(LFP) Yet-to-be-Named Burning Wheel Game

[defunctdeity]

I wish they would weigh in more as well, but I also want to keep things moving.

So, as I was thinking about what we had so far when something came to me, maybe this interests you guys, maybe not. But what I realized is this could easily be set in the Game of Thrones universe.

7 deities (the Seven), and their worshippers under attack by some cult of one god (R'hllor, the Red God)?

We could set it before magic began to fade from the world, well before the books, when R'hllors spread is very young, and it has only just reached the Free Cities or something? Set it in Volantis, or another of the Free Cities?

Would save me/us a bunch of time world building, and could be fun to explore on our own a part of fiction that at least I quite enjoy. Yay, nay?

[Spectreman17]

I'm down. my only fear of pre established worlds like that is that every real character has cameos and they feel wrong, but by changing the time period, we get the map and the lore without that problem.

Any opinions? from anyone else? (I'll bother pointyearedrogue in real life to check in.)

[Rusty Tincanne]

I am really quite happy to jump into any world, which is why I didn't chime in much. Sorry.

I was thinking the plot was looking similar to Westeros, as well. I am down with this theme.

It limits both the players and the GM (NPCs and our opponents) to human stock characters, which can be good because it limits the "kill any monster out there" attitude. And it probably means a low-magic game, even with a historic GoT game, I think - that world doesn't seem like it was ever super-duper fantastical to me. If there is magic, what level are you willing to entertain/what limits will be put on it?

I was going to say that we should choose a region less well defined and flesh it out, but it seems like King's Landing (if it exists during our game) is filled with secrets galore and can be twisted to our purposes easily enough. If we go historic enough, we could be agents culled from the holy army the books allude to (and then Cersei recreates). But where would Rhollor first attempt to gain a toehold? Is it more likely they would have landed in the southlands?

[defunctdeity]

Not a problem Rusty, just that silence can seem like "I'm not digging what's goin on". So good to know you're on board!

Definitely on the low side of magic, as far as what that means mechanics wise - not sure, magic is one of my many BW weak spots - I'll go through it to make sure it jives okay, but at this time if for no other reason than to keep it simple, plan on anything in the core rulebook magic section being allowed.

As for where; I was thinking of setting it somewhere in Essos just to put us further from the books (even 1000 years before the books there's the familiar family names), and therefore further from being beholden to them. But now that you mention it, the Seven are only worshipped in Westeros... Essos has as many gods as it does peoples though so it wouldn't be a problem to find/make a different Pantheon to be beset.

Westeros' first real/conflicting brush with R'hllor was probably in Dorne when the people of the Rhoyne first fled/migrated there after their defeat by the Dragon Lords (~1000 years before the books), where it would have arrived with their peoples and slaves. Or possibly as late as when the Targaeryans first established Dragonhold ~300 yrs before the books.

What are you guys feeling? Westeros or Essos?

[Keehnelf]

If I can chime in just a bit for some BW-context: magical effects like the priests of R'hllor generate are totally kosher within the context of the Faith emotional attribute. They're simply Miracles. Then you could reserve magic for non-PC characters like the Children of the Forest, the Others, and so on--or even make them operate based on different emotional attributes for those races and avoid the whole formal sorcery system altogether.

edit: of course, shadowbinding, blood magic and the works of Valyria would put a cramp in that, if you went with Essos as your location.

[Rusty Tincanne]

I still dig being in Westeros over another land.

And unless we are all from the same area of Westeros, I might suggest one or two (free) character traits per region.
Some possibilities.

Iron Isles - curses like a sailor
North -
The Reach -
Dorne - tan skin
Westerlands -
The Vale -
The Stormlands - Black Hair

I've been looking through the human life paths and depending on what we all agree on, I am thinking [village or city born]>pilgrim>gravedigger. Background would be that he hit the road for a time as a religious pilgrim, then landed at some regional abbey and trended their graveyard/catacombs. Now he's been chosen for this mission for who know what reason. Definitely picking up the Happy-Go-Lucky trait though. Whistling gravedigger...

Or not... :unsure:

[defunctdeity]

If no one else wants to chime in let's move forward.

Character Creation:

Stock: Man only.

Lifepaths: 4, no Born Nobility, any other start okay.

Setting: Southern Westeros, exact location undetermined.

