The Platinum Rule, Revisited

“Everyone is responsible for helping to create a good gaming experience for everyone, including themself. We call this the Platinum Rule.”
— Magonomia Core Rules (p. 3)

The alchemical symbol for platinum. Credit: Kwamikagami, CC BY-SA 4.0 ,via Wikimedia Commons

In RPG Imaginings’ very kind overview video of Magonomia®, the host especially praised the Platinum Rule (quoted above). The host presumed the Platinum Rule came from Fate™ rules, but actually it was created by Shewstone Publishing. It first appeared (with slightly different wording) in the Magonomia Starter Rules in 2019. We’re not especially concerned about claiming credit, though. We’re concerned about spreading the idea.

Why the Platinum Rule?

For the first edition of a tabletop RPG — or any edition, really — it’s important to tell the audience how to play. We want to get everyone on the same page, so to speak, so they can start off their new game with a shared understanding of it.

We thought long and hard about the single most important piece of advice we could give to prospective players and GMs, that would put them in the best position to have a good time with the game. The Platinum Rule is what we came up with.

Pathfinder Second Edition Has It

We wrote the Platinum Rule into Magonomia because we think it’s important. Between the five designers on the cover of Magonomia Core Rules, we’ve played a lot of editions of a lot of tabletop RPGs. Yet none of us (in 2019) could think of ever seeing this basic social rule written down in a game. Games have historically been light on writing down the social rules, though this is starting to change.

I was delighted to see Pathfinder Second Edition has the same principle (on page 8, under the heading “Gaming is for All”): “It is the responsibility of all the players, not just the GM, to make sure the table is fun and welcoming to all.”

It’s Obvious … or Is It?

It took a while for us to realize the importance and the power of the Platinum Rule. In my first ever interview about Magonomia with blogger John Sharpe, he was excited about the Platinum Rule and asked me about it. I was caught a bit off guard, not realizing what I had created. I gave an answer that was a bit wide of the mark. In hindsight, I wish I had thought to say why we put it in the Starter Rules: it’s the single best piece of advice we could give a gaming group.

I thought we were merely stating the obvious. Quite a few people have shrugged off the Platinum Rule, saying “that’s obvious.”

If it’s so obvious, why have I only seen it written down in two core books in my 40+ years of gaming?

I no longer think the Platinum Rule is obvious. It’s a cornerstone of the gaming group’s social contract. I suppose we can discuss whether it belongs in the group’s social contract or not, but I no longer accept “it goes without saying” as a valid dismissal of it.

The Platinum Rule is Open Game Content

Use the Platinum Rule in your game products or homebrew content. Both Magonomia and Pathfinder Second Edition are licensed under the Open Game License, so you’re invited and encouraged to use, remix, and modify it under the terms of that license (see the respective rule books for the exact license terms).

The Magonomia Experience

We’re getting started on a lighter Quick Start for Magonomia that will be an easier entry to the game than the Starter Rules. The first page explains what Magonomia is like, so the reader can decide whether there’s any point in reading further. Here’s the first draft:

Illustration by Teresa Guido, ©2020 Shewstone Publishing LLC

Learning a new roleplaying game is an investment of your time (and money). It’s fair to ask what the game will be like once you’ve learned it.

Presumably you know the basic premise that everyone plays a wizard in a fantasy version of Renaissance England. Beyond that:

  • The magic is based on authentic sixteenth-century folklore. If feels like the magic portrayed in Shakespeare’s plays, rather than modern fantasy movies. Your wizard won’t be throwing fireballs. They’re more likely to fly on a broomstick or to brew a potion that grants superhuman strength.

  • Your wizard will start with a repertoire of 11 spells, chosen from a list. Each spell does one specific thing, such as turning your character invisible or detecting curses.

  • Teamwork is key. Because everyone plays a wizard, there are five varieties of magic to choose from, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

  • The mechanics are based on the Fate™ system, specifically Fate Condensed. This is a skill-based system with improvisational elements.

Magonomia is a good choice for you if:

  • You’re captivated by the lore from when Europeans thought magic and faeries were real.

  • An all-wizard campaign sounds awesome to you.

  • You like to think creatively while using your character’s powers and abilities.

  • You like to immerse yourself in the scene your character is experiencing.

Magonomia may not be to your liking if:

  • Power gaming is your thing.

  • You like realistic adventures better than magic. Magonomia is about wizards.

  • You prefer lightweight rules that you don’t have to think about.

  • You dislike games where your character’s plan goes sideways.

Magonomia® Example Character: Gemini

In Magonomia® the TTRPG of Renaissance wizardry, everyone plays a wizard. We created five different wizard characters (one for each Science) and used them in examples throughout the core book. You can now download these example characters as part of your Core Rules purchase, or from this link (no purchase necessary).

Over the next several weeks we’ll introduce each of these characters in a blog post, explaining their motivations, skills, and, of course, their magical powers. Since last Thursday was International Transgender Day of Visibility, let’s start with our nonbinary example PC, Gemini!

Image of Gemini, an androgynous wizard at their laboratory workbench.

Gemini in their laboratory. Illustration by Jeff Koch.

Gemini is the detailed example of character creation in Magonomia Core Rules, pages 26-35. They’re an astrologer, a polymath, and a bibliophile. As much as Gemini loves books, they aren’t a recluse: a good character design provides a motivation to get the character out into the world, and Gemini has a big one. Their High Concept is Upwardly Mobile Renaissance Person. Gemini is someone who seeks —and gets— the patronage of powerful people by being smart, charming, and capable. Part of the idea is that Gemini can get missions from current and future patrons, if the GM ever needs an easy story hook. What GM wouldn’t appreciate that?

Gemini is gender fluid, one specific kind of gender nonconformity meaning their gender identity changes over time. Gender identity is not the same thing as gender expression. We chose gender-neutral pronouns and an androgynous look for Gemini, while recognizing that real-world gender fluid people express their gender in a variety of ways.

This character is built on the Visionary archetype (page 50), which falls under the Science of Astrology. Archetypes are optional templates for making a character that fits a particular theme. The Visionary is someone who seeks power as a means to some higher ideal. We didn’t pin down exactly what that higher ideal is, because we didn’t want to give a false impression that Magonomia is supposed to be “about” a certain kind of story. Note that Gemini is a complete character, ready to play, without even deciding on that. In a real Magonomia game, the player would get the opportunity to gradually revise the character’s Aspects over time. It might be best to let the character fit into the world a bit and add that detail when the time is right.

Their best spell is Portent of the Opposing Stars. This is a Divination that describes one of the major obstacles to a specific goal. For example, suppose the character needed a certain rare book of magic (another of their Aspects is You Can Never Have Too Many Books) but the bookseller wouldn’t admit they had a copy for sale. Portent of the Opposing Stars might reveal that the bookseller was being obstructive because the rare book had been stolen! Another possible use might be in searching for the thief: after the first couple of leads run dry, Gemini could cast Portent of the Opposing Stars to discover that the thief is using magic to cover their proverbial tracks.

As you can see, Portent of the Opposing Stars can expose new plot events and really change up the narrative. That’s why that spell costs a Fate Point. The GM is encouraged to make sure Divination spells always reveal some useful information, but they also have a veto power to return the player’s Fate Point if they can’t think of a spoiler-free way to reveal useful information.

Gemini is designed for stories involving investigation and social interaction. Their forte is helping the players deal with the unexpected. Astrology does have some spells that can help in a fight: Discovering Achilles’ Heel is one such example. (If you know who you’re going up against, it can reveal an exploitable weakness.)