Butterfly Court
A downloadable game
A jagged but lush coastline, equally comprised of verdant growth and storm-grey cliffs. Powerful rains that pummel fishing boats but nourish the bountiful farms further inland. And nestled in a natural harbor, presiding over aquamarine waters and dangerous reefs, the city Pheles. Pheles is the jewel in the crown of the country Praecia, but its glittering streets and equally colorful courtiers give it the name it is more often called: the Butterfly Court. Ruled by the enigmatic Eyotalas, the Butterfly Court is a knotted web of debts, whims, fancies, and rivalries. While many may dismiss the courtiers of the Butterfly Court as frivolous nobles and their hangers-on, their action nonetheless determine the fate of Praecia. And with the ambitious Queen Yora in control of the neighboring country Asmary, the peasants agitating for more rights, and the mysterious woodkin stirring intrigues in their own mythic court, that fate seems more uncertain than ever.
In Butterfly Court, you will play as a member of the titular Butterfly Court, the court of the monarchy of the kingdom Praecia. This is a court intrigue game that uses the No Dice No Masters system, based on Avery Alder's Belonging Outside Belonging games. If you're not familiar with those, don't worry - everything you need to know is right here in the game document. This is a storytelling, roleplaying game, where players portray members of a court, but not necessarily the monarch or the heir. Instead, the game focuses on everyday lives, intrigue, relationships, obligations, and myriad other concerns of the regular people in the court: nobles, but also staff, servants, artists, and other people that make court life possible.
If the price of the game is a financial obstacle for you, there are community copies available! Please reach out to me here, at my Twitter (@MishaGrifka), or at my email (you can find it on Google) to request a community copy. If you are doing well financially, consider paying a little more to cover those who cannot! And if you have any questions about the game, you can also get in touch - I'd be happy to help out.
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $10 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Development log
- Butterfly Court Link UpdateMar 15, 2023
Comments
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I'm excited to play this game with my group! I noticed that in the Google Sheets there are Setting Elements instead of Forces At Work. Which one is more recent? I also can't find a direct description of the faction tracker but I'm assuming it has five boxes for each of the factions?
Thank you for catching those errors! I've fixed the names - it should be Forces at Work. I've also added a small Faction Tracker to the collaboration tab, below the notes section. You're right, each side has five boxes. I hope you enjoy the game!
How many players is this and what is the average play time? Please include GM in the player count, because I am new to TTRPG.
Hi Kiwi! The ideal number of players is 3-5, though you could probably stretch up to 6. There is no GM. The average play time is up to you, though most games in this system benefit from multiple sessions. I would recommend allowing for 5 three hour sessions as an average length to tell a satisfying story, though you can play longer or shorter.
played this with my group over seven sessions its was great! was looking for a game like Good Society less designed around romance and this was perfect. my favorite thing about it is that if someone cant make it to a session the game still works without hiccups. the comfort/challenge system makes it really easy to tell the attitude and personality of your character. my tip for other people playing is: don't be afraid to have characters switch their character type from the playbook if you realize original doesn't suit them or if they have changed. my advice for the creator is it would be great if there was a version of the character sheets which wasn't in fancy script as it is difficult to read- and it would also be awesome if the drop down options included in the spreadsheet were somewhere in the character sheets or playbook
I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for the feedback! I'll make those adjustments soon.
Hello again! I've added a plain version of the playbooks - you should be able to download it; let me know if not. The dropdown options are already included in the playbooks.
Intriguing stories of power, politics, and interpersonal relationships! The playbooks and any associated lore in the game is evocative without being limiting, and my entire group felt so immersed in the world and mindsets of our characters. I was little bit sceptical of a diceless system -- this was the first one I'd played -- but it worked out really well!
thank you so much! I'm glad that you gave a diceless game a shot, and that your group had fun! ☺️
I've run this game in the past and had an excellent time in a faerie themed court- it was the first game I thought of to bring to my new all girls TTRPG group for a wonderfully guided experience for newcomers emphasizing roleplay and collaboration. It's been an awesome time playing with fresh faces and new characters! This is an excellent welcome for inexperienced players, while still being engaging for longterm DMs like myself. I love how well tailored the character roles are, and the collaborative guide towards establishing the setting and driving forces. Tons of replayable value.
Thank you so much for your kind comment! I hope you have an amazing time.
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Beautiful No Dice No Master game!
Thank you so much!
Does this require any access to No Dice No Masters to play?
All the rules you need are in the pdf! It's built on that system, but you don't need any other supplies.
Very fun concepts with very interesting playbooks, thoroughly enjoyed reading this. hope to give it a try one day
Very excited to give this game a try! I'm often the DM in my home game, so a game that allows me to participate in court intrigue alongside everyone else sounds... well, intriguing! Haven't tried No Dice No Masters yet, so it'll be a lot of firsts for me.