered the realm, causing chaos.

The Six dispatched soldiers and scholars to gauge the Wall’s collapse’s implications. Early expeditions to lands beyond the Wall’s previous location seldom returned. Those who did spoke of monolithic towers where the Wall once stood. Ninety-nine of these towers, varying in size, stood at intervals of one to almost a hundred miles, extending in a rough north-south line. Approaching these dark, towering edifices filled most with dread.

Now, the Western population confronts the repercussions of their overconfidence, battling otherworldly horrors and seeking the Wall’s genuine purpose and the secrets beyond its former location.

The 99 Towers

In 870 A.E., Major Rogers Pembrose of New Babylon led a force to one such tower. At its summit, the few survivors discovered an ethereal crystal encased in an indestructible lattice. Touching this crystal imparted knowledge of “rekindling,” a method to resurrect the Wall. For this restoration, every tower’s crystal needed rekindling.

And there definitely was a need for such a re-establishment of the Wall. The realm beyond the Wall’s former site was now desolate and corrupted, with shadowy entities aiming to warp or destroy the Real.

Each of the Six sent additional (but cursory) forces to the Frontier, attempting to protect their interests but nothing more. Each recognized the gradual expansion of the Shadow and the dangers it posed, but none wanted to be the first to fully commit to the fight as it would potentially weaken them closer to home.

Even if the Six would cooperate and send larger forces, there’s an additional issue: Most people who are in the Shadowlands hear voices in their heads, tempting them to dark fates, and corrupting them to perform acts of violence. Any large army would potentially be destroyed from within. Not everyone is susceptible, but those that are can be capable of horrific acts.

Only the stalwart, those with great wills, can resist the temptation of the Shadow.

This encroachment by the Shadow continues mostly unchecked. Towns that were the closest to the Wall have fallen silent, and scouting parties sent to find out their status either fail or come back with stories of ghost towns and missing people.

The corruption is not just limited to people, either. Twisted variations of animals have been seen, most of which are hostile and aggressive. If something isn’t done to rekindle the Towers, the Far West will fall. After that, the rest of the continent, and perhaps the world, may not be far behind.

The Church

Areast, as tumultuous and politically chaotic as our 1870s world, finds unity in the Church of the Eternal.

Another important thing to note: While there are parallels, the Church of the Eternal is not intended to mirror any real-life religion or organization.

Rumors suggest the Church knew of the Wall long before its discovery in the Far West. Once found, the Church showed marked interest, sending multiple expeditions without heeding questions from Western or Areast politicians.

Magic, Swords, and Gunplay

Differing from Earth, Tera possesses magic. Mages, casters, witches, and others wield elemental power. Church priests and warriors, along with the devout, gain benefits through prayer.

Unlike on Earth, guns didn’t render swords obsolete. Whether through magic or rigorous training, skilled swordsmen can deflect bullets  (slightly reminiscent of some sci-fi mystic warriors).

The Game

Players assume roles as mercenaries, hired guns, or soldiers dispatched by the Six or the Church. Their mission? Rekindle the towers, save the West, and thereby, save the world.

Simple, right?

Introduction to Roleplaying Games

Do you know what roleplaying is? Yes? Excellent. We won’t delve into it again.

If you answered no, visit a bookstore, grab another roleplaying book, read its introduction, and then pretend it’s our description.

What You Need

Besides this website, each player requires a deck of standard playing cards (fifty-two cards, excluding Jokers). The Game Master might need multiple decks. As a player, you should have a character sheet, a pencil, and a miniature to symbolize your character.

The Game Master might also need extra equipment like a battle mat and a GM Screen to conceal their notes and card flips.

The Role of the Game Master

The Game Master (GM) orchestrates the game. They handle the universe, non-player characters, plotlines, adversaries, and more. They’re the narrator, the arbiter, and the lone individual deciding which rules to implement. Their primary concern is ensuring everyone, including themselves, has fun. The GM isn’t bound to any rule they dislike. For the GM, there’s no such thing as absolutes.

The Role of the Players

Typically, each player controls a singular character, a hero participating in the GM’s narratives. This character is termed a Player Character or PC. The player defines their character’s actions within the game’s structure. The choices they make and their interactions with the GM influence the enjoyment they derive from the game.

If you’re a player, remember: it’s just a game. Enjoy the experience and don’t obsess over exploits or overpowering combinations. Play for the joy of it and cherish the camaraderie with your friends.

Avoid playing against the game or the GM. If your GM is anything like ours, you won’t win.

Common Terms

Action: A deed executed by a character in combat, usually taking a specific duration.

Advanced Skill: A skill you cannot utilize unless you possess one or more ranks in it.

Advantage: A boon a character might possess, denoting extra training, equipment, or innate ability.

A.E. (After Establishment): Denotes the calendar year. It began in year zero A.E. with the founding of the Church of the Eternal.

