Playbooks in Voidheart Symphony are many things: a philosophy of revolution, a parcel of powerful abilities, a set of building blocks for the community you’ll make together. At their core, though, they serve the same function as classes in Heart and clans in Vampire – they’re the first and biggest choice you make to define your character, and help inform all your subsequent choices.

There are nine playbooks in the game; today I’m going to talk about the three closest to the idea of a ‘rebel’. They don’t blend in, they’re not polite, they don’t agree with the standard worldview. Sure, they suffer for that, but there’s power too.

First up, we’ve got the Heretic. Of all the rebels, they’re the one most committed to burning the castle’s systems down – though sometimes they have trouble distinguishing systems that hurt from systems that protect. They’re the rebel most likely to spot the dark powers strengthening vassals, the dangers lurking in an enemy’s shard, and the victims desperately yearning to be free. As their revolution grows, their flaunting of rules gains mystic force – letting them erase criminal records, find perfect disguises, and speak with the city’s vermin.

As a member of the crew, they might channel their improvisational flair into The Magician – tutoring the crew in an endless variety of niche skills and inventing new rituals on the fly. Maybe they’ve survived terrible traumas, and can channel that into The Tower to find power in pain. Or maybe their rulebreaking is indiscriminate, with The Devil encouraging them to needle their allies and cut corners on their problems – all in service to the greater good, of course. They also bring allies to the fight – maybe their dropout best friend lends them the power of The Vagabond, a visionary firebrand gives them the light of The Sun, or an inspiring artist gives them the wisdom of The Oracle.  

Finally, there’s their approach within the castle. No matter what, the Heretic benefits from an investment in Wands – they want to break into hidden places, and avoid any attempts to pin them down. Building on this their Shadow Moves let them jump between shadows, play a shell game with illusions, and whisper incendiary secrets to turn the castle’s minions against each other. 

If the world’s a circus, be a clown. That’s the guiding philosophy of the Harlequin, whether they’re a satirist, shitposter, or stoner. Somehow, the castle pierced that ironic detachment – and won’t realise its error until the whole world is dancing on its grave. 

The Harlequin is an incredible distraction – they can spot who’s dying for a break from their work, and can channel the void to make a performance literally unstoppable. Over time their ability to distract, confuse and annoy gains mystic power: dice, card decks and coin flips all work in their favour; they can heal the other rebel’s pains at the cost of temporary confusion; and they can bless a rival with disorienting good fortune that’ll cause them to reassess their life. In the castle, they can use the void’s power to steal the spotlight, overwhelm their enemies with emotion, distract their enemies with decoys and throw their enemies off their game by predicting their next actions.

What do they bring to the crew? Maybe it’s the spontaneity and ridiculous good luck of The Fool, the endurance and patience of The Vagabond, or the intuitive leaps and dreamy wisdom of The Oracle. Or maybe it’s all about the people they can introduce the crew to: a chill peer who brings the mediation of Temperance, a reclusive Hermit who connected with them over an unusual interest, or a fellow survivor who reminds them of a time they’d rather forget and grants the nightmarish strength of The Moon.

Why rebel? Because the castle is a pompous asshole that will crush the joy out of the world.

So, we’ve got philosophical differences and ironic distance. The Watcher seeks distance from society too, but it's because of all the things they can see from that vantage point. Maybe they’re a researcher who discovered uncomfortable truths about the world, a PI who’s seen every evil thing lurking in the city’s richest mansions, or a straight-A student no longer willing to pay the costs of good grades. Either way, they have an incredible ability to chart the movements of the castle, find the people most in need of crucial facts, and draw uncanny insights from the void.

There are many kinds of truth to find, and just as many ways to look for it. Maybe they’re seeking objective distance, and use The Hermit to spot hidden details and avoid the spotlight. Maybe they’re trying to expose things their enemies want to hide, and so The Sun makes the truth impossible to deny and scour away the castle’s darkness and illusions. Or maybe they want to seize the gears of reality, and so Judgement lets them step outside reality and tear the castle’s power away from their enemies.

The Watcher prizes distance, but also knows who to stay close to. There’s their allies in the city – maybe a muck-raking journalist grants them the powers of The Devil, a worried parent figure gives them the support of The Gardener, or a whistleblower gives them the strength of Justice. And within the castle, they use their insights to guide their allies in the crew – perceiving the intangible and immaterial, sending their soul out to scout ahead, and turning their gaze into a weapon that can terrify their enemies.

That’s our first three playbooks – who would you like to hear about next? The rebels who fight back by using the grassroots power of the mundane world, or the ones who have been comprehensively changed by the occult touch of the void?

And if you're a backer, look below to download all three of these playbooks in the updated interactive PDF style!