Splatbook*

Writing love letters

Love letters are like single-use custom moves, addressed to a specific PC. Write them as part of your prep and hand them out at the start of a session (or whenever it makes sense). They're especially useful for:

  • Glossing over downtime
  • Resolving individual PC projects, or giving them a chance to make progress
  • Filling in periods where a PC is "off camera," like if they take a solo trip or their player misses a session
  • Wrapping up a situation that the group doesn't want to play out in detail
  • Starting a session with momentum, hard-framing a scene or situation and jumping to the "good stuff "
  • Digging into a PC's backstory, relationships, or inner thoughts
  • Giving players setting info without it being a one-sided lore dump (see Love letters for an example)

You might write a love letter to just one PC (like when their player missed the last session). But often, you'll write each PC a love letter and run through them in turn.

Love letters are an investment. They take time to write, and skill to write well. They get used only once. But they're powerful tools, and writing them is great practice for writing moves in general.

To write a love letter, consider first and foremost what you're trying to establish: what you need the letter to declare as true.

Given that, ask yourself:

  • What elements do you want to hand over to the player to define?
  • What could go well for the PC?
  • What could go poorly?

As far as structure goes:

  • Love letters don't have triggers; start them with "Dear "
  • Follow that with as much context as you need (though keep it tight)
  • Give the player specific prompts for the details you want them to add, as part of either the setup or the results
  • Decide how you'll pick between results, and if there's a roll, what that roll looks like

Pick a structure that seems to fit your needs, and start writing. Don't force it—if the structure isn't working, try something else. Get a working draft, then tweak the language and details as time and interest permit. Don't stress over it too much. A love letter gets used only once, and if it doesn't land, you can clarify it in play.

Print the love letter out or write it on an index card, or send it to the player online. During play, have them read the letter aloud and do what it says. If you write love letters for multiple PCs, you can set them up to be read in a specific order, or let the players choose who goes when.

Take notes! Incorporate the results into this and future sessions. Make the results and their choices matter.

Some examples: