The story takes place in a “prison”, and you play as one of the CONVICTED—characters with CONVICTIONS.
Each of you has a CONVICTION—a belief that guides you through life.
Each of you has a CONVICTION—a deviant act or trait that the society labels as a crime.
Both your CONVICTIONS—internal sense of self and struggle with social norms—manifest into a special ability called GENDER.
Embody your GENDER to find the truth and break free from your assigned fate.

Requirements

These are things required for a typical Bound by Conviction game:

• 3-6 players including a facilitator*
• 2-4 hours
• Writing materials**
• A bunch of tokens (~5 per player)—poker chips, cigarettes, instant ramen, dice, or anything you can find

Potentially 2-7 players with an experienced facilitator*
*Writing materials and tokens can be substituted with digital equivalent when playing online*

The Conversation

To play a tabletop role-playing game is to have a conversation. The players take turns talking about their fictional characters and their circumstances, building on top of the established fictional world. Like any conversation, players don’t necessarily follow a rigid “turn order”, but join in whenever they have something to say.

When you play a role-playing game, you and the other players come together to have a specific conversation—one that tells a story centred around certain themes. The rules of a game offer prompts and constraint to guide players toward that goal.

Safety

Gaming is supposed to be fun for everyone. It is the duty of the players to ensure a safe environment for each other. Before the start of a session, establish the lines & veils for the game. Lines are topics that should never appear in the game, while veils are topics that might be mentioned in passing but not discussed in detail. People might add things to the list later on and that’s fine.

Also discuss what players expect to see, and set the tone of the game. Do people want a more lighthearted story that focuses on the superpower battles? A mystery story where the players investigate the missing persons cases? Or a story on how the characters build a community amid the hostile circumstances? Do players expect romance between their characters? Establish a way that players can voice their discomfort during the game. Let the players know that they can always say “no” and offer an alternative if they are comfortable to. Many gaming tables use the X-card, where a player can tap it to let other players know that are uncomfortable, and the scene would be skipped.

One should also try to check-in with other players once in a while, making sure that everyone at the table is comfortable.

Prompts & Tokens

The game is centred around Prompts, which are both narrative instructions and mechanical triggers.

Prompts for a Convicted are centred around consequences, either narrative or mechanical.

• For a Convicted’s Standard Prompt, they can always take action and face consequence*.
• A Convicted’s Vulnerable Prompt put them into trouble, but gives them a token.
• A Convicted’s Tough Prompt offers them narrative advantage at the cost of a token. On the flip-side, a Convicted cannot perform the instruction of a Tough Prompt unless they have a token to spend.

*The consequence of the action is equivalent to the action undertaken. Mundane actions have mundane consequences; you exit a building and you are now outside. High-stakes actions have high-stakes consequences; you get into a knife fight and someone gets stabbed.

Circumstances have Prompts that any player can use to introduce complications to the story, which can be used when the Convicted are looking for direction or when narratively appropriate. Circumstances and minor characters do not gain or spend tokens.

The Basics

VULNERABLE PROMPT (Gain a token and mark experience)

• Get into trouble with your CONVICTION

TOUGH PROMPT (Spend a token)

• Overcome adversity with your CONVICTION

STANDARD PROMPT (Do any time)

• Take action and open yourself to consequences

GENDER PROMPT (Spend two tokens)

• Achieve an extraordinary feat with your GENDER

ALSO DO (When narratively appropriate)

• Suggest consequences for a Convicted’s action, and use Prompts from Circumstances

The Setting

The “prison” in the game does not have to be a literal one. It is a place where the Convicted are held captive and are expected to abide to the imposed norms. It might be a boarding school, a cyberpunk police state, an asteroid mining outpost, or just a society in late-stage capitalism.

The story takes place in the “prison”, and the Convicted cannot leave it during the game. However, if a prison break is what the players set their mind to, the story can be about the Convicted searching for a way out. The resolution of the prison break can happen at the end of a game session. Since the “prison” is metaphor, if the players decide to continue with the game in another session, they can continue the story of the Convicted in a new “prison”, and rewrite each of the Circumstances. For example, they can escape from a prison, only to find the society at large is no less restrictive.

