Insomnia Storytelling Engine
This page is for Directors.
You have a secret weapon to craft magnetic, memorable sessions: the Insomnia Storytelling Engine. This system compels players to join in on the storytelling in dramatic ways, ratcheting up the tension and building out heartfelt character arcs around the table.
The engine comes in two parts: Beats for players and the Doom Clock for Directors. The former gives players narrative objectives to help them craft engaging stories, and the latter gives the Director a tool to ratchet up the tension as the episode progresses. You can omit either half of the engine without consequence, and you can use them in conjunction with any other roleplaying game.
Beats
At the start of each episode, give each player two Beats—secret narrative objectives written on index cards. If a player can achieve one of these Beats in the story, they reveal that card to the other players and gain a level at the end of the episode.
Beats are often negative—at odds with what the player might want. You should choose beats for each player that helps develop and drive their story forward, even when it means failing to accomplish other goals in the story. These are usually the most compelling stories of all: ones in which characters falter, struggle, and ultimately succeed.
It’s a player’s responsibility to accomplish one of their beats during the episode, but they can plan with you to find narratively interesting ways to do so. Sometimes you’ll need to introduce new characters, backstory elements, or locations in order to help players realize the full potential of their beats. If a player fails to accomplish their beat, they won’t gain a level until they next complete a beat, at which time they immediately gain their missed levels. Ideally, no player should fall more than a level behind.
Each beat comes with suggested tags to help you craft an engaging narrative. For example, Introductory beats are best at the onset of a story, whereas Climactic beats are best at the end. You can nevertheless introduce a beat at any point in the story. Beats may have more than one tag, if they can be used in multiple ways. You may want to give players a pair of cards with matching tags to ensure they can’t avoid types of beats, such as Conflict beats, throughout the story.
Introductory Beat. These are the first beats to use in a story. They serve to elaborate character backstories and introduce new elements to the setting.
Story Beat. These beats ask the characters to move the story forward through adaptation, problem solving, and resilience.
Interaction Beat. These beats rely on a conversation between characters and the revelations they find together.
Conflict Beat. No characters can exclusively succeed. These beats ask characters to falter, fail, and make sacrifices.
Climactic Beats. These are the final beats of a story. They serve to drive characters to their breaking points, and either overcome or perish.
Beats: Worked Example
Consider the following example of how beats might craft a player story:
Samantha is playing a shy librarian in the small town of Nowhere. In the first episode, the Director gives Samantha the “Cross the Threshold” and “Hesitation” beats, which are both Introductory in nature. If Samantha chooses the former beat, she establishes that her character to be bold (or naïve), whereas if she chooses the latter, we learn that she is unreliable or unprepared for danger. Let’s assume that she picks Hesitation and flees from her first monstrous encounter.
For the next episode, the Director gives Samantha “Nugget of Wisdom” and “Phobia.” The former gives Samantha an opportunity to confront her fears with a moment from her backstory, whereas the latter lets her elaborate on her core fears more clearly.
One-Shot Beats
In a one-off game of Blood on the Lens, players won’t gain levels for accomplishing their beats, but you should still deal out Beat cards! These cards enrich the story and give players a sense of agency. A player who completes their Beat gets free Advantage on one roll of their choice during the session.
Paced Introduction
During the first session, players are usually preoccupied with learning rules, exploring the setting, and coming to grips with their own characters. It is usually best to introduce Beats during the second session, and the Shots during the third.
All Is Lost
Conflict Beat
Lose your will to keep going.
It’s all too much. You’ll never win. Crestfallen after a defeat, you can’t summon the courage to continue any longer. Another character, or perhaps a twist of fate, is needed to rouse you from this state. What happened to break your spirit?
Betrayal
Conflict Beat
Betray a friend in an hour of need.
In a life or death moment, you push a friend over the edge to secure a few precious moments for yourself, or make a convenient alliance with a bitter foe. Your betrayal might be wildly out of character, driven by desperation, or it might be an extension of your darker side, an evil impulse that now takes center stage. Who did you betray and how?
A Bitter Disagreement
Conflict Beat
Dig in your heels on a sour, loud, or hateful argument with another character.
A disagreement on procedure turns personal, or a friendship splinters with a few poorly chosen words. The other party need not have started the argument, but they should oppose you vehemently. You can later make amends, but heated tempers and resentment should follow for some time. Who did you argue with, and why?
