Tabletop Troupe was essentially a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG).
A Host, one or more players, a script, and a standard rulebook were all that was needed to begin a basic game of Tabletop Troupe.
The rulebook could be as detailed or simplified as desired; there was no requirement to adhere strictly to its guidelines.
"'House rules'—custom rules developed by player-created groups—are also quite common," Clorinde explained.
Navia elaborated further: "After all, players have complete freedom. They often take actions not covered by the rulebook or introduce enigmatic character concepts."
"For example, Navia once created a character who wielded nail guns, threw bombs, and controlled constructs called Automatons."
Clorinde sipped her tea. "So I had to create new summoning rules specifically tailored to her character."
Furina nodded thoughtfully.
"It sounds rather complicated."
Luna chuckled. "It's much simpler once you start playing. These kinds of games always sound complicated at first, but you'll pick it up quickly—as long as you ignore all the calculations."
Calculations?
No wonder they had paper and pens lying around. Furina picked up a pastry from the table and popped it into her mouth.
Focalors seemed intrigued. "So this is what everyone's playing these days?"
"Not everyone, exactly," Navia chuckled. "There's also GI TCG, ... but playing Tabletop Troupe together is definitely the most fun!"
Clorinde's gaze flickered away briefly, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.
Playing Tabletop Troupe with Navia requires mental preparation.
As a player, you'd have an entertaining time.
But as the Host, you'd better keep some blood pressure medication handy.
"First, let's create our character sheets," Luna announced.
Simply put, this meant creating a virtual persona.
What's your character's name, age, height, backstory...? Filling in these details helps with role-playing.
However, not all Tabletop Troupe groups require players to roleplay the entire time.
Having fun is the most important thing.
Role-playing is just one of the game's many pleasures.
"So we don't have to roleplay?" Furina murmured.
That would be perfect.
Just be yourself, Furina thought, writing her name on the character sheet.
Which skills should I choose?
"Luna, what skills did you pick?"
Luna withdrew her hand, allowing Furina to see her character sheet.
"Stealth, Sleight of Hand, and Cooking maxed out... A Detective? Insight, Persuasion, and Fistfighting all at their base values?" Furina exclaimed in surprise.
"And why did you allocate so many points to Charisma?"
Chiori sighed. "What kind of Detective are you even playing?"
"A Succubus type."
"...Fine, it suits you well enough."
Luna explained, "Furina, you can choose other skills too. You don't have to follow the stereotypical skill distribution for each class."
For example, a Bard who can't play instruments or sing, but has maxed out Strength and Fistfighting, becoming a barbarian who strums a lute with the teeth of his enemies.
Or a Chef who can't cook at all, but wields a katana with divine mastery.
"I see! Just like dramatic characters," Furina realized.
Then I'll choose a combat-focused build!
Since Luna can't fight, she'll have to step in.
"Chiori, what skills did you pick?" Luna asked curiously.
"Swordsmanship."
"Anything else?"
"Tea Ceremony."
Why the tea ceremony? The others looked puzzled.
"And what's your role?"
"A ninja."
Clorinde raised an eyebrow. A ninja...?
Well, she'd already anticipated that this game wouldn't be simple. As the host, it was undoubtedly going to be a formidable challenge.
But that's fine. Bring it on.
"I'm done writing!" Navia beamed.
Clorinde's expression remained unchanged, but her heart skipped a beat.
"...What kind of setup is this time?"
Navia's eyes sparkled. "A magical girl!"
Pfft—! Furina, who had just taken a sip of tea, spat it out.
A magical girl? What even is that?!
Chiori wore a subtle expression, while Luna and Focalors were utterly shocked.
"Ayo, what's with these reactions? It's just a virtual world, so you can write whatever you want! By the way, I gave my character card a transformation skill!"
Good heavens. Clorinde's head began to ache.
"And what does this transformation skill do?"
"It fires magical cannons!"
"Rejected. The most I'll allow is a costume change."
"That'll do," Navia agreed readily.
As long as I can transform, that's good enough.
Focalors asked in surprise, "You can even create your own skills?"
"Of course! In the end, the Host decides anyway, so we might as well just leave it to Clorinde," Navia nodded.