Areast: Tera’s counterpart to Europe and Africa. Comprising various kingdoms and the homeland of the Church of the Eternal.

Aspect: A foundational element of your character with a numerical value, encapsulating their rudimentary abilities. An Attribute is formed by merging two Aspects.

Attribute: A blend of two Aspects, providing a holistic perspective on a character’s capabilities.

Basic Skill: A skill you can try, even without a rank in it.

Church of the Eternal: Tera’s dominant religious order. It wields considerable political and military power but remains neutral in inter-kingdom disputes.

Difficulty Target Number (DTN): A value a player needs to match or surpass for a successful skill check.

Disabled: This state arises when a player’s LETHAL drops to zero.

Disadvantages: Built-in character flaws that penalize a player but grant extra points for character creation.

Dying: This state emerges when a player’s LETHAL falls below zero.

Far West, The: Tera’s untamed western frontier.

Flip: When a player or GM reveals the top card(s) from their deck.

Flip Modifier (flip+X or flip-X): Adjustments to the card count drawn in a flip.

Flip Shift (shift+X or shift-X): Numerical alteration to a flip result.

Hand of Fate: An auxiliary card set used by players and the GM to adjust a card flip.

Phase: An interval on the Combat Clock where actions can occur.

Six, The: Six city-states along the West’s eastern coast, representing the primary economic and political entities on the western continent.

Tera: The world of 99 Towers.

Turn: The span when a player performs their action.

West, The: Tera’s analog to North America.

Wounded: A character is deemed wounded when their LETHAL damage is below its maximum.

Core Mechanics

Central to 99 Towers is the use of standard playing cards to decide event outcomes. Whether picking a lock, targeting an adversary, or navigating a tricky dialogue, cards determine your success.

Card Values and Suits

Every card bears a number. Cards two through ten are self-explanatory. Jacks stand at eleven, Queens at twelve, Kings at thirteen, and Aces at fifteen.

Suits act as triggers in particular scenarios. For instance, lethal combat damage is based on the number of hearts the attacker flips.

Hands of Fate

To be elaborated later, each player draws a reserve of cards to replace unfavorable flips. They won’t have many, but enough to potentially turn a defeat into a triumph. The GM also possesses a Hand of Fate, letting them tilt scenarios in their favor without bending game rules (which they are permitted to do.)

Flip Calculations

When executing a chance-dependent action, draw one or multiple cards from your deck. This act is termed a flip. In most cases, use the highest-valued card as your fundamental result, with modifiers adjusting this value.

The card count and the modifiers depend on your current situation and the active game mechanics.

Flip Mods and Flip Shifts

Flip Modifiers (or flip mods) affect the revealed card count. A positive flip mod, designated (flip+X) increases this count, while a negative one, designated (flip-X) reduces it by X cards. When both types affect a player simultaneously, they negate each other on a 1-for-1 basis.

Flip Shifts add or subtract from the value of the card you choose to keep. A positive flip shift, designated (shift+X) adds to the value, while a negative flip shift, designated (shift-X), lowers it. Positive and negative flip shifts cancel each other out on a 1-for-1 basis, like flip mods.

Example: “Wrongway” Tony, with an ability permitting three card flips, gains a positive flip modifier (flip+1) due to favorable conditions. He then flips four cards instead of three.

If he draws a Jack, Ten, and Three, with the Jack’s value being eleven, and has two flip shifts (shift+2), his total would be thirteen.

Flipping Zero or Fewer Cards

If the number of cards you are supposed to flip drops to zero or less as a result of negative flip mods, you will flip over extra cards and use the worst one instead of the best.

Flipping zero cards means you flip two cards and take the worst. Flipping -1 card would be three cards and taking the worst and so on.

Flipping “Too Many” Cards

In scenarios where characters contest each other, high Aspects, Combat Values, or skill ranks might lead to multiple flips, potentially resulting in ties. In such cases, all involved parties should lessen their flips by the same amount, ensuring the character with the fewest cards flips four cards instead of their original count. This keeps in the element of chance but does not mitigate the value of having high levels in an Aspect, Skill, or Combat Value.

Example: Cooper Glenwiddick is attacking Iris Turner. Cooper has an Attack of 5, meaning he would normally flip 5 cards. Iris has a Defense of 6, meaning she would normally flip 6. By reducing each character’s cards by 1, Cooper now flips 4 and Iris flips 5.

For unopposed checks, like unopposed Aspect or skill checks, do not reduce the number of cards.

Shuffling

Each player should have his own deck of cards, as should the GM. It should be a standard 52-card deck. The players and GM continue to take cards from their decks until they run out of cards, at which point they shuffle the cards that had previously been used (although not any that are part of the current flip).

The Hand of Fate is not shuffled in when a player is called upon to shuffle.

Rounding

When you are called on to do some division and end up in a fraction, always round down unless a rule gives a specific exception.