No Songs for Menders

[This version of Westeros is certified Woke^TM. Bigots of any sort, do not apply.]

Seven blessings!

Having left my native-language PbP scene, I have finally decided to try recruiting for and potentially running a game on the English-speaking side of this hobby. Before I proceed though and start boring you with a lot of typed letters, an important disclaimer: this recruitment is exploratory. The game itself will only launch if I get a pool of applicants I’m genuinely confident will work for the kind of story described in here. It will serve first and foremost as a compatibility check between us.

The premise itself should be legible enough from the Game tab overview, but I will still elaborate. This is very much a story about Westeros immediately after a bloody Targaryen civil war, its aftermath and more specifically mending the realm. However it is not about fixing the continent as a whole, but rather a very small part of it. No grand politics, no meddling with Great Houses, no armies putting down rebellions, no claiming and running keeps for yourselves, just local-scale problems in a largely insignificant part of the Dornish Marches. What I first called it in my mind was “a story of unsung heroes”, of nobodies in the grand scheme of things history will most likely not remember, and yet they are integral to restoring the local situation to a semblance of normality and solving problems. TL;DR version of the premise could be basically: “the dragons are dead (most of them), the war is over, history is starting to move on, but somebody still has to clean up the messes.”

The prologue would include travel down the Roseroad from King’s Landing and through the Reach, as part of the retinue and escort of Lady Redmont, all the way to the westernmost, stormlander part of the Dornish Marches. Upon reaching Highrock, the focus would be on solving the problems plaguing the borders, stabilising the region and preparing it for feared incursions from Dorne.

0 - GENERAL INFO

This section does not concern the applications themselves, but I put it first as it is a useful framework for how the potential game would actually run and what the rules of engagement would be. 😛 By no means is it an exhaustive list of rules and regulations, just the most important ones.

Important note: this section is for informational purposes only. Please do not treat its contents as invitations to debate or opportunities for virtue signalling.

• Convention: political low fantasy. Martin’s Westeros as it is written, full of political realism, moral ambiguity and flawed everything. People in a post-war world, trying to fix a small part of it, not adventurers chasing thrills.

• Tone: gritty, grounded realism, but not without levity or lighter moments (come on, after all there are Tullys named for the Muppets in this timeline). Without either absurd simulationism of medieval misery or a continuous gaggle of gags. So, once again, Martin’s Westeros as written.

• Themes: once again, Westeros as written. Particularly political realism and moral ambiguity, institutional hypocrisy, oppressive systems, systemic privilege, war and its costs.

• Content warning: gore, strong language and prejudices mainly. Potentially mature content written in a non-explicit way, without turning into grimderp or edge for edge’s sake. ERP is banned. Sexually charged language concerning characters who would not be considered adults by our real-world standards is grounds for an immediate kick.

• Safety tools, lines & veils: in use. Their exact form can be agreed upon by the group, but anyone may invoke them whenever needed.

• Lore compliance: naturally. I won’t require encyclopaedic knowledge of it (Seven know I don’t have it), but a bare minimum is expected. For those who like the premise but don’t know the source materials, there are plenty of videos online covering the setting and such. I am also willing to help introduce you to the world, but this is not a guarantee I will do all of your homework for you. 😜

• Canon compliance: ditto. Up until 131 AC, vaguely post-Hour of the Wolf. Broader events most likely won’t diverge from the canonical timeline after that point. I’ve deliberately chosen a region with barely any canon attached to it, so it is a blank canvas for both you and me. This story is local in scope, so I don’t foresee groundshaking, realm-wide changes caused by PCs. Groundshaking for this small slice of the Dornish Marches? Another matter entirely. In essence, canon-compliant macrohistory, invented microhistory.

  • Canon is defined as anything written by George R.R. Martin for the world of Westeros or explicitly stated by him to be canon. I might fold semi-canonical sources, fanon or my own headcanon into this story’s canon.

  • My interpretation of the setting is my interpretation of the setting.

• Playstyle: heavily narrative- and character-driven, with the majority of the focus on the RP side of things. Slow-burn of sorts. Buzzword-y, I know. 😜 My preferred form of PbP is something closer to collaborative writing and interactive fiction, so this is how I like to run things. I also allow players a reasonable degree of freedom to worldbuild and contribute texture, e.g. coming up with minor NPCs so they can develop their character through dialogue with them without my input or flavouring a location by adding an inconsequential detail. In short, more a story to write together, rather than a checklist of encounters to run through or quest markers to clear.

  • That is not to say I expect Martin levels of prose.