Your PC can be from anywhere you want, really, you may be a worshipper of the Seven, but this is not a requirement - you just cannot be a worshipper of R'hllor. Please submit your PC with Beliefs already made, but we may have to change one or two of them once I nail down the plot. In general though, your first Belief must somehow entangle you with the cult of the Red God, for example;

"These cultists burned my sister alive! I will see them ALL put to the sword!", or "The Mother is merciful and the Stranger is all around me. I must bring the Leader of this cult into the fold of the Seven.", or "This cult shows real power, I must infiltrate them and learn the root of it for myself!"

Point being, you don't all have to be working towards he same end, indeed Burning Wheel is at its best when at least some players are working at conflicting ends (as my examples hopefully illustrate, you can imagine the RP they would evoke in play). However you must all be involved with one another. The Players will and should know each other's Belief but you must roleplay as if your character does not - until of course it becomes known in game.

If you purchase Relationships with your Resources, absolutely determine what you would like to do with them, but also be prepared for me to possibly suggest subtle changes to better entwine you in the story.

Ummm, I can't think of anything else at the moment. Please let me know if you have any questions! You can PM me if its a private issue (I can PM you back now ) or if it's something that would benefit the whole group to have clarified, please ask in this thread.

Cheers!

[[FORGOT TO MENTION; I HAVE ATTACHED A BLANK CHARACTER RECORD SHEET FOR YOUR USE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ONE/WANT TO USE IT!!]]

[Spectreman17]

What's your feeling n the Magic burner?

I was thinking about making a character that is a worshipper of the old gods, part of a secret sect (perhaps even a cult) that is based out of a city that bans that type of worship.

I would use the rules for Magical Corruption (greed/grief for Wizards) and the Spirit Binding magic because it fits very well with the rest of the idea of the old gods.

Let me know i I should drop the idea now

[defunctdeity]

I'll look into it (haven't explored anything in the MB yet), however at this time I would say roll up a PC based only from the core rulebook options. If it turns out to be something I feel comfortable with, we can implement it and you can revise your PC - I'll make a decision before we start - but at this time lets operate under the assumption of core only.

[Spectreman17]

Ok, I can do that. To make it easier on you, I'm only interested in Corruption an the 3 summoning related headings, Summoning, Spirit binding, and Circination. If they are a go ahead, then I'll revise my character pretty heavily. If not, then I'm going to build Born Slave>Bondsman (Lady)>Lead to Outcast> Cultist>Heretic Priest

All with the goal of finding out which ritual the Bad guys are using to bring down the 7, and if it can be repurposed to be used by my cult (The old Gods)

If Magic burner gets the ok, It'll be the same idea, but instead of Heretic Priest, I'll take something to do with spirit binding and other summoning stuff.

[Spectreman17]

First off, let's see if we can't get a thread generated for our game, we'll be able to better organize that way.

Secondly, minor change in life paths, Born Slave>Cultist>Heretic Priest>Mad Summoner. but without taking gifted (because Gold says see magic burner for summoning ) His magic knowledge will all be intellectual, not practice. and according to the magic burner, one doesn't need to be gifted to use circination/Summoning, so if we add it later, I'll need very little reworking.

My first belief to tie me the mission is: To discover if I can use the Ritual of the cult of R'hllor to bring about the return of the old gods, I must convince the cult that I am a fellow believer.

Everything else is still in the works.

[Spectreman17]

Whatcha think?

Name: Gweher

Concept/Bio: Crazy Cultist of the Old Gods who hates the False Seven. Strives to banish them from the heavens.

Lifepaths: Born Slave, Lead to Outcast, Cultist, Heretic Priest, Mad Summoner

Age : 32

Stats: Wi: B4, Pe: B4, Po: B2, Fo: B4, Ag: B4, Sp: B3, Stride: 7

Attributes: Ref: B3, Ste: B2, Hes: 6, Hea: B0, MW: B9, Circles: B2, Resources: B1

PTGS: Su: B3 Li: B5 Mi: B6 Se: B7 Tr: B8 Mo: B9

Beliefs:

To discover if I can use the Ritual of the cult of R'hllor to bring about the return of the old gods, I must convince the cult that I am a fellow believer.

Something to do with a fellow PC

Friends are just tools to be used, I must convince others to assist me in destroying the False Seven.

The Old Gods are the true gods of this land, I will use the Ritual of R'hllor to Banish the False Seven.

Instincts:

I absentmindedly mutter prayers to the spirits of the land when not focusing on anything in particular.

I practice Illuminating scripts in my downtime.

I fall into a hacking cough whenever someone mentions the False Seven gods.

Traits: [Dt] Broken, [Char] Lunatic, [Char] Mad, [Dt] Obscure Aura, [Dt] Scheming, [Dt] Zealot

Skills: Astrology B2, Conspicuous B2, Cult Doctrine B2, Cultist-wise B2, Demonology B3, Falsehood B3, Heretical Doctrine B3, Illuminations B2, Inconspicuous B4, Oratory B2, Persuasion B3, Slavery-wise B2, Summoner-wise B2, Summoning B3

Affiliations: 1D Cult of the Old Gods

Reputations: 1D Crazy guy who mutters

Relationships:

Gear: Shoes, Clothes (Tattered Robe), Travelling Gear, Illumination Tools, Astrology Toolkit

Property: Small Cottage

Spells:

Weapons:

[Rusty Tincanne]

Concept:
Born Peasant - traded to the militia by his father to pay off debts to the lord. Too young actually fight so...
Scout - after a particularly harrowing engagement when he was badly injured and left for dead he became a...
Peasant Pilgrim - years on the road begging and flopping in small churches landed him a job as a...
Gravedigger - offered out by the local priest for this job to pay the regional tithe. What goes around comes around.

Born Peasant>Scout>Peasant Pilgrim>Gravedigger (oucast)
Age: 8, 3, 3, 5 = 19yo
Res: 3, 4, 4, 4 = 17
Stats: 0, 1P, 0, 0 = 1P
Skills: 3, 5, 3, 6 =15
Traits: 2, 1, 2, 3 = 7
Stats: mental 7, physical 17

This leaves me with a wicked-poor, superstitious kid that is emotionally broken from having been traded, left for dead and now "sold." But he will have a bit of fighting ability from his time in the military, so he won't be totally useless.

Belief 1 - My life is worthless and expendable, but I will do what it takes to preserve it.
Belief 2 - Though the Father, Mother, Warrior and the Stranger have all forsaken me, Rhollor is worse and I will route out these cultists and their god.
Belief 3 - TBD; something about another character.

Ideas for Traits: scarred or injured for certain. Superstitious?

Any word from pointyears?

[defunctdeity]

I haven't heard from pointyears in about a week, I've tried PMing her. Spectreman, has she decided not to participate?

[Marullus]

I haven't been tracking the LFP threads but saw another Burning Wheel game thread open so came to find you. Interesting concept, and I'm always willing to try giving a little more Burning Wheel a go. Is there more room?

Perhaps Maester of a House (if other nobles involved) or teacher at the Citadel (since we're in Old Town)?

Higher-minded:
City Born --> Student --> Doctor --> [Noble Court] Court Lawyer
Required traits: Rabble Rouser, Frustrated, Rhetorical

Darker and grittier:
City Born --> Student --> Doctor --> [Noble Court] Torturer
Required traits: Rabble Rouser, Frustrated, Unsavory Madman

City Born --> Student --> Doctor --> [Noble Court] Torturer

Age: 12+4+7+1+5=29 ;+3M; 10 mental, 15 physical
Resources: 10+5+20+10= 45 rps
Skill Points: 4 General; 11+6+5= 22
Trait Points: 1+3+2+1 =6 (3 left)
Required Traits: Rabble Rouser, Frustrated, Unsavory Madman
Optional Traits: Drunk, Geometric
Required Skills: Anatomy, Write, Interrogation
Class skills: Read, Philosophy, Rule of Law, History, Symbology, Astrology, Inconspicuous, Streetwise, City-wise, Apothecary, Bloodletting, Surgery, Soothing Platitudes, Torture, Torture Devices-wise



City Born --> Student --> Doctor --> [Noble Court] Court Lawyer

Age: 12+4+7+1+8 ; +3M; 10 mental, 14 phyiscal
Resources: 10+5+20+25 = 60 rps
Skill Points: 4 General; 11+6+6 = 23
Trait Points: 1+3+2+1 = 6 (3 left)
Required Traits: Rabble Rouser, Frustrated, Rhetorical
Optional Traits: Drunk, Geometric
Required Skills: Anatomy, Write, Ettiquette
Class skills: Read, Philosophy, Rule of Law, History, Symbology, Astrology, Inconspicuous, Streetwise, City-wise, Apothecary, Bloodletting, Surgery, Soothing Platitudes, Oratory, Persuasion

General Skills to consider: Bird Husbandry (ravens), Brawling, Cartography, Demonology, Cudgel, Disguise, Falsehood, Foreign Languages

[defunctdeity]

Pm sent. I'm adding you to the player list.

[lupinelegend]

Is there room for one more player in this campaign? I'm new to Burning Wheel but I am fresh off reading through BWG a few times and I'm eager to try playing!