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 Let Thrones Beware is a roleplaying game about rediscovering hope in a post-traumatic fantasy world. Despite its strength, the eternal Kingdom of Man is no more, accidental victim of the very power it wielded to conquer your world. Bowed but not broken, those who survived the Kingdoms brutal thousand-year occupation fled to the far corners of Ceyenus. Despite your freedom, there is danger. Horrors stalk the Deep Wood in which you and your kin shelter. Isolated, vulnerable villages quake in the darkness, hoping they are overlooked by what lurks in the trees. Despite the danger, you must end Age of Despair. The rebirth of Ceyenus awaits and now is the time for you to step forward and restore what was lost. Features of Let Thrones Beware include:
You want to take a look at this if...
Game Principles
Game Resources GM Content Player Content
How's This Play? There's a playtest on these very forums. Check out these two examples of combat and non-combat challenges in the manual More about the game Game Blog | @thronesbeware slap me and kiss me fucked around with this message at 01:53 on Mar 16, 2018 |
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Oct 13, 2015 20:23
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Reserving this for the future.
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Oct 13, 2015 20:24
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Character Creation Step one: assigning attributes. The attributes are:
Every player has three attribute points that they can assign at the beginning of character creation. Character attributes begin at zero, and for novice adventurers, can range from a minimum of -1 to a maximum of +3 (factoring in race, background, and class). To be as hoodish as possible, we want Tobin to be nimble (Response +1), smart (Wit +1), and a hit with other humans of the appropriate gender (Presence +1). Tobin posted:Strength: 0 Response: 1 Wit: 1 Fortitude: 0 Presence: 1 Step two: choosing a race This is pretty simple. Tobin's an Overpopulated Human. He's certainly not one of those Speedy Insectoids or Formidable Dwarves. As a human, he gains an additional +1 to Presence, because people are worried that if they don't listen to the nuance of his every spoken word, they'll wind up losing their land in exchange for some worthless trinkets. Tobin also gains That Monotonous Sound. Tobin the (Overpopulated) Human posted:Strength: 0 Response: 1 Wit: 1 Fortitude: 0 Presence: 2 Step three: selecting a background There are plenty of people out in the world, human and inhuman alike. Most of them are downtrodden, which is such a shame. Not Tobin though, he was lucky enough to be born into a wealthy family. Who died at the hands of another noble who wanted their forest. No wonder Tobin has sensitivities toward class. Fortunately for Tobin, while they can take his estate, they can't take his brains (unless they find him and remove his head). As a noble, he gains +1 to Wit, owing to all of that formal education. He also gains the Commanding Voice ability. His time in the Royal Palace has left him quite is skilled in Court intrigue (+3), and Leadership (+1) Sir Tobin the (Overpopulated) Human posted:Strength: 0 Response: 1 Wit: 2 Fortitude: 0 Presence: 2 Cool! So, how do we use those skills? What if Tobin wants to sneak into his enemy's estate? Tobin doesn't have any way to sneak right now (though we could just rely on an attribute check based on Response), but there is another way - he could make attempt use of his Court Intrigue skill to cause a shift change at just the right time, allowing him to walk in the front door unimpeded. He would see how well he did by totaling the results of Skill Check posted:d6 + 3 (Court Intrigue) + 2 (Presence) to see whether he's able to pull the right strings. Step four: picking a class Finally, we get around to picking Tobin's class. Ever since he lost his estate, he's developed some rage issues, and is quick to rush into combat to express his emotional turmoil in the form of a stabbin`. As a speedy Rogue, Tobin gains +1 to Response and 4 hit points. He has learned Thievery (+3) and Stealth (+1). He's also picked up a few tricks in his time: Shot in the Back, Pin-Point Accuracy, and Brutal Knifing are all important abilities of his. He's also quite competent in Light Weapons, Light Missile Weapons, Heavy Missile Weapons, and Light Armour. Sir Tobin the (Overpopulated) Human Rogue posted:Strength: 0 Response: 2 Wit: 2 Fortitude: 0 Presence: 2 slap me and kiss me fucked around with this message at 14:49 on Oct 14, 2015 |
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Oct 13, 2015 20:30
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Skills, skill checks, and skill tests Skill check During the course of an adventure, adventurers may attempt actions where success is not certain. In these cases, a skill check may be required. quote:Check = tier die + skill value + attribute value To determine whether an action is successful, combine the player’s tier dice roll with the skill they’ve opted to use, and add an attribute modifier as appropriate. Remember that skills in Let Thrones Beware are designed to be open ended; a rogue using her best thief in the land skill to sneak past a guard would add her Response to the check, and might add Presence to convince a suspicious guard that there were only ever three barrels on the cart. The group should work together to determine whether a given skill can be used to accomplish a task. In the event that a skill isn’t appropriate, a character can still make an ability check. Difficulties A fully optimized character in the adventurer tier with an appropriate skill typically scores between 6 and 12 on their skill check. Therefore, an easy check is surmounted on a 3 or better, a moderate check on a 6 or better, and a difficult check on a 9 or better. Skill tests Characters may be confronted by obstacles that need more than one skill check to resolve. In those cases, a skill test may be carried out. To successfully pass a skill test, the party must pass a number of skill checks before failing a number of times, with the number of failures and successes determined by the intended difficulty of the check. The test is divided up into rounds; in each round, the party must surmount a number of obstacles equal to the size of their group through the use of skill checks. The success or failure of a round is determined by the number of skill checks that are passed; if there are more passes than failures, the round is won. It is otherwise lost. Winning a round gains the party advantage on a single roll in the next round; representing the benefits they gained from overcoming their trial so successfully. Losing a round means that the party has disadvantage on one roll in the next round, owing to the extra effort they must commit to make up the lost ground. Easy skill test To overcome an easy skill test, the party must win one round before losing more than one round. The difficulty of the individual checks should be a mix of easy and moderate. Moderate skill test To overcome an easy skill test, the party must win two rounds before losing more than one round. Each player should face one easy and one moderate check, with checks in the third round (if applicable) being of moderate difficulty. Difficult skill test To overcome an easy skill test, the party must win three rounds before losing more than two rounds. Each player should face one easy, one moderate, and one difficult check, with checks in any fourth round being moderate and any fifth round checks being difficult.
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Oct 14, 2015 00:46
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Combat Meandering down the road, Tobin decides to take a shortcut to get to his favourite hideaway, the Drunken Squirrel. Cutting through an alley, he's accosted by two Street Thugs, who demand his money. The encounter begins, with each side rolling initiative, which is determined by summing your tier die and Response attribute. Sir Tobin the (Overpopulated) Human Rogue posted:d6 (5) + 2 = 7 A couple of street thugs posted:d6 (3) + 1 = 4 Round One Tobin rolls a tier die to determine his force modifier for the round. He rolls a 2. Thugs one and two roll a 5 and a 6, respectively. Having won initiative, Tobin chooses to act first (if he was confident in his counter-attacks, he could decide to allow his opponents the first move); he uses a light missile weapon and the Pin-Point Accuracy attack against one of the Thugs (Thug One), who's still at the opposite end of the alley. His attack has a total force score of 7 (Roll 2 + Response 2 + Action 3). Pin-Point Accuracy posted:
Light Missile Weapon posted:
Since the street Thug does not have a counterattack with the deflect property, there's nothing he can do about the knife. It hits, dealing 1[W] (1) + 1 damage. Thug One has 2 hit points, so he's knocked out of the fight. Pin-Point Accuracy is marked as exhausted; Tobin cannot use the action again unless it is refreshed at the beginning of a combat round. The second Thug closes distance, attacking Tobin with Merciless Stab. Merciless Stab posted:
Combining his roll with the action's force value, his attack a total force of 8. Tobin doesn't have a class ability that he can use in response (his one high-scoring action, Shot in the Back, requires that someone else be engaging the Thug as well). He considers selecting a default action, such as Parry-riposte, but his roll at the beginning of the round was so low that his total force won't be high enough to successfully counter the attack. Tobin suffers one damage, dropping his hit points to 3. Round Two Tobin is able to refresh one action per tier. Since he's only used one (Pin-Point Attack), it is refreshed by default. Tobin rolls a tier die to determine his force modifier for the round. He rolls a 5. Thug two rolls a 5. Tobin still has initiative, and he selects Thrust as his attack. Thrust posted:
Tobin's total force for this action is 9 (Roll 5 + Response 2 + Action 2). As a default action, Thrust is not exhausted. The Thug attempts to counter his assault, opting to use his defensive ability, Duck and Weave. Duck and Weave posted:
The Thug's total force value is 9 (Roll 5 + Action 4). Given that the force scores are equivalent, each adversary will suffer damage from their opponent's action. Not wanting to be more bruised than necessary, Tobin decides to continue the fight. Rummaging through his available actions, Tobin settles on Parry-Riposte, which is a default counterattack with a high Response score. Parry-Riposte posted:
Tobin's force score for Parry Riposte is 10 (Roll 5 + Response 2 + Action 3). His force score is higher than the Thug's, and with no further actions available, the Thug is hit, suffering the effects of the action. The Thug drops to one hit point. Round Three Tobin has no actions to refresh this round, as he only relied upon defaults in round two. Tobin rolls a tier die to determine his force modifier for the round. He rolls a 3. Thug two rolls a 1. Tired of all this fighting, Tobin selects Brutal Knifing. Brutal Knifing posted:
With a force score of 8 (Roll 3 + Response 2 + Action 3), Tobin's attack cannot be defeated by the Thug (his only available counterattack has a force score of 4, which is not sufficient to stop the attack). Thug Two suffers 2 damage, dropping his hit points to -1. He is defeated. Exhausted, and bleeding from some minor wounds, Tobin limps off to the Drunken Squirrel.
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Oct 14, 2015 14:48
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Character Classes: Meet the Knight There are four base classes in Let Thrones Beware, each corresponding to one of the four primary ethos - Defender, Leader, Controller, and Striker. Today, we take a look at the Knight, the defender. What is a Knight? Knights are chivalrous defenders of the downtrodden, sworn to protect the weak and helpless. Clad in heavy armour, Knights are proficient with many weapons and are well-trained surviving combat. Ferocious in battle, their impenetrable armour allows them to shrug off blows that would fell others, and this combination of technique and equipment allows them to intercede on behalf of their allies. Why Play a Knight? The purpose of the Knight is to provide players with a versatile, heroic figure that protects his allies. As a defender, several of the Knight's actions are able to intercept attacks, counterattacks, and interrupts leveled against other players; the Knight is the only class with this capability. By intercepting and redirecting attacks, the Knight frees the other classes to focus on deploying their most potent attacks without being concerned with being countered. Class Information
Competencies Light Melee Weapons Basic Competency: Nimble and Quick - Entering threatened range does not provoke an engagement. Heavy Weapons Basic Competency: Rend - Whenever you do damage to an enemy, you may choose to reduce that enemy's damage resistance by one. Polearms Basic Competency: Iron Thicket: If you hit an adversary moving from outside your reach to within, that adversary is stopped at the maximum extent of your reach. Heavy Armour Basic Competency: Steadfast: All forced movement effects imposed upon you result in one less square of movement. Light Armour Basic Competency: This is Pretty Light - Once per round, when engaged with an enemy, you may change your position to another space adjacent the adversary. Actions Deflecting Assault
Armoured Challenge
Frantic Shielding
Mailed Fist
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Oct 15, 2015 14:55
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Let Thrones Beware SuperAlpha Reference Document Motivation is a hell of a thing, and mine has waned of late. As recompense, I’ve decided to go ahead and post manual. Remembering that it’s a work in progress, if I were to give it a version number, I’d characterize it as V0.0.1. Enjoy it in good health! v0.0.1
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Nov 13, 2015 04:33
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What ever happened to this?
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Feb 4, 2016 02:27
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A bit distracted from the holidays and a job situation! At the moment I'm working on developing some non-combat powers in the same vein as the combat system. E: to expand, even with simplifying the skill selection and tightening up the ranges vs. a more traditional d20 based game, I am still wary about putting players in a situation where the DM makes them do a 'check' for every 10 ft of movement they make down a corridor or every section of rope they climb, because that's the epitome of no fun. I believe that mixing it up to have back and forth between players and the DM will keep things interesting and reinforce that people shouldn't be making a skill check for every incremental action they take - rather, checks should only occur when surmounting something extraordinary. slap me and kiss me fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Feb 4, 2016 |
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Feb 4, 2016 02:36
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Pfox posted:A bit distracted from the holidays and a job situation! At the moment I'm working on developing some non-combat powers in the same vein as the combat system. This didn't happen, but I did manage to add a bunch of other stuff:
v0.0.2 slap me and kiss me fucked around with this message at 15:04 on Feb 10, 2016 |
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Feb 10, 2016 05:41
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And now, a brief interlude from mechanics: The Deep Wood The Deep Wood is a gloomy, forlorn forest of densely packed trees. Sunlight has difficulty penetrating the canopy, even on a cloudless day, casting the forest floor into a perpetual twilight. Travel in the woods is fraught with peril, home to a multitude of savage beats. Only the brave or foolhardy venture willingly into the Wood. Despite ever-present danger, the Wood is home to a number of refuge villages, in which descendants of the survivors of the Cataclysm eke out a precarious existence. Chael Hollow Chael Hollow is a refuge village nestled in the Deep Wood. Constructed on the shore of Nilahx Lake, the village is home to several hundred souls whose ancestors fled the Cataclysm. In the campaign framework attached to the book, Chael Hollow is where the adventurers begin their journey. POPULATION: 346 LEADER: Burgomaster Ruem Fyhook MILITIA: 11 POINTS OF INTEREST:
PEOPLE OF INTEREST:
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Feb 11, 2016 18:40
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Let Thrones Beware SuperAlpha 0.0.3 Update A number of new pieces of gameplay mechanic, and some setting stuff:
Reference Document v0.0.3 slap me and kiss me fucked around with this message at 16:26 on Feb 16, 2016 |
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Feb 16, 2016 16:17
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The not quite an update, really more of a preview update I'm continuing to work on fleshing out what an introductory campaign in Let Thrones Beware would look like. Coming up with a setting out of whole cloth is an interesting experience, my group plays a much more on-the-fly, cooperative world-building style of game, and that seems pretty much the exact opposite of what seems to be needed. Adventurer Tier Stop the bandit menace plaguing the road during the Fall Passage. Intent:
Rescue the lost caravan Time: Beginning of the Fall Passage. Encounters:
b. Skill Test: Find the scene of the ambush and track the raiding party back to its waystation. Combat: Fight the wounded Beastling that has slain the raiding party. c. Skill Test: Negotiate with the bandit party for the release of the hostages. Combat: Defeat the bandits as they attempt to recapture the hostages during the trek back to Chael Hollow. Discover a map of Bandit patrols in the Wood. Venture into the Wood to track the bandit company Time: One week remaining in the Fall Passage. Encounters:
b. Skill Test: Journey into the Wood to find the bandit camp. Combat: Kill a Beastling before it can attack a bandit patrol in order to follow the patrol back to its base. c. Skill Test: Stalk the bandit patrol as it returns to the company’s base: the ruins of an old fort. Combat: Slay the patrol before they can rejoin their fellows. Defeat the bandit captain and learn of her employer Time: Last day of the Fall Passage. Encounters:
b. Skill Test: Having decoded the journal, track down an old hermit who can relate stories of the cult which it references. Combat: Defend the hermit’s ramshackle hut from a savage beast that has been following the party. c. Combat: Using the journal, ambush the Cultist who has been directing the bandits. Skill Test: Convince the Burgomaster to release the party from its order to defend Chael Hollow so that they can warn the Baronet. Questions for the audience:
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Feb 23, 2016 06:27
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A Let Thrones Beware Quickplay Adventure! Hello everyone! I'm continuing to work hard at developing Let Thrones Beware. To give you a taste of what the final game will be like, I've developed a self-contained single player quickplay adventure. To make use of this, you'll need a pencil, a sheet of paper, and a single six sided die. Let me know what you think! Download the quickplay adventure
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Feb 26, 2016 02:44
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Pfox posted:A Let Thrones Beware Quickplay Adventure! Cool, I just went through this! This is from the perspective of someone coming to the quickplay adventure completely fresh - I didn't read all of your posts here yet. (Edit: okay, now I've read them, and some of my questions were answered, but it's still useful for you to know what my questions were from the perspective of a completely new person. It's not vital that all these questions get answered right away in a quickstart - you want the reader to have some questions so their curiosity keeps them reading - but some need answers.) A couple of quick notes: Most of the large text boxes have a line at the bottom saying "cite your source here" which you probably meant to delete or replace. The small text boxes with instructions like "To calculate your initiative, roll 1d6 and your Response score, then subtract one to reflect your heavy chain armour." have text that is too small. I couldn't read it without zooming in. Page 4: I wonder if this is going to let me make any choices? I hope so - I love Choose Your Own Adventures! Page 6: I wonder how combat really works? It didn't seem to matter whether I won or lost initiative - I beat the guy anyway. I wonder if that's just for the convenience of the quickplay or if that represents something in the game? Page 8: I wonder how these difficulties are set? 9 seems rather high - even with a strong ability score and my best skill I'm only 50-50. I wonder how I can improve my chances? ... One of the people I befriended/failed to befriend died? Which one, don't I recognize them? Page 9: Okay, I don't understand how combat works enough to know what to do here against the captain. Complete brick wall here. If I attack him and he interrupts me, that seems like it's worse than letting him attack and then I interrupt him... What is this momentum thing? My armor says resist 2 - what does that mean? If I literally resist 2 damage, how can he hurt me? What does it mean by the first move of each round? How many moves in a round? Page 10: Alright, forget the combat - I don't get it. Let's see what happens. Okay, well that's an ending, I guess. If you want people with no knowledge of your game to pick up the quickplay, you'll need to do better at explaining how combat works in a logistical sense. What choices do I have? When do I make them? Are there any limits on my choices? What do the things I wrote down earlier all mean? The ending is kind of a downer considering there seems to be only a one in six chance of getting a good ending. That's not really a big deal, but I think it'd be stronger if it planted the idea that the adventure might continue instead of just "you give up". Something like "You'll need to find another way in tonight under the cover of darkness." It'd be cool if you could include a couple of minor choices - choose how to respond to a person, or something - make it more interactive, even if it's still just a tutorial. Good videogame tutorials often give you some small, constrained choices. I don't want to come off as being too harsh here - I love this type of thing for a tutorial, and I think it's a great starting point, but you need to improve it before it can do what you want it to do. I don't think it'll be hard for you to seed some information about what kinds of choices you have in combat earlier, as there were a couple of combats that didn't explain much where you could explain a bit more before you throw folks into it for real. You've already done most of the work here, and if you just spend a little more time fixing it, you'll have a really cool and useful tool to teach people and get them into your game.
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Feb 26, 2016 06:55
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Jimbozig posted:Super constructive feedback. Thanks very much! You made a lot of really solid points, and I've updated the document to make it a great deal simpler to understand how everything works.
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Feb 26, 2016 19:19
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A bunch of effusive thanks, and an updated Quickplay Adventure Over the past few weeks, the Quickplay adventure has seen well over a hundred downloads. I'd like to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for the support and encouragement. I was expecting a dozen downloads at best, so it's safe to say that my expectations have been wildly exceeded! I've received a lot of great feedback from the community, and I've capitalized upon some excellent observations and suggestions; I'm pleased to announce that I've completed a revised version of the Quickplay Adventure that provides clarification for a number of game and setting elements. With no further adieu, I give you the revised adventure: Download the updated version here! slap me and kiss me fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Mar 24, 2016 |
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Mar 15, 2016 14:43
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Something something, have a Good Knight!
slap me and kiss me fucked around with this message at 17:59 on Mar 16, 2016 |
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Mar 16, 2016 16:55
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Pfox posted:Something something, have a Good Knight! 1. This is really low rez, I can't read it. 2. Can you post it in finalized mode instead of revision mockup?
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Mar 16, 2016 17:45
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Golden Bee posted:1. This is really low rez, I can't read it. Yes on both counts. If you do a hard reload on the page, you should see the new image.