"Tsk."
Navia whipped her head around in astonishment. "Did I just hear Clorinde click her tongue?"
"Just your imagination."
Finally, it was Lady Focalors' turn. After a long moment of deliberation, she made her decision.
Name: Focalors
Class: Phantom Thief
...Huh? Clorinde looked up.
"Why a Phantom Thief?"
Navia was equally astonished. Out of all the options, why choose a Phantom Thief?
Focalors chuckled. "Surprised? It was just the first word that came to mind."
"Besides, according to what you've said, our classes and identities might not even be relevant to what we need to do, right?"
"Possibly."
Luna propped her cheek on her hand. "I thought you'd choose something like a star, an actress, or something like that."
After all, Focalors had said that Furina was her ideal self.
"Then let's add a twist: by day, she's a star; by night, she's a Phantom Thief?"
Luna chuckled softly. "Not bad at all."
"Hmm-hmm-hmm, a person full of contradictions yet utterly beautiful," Focalors replied with a smile, casually tossing a pastry into her mouth.
It seemed she shared Furina's love for sweets.
Noticing Luna and Focalors exchanging glances, Furina couldn't help but tug on Luna's sleeve.
"Hmm?" Luna's attention snapped back to her.
Furina snapped out of her daze and released her grip.
I did that without thinking! How am I going to explain this?
"...Want some?" Furina finally asked, nonchalantly picking up a pastry.
"Mm."
"Then I'll share half with you."
After finishing half the pastry, Clorinde completed her review of the character cards.
The roles for this session of the Tabletop Troupe were: a ninja, a magical girl, a detective who can't solve mysteries, and a bard who can't sing or play instruments.
Sigh... Clorinde murmured, placing the character card back in the deck.
"Considering this is Furina and Lady Focalors' first time playing a game of this type, we have two difficulty options:
Easy Mode: All Fate Checks automatically succeed, with no chance of failure or critical success.
Normal Mode: Fate Checks rely on luck, with the possibility of critical successes or catastrophic failures."
Navia vehemently urged, "Choose 2, choose 2!"
"The randomness is what makes this game so fun! It's so interesting—like, if you accidentally roll a critical failure while drinking soup, you might end up poisoned and dead—"
"Nana..."
What a bizarre example.
Chiori bluntly stated, "That's a strange example."
Clorinde sighed helplessly. "That's exactly how she died in her previous playthrough. She said she wanted to taste every soup in the cafeteria to test the flavors, but one of them had poison planted by the villains."
Chiori chuckled. "I understand now."
"Don't laugh! I was basically volunteering as a poison tester..." Navia said, embarrassed.
Furina grew increasingly anxious. "So dangerous? Then I—"
Luna murmured softly, "Let's choose 2."
"What? Luna, you too?" Furina exclaimed in surprise.
"See? Lulu agrees with me!" Navia declared triumphantly.
"Of course! How could you ever see Furina cry... I mean, smile, if you choose option 1?"
Chiori sighed in exasperation. "You just want to see girls cry?"
Clorinde shook her head, offering no comment.
Fortunately, though Furina felt anger and sadness, she rarely showed it on her face, so Luna couldn't see it.
Unless Luna's curiosity was further piqued, and she went to great lengths to witness it.
Furina hurriedly declared, "Wow, you were plotting this all along! I choose 1! I'm not picking 2!"
"Really?"
Luna leaned close to Furina's ear.
"If you pick 2, I can do whatever I want with you, Furina," she whispered.
Furina's face flushed crimson. "I never had such thoughts!"
But since Luna was so desperate for her not to choose 1, she might as well humor her and pick 2.
If the true essence of this game truly lay in its "randomness" and "risks," then perhaps it was worth trying...
Furina finally relented. "Fine, I'll pick 2! Let's try normal mode!"
"B-but... it's my first time playing, so if I end up dragging the team down..." she stammered awkwardly.
"Don't worry about it!" Navia said with a beaming smile. "It's not like we haven't accidentally shot teammates in the back before!"
In that moment, Furina realized:
She shouldn't be worried about dragging her teammates down.
Instead, she should be worried about what her teammates might do to her.
The real danger was her teammates!