Day 22 Prompt: Fortune
Week 4 Prompt: Instinct
Weekday Prompt: Blessed
Day 22 of the RPGaDAY 2026 Challenge and our prompt is “Fortune”. This is also the last entry for the week 4 prompt of “instinct” with the Sunday prompt of “Blessed”. Another prompt that could be RPG related, but I don’t want it to be too generic. Let’s see if this works as I let the muse take over.
Jackson runs into the shop. “Kei? Kei are you here?”
The hanging bead curtain door gently separates as Kei steps forward. “Greetings on this blessed day Jackson. I hope your fortunes have improved.” She said with a calm voice.
“No, they’ve taken a turn for the worse. I can’t find my lucky coin. The one that’s been helping me ever since I found it. Did I leave it here by mistake?” Jackson’s voice sounded like it was on the verge of panic.
“So, Fortune’s Coin has moved on to help another? No, Jackson, you didn’t leave it here. It was time for it to move to the next soul who needed assistance.”
“What? How do you know that? That coin changed my fortunes almost overnight. I was able to get my debt paid off after the local administrator finally approved my proposal. I wasn’t getting harassed by those thugs and even the storm that hit left my property mostly intact.” Sweat starts forming on Jackson’s brow.
Kei lit a calming candle on the counter. “Breathe this in Jackson, you don’t want to overextend yourself after finally getting things in order.”
“But the coin…”
“Jackson.” Kei’s voice was stern, but not loud. This caused Jackson to suddenly stop having never heard Ke raise her voice once.
Taking a deep breath. Then three more, Jackson opened his eyes again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to slip back into the bad situation that I was in before.”
Kei’s calming smile returned. “But now you have the resources and the knowledge to make your life better, correct?”
“Well… yes.” Jackson hemmed.
“And having experienced the bad, you want to continue to improve your fortunes, correct?” Kei’s voice purred.
After a short breath a calm “Yes. I know that I can do this.” Escapes from Jackson’s mouth.
“Then Fortune’s Coin has done its job. The rest is up to you since it has now moved on to the next soul it intends to help.” Kei adjusted the sage hanging from the ceiling. “It chose you to help when you needed it. But it can’t carry you. You have to do that yourself.”
“You’ve seen this happen before?” Jackson raised an eyebrow.
“Seen. Read about. Heard about. Recognized it every time it showed up.” Kei smiled again. “And, gods willing, will get to see it improve another soul’s life again in the future.”
“I guess I panicked. I always said I just needed one boost to get me over the threshold, and I sure got it.”
Kei reached out and grasped Jackson’s hand. “Then don’t spoil this opportunity. Make things better for you and for others. That is how you can show your gratitude for the assistance Fortune’s Coin provided to you. Perhaps your generosity is the assistance that Fortune’s Coin needs to bless others.” Kei looked at the clock. “I believe you are needed at your next appointment. Well get some tea later and you can tell me all about your plans.”
After the farewell and getting half-way to his destination, Jackson had a stray thought. “How did Kei know that I had an upcoming appointment?” He shrugged his shoulders. “Can’t think about that now. I’ve got things to do.” And he continued to his future.
For your fantasy RPGs like Fantasy Age, Basic Fantasy or Tunnels and Trolls; Fortune’s Coin is a Piece of Silver with a Crown stamped on it.
For your pirate RPGs like Pirate Borg, 7th Sea or Tiny Pirates; Fortune’s Coin is a gold doubloon with one side scratched out in an “x”.
For your western RPGs like Boot Hill, Modern Necessities-Single Action or Tall Tales B/X; Fortune’s Coin is a lucky silver dollar that has taken the impact of a bullet and prevented it from passing through it.
For your pulp or modern RPGs like Amazing Adventures, Everyday Heroes, or Gangbusters B/X; Fortune’s Coin is ancient silver coin that looks like it has survived several centuries.
For your cyberpunk RPGs like Shadowrun, Modern Necessities-Cutting Edge, or Cyberpunk Red; Fortune’s Coin is a physical crypt-token.
For your science fiction RPGs like FrontierSpace, Traveller or Stars Without Number; Fortune’s Coin is a centuries-old trade credit chip.
For your post-apocalyptic RPGs like Mutant Crawl Classics, Fallout or Mutant Future; Fortune’s Coin is The Last Quarter, a worn US quarter minted in the final year before the fall of civilization.
So, I think the muse helped me out on this one. I did do a lot of “squirrel” distractions as I was looking at different systems that this article could have referenced. But I think I’m happy with this one. What do you think? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.