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Mar 16, 2016 18:01
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Ran through my first playtest with real players last night. Things actually went pretty well! Things I really need to develop at this point: a character sheet template, and a combat tracker. Edit: Does anyone have suggestions for designing character sheets? slap me and kiss me fucked around with this message at 19:53 on Mar 17, 2016 |
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Mar 17, 2016 17:11
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Character Sheets  
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Mar 21, 2016 14:00
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Okay your quickstart really needs some work, because it does not explain how combat works at all. It reads as if it's basically just D&D, but your combat example above makes clear it sort of isn't. Only in the last encounter of the adventure do you spell out that no, you don't actually roll every action, but in the beginning of the turn instead! That's a massive oversight, because anyone who's even heard of RPGs is automatically going to think you roll dice the moment you attack. I don't agree with Jimbozig, I think the section needs a complete overhaul. First, nix the initiative rolls, all they do is make the book branch in a very confusing manner. A bandit attacks, roll your Force score for the round and only then decide if you want to a) attack! or b) wait and parry-riposte. Then the bandit dies. Now we've established there's a Force score and there are decisions to make. Great! Then the next bandit comes up and does something else to fill out the combat encounter flowchart, like tries to parry your attack or use an interrupt or something. The fight goes on for a couple of rounds. Then you can have the boss fight. Make cards of the actions so that they're easily referenced, explain keywords, make sure there aren't too many options. As for the game in general, I'm sorry but fundamentally, what you've got here is a fourth-generation fantasy heartbreaker. You've got one good idea (the combat system, it sincerely seems pretty clever), but then you lather on all these ability scores and skill checks and initiative checks and saving throws and  Why even have ability scores when anyone worth their dice is going to max out their class-relevant stats anyway? Your chargen makes me choose between maximum swole  and some weenie noncombat stuff, in a game that's a lot about stabbing dudes in the face. That's not the meaningful choice you promised. Also, to put this bluntly, your skill system is terminally boring. It's basically d20 but all the modifiers are huge. You have a lot of D&D boilerplate in there, and I feel like you'd have a better game if you just threw all that out.
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Mar 24, 2016 12:43
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The Oracle! Siivola posted:Okay your quickstart really needs some work, because it does not explain how combat works at all. It reads as if it's basically just D&D, but your combat example above makes clear it sort of isn't. Only in the last encounter of the adventure do you spell out that no, you don't actually roll every action, but in the beginning of the turn instead! That's a massive oversight, because anyone who's even heard of RPGs is automatically going to think you roll dice the moment you attack. Thanks for taking the time to read (and more importantly for my purposes, provide feedback on) the quickplay and the system! The more eyes I get on this, the better, and your points are good ones. You're right about the combat examples needing to be reworked; while I certainly tried to make the explanations iterative in the quickplay, it could be made a lot more clear. The skill system is similar to d20, in the sense that you roll a die to beat a target number and both an attribute and skill value. There are some differences though; attributes and skills aren't linked, but rather would be determined by the nature of the test - for example, in the adventure your Knight's hunting skill is used twice, once with Strength and once with Wit. The other aspect is that the skills aren't as specific as 'use rope'; rather, they're intended to be spheres of mastery, in which the player is competent at doing everything associated with it - the Hunting skill gave your Knight expertise in detecting an ambush in the Wood, and making a bow for Lene. It would also be used for anything else that could come up in a wooded environ. Could it be explained better in the adventure? I'm sure it could. Is it super boring? Maybe. Should I just adapt the combat system to work for skills too? Probably.
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Mar 24, 2016 17:54
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The Rogue - Also, a new skill system - AKA when Siivola is right, (s)he's right A Brand New Skill System The basic mechanic in Let Thrones Beware is the contest. There are two basic types of contest: combat and non-combat. Combat contests are resolved using Combat Maneuvers, and non-combat contests are resolved using Skill Actions. Both types of contest are resolved in similar ways, though each has its own peculiarities. Resolving non-combat contests To win a non-combat contest, a player will need an Action Score that is higher than the Action Score of the GM. An Action Score is a combination of the roll of a Tier Die, an attribute score, and a Skill Action. The GM’s Action Score is calculated by adding a Tier Die with an Obstacle Score. Players have access to three types of Skill Actions: <SkA>, <SkC>, and <SkI>. These actions are roughly analogous to Obstacle, Wrinkle, and Setback actions in the GM’s inventory. At the beginning of a non-combat contest, the initiator (be it player or GM), leads with a SkA (or Obstacle). The second party in the contest may follow by playing a valid response, so long as the action score of the response is higher than the initiator’s action score. At the end of the exchange, the party with the highest Action Score wins the contest. Ties go to the initiator of the contest. Counters