The Circumstances

On top of the Convicted, the players also collectively control the Circumstances. The Circumstances are The “Prison”, The Guards, The Gangs, The Economy, Fate/Karma, The Bizarre and The Warden.

The “Prison” establishes the setting of the game.

The Guards hold authority over the “prisoners”.

The Gangs are the other “prisoners”/minor characters of the story.

The Economy offers what the Convicted need, at a cost.

Fate/Karma plays out the consequences of earlier actions.

The Bizarre amps up the strangeness of the story.

The Warden is a villain that haunts the Convicted. In guided play, the facilitator has exclusive control of The Warden playbook.

GMless & Guided Play

There are two ways for the facilitator to run the game—as a fully GMless experience or to take a more active role in guiding the players.

In GMless Play, the facilitator plays one of the Convicted just like any other player of the game, and the Circumstances are shared between all the players.

In Guided Play, the facilitator does not control a Convicted, but gains full control of The Warden Circumstance. The other Circumstances are shared between all players, but the facilitator often have a more active role in applying them. GMless Play is more suited for players who are familiar with the Belonging Outside Belonging system, or players who are more used to storytelling and improv.

Guided Play is more suited for convention games and games with a shorter play time. The Warden becomes the major threat and something the players have to work together to defeat or escape.

Getting Started

Playing with one of the pre-made scenarios:

1. Prepare what you need and gather everyone around a table (or an online chatroom) 2. The facilitator should go through the sections The Conversation, Safety, Prompts & Tokens, The Setting and The Circumstances. 3. Each player picks a Convicted from the scenario, altering their names and pronouns if desired. 4. The players go through the Circumstances and read them aloud. 5. Each player introduces their character, adding in their own details. After everyone has introduced their character, answer the bond questions. 6. Begin the game by having each player describe what their character is up to, and come up with a reason for the characters to come together.

The Convicted

The Convicted are the player characters. Each of the Convicted has CONVICTIONS (Belief and Crime) and a GENDER, as well as a backstory and a tie to the warden.

At the start of a game, the players would introduce themselves as their Convicted (making adjustments to their details as they wish), and answer the bond questions afterwards.

Guide to role-play as the Convicted:

• Act with conviction and embrace the consequences!
• Don’t be afraid to let your character fail and mess up!
• Make your character fallible and relatable.

CONVICTION (Belief)

Each of the Convicted starts with a CONVICTION, a core belief or strong desire they hold.

A CONVICTION (Belief) can get a Convicted into trouble (triggering a Vulnerable Prompt), but it can also be used to overcome adversity (triggering a Tough Prompt).

CONVICTION (Crime)

Each of the Convicted also starts with a CONVICTION, a deviant act or trait that society labels as a “crime”. It doesn’t have to be an actual crime, and a Convicted might not have actually committed it. After all, a crime is a label for a behaviour that doesn’t fall into the norms accepted by those in power.

A CONVICTION (Crime) can also act like a skill or an ability. For example, if one’s convicted of larceny, they can incorporate their thieving skills to trigger the Tough Prompt. A reputation of being a larcenist might also get the Convicted into trouble and trigger a Vulnerable Prompt.

GENDER

GENDER is the embodiment of a Convicted’s self-knowledge gained through the navigation of their internal sense of self and struggle with social norms. It grants the wielder a special ability. A GENDER appears as a humanoid figure to GENDER wielders, but is invisible to anyone else. In most cases, a GENDER is tethered to its wielder and cannot move beyond their personal space. Narratively, when a Convicted uses their GENDER’s special ability, they can decide whether it activates from their own body or the embodied GENDER. A Convicted always has access to their GENDER’s special ability, and they can incorporate it narratively into any Prompt. Unlike Tough Prompt, the GENDER Prompt bypasses the need to include a CONVICTION, giving the player more flexibility at the cost of an extra token.

To create a GENDER, come up with a special ability that fits thematically with the Convicted and their CONVICTIONS. Then give it a suitable name, perhaps one inspired by music.

A Convicted’s GENDER might or might not be the gender they identify as.

Bonds

After everyone has introduced their Convicted, each player answers both bond questions for their Convicted and elaborate on the answers.

• Pick a Convicted that either is someone you have failed in the past or reminds you of them. You promise yourself that you would make it right this time.
• Pick a Convicted you can rely on or seek solace in. What makes you trust them?

Realisation

Every time a Vulnerable Prompt is triggered, the player marks experience. A player may trade 5 experience for a Realisation.

A Convicted picks one of the following Realisations for the first three times (each of them can only be picked once):

• Add or modify a CONVICTION (Belief)
• Add or modify a CONVICTION (Crime)
• Gain an extra token

After the initial three options are picked, a Convicted may choose from any of the following Realisations:

• Add or modify a CONVICTION (Any)
• Gain an extra token
• Evolve your GENDER, altering its special ability
• Retire your Convicted and create a new one
  • Narrate how the Convicted leaves the group, and where they are off to next
  • This is the only way a Convicted can escape the “prison” mid-game
  • At the player’s discretion, the Convicted may return as a threat (perhaps taking over as the new Warden)

Default Circumstances

Each of the Circumstances contains a description and prompts. For an in-person game, the Circumstances can be printed and cut out, and passed around the table during play.

The “Prison”

This is the setting of the game. When designing it, offer locations of interest and potential activities for the “prisoners”.

Prompts:

• When someone visits a new place, describe the environment
• Present the Convicted with an activity (compulsory and otherwise)
• Show someone they are being watched

The Guards

The Guards are here to make sure the “prisoners” follow the rules. Depends on the setting, some of them might even be well-meaning, but they ultimately uphold the system of the “prison”. Give recurring Guards names and personalities.

Prompts:

• Tell someone a rule they are expected to follow
• Reprimand a rule-breaker
• Have a Guard abuse their authority to get what they want

The Gangs

The Gangs are the other “prisoners”/minor characters. When a new character is introduced, give them a name and a CONVICTION (Any). Give them a GENDER when the narrative calls for it. Any player can pick up a minor character and play them.

Prompts:

• Introduce someone who needs help
• Introduce someone with dubious motive
• Have an existing character inconvenience the Convicted at a bad moment

The Economy

Resources in the “prison” are scarce. If a Convicted needs something badly, they would have to pay a price for it.

Prompts:

• Offer what someone needs, at a cost
• Offer something for free, but let the recipient knows there is a catch
• Punish those who give charity

Fate/Karma

Cause determines effect, action leads to consequence—are we mere prisoners to our fate?

Prompts:

• Show someone a dark omen
• Develop a recurring motif
• Reveal consequence of an earlier action

The Bizarre

The Bizarre manifests itself in several ways—supernatural elements, campiness and horror.

Prompts:

• Introduce a supernatural element to the story
• Have someone (including the Convicted you control) engage in theatrics and/or take a mundane situation way too seriously
• Unveil an unexpected horror element of the story (building up on what is established earlier)

The Warden

The Warden is the bogeyman of the “prison”. They are not necessarily the person in charge, just someone with a degree of authority over the Convicted. They hold a dark conviction in secret, and commit acts so heinous that their authority would not protect them.

The Warden has a CONVICTION (Belief) and GENDER.

Each of the Convicted has a personal tie with the Warden, and each player chooses whether their Convicted are hunting or being hunted by them. (Either way, the Convicted do not know the true identity of the Warden at the start.) The Warden has 6 Plot Armour points.

Special Prompt—After a Convicted has spent token(s) on a Prompt, you may place them here to cancel its effect and describe how the Warden is one step ahead. (Cannot exceed Plot Armour)

Prompts:

• Act with CONVICTION
• Hide behind your persona and take advantage of your authority
• Get out of a sticky situation scot-free
• Scheme with other Circumstances
• Do a quirky thing
• Kill a minor character
• Assign someone a new CONVICTION
• (Holding 4+ tokens) Evolve your GENDER
• (Holding 4+ tokens) Kill a Convicted with their player’s permission