Bad to Worse
Conflict Beat
Turn one of your rolls from a Success into a Critical Failure in a Life-or-Death scene.
Luck simply isn’t on your side. When you think things are going well, something goes terribly wrong. The building catches fire, your weapon misfires in your hand, or a terrible accident harms another player. What goes wrong, and how does it get even worse?
Contest of Wills
Story Beat
Prove yourself in a pitched one-on-one battle—of weapons, wits, or words.
You stare down a bruiser or decide to go it alone in a battle. Whatever you do, the conflict is one-on-one, a pitched test of your skills and resolve against another. You might engage in the contest to prove something to yourself or someone else, or you might have no other choice. Furthermore, you need not succeed. What conflict do you engage in, and why?
Cross a Line
Conflict Beat
Betray what you believe in.
An impossible choice presents itself, and you opt to betray or abandon what you believe in most. You might endanger the one person you’ve sworn to protect, or destroy the thing you have searched for. This moment must have important consequences, but you might still find a road to redemption. What belief did you abandon, and why?
Cross the Threshold
Introductory Beat
When you must rise to the occasion, you do something extraordinary.
An innocent person is in trouble, and you reflexively leap into action and do something that you’ve never done before. This moment needn’t succeed, but it should wholly out of character, a new experience that changes your perspective. What do you do, and why?
Deal with the Devil
Conflict, Story Beat
Strike a bargain with a powerful, sinister ally.
You sign on the dotted line or agree to a fatal deal. When you strike the devil’s deal, you need not know that the other party has ulterior motives. The other party in question might be the Director, who makes a deal with you entirely outside of the game. No matter the nature of the deal, you may gain a short lived boon, but the deal promises lasting consequences. Who did you strike a deal with and what did you stand to gain?
A Death
Conflict Beat
Lose someone precious to you.
A dagger is plunged into your best friend, or a loved one passes away quietly in the night. You might be directly responsible for the loss, or it might be completely unrelated. Who dies, and how does it affect you?
Dream Sequence
Story Beat
Undergo a hallucination, symbolic dream sequence, or spirit quest.
You suffer a blow to the head or ingest a hallucinogenic poison and descend into a chaotic dreamscape composed of symbols and metaphor. During this brief scene, the Director can introduce elements into the dreamscape—symbols inspired by moments from the past or hinting at the future—but the dream itself is cooperative. How do you fall into a dream sequence and what do you see?
An Event
Story, Introductory Beat
Introduce a local event that happens tonight.
A yearly festival takes place in the town square tonight, or you’ve received invitations to a birthday bash. Ideally, this event progresses the story in some way. You don’t have to attend, but you’re expected to be there. What event is happening, and when?
Failure
Conflict Beat
Fail in a critical, life-or-death moment.
In this moment, everything hinges on you. You freeze. Utter disaster. Your failure doesn’t need to result in death, but it must be significant enough to impact the story and critical enough that the situation can’t easily be salvaged. How do you fail?
Falling in Love
Interaction Beat
Do something spontaneous to reveal that you’ve fallen in love.
You fall head-over-heels for someone you just met, or the embers of friendship spark into romance. Your spontaneity doesn’t have to be successful at communicating your feelings, and the object of your affection doesn’t have to reciprocate. Don’t fall in love with another player’s character unless you have discussed it with them and received affirmative consent. Who do you fall in love with and what do you do?
Flashback
Story, Introductory Beat
Describe, in a brief flashback scene, a moment from your past that relates to the present.
Perhaps you once glimpsed a supernatural event that left you changed, or you learned exactly how to hotwire a car from a high school friend. What moment do we revisit, and how does it relate to the ongoing events?
Got the Joke
Interaction Beat
Set up a joke and pay it off before the end of the session.
The payoff is the most important part of a joke. You might arrange a prank to go off at exactly the right moment, or you might deliver the punchline of an oft-repeated setup when things become truly dire. The joke doesn’t have to be a gut-buster, but it should tie into events at hand. What’s the setup and when do you deliver the punchline?
Hesitation
Conflict, Introductory Beat
When you must rise to the occasion, you falter.
