Perseverant
Perseverant is a rules-lite collaborative story game about surviving a brutal wilderness. GM-less, zero-prep, and playable in a single 2-4 hour session. Players co-create the environment and face mounting challenges where traits deplete over time, forcing desperate choices. Ideal for one-shots and narrative-driven groups.
GM-less Story Game • Trait-based resolution • 2-5 players • Zero prep • Rules-lite • 2-4h sessions
Perseverant casts players as desperate travelers crossing an unforgiving wilderness of their own creation. Whether it is the arid Silk Road in 1257 AD, a derelict space station, or tunnels beneath a molten planet, the setting is defined collaboratively at the table.
Theme and Setting
The tone can range from realistic and gritty to dramatic or even fantastical, but the core remains constant: survival is uncertain, sacrifice is inevitable, and betrayal lurks among companions. The game uses a trait-based resolution system where characters begin with a selection of abilities, skills, and connections.
How Play Feels
When confronting challenges, players key relevant traits to succeed. The brilliant mechanic: once a trait is used, it cannot be immediately used again.
What Makes It Distinct
As the game progresses, players must reach deeper for obscure or buried traits, perfectly mirroring the exhaustion and desperation of a survival story. No GM required—scenes are framed collaboratively with cues and inspiration provided by the system.
Where It May Not Fit
You want combat and action to drive most of the session You want the system to stay almost invisible at the table.