Resolving combat contests Combat contests are resolved in a similar way, though there are differences (for example, while fighting we refer to the Action Score as a Force Score to keep things separated cleanly). The principle difference between combat and non-combat contests is that winning a combat contest does not mean the fight is over. Rather, it means that you will inflict some amount of damage on your target. This may be enough to incapacitate your foe, but oftentimes you will need to win several exchanges before the enemy is defeated. Another difference between combat and non-combat contests is that unlike non-combat tests, where it’s usually someone else’s turn after a contest is resolved, in battle, each combatant has several moves which she or he may expend in a row; a character can initiate several contests in a row, or might choose to forgo a contest in order to move to a more advantageous position before or after attacking. Effects In addition to an Action or Force Score, most Skill Actions and Combat maneuver have attached effects. Effects trigger when the action to which they are attached is used to win a contest. For the most part, only the last action played will trigger effects, but certain keywords will modify this rule (such as Stackable, which triggers an effect whether or not it is attached to the last maneuver played, and Determined, which triggers an effect whether the character won or lost the contest). Constructive Failure - Losing a contest Should a a player non-combat contest fail, this doesn’t mean that the player did not accomplish the chosen task. Instead, the task is completed, but some misfortune befalls the instigator. If the same door is being unlocked, it trips an alarm, causing guards to rush to the scene. Players shouldn’t make more than one check for the same action; it’s no fun to roll 13 times before discovering that the innkeeper holds the only clue to the Black Knight’s true identity. Should a player lose a combat contest, his or her character will suffer damage as indicated by the adversary’s attack, but the character will remain in the fight until incapacitated at zero hit points. Example of play Just below this post slap me and kiss me fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Mar 31, 2016 |
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Mar 29, 2016 14:27
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Skill Contests - An example of play Dwyrion the Dwarf (race) is a Foppish Noble (background), and he's also a Rogue (class). Dwyrion, confident that he can extricate himself from any danger with his intellect and charm, has decided to slip away from his bodyguards and take a stroll through the site of an ancient battle. This has rapidly proved to be a mistake, as almost immediately, he is accosted by a hill tribe that has come to scavenge metal from the corpses of long-dead soldiers. Acutely aware that he can't fight his way free, Dwyrion decides that the best course of action is to talk his way to safety. With that, a Skill Contest begins. Because this is a social challenge, Dwyrion's relevant attribute is his Presence, which has a score of 1. He, like all heroes, has the basic Skill Action Tenacity. His Foppish Noble background grants him the actions Noble's Gambit and Do You Know Who I Am? Finally, his Rogue class provides him Always A Contingency. Dwyrion's running short in Influences, which are used to modify Skill Checks - he only has two Research remaining, no Inventory, and no Contacts.     This is a moderate contest, and so Dwyrion is faced with 1 Obstacle and 2 boosters, in addition to a contest modifier. The modifier is revealed: Repercussions. All of the GM's actions in this contest will be increased by 1. The Obstacle and its two boosters remain concealed.  To begin the contest, Dwyrion and the GM roll the Tier Die - at the Adventurer Tier, this is 1d6. Dwyrion's die comes up 4; the GM's a 5. The Dwarf doesn't like his odds. Contests are won and lost on their action scores, and even with his high roll on the Tier Die, with the difficulty of the contest being so high, there's a chance that the Hill Tribe will ignore his pleas and feast on his bones. The best start our Dwarf can manage now is an Action Score of 7 (combining his roll of 4 with Noble's Gambit Action Score of 2 and his Presence of 1). Dwyrion acts first, as he's the one who initiated the contest. He opens with Noble's Gambit. Dwyrion decides to capitalize on Gambit's bonus and spend Influence to boost his score even higher; he spends 1 Research Influence (Research may only be spent when playing an Action, and is replenished when taking a Long Rest, to the tune of 2 + Wit), increasing his Action Score to 8. The GM chooses a response, in this case of the Wrinkle type, which can be played to counter a Skill Attack. The GM's Action Score is a 10 (5 from the roll, 4 from the Enough Words Wrinkle, and 1 from the Repercussion effect), which is two higher than Dwyrion's. Because his Gambit is trumped, Dwyrion crosses off the Research he used in his opening, and then loses one additional point. He has no remaining Influence.  The Dwarf begins to sweat. He's only got one Skill Action that can be used to counter the Wrinkle, his Do You Know Who I Am? Interrupt. Even then, his Action Score is insufficient: combining the Action Score of 8 (4 from his roll, 3 from the Interrupt, and 1 from his Presence Score). Dwyrion plays the Interrupt, resigned to his fate. Though he's to be killed, cooked, and eaten by the Tribesmen, he'll at least go to the light knowing that he's not large enough to feed the whole tribe. The GM reminds Dwyrion that this is a social contest. The effect of the Interrupt triggers, and Dwyrion is able to re-roll his Tier Die for this challenge. Because he rolls with Advantage, Dwyrion gets to roll a d8, rather than a d6. Dwryion makes a plea to the gods, and then the die is cast. A seven! His new Action Score is 11. (7 from the roll, 3 from the Interrupt, 1 from Presence). The GM's second booster is unable to counter a Skill Interrupt, and the contest concludes. Dwyrion the Dwarf is safe, for now.
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Mar 31, 2016 15:39
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Class Preview - Meet the Knight (again) Now that we have a new skill contest system in place, it's time to go back and rework classes and backgrounds to incorporate the changes. With this in mind, here's the Knight class, with all the trimmings. The big change you'll notice is that there's no longer a specific section for 'Skills,' as there was before. Instead, Skill Actions and Combat Maneuvers have been divided between backgrounds and classes. Backgrounds now have two Skill Actions and one Combat Maneuver, and classes have the reverse. Download the pdf
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Apr 6, 2016 20:58
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Well, as it does, life got in the way before I got too far into this earlier in the year. I've since found time to pick it up again, and have started on a new adventure to introduce people to the system. I have most of the technical explanation done, and am about halfway through the rpg adventure itself. My intent with this new edition of the adventure is to more clearly separate the mechanics from the adventure portion, and provide more choices to the players (and explain why the choices are good choices or bad ones). Download my few pages Let me know what y'all think (especially whether the new choices layout and explanation works, and whether the separation between mechanic and rpg is effective or not)!