An innocent person is in trouble, and while others leap into action, you turn and run away. Your moment of hesitation needn’t be permanent—you can later summon up your courage and heed the call to adventure—but it should be substantial enough to impact the story. How do you falter and why?
A Hunch
Story Beat
You can’t explain why, but you know where to lead the investigation.
Confer with the Director, who can give you a hint about where the story might lead. You feel certain that the monster is dwelling in the sewers, or that the mayor is certainly involved in the blackmail scheme. What’s your hunch, and how do you pursue it?
I Have A Bad Feeling About This
Story Beat
You can’t explain it, but you feel certain that doom is on the horizon.
Confer with the Director, who can hint to you that a course of action is perilous or doomed to fail. Perhaps a creature dwells just beneath those floorboards or the road will surely wash out in the rain. What do you have a bad feeling about, and how do you pursue it?
I Have Just the Thing
Story Beat
Reveal that you have the perfect item for the task at hand.
When you meet an impassable obstacle, you produce exactly the right tool to tackle it. If you didn’t prepare the item in advance, justify to the Director why you might have the item on your person. You might have squirreled away a set of lockpicks to break out of handcuffs, or you might be carrying a road flare for a blinding distraction. What do you produce and why were you carrying it?
I Know a Guy
Interaction, Introductory Beat
Introduce into the story a friend or family member that might be able to help.
There is a librarian in the next town who has a book pertaining to the present dilemma, or you know a veterinarian who will patch people up without asking too many questions. How did you meet this person and why might they do you a favor?
I Know a Place
Story, Introductory Beat
Introduce a new location and bring someone there.
You have a quiet place you go to think, or you used to frequent a seedy locale in another life. Perhaps it’s isolated enough to enact a dangerous plan, or just scenic enough to relax. Where do you go, and why?
I Want
Interaction, Introductory Beat
Reveal your motive to another character or demonstrate it through your actions.
You want to become the world’s greatest baseball player, or you may be searching for a magical relic. You might take concrete steps to further your motive or you may simply opine about it over a drink. What is it that you truly want, and who learns about it?
Identity
Story Beat
Claim a name, title, epithet, or group as your own.
Join a guild, change your name, take on a title like “the fixer,” or adopt a group in town as your own. This shift in identity doesn’t merely entail a name change, but a change in your outlook and who you view as natural allies. What identity do you claim?
Injury
Conflict Beat
Suffer a debilitating injury.
Confer with the GM when you suffer Trauma. The fangs of a monstrous abomination take a chunk from your throat, or a mad slasher severs one of your fingers. This injury must be permanent in some way, even if the life-threatening damage is remedied. What type of injury do you sustain?
Leap of Faith
Conflict, Story Beat
Take a risk with perilous consequences, entrusting the result to a higher power.
At a critical juncture, you decide to relinquish control and trust that things will succeed. This decision should be a risk with no assurances that things will go well, but you need not be strictly passive. You might place yourself in the sights of a gunman, believing that they won’t pull the trigger, or dive out of a car, hoping to land somewhere soft. Furthermore, the risk need not pay off. What risk did you take, and what force did you hope would prevail on your behalf?
Loss
Conflict Beat
Lose an item of great value and personal worth.
The only memento you have of a loved one plunges into fire, or a priceless magical artifact is stolen. Try as you might, you can never recover this item. What do you lose, and why was it important to you?
Not Yourself
Story Beat
Under the influence of a substance or spirit, your personality changes.
By degrees, you become a totally different person. You might succumb to several strong drinks, you might noticeably struggle to deal with trauma, or you may literally fall under the influence of a magical entity. How does your personality change, and what do you do?
Nugget of Wisdom
Story, Introductory Beat
Recall a few important words of advice at a critical moment.
The words of a mentor ring out in your ears. Your grandmother might have told you, quite seriously, about how to ward off an evil spirit, or you might recall being told exactly how to survive being buried alive. They might have simply told you to focus and breathe. When did you learn this, and who told you?
Phobia
Conflict, Introductory Beat
Reveal your greatest fear to another character or demonstrate it through your actions.
You have a paralyzing fear of heights, or you simply don’t know where you fit in. Perhaps you find yourself teetering on the edge of a tall building or unable to find anyone to sit with at the school lunchroom. What’s your fear and how does it manifest?
A Promise
Interaction Beat
Make a solemn promise to another character or reveal a promise you’ve made.
