Lockdown Challenge Day 14: Everway

Everway is a rules-light role-playing game by Jonathan Tweet (of 13th Age fame) that hit the market in 1995, at a time when rules-heavy games were the norm. Published way ahead of its time, Everway did not encounter much success – which is a pity: Everway was sold with 90 cards† showing cryptic scenes, which I believe a referee stimulated by improvisation could take really advantage of.

†and I believe 90 more could be purchased separately.



In Everway you play a ‘spherewalker’, a hero able to travel from plane to plane; some do so because they are on a quest, some others because they are gathering knowledge for the Library of All Worlds, some others yet simply because they are restless adventurers.


Character generation is really quick if you just go by the book. In reality, you’re supposed to discuss your character with the referee, going through a whole set of Q&A, but well, this was just for the Lockdown Challenge.

Name: Palimpsestic Vagabond
Motive: Knowledge

there is a different set of tarot-like cards used for character generation
(to determine Virtue, Fault, and Fate)

Virtue: Fertility (growth)
Fault: The Griffin— reversed (cowardice)
Fate: War (great effort vs effort misspent)
Power: Walking Unseen (cost: 2)
Magic: 0
Air: 5 (brilliant)
Fire: 3 (average)
Earth: 4 (robust)
Water: 6 (empathic)

an Everway character sheet