Butchern

Makes sense. Let's try to think of a way to capture that in a Trouble. Thrill-Seeking Paranoid is a bit extreme but captures it all. Or something like Caution is Never Boring. Or, if Paranoid is too strong then something like Always Looking Over His Shoulder or similar.

Put all the OOC stuff here.

On the first day of Pelor's rest the Sun God gave to me . . . shelter from a blizzard.

Every breath burned the lungs of the travelers as they trudged through the snow. Even on the road, the snow was up to their knees. The near-strangers kept their heads down as they walked together, hoping to get some respite from the blowing snow in the valley below.

As they passed the last rise, where the road was marked with two large piles of stones, and started their descent into the valley, the beleaguered travelers could smell something . . . familiar, something they hadn’t had in more than a week . . .

Fresh-baked bread.

The stout figure leading the procession stood up straight and look ahead. A halo of steam billowed out from under his cloak as it shifted.

"A farm," he said hopefully.

The group walked on at a much faster pace, energized by the hope of a warm fire. The path dropped quickly before them and after ten long minutes, beyond the swirling crystals of ice drifting through the air, they could see it—not just a farm but a town. The small town of sturdy wooden buildings with tile and thatch roofs was split between a high section on a crest and a lower section in line with the road. Fires burned in every home, and a few fur-clad folks were perched around a bonfire at the split on the road, talking and drinking.

I've only played one game that had the possibility of rolled ability scores (D&D5e) and we used point buy, so I guess I prefer point buy, but I don't have much to go on. 😬

I can see the randomness being fun in its own way.

I'll take a look at all the characters once they are all done, but so far, I like everything here. I only have one question. How do you see your Trouble getting you into trouble and driving the story forward during the seven days that the caravaners are stranded in the town during a blizzard? Does this describe a flaw in his character that you see coming up over and over? If so, what is that flaw? Is he a coward, disloyal, something else?

Love the character. She's going to be a blast.

You already know what I'm going to say here first, because I always say it . . .

1. I like that you have a built-in loyalty to the PCs. Make sure that always trumps "amoral" when it comes to the PCs, to keep the strife to a minimum. I know that is what you had in mind. I'm just saying it out loud so everyone knows what they are going to get with Elani.

2. "Sex, Money, and the Death Goddess (In That Order)." MWers is PG-13 . . . barely. I know you always behave, but again, just saying it out loud. 😁

When you get a minute please add the brief explanation/story for Aspect 4 to your sheet and give us a sentence as to what sorts of things are in your "tools" boon. I assume things like shackles?

Love the character. This is going to be great fun.

1. I think Aspect 3 is fine, but I think you are right that if you found something else, it would expand your options. How about something like Horse Doctor or Animal Whisperer or A Friend to Four-Legs or Master Farrier? His time as a knight has given him a connection to horses and other animals (hunting dogs, etc.), care and medicine for horses (that might also be helpful with people), etc. Or, come up with something else entirely that still fits the character (Armorer, Weapon Master, Blacksmith, etc.).

2. Regarding your Trouble, I like it, but I have a question. Are you saying that he is a tight-laced knight and longs for a rowdy night that he's never had/hasn't had recently? If that is the case then maybe make his Trouble Longing for a Rowdy Night or similar. If he is both tight-laced but occasionally cuts loose for a rowdy night, then maybe make that more clear in the Trouble, perhaps something like A Rowdy Night is a Dangerous Thing. Either way, I'd probably move "tight-laced" up to his High Concept, but it works as it is.

3. Pelor's Amulet is great. Makes prefect sense as it is.

4. Ride for Drive works great. It will also apply to carts, wagons, and such.

All that said, my other concern is that you have devoted a lot of character resources to a horse master, mounted combat, cavalier. There will definitely be opportunities for that in this game, but a lot of this game is going to be the characters lying low in a small village while a blizzard rages outside. I just want to be sure you're okay with that.

1 hour ago, Tecmes said:

Hold your horses, and try it out first with close friends. What I read above only reinforces my quip: it's the idea of a game, not a game.

Yeah, I skimmed through the rules at lunch today, and I have to say I disagree with everything you've said here. It is hard for me to imagine that you are even talking about the same game I was reading today. I do see what other are saying about it not working like one of the D&D clones with "I do a thing so I roll to see if I succeed" mechanics, but that doesn't make it hard to understand or to imagine how it would play, not for me at least.

It is probably best for everyone here to just move along from this thread and play the games they like (and it looks like I like BitD!). That's what I'm going to do. 😁

I have played a lot of PbtA games, but never Blades in the Dark, and I have to say, you guys are doing a great job of selling the game (no sarcasm!). Now I want to play. :D

If you have posted here already, I approve of those concepts! Go ahead and make a new topic/thread in this forum and start working on posting your character there.

Everyone, I know it will be a busy week for many, so we will start the game next weekend at some point. By Saturday, try to have your basic description, High Concept, Trouble and your +4 skill picked out. If we have all that down, we can start the game.

Olive lifted the little girl off the ground, stepped around Glanton, and headed as quietly as she could for the door.

Can I slam the cell door behind me to shut them in?

If you have an initial character concept, post it here, but keep it short and simple for now. I don't want people who won't be able to respond to this until Monday feel like the game has passed them by already.

The girl wasn't moving. Why wasn't she moving? We can't stay here!

Olive glanced at the nearest sleeping guard to be sure he was, in fact, asleep, and then strode to the entrance of the cell, grabbed the little girl by the front or her dress, and hoisted her out of the cell. Axe in one hand and little girl in the other, Olive turned on her heels and headed for the door as quietly as possible under the circumstances.

I will take that silence as tacit agreement to my plan. Posting now.

If y'all want me to grab the girl, I can. Anyone object?

Olive cut her eyes over to the drow from the cage and then back to the sleeping guards. She wasn't sure that letting him go was a good idea, but she couldn't think of a better one.

"Grab the girl and let's go," she mouthed in the direction of her companions. She raised her arms together and gestured toward the door in a "Just pick her up and let's go" motion.

Sample Character Sheet:

Name: Amund Alfson

Description: In his late 30s, Amund stands tall at 6 feet with a compact but sturdy build and a weathered, sun-kissed complexion. His blond hair, partially bound in braids adorned with gold and silver clasps complements a neatly groomed beard. Blue eyes, reflecting both intelligence and experience, peer out from a strong, rugged face. He wears finely crafted leather and fur garments, adorned with ornate metalwork. At his side, a rune-inscribed axe hangs on a lavishly adorned belt.

High Concept: Ousted Jarl Turned Pathfinder
Trouble: Every Woman is a Potential New Ex-Wife
Aspects 3: Everywhere is a Second Home
Aspect 4: Recent Windfall
Aspect 5:

Skills:
Great (+4): Will
Good (+3): Physique, Notice
Fair (+2): Fight, Shoot, Athletics
Average (+1): Lore, Resources, Stealth, Crafts

Stunts:
Norse Resilience: Once per chapter Amund can use his Will skill instead of Athletics or Fight to defend against physical stress.
Berserker Rage: When Amund suffers a physical consequence, he can invoke that consequence for free on his next attack. If he suffers multiple physical consequences, he gets a free invocation for each.
Pathfinder: Amund gets +2 to Creating Advantages with Lore related to weather, travel, and geography.

Boons:
Well-Stocked Pack [ ], Iron-Banded Shield [ ], War Ax [ ]

Stress and Consequences:
Physical Stress:
[   ] [   ] [   ] [   ]

Mental Stress:
[   ] [   ] [   ] [   ]

(2)_________
(4)_________
(6)_________

Fate Points:

Olive slipped inside with the others. She did not get so near the sleeping guards that she might wake them, but she did get within neck choppin' distance of the nearest guard and kept her hatchet at the ready.

I'll update tomorrow as well. Currently experiencing a candy coma.

I tend to agree with everything that has already been said, but just wanted to post here to encourage you that you can absolutely run a game and handle your players exactly this way if you want, and if you like this method, you should!

Glad to hear from you again. I'm still here.

Character Creation Instructions:

Here are the steps for making a character in this game:

1. Develop your concept
2. Write your Aspects
3. Select your Skills and Aspects
4. Select your Boons (NEW)
5. Write your Character Sheet.

1. Develop Your Concept:

Our game will take place in a pretty standard D&D-style fantasy world but with a bit more realism and grit, and with a little less magic. As you think about what sort of character you want to play, assume the following:

• There are a number of kingdoms in the world, all of which live in relative peace with the others. Any larger political conflicts there might be won't be relevant to this game. Redbark sits squarely in The North (the northernmost kingdom). The Crown is how we will refer to the king of the North and his Banner Men are the nobles who rule with him.
• All of these kingdoms are fairly multi-cultural and multi-racial, filled with all the expected (and unexpected) fantasy races. But humans are, by far, the most numerous occupants of the kingdoms, making up about 80% of every population. We will make up any necessary lore for the races as we go.
• The open lands between the walls of civilization are wild and can be dangerous, but there isn't a dragon lurking behind every hill.
• The Seven Days of Pelor's Rest is a festival that is celebrated by all the races in all the kingdoms, even those who venerate other gods besides Pelor (similar to how many Americans who are not Christians celebrate Christmas). Each culture has its own spin on the festival, and it is common for people to "mix and match" elements from all over to celebrate the Seven Days in their town. For our purposes it will be a "Christmas," "New Years," and "Yule/Solstice" festival all rolled into one. I'll lean on the selected players heavily to help determine which Seven Days traditions are the most prominent for our story. We will be making a lot of this up together as we go.
• The village of Redbark is in the middle of nowhere, along miles and miles of unpatroled roads and now snow-covered farmland. The nearest castle is probably four days by horse, once the weather clears, and the nearest town is probably six. Supplies and food come in and out of Redbark by boat along the river to the east of town which the locals just call "the River." The nearest dock is three days upstream by oar or by sail.
• The characters will be travelers in a northern caravan who were forced to abandon their wagons to seek shelter from a blizzard in the valley at the foot of the Gimdrus Mountains. The small town of Redbark will become their home during the Seven Days until the blizzard passes.