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Sep 29, 2016 03:57
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Progress! The preview to the preview is updated with background and class mechanics, explanation, and adventuring. As I wrote way back in April, I threw out the old skill system and in its place use a system that's quite similar to the combat mechanics. Rather than making background entirely noncombat and class entirely combat focused, I've split it, so picking a background gives you 2/1 and a class gives you 1/2 for non-combat and combat powers. Beyond unique powers, each class now has a special feature that enhances their combat performance. For example, Rogues can pierce armour with their attacks under certain conditions, and Hedge Wizards may make a square of terrain difficult every time they take an action. slap me and kiss me fucked around with this message at 06:45 on Oct 2, 2016 |
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Oct 2, 2016 06:39
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Next up, trivial challenges.a section on trivial challenges posted:Trivial Challenges The accompanying adventure posted:Once you and Seredhien settle on a plan, you spring into action. The first thing to do is to locate a rich and vulnerable caravan scheduled to pass through the area where the bandits have been active. Preview the whole adventure so far
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Oct 4, 2016 06:07
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What's more fun than trivial challenges that don't require any rolls? Actual skill checks, which is the next featured part of the new preview adventure!A section on Skill checks posted:Earlier in the adventure we learnt about trivial tasks - how to handle accomplishing challenges that are beneath your hero. Now, we’ll look at [skill check], which are used when a character wishes to accomplish a task that is difficult enough that even an extraordinary hero is not guaranteed to succeed. Given enough time, any hero can climb a rope; not every hero can successfully climb that same rope whilst it’s on fire. The accompanying adventure posted:Your caravan is not more than a few hours into the forbidding trees of the Deep Wood before it is attacked by the very bandits you are seeking. In moments, combat rages all around. Under the chaos of the brawl, you slip through the melee, aiming to make it to the relative safety of the trees. Preview the whole adventure so far How might someone roleplay this mechanic? Great question! The simple answer is, any way you want. The longer answer is that Let Thrones Beware embraces the idea of the omnicompetent adventurer. When Beowulf had his swimming contest with Breca the Bronding, he didn't search for a spell that would enable him to swim for days on end while wearing heavy armour, he just dove in and swam, used his remarkable strength. Let Thrones Beware doesn't dictate how an adventurer accomplishes her or his task, only whether or not they can succeed. This might be clearer with an example - Daryl the Charismatic Noble Oracle seeks to infiltrate the castle of a Baron he suspects is plotting against the Crown. Because Daryl's player is initiating the check, she leads with a Skill Attack (Force Score 4), describing how Daryl uses his considerable charm and influence to convince the guards at the gate that he's been invited to a feast within the castle walls. The GM, having used a Wrinkle (Force Score 6), relates that the guards are convinced, but just as they are about to open the gate, a sergeant interjects, saying that he's not aware of any such feast. Daryl's player follows with a Skill Interrupt (Force Score 7), and Daryl, ever the quick thinker, yells that it's a private dinner with the Baron, he's already late, and if he's detained any longer, he'll make sure that the Baron hears about how his staff treat nobility. Shame-faced, the guards open the gate, and usher Daryl inside. slap me and kiss me fucked around with this message at 03:23 on Oct 9, 2016 |
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Oct 8, 2016 15:28
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Whew, it's time for a pretty thorough combat example, including an introduction to the first sort of baddie - the minionIntroduction to Combat posted:Combat is resolved in a manner that is similar to the skill checks we just discussed. The first thing to do is determine initiative, which is how we decide who gets to act first. To calculate initiative, roll your Tier Die and add your Response attribute. The highest initiative goes first, and play continues through to the lowest initiative. And an Adventure posted:As you slip behind the tree line, the slaughter behind you reaches a crescendo. The caravan has been completely overwhelmed, and the few remaining travelers rally a desperate defence. You realize, without a moment to spare, that you are not alone. A bandit sentry unaware of your presence stands a few scant feet from the try behind which you hide. Download the work in progress slap me and kiss me fucked around with this message at 16:51 on Oct 14, 2016 |
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Oct 14, 2016 06:08
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A Brand New Adventure When I was little, I was a big fan of the 1991 New Easy-to-Master Dungeons & Dragons Game - it came with this really clever introductory adventure on flashcards that introduced newcomers to Dungeons & Dragons and role-playing games in general one step at a time. Playing through a series of quests taught me everything I needed to know about the game, and equipped me with the knowledge to play in and run my own adventures with friends. Since then, I've never found an RPG that opens with a more accessible, easy-to-use adventure. In crafting an introduction to Let Thrones Beware, I wanted to design an something that does more than merely list the mechanics players use - I wanted to convey a sense of the world of the game and how the game actually plays out, while also explaining the game's mechanics and how they interact in play. My ultimate goal is to develop a series of linked adventures, guiding people from knowing nothing about the game, its mechanics, or rpgs in general to experienced players capable of GMing for an entire table of friends. A Rogue in the Woods Covers the following subjects
Download Rogue in the Woods: A Let Thrones Beware Adventure!