  • As an important disclaimer connected to this: my native language is not English. My prose will be lacking, so don’t expect Martin levels from me either, please and thank you. 😛

  • Also an important point – I often incorporate PCs into my own narration and GM posts as a way to integrate them more into the scenes, and make the events more fluid and involved or the dialogues more natural. This mostly extends only to minor actions and reactions that follow reasonably from the situation, or a few spoken words; rarely I extrapolate well established character for slightly more substantial incorporation. I do not make consequential decisions for PCs, dictate their thoughts or feelings, or otherwise assume control of them. If you prefer stricter boundaries for what I may narrate for your PC, please let me know. Otherwise, I always accept the player’s input and edit requests even if it means simply changing a single word. This is only to improve the flow of scenes; the ownership and agency of the PC belong to their player. Please see the Writing Samples thread for examples.

  • Lastly, this is not a combat-heavy story. Whilst violence is relatively commonplace in Westeros, it always comes with consequences, especially where politics are concerned. Here, something I often like to say is very apt: “you don’t win the fight by killing your enemy, but by surviving it”. Even if a PC is mechanically capable, they don’t know their own statblock; they just see three mean brigands. So RP should reflect that.

• Posting frequency: most likely once a week, in a 4/2-3 or 5/2-3 split (so 4-5 days for the players, 2-3 for me). This is the safest estimate considering the above. 24 hours for OOC declarations in cases of combat.

• Post length: variable, but definitely no single-liners.

• Auxiliary tools: possibly Google Docs or Discord for collaborating on dialogues and scenes. I greatly prefer the former, but I can even have a dedicated thread for writing those on here, with someone assembling the exchange and posting the finished product in an IC post.

• PvP: absolutely not. This is a co-op game and while PCs might have conflicts with each other and dislike each other, the players are responsible for finding reasons for them to cooperate. Teamplay is imperative; character A might hate character B’s guts, but they cannot leave them for dead. Much less push them off a cliff.

• Conflict resolution: conflicts between players are adjudicated by the GM. Conflicts with the GM are adjudicated by the GM. While I welcome civil discourse and discussion, I fully expect my rulings to be respected, so the second line is only half-jokingly shaking an iron fist. 😛

• Mechanical system: most likely A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying (SIFRP) with some changes, and with the disclaimer that I’ve never actually run it. I am also eyeing using slightly modified Mythras or WFRP 4e, possibly a hack of Blades in the Dark. Mechanics are of tertiary importance for the purposes of this recruitment, but still worth mentioning I reckon, in case one of those is a deal-breaker for someone. Fiction first, mechanics second; I don’t rule out using a completely different, rules-light system if the game takes off. Feel free to suggest some options with your application, if you’d like.

• GenAI policy: conditional use allowed. Since the times are what they are, a breakdown in subpoints:

  • Allowed only as a helping tool for correcting text, e.g. spelling, punctuation or grammar.

  • Forbidden for the purposes of editing or drafting text, rewrites, line edits, refining or “improving the style”.

  • Categorically forbidden for the purposes of any and all creative writing. This includes, but is not limited to: generating, drafting or editing character concepts, character sheets, backstories, applications or IC posts. Breaking this rule at the recruitment stage will result in your application being disqualified. Breaking this rule during actual play will result in an immediate kick. While I acknowledge there is no way for me to definitely, beyond all reasonable doubt, prove somebody used GenAI for those purposes, this is not a court of law. If I have sufficiently strong suspicions that the rule was broken, I will act on them. Such a decision will be final and I won’t enter into debates over detection methods or standards of proof.

  • Frowned upon for the purposes of looking things up. I won’t treat results or source lists returned by AI as legitimate unless you independently verify them yourself.

  • Conditionally allowed for the purposes of image generation. However, including those images in your posts, either IC or OOC, is subject to my prior approval. Character illustrations are subject to slightly different rules (see way below).

• Inclusivity: 100%. People of any and all backgrounds and identities are welcome. PCs themselves may be of any sexuality or gender identity, though I prefer these to be expressed through the setting’s own lens, language and culture, rather than modern terminology in IC writing.

• Golden Rule: in full effect.
  

I – THE PLAYER

This is the main section for the applications. Please rest assured the Applications sub-forum is set to my eyes only and all of them are confidential. Feel free to write as little or as much as you like, though preferably without falling into the extremes on either end of that spectrum. :)

1. Why are you interested in this specific premise?

2. What is one of your most memorable moments from a previous TTRPG, and why?

3. Tell me about a time your character failed, lost, had to compromise their values or did not get what they wanted. What made the scene enjoyable anyway?

4. What makes a quiet scene worth playing out?

5. What themes of this game speak to you the most?

6. Your character strongly wants X, but pursuing X would make the game worse for everyone involved. How do you approach that?

7. What would make you lose all interest in this game?

As a bonus question for ASOIAF geeks like myself: what is your favourite thing from or about Martin’s works set in Westeros, and why? If you have trouble choosing just one, let’s say I allow up to five.