With a few words, a pinky swear, or a contract, you pledge yourself to something critical. You might decide to protect an innocent, no matter the odds, or to return to a loved one after the carnage is over. In the end, you might not keep your promise, but failing to do so is a story beat in its own right. What do you promise and to who?
A Promise, Broken
Conflict Beat
Break a solemn promise.
An impossible choice presents itself, and you choose to break a vow. Perhaps you’re simply incapable of keeping your promise, such as if a monster has attacked someone you swore to protect. Or perhaps you simply made a mistake, and didn’t realize the consequences until too late. You might even flirt with infidelity. No matter what, someone gets hurt. What promise did you break and who did it hurt?
Reckless
Conflict Beat
Do something hopelessly rash or misguided.
You gamble it all on a long-shot bet. You might plant an explosive with little regard for safety, or commit a serious crime to meet your goals. This act can be perfectly safe to you, but wildly irresponsible to others, or vice-versa. It may even be the act of an adrenaline junkie. What did you do and why? Who did it endanger?
Redemption
Climactic Beat
Redeem your past failings through sacrifice or success.
In a critical moment, you earn redemption for a past failing or betrayal. Perhaps you sacrifice yourself to save a character you have wronged, or perhaps you succeed where you have previously faltered. What did you do to redeem yourself, and why?
Sacrifice
Climactic, Conflict Beat
Die heroically.
To save others, you pay the ultimate price. Perhaps you are stitched back up and revived, or you are granted a supernatural second chance, but for a moment, your heart was stopped. How did you sacrifice yourself, and why?
Secret
Interaction, Introductory Beat
Reveal your greatest secret to another character.
Your previous line of work was unsavory, or you possess a talent you hoped never to use again. Perhaps you’re in some way to blame for the current situation. What is your secret and why did you conceal it?
Seen This Before
Story, Introductory Beat
Reveal that you’ve seen this situation before, or something eerily like it.
You’ve read about this in a science textbook, or you brushed up against the supernatural once before and buried the memory as deep as you could. Maybe you stood on this exact spot. When did you encounter this situation, and what did you learn?
Serenity
Interaction Beat
Enjoy a long moment with a loved one.
The sunset blankets the horizon in golden hues, and the world seems to hold still for a moment. Maybe you say a long goodbye or talk about plans for the future. Maybe you just drink in the scenery. You should be at peace for at least one scene. Where do you find serenity for a while?
A Shoulder to Cry On
Interaction Beat
When a friend is at their lowest point, help them through it.
When the fear finally proves too much to bear, your friend simply loses the will to go on. Or perhaps they are exhausted and can’t muster the strength to continue. Listen to their problems and offer a ray of hope that changes their perspective. Who is at their lowest point, and how do you help them?
Sounds Crazy, Might Just Work
Story Beat
Concoct an outlandish plan and do your best to see it succeed.
Confer with the Director, who can introduce elements to make your plan possible. Out of sheer desperation or a stroke of genius, you come up with an elaborate plan. You might perform an improvised demolition of a warehouse, or you may cobble together a special-effects-laden display to distract a crowd. You could even enact a multi-stage heist. What’s your plan?
Storm Off Alone
Story Beat
Run off on your own in a dangerous situation.
Against your better reasoning, you rush off on your own. You might slink away when danger presents itself, leave early to confront a foe on your own, or furiously end a conversation by stomping out of the room. You can later return at a critical moment, but your departure should be significant enough to impact the story. Why do you leave and where do you go?
Too Far
Conflict Beat
Do something unforgivably, inhumanly terrible.
In this instant, you’ve become the story’s monster. You exact vengeance on someone who did you wrong, or consign dozens of innocent people to a terrible fate. When you’re done seeing red, you realize the magnitude of your actions, and either embrace them or recoil from what you’ve done. What terrible thing did you do, and why? How did it change you?
Doom Clock
The Doom Clock is a tool to build a sense of growing dread around the table as the episode progresses. The Clock starts at one at the beginning of each episode. When the situation around the players grows more dire or the narrative progresses, increase the Doom Clock by one. With each tick of the clock, the Threat grows more powerful.
At the start of each episode, decide on six events for the Threat—one for each level of the Doom Clock. Monsters in this book come with fully-detailed Doom Clocks, and several examples for each level of the clock are detailed in this chapter. The monster should ideally reach Doom 3 before the end of the episode. Doom 6 represents a catastrophic event.