2. Write Your Aspects:

High Concept: Use a short phrase to describe your character. This could include your job, your fantasy archetype, your fantasy race, and/or an adjective that describes you. Try to keep it to three or four words. If you aren't sure what to put here, just throw down some words, and I will help you narrow them down to a proper High Concept.

Trouble: Use a short phrase to describe what it is about your character that makes his/her life more difficult. For this game we won't be using "problematic relationships" as troubles, unless your problematic relationship is with one of the other PCs.

Aspect 3: Since you all likely will be strangers when the story begins, we won't be using the Phase Trio. Instead, use Aspect 3 to name the thing that makes you unique and awesome in this world. Is it your special elven powers? A magic sword? Your magical spells? Whatever it is, name it here in a short phrase that is evocative but specific. Also, make sure this doesn't overlap too much with your High Concept. This Aspect will give your character permission in the game to do awesome things. If you think your Aspect 3 needs additional clarification (e.g. what exactly elves can do or what kind of magic you possess), you can include a sentence or two after your Aspect so we can talk about it.

Aspect 4: Use a short phrase to describe why you are on this long journey in the north (caravan guard, adventurer, royal traveler, etc.). Remember, properly stated Aspects push your character forward, inspire action, and lead you into excitement! If you are stuck, give me a sentence or two and I can help you work out an Aspect.

Aspect 5: Leave this one blank for now. We'll fill this in during play.

That's all we need to get started. Once you have a completed concept here, I'm going to look over your character for suitability in the game and give some feedback. I'll also take a brief look at your gaming history here on the Weave and the OGWeave to be sure that you aren't going to want to strangle me during the first week of play. You have one week to get things done. At the end of that time, I'll make my decisions.

What about magic? Magic in Fate Core is skill based, so if you want to launch a fireball, you roll Shoot. If you want to cast a jumping spell, you roll Physique, etc. If you want to be especially good at a spell, see "Boons" below.

3. Select your Skills and Stunts
We will be using the standard skill list from Fate Core for this game. If you have any questions about which skill will be used for which fantasy game activity, just ask. As for Stunts, I'm open to lots of creativity here (other Fate hacks, third-party, etc.), so long as the Stunts work like standard Fate Core stunts. If you have a Stunt you want me to consider, just ask. Here is a big list to get you started: http://evilhat.wikidot.com/fate-core-stunts. You will begin with 6 refresh as is standard for Fate Core. The typical distribution is three Stunts and three unused refresh for Fate Points.

4. Select Your Boons:

Boons are an idea that is mashed together from two other Fate hacks. Boons are additional Aspects with free invokes on them. They refresh when regular Fate Points refresh, and they can be compelled. You have three boons to start, but these can be combined in a single Aspect. During play, you can spend your boon to do anything a Fate Point can normally do related to the Boon's aspect. Typically, boons are magic powers, racial powers, magical weapons, armor, or equipment.

A. Choose your boon(s).
B. Write your Aspects.
C. Put your Boons on your character sheet with check boxes like this: "Wand of Magic Missile [ ]." See below for an example character sheet.

Some Boon examples:
Example 1 - Peerless Blade [ ] [ ] [ ]
This is a magic sword that is without equal. The player put all three of his Boons on this one Aspect. During play, the player can check a box and get a free invoke for actions related to his sword. Spent Boon invokes refresh when regular Fate Points refresh.

Example 2 - Stout Banded Shield [ ], A Well-Stocked Pack [ ] [ ]

Example 3 - Wand of Magic Missile [ ], Sleep Powder [ ], Poisoned Dagger [ ]

Write your Character Sheet:
Add the following to your character sheet and then write your character sheet. A sample character sheet follows this post. You can use that format or not as you like.

Name: Give your character an appropriate name. We are going to have to write it over and over in our posts, so don't make it crazy difficult to write.

Description: Give us a brief physical description of your character. Your character should be a standard fantasy adult character, but feel free to get creative. Also, we don't need an in-depth description of your concept or personality. Everything important about you should be represented in your Aspects below. You can include a picture if you like, but try to keep the picture as un-anime as you can please.

If you have questions about anything, post them here.

The Blizzard Inn:
 

One of the largest buildings in town, the Blizzard Inn has two stories, five guest rooms, and seven regular tables. It is run by an aging and worldly-wise man named Tore and is staffed by his two serving girls, Clara and Gilly. The Blizzard stays packed with locals (and its unexpected guests) for all Seven Days of Pelor's Rest.