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Jan 13, 2017 20:04
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What's coming down the pipe next - Let Thrones Beware Adventures With Rogue in the Woods nominally complete, it's time to talk about what's next for Let Thrones Beware The next adventure, Knight to Remember, will focus on:
The third, as of yet unnamed adventure, will focus on:
The fourth and final (also unnamed) adventure will detail:
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Jan 18, 2017 18:33
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Sneak Peek - Knight to Remember - An Abridged History of Ceyenus The ultimate goal of the adventure series I'm writing is to equip a group of 5 players with the tools they need to sit down and play Let Thrones Beware - play without having to first page through several hundred dense pages of reference material. Each adventure begins with a thematic overview of a pertinent part of the Let Thrones Beware world. In Rogue in the Woods: A Let Thrones Beware Adventure, players were introduced to the world of Ceyenus for the first time, read about the incursion of Man, and learned about the cataclysm that destroyed Man's kingdom. In the second adventure, Knight to Remember, we learn more about the Deep Wood, the refuge villages that have been established by those who managed to escape the end of Man, and catch a first glimpse of the horrors that lurk within the forest. For your enjoyment, here's the opening of our next adventure. An Abridged History of Ceyenus posted:Given the paucity of Man's presence in the Deep Wood, it was only natural that cataclysm which was his undoing sent the races of Ceyenus hurrying for shelter under its foreboding canopy. Though it was the Fey who Man first ripped from forests centuries ago, the flood of refugees encompassed all those who were close enough to reach the massive trunks of the Wood before the lands of Man were completely consumed by the conflagration that brought low his kingdom. Insectoid, Formian, Ipotane, and Fey, all released from the domineering hand of Man, found themselves alone in an isolated and primeval land. While freed, their civilizations and cultures had been lain to waste, and all found themselves facing the daunting prospect of forging a new destiny in a strange and unfamiliar place.
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Feb 8, 2017 03:15
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Sneak Peek - Knight to Remember - The Formians As I've touched on in previous posts, the second Let Thrones Beware introductory adventure, Knight to Remember, will cover two complete character workups (that's race, background, and class). This morning we take a look at the race of the first character - the Formian. The first Formian we encountered was Telchal, who hired your rogue to retrieve a precious family heirloom. You encountered another in the market, where you learned that Formians are drawn to large cities where they utilize their experience in working with stone and earth. Characters: Race: Formian posted:
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Feb 15, 2017 15:56
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Sneak Peek – Knight to Remember - Stalwart Guard Welcome Heroes, to the next instalment of the Knight to Remember preview. In today's post, we get to see the Stalwart Guard, a background for characters in Let Thrones Beware. The Guard is a great background for players who like to cooperate with their commrades, and a a character with this background who's able to coordinate will see some real benefits. This background is also our first introduction to Influences, which represent the people, knowledge, and possessions that you character has which will be useful while adventuring. We'll take a look at exactly how Influences work in a future preview, but for now, just know that the non-combat challenge system has a whole mechanical component that supports the skill powers. Lastly, the background describes some sample motivations that might drive a character who has the Stalwart Guard background and reasons why a player might want to pick this background over others. Until next time! Characters: Background: Stalwart Guard posted:
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Feb 20, 2017 18:37
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Sneak Peek – Knight to Remember - The Insectoid The Insectoid is the other race included in the Knight to Remember tutorial adventure. We've encountered an Insectoid in the adventure path before - Vruxyx sought you out in Rogue in the Woods. Insectoids are the fast, mobile counterpart to the Formians; their great size belies surprising speed and quickness. Insectoids also have an unusual history; once an innumerable race of drones controlled by a hivemind, the destruction of their central intelligence inflicted individuality and consciousness upon each individual member of the race. Characters: Race: Insectoid posted:Before the coming of Man, the Insectoid race was as one, unified under the great hiveminds of Xzzryxy. Thinking as one, acting as one, existing as one, Insectoids spread across the whole of Ceyenus. The enormity of their civilization made their shattering all the more tragic. Where there had only been one voice, suddenly a cacophony. The shock of sudden individuality was too much for most, killing many and driving others mad. Those who survived did not fare better, being immediately enslaved by Man.
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Feb 22, 2017 17:46
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Sneak Peek - Knight to Remember - The Knight Next up in this series of previews for the Knight to Remember adventure is the titular Knight. This class is an armoured fighter who's very good at protecting friends, and the special class feature means that the Knight is able to interpose herself into engagements where foes are attacking less protected allies. Characters: Class: Knight posted:
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Feb 27, 2017 17:07
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Sneak Peek – Knight to Remember – Enriched Merchant Next up in our examination of the Knight to Remember adventure is the merchant background. There have been some changes to the skill system; you'll notice that the skill powers attached to this background have a new descriptor - skill damage, and that this background has a new item included - skill equipment. We'll get to how this system works in a forthcoming update (and Rogue in the Woods will be updated to describe how it works at the same time), but for now just be aware of the changes. Characters: Background: Enriched Merchant posted:Merchants are the lifeblood of the Deep Wood, the sole way in which goods vital to the survival of the denizens of the forest circulate between the fortified hamlets. It is a hard life, full of danger and risk, but for those who undertake the perilous journeys every Passage, it is one that surpasses all other professions.
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Mar 1, 2017 17:21
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