II – THE PITCH

As this recruitment is mainly a compatibility check, this section is, as numbering suggests, secondary, hah. Still, I would like to see a character pitch or two. Potentially more if you like, I like reading, but please don’t go too overboard if you decide so. There’s only a handful of points to consider when it comes to the draft and it would be beneficial to read the NPC PRIMER beforehand for some additional context. It is modest by design, to make inserting the PCs easier and open up more creative options for the players.

1. The character must have some reason to be included in the Redmont retinue. This can range from them accompanying young Elenora to King’s Landing two years prior, becoming part of her circle during the Dance, arriving with Highrock men after the Dance as part of the Baratheon host to liberate the city and secure their Lady or simply be assigned by Lord Caron and sworn into her service. Or whatever else you might think of.

   • Age-wise the character should be an adult, preferably between 18 and 30 years old. Older should be fine as well. Younger, no.

2. The character must have some sort of commitment or motivation to actually try and improve the situation in Highrock. This may be something as simple as “in it for the money”, although I would like something more substantial, that might actually be a source of internal conflict for them at some point. And strong enough so the character would not logically rather walk away once things get… unpleasant.

3. The character should be a believable person. I dislike crystal-clear characters and flaws that aren’t really flaws on principle. Character flaws should be consequential, not just endearing quirks. Everybody has flaws, fears, regrets, biases, etc., so I’d like to see some in the pitched concept.

4. The character may come from whatever Westerosi background you like. However, the Dornish and Iron Islanders are subject to prejudice. The former because they are still independent and regular border skirmishes breed mutual animosity and the latter because the ironborn are still raiding the western coast of Westeros. While this won’t be a fantasy racism simulator, their background will still matter socially and might affect interactions with the world. Wildlings for the purpose of this point are not considered Westerosi (it’s a blanket “no” for them).

   • I will consider an Essosi character on a case-by-case basis, though with a similar disclaimer as the Dornish or ironborn if they come from the Triarchy, because of constant naval skirmishes over the Stepstones. Blanket “no” for anyone outside the Nine Free Cities  though.

5. The character should be someone inconsequential on the Westerosi social ladder. Other than that I have no preferences. Bastard of a minor house, hedge knight, septa/septon, maester-in-training, sellsword, lady-in-waiting, manservant, squire, a disgraced and landless noble. You get the gist. As the game is character-driven, they don’t have to be well-rounded in most areas like a D&D character. If you make someone who can’t fight, then they’ll simply have to work around or avoid it. Or have someone do it for them!

6. Absolutely and categorically “NO” to secret Targaryens, dragonseeds, bastards of Great Houses, greenseers, skinchangers, clergy of R’hllor, somehow possessing a cool Valyrian steel sword or anything even remotely approaching The Specialest Chosen One in All of Planetos. This is a separate point because yes, it is that serious. 😜 Same applies to ordinary characters somehow being globetrotters and going to Asshai and back. Please do keep them grounded.

7. In a similar vein, the Dance did just happen and the characters may have lived through some of the big events or even taken part in it. That’s entirely to be expected outside of some border cases (like coming from Highgarden or the North for example). However that does not mean I will accept someone who was the Sea Snake’s bestest buddy or Daeron’s favourite drinking mate. They may have been part of a historical event, but they most likely were just one amongst many present there.

Even though I do not require it for this stage, just in case someone likes to include it with the pitch (I know I do), I’ll also attach my general rule for character illustrations:

• Character illustration is subject to my prior approval. Preferred form is a half-body or 3/4 portrait (think cRPG style portraits) fitting the general visual language of the setting. Categorical “no” to: AI slop, manga or anime art styles, and images of recognisable people or characters from other IPs.

  • I do allow the use of GenAI for generating character illustrations, provided the end result still complies with the above rule.

  • Character illustrations may be further modified by me, whether through Photoshop and/or GenAI, in order to standardise the style and/or bring different portraits closer together stylistically. This does not mean completely changing the approved image, rather small adjustments.

That should be it, I don’t think I’ve omitted anything crucial to the recruitment. Couple of closing points though:

• The number of slots is the absolute maximum number of players I trust myself to accept and be able to run the game for. The final number of accepted players may be lower, depending on the applications. So even if I get 7 applications, that doesn’t mean I will necessarily fill all 5 slots.

• Though I don’t expect it to be the case, I reserve the right to bring the deadline forward if I receive a sufficient number of applications that fulfil the criteria.

• Similarly, I reserve the right to close the recruitment before the stated date if there is little to no interest. So just in case, please signal your interest somehow, either in the General Questions thread, by posting a placeholder application or simply PMing me, just so I know there are lurkers working quietly on an application.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading! I look forward to seeing what you come up with. :)

Valar morghulis,
ravenis

[RECRUITMENT] — [GENERAL QUESTIONS] — [NPC PRIMER] — [WRITING SAMPLES]