The clock is public: players should know when it increases, but they shouldn’t know what each increase entails. You don’t have to implement the event for a given level immediately, or even use the one you decided upon before the episode started. Feel free to delay the event until the right moment presents itself or swap to a more narratively impactful event on the fly.
Doom 1 Events
The Doom Clock starts at 1. Thus, the first event of the clock is simply one of the Threat’s inital story hooks. These should be tailored to each Threat, but the following examples can serve as a broad foundation.
Call for Help. A friend of the players reaches out with a message: something supernatural is afoot and closing in on them.
Disappearing Pets. Nearly every cat in the community has gone missing almost overnight.
Evil Object. The players unwittingly discover an object of sinister power.
Missing Persons. Someone has gone missing and a search is in full swing.
Odd Tracks. Strange sounds at night, unusual tracks, and the odd half-eaten animal point to something on the hunt.
Recurring Nightmare. Dozens of people are plagued with the exact same nightmare.
Doom 2 Events
At Doom 2, more of the Threat’s machinations come into focus.
Cryptic Vision. One of the players experiences a glimpse of events yet to come or a symbolic framework of the unfolding mystery.
Friend or Foe? A new face arrives in town, intimately familiar with the Threat at hand, and perhaps familiar with one or two of the players as well.
Historical Record. An old book or newspaper clipping eerily mirrors the current Threat. Perhaps, the Threat has been slumbering for decades; perhaps, it’s been hiding in plain sight.
Sickness. Dozens of people start showing odd symptoms and the cause baffles medical professionals.
Supernatural Sign. An ominous supernatural phenomenon begins. This might include flickering lights, mysterious fog or shadows, or strange lights in the sky.
Doom 3 Events
By Doom 3, the players and their investigation have drawn the Threat’s attention.
Ambush. The Threat attracts the players to an abandoned building where it lies in wait.
Being Watched. The players can’t shake the feeling that something is watching and following them.
Blackout. The lights suddenly go out. When they return, someone is dead.
Community Blowback. Factions or individuals turn against the players for their investigative actions.
Intruder. Someone or something has been going through the players’ things. Has an important clue been stolen?
Sinister Message. The Threat leaves a message or a threat for the players, perhaps a few words smeared on the wall in blood.
Doom 4 Events
If the investigation hasn’t hit home, it does so at Doom 4 and directly affects one of the players.
A Death. The Threat kills one of the players’ close allies and leaves their body in plain sight.
Lieutenant. The Threat sends a high-ranking ally and a force of minions to eliminate the players.
An Offer. The Threat surreptitiously approaches one of the players and attempts to win them to their side.
Possession. One of the players falls under the control of the Threat’s dark influence.
Prime Suspect. The authorities believe that one or all of the players are responsible for the Threat’s machinations, and arrive in force to put a stop to them.
Split Up. Events conspire to separate the players into two or more groups—easy pickings for the Threat.
Doom 5 Events
The stakes rise at Doom 5, as the Threat grows in power.
Evolution. The Threat metamorphosizes into a new and terrible form.
Growing Disaster. Supernatural events have reached a crescendo of earthquakes, thunderstorms, and howling winds.
Kidnapped. The Threat abducts a player and brings them back to its lair.
Nowhere is Safe. The players’ base of operations is destroyed, leaving them without resources or safe haven.
Siege. Waves of minions flood the streets, stranding people in their homes and killing anyone unfortunate enough to be trapped outside.
Ticking Clock. It becomes apparent that the players have only days or hours to avoid the worst-case scenario.
Doom 6 Events
When the Doom Clock reaches 6, the Threat unleashes its full fury and wreaks havoc on the community at large.
Ancient Evil Awakens. The Threat was but a precursor to an impossibly ancient evil, which awakens to doom the world.
Army of Darkness. Thousands of the Threat’s minions or kin are released into the world.
Bad End. The Threat captures the players and begins meticulously killing them one-by-one.
Chaos. People across the community lose their senses and turn on one another.
Giant Monster. Now in its ultimate form, the colossal Threat stomps through town, crushing buildings underfoot.
Rampage. The Threat turns its blind rage against the community and kills as